Countless cultivators had turned into bandit cultivators at this moment.
With his divine sense, Zhou Xun had avoided many dangers in advance.
He occasionally encountered the divine sense of other cultivators. After they brushed against each other, both sides immediately kept far away.
This was the unspoken understanding unique to Late-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators.
Turning past a street corner and before entering an alley, Zhou Xun sent his divine sense probing ahead.
He discovered eight cultivators standing in a circle within, casting spells toward the center.
Another unlucky soul! Zhou Xun sighed inwardly. He had no intention of meddling and was about to leave.
Yet his divine sense swept through the circle on instinct, and the sight within made him freeze.
"Wang Erniu!"
"And his wife and daughter!"
The trapped man was actually him. Judging by their condition, their spiritual power had already been exhausted. Before long, they would have no choice but to surrender.
There was no need to think about what would happen afterward.
Remembering all that Wang Erniu had done in the past, Zhou Xun ultimately could not harden his heart and leave just like that.
So he swept his divine sense over the area again, examining it carefully.
There were eight people surrounding Wang Erniu. The leader was at Qi Condensation Level 4, while the remaining seven were all at Qi Condensation Level 3.
"As long as I take down that Qi Condensation Level 4 brute first, the rest are nothing to fear—mere chickens and dogs!" Zhou Xun instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
He immediately brushed his hand over the Storage Pouch at his waist, and the Goldfly Twin Blades appeared in his grasp.
He poured spiritual power into them, and his divine sense stirred.
The Goldfly Twin Blades became two golden streaks and shot out in an instant.
They circled the brute's neck once, and his head fell at once. The Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivator died on the spot.
That vicious expression still remained on his face.
After killing him, Zhou Xun did not stop.
The Goldfly Twin Blades under his control continued reaping lives.
In the blink of an eye, another three men fell.
Only then did the remaining four react, and they froze.
In that brief instant of hesitation, Zhou Xun killed two more. They had no ability to resist at all.
Divine Sense Manipulation was simply not something early-stage Qi Condensation cultivators like them could withstand.
The remaining two were about to flee, but Zhou Xun blocked their path.
This was a dead-end alley, with only one exit.
Seeing this, the two immediately fell to their knees and begged for mercy.
"Spare us, Senior!"
"Please spare our lives, Senior!"
Tears and snot streamed down their faces as they wailed to heaven and beat their chests.
Zhou Xun remained unmoved. With two soft puffs, two more headless corpses appeared on the ground.
Having narrowly escaped death, Wang Erniu panted heavily, then crawled over to Zhou Xun and prostrated himself.
"Thank you, Senior, for saving my life. This junior..." Before he could finish, he saw a familiar face.
"B-Brother!" Wang Erniu looked at Zhou Xun, his voice filled with disbelief.
Was this truly his elder brother?
"Get up. Hurry and regulate your breathing." Zhou Xun did not exchange further pleasantries. He helped Wang Erniu up, took out a bottle of Qi Recovery Pills, and tossed it to him.
"Thank you, Brother, for saving my life!" Wang Erniu burst into loud sobs.
Earlier, surrounded and attacked by so many bandit cultivators, he had felt the despair of death closing in as his spiritual power ran dry, along with the grief and fury of being unable to watch his wife and daughter escape impending humiliation.
Then Zhou Xun had saved him, and he instantly could no longer hold himself together.
At this moment, Lin Xue'e came over carrying her daughter. Gratitude filled her face as she gave a graceful bow.
"Thank you, Brother, for saving our lives!"
"Hurry and regulate your breathing. We cannot stay here long." Zhou Xun waved a hand and began gathering the spoils.
This group had robbed homes and plundered wealth, so their possessions were considerable. Now, all of it benefited Zhou Xun.
After collecting everything, Zhou Xun was in a fine mood.
By then, Wang Erniu and his wife had also calmed down. After taking Qi Recovery Pills and meditating briefly, they recovered some spiritual power.
Recalling Zhou Xun's valiant display earlier, Wang Erniu could not help feeling puzzled.
"Brother, was that artifact manipulation just now?"
"My five senses have been exceptionally sharp since birth. When I broke through to Mid-Stage Qi Condensation, I happened to develop divine sense. Unfortunately, it only reaches a little over ten feet." Zhou Xun gave a simple explanation.
The cultivation world was vast and rich, with countless strange phenomena. Cases like Zhou Xun's, developing divine sense at Mid-Stage Qi Condensation, were not unheard of, merely exceedingly rare.
The third-generation head of the Sun Family in Red Leaf Square possessed such a gift. His combat strength was astonishing, and at the peak of Qi Condensation, he could nearly rival a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.
Unfortunately, his spiritual roots were far too ordinary, and he never broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm in his entire life.
"Brother has such talent. That truly calls for congratulations!" Wang Erniu nodded and did not ask further.
"Enough. Let's leave first." Seeing that the two had recovered their composure, Zhou Xun urged them on.
"Yes!" With Zhou Xun by their side, both of them felt far more secure.
They had only just risen and had not yet left the alley when a figure sprang down from the nearby rooftop.
"Wang Erniu, Zhou Xun, Lin Xue'e—haha, I, Wu Zongxu, truly have excellent fortune! To run into you three little brats of the Lin Family, this merit is mine for the taking!"
It turned out that after the Wu Family planned its attack on the Lin Family, it had investigated all the important members of the Lin Family and compiled a list.
Zhou Xun and the other two were on it.
"Wu Zongxu." Naturally, Zhou Xun knew this man.
Wu Zongxu, the current Enforcement Hall Master of the Wu Family, possessed Qi Condensation Level 9 cultivation and extraordinary combat strength. He had slain peak first-rank demon beasts on two occasions.
He was no ordinary Late-Stage Qi Condensation cultivator!
Although Zhou Xun was powerful, that was only compared with cultivators of the same level. If he encountered a genuine late-stage cultivator, he still had to give way and avoid them.
Not to mention Wu Zongxu, whose innate combat prowess was so formidable.
Zhou Xun's mind raced as he considered a countermeasure.
Wu Zongxu wore a cold, sinister expression. The way he looked at Zhou Xun and the others was as though he were looking at a few ants.
To him, capturing Zhou Xun's group was as easy as turning over his hand. In an unquestionable tone, he ordered,
"You will surrender without resistance, and I will not..." Before he could finish, an abrupt change occurred.
A butcher's blade suddenly pierced out through Wu Zongxu's chest, drawing a muffled grunt from him.
Wu Zongxu's face filled with shock and doubt. Before he could react, the butcher's blade was pulled out and swept toward his head.
A head flew high into the air, while the headless body fell from the rooftop and smashed heavily into the ground. Wu Zongxu, whose might had once shaken the area, died just like that.
At that moment, a familiar figure to Zhou Xun stepped onto Wu Zongxu's former position.
"Brother Gao!" Zhou Xun stared in utter astonishment. How could it be him?
This man was Zhou Xun's neighbor, the Spirit Butcher, Brother Gao.
Then realization dawned on him. He had long felt this man was unfathomable. Now it seemed his instincts had not been wrong in the slightest.
The battle-hardened Wu Zongxu had actually been slain in a single strike by him.
One had to know that Wu Zongxu had killed peak first-rank demon beasts before. Among all Qi Condensation cultivators in Red Leaf Square, he was at least among the top three.
This showed just how terrifying Brother Gao's strength was.
Zhou Xun was half grateful and half wary.
He was grateful because this man had saved him, though he himself had been ninety percent certain he could escape.
He was wary because of Brother Gao's overwhelming strength. If Brother Gao wished him harm, he likely would not have much chance of escaping.
"Take care." The scholarly middle-aged Brother Gao returned the butcher's blade to his waist, said only that, then leaped down from the rooftop and vanished into the night sky.
"Brother, do you know that Senior?" Wang Erniu finally let out a breath. He had been extremely nervous as well.
"I know him, but we are not close." Zhou Xun then told Wang Erniu about Brother Gao.
"Who would have thought such a hero lived among the common folk!" Wang Erniu praised.
"Enough, let's leave quickly," Zhou Xun urged.
Before you continue