Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 41
Chapter 41: How Are You Different From Them?
“You don’t seem to come out often. You must have quite a few people at home?” the old woman asked.
“That’s right! My father is a sixth stage Ki Refinement cultivator. You should think twice about your actions,” Fang Chen sneered.
Realization dawned on the robbers. That’s why this fellow has so many talismans to sell. He must have stolen from his family! Judging from his mannerisms, he’s obviously a wastrel.
As for him having a sixth stage Ki Refinement father…
They would have to put on a respectful attitude if they encountered an expert of such caliber, but it was not as if the other party was here today. They were not worried about the other party coming after them, since it was unlikely he would ever figure out who killed his profligate son.
The old woman heaved a sigh of relief. It’s just a sixth stage Ki Refinement cultivator. There’s nothing to fear. The corners of her lips crept up as she said, “Hand your ki stones over, and we’ll allow you to leave. Don’t lose your life over worldly possessions.”
“Tie Ma, Old Huang, you deal with those three fellows behind,” Fang Chen instructed.
“Yes, young master.”
Without any hesitation, the two of them rushed out of the carriage and charged at the three cultivators.
“Two martial artists dream of opposing us, cultivators?” the old woman scoffed with a cackle.
She was worried that Fang Chen might have some hidden ace up his sleeves, but the fact that he ordered martial artists to deal with cultivators put her heart at ease. It proved that he was a wastrel who didn’t pose a threat.
Rage flickered across the eyes of the three cultivators. They saw this as a humiliation.
All of a sudden, Tie Ma and Huang Sihai activated their Flitting Talisman, Strength Talisman, and Protection Talisman. Their speed suddenly became extremely fast, their strength greatly increased, and a thin golden layer shrouded their bodies.
Fang Chen had previously warned them that they were up against enemies of a different caliber, so the two of them dared not to hold back.
“Talismans?! That wastrel! He gave his talismans to mere martial artists to use?!”
The three cultivators were both shocked and infuriated. In their eyes, those talismans should have been theirs!
The third stage Ki Refinement cultivator channeled her spirit ki. The surrounding water vapor billowed, as it converged into an ice arrow that blasted toward Huang Sihai.
Bam!
The ice arrow slammed into Huang Sihai’s chest, the heavy impact causing the sprinting giant to screech to a halt. He looked down and saw that the tip of the ice arrow had breached the Protection Talisman and sunk a few centimeters deep into his body.
“Interesting,” Huang Sihai mumbled.
His chest twitched, and the ice arrow was pushed out of his body. An injury of this extent was inconsequential to him.
“How is this possible…” The third stage Ki Refinement cultivator was stunned.
He couldn’t believe his ice arrow had failed to pierce through the other party. While the other party had used a Protection Talisman, he shouldn’t have been able to draw out its true prowess as he wasn’t a cultivator.
How could his body be so resilient?
“Die!” Huang Sihai snarled as he hurtled toward the third stage Ki Refinement cultivator as if a humongous bear.
Shoosh! Shoosh!
More ice arrows shot at Huang Sihai, but he simply protected his vitals with his arms. He was unfazed by the bombardment. He charged up to the third stage Ki Refinement cultivator and rammed his fist into the latter.
He was usually not this agile, as his hulking body inevitably slowed him down. However, with the Flitting Talisman’s enhancement, he felt so light that he thought that he could fly in the sky.
At the same time, Tie Ma dodged the attacks of the two second stage Ki Refinement cultivators while closing the distance between them. As soon as he got into proximity, he drew his sword in a flash and slit their necks.
Even at their moment of death, the two second stage Ki Refinement cultivators couldn’t believe that they had died at the hands of a martial artist.
“I’ll help you.”
Tie Ma quickly went over to help Huang Sihai encircle the third stage Ki Refinement cultivator. The latter appeared to have artifacts with him, as he was completely unharmed even though he was sent flying with Huang Sihai’s fist.
Even so, it didn’t take long for the third stage Ki Refinement cultivator to struggle against the two martial artists heavily buffed by talismans. He could still occasionally retaliate at the start, but it soon reached a point where he couldn’t fight back at all.
All he could do was to defend with his artifacts.
“He’s like a tortoise. He doesn’t die no matter how we pummel him,” Huang Sihai retorted.
The old woman’s expression flickered when she saw this sight. She turned to Fang Chen and sneered, “Those cultivators are so poor that they don’t even have a talisman. No wonder they are so badly beaten. People like them are the lowest scums in the world of cultivation.”
“Granny, are you telling me you’re different from them?” Fang Chen asked with a smile.
“Of course,” the old woman sneered. “I’d be able to immediately suppress those two cultivators the moment I bring out my artifact. The same goes for you too. You should think about the…”
A bolt of purple lightning cut her words short.
Her spirit ki immediately rushed out to protect her, but it couldn’t offset much of the Purple Lightning Talisman’s damage. She still suffered around 80% of the total damage, and it sent her staggering backward in a daze as smoke rose from her body.
Her eyes widened in horror. “A daoist art?! A talisman?!”
She hadn’t expected the other party to prepare such means. She immediately reached for her artifact, only for yet another bolt of lightning to fall on her.
“What’s going on?!”
The bombardment of attacks startled the old woman. The furious influx of lighting ki rendered her incapable of channeling her spirit ki, making it impossible for her to counterattack.
“How are you different from them?”
Boom!
“You said you were different from them.”
Boom!
“Why aren’t you speaking? How are you different?”
Boom!
Bolt after bolt of lightning crashed on the old woman. By the time Fang Chen reached her, her body was already charred black. Her eyes had lost focus, and she was no longer able to fight.
“The difference between you and them is that you’re from the Blood Spirit Cult, right?”
Those words spurred a reaction from the old woman. She snapped out of her daze and stared at Fang Chen with frightful eyes. “W-who are you…”
“You don’t recognize the Purple Lightning Talisman. The cultivators the Blood Spirit Cult planted in Great Xia aren’t too powerful, after all,” Fang Chen sneered.
This was good news.
“How do you know…” The old woman struggled to speak.
“Tell me. How many cultivators have your Blood Spirit Cult planted in Great Xia?” Fang Chen placidly asked.
“Y-you know I’m a Blood Spirit Cultist… How dare you make a move on me…” The old woman glared at Fang Chen in resentment.
“I’m the one asking questions here. I don’t mind sending you on your way if you can’t answer, though it’d be a waste for someone who has reached your level of cultivation,” Fang Chen said.
The old woman was finally intimidated. The person before her didn’t fear the Blood Spirit Cult. She gritted her teeth and quietly answered, “The upper echelons only dispatched me…”
“I’ve already killed Daoist Xue. I’ll kill you if your words contradict his in any way,” Fang Chen interjected with a cold smile.
The old woman stared at Fang Chen in disbelief. He has already killed Daoist Xue? How can this be… Who in the world is after their Blood Spirit Cult?! She thought that a powerful sect had laid their eyes on the Blood Spirit Cult, and it filled her heart with fear.
“You only have one chance,” Fang Chen said.
The old woman hesitated before slowly answering, “We have a total of… seven people…”
Seven people? Fang Chen maintained a nonchalant face, but his heart had grown heavy.