Loot

Chapter 5: Loot

Qi Meng's moves were broad and powerful. With mana surging through his body and his naturally tempered muscles and bones, he was utterly unafraid of counterattacks.

His fan-sized hand reached for Xiao Liang. His intent was obvious: once he got hold of him, it would be nearly impossible for him to break free.

Yet after a blur, Qi Meng's grasp found nothing. Xiao Liang had vanished from in front of him.

"Where did he go?"

Qi Meng's bull-like eyes widened. Just as he turned to scan his surroundings, an elbow rapidly enlarged in his vision—it was Xiao Liang.

The elbow strike landed, but Qi Meng instinctively raised an arm to block it. It only staggered him slightly and did no real harm.

Just as he reached out to grab Xiao Liang, a black shadow flashed past, and he grabbed empty air again!

A faint black aura now emanated from Xiao Liang's body. His figure became incomparably elusive, and as he moved, the black aura behind him stretched into threads, like countless Ghost Shadows.

"Bastard, stop dodging!"

Qi Meng stomped a stone slab to pieces in anger, yet he still could not keep up with his opponent's speed.

"It's Ghost Shadow Step!"

"Damn, Little Ghost Hall's introductory spells—Yin Demon Claw, Corpse-Iron Body, and Ghost Shadow Step—are all easy to learn but hard to master. Could this brat's Ghost Shadow Step be nearing mastery?"

"Heh, being fast doesn't mean his attacks are powerful. Qi Meng cultivates the Corpse-Iron Body, and combined with his innate physique, his defense is exceptionally high. He's the perfect counter to Ghost Shadow Step!"

"That's right. In a prolonged fight, flaws are bound to appear. As long as that brat gets caught once, he's finished!"

Quite a few people had gathered on the mountaintop platform without anyone noticing. Xiao Liang moved with Ghost Shadow Step, his figure truly like a ghost in broad daylight. No matter how furiously Qi Meng attacked, he could not gain the slightest advantage.

Instead, Xiao Liang kept striking his vital points. However, the Corpse-Iron Body's defense was truly astonishing, and the damage was not especially apparent.

Bang!

Another punch smashed into Qi Meng's temple, numbing half his face and making the scene before his eyes seem to split into double images.

Qi Meng's eyes were bloodshot. Although he had yet to show signs of defeat, he had been repeatedly struck in vital spots. He was not nearly as relaxed as he appeared; he was merely forcing himself to endure.

He firmly believed that if he dragged things out long enough, he would eventually find a chance to twist Xiao Liang into a pretzel!

One strike. He only needed one chance to strike!

Suddenly, Xiao Liang stopped some distance away, looking troubled as he panted heavily. He was likely recovering his breath.

"Hm? Is he finally tired? My chance is here!"

Qi Meng gathered his strength and lunged forward. This time, Xiao Liang actually did not use Ghost Shadow Step in advance to evade him, as if he had exhausted all his stamina.

This only further excited Qi Meng. Mana flowed down into his feet, and with one stomp that shattered the stone slabs, he burst forward like a cannonball.

"Go cool off down the mountain!"

At that moment, Xiao Liang's pale face returned to normal, and a curve rose at the corner of his lips. Ghost Shadow Step activated, and he shifted several zhang away once more!

Qi Meng cursed inwardly. Just as he was about to crash into some bystanders, they were no fools willing to act as cushions for the burly man, and they hurriedly dodged aside.

Then Qi Meng's vision suddenly cleared, revealing a vista of misty mountain peaks.

Only then did he realize that Xiao Liang had unknowingly lured him to the edge of the mountaintop platform.

The momentum was far too great for him to stop. He charged straight off the cliff!

"NO!!!"

Listening to the long, drawn-out scream and the sound of a heavy body striking the ground, Xiao Liang nodded in satisfaction.

He probably would not die, but without miraculous pills, he would likely be bedridden for a year or more.

"There's even an unexpected bonus."

Xiao Liang weighed the bulging storage pouch in his hand. He had casually taken it from Qi Meng just now.

"Xiao Liang, you got lucky this time. Just you wait!"

Qi Yunkai left behind a harsh threat and was about to leave when Xiao Liang stopped him.

"What do you want?"

Qi Yunkai's expression was extremely ugly. He was beginning to regret not slipping away quietly.

Ten Thousand Demon Cavern was exceptionally lax when it came to disciples fighting one another.

As long as no one died, even broken arms and legs would not bring anyone to intervene.

Though he had some connections behind the scenes, they were not easy to call upon.

Most importantly, distant water could not put out an immediate fire.

If Xiao Liang decided to be ruthless with him now, he would be in serious trouble!

Xiao Liang tilted his head, seeming to see through Qi Yunkai's thoughts. He smiled. "Don't worry. You've already lost to me, so I won't cripple your path of cultivation."

"Hmph." Qi Yunkai secretly let out a sigh of relief, though he still refused to yield outwardly. "At least you know what's good for you. Once I break through to the Mid Qi Refining Stage, I'll spare you once too!"

Xiao Liang yawned and held out his hand toward Qi Yunkai.

That familiar gesture immediately gave Qi Yunkai a bad feeling. Is this something he usually does?

"Whether you spare me can wait until you reach the Mid Qi Refining Stage. For now, hand over your storage pouch. That's my loot!"

After a while, the crowd gradually dispersed.

The mountaintop platform returned to its usual calm. Those who were supposed to set up stalls continued setting up stalls.

At most, the stall owners chatted among themselves about how a probationary disciple had cultivated Ghost Shadow Step to mastery. It was quite remarkable.

Under Xiao Liang's cold gaze, Qi Yunkai finally yielded.

He flung out his storage pouch and left in resentment. This blow had likely hit him hard.

He had always thought of himself as the strongest fighter in Little Ghost Hall.

Who would have thought that Xiao Liang had hidden himself so deeply? This was the first time he had displayed Ghost Shadow Step at a level close to mastery.

It also completely countered Qi Yunkai's Yin Demon Claw.

It was worth mentioning that when the conflict between Xiao Liang and Qi Yunkai began, Liang Hao had quietly slipped away.

He had probably feared that Xiao Liang would be quickly defeated and then get entangled by the two bullies again. He had never even expected Xiao Liang to win.

"Sure enough, in the Demon Sect, keeping a low profile all the time won't work. Showing some strength at the right time can avoid a lot more trouble. Think of all the cultivation resources that saves!"

Xiao Liang sighed as he weighed the two storage pouches and dumped out their miscellaneous contents.

He obtained a total of one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones, along with several materials such as spirit ore, aged herbs, and demon beast bones.

Robbing Qi Yunkai and Qi Meng of their storage pouches would inevitably bring some trouble later.

But so what? Xiao Liang was broke right now. Since these two had come looking for trouble, it was not as though he could avoid them just because he wanted to.

"Hm? This seems to be a method for refining some kind of artifact?"

Xiao Liang suddenly raised his brows. Inside Qi Yunkai's storage pouch, he found a brocade box.

When he opened it, he found an ancient bronze fragment.

The bronze fragment seemed to have been stripped from some bronze artifact.

Though it carried an ancient charm, the inscribed content was incomplete. It was only a fragment.

"It seems to be a mirror-type artifact. Such unusual artifacts are generally extraordinary. What a pity the refining method is incomplete."

After thinking it over, Xiao Liang still tossed it into his storage pouch. It might come in handy someday.

Even if it did not, it would make a fairly good selling point for a stall in the future.

However, with another unexpected sum of Spirit Stones in hand, Xiao Liang felt he could not just leave them sitting in his storage pouch gathering dust.

He simply decided to spend them, laying more groundwork for his upcoming path of refining corpses across worlds.

"Low-grade talismans only need a thread of mana to activate the spells within them. Good stuff!"

"I'll take a dozen each of attack, defense, speed-enhancing, and poison-cleansing talismans. Senior Brother, I'm buying so many—shouldn't I get a discount?"

After purchasing a complete set of low-grade talismans, the beaming stall owner threw in a dozen Purification Talismans.

They worked quite well. After using one, even a mud man could be cleaned spotless.

Before the talisman stall, Xiao Liang did not even blink as he tossed out eighty Spirit Stones.

His thinking was that if he had enough talismans, their effect over a short period should not be weaker than a protective artifact.

Just then, several outer disciples reeking of Baleful Qi arrived at the mountaintop platform to set up a stall.

They actually took several huge chunks of bloody meat from their storage pouches, with large barrels filled with beast blood placed beside them.

A bloody stench instantly filled the air, and the meat still steamed with heat. It seemed to have been freshly hunted.

Some people walked away in disgust, but Xiao Liang stepped forward, his eyes lighting up.

Demon beast flesh was rich in spiritual energy and Baleful Qi. If the Baleful Qi was not removed, cultivators could easily become demonized after eating it. But it was extremely suitable for feeding Zombies!

A single demon beast often weighed several thousand jin, so its price was not entirely unacceptable.

"Senior Brother, give me one thousand jin of demon beast meat and five large barrels of fresh beast blood!"

Thinking of his future plans, Xiao Liang gave the stall owner his requirements. With a grand wave of his hand, he spent another thirty-odd Spirit Stones.

He needed some flesh and blood to lure zombies. Perhaps this demon beast meat, rich in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, would be a delicacy in the eyes of those zombies.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Liang looked at the few remaining Spirit Stones in his hand and sighed. These glittering little things really did not last long.

(End of Chapter)