"You—you want to do what!" The silver-armored young man took two steps back, feeling as though he had been eyed by a primordial beast!
He had already invoked King Chaotian's name. Even an expert under the County Governor would have to avoid his edge and show the Hantian Army some respect. How could this brash little calf dare resist? He really was gutsy!
"Join the Hantian Army? I'll decide how I join. King Chaotian is merely fodder on my martial path."
Zhou Qiming's eyes blazed as he brought the Mountain-Weight Saber down with savage force. "Besides, I hate people putting on airs in front of me!"
Anyone would have flared up after being interrupted while looting a corpse. So he had no choice but to kill the silver-armored Martial Artist and continue searching the body—keep looting, keep feeling great!
Zhou Qiming's senses were extraordinarily sharp. He could hear ants fighting and see a white gleam in an empty room. Although he had initially been immersed in his gains and had been caught off guard by the silver-armored young man's imposing opening, that had only allowed the latter to seize the initiative and rattle him.
But once Zhou Qiming steadied his mind, he quickly noticed that the other man's legs had actually been trembling unconsciously beneath his robes and armor all along. The hairs on his face had stood on end, and cold sweat had seeped out. Clearly, things were not as they appeared. His actual Body tempering realm might not even be as high as Zhou Qiming's!
Sure enough, no one who made their way in the world was simple. He had almost let this brat fool him. Zhou Qiming shook his head coldly.
"Since you're so afraid of me, I'll free you through death!" The Mountain-Weight Saber descended with unstoppable ferocity, like thunder crashing from the heavens.
The saber force struck him like a hammer smashing an egg. The sounds of flesh and bones bursting rang out. This fellow's Blood Qi strength was only slightly greater than Cheng Yu's and Cheng Yan's. He was merely at the Muscle Cultivation level—yet a weakling like him had dared to jump out and play the clown!
The young man spat out a mouthful of blood. His face held nothing but fury and regret. He should never have provoked this god of slaughter.
He had merely been secretly supervising whether the Jinsha Gang was faithfully completing its mission on behalf of his superiors. When he saw Qiu Yun chasing a brat at the Skin Grinding and Muscle Cultivation levels, he had followed all the way, hoping to obtain the secrets on Zhou Qiming.
Who could have expected such a shock? He had not seen Zhou Qiming bleed. Instead, Qiu Yun had been forcefully slain. This brat's hidden strength was astonishing and unfathomable. By the time he wanted to retreat, it was already too late!
The silver-armored young man had hidden behind a tree, terrified that Zhou Qiming would discover him after finishing the looting. Overcome by fear and panic, he had somehow been possessed by the devil and foolishly walked out to frighten Zhou Qiming. Unfortunately, his opponent had seen straight through him with his keen perception.
"You—you... don't kill me! I'm one of the ninety-nine adopted sons under King Chaotian. Can tiny Jinshui Town withstand the Heavenly King's wrath?" The young man was utterly desperate. His earlier profound air had vanished without a trace. He had truly sensed the threat of death.
"Are you threatening me?"
Zhou Qiming's iron-tower-like figure strode forward. His large hand, resembling an eagle's claw, reached out and squeezed. The other man's head burst open like a watermelon.
Suddenly, a red light erupted. A drop of blood flew out from the protective talisman around the young man's neck.
King's Blood!
This was a trace of blood King Chaotian had bestowed upon his trusted followers. It could control a subordinate's life, as well as alter and enhance their strength—a method comparable to that of demons.
The young man's Body tempering realm was low, so he clearly had not had time to refine this treasure. He had merely kept it as a trump card to save his life.
The crimson blood-light moved incredibly fast. Even the Mountain-Weight Saber's strike could not stop it. Its thunderous might slammed into Zhou Qiming's chest.
With a crack, it tore through a layer of skin on his chest. The Bloodline Power immediately surged through his entire body before vanishing without a trace.
"What was that?"
Zhou Qiming frowned. That had been dangerous. He had never expected the other man to possess such a method—a single drop of blood had pierced his Copper Skin defense.
His skin had been broken, and he was bleeding.
Ever since cultivating the Iron Cloth Skill, he had not been injured in a long time. Even Qiu Yun just now had only torn his clothes apart with his leg technique without causing any actual harm.
Yet now, a single drop of King's Blood had displayed such bizarre power.
This world was, after all, a chaotic age of demons. Danger lurked everywhere. His current strength at the Skin Grinding and Muscle Cultivation levels was still far from invincible. He absolutely could not grow reckless. He had to develop quietly!
"What... what kind of monster are you!"
Before dying, the young man saw this dumbfounding scene. The King's Blood had been forcibly activated, yet it still had not killed Zhou Qiming!
This was a protective blood talisman bestowed by King Chaotian. It was equivalent to burning up the young man's entire Vitality and blood foundation. A single strike should have severely wounded even a Bone Forging Martial Artist, yet it had merely grazed Zhou Qiming's skin.
What angered him most was that Zhou Qiming had actually complained that it was dangerous. What the hell was this contrast between being both strong and cowardly!
No matter how one looked at it, Zhou Qiming was the one who seemed more like a monster—thick-skinned, tough, and shameless!
The young man could not help but collapse in terror. He had already followed Qiu Yun into death.
"The Bloodline Power has locked onto you. My adoptive father will avenge me sooner or later!" This was the silver-armored Martial Artist's final obsession before death. A faint smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
Zhou Qiming threw stones at him from a distance several times. Only after confirming that he was completely dead did he approach to search the corpse.
"An adopted son of the Heavenly King, yet he's this poor? He's even poorer than a hall master from some backwater place!"
Zhou Qiming was bitterly disappointed. All he found was one bottle of Bone forging pills, two Gold Leaves worth a hundred taels each, and a Hantian Army Waist Token. There was not even a decent cultivation manual. He was ridiculously poor!
As for the valuable armor and the precious saber at his side, Zhou Qiming did not dare carry them around conspicuously. He was afraid that the people of King Chaotian would be unable to find his doorstep.
He blasted a large hole into a massive rock on the nearby mountainside and hid the armor and weapon inside. Then he covered them with stones. Perhaps he could retrieve them and exchange them for money when he left Jinshui Town.
As for Qiu Yun and the young man's corpses, he blasted them into a bloody mess with saber force. In these deep mountains and old forests, wild beasts would turn them into a spotless self-service meal in no time.
"Debts don't weigh down the body. I only wanted to practice martial arts and develop in peace. Why do these people insist on forcing me?"
After taking several lives in such a short time, Zhou Qiming was no longer as clumsy and agitated as he had been the first time he dealt with Chen Meng. His heart remained utterly unmoved.
"It's a shame that killing can't be collected as a martial skill. Otherwise, I could definitely grind it to Perfection in no time." Zhou Qiming clicked his tongue, feeling as though he had lost several points of Root Bone Value!
The outcome of this mission was good enough. His harvest had been plentiful. After taking stock, Zhou Qiming had obtained everything he had expected to get.
Just the one thousand four or five hundred taels of silver would be enough for him to buy better medicinal ingredients and collect cultivation manuals!
There was also a bottle of Bone forging pills, which would allow him to temper his bones more quickly after reaching Muscle Cultivation.
Moreover, the Cheng Family's Medicine Shop was about to resume operations. It could provide him with a steady supply of Precious Medicine such as ginseng, accelerating the recovery of his expended Root Bone Value and making it convenient for him to continue breaking the limits of his martial arts. The Cheng Family's profits were meager, but they had the advantage of being stable and continuous. Even a mosquito's leg was still meat!
As for the Bloodline Power from the King's Blood having possessed him and locked onto his aura, it was not a major problem either. Zhou Qiming carefully examined his body. Apart from a strange sensation of some unseen karmic connection, it had no actual effect on his strength or cultivation methods.
Such was the way of the world: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Zhou Qiming regarded the King's Blood only as one trial on his martial path.
"Perhaps this drop of King's Blood is my greatest harvest. It contains astonishing power. I need to find a way to refine it and resolve the trouble it may cause!" Zhou Qiming sensed a crisis and urgency. He did not know whether Yuan Tieyi had a method for refining the energy of the blood curse. He disliked taking blows passively.
This drop of King's Blood was equivalent to having marked him in advance. Zhou Qiming believed that so long as he did not actively charge into the Hantian Army's line of fire, they would be unable to locate him precisely. Once his Root Bone and cultivation methods improved, he would be able to refine the Blood Mark in an instant.
He had already been targeted by the Heavenly King while he was still in the beginner village. He had to work harder and strive to break the limits of the Iron Cloth Skill and the Earth Fiend Legs and bring them to Perfection!
King Chaotian was busy contending with the Luoshan Army. How could he spare any thought for an ant like him? At most, he would dispatch Heavenly Soldiers and generals under his command. Zhou Qiming was not afraid of them at all.
Besides, by the time King Chaotian reacted, Zhou Qiming's Iron Cloth Skill would have broken through who knew how many limits. The so-called Heavenly King in the eyes of the world might ultimately be unable even to pierce his skin. He would merely be a mayfly gazing at the blue heavens!
"I'll go help Cheng Yan first. She desperately tried to send me through the encirclement earlier. She should still be alive, right?" After dealing with Qiu Yun and the other man, Zhou Qiming immediately turned back toward the Cheng Family's group. He had to clean up all the loose ends at the Jinsha Gang's hall and leave no survivors.
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