Wang Daoyuan's injuries worsened. He spat out several mouthfuls of blood and barely managed to stay conscious. If he was going to put on an act, he had to see it through; there was still one final line left, and he could not drop the ball now. Summoning every ounce of strength, he shouted, "Ninth Uncle-Grandfather, he took the item!"
Before his words had even faded, he passed out.
Wang Zhide was, after all, at the Qi Refining Peak and protected by defensive magic. Though a single sword strike had broken through his defenses and made him cough blood as well, he was in far better condition than Wang Daoyuan and still retained some combat strength.
Hearing Wang Daoyuan's words, he shouted, "Thief, don't you dare run! Leave the item behind!"
He immediately activated two Tier Two Low-Grade Golden Blade Talismans, and two tiny golden blades shot after the black shadow.
A scornful laugh came from the black shadow. With a casual wave of his hand, a streak of Sword Light flew forth and collided with the golden blades in succession. The two golden blades vanished into nothingness, while the Sword Light continued toward Wang Zhide.
Wang Zhide activated another Tier Two Low-Grade Golden Armor Talisman. The Sword Light struck the golden armor, and both disappeared. Wang Zhide collapsed to the ground and spat out another mouthful of blood.
Tier Two Low-Grade Talismans were said to possess power comparable to a strike from a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator, but before a true Foundation Establishment Cultivator, they were simply too weak to withstand a single blow. Three Tier Two Low-Grade Talismans had failed to completely offset even a casual attack from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Wang Zhide called over the clan members working in the shop, instructed them to carry Wang Daoyuan away for treatment, and shut down the shop's Defensive Formation.
The black shadow, already high in the air, swiftly fled beyond the market. At that moment, a vast expanse of Sword Light surged into the sky around the Wang Clan's two shops and gave chase after him, a truly spectacular sight.
Wang Zhide secretly let out a breath of relief. That had been close. Fortunately, they had all left; otherwise, with that group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators, wiping out the Wang Clan would not have taken much effort.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators had gone, but some Qi Refining Cultivators refused to leave. Before long, someone could no longer hold back.
An elderly cultivator entered the general store and cupped his hands toward the pale-faced Wang Zhide. "Fellow Daoist Wang, might you be willing to sell the Clear River Carp? This humble Daoist is not particularly capable, but I do possess a fair bit of wealth. I wish to purchase the Clear River Carp. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Wang?"
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Zhide flew into a rage. "Zhao Baoguo, do you think the Wang Clan has no one left? I, Wang Zhide, admit that I am incompetent and no match for Foundation Establishment seniors, but things have not reached the point where a mere Qi Refining Layer Eight like you dares to shit on my neck! Even heavily wounded, this old man can still kill you!"
The elderly cultivator's face alternated between green and white. He wanted to act, yet could not make up his mind. He could only snort coldly. "What a grand tone, Fellow Daoist. Could it be that you do not take the Netherworld Sect's rules seriously?"
Wang Zhide roared, "Get out!"
Overcome by rage, Wang Zhide spat out another mouthful of blood.
Zhao Baoguo snorted and retreated outside.
A crowd immediately gathered around him, asking all manner of questions.
To avenge Wang Zhide's humiliation, he embellished the story. "That old bastard Wang Zhide is truly done for. Don't be fooled by that pleasant face he wears all day. When he was young, he was famous for his fiery temper. Now that he's old, he started pretending to be a good man, but this time he got so angry that his true colors showed. In the end, he was so furious that he even spat blood! Hahahahahaha!"
He felt far more at ease, as though he had personally beaten Wang Zhide, and was instantly refreshed.
A middle-aged cultivator asked, "So the Clear River Carp was really taken by that Foundation Establishment senior?"
Zhao Baoguo said arrogantly, "Of course. Didn't everyone see it with their own eyes? With Wang Zhide looking like that, a dog's belly can't hide even two taels of oil. If it hadn't been stolen, would he have been angered to such a state? Besides, the Wang Clan even withdrew their Defensive Formation. If the Clear River Carp were still there, would Wang Zhide have the guts to take down the formation?"
Most people believed him. The cultivators lurking around the Wang Clan's shops gradually dispersed, leaving only a few unwilling ones still keeping watch nearby. With only a few stray cats and dogs left, none dared stir up trouble.
After Wang Daoyuan fell unconscious, the clan members fed him healing pills and carried him back to his cave abode. By the time he awoke, dawn was just beginning to break. His entire body still ached as if it had fallen apart, but he could barely move again.
Thinking of the Clear River Carp still in his possession, Wang Daoyuan knew that although many people believed it had been seized by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the item had ultimately passed through his hands, so questioning was unavoidable. If the Netherworld Sect ultimately failed to obtain the Clear River Carp, and the Liang Clan fanned the flames, the Wang Clan would still be the one to suffer in the end.
Moreover, even if the Wang Clan managed to keep the Clear River Carp, they would not dare sell it, and keeping it would be of little use. Rather than that, it would be better to hand over the Clear River Carp. Though the Netherworld Sect was no good bird, it would not leave a subordinate force that offered up something valuable entirely unrewarded. At the very least, it might ease the Netherworld Sect's suppression of the Wang Clan somewhat.
When one lived under another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head. Rather than hold an item he could not use, it was better to hand it over and curry favor with the Netherworld Sect.
Having decided, Wang Daoyuan dug a pit beneath the bed in his cave abode, took two Clear River Carp from his spatial space, and placed them in a basin of water. He set the basin into the pit, covered it with a wooden board, then buried it under a little soil.
The Clear River Carp were, after all, first-order spirit beasts. Their tenacious vitality was beyond comparison with ordinary fish. Such minor tossing about was nothing, and Wang Daoyuan was not worried about suffocating the two fish.
After finishing this, Wang Daoyuan lay back down, swallowed several healing pills, and slowly circulated his cultivation technique to heal his wounds. He had first been ambushed by a cultivator at least at Qi Refining Layer Nine, then injured by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Sword Qi. Without one or two months of recuperation, he could forget about fully recovering.
Elsewhere, the black shadow who had seized the Spirit Beast Bag fled eastward from Qingli Market by Sword Flight. Just after leaving Qingli Market, he discovered a group of Foundation Establishment Cultivators pursuing him on flying swords. Some even spared no expense in burning their blood essence to activate secret arts and chase him down.
The black shadow cursed inwardly, "A bunch of poor fools who have never seen the world. It's only a hundred thousand-odd Spirit Stones. Do you have to fight this desperately?"
He seemed to have forgotten that, for those hundred thousand-odd Spirit Stones, he too had disregarded the Netherworld Sect's prohibition, forcibly attacked a shop, and injured those within. If the Netherworld Sect caught him, he would undoubtedly meet a fate worse than death.
Men died for wealth, birds perished for food. More than a hundred thousand Spirit Stones were enough for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to earn over several decades. An ordinary Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator who was not proficient in the Hundred Cultivation Arts could earn, at most, only two or three thousand Spirit Stones a year.
There was even less need to mention Qi Refining Cultivators. The vast majority of them could not earn enough in their entire lives to buy a single Foundation Establishment Pill, and a Foundation Establishment Pill cost only fifty thousand Spirit Stones.
The pursuers drew ever closer, and the black shadow had no choice but to use an escape secret art.
With a group chasing and one man fleeing, they struggled on for more than two hours. The black shadow finally stopped. If he kept running, he would lose even the strength to resist. He might as well strike ruthlessly and kill one pursuer first, frightening the others off and giving himself a chance to escape.
He gradually slowed down. The pursuers assumed he was running out of strength, and several hotheaded fools took the lead, hoping to seize the Clear River Carp first.
When those hotheaded fools approached the black shadow, he turned and thrust out his sword, aiming directly at a pursuer who was only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
Seeing the sword coming, the pursuers instinctively scattered in all directions. Yet this Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator bore the brunt of it and had no time to dodge. He could only draw his own sword and forcibly receive the blow.
After a thunderous crash, the Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator's sword snapped, and he suffered serious injuries as well. Without a magical artifact, he could not even perform Sword Flight, much less continue the pursuit. And now that he was injured, if he did not flee at once, someone might rake up grass and catch a rabbit, killing him in passing.
Not only had he gained nothing, he had even lost his magical artifact. Left with no other choice, the cultivator cursed as he withdrew from the pursuit.
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