Robber Cultivators

The Golden Cicada Slough had a very unusual material and a unique shape. Finding something that could replace it would be extremely difficult.

Zhou Er was terribly troubled by this, but he kept his feelings off his face and acted as if nothing had happened, quietly plotting in secret.

As time passed, many of the resources on Fanhua Island began to ripen.

The Spirit Fish, spirit grain, and various medicinal herbs were all ready to be harvested.

The fish had to be caught, and the grain had to be cut.

Gu Fan grew busy too, organizing the islanders to harvest these things.

While Gu Fan wasn't paying attention, Zhou Er went to the ancestral hall and secretly equipped the Golden Cicada Slough for a while.

[Cicada Concealment (Green): Like a golden cicada hiding underground, cultivators at Golden Core and below will be unable to use Spiritual Sense to detect anything about you.]

[Solidification Condition: Remain in an environment without light for three thousand hours. (1/3000)]

The Cicada Concealment trait could even hide him from Golden Core cultivators.

With this trait, he could even consider returning to Xiayun Sect.

He hadn't seen Lin Shiyu in a year, and he didn't know how she was doing now or whether she had become an alchemist.

Still, Gu Fan had treated him very well, and he had also signed several contracts with the Gu Family. It wouldn't be convenient for him to leave Bashui Immortal City.

Sensing that Gu Fan might be coming back, Zhou Er put the Golden Cicada Slough away and walked out of the ancestral hall.

Zhou Er practiced some spells in the open space outside. Before long, Gu Fan returned to the Cave Mansion area.

When Gu Fan saw Zhou Er, she walked over and said:

"Brother Er, we had a good harvest of Qingxi Fish this year. When Sister Bai comes back, we can go to Bashui Immortal City and buy some things."

After several days of hard work, they had caught nearly all the Spirit Fish raised on the island and exchanged them for Spirit Stones.

"Sister Fan, I don't need anything."

Zhou Er said calmly.

"It's fine. Spirit Stones are meant to be spent."

Gu Fan said with a smile.

She was thinking about what Zhou Er still lacked, determined to make sure he had it.

Zhou Er felt he had everything he needed and didn't want too many things.

Of course, he needed the Golden Cicada Slough very much.

But he couldn't say that aloud.

The two returned to the Cave Mansion together. After a bout of intimacy, they each began cultivating.

[Yin-Yang Harmony: Regulates the balance of yin and yang within the body.]

[Solidification Condition: Spend three hundred hours with your Dao Companion. (107/300)]

Before getting intimate with Gu Fan, Zhou Er would equip the Yin-Yang Great Joy Manual each time, in order to solidify the Yin-Yang Harmony trait.

But they had only been together for half a year, so meeting the solidification condition would still take a long time.

Zhou Er estimated it would take at least another year.

Of course, if Zhou Er had another Dao Companion, he could speed things up.

But he was currently a live-in son-in-law, so it was naturally impossible for him to seek another Dao Companion.

Unless he broke through to Foundation Establishment and took control of his own affairs.

Still, there was no hurry to acquire this trait.

Turning his attention away from the traits, Zhou Er began to cultivate in earnest.

Several days later, a band of water bandits arrived at Fanhua Island in small boats in the middle of the night.

Before, when Bai Zhuozhuo noticed water bandits, she would have gone out and killed them.

This time, they had somehow learned that Bai Zhuozhuo had left and hadn't returned, so they planned to take advantage of the opportunity to plunder Fanhua Island.

"Right now, Fanhua Island has only Gu Fan and her little live-in husband. We have five Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators and thirteen Qi Refining Mid-stage cultivators. That's enough to deal with them."

Before they went ashore, one of the Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator Robbers said.

"Pull off this big score, and we'll have enough cultivation resources for years."

Another Cultivator Robber chimed in.

After encouraging one another, the band of Cultivator Robbers stormed the island under cover of darkness.

The islanders were caught in the slaughter and fled to the Cave Mansion at the center of Fanhua Island, hoping to take shelter inside Gu Fan's. But a formation blocked the entrance, and they couldn't get in.

As the Cultivator Robbers tried to break the formation protecting the Cave Mansion, they killed the islanders.

Sensing that the formation was under attack, Gu Fan immediately pulled Zhou Er out of bed, and they went outside to see what was happening.

When she saw the Cultivator Robbers, Gu Fan immediately used a message talisman to notify the family Elders.

But perhaps because it was so late, Gu Fan received no reply.

Of course, even if she had received one, it would have taken at least half an hour for the family members to arrive from Bashui Immortal City or the nearby islands.

The Cultivator Robbers were bearing down on them, and the defensive formation probably couldn't hold out that long.

"Brother Er, don't worry. The defensive formation can hold for a while longer. The family Elders will be here to help soon."

Though she was somewhat panicked inside, Gu Fan still tried to reassure him.

"These Cultivator Robbers outside are far too brazen. I'll go take care of them."

Seeing that the Cultivator Robbers outside were all Qi Refining cultivators, Zhou Er brought out the Ruyi Ring and prepared to charge out.

When Gu Fan had used the message talisman just now, Zhou Er had watched from the side. No one knew when the family Elders would receive the message and arrive.

And though the Cultivator Robbers had the numbers on their side, they were still only Qi Refining cultivators.

With Defensive Guard as a life-saving trait, Zhou Er had nothing to fear.

"Brother Er, don't be reckless."

Gu Fan had never seen Zhou Er fight for real and was deeply worried, so she tried to stop him.

"It's fine, Sister Fan. I know what I'm doing."

Zhou Er brushed Gu Fan's hand aside, summoned the Ruyi Ring, and rushed out of the formation.

When three of the Cultivator Robbers saw Zhou Er charge out, they stopped attacking the formation, turned around, and immediately rushed at him.

"Isn't that the Gu Family widow's new Dao Companion? He actually came out here to die. Don't blame us for showing him no mercy."

A Cultivator Robber with a silver hook nose jeered.

"Hey! You Gu Family son-in-law, how does the little widow taste? Once we kill you, we brothers will make sure to give her a good, thorough loving."

A Cultivator Robber with a goatee leered.

Zhou Er ignored them. Once he had put some distance between them, he took several talismans from his Storage Bag.

At once, eight fireballs appeared around him and shot toward the three men charging at him.

The three Cultivator Robbers dodged immediately, blocking with the magical artifacts in their hands whenever they couldn't get out of the way.

As soon as they finished blocking that volley, Zhou Er activated another round of Fireball Talismans, sending them at the three men.

The scorching heat never let up.

"Damn it! How does he have so many talismans?"

The Cultivator Robber with the silver hook nose was pinned down by the continuous barrage of Fireball Talismans and roared in fury.

Third Brother, he seems to be a Talisman Master."

Another Cultivator Robber said.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhou Er's Ruyi Ring looped around his neck and kept shrinking until it strangled him.

Zhou Er had used the Fireball Talismans merely to drain their magical power and draw their attention.

Once they were worn down from defending themselves, he would send out the Ruyi Ring for a fatal strike.

"Fifth Brother!"

The Cultivator Robber with the silver hook nose was both shocked and furious to see his sworn brother strangled so easily.

"Big Brother! Forget the formation. Fifth Brother's dead! Get over here, quick—we'll kill that Gu Family son-in-law first, together!"

Another Cultivator Robber immediately shouted to the men still attacking the defensive formation not far away.

Hearing this, the leader immediately called for his men to stop and surround Zhou Er.

"You killed Fifth Brother. I'll carve the flesh off you one slice at a time and make you wish you were dead!"

Seeing this, the Cultivator Robber leader gripped his saber and snarled.

Even though he was surrounded by a group of Cultivator Robbers, Zhou Er didn't panic. He activated Fireball Talismans as he recalled his Ruyi Ring.

The Cultivator Robbers had the numbers on their side, and Zhou Er was alone. Several of them managed to cast spells, sending fireballs, volleys of arrows, and other attacks flying at him.

Before those attacks could land, water formed from Zhou Er's magical power surged around him, creating a spherical shield with no gaps. It absorbed every attack.

Whenever one water shield was broken, another formed in its place.

That was Zhou Er's Water Shield Talisman.

He had talismans on hand, so there was no need to waste time and magical power casting spells himself.

Seeing this, the Cultivator Robbers immediately realized how troublesome a Talisman Master could be.

It was as though his talismans would never run out, coming one after another without end.

Of course, fighting so many people at once took a huge toll on Zhou Er.

Since the battle had begun, he had already used several hundred Fireball Talismans, just to keep up the barrage.

Fortunately, the effect was quite good.

At the very least, he had drawn all the Cultivator Robbers over and forced them into a stalemate.

Seeing that neither side could gain the upper hand, the Cultivator Robber leader realized that the longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for them. He stopped wearing Zhou Er down from a distance and charged at him with his saber raised.

The saber sliced through layer upon layer of water shields, and the Cultivator Robber leader finally broke through Zhou Er's defenses.

At that moment, Zhou Er's body shifted, suddenly growing to nearly three meters tall. He gripped the Ruyi Ring and smashed it down at the leader with brutal force.

The Cultivator Robber leader had thought the advantage was his. When the situation suddenly changed, he couldn't react in time and hurriedly raised his saber to block.

Zhou Er knocked the leader's saber flying in just a few blows, then swung the Ruyi Ring at him again and again.

The Ruyi Ring smashed into the Cultivator Robber leader's face, knocking out his teeth and leaving him unconscious.

"He's a Body Cultivator too!"

Seeing Zhou Er's brutal side, the other Cultivator Robbers realized something was wrong.

In the blink of an eye, they scattered in every direction.

Zhou Er had never seriously trained his body, but with all kinds of traits bolstering him, his physical strength was already far beyond ordinary.

Facing the fleeing Cultivator Robbers, Zhou Er took another large pile of talismans from his Storage Bag.

Firelight and Sword Light flashed in all directions. Most of the Cultivator Robbers were struck and lost the ability to fight.

Only a few escaped on small boats. Zhou Er couldn't catch up with them, so he recalled the Ruyi Ring and returned to his original size.

He had been able to grow larger because of the Size Manipulation trait.

With this trait, growing in size also increased his strength, giving him an advantage in close combat.

Now that the fight was over, he returned to his original size.

Zhou Er didn't chase after the Cultivator Robbers who had escaped. He checked the ones he had taken down, as well as the islanders nearby.

Most of the islanders had been slaughtered by the band. Only three were still alive, and they had all been badly injured.

Zhou Er used the Water Healing Technique to treat them, then turned his attention to the Cultivator Robbers he had defeated.

Most of the Cultivator Robbers he had defeated were dead, but a few had stubbornly survived.

One of them was the leader, whom Zhou Er had beaten until he was barely recognizable. He was unconscious.

"Brother Er, are you all right?"

Gu Fan came over, concerned.

She had tried to help earlier when Zhou Er was surrounded.

But she was only at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and hadn't been able to do much.

"Sister Fan, I'm fine. It's just that Fanhua Island has been badly wrecked."

Zhou Er looked at the island in ruins and spoke.

The islanders' homes had suffered the worst damage, engulfed in a sea of flames.

After subduing the two Cultivator Robbers who were still alive, Zhou Er did his best to salvage Fanhua Island's property.

But the damage was too severe. There was nothing more he could do.

He turned back to the two badly injured Cultivator Robbers.

One had been hit by a Fireball Technique and suffered severe burns all over his body. The other was the Cultivator Robber leader, whom Zhou Er had nearly beaten to death with the Ruyi Ring.

Zhou Er felt that these Cultivator Robbers were no ordinary bandits. He wanted to get some information out of them, so he used the Water Healing Technique to treat them a little, then woke them up.

"Who are you? Why did you attack Fanhua Island?"

Zhou Er grabbed the Cultivator Robber leader by the head and demanded.

The leader had lost several teeth, and his face was swollen. He could barely speak clearly.

"I... We heard that Bai Zhuozhuo had gone to the Yunmeng Marsh Secret Realm, leaving Fanhua Island lightly guarded, so we decided to seize the opportunity."

The Cultivator Robber leader stammered.

He had meant to keep his mouth shut, but Zhou Er tortured him until he had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Lord Cang, Lord Gu, just give me a quick death!"

The Cultivator Robber leader begged. He knew he wouldn't survive.

Bound as he was, he couldn't even kill himself. He only hoped he wouldn't be tortured any further before he died.

Zhou Er wasn't the sort of person who enjoyed torturing others. He was about to kill the Cultivator Robber leader with a single slash when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

"Someone must be pulling your strings!"

Zhou Er fixed a fierce gaze on the Cultivator Robber leader.

Bandits who rampaged everywhere like this usually had someone backing them.

They had clear targets for whom to rob and whom to plunder.

Sure enough, the Cultivator Robber leader panicked and said:

"I don't know what you're talking about. We, the Five Brothers of Xiagou, never take orders from anyone."

They were a band of Cultivator Robbers from the lower reaches of Wangyue Lake. Someone had paid them in Spirit Stones to do dirty work, and they couldn't possibly expose their employer.

Of course, the boss had introduced himself to them through intermediaries. They didn't know his real identity, either.

They interrogated the prisoners well into the latter half of the night. Zhou Er tortured the two Cultivator Robbers who were still alive until they were barely recognizable as human. Once he confirmed that they truly knew nothing, he killed them.

For the two Cultivator Robbers, it was almost a release. There wasn't a patch of uninjured flesh on either of them, so a quick death was a stroke of luck.

Of course, they had brought it on themselves. They had slaughtered almost all the islanders on Fanhua Island, causing the island no small amount of damage.

Although they didn't know who was behind this group of Cultivator Robbers, they could be certain that someone had ordered them to act.

Someone with designs on Fanhua Island had already set their sights on it.

Zhou Er didn't know who it was yet, so he could only proceed with caution.

Gu Fan gazed at the ravaged Fanhua Island, her heart aching.

Rebuilding would cost a huge sum of Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, they could sell the magical artifacts taken from the Cultivator Robbers and recoup some of their losses.

After a night of chaos, dawn gradually broke. A small boat approached from the distance, carrying people sent by the Gu Family to aid Fanhua Island.

"Thank you, cousin, for coming to help."

Though they had arrived late, Gu Fan still thanked them and gave the Clan Members some Spirit Stones.