The others were tempted as well. They knew the value of a Low-Grade Spirit Sword.
If they could get their hands on one, it would indeed be a chance to strike it rich.
"Fine. He's only at Qi Refining Level 7. He was able to kill this injured beast only because he had that Spirit Sword."
"After such an intense battle, he's at his weakest. We can easily take him down."
After discussing it, the group charged out and surrounded Yang Lingtian.
"Kid, this beast was injured by us just now, yet you actually took advantage of us."
"If we hadn't injured it, how could you possibly have killed it? You would've died beneath its claws long ago."
"So shouldn't you show us some gratitude?"
One of them spoke in a faintly threatening tone.
Yang Lingtian's brows drew together slightly. Clearly, these people intended to kill him and seize his treasure!
He asked coldly, "What kind of gratitude do you want?"
"How about this? Your sword looks pretty good. Hand it over." The man pointed straight at the Spirit Sword.
Yang Lingtian let out a cold laugh and mocked them, "You bunch of little bastards think you can have my sword? Are you even worthy?"
Those words enraged everyone at once, like a spark setting fire to the tense atmosphere.
"Kid, watch your mouth. Are you looking to die?"
"If you want to fight, then fight. Cut the crap." Yang Lingtian spoke indifferently.
"Fine. Since you're looking for death, we'll grant your wish."
"You're already acting this cocky after killing an injured First-Order Late-Stage Beast. We'll teach you that being too arrogant gets you beaten."
"Everyone, attack!"
In an instant, all eight of them charged at Yang Lingtian.
Yang Lingtian's expression grew solemn as well. This was his first time being ganged up on.
Several of them were even at a higher cultivation level than him, so he dared not let his guard down. He immediately unleashed the Hundred Shadow Cold Sword.
He swung the Spirit Sword in his hand, sending out streams of Sword Qi, while his nimble Movement Technique let him evade the attacks of all eight men.
A chaotic melee erupted.
Facing the attacks of the eight men, Yang Lingtian continued to dodge them with ease by relying on his Movement Technique.
Every time, he blocked each person's attack before counterattacking.
This shocked them greatly.
"Damn, what kind of sword technique is this? It's fast, precise, and ruthless to the extreme!"
For a moment, the eight men were unable to take Yang Lingtian down.
"Form up!"
One of them shouted loudly.
The other seven responded in unison. They retreated and arranged themselves into a sword formation.
Yang Lingtian was slightly startled. He had not expected this group to know a sword formation.
Its power was far greater than their previous attacks, which had been utterly lacking in coordination.
"Eight Star Sword Formation, activate!" the cultivator shouted again.
As his voice fell, the eight men swung their swords in unison.
Eight sword gleams carved eight dazzling trajectories through the air, forming a brilliant starry pattern.
Every sword carried a stacking effect, creating a heavy, suffocating pressure.
Yang Lingtian showed no fear and shouted, "Hmph, I don't care what kind of sword formation you have. Watch me break it with one sword!"
He directly unleashed the final move of the Hundred Shadow Cold Sword—Hundred Swords Convergence.
Yang Lingtian's body moved. The Spirit Sword in his hand flashed with a chill, instantly condensing into a single point as it stabbed straight toward the core of the Eight Star Sword Formation.
At that moment, his body was like a bolt of lightning, swiftly tearing through the starry pattern of the Eight Star Sword Formation.
His sword gleam seemed to transform into a flood dragon, weaving through the resplendent stars before suddenly stabbing toward the formation's core.
In that instant, the eight stars seemed to be shattered by his single sword, and the heavy pressure vanished.
The eight men vomited blood one after another and were sent flying, crashing to the ground.
Clearly, they had suffered the backlash of the sword formation. Combined with Yang Lingtian's attack, they no longer had the strength to fight.
"How is this possible? Even a powerhouse at Qi Refining Level 9 couldn't break the sword formation of the eight of us so easily."
"He's only at Qi Refining Level 7, yet he really broke it with one sword."
"What kind of sword technique is this? Its power is actually so tremendous!"
All eight men wore terrified expressions, their faces filled with disbelief.
Li Tian sheathed the Spirit Sword and looked at them coldly.
"Now it's your turn to show me some gratitude, isn't it?"
Knowing they were no match for Yang Lingtian, the eight men begged for mercy. "As long as you spare us, we'll give you all the Spirit Stones on us."
Yang Lingtian gave a cold laugh. "Fools. If I kill you, all the Spirit Stones on your bodies will belong to me anyway. Is that not gratitude enough?"
Yang Lingtian's words were cold and decisive, sending a chill through the eight men.
One of the older middle-aged men struggled to prop himself up.
He said cautiously, "We know of a treasure ground with a great many spirit herbs inside. We're willing to take you there."
Yang Lingtian looked at him suspiciously. "Oh? Since it's such a treasure ground, why didn't you plunder all those spirit herbs yourselves?"
"Well, to be honest, a Second-Order Beast guards that place. We couldn't make a move." The middle-aged man answered truthfully.
"Hmph, you call that a treasure ground? It's a death ground! Are you trying to make me die beneath that Second-Order Beast's claws?" A hint of coldness appeared in Yang Lingtian's eyes.
The middle-aged man hurriedly flattered him. "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare."
"I only feel that your strength is extraordinary. You must have a way to deal with that Second-Order Beast."
At that moment, the system's voice rang out.
[True powerhouses should face difficulties head-on. A limited-time mission has been issued: reach the treasure ground within two days and collect the spirit herbs there.]
Yang Lingtian was slightly stunned. The system had chosen a remarkably timely moment to issue this mission!
It seemed that for the sake of the mission reward, he had no choice but to go.
"Fine. Take a quarter of an hour to recover some of your injuries, then lead the way." Yang Lingtian spoke without expression.
After a quarter of an hour, the injuries of the eight men had recovered by only about one-third.
They led Yang Lingtian toward the treasure ground they had discovered.
After traveling for more than an hour, they arrived near the so-called treasure ground.
They also sensed the formidable aura of the Second-Order Beast. It was a Second-Order Early-Stage Beast.
Although it was only at the early stage of the second order, it was countless times stronger than a First-Order Late-Stage Beast. They were on entirely different levels.
These Qi Refining Stage cultivators had no chance of fighting the beast. Charging in recklessly was certainly impossible.
At that moment, the Second-Order Beast kept roaring. Its voice was so loud that even they, despite being far away, could hear it.
However, Yang Lingtian understood the roars of the Second-Order Beast and knew what it was saying.
It turned out that this Second-Order Beast had been cuckolded.
It roared, "Damn Pi Dan! You actually stole my mate!"
"Once I finish eating these spirit herbs and digest them, I'll break through to the Second-Order Mid-Stage. Then I'll definitely challenge you to a duel."
Yang Lingtian suddenly thought of a brilliant idea: he could cooperate with the beast.
He could refine pills to help it break through. Wouldn't the remaining spirit herbs then belong to him?
After all, if he tried to force his way in, he simply could not defeat this Second-Order Beast.
However, humans and beasts had always been enemies. He did not know whether they could come to an agreement, but he would never know unless he tried.
Having made up his mind, he immediately rose and charged toward the Second-Order Beast.
Yang Lingtian's action frightened the eight men. That was a Second-Order Beast!
If it attacked him, he would certainly die!
How did he dare charge openly toward a Second-Order Beast?
Very soon, the Second-Order Beast noticed Yang Lingtian running toward it.
It roared furiously at him, "You tiny human ant at the Qi Refining Stage! You dare set foot in my territory? You're courting death!"
Just as it prepared to charge at Yang Lingtian, Yang Lingtian imitated the beast's roar.
The meaning he expressed was: "Brother, don't be so fierce! I mean no harm. I'm here to help you."
At that moment, the beast froze. This human actually knew beast language?
The eight men in the distance were also utterly puzzled. Why was Yang Lingtian imitating the roar of a beast?
They had assumed the Second-Order Beast would pounce on Yang Lingtian, but the beast seemed to understand him and remained where it was.
The eight men were left completely baffled.
Then the Second-Order Beast roared again. "Human ant, you know our beast language?"
Yang Lingtian roared in a manner remarkably similar to it. "That's right. I can understand it, and I can speak it too."
"I sympathize with you. Your mate was stolen, so I want to help you."
"What? Help me? How will you help?" The Second-Order Beast immediately became interested.
Yang Lingtian secretly rejoiced. Having taken the first step, he now had hope of persuading it.
"I know you must really want to break through to the Second-Order Mid-Stage and reclaim your mate."
"But relying solely on these spirit herbs will make it difficult for you to break through quickly."
"And I'm an alchemist. I can refine pills. If these spirit herbs are refined into pills, their effects will be even better."
"Oh? Why do you want to help me?"
"I just want to make a deal with you. Once you break through, all the remaining spirit herbs will belong to me."
"If you fail to break through, you can kill me. With your strength, killing me would be as easy as turning over your hand, right?"
"That makes sense. Fine, I'll trust you for now. Come over!" The Second-Order Beast agreed foolishly.
Thus, the Second-Order Beast and Yang Lingtian reached a deal through one roar after another.
The eight men hiding in the distance were dumbfounded. What exactly had Yang Lingtian said to the beast that made it stop attacking?
His ability was far too incredible!
They found Yang Lingtian even more unfathomable. In their hearts, a mysterious veil had been draped over him.
At that moment, Yang Lingtian's voice reached them.
"You all come over and give me a hand."
Hearing Yang Lingtian call them over, they exchanged glances, hesitating.
They were afraid the beast would eat them if they went over. After all, they did not possess abilities as great as Yang Lingtian's.
"Don't be afraid. I've already spoken with Big Brother Beast. It won't hurt you." Yang Lingtian's voice came again.
"Damn, that's amazing. How did he persuade that savage Second-Order Beast?"
"It looks like it's real. He went over and came back unharmed, so let's go over too!"
In the end, they approached with uneasy hearts.
Yang Lingtian took the Alchemy Furnace out of the Space Ring and began preparing to refine the spirit pills.
He chose a Third-Order Spirit Pill that was more effective for beasts: the Beast Origin Pill.
This pill was highly effective for a Second-Order Beast and could help it break through more quickly.
Before you continue