Chapter 25: One Move Instantly Killed Six Tribulation Cultivators. The next second.
The firebird let out a piercing cry, wrapped in blazing flames as it hurtled straight into the golden shield.
Rumble!
A tremendous explosion thundered through the valley.
Flames shot skyward as waves of heat swept in every direction.
The rocks melted into powder under the scorching heat, and countless pits blasted open in the cliff face.
Billowing black smoke instantly shrouded the entire valley.
The smoke and dust completely blocked their vision.
The shield rippled with transparent waves, its golden light flickering wildly.
The shock wave spread. The six bandits instinctively retreated, raising their hands to shield themselves from the heat.
Hope flared anew in their eyes.
The burly man roared in his coarse voice.
"It worked!"
"A second-tier talisman has been unleashed. Even the toughest defense will shatter!"
"That brat is as good as dead!"
Another man stared fixedly at the black smoke, his voice alight with excitement.
"A Blazing Fire Talisman worth three hundred spirit stones can't possibly fail!"
"That turtle shell's definitely been blasted open!"
Everyone stared intently at the billowing smoke.
A few seconds later.
The smoke and dust slowly dispersed.
A tall figure stood quietly in the same spot.
His plain clothes were spotless, and not a strand of his hair was out of place.
The golden shield still hovered around him, without even the slightest dimming.
Su Yun's expression was calm. Even the hem of his clothes hadn't been blackened by the heat.
Completely unscathed.
Dead silence fell over the scene.
The six men's pupils contracted. Their minds went blank, their throats dried up, and their bodies stiffened.
"I... I can't believe this."
The sharp-chinned young man couldn't help swearing, his legs beginning to buckle.
"It didn't even break?"
"What kind of monster defense is that turtle shell?"
"Big brother, we have to go!"
"We can't waste another second!"
"The Qingyun steward must be on his way!"
Scarface's face was deathly pale. The last trace of pride in his heart was crushed completely.
He ground his back teeth, unwilling to give up but powerless to do anything.
"Retreat!"
"You over there, you're lucky today!"
"We'll let you off this time!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the six men turned to run.
They had barely taken a step.
A cool voice rang out, icy to the bone.
"You think you can attack whenever you want, then leave whenever you want?"
"What do you take me for?"
Su Yun raised a hand and waved.
The golden spiritual light around him slowly faded, and the shield vanished completely.
Su Yun formed a spiritual seal with his fingers and spoke in a low voice.
"Golden Blade Technique."
Golden spiritual energy condensed in the air.
Six sharp, palm-sized golden blades hovered around Su Yun.
Their edges gleamed with a chilling light, keen spiritual radiance running along their blades as their killing intent remained concealed.
There were exactly six golden blades, one for each of the six bandits.
Seeing this, the six men across from him not only weren't afraid, they even sneered.
Much of their fear vanished in an instant.
The burly man bared his teeth mockingly. "Hahaha! You took down your shield?"
"Without a defensive magic artifact, what are you going to fight us with?"
The sharp-chinned young man looked disdainful. "Six little golden blades?"
"You're only at the sixth level of Qi Refining. You think you can keep us here?"
"Did the explosion rattle your brains loose?"
The six men let down their guard completely.
Su Yun was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining. Without the shield protecting him, he was as helpless as a fish on a chopping block.
A playful smile curled the corner of Su Yun's mouth.
"I'll give you one chance."
"If all six of you can withstand this one move of mine,"
"I'll give you every storage bag I have."
The six men's eyes suddenly lit up.
A chance to get rich was right in front of them!
Greed flashed in Scarface's eyes. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Fine!"
"You said it!"
"If we withstand it, you can't take it back!"
As far as they were concerned, how powerful could a spell from a sixth-level cultivator possibly be?
Su Yun couldn't be bothered to waste words. He flicked his finger.
The six golden blades vanished from where they hovered.
They moved so fast they surpassed the limits of what the naked eye could follow.
There was no sound as they cut through the air, no warning.
With Thousandfold Amplification enhancing them, the blades' speed, sharpness, and piercing power all surged dramatically.
Though Su Yun seemed to be at the sixth level of Qi Refining, their killing power rivaled that of the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
At that moment, the six bandits' body hair stood on end. A bone-chilling sense of imminent death clamped down on their hearts.
"Something's wrong!"
"Damn it, what killing intent!"
"Defend yourselves!"
The six men were scared out of their wits.
They hurriedly pulled out Protective Jade Pendants, low-tier Shield Talismans, and leather armor.
They poured their spiritual power into their defensive artifacts as if it were free.
One after another, lights flared as layers of defenses stacked together.
But it was already too late.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Six crisp sounds of piercing impact rang out in succession.
A flash of cold light appeared and vanished.
The six golden blades pierced straight through the six men's chests.
Each man was left with a bloody hole through his heart.
Blood gushed out, staining their clothes red.
All their defenses were torn apart with ease, like sheets of paper.
The six men froze, still holding the poses in which they'd raised their hands to activate their artifacts.
Their bodies stood rigid on the spot.
Greed, disdain, and terror were still mingled across their faces.
Scarface lowered his head and looked at the blood gushing from his chest.
His trembling finger lifted to point at Su Yun. His lips quivered, his breath coming in broken gasps.
"Your... your attack... why... is it so strong..."
Before he could finish, his head lolled to one side. His life force was extinguished, and he fell straight backward.
The remaining five fell one after another.
All six murderous bandits were killed in an instant.
To their dying breaths, they couldn't understand how a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator could unleash an attack as terrifying as one from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Nor could they understand how it had been so fast that it gave them no time to react.
The valley fell completely silent.
The wind blew over the bloodstained ground, and the stench of blood slowly spread.
Su Yun brushed the dust from his sleeves and curled his lip, muttering under his breath.
"Tch, what trash."
"Six of them, and not one could block a single move from me."
He casually waved a hand, and six streaks of black light flew toward him.
Six battered, withered storage bags landed in his palm.
He swept them with his spiritual sense.
Su Yun's eyes twitched.
There were only a few low-grade spirit stones, a handful of battered low-tier magic artifacts, and a few bottles of shoddy Healing Pills.
Aside from that, they were empty.
"What a bunch of paupers."
He couldn't help shaking his head.
They'd fought to the death for this pitiful little pile of possessions. What a disgrace.
He planned to burn the corpses and make sure no trace was left behind.
Just then.
A low hum—
The hurried sound of something tearing through the air came from the horizon.
Three long rainbows of spiritual power streaked toward them from afar, their auras heavy and their speed astonishing.
The stewards of the Azure Cloud Market had arrived.
Su Yun's gaze sharpened.
He didn't want trouble, and he didn't want to expose his trump cards.
This was no place to linger.
He instantly activated the Breath Concealment Art, suppressing his entire aura until he seemed utterly ordinary.
With a swipe of his right hand, the Flowing Light Gold-Vein Sword shot out and hovered beneath his feet.
He stepped onto the sword, rose into the air, and sped away.
A golden streak of sword light split across the sky, disappearing beyond the forest in an instant.
A few breaths later.
Three figures landed steadily on the valley floor.
The middle-aged man at their head wore a plain blue robe and had a stern face. His cultivation was at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
He was the enforcement steward of the Azure Cloud Market.
Behind him were two black-clad enforcers, both with cold auras and cultivation at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
The three looked down at the six corpses on the ground.
The blue-robed steward's gaze swept over the blood and the wounds. He spoke in a low voice.
"We're too late again."
One of the black-clad enforcers hurried forward, turning over the bodies and examining their wounds.
A moment later, he stood and reported respectfully.
"Steward."
"These six were the bandits who had long been operating around the outskirts of the market."
"They were steeped in malice, with the blood of countless victims on their hands."
"Judging by the wounds, all six were killed in an instant."
"The wounds are smooth and clean, with tremendous piercing power."
"The one who struck was definitely a Foundation Establishment cultivator."
The other enforcer agreed. "That's right."
"Their simple defenses were all useless. One blow killed each of them."
Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could kill with such clean, decisive efficiency."
The steward in a green robe gave a slight nod.
"It must have been some Foundation Establishment master who'd concealed his cultivation."
"He was passing through when they tried to rob him, so he turned around and cut them down."
He lowered his eyes to the six corpses, his voice indifferent.
"A bunch of pests."
"They've robbed cultivators time and again, and escaped by sheer luck on many previous occasions."
"Now they'd tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice they'd set out as bait. They died at someone else's hands, and got what they deserved."
"Dispose of the bodies. Burn and bury them here."
"Send word back to the market and inform everyone."
"The six great bandits have all been put to death."
The two attendants behind him bowed and clasped their fists.
"Yes, Steward!"
A bookshelf grouping feature has been added. You can add multiple books to a group for sorting. If you have any suggestions after trying it, please let us know, and we'll make adjustments.