Too Arrogant, Shameless Sneak Attack

Half a day later, Chen Dengming, who had been on constant alert, realized he might have been overthinking things.

The sparse-haired old cultivator seemed only to be toying with him, not intending to use him as bait to lure out any so-called demon beasts.

Not long after, most of the cultivators had left, even the corpses on the ground were carried away, and the stationed old cultivator had vanished. It appeared that after a demon beast incident here, no cultivator would approach for a short while.

As for Chen Dengming, he had successfully used the traps set over the past few days, combined with his exquisite Finger Flick Divine Art, to drive two Spirit Fish into the snares and haul them ashore.

On the soft grassy bank by the lake, the two Spirit Fish shimmered faintly with spiritual light, their bodies pulsing with ripples of spiritual energy.

These spiritual creatures were ideal for cultivators to consume; a meal of their fresh fish soup and meat could match several days of arduous cultivation.

However, for mortals, or even Innate Martial Artists, these Spirit Fish were extremely difficult to catch, often darting through deep waters with remarkable agility.

And in those deep waters lurked ferocious aquatic demon beasts, which even cultivators dared not enter recklessly.

Over these past days, Chen Dengming had only managed to catch these Spirit Fish by using traps crafted from the Stone Gu he had cultivated.

The Stone Gu was typically made by burying toxic substances with stones in damp soil, slowly nurturing them over time.

Once this Stone Gu jumped onto a person's body or into their stomach, it would first harden; after three or four months, it could move and chirp, causing the person to suffer constipation and grow emaciated. It could also fly into their hands and feet, and within three to five years, the victim would surely die.

At this moment, the two Spirit Fish had Stone Gu inside their bellies, their abdomens slightly swollen and mildly poisoned.

Chen Dengming was quite delighted.

His many days of hard work had not been in vain. But just as he relaxed in his joy, the Blood Centipede Gu in his ear canal suddenly twitched in warning.

"Not good!"

A flurry of ominous signs flashed through Chen Dengming's mind, and he immediately moved, swiftly leaving his spot.

"Swish—"

Almost instantly, a sharp glint of light shot through the surging airflow, carrying a piercing chill as it tore through the air, instantly piercing the tree trunk in front of where he had stood.

The combat experience Chen Dengming had accumulated over decades in the Martial World now proved its worth. From the trajectory and angle of the incoming attack, he had already deduced the enemy's position and their likely follow-up moves.

He hurriedly gathered his breath, channeling his full power, and shifted his body half a zhang to the left. At the same time, the muscles on his back bulged, and his long blade leaped out on its own. He swung it in an intercepting strike, relying purely on instinct.

"Clang!"

The sharp glint, which had abruptly changed direction mid-flight, was struck by Chen Dengming's blade.

Yet in the blink of an eye, the blade's energy shattered, and a notch was chipped into the Startle Cry Blade in his hand.

Chen Dengming shouted and retreated, while the Blood Centipede Gu in his ear shot out, vanishing among the leaves.

Almost simultaneously, a sharp pain struck his shoulder, and the hardened defensive power he had mustered across his entire body was instantly broken.

A form of spiritual energy, far more formidable than True Qi, invaded his body.

"Oh?"

A surprised voice suddenly came from the woods to the side, followed by a figure stepping out from behind a tree. It was none other than the old man from the Golden Character Workshop, his hair now sparse.

"I didn't expect a mere mortal Innate like you to block my strike. Not bad."

Chen Dengming's expression darkened as he stared at the old man before him. Catching the undisguised killing intent in the other's eyes, his heart sank.

A cultivator had actually ambushed him, an Innate Martial Artist, from the shadows. Was this a testament to the man's caution, or was he simply too honored?

"Boy, you've got some tricks. You actually managed to catch Spirit Fish. But you've been lingering outside my cultivation dwelling for days—what's your intent?"

The old man stared flatly at Chen Dengming, his scrutinizing gaze carrying an unmistakable air of lofty contempt.

Beside him, the magical artifact that had just attacked Chen Dengming hovered slowly, spinning and shimmering with spiritual light. It resembled a Flying Shuttle, swift as lightning, fast as thunder.

"Cultivation dwelling?"

Chen Dengming's eyes narrowed, and he noticed for the first time that behind the old man, amidst the swirling mist and rising vapor in the woods, a Wooden House was faintly visible perched among the trees, with patches of vegetable gardens beneath it.

This was something he had never noticed in all these days, as if the treehouse had materialized out of thin air. Clearly, the cultivator must have used some kind of illusion technique or set up a mirage array.

Yet, merely because he had lingered outside the dwelling, the man had struck to kill from the shadows?

That was clearly just a pretext. The man's real aim was likely the Spirit Fish he had caught.

Killing for just two Spirit Fish—perhaps it was simply a cultivator's disdain for a mortal Innate. Slaying an Innate was like butchering a pig, of no consequence. The cruelty of the Cultivation World still exceeded his imagination.

"Immortal Master, this junior came here purely by chance and had no idea this was your dwelling. Please forgive me! How about these two Spirit Fish as a token of apology?"

Chen Dengming quickly composed himself, cupping his fists toward the old man. Yet his mind was tightly linked to the Blood Centipede Gu, now inconspicuously hidden among the leaves, ready to strike at any moment.

Retreat was no longer an option. The cultivator's utter disregard for mortals, his contempt for their lives, stoked a raging fury within Chen Dengming, driving him to gamble with his life.

At that moment, the meridians in his shoulder felt as if they were splitting inch by inch in agony. Despite the thick True Qi he had cultivated over many years, it was utterly powerless against the spiritual energy that had invaded his body, retreating step by step.

If he delayed any longer, even without the man making another move, half his body would be immobilized, leaving him unable to fight.

The cultivator's strength was even greater than he had anticipated.

Or rather, the sheer sharpness and power of spiritual energy far surpassed True Qi.

"A mere 'I didn't know' and two paltry fish—do you think that's enough to settle this? Ridiculous!"

The old man let out a faint, mocking laugh, a sneer in his eyes, his gaunt face utterly cold.

He had long sensed the resentment this boy was barely suppressing, which was why he had decided to kill him. He would not let him off so easily.

Chen Dengming's heart sank. Suddenly, he saw the Flying Shuttle flicker across from him. His eardrums were filled with sharp, piercing sounds, his vision flooded with Silver Light. Beams of fierce, sharp air currents swept in with gusts of biting wind. Wherever the blade's edge passed, countless branches snapped and scattered in all directions.

"Bastard!"

Chen Dengming let out a long roar. After years of martial training, the hot blood of the Martial World had never surged within him like it did in this moment.

He raised his long blade and slashed with all his might, conjuring wave after wave of saber light like thousands of silver serpents writhing through the air. In an instant, they collided with the sharp air currents sent by the magic tool.

A clanging explosion erupted at once.

Chen Dengming's robes fluttered backward, snapping in the wind. His body trembled as if struck by lightning, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. The long blade in his hand cracked open with gaping notches.

"Mortal."

The Old Man across from him wore a sneer thick with mockery.

With just a slight effort, a mere Xiantian mortal could only struggle with all his might to cling to life.

This was the gap between immortal and mortal. This was also why he didn't bother with words—there was nothing worth saying to a dead man, a mortal.

As for the technique this mortal used to catch the Spirit Fish, he was only mildly curious. If the man wasn't dead yet afterward, he'd ask. If he was dead, so be it.

His true goal was indeed the two Spirit Fish, but he naturally wouldn't say so.

"Go!"

He formed a Hand Seal, and in an instant, the countless Silver Lights of the Flying Shuttle condensed into a single beam.

But in that fleeting, split-second moment, Chen Dengming roared and leaped high with his blade. On the brink of death, his wild nature erupted, and he suddenly slashed out with a furious strike.

A wild dragon rose above Green Hill!

Boom!!

A startling Silver-Blue Blade Qi, over ten zhang long, swept across and crashed down like a Rainbow Bridge, bearing down fiercely on the Old Man with overwhelming force.

"Oh? A Martial Dao Divine Ability?"

The Old Man was startled at first, then sneered dismissively. His Hand Seal changed, and a talisman ignited instantly. Golden spiritual light flared around him, forming an ancient, spinning Golden Shield!