Evil Cultivators Appear

A month passed by in the blink of an eye.

Han Changming sat before a wooden table, staring with intense focus at a piece of talisman paper in front of him. The paper was covered in over a dozen crimson runes, and a stack of finished Chain Fireball Talismans lay on the tabletop.

Not long after, Han Changming set down his talisman brush. A red glow flickered across the surface of the talisman paper, signaling that another Chain Fireball Talisman had been successfully crafted.

Han Changming had been here for a month. Together, they had hunted over a thousand monsters; ninety percent were first-rank, while over seventy were second-rank. The consumption of Puppet Beasts, talismans, pills, and formations had been immense, and the number of cultivators had dwindled.

They were well-prepared, but the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming, and the two Foundation Establishment cultivators simply could not keep an eye on everything.

The Han Clan had suffered thirteen casualties, with eight severely injured and five dead. The Liu Clan's losses were even greater, with seven severely injured and eight dead. Two of the Liu Clan's Monster Hunting Squads had once lured six second-rank monsters at once, whereas the Han Clan lured at most five. During that encounter, Han Changming had unleashed over a hundred first-rank talismans.

With their numbers halved, the two clans merged their remaining personnel into three Monster Hunting Squads.

Han Changming put away his talismans and walked outside.

By this time, night had already fallen.

Dozens of cultivators were gathered around several campfires, eating while exchanging insights on cultivation.

After working together for this period, the Qi Refining cultivators of both clans had become familiar with one another.

"Ninth Brother, over here." Han Changying waved her hand and called out loudly.

Han Changming walked toward the campfire where Han Changying was sitting. There were ten cultivators there, all from the younger generation, including Liu Wenyue.

As soon as Han Changming sat down, the others greeted him one after another.

They knew Han Changming was a talisman master and treated him with considerable respect; talented individuals were respected wherever they went.

"Cousin, do you still have any Chain Fireball Talismans or Three-Foot Freezing Talismans? I'll trade you fifty first-rank monster spirits for them." Liu Wenyue took out a palm-sized black porcelain bottle and handed it to Han Changming.

Over the past month, the Liu Clan's supplies had been heavily depleted. Talismans were convenient to use and quick to craft, making them highly sought after.

Han Changming nodded and took out a large stack of talismans, handing them to Liu Wenyue.

During this time, the Han and Liu cultivators often traded monster materials with Han Changming for talismans. Han Changming liked monster spirits the most, though monster hides were also acceptable, as they could be used to craft talisman paper or magical artifacts.

"If I had known talismans were so profitable, I would have put more effort into learning the art of talisman crafting back then," a young man in his early twenties wearing red robes said with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Liu is joking. A talisman master is nowhere near as impressive as an alchemist like you," Han Changming replied modestly.

The young man in red was Liu Wenhong, Liu Wenyue's cousin and a first-rank high-grade alchemist.

Whenever he had the chance, Han Changming would ask Liu Wenhong for advice on alchemy, and Liu Wenhong would offer a few pointers.

Han Changming's intention to learn alchemy was no secret. There were few alchemists in the Han Clan, and many Han cultivators wanted to become one, so no one suspected Han Changming. When Han Deling learned of this, she simply urged Han Changming to focus on his cultivation first and wait until he reached Foundation Establishment before learning alchemy, so as not to delay his progress.

Han Changming, of course, readily agreed to his elder's advice.

After finishing his evening meal, Han Changming returned to his room to rest.

He tapped his Spirit Beast Bag, and a strange hiss echoed out as the Amethyst Flying Scorpion flew out.

It circled around Han Changming, hissing as it moved.

After consuming ten poison sacs and a large number of monster spirits, the Amethyst Flying Scorpion had already advanced to the first-rank middle-grade.

Han Changming had experienced it firsthand; the Amethyst Flying Scorpion could indeed disrupt a person's soul, which would certainly be a great help to him during combat.

Han Changming took out the black porcelain bottle and pulled out the stopper. A dozen green light clusters the size of eggs flew out, and a large patch of black mist descended to meet them, sweeping the green clusters back into the Amethyst Flying Scorpion's mouth.

Fifty first-rank monster spirits had all gone into the belly of the Amethyst Flying Scorpion.

It seemed unsatisfied, letting out a series of hisses.

Han Changming took out a piece of pink flesh and tossed it onto the ground.

It was a Crimson Blood Jellyfish, which was highly toxic.

The Amethyst Flying Scorpion did not stand on ceremony, devouring the Crimson Blood Jellyfish in a few quick bites and conveying its satisfaction to Han Changming.

Han Changming returned it to the Spirit Beast Bag, took out his talisman-making tools, and continued crafting talismans.

The night passed by in a flash.

Early the next morning, as soon as the sky brightened, a red sun rose from the east, bringing a hint of warmth to the entire island.

Han Changming and the others split into three teams to set up formations and hunt monsters.

They scattered pieces of bloody meat on the beach, knowing the incoming tide would wash away large amounts of seawater.

An hour later, a group of monsters with fish heads and lizard bodies emerged from the water. They were entirely blue with three pairs of claws under their bellies, looking quite peculiar.

They were Fish-Lizard Beasts, brutal and bloodthirsty, capable of using Water Arrow spells.

Seeming to catch the scent of blood, they moved rapidly toward the shore.

Once they landed, they rushed toward the bloody meat, their gaping maws revealing rows of razor-sharp, cold-glinting teeth.

Countless white wisps of cold air suddenly erupted from the ground, forming a pale white light barrier that trapped most of the Fish-Lizard Beasts. The dozen or so that were not caught in the formation turned and scrambled back the way they came.

Countless grains of yellow sand flew up from the ground, transforming into a yellow earthen wall over ten feet long and a foot thick, blocking their path.

Dozens of Crimson Fireballs descended from the sky, slamming into the dozen Fish-Lizard Beasts.

A series of explosions rang out, and raging flames burned fiercely on the bodies of the Fish-Lizard Beasts. They let out strange hisses, rolling back and forth in an attempt to use the damp sand to extinguish the fire on their bodies.

A dozen glowing magical artifacts struck, hacking into the bellies of the Fish-Lizard Beasts. These Fish-Lizard Beasts were only first-rank and were no match for Han Changming and his group.

In less than ten breaths, over a dozen first-rank demonic beasts were wiped out by Han Changming and his group.

Inside the pale white light barrier, countless wisps of white cold air surged from the ground, enveloping all the Fish-Lizard Beasts. The Fish-Lizard Beasts attacked the formation frantically, but it was to no avail.

The four Qi Refining cultivators continuously cast incantations into the Formation Disk, causing white ice cones to manifest in the void and rain down rapidly.

Barring any accidents, this pack of Fish-Lizard Beasts definitely wouldn't be able to escape.

Suddenly, a piercing, shrill sound emanated from Han Debiao.

Han Debiao hurriedly took a pale blue orb from his bosom, which was flickering incessantly.

"Snap!"

The blue orb shattered, transforming into a large pile of blue crystals.

"Not good, there are enemies, be careful."

When heading out to sea to hunt demonic beasts, the most dangerous thing is never the beasts themselves, but other cultivators.

Every time they set up a formation to hunt beasts, they would deploy a warning magical artifact to guard against attacks from other cultivators.

The Han Clan cultivators had long since prepared countermeasures for encountering evil cultivators while hunting.

"Whoosh, whoosh" sounds of air being torn apart rang out loudly as hundreds of blue water arrows flew up from the seabed, striking toward Han Changming and the others like a torrential downpour.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack."

Han Changming remained calm and unhurried, tossing a stack of Chain Fireball Talismans from his hand.

Boom!

A series of massive explosions erupted, and a scorching crimson flame spread across the void.

This round of attacks failed to harm the Han Clan cultivators.

A massive blue sphere surfaced from the water with over a dozen cultivators standing inside. Leading them was a man in his early thirties wearing blue robes, his face marked by a terrifying blood-red scar, possessing the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

"Oh no, Scar-Faced Tiger." Han Debiao's expression shifted, and he exclaimed in surprise.

Scar-Faced Tiger's real name was Chen An. He had waylaid and killed many cultivators, and multiple cultivation families had offered heavy bounties to capture him, yet none had succeeded.