Picking on the Weak: What a Shameless Human Cultivator!

Not long after, Shan Li officially went into seclusion.

Shi Jian possessed incredibly powerful Divine Sense, allowing him to clearly perceive the changes in that aura.

Deep within the main peak, Shan Li sat cross-legged at the confluence of Spirit Vein; his earth-yellow aura flowed slowly around him, like an invisible root that penetrated deep into the earth, extending towards the ethereal Treasured Earth Dao that permeated the world.

That Daoist aura was extremely faint, yet it was omnipresent.

Dao Venerable Liyuan declined, his control over the Treasured Earth Great Dao gradually dissipated; those fragments of Daoist essence scattered between heaven and earth became like ownerless objects, left to be absorbed by cultivators of the Earth Dao.

Shan Li cultivated the [Ten-Thousand-Layered Edge] Immortal Foundation, Immortal Foundation below the Treasured Earth Dao Fruit; her perception of this Daoist charm was several times more acute than that of others.

Shi Jian stood outside the cave abode for a moment, sensing the movement of the Shan Li's energy.

It was as stable as a mountain, yet it fell short by the slightest margin.

He turned and left.

Both Shan Yue and Cang Wuji are stationed here, two Late Spirit Transformation as protectors, ensuring Shan Li's breakthrough is foolproof.

His staying here would be a waste.

"Ancestor Shanyue, the matter of Shan Li's seclusion will be entrusted to you and Senior Cang."

Shan Yue nodded. "Where are you going?"

Shi Jian's purple-gold vertical pupils looked eastward, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Find her something to eat."

Upon hearing this, Shan Yue raised an eyebrow; he naturally understood what Shi Jian meant.

If Shan Li wants to absorb the essence of the Treasured Earth Dao and break through to the Spirit Transformation, relying solely on the fragments scattered between heaven and earth would take an unknown amount of time.

If one could obtain some pure Daoist essence, spiritual objects, or even... fragments of origin from Earth Dao cultivators, the speed could be several times faster.

"There are quite a few minor clans in the Dao Realm who cultivate the path of Treasured Earth," Shan Yue said calmly. "If you make a move, leave no survivors."

Shi Jian did not answer, but transformed into a streak of purple-gold lightning and disappeared into the sky.

The edge of the Dao Realm lies in a desolate and boundless wilderness.

The continuous black mountain range, like the spine of the earth, stretches endlessly towards the horizon; seven different colored suns hang in the sky, illuminating the world with intermittent light and shadow.

Shi Jian concealed his aura and used his Divine Sense to scan the surrounding tens of millions of miles.

Within three days, they had identified their first target.

It was a small tribe of lizard demons who cultivated the Earth Dao, and they lived in a gray rock canyon; the strongest member of the tribe was only at the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

He cultivated the [Mountain Returns Qi] Immortal Foundation, and the remaining ten or so Nascent Soul Nascent Soul were all at the early or mid-stages, which was already considered quite strong among the small Nascent Soul clans.

But if a Nascent Spirit Transformation were to fight a group of Nascent Soul, they would be nothing more than a toy.

Shi Jian felt no psychological burden whatsoever.

He landed above the canyon, unleashing his Spirit Transformation power with a thunderous roar.

The purple-gold lightning arcs pressed down from the sky, causing countless lizard demons in the canyon to collapse to the ground on the spot; those lesser demons at the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment were even more shocked by the power of the lightning, causing them to bleed from their seven orifices.

"May I ask which esteemed person you are?"

Deep within the canyon, a streak of earthen-yellow light shot into the sky.

The lizard demon Demon Race leader, Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator, was burly and his Earth Dao aura surged around him; however, before Shi Jian's Spirit Transformation cultivation, that aura was like a candle flame in a hurricane, flickering and about to be extinguished.

Shi Jian didn't want to waste any more words.

A lightning arc condensed in his palm, and a pillar of purple-gold lightning slammed down.

The lizard Demon Race desperately activated his Immortal Foundation, and a yellowish-brown light barrier was erected.

The lightning bolt struck the light barrier, and the barrier shattered in the next instant.

The upper half of the lizard Demon Race's body, along with the [Mountain Returns Qi] Immortal Foundation Dao essence that had been condensed within him for hundreds of years, crumbled inch by inch in the thunder.

From the moment the attack was made to the moment the person was killed, it took only three breaths.

Shi Jian landed in the canyon and collected the remaining fragments of the Daoist essence of the lizard Demon Race chieftain into a jade bottle; the yellowish-brown light spots floated in the bottle, emitting extremely pure Daoist essence of the Treasured Earth Dao Fruit.

This stuff is a great tonic for Shan Li.

The remaining dozen or so Nascent Soul demons were already terrified; Shi Jian glanced at them, killed the six who cultivated the Earth Dao, and collected all the fragments of their Dao essence.

As for the other major roads, they were too lazy to bother.

Spirit Transformation Nascent Soul is no different from crushing an ant; to be honest, this kind of torture and killing of Nascent Soul is quite fun.

It was like crushing ants, watching them scream and wail; some even kowtowing and begging for mercy.

That was truly fascinating!

In the past, in the Beast Realm, one might have considered one's identity, background, and bloodline; but in this Dao Realm, one can bully and kill at will without any scruples.

Shi Jian put away the jade bottle, turned and left without even looking back.

Only this small, fragmented tribe remains.

For the next few months, Shi Jian, like a lone wolf on the hunt, repeatedly swept across the edge of the Dao Realm; he specifically targeted the Nascent Soul minor clans that cultivated the Treasured Earth Dao.

The lizard Demon Race of the Gray Rock Canyon were mostly destroyed.

The earth snake tribe on the black soil wasteland was wiped out.

The rock toad tribe in the dried-up valley was completely wiped out.

Every move follows the same pattern: unleash the overwhelming power of the Spirit Transformation, unleash a devastating attack with purple-gold lightning, collect the Dao fragments of the Earth Dao cultivator, and bring them back to the stronghold.

Catching a few lowly Golden Core demons along the way to snack on during leisure time—how carefree and leisurely!

A dignified Nascent Spirit Transformation, yet he engages in acts of bullying Nascent Soul.

Shi Jian, however, felt no shame whatsoever.

Cultivation is inherently a path of great competition, where the strong prey on the weak; his extermination of these minor clans was both to gather the necessary Daoist resources for Shan Li's breakthrough and to clear away the weeds on the edge of the Dao Realm for the Giant Bear Clan.

Moreover, the territories, Spirit Vein, and mineral deposits of these small tribes can all be claimed and used by them after being cleaned up.

Shi Yin took over the vacated territories one by one and arranged for vassal clans to move in; in just a few months, the Giant Bear Clan's sphere of influence on the edge of the Dao Realm expanded outwards by a large circle.

When the news spread, the surrounding small clans all fell silent in fear.

A Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivator specializing in hunting down Nascent Soul —it's not a pleasant thing to say, but who would dare utter a single word against it?

Before Spirit Transformation, even Nascent Soul has no right to speak.

Several more months passed.

Just as Shi Jian had wiped out a small badger demon clan that was cultivating the [Earth Nurtures Spirit] Immortal Foundation, and was gathering the fragments of Daoist essence, his Divine Sense suddenly stirred.

Tens of millions of miles to the north, an extremely sharp aura is rapidly approaching.

That aura was extraordinary; it was the Sword Dao!

Shi Jian narrowed his vertical pupils slightly.

Human Race.

He did not back down, but simply put away the jade bottle in his hand and stood there with his hands behind his back.

Before long, a silver-white sword light cleaved down from the sky; within the sword light, a middle-aged man in a gray robe arrived, stepping through the air.

The middle-aged man was thin and had a cold face. His Sword Dao aura was condensed and did not dissipate, indicating that he was Middle Spirit Transformation cultivator.

It was the leader of the Human Race force that Shan Li had mentioned earlier.

The middle-aged man in gray robes landed a hundred feet away, his gaze sweeping over the badger demon camp beneath his feet, which had been blasted into ruins by lightning, and his expression darkened slightly.

"The Spirit Transformation of the Giant Bear Clan?"

Shi Jian stared at him with his purple-gold vertical pupils, without saying a word.

The middle-aged man in gray robes smirked. "Your Excellency has annihilated several clans on the edge of the Dao Realm, causing quite a stir; I originally thought you were some ruthless character, but it turns out you're just bullying minor Nascent Soul clans."

Shi Jian said indifferently, "What's it to you?"

"This is none of my business." The middle-aged man in the gray robe took out a yellowish-brown jade box from his robes. "But the badger Demon Race you just killed had something in its possession that I had my eye on first."

Inside the jade box, a faint, earthy-yellow light flickered; within that light lay extremely pure Treasured Earth Dao essence, far surpassing the Daoist essence fragments of ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator.

Shi Jian's gaze sharpened.

That was no ordinary fragment of Daoist essence, but a Treasured Earth Spirit Embryo; it was the essence of Earth Dao naturally nurtured between heaven and earth, and was priceless to cultivators who cultivated the path of Treasured Earth.

However, it requires a spiritual substance called Rock Heart Milk to be used in conjunction with it in order to maximize its effectiveness.

No wonder this Human Race Spirit Transformation has also set his sights on this badger demon clan.

Shi Jian had just obtained the Rock Heart Milk from this badger demon clan.

"From what I've heard, fellow Daoist, you wish to have a duel with me?" Shi Jian asked.

The middle-aged man in the gray robe smiled and said, "I discovered this thing a long time ago, but something unexpected happened, so I didn't have time to retrieve it."

"Fellow Daoist, why don't you do me a favor and hand over that Rock Heart Milk to me?"

Shi Jian stared at the jade box, his purple-gold vertical pupils flashing with lightning.

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man in the gray robe turned cold, and his Sword Dao aura suddenly surged.

"Fellow Daoist of the Giant Bear Clan, I respect you as a fellow Spirit Transformation stage, and will proceed with courtesy before resorting to force; but if you are unwilling, then you will have to ask the sword in my hand."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian almost laughed out of anger.

What do you mean by "I got the treasure, and you took a liking to it but didn't take it"? What do you mean by "courtesy first, then force," and "voluntarily asking you to hand over the treasure"?

This Human Race sword cultivator is truly defying the heavens, utterly shameless!

Without wasting any words, Shi Jian raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of purple-gold lightning.

The lightning bolt, as thick as Shan Yue, carrying the might of Spirit Transformation, instantly slammed into the gray-robed middle-aged man.

"As expected, he's Demon Beast beast barbarian!"

"Your Giant Bear Clan is nothing but a lowly royal family, yet you dare to be so arrogant!"

The middle-aged man in the gray robe's expression changed, but he remained fearless.

Their Human Race dominates a realm, and they even have the Emperor Lianyuan, a supreme master of the Dao of Refinement; moreover, in less than ten thousand years, a second supreme master of the Sword Dao will be born.

At that time, the two strongest Human Race will rank among the top of all the imperial races.

As someone in a superior position, how could I possibly look down on this savage bear!

He raised his hand and a three-foot-long silver-white flying sword shot out from his sleeve; the sword hummed, Sword Dao energy condensed to its peak in an instant, transforming into a streak of silver-white sword light that met the thunder.

Boom!

Thunder and sword light collided in mid-air, purple-gold and silver-white intertwined, and the void within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles trembled violently under this attack.

The earth beneath Shi Jian's feet was cracked, yet he remained completely still.

The middle-aged man in gray robes was forced back several thousand feet, his face turning slightly pale.

Middle Spirit Transformation should have been overwhelmingly superior to Early Spirit Transformation.

However, Shi Jian's Purple Pivot Lightning Immortal Foundation was extremely domineering. The concentration of Daoist rhyme contained in that strike was no less than the power of an ordinary Middle Spirit Transformation.

"Such powerful Dao of Lightning..." the gray-robed middle-aged man thought to himself.

Shi Jian didn't give him time to think.

A colossal, pale bear, ten thousand feet tall, materialized in the void behind him, unleashing a barrage of purple-gold lightning.

The middle-aged man in the gray robe gritted his teeth, and his silver-white flying sword transformed into Heavenly Sword; those sword lights were as dense as a woven net, each containing the Sword Dao charm of the Middle Spirit Transformation, extremely sharp.

The rain of swords fell upon the arc of lightning, clanging and clattering like a storm striking iron.

The purple-gold lightning arcs were cut open in several places by the sword light, but more lightning arcs were quickly added to fill the gaps.

The Dao of Lightning is profound, the Sword Dao is sharp; two completely different paths collide here.

Shi Jian's momentum grew stronger with each battle.

He discovered that although this Human Race was at the mid-stage of the Nascent Spirit Transformation and possessed considerable skills, his physical body was far inferior to that of the Demon Race race.

Sword Dao emphasizes using the sharpness of the blade to defeat the enemy; if one cannot break through the enemy's defenses, one will suffer a great loss.

The Shi Jian Bear took a step, shattering the void.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the middle-aged man in gray robes.

The middle-aged man in the gray robe's expression changed drastically. "So hard!"

He desperately urged his flying sword forward, and the silvery-white sword light wove into an impenetrable curtain of light in front of him.

Shi Jian struck down with his palm.

The light barrier shattered instantly, and the flying sword was also blasted away by the lightning, scattering wildly in mid-air before repeatedly reassembling.

The middle-aged man in the gray robe let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and he retreated hastily.

Shi Jian did not pursue.

He simply raised his giant claw, purple-gold lightning crackling in his palm, and said calmly, "Leave the jade box; you may leave."

The middle-aged man in the gray robe stared at Shi Jian, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

After a long pause, he let out a cold laugh.

"The Giant Bear Clan, what a huge appetite!"

The middle-aged man in gray robes said no more, transforming into a streak of silver-white sword light and rushing northward. Having failed to gain any advantage, couldn't he at least run away?

Upon seeing this, Shi Jian frowned slightly.

This Human Race cultivator is truly shameless. First, he brazenly tried to seize the treasure and coerce us; when he saw that the soft approach wasn't working, he tried the hard approach, and when he realized that the hard approach wouldn't work, he simply ran away.

What a shameless scoundrel!

"Snort!"

"Do you really think you can come and go as you please?"