For a moment, every cultivator present looked toward Old Yu.
Old Yu sighed.
A rueful expression crossed his face.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, forget it!"
"But—!"
Baldy Chen looked deeply unwilling.
Shen Xuan's lips moved slightly as he sent a voice transmission to Wen Zijian.
Wen Zijian nodded silently to show he understood.
"Let's go!"
The Flying Boat then dropped lower, skimming close to the surface of Longze River.
As everyone looked on in confusion, Shen Xuan swept his sleeve.
The river churned, and spray exploded into the air. Waves surged one after another, then gathered together.
Propelled by a towering wave, the Flying Boat suddenly accelerated, speeding away at an unbelievable pace.
It was twenty percent faster than its usual speed!
"That speed!"
Old Yu, Old Wei, Baldy Chen, and the other Monster Hunters stared in stunned disbelief.
Their Flying Boat couldn't catch up at all!
"Fellow Daoist Chen, don't be so ungrateful!"
"I just saved your lives!"
"If we'd really fought, your whole team wouldn't have stood a chance against Talisman Master Shen!"
"Why don't you use your brains and think about how they managed to hunt a Water Repelling Rhinoceros!"
Old Yu tossed out a few words, waved his hand, and ordered the Flying Boat to turn back without looking over his shoulder.
That move Shen Xuan had just shown—
It had displayed his powerful control over Water Spiritual Power.
Even Old Yu, a Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator, felt a chill at Shen Xuan's strength.
"Could Talisman Master Shen have reached Water Law Great Accomplishment?"
Wen Zijian piloted the Flying Boat along Longze River, speeding onward.
Half an hour later, he finally relaxed and slowed down.
"Fellow Daoist Shi, Fellow Daoist Xia, don't just stand there. Let's work together and process this Water Repelling Rhinoceros!"
Without the Iron Brothers, the three of them were much slower at this kind of busywork.
Shen Xuan looked at the Water Repelling Rhinoceros Horn, struck by a thought.
"Fellow Daoists, the horn of this Water Repelling Rhinoceros would greatly benefit my cultivation. Would you be willing to let me have it?"
"No problem!"
Zhao Chunsheng swiftly cut off the horn and handed it to Shen Xuan.
Shen Xuan didn't take it right away. Instead, he looked to Wen Zijian and Shi Xiangdong.
"Don't worry. Fellow Daoist Zhao is the team leader, and he handles the distribution of spoils. He's always been fair. We have no objections."
"I have no objections."
Shi Xiangdong and Wen Zijian voiced their agreement one after another.
Only then did Shen Xuan accept the Water Repelling Rhinoceros Horn.
The instant it touched his hand, he sensed the profound, mysterious water-law intent within it. His mind swam with fascination.
Shen Xuan took out an empty jade box, placed the Water Repelling Rhinoceros Horn inside, and put it away in his Storage Bag.
This was a real treasure!
The Water Repelling Rhinoceros's Water-Repelling Talent was probably activated through its horn.
There were plenty of other valuable materials, too.
Its hide, bones, and tendons were all sought-after materials for Artifact Refining.
But the most valuable part was still the rhinoceros meat.
It weighed two thousand pounds. After removing the bones and organs, there were a full twelve hundred pounds of meat!
"At six spirit stones per pound, just the rhinoceros meat will fetch seven thousand two hundred spirit stones!"
Zhao Chunsheng worked with gusto, using the High-grade Magic Tool Fire Phoenix Saber as a meat cleaver.
"Add in this intact hide, along with the tendons and bones, and it should fetch around ten thousand spirit stones."
Even Wen Zijian, who rarely smiled, wore a faint grin.
This haul had been a real windfall!
"Count the Rhinoceros Horn and Rhinoceros Blood toward my share and deduct their value from it," Shen Xuan reminded them.
"Don't worry! I, Zhao Chunsheng, may be mediocre at everything else, but my arithmetic is top-notch!"
"Of course. Buying low and selling high is your specialty!" Xia Muqing teased him, an uncommon smile on her face.
Shi Xiangdong reminded them, "Everyone, stay on your guard. We've been following the river, so we've taken a few detours."
"Fellow Daoist Shi is right. The Monster Hunters wouldn't dare attack us, but that doesn't mean no one else will get ideas."
Zhao Chunsheng packed all the rhinoceros meat into several Beast Bags he'd prepared, tied them to the Flying Boat, and secured them with tight knots.
Storage Bags had limited space.
A Qi Refining Cultivator's Storage Bag usually held only two or three cubic feet. It also contained all kinds of valuables, so it wasn't suitable for storing Monster Beast Meat.
Shen Xuan had prepared a new Storage Bag specifically for the Monster Beast Blood.
He asked, "Are we likely to run into Robbing Cultivators?"
"Definitely," Zhao Chunsheng said firmly.
"Many Monster Hunters secretly collude with Robbing Cultivators. Some even switch identities whenever it suits them."
"Talisman Master Shen, you haven't been in this line of work long. You'll understand once you've been at it longer. Out in the wild, you can't trust anyone but your teammates!"
"Family Disciples and sect cultivators aren't to be trusted either!"
Shen Xuan nodded. "I'll remember that."
These were words of gold and jade—
Lessons bought with countless bloody scars.
"If we see Robbing Cultivators blocking the way, don't hold back!"
"Talisman Master Shen, what's your plan?"
Traveling along the river had been Shen Xuan's idea.
His teammates understood that his Water Law grew many times more powerful on Longze River.
"Do Robbing Cultivators carry any good stuff? I heard that killing and robbing made you rich, and that slaying Robbing Cultivators could bring a sudden windfall."
Shi Xiangdong looked utterly speechless.
Xia Muqing explained, "Robbing Cultivators are all a bunch of paupers! The poorer they are, the less they fear death. There's no need to risk a desperate fight with them!"
"We've got prey worth over ten thousand spirit stones on this Flying Boat. Getting home safely is our first priority!"
Shen Xuan smiled apologetically.
So novels really were all lies.
They were so poor they had to rob people, and he still thought he could rob them right back.
"Then we'll just break through!"
"If Robbing Cultivators block the way, I'll hold the Water Cloud Shield in front of the Flying Boat. That should keep us safe."
The Flying Boat had some defensive strength.
But not much.
If the enemy's attacks were powerful enough, they could easily damage the Flying Boat and force it to slow down and make an emergency landing.
"Good!" Zhao Chunsheng agreed at once.
He didn't even stop to wonder whether the Water Cloud Shield, merely a Mid-grade Defensive Magic Tool, could withstand the Robbing Cultivators' attacks.
In his eyes, Shen Xuan's strength was comparable to Qi Refining Perfection.
Even an ordinary Mid-grade Defensive Magic Tool could unleash tremendous power in his hands.
The Water-Splitting Emei Dagger he carried was also an ordinary Mid-grade Magic Artifact, yet it had been enough to instantly kill a Water Repelling Rhinoceros!
As expected.
Ten days later.
Mist curled over the stretch of Longze River ahead, and faint fluctuations of spiritual power could be sensed.
Before long, three Flying Boats belonging to Robbing Cultivators appeared.
They were all painted black, making them suitable for nighttime operations.
They had even raised the Robbing Cultivators' banners on their boats.
Shen Xuan was dumbfounded.
Just a few days earlier, Xia Muqing had told him that Robbing Cultivators were all paupers.
How could paupers afford three Flying Boats?
"They stole the Flying Boats! The boats and their Magic Artifacts are about the only things worth any spirit stones!" Xia Muqing explained.
"We're lucky. We've run into the strongest, most notorious gang of Robbing Cultivators in the area."
The Black Wind Bandits!
That was the name of this gang.
They were said to number more than twenty, with at least ten Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators.
Their leader, Black Wind, had reached Qi Refining Perfection. He was a Gold Attribute Sword Cultivator!
Zhao Chunsheng asked in a worried whisper, "Can the Water Cloud Shield withstand attacks from a Qi Refining Perfection Sword Cultivator?"
"It can," Shen Xuan replied firmly.
"Even if it can't, I'm still here! Just keep the Flying Boat charging forward!"
Turning back wasn't an option.
There might be even more Robbing Cultivators chasing them from behind.
Prey worth over ten thousand spirit stones!
That was enough to make these Robbing Cultivators risk everything.
"Fellow Daoist Wen, take a break first. I'll use a giant wave to propel us and help us rush through."
"Okay!"
A dozen breaths later.
On Longze River,
spray exploded,
and giant waves roared.
The Flying Boat accelerated abruptly, throwing up countless splashes as it shot toward the gap between the three Robbing Cultivators' boats like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"How dare you!" a furious shout rang out.
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