Immortal Path Space

Chapter 33: Annihilation

Yin Wolf, the informant providing intelligence to Lin Junjie, currently lay hidden in a thicket, discreetly observing everything happening from a distance.

Known for his cunning and ruthlessness, he often engaged in dubious transactions. People in the know gave him the alias "Yin Wolf."

A few years ago, his brother invited him to join in looting a group of Mortals, rumored to be a fat prey. At the time, he thought a group of Mortals wouldn't yield much profit, coupled with other matters, so he refrained from participating.

Little did he know, his brother never returned. After extensive inquiries, he learned that his brother had been killed by Wang Hong and his group.

Since then, he had been secretly monitoring these people and discovered that they were indeed a lucrative target. They had set up over a dozen stalls and even owned a shop, with assets worth thousands of Spirit Stones.

However, this group always stayed within the city, making it difficult for Yin Wolf to strike.

Finally, seizing an opportunity, he persuaded Lin Junjie to join him. Lin Junjie, a member of the Lin Family's branch, had modest monthly resources consisting of only two Condensing Qi Pills and an additional twenty Spirit Stones.

Occasionally, he engaged in robbing loose cultivators. Upon receiving Yin Wolf's information, he immediately led a group to pursue.

On the way, Yin Wolf found an excuse to slip away and observed from the shadows.

If Lin Junjie won, he planned to swoop in, get a few benefits, and maybe deliver a few extra blows. If Lin Junjie lost or died, this group would offend the Lin Family, a medium-sized power with Foundation Building cultivators, making it effortless to crush them.

Yin Wolf felt fortunate at this moment. Lin Junjie below was ambushed and swiftly killed with a single strike.

Among the remaining group, the Qi Cultivation cultivator at the fifth level was entangled by Wang Hong, while the remaining ten faced off against the forty-plus soldiers.

The soldiers attacked in three waves, continuously assaulting like tidal waves. Each attack targeted the same person until they were killed.

These soldiers coordinated seamlessly, with one wave attacking while another prepared. The magical arts and talisman attacks from the cultivators were blocked by numerous defensive talismans thrown by two Qi Cultivation cultivators among the soldiers.

Their trust in each other and coordination were evident.

Yin Wolf watched this scene and couldn't help but curse his luck. In just this short time, he had wasted dozens of spirit talismans worth hundreds of Spirit Stones. Mortal soldiers were replaceable; there were plenty more where they came from.

On the other side, Wang Hong clashed with the Qi Cultivation fifth-level cultivator.

The cultivator wielded a black Flying Sword, slashing toward Wang Hong. Wang Hong, unfazed, met the attack with his Long Spear. The two clashed in the air multiple times.

In an instant, they exchanged blows several times. Wang Hong swiftly drank a bottle of Spirit Wine, tossed it aside, and pulled out another bottle to consume.

Spiritual Energy consumption was rapid, and handling a magical weapon was not ideal for a fourth-level Qi Cultivation.

The opposing cultivator also took out Spirit Wine, took a sip, and instantly replenished his energy. His Spirit Wine seemed to be of a higher tier than Wang Hong's.

Realizing the disadvantage, Wang Hong retrieved a few fireball talismans and hurled them at the opponent.

The cultivator evaded some fireball talismans in a sorry state, with singed hair, cursing, "Kid, what a waste! Haven't seen someone throw Spirit Stones at others right from the startthat's my style."

The magical weapons continued colliding, and Wang Hong drank another bottle of Spirit Wine. He said, "I love throwing Spirit Stones at people. If it's yours, feel free to take it!"

Without waiting for the result, he threw out a few more talismans in quick succession.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The fireball talismans transformed into a sea of fire. The Qi Cultivation fifth-level cultivator had no escape amidst the continuous bombardment of talismans. In the end, he was completely submerged, turning into ashes.

The other ten cultivators on the opposite side were now struggling, with only five persevering.

Wang Hong did not rush into the battle but stood nearby, observing.

One cultivator, seeing the inevitable defeat, attempted to escape but was entangled by Wang Hong using the Entanglement Technique.

Witnessing this, Zhang Chunfeng shouted, "Encircle!"

The original three-wave attack formation turned into five squads, encircling the remaining four individuals from both sides.

During this, some attempted to flee but were sent back by Wang Hong; he wanted to use them for practice.

After a quarter of an hour, the battle concluded. All twelve individuals were slain. After collecting the spoils, the bodies were cremated.

After dealing with the battlefield, the group returned to the city under the cover of night, uncertain if Lin Junjie had any tricks left.

Yin Wolf, lurking in the bushes, breathed a sigh of relief only when Wang Hong and the others walked far away.

The pressure from these people was immense. He had never seen a group of Mortals, accompanied by a few Qi Cultivation cultivators at the first and second levels, possess such combat strength. His brother's death was indeed not in vain.

Forty-plus individuals, mostly Mortals, with the highest cultivation level being Qi Cultivation at the fourth level, had unexpectedly slaughtered over ten Immortal Cultivators. This included Lin Junjie, a Qi Cultivation at the sixth level.

He initially thought even if Lin Junjie couldn't gain an advantage, at most three to five people would die. He didn't expect everyone to perish here.

He was only at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation; had he not slipped away early, he might now be part of that pile of ashes.

The Mortals he usually treated as insignificant ants, easily crushable, were now revered as if they were gods. This battle had a profound impact on him, and he resolved to eliminate such formidable enemies.

Wang Hong's group returned to their residence and distributed the spoils. The twelve individuals yielded just over three hundred Spirit Stones, ten magical weapons, several elixirs, and Spirit Herbs.

"Two of them didn't even have magical weapons. What were they doing tagging along?" Wang Hong chuckled.

Among the spoils was Lin Junjie's magical weapon, surprisingly a mid-grade Flying Sword, and a book titled "Alchemy Basics," containing recipes for three elixirs and fundamental alchemical knowledge. Wang Hong took these two items, leaving the rest to be distributed among his soldiers.

This battle was a significant loss, with the talismans alone costing over a thousand Spirit Stones. Despite the apparent victory, it was all achieved by spending Spirit Stones.

Without talismans, the outcome would have been uncertain, and even in victory, casualties would have been severe.

It seemed he needed to accelerate his progress in learning inscription techniques.

"So much to learn in cultivatingAlchemy, inscription techniques, practicing magical arts, meditation..." Wang Hong couldn't help but sigh.

In reality, he was overthinking it. Others focused on cultivation, practiced a couple of magical arts, and then ventured outside to hunt Demonic Beasts and seek spiritual medicines to exchange for cultivation resources.

The next day, Wang Hong found a shop named "Ten Thousand Laws Tower."

Upon entering, rows of mahogany shelves filled with books and jade scrolls caught his eye.

A white-robed maid approached and greeted, "Esteemed cultivator, please come this way."

Leading Wang Hong to a tea table, she poured a pot of spiritual tea for him.

Wang Hong took a sip, feeling refreshed by the fragrant tea.

The white-robed maid inquired, "Our shop specializes in various books and jade scrolls. What does the esteemed cultivator need? I can find them for you."

After a moment of consideration, Wang Hong said, "I need books on Alchemy, spiritual medicines, inscription techniques, Spirit Wine brewing, spiritual cooking, and magical arts practice. Bring me everything you have."

The white-robed maid was bewildered; it was the first time she had encountered someone buying such a diverse range of books. Could he handle learning all of them?

Many people spent their entire lives mastering just one skill and could prosper in the cultivation world with that alone. Learning these techniques not only required time but also substantial resource support.

Even in prominent cultivation families, with vast resources, they could only afford to focus on one skill. Some families were known for alchemy, some for formations, and some for artifact forging.

Not to mention individuals.

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