Chapter 47

The night in the mountain forest was quiet and serene.

Bathed in the moonlight, Zhao Yun's little finger trembled, and he opened his eyes.

What he saw was a sky full of stars.

After a few moments, he sat up and immediately examined his body.

Hmm, intact and unharmed.

Upon inspecting his internal state, he found it even more peculiar. His limbs, bones, organs, meridians, true essence, and blood were all enveloped in a faint golden glow. The vigor of his qi and blood far exceeded his imagination, and the strength of his muscles and bones had undergone a qualitative transformation.

"This feeling is indeed wonderful."

Zhao Yun clenched his fist, feeling a surge of power. The dragon blood had transformed him, and the heavenly tribulation had brought another rebirth. After three years, he had once again entered the True Spirit Realm, and the potential was boundless. At the same level, he was much stronger than he had been in the past.

"Great fortune comes with great risk."

His murmur carried a smile of relief.

There was naturally a lingering fear, having brushed with death. But the opportunities he had gained were still very gratifying. It was fortunate that he had previously practiced body cultivation, building a solid foundation. If not, his body would have been torn apart.

After a moment, he looked around and walked in one direction.

He searched for a long time but could not find his Longyuan Sword. It was not hard to guess that Niu Hong had taken it. That guy came every day, but he probably didn't find Zhao Yun, who had run far into the remote mountains, far from Gold Mountain.

Looking at Gold Mountain, it no longer glowed.

Without the dragon blood to illuminate it, Gold Mountain had lost its brilliant appearance.

"Why is there dragon blood?"

With this question, Zhao Yun climbed to the mountain peak and entered the cave, but found nothing. Perhaps there had once been a dragon's skeleton, but over time, it had turned to dust, leaving only a single drop of blood.

Just one drop of blood was so powerful.

He couldn't imagine how terrifying a real dragon would be. A single tail sweep could crush a mountain! The scene was unimaginable.

Under the moon, he sat cross-legged again.

Seeing the turbulent spiritual energy being drawn to him, he absorbed it into his body.

At midnight, he took out the materials to draw talismans.

Explosive talismans! What a great thing. Without this, he wouldn't have been able to break through the barrier, let alone obtain the dragon blood, and the subsequent potential.

His cultivation had advanced, and his mental state had greatly improved.

Now, the speed at which he drew talismans was far beyond what it used to be, thanks to his abundant mental energy.

Hmm?

While drawing, he suddenly saw a firelight coming from the direction of Niu Family Village. The firelight was tinged with a hint of blood, and from the mountain peak, he could clearly see it.

In a daze, he could even hear screams.

Zhao Yun frowned, sensing a bad omen, and hurriedly descended the mountain.

His premonition proved to be accurate.

The scene at Niu Family Village was horrific. Many houses had collapsed, and the village was in ruins. The villagers, regardless of age, had been herded to the grassland. Most were covered in blood, and many women lay in pools of blood, their clothes disheveled, clearly having been raped and killed.

Even the trees were hung with bodies.

They were the village's elder martial cultivators, each with a bloody hole in their chests.

The cries of grief filled the village.

Such a tragic scene was clearly the work of bandits, and they were martial cultivators, about a dozen of them, mostly at the True Spirit Realm, with two at the peak.

"Damn, you truly deserve to die."

Niu Hong, the only one not captured, was in a terrible state, covered in blood, with one arm hanging limp, clearly disabled.

"Little fatty, you're quite tough!"

From the opposite side, a sinister laugh came. A bald giant and a scar-faced middle-aged man stood there, one holding Zhao Yun's Longyuan Sword, the other holding Niu Hong's Soul-Capturing Bell, clearly taken during the battle.

These two were not ordinary martial cultivators.

Both were at the peak of the True Spirit Realm, with raging qi and blood, and they were strength-type martial cultivators. The bandits were led by them, and they had killed so many people that their aura was extremely sinister, their eyes bloodshot and terrifying.

Pfft!

Niu Hong could no longer hold on, spitting out a mouthful of blood and collapsing, not because he was weak, but because there were too many of them. Even the scar-faced middle-aged man and the bald giant alone could easily overpower him.

"Such a small village, truly surprising."

The scar-faced middle-aged man laughed, not expecting to find martial cultivators, let alone a tough little black fatty. What pleased him most was the Longyuan Sword in his hand, made of black iron, and it was extremely powerful black iron.

This raid was worth it, and there were even unexpected gains.

"Kill all the men, take the women." The bald giant roared.

"Got it!"

The bandits laughed, showing their white teeth, and raised their ghost-head knives.

Niu Hong tried to stand, but he was powerless.

The villagers looked at them with despair, ordinary people, how could they fight martial cultivators? Most were hugging their children, waiting for death.

Clang! Clang!

Before the knives fell, a ringing sound came. Dozens of flying knives appeared, each wrapped in lightning and fire.

It was Zhao Yun.

Seeing the tragic scene, he did not hold back.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Blood splattered. Except for the bald giant and the scar-faced middle-aged man, all the other bandits were hit, each in a vital spot, and they fell into the blood, dying in confusion, not knowing who had struck.

"Who?"

The bald giant and the scar-faced middle-aged man roared, standing back to back. The power of the flying knives indicated that the attacker was a strong martial cultivator.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to kill so many with one strike.

No one responded to their roar, and the surroundings were pitch black, with no sign of anyone.

"Run."

The bald giant, without hesitation, turned to flee.

"Run?"

A cold voice followed, and Zhao Yun appeared, emerging from the ground.

"You...?"

The giant's face changed, stopping abruptly. He saw that the person in front of him had emerged from the ground, the legendary earth-penetrating technique?

Clang!

Zhao Yun, with the speed of the wind, moved like a shadow, passing by the giant.

When he stopped, the Zixiao Sword in his hand was dripping with blood.

Looking at the bald giant, there was a sword mark on his neck, blood gushing out, clearly a fatal wound. His eyes bulged in disbelief, a peak True Spirit Realm cultivator, killed in an instant?

Pfft!

With a spray of blood, he fell, dying in frustration.

"How is this possible?"

The remaining scar-faced middle-aged man, stepping back, was full of disbelief. The person in front of him was clearly only at the first level of the True Spirit Realm. Even with the earth-penetrating technique, it was impossible to kill a peak True Spirit Realm cultivator with one strike!

"Senior, you've done too many evil deeds, and you will eventually face retribution."

Zhao Yun said calmly, holding the blood-dripping Zixiao Sword, approaching step by step.

"I am from Canglong Mountain."

The scar-faced middle-aged man sneered, trying to intimidate Zhao Yun with his background, believing that the name of Canglong Mountain would still be effective. Most importantly, he was at the peak, while Zhao Yun was only at the first level. The bald giant had been caught off guard and killed, but in a fair fight, he had no reason to lose.

"Whoever you are, you will die today."

Zhao Yun took a step forward, a sword strike came, the blade tearing through lightning. He had never heard of Canglong Mountain, and the name did not intimidate him.

"Arrogant."

The scar-faced middle-aged man roared, swinging the Longyuan Sword, true essence surging.

Clang!

The swords clashed, sparks flying, the sound deafening.

Zhao Yun stood firm.

The scar-faced middle-aged man, however, was red-faced, clearly at a disadvantage in the clash of strength. Zhao Yun was not only fast, but his physical strength was also terrifying.

"This kid is too strange, better to run."

Without hesitation, he turned to flee, throwing a smoke bomb as he went, a standard escape tool. Sometimes, you have to be cowardly to survive.

Zhao Yun ignored the smoke, his figure like a ghost, catching up in a few steps. He had killed, and now he wanted to run? Not without leaving his sword behind!

"Brat, do you really want to fight to the death?"

The scar-faced middle-aged man roared, turning around, clearly frustrated.

Clang!

In response, Zhao Yun struck with a sword, forcing him to retreat. When he steadied himself, Zhao Yun was gone, using the earth-penetrating technique. Before he could react, Zhao Yun had already attacked, grabbing his arm and slamming him into the ground, the sound of bones breaking was deafening.

Pfft!

The scar-faced middle-aged man spat out a mouthful of blood, his head buzzing. Was this how people fought? No secret techniques, just direct grappling?

Clang!

Zhao Yun finished him off with another sword strike.

A piercing scream.

The scar-faced middle-aged man fell to his knees, blood gushing from his mouth, lying in a pool of blood.

He died, not in peace.

This night, truly, was a bad omen. They had taken treasures, but were all killed, and in a remote village, by a mere first-level True Spirit Realm cultivator.

Zhao Yun sheathed his sword and went to Niu Hong.

The little fatty was severely injured and unconscious, but he was not in danger of dying.

This night was filled with sorrow.

This night, Zhao Yun saved many, but also buried many.

In the morning, the whole village was in mourning.

"You saved my life again." Niu Hong's face was pale, his left arm still hanging, but it was not disabled, thanks to Zhao Yun's timely rescue. But those who died were truly gone, and Niu Family Village was left with only one martial cultivator.

"Have you thought about moving?"

Zhao Yun asked.

"Where can we move to? Who would take us in?" Niu Hong sighed.

"If you don't mind, you can come to Wugucheng."

Zhao Yun took a sip of wine, not sure if it was his overflowing sympathy or his inherent kindness, but he really didn't want to see more tragedy. After all, he had a connection with this place, and he could afford to settle a hundred or so people.

"Thank you."

For the first time, Niu Hong bowed deeply to Zhao Yun.

"This is a favor, and you will have to repay it someday."

Zhao Yun's voice was calm as he walked away, looking for a place to draw talismans.

"You are a freak."

Niu Hong murmured, remembering that just a few days ago, Zhao Yun was only at the eighth level of the Condensation Essence Realm. Now, he was at the True Spirit Realm, and his advancement was too fast. His qi and blood were also much more vigorous, giving him a great deal of pressure.