Upon reaching a desolate place devoid of human habitation, Wei Zhong stopped and turned to look at the fleeing lights behind him.
Those people slowly came to a halt. There were three in total, all high-level Qi Refining cultivators. Their faces looked somewhat familiar; they seemed to be spirit farmers from the Yan Family as well.
"What do you mean by following me all the way here?"
Wei Zhong spoke first.
The three exchanged smiles. The leader said:
"Cut the crap, Old Wei. Hand over your Storage Bag. If you can satisfy us brothers, sparing your life isn't impossible."
Another person said:
"Lin Daoyou, why waste words with him? Let's finish him off here and split his belongings three ways. This old fellow spent six or seven hundred spirit stones bidding at the auction. His fortune must be considerable."
As spirit farmers of the Lin Family, although they earned around a hundred spirit stones a year from farming, their expenses were equally staggering. Pills, magical artifacts, and spells were all enormous expenditures.
Thus, ordinary spirit farmers could generally only make ends meet, with no extra wealth to improve themselves.
They had become spirit farmers in the first place because their aptitude was mediocre and the Great Dao held no hope for them.
Seeing this old fat sheep, Wei Zhong, leave, they had harbored evil intentions.
Wei Zhong sighed faintly.
"Does worthy nephew Yan Yuan think the same way?"
A figure emerged from the forest below and lifted his hood. It was Yan Yuan, who had once asked Wei Zhong about the Spirit Rain Technique.
"Old Wei truly is extraordinary. I hid myself so well, yet you still discovered me."
He wore a smile, as though he had already swallowed Wei Zhong whole.
Wei Zhong merely shook his head. This crude method of concealment was far inferior to Gongyang Zi's.
"Does Brother Yan know that worthy nephew is doing this?"
Yan Yuan understood that he meant his clan uncle, Yan Wenbo.
"He does not. This nephew knows that Old Wei is close with Clan Uncle, so naturally I dared not tell him."
Wei Zhong showed a trace of regret.
"Worthy nephew has a bright future ahead of him. Why collude with these spirit farmers and engage in the work of Robber Cultivators?"
After Yan Yuan learned the Spirit Rain Technique from him, he had risen above the Yan Family's many collateral disciples and become a Spirit Nurturer apprentice of the Yan Family. He could be said to have cast off his collateral status and truly become one of the Yan Family's core members.
Yet upon hearing this, Yan Yuan's smile faded, revealing a hint of savagery.
"What use is being a Spirit Nurturer? Aren't I still just working for the main branch disciples? I painstakingly cultivate spirit herbs, so why should they be given to main branch disciples with just a word from an elder, while I have to painstakingly save up contributions to exchange for them?"
Seeing his indignant expression, Wei Zhong immediately understood. This was because he had received too few beatings. Born into a cultivation lineage, he had it far better than rogue cultivators.
Now that he had entered the core ranks, he had seen even more privileged people and grown dissatisfied.
If you were dissatisfied, why make things difficult for an old man like me?
"Please hand over your possessions, Old Wei. This nephew can grant you a dignified death."
Fine, he wasn't even leaving me a way to live.
"Does worthy nephew truly think that finding these three pieces of trash is enough to restrain me?"
Upon hearing this, the three spirit farmers were all furious.
Everyone was a spirit farmer, everyone was a high-level Qi Refining cultivator. Did you think you were somehow more noble?
"Rest assured, Brother Yan. The three of us will take him down at once."
Wei Zhong shook his head. The Black Ball spun between his fingers and was activated in an instant.
Flying Throwing Art · Mastery (12%)
Over the past few years, although Wei Zhong had been busy cultivating the Nourishing Body Art, he had not neglected his spell cultivation.
The master-level Flying Throwing Art was even more formidable than before. With only a sharp whistle through the air, it arrived before the leading high-level Qi Refining cultivator in an instant, leaving him no time to deploy a defensive magical artifact.
The jade pendant by his ear shattered, forming a jade-colored barrier before him.
A flash of surprise appeared on his face.
What fast casting speed. I wasted a life-saving magical artifact.
It was actually a passively triggered defensive magical artifact.
Wei Zhong's expression did not change in the slightest. The black pellet seemed to strike an eggshell, boring a small hole through it before continuing toward the man's head without losing momentum.
His face froze in astonishment, seemingly unable to believe that his defense had been shattered in the blink of an eye.
Then, like a stone smashing into tofu, it blasted his head into a pulp.
Master-level Flying Throwing Art was not limited to penetration alone. After striking its target, it could also detonate spiritual power, adding several more degrees of lethality.
"Brother Lin!"
Before the remaining three could react to this sudden change, Wei Zhong moved, turning into a cloud of white mist and arriving behind another man in the blink of an eye.
Soaring Cloud Art · Mastery (31%)
A magical sword was already in his hand, blazing with dazzling golden light.
Geng Sword Art · Proficient (45%)
With the Geng Sword Art enhancing a first-tier mid-grade magical artifact, it immediately displayed power no weaker than a first-tier high-grade magical artifact.
With a ripping sound, it pierced into the second man's magical robe.
Cloud patterns flowed across the green magical robe. It was actually a first-tier mid-grade magical robe, worth no less than a first-tier high-grade magical artifact.
Yet Geng Metal was difficult to resist. The magical sword tore a palm-wide gash through his robe and stabbed into his side.
Sword qi surged forth, severely wounding one man.
As clouds gathered and scattered, Wei Zhong had already killed one and severely wounded another.
Only the final spirit farmer and the mid-level Qi Refining Yan Yuan remained.
Both men were stricken with terror and no longer dared to fight.
Yan Yuan bent low and fled into the forest below, leaving behind these words: "Please, Ke Daoyou, cover my retreat. I will certainly take good care of Daoyou's family."
The lone spirit farmer's face turned pale, then green.
After hesitating for a moment, he took out a Pellet Drum.
Dong dong!
It sounded like a child's voice entering his ears. Wei Zhong stiffened slightly, but a flash of golden light passed through his mind and he instantly recovered.
It was actually a magical artifact that affected the soul.
Delight appeared on Wei Zhong's face, but his hand did not slow in the slightest as he used the Flying Throwing Art.
Seeing that Wei Zhong had not been affected by the magical artifact and had once again performed that familiar casting motion, the man immediately felt that his life was over.
Smack!
Another headless corpse fell.
Wei Zhong once more left behind a cloud of mist. Ignoring the severely wounded man, he flew into the forest with a large handful of magical artifact fragments clenched in his hand.
Flying Throwing Art · Rapid Fire
Countless trees in the forest were caught in the spell's wake, falling in patch after patch.
Then Wei Zhong descended below.
Yan Yuan lay amid the trees. One arm was nowhere to be seen, and both legs were a bloody mess of mangled flesh.
With his only remaining arm, he was desperately activating a half-human-height black shield. When he saw Wei Zhong arrive, despair filled his face.
Then, as though he remembered something, tears welled in his eyes and he burst into loud sobs.
"Uncle Wei, I'm sorry. This nephew was blinded by lard over his heart for a moment. I beg Uncle Wei, for Uncle Yan's sake, spare my life, please..."
Before he could finish, spiritual energy swirled in Wei Zhong's hand, and a pebble drilled into his brain.
Afterward, a ball of flame burned him into ashes.
Picking up his Storage Bag, Wei Zhong rode the clouds back once more.
Two headless corpses lay sprawled on the ground. A Motley Parrot was confronting one man, occasionally firing wind blades from between its wings to prevent him from escaping.
With a casual spell from Wei Zhong, the last man perished.
Nine Colors flew onto Wei Zhong's shoulder and tilted its head at Wei Zhong's aged face.
Wei Zhong took out a red pill and flicked it into its mouth, muttering:
"At least I didn't raise you for nothing."
He then gathered all the spoils, cleaned up the scene, and left.
Before you continue