After Yun Che broke through to the middle stage of the Innate Realm, all five of his main attributes increased by 25 points.
It did not seem like much, but added to his original base attributes, the result was terrifying.
Afterward, Yun Che collected Qiu Chuji's and the others' armor and weapons, then fused them.
The Radiant Annihilation Sword's attack rose to 315, while the Dark Rong Silk Soft Armor's defense rose to 155.
What surprised him most was that the great Chuji also possessed a mid-grade spirit necklace.
Fusing it with his Tear of Silver Dust added a modest 15 points to spirit-a small gain.
Yun Che looked at the bodies strewn across the ground and felt it would be a shame to waste them. He summoned the Gluttony Mask and asked,
"They were all in the Innate Realm. Are you sure you don't want to drain them?"
Yun Che had already thought it through. Since he could not stop the mask from growing, he might as well generously nurture it.
However, the picky Gluttony Mask merely circled above the bodies once before flying straight back into his game inventory.
Its meaning was obvious: Unless they're in the Grandmaster Realm, I'm not interested. Not even the peak of the Innate Realm will do.
With no other choice, Yun Che left and hurried back toward Falling Moon City.
Meanwhile, atop a lofty peak in the Sacred Profound Sect, an old man in blue robes with white hair and a white beard abruptly opened his piercing eyes. The pressure of his peak Monarch Realm cultivation erupted unchecked across the entire mountain, making it tremble.
How many years had it been!
Just how many years had it been?
Since becoming a king, this was the first time someone had destroyed his avatar in such a humiliating fashion.
Zhang Runfa bristled with rage. His robes billowed and snapped without a breeze as he stared venomously in the direction of Great Yuan.
"You killed disciples of my sacred sect, stole its supreme arts, and destroyed my Monarch Realm avatar."
"I will settle every last one of these debts with you. Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Zhang Runfa closed his eyes again. He was in secluded cultivation to break through to the Emperor Realm and had no intention of letting this minor incident delay him.
He gave little thought to the person who had dared challenge the Sacred Profound Sect's bottom line. Since his opponent did not dare confront him directly, that meant they feared him-and feared the Sacred Profound Sect.
He believed that as long as his opponent remained active within the Great Yuan Empire, they would eventually give themselves away.
At Full River Tower in Falling Moon City, it was already eight o'clock. A mysterious figure in black robes and a bamboo hat slowly entered a private room on the second floor and waited quietly.
Yet an hour passed, and the person he was waiting for still had not arrived. He had already drunk an entire pot of tea, leaving him with an increasingly urgent need to relieve himself.
But he did not dare visit the privy now, afraid he might miss this crucial meeting and ruin the entire plan.
Another half hour passed. His bladder seemed to have reached its limit, and beads of cold sweat dotted the face hidden beneath his bamboo hat as he struggled to hold it in.
"Why are they taking so long? It shouldn't be taking this long. Did something hold them up?"
"I'll wait another ten minutes. If they still haven't shown up, I'll have to leave."
But those ten minutes turned into another thirty, and once again, he discovered the true meaning of maximum water storage capacity.
"Did they cancel the plan at the last minute and not have time to tell me?"
He rose to his feet with some difficulty. It felt as though the slightest exertion would throw open that valve held shut by his faltering willpower.
He could not keep waiting. First, he was about to burst. Second, in another half hour, he had to attend the final city-defense meeting with King Qin and several of his trusted aides.
That meeting was supposed to have been the perfect opportunity to administer the poison. But now that he had failed to obtain that incredibly precious poison, he had no choice but to cancel the plan.
Qin Lang rushed into the nearest privy at the speed of light. He stood there for a full three minutes before completely emptying his reserves.
During that time, three different people took turns standing beside him, each giving Qin Lang a profoundly shocked look.
Never mind everyone else-even Qin Lang himself was astonished that it could hold so much.
"Come on, man. Was that really necessary?"
"There's a privy every short stretch in Falling Moon City. Doesn't holding it in that long hurt?"
In response to the questions, Qin Lang kicked the speaker straight into the cesspit, leaving the man furiously cursing him as a "bastard" and "lunatic."
Eleven o'clock soon arrived. Red Skull, Corrupt Heart, Throat-Cutter, and Axe Blade led countless smaller bands of bandits toward Falling Moon City at full speed, like a swarm of locusts.
"Give it a hundred and twenty percent, you bastards! Once the city falls, there'll be women, money, and treasure for everyone!"
At those words, all the bandits cheered together, their eyes filled with desire.
Most of the bandits were not particularly interested in money. What interested them most were the fair-skinned, tender young ladies of wealthy families inside the city.
On the city wall, King Qin, his trusted Grandmaster Realm aides, and the city guards were already armed and ready.
He addressed Qin Lang, who seemed somewhat distracted beside him. "Lang, stay focused. Although this battle's outcome depends on me, you Grandmaster Realm experts must hold the other gates for me. We cannot let a single bandit slip into Falling Moon City."
Qin Lang hurriedly cupped his fist. "Rest assured, foster father. I will give it my all and never allow a single bandit an opening."
King Qin nodded with satisfaction. Then, apparently remembering something, he added, "Help me look after Yelan. That girl will probably charge straight to the front line. Don't let anything happen to her."
Qin Lang cupped his fist again and agreed, but inwardly he felt frustrated. According to the original plan, he would flee with Qin Yelan when the city fell, win her heart, and make it much easier to get her into bed afterward.
But now he knew nothing about how the four great bandits intended to attack the city. It was as though he had been shut out entirely, and that left him deeply uncomfortable.
"They're here." Holding a white paper fan, Zhuge Buhuo watched the rapidly approaching firelight in the distance, a chill flashing through his eyes.
"Dean Ye will need at least another half day," he said. "If everything goes smoothly, holding out until he arrives to support us shouldn't be a problem."
King Qin nodded gravely. He could not afford to let his guard down at any point in this battle.
Just then, four terrifying combat techniques unleashed by King Realm experts came crashing toward King Qin together.
"You really are impatient!"
King Qin snorted coldly and swiftly drew his sword. Icy force erupted around him as he unleashed the perfection-grade Frosted Heaven's Severance Sword Force.
Facing four opponents alone, King Qin relied on his superior cultivation and powerful combat technique to block all four attacks head-on.
Xu Asi flew into the air with a hearty laugh and called out excitedly, "Lord King Qin, do you feel your Spirit Power dissipating now?"
King Qin frowned slightly, not understanding what he meant. He snorted. "My Spirit Power is brimming. What nonsense is this about it dissipating? Never mind defending the city—I have more than enough strength to kill all four of you."
Xu Asi kept laughing, convinced that King Qin was merely putting on a brave face. The Spirit-Felling Powder was colorless and odorless, and its victims felt nothing when poisoned. But once they forcibly used their power, the sea of Spirit Power in their dantian would collapse, causing their Spirit Power to dissipate rapidly.
Hong Futian laughed as well. "Enough, King Qin. Stop pretending. With the Spirit Power you have left, you can last half an hour at most."
"Falling Moon City will fall tonight. There is no other possible outcome. Brothers, attack together! Don't let him escape!"
Qin Xiao nearly laughed in anger. Did they really think a middle-stage King Realm expert like him was so easy to kill?
"If you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"
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