87-93

Chapter 87

Middle section of the Yunzhong Mountain Range

Lin Jiang was using magic to water the Spiritual Herb Garden. Lin Jiang was quite skilled as a Spiritual Farmer, having been a dedicated apprentice in the past. He had more than enough care and nurturing for the mature Spiritual Herb Garden, although it might be challenging to build one from scratch.

"Chirp chirp..."

Before finishing the task, Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao sent a warning sound to Lin Jiang. Hurriedly, Lin Jiang stopped and put Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao into the Spirit Beast Bag.

Over the years, Lin Jiang's storage bag had become much more abundant. He had also invested a lot in Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao. Both of them had eaten a complete third-stage Demon Core, although they had not yet made a breakthrough.

Lin Jiang had researched and found that for creatures like Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao, breaking through to the third stage was a life-changing transformation. It required a significant investment, far beyond Lin Jiang's capabilities. Therefore, Lin Jiang decided to take more time and gradually nurture them over the next hundred or so years.

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😜)

When Lin Jiang wasn't going out, he would usually let Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao out. His cave now covered nearly a thousand acres, which was enough for them to play around. Otherwise, if they were kept closed for too long, they would become moody.

"Stay, Taoist friend."

Lin Jiang stood inside the perimeter formation and saw two independent cultivators at the Building foundation level sizing up his cave. He immediately spoke up.

In the middle section of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, conditions were harsh. If there was no activity for a long time, other independent cultivators might assume the owner was dead or away for a long period. In that case, the cave could easily be looted or occupied.

"Master, someone's here."

The young cultivator at the Building Foundation stage spoke to the elderly Building Foundation cultivator.

"Look and then decide."

The old man named Building foundation nodded and then gestured to Lin Jiang, saying, "Taoist friend, I didn't mean to offend. Please forgive me, taoist friend."

"Ignorance is not a crime. Taoist friend, you may leave now."

"Taoist friend, my disciple and I have come from afar and have nowhere to stay. I wonder if taoist friend could accommodate the two of us. We will be eternally grateful and remember the great kindness of taoist friend."

"Go south, Yunzhong City is not far away. There are plenty of inns there."

"Taoist friend, my disciple and I come from a small place and have nothing valuable..."

"No spirit stones, but there must be flying swords and storage bags. Let's sell them."

Lin Jiang's tone became even colder, and he had already determined that these two people had ill intentions. He wanted to confirm if he was being taken for a fool.

The people on Yunzhong Mountain Range rarely take in strangers. They don't allow kindness and hospitality from cultivators. Whoever has such thoughts won't live long.

"Taoist friend seems heartless. All independent cultivators in the world are like one big family. Could Taoist friend bear to see us, an old person and a young person, suffer from wind and sun?"

"Yes, bear it. Have you finished speaking? You can leave now."

"How dare you speak to my teacher like that! Come out, we'll fight to the death."

The young person at the Building Foundation stage heard Lin Jiang's rude words and immediately started cursing at him, preparing to duel with Lin Jiang.

Lin Jiang looked at him with a look of disbelief, finding it ridiculous. It's a low-end tactic to provoke him like this. Lin Jiang alone against the two of them, stepping out of the formation to fight him one-on-one, who would do that if not a fool?

"Don't blame Taoist friend. I spoiled this disciple of mine, and he doesn't know his place..."

"Don't waste your breath, in the middle section of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, cultivators who have lived for more than three years are not fools. If they have their eye on my home, they should come and fight me if they have the ability."

Lin Jiang was getting impatient and wondered what these two guys were thinking. Can they really deceive people with such a low-level act of playing a trick? Are there really so many fools in this world?

"Excuse me, dear taoist friend, we'll meet again later."

The elderly building foundation finally stopped pretending and smiled at Lin Jiang before turning around and leaving.

"Master, why don't we take action? That person is only in the initial stage of building foundation, I can defeat him alone."

"The Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation at the third level, you won't be able to break it even if you fight for a month. It's a tough opponent."

"But they say that this area belongs to the Lin family, and this Mr. Lin is the richest. His cave used to belong to an alchemist and it has many spiritual medicines."

The young building foundation spoke, they were not newcomers to the Yunzhong Mountain Range, they had been here for several days. During these few days, they had been searching for a suitable cave.

However, most of the caves had poor spiritual veins and didn't meet their expectations. Through special means, they found out that there was a cave nearby with high-quality spiritual veins and the former owner had left behind many valuable spiritual medicines. That's why they decided to give it a try.

"Silly child, those people are using us as weapons, with him being a beginner in building foundations, how can he defend this cave?"

The elderly Building foundation replied, saying that in the rivers and lakes, he would not underestimate anyone. If someone doesn't take action against the treasure in these mountains, it means they can protect it.

"Alright, Master always has good reasons. So where do we go now?"

"We have arrived."

The elderly Building foundation looked at the mist in front of him and said that the mist was produced by an array, which indicates that someone lives here.

"Master, are we still acting?"

"No more acting. Tired. Let's take action."

"Okay."

The young Building foundation was overjoyed upon hearing this and without hesitation, directly cast a spell to attack.

"How dare you, who is attacking my residence?"

Soon, a loud shout came from within the white fog, but when he saw two construction workers outside the door, he immediately closed his mouth.

"Break it for me."

The older construction workers became even more fierce and stopped wasting words, starting to attack.

······

"Friend Taoist Lin, be careful. If you get attacked, immediately send me a Distress Talisman, and I will come to assist."

"Friend Taoist Lin, I have brought the information you wanted. Take a good look."

"I have heard about the people who came this time. They are····"

Another half month passed, and Lin Jiang took off the Distress Talismans that were spiraling around the outer layer of his cave, reading the messages. These Distress Talismans were sent by independent cultivators in the middle section of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, and there were even many that he didn't recognize, marking his first encounter with them.

The reason these people were so enthusiastic was not that Lin Jiang was cute and popular, but because powerful individuals had arrived in the Yunzhong Mountain Range, the same ones he had encountered half a month ago, a pair of master and disciple independent cultivators.

These two master and disciple cultivators are extremely fierce. They arrived at the Yunzhong Mountain Range less than a month ago and have already hunted down and killed five independent cultivators at the Building Foundation Period. They looted all the treasures in their cave and now they live not far from Lin Jiang. A few months ago, that place was still Xie Youjia's cave, but after Xie Youjia was killed by Lin Jiang, it was occupied by someone else, and then taken over by these two master and disciple cultivators.

Based on information provided by other independent cultivators, the older one at the Building Foundation Period is called Shao Xiong, and the younger one is called Shao Jie. Shao Jie is an orphan adopted by Shao Xiong and is both his disciple and son.

Shao Xiong used to roam the northern part of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, constantly fighting against demonic beasts. It is said that he was notorious in the north and no one knows how many independent cultivators died by his hands.

Shao Jie is also fierce and formidable. He has been following Shao Xiong since the early stage of Qi Refining, killing his way through the Wilderness. His combat power is extremely strong.

This time, the Shao family master and disciple came to the southern part of the Yunzhong Mountain Range for the Yunzhong City Centennial Celebration that will take place in thirty years. It is certain that the Five Elements Golden Fruit Pill will appear during the Yunzhong City Centennial Celebration, and they are preparing for Foundation Establishment.

The Five Elements Golden Fruit Pill can always be sold at sky-high prices. According to the auction prices of multiple Five Elements Golden Fruit Pills, the average price is around one million spirit stones, and occasionally, it may go up to one million five hundred thousand. The auctioneers often make additional demands, such as substituting with some genius treasures, instead of just spirit stones.

This price has already discouraged ninety percent of the Building Foundation Period independent cultivators, and only the particularly strong ones have the financial ability to compete with those sects and clans.

Last time during the Yunzhong City Centennial Celebration, Lin Jiang was still weak and hiding in Yunzhong City. However, he still heard about the chaos here. Almost after every big celebration, the independent cultivators at the Building Foundation Period in the Yunzhong Mountain Range changed, which is also why the independent cultivators in the Yunzhong Mountain Range mostly stay at the early and middle stages. They were all killed and became resources for others to advance.

"More and more powerful and ruthless people will come here in the future, it's really dangerous. But I can't bear to leave this cave."

Lin Jiang was very conflicted. The Shao's master and disciple had just arrived. They were still 30 years away from the Centennial Celebration. As time passed, more and more fierce people would come, and Lin Jiang would surely be targeted.

But the problem was, Lin Jiang didn't want to leave this cave. Just think about it, he had already invested tens of thousands of spirit stones into those twelve fourth-level spiritual herbs after taking over. If he abandoned them, he would suffer a big loss.

"I want money, not my life. I don't mind sacrificing a few thousand years of lifespan."

After much consideration, Lin Jiang finally decided not to run away. He was going to fight them. He signed a contract for more than 160 years. After deducting the lifespan consumed by the Explosive Element Technique, he still had about 50,000 years left. It was more than enough.

After making up his mind, Lin Jiang took out the Sound Passing Talisman and wrote a reply to the independent cultivators. These people wanted Lin Jiang to keep an eye on the Shao's master and disciple, and inform them if anything happened. As for their promise to help in the fight, Lin Jiang didn't believe it and didn't count on it.

Lin Jiang just hoped to have a mutual exchange with them, keeping an eye on the Shao's master and disciple. Now he was forced to stay at home and couldn't go out. If he waited for the Shao's master and disciple to leave, he could go to Yunzhong City and gather some supplies.

After sending the Sound Passing Talisman, Lin Jiang checked the formation again and prepared enough spirit stones for it. The spiritual energy in this cave was not enough to fully power the formation unless he gave up all the spiritual herbs and drew out all the spiritual energy flowing into the Spiritual Herb Garden. But in that case, all the spiritual herbs would be destroyed, so he had to use spirit stones as the energy source.

After dealing with everything, Lin Jiang started drawing talismans again. Spiritual talismans were one of the best ways to improve strength in the short term. He definitely couldn't do without them in a real fight.

Chapter 88

Yunzhong Mountain Range, middle section.

"Master, our neighbor's Sound Passing Talisman is flying around, it's so lively!"

"If you're really that bored, why not dig up the ground outside the door?"

Shao Xiong looked at Shao Jie and shook his head. This kid still has a lot to learn. We're still in the mountains, and he's already so restless. If he goes to Yunzhong City, who knows what trouble he'll cause?

"Master, I'm just curious. I've never interacted with so many people before. Master, what do you think they will do to us? Will they join forces to attack us, all the Building foundation independent cultivators in Yunzhong Mountain Range?"

"They won't."

"Why not? In the wilderness, as long as the beast has a leader, like the Wolf King, it's enough."

"Take a guess, why is there no golden core independent cultivator in Yunzhong Mountain Range, or if there are, they have to hide?"

"I don't know. Why, Master?"

"Because it's not allowed to have such amazing people here."

Shao Xiong said. There are so many independent cultivators near Yunzhong City, how can there not be a few heroic figures? But even if they are heroes, once they try to gain control over the middle section of Yunzhong Mountain Range and unify this place, they will be in deep trouble. Some people won't allow them to do so.

"The two major sects are so dominant. Master, when will we be that dominant?"

Shao Jie said, Shao Xiong had told him a lot about the rules of Yunzhong City, so he immediately guessed that it was something controlled by the two major sects.

"Stop thinking like that, Master. I'm not that powerful yet. The two major sects have more talents than you can imagine. The most powerful cultivators are always within the sects."

Shao Xiong shook his head. He had good talent and comprehension, but he knew very well that in the eyes of the sects, he was not considered anything special. No matter how talented you are, there will always be someone more talented. And most of the geniuses that can be seen in the city have already been recruited by the sects.

"Master, why are you being so modest? Didn't you say that we are the wolves, true wild wolves? Ordinary independent cultivators are at most domestic dogs, and sect disciples are just sheep. In a one-on-one fight, I can kill three domestic dogs and ten sheep. I've done it before."

"Did you really believe the lies I told you when we were kids?"

Shao Xiong was shocked. Why would Shao Jie still believe that at this moment? Wasn't it just something he used to playfully tease him when they were kids?

"But that's the truth."

Shao Jie said, "In the north of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, I have encountered many disciples from martial arts sects and ordinary cultivators. Their cultivation seems decent, but they are actually weak. It seems like they don't know how to kill. With the same level of cultivation, I can easily kill them."

"Shao Jie, I warn you not to cause trouble. It is true that ordinary disciples from martial arts sects and ordinary cultivators are weak, but there are also experts among them. I can't afford to provoke them. I am only in the later stage of building foundations, you know?"

Shao Xiong said sternly, "When I said this, I had reasons to believe it. People like us grew up in a world of killing, constantly being attacked by more enemies. Winning against stronger opponents is common. Cultivators who survive in such an environment are like fierce wolves."

As for ordinary cultivators, they may be farmers or businessmen who occasionally get into fights and kill people. But compared to them, killing demonic beasts and people is as simple as drinking water. That's why they can be called domestic dogs.

As for ordinary disciples from martial arts sects, they are even weaker. The protection from the sect has made them become soft and weak like sheep. Even some disciples who have reached the Building Foundation Period have never killed anyone. These cultivators only have cultivation skills but have no idea how to use them.

But these are all ordinary situations. Even ordinary cultivators can have formidable individuals, not to mention martial arts sects. They don't play fair with you at all. You may be in the Building Foundation Period, but they may be in the Golden Core Period or even have Nascent Soul or Soul Changing cultivation levels, although I've never seen someone with Soul Changing cultivation.

Now Shao Xiong is very worried that Shao Jie, who doesn't know his place, will offend the major sect. He really doesn't know how dangerous that is.

"Master, I'm not a fool. I know I can't afford to offend the two major sects. Don't worry, I won't do anything stupid."

"Knowing is good, our main goal in returning to Yunzhong City is to gather money. Once we have enough money, we will obtain the Five Elements Golden Fruit Pill. And when I break through to the golden core stage, we will establish our own sect."

Shao Xiong said. As an independent cultivator for many years, he knew very well the hardships that independent cultivators faced. Once one becomes truly powerful, establishing a sect is necessary. Being a sect's patriarch is so enjoyable. Disciples would be responsible for accumulating wealth, while he could focus on cultivation alone. No need to roam around aimlessly.

"Hehe, Master, we have been in Yunzhong Mountain Range for a long time, but we haven't visited Yunzhong City yet. Can you take me there for a stroll?"

"Alright, I will get you some True Spirit Pills. We still have many battles ahead, and your cultivation level is a bit weak."

Shao Xiong nodded. Now, he saw all the independent cultivators in Yunzhong Mountain Range as prey for building his foundation stage. He would inevitably face attacks from them and would need his disciple's help when that time came.

·······

"There is a saying among the independent cultivators in the Northern sects that our Southern sect cultivators are like dogs, while their sect disciples are like sheep. Only they themselves are like wolves. Wolves eat both sheep and dogs..."

"How ridiculous! How dare that old fool show such disrespect towards us!"

"Are wolves really powerful beasts? Why don't they call themselves dragons instead?"

"Because there is a Wolf King in the north, at the later stage of the fourth rank, equivalent to the later stage of Nascent Soul, there are even more powerful monsters deeper in, which we cultivators have not had much contact with. That Wolf King is already very fierce. The Zhonghang Sect once sent three Nascent Soul Ancestors to hunt it, but they were unable to kill it."

In the Yunzhong Mountain Range, as soon as Shao Xiong and his disciples entered, more than ten independent cultivators at the early stage of Building Foundation immediately gathered together. They are all at the weakest level during the Building Foundation period, and they are all extremely afraid. They are afraid that Shao Xiong will come looking for them, so they gathered together to discuss.

"Brother Fan, out of these ten people, only you have been to the north. Can you tell us about what happened there?"

Lin Jiang said to the organizer, a person named Fan Tong who is at the early stage of Building Foundation cultivation. He had once spent three years roaming the northern part of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, making him the only independent cultivator among them who had been there.

The situation in the north is not very good. The demon clan and us cultivators have been in a constant struggle. I went there over ten years ago, and at that time, there were less than twenty strongholds established by cultivators left. The only strongholds that remained strong were the two major sects' strongholds, which had turned into small cities with around ten thousand people.

In that area, the most common thing for cultivators is to fight, fight against monsters, fight against harsh environments, fight against other cultivators. Except for the strongholds, there are no rules anywhere else. Even the disciples of the two major sects often end up injured or killed.

It can be said that any cultivator who can survive for ten years without dying in the north, even in the Qi Refining Period, should not be underestimated. They are truly tough individuals, ruthless towards enemies and even towards themselves...

"Are their individual combat abilities strong? How strong are they?"

"It's hard to say. But one thing is that under equal cultivation levels, their spiritual power is much more condensed than ours. They frequently engage in battles, quickly releasing their spiritual power, and have strong attack power. Moreover, their meridians are tough. What we call our special moves and trump cards are just regular moves for them. So in our perspective, their attack power is much stronger."

"Another thing is their ferocity. Some of them may seem gentle and refined in normal times, but once they see blood, they immediately become extremely fierce. After being injured, they go mad and their fighting power soars. When fighting against them, remember not to let them get close. It's best to keep them at a distance."

Fan Tong recalled the past when he had just started building his foundation. He was full of ambition and thought that others were not much different. He went to explore the wilderness, but he was slapped in the face by reality. He couldn't survive there at all. For the next three years, he spent most of his time in the stronghold, unlike the others who dared to venture deep into the wilderness.

"Does this Shao Xiong and his disciple have any impressive achievements?"

"Yes, during Shao Xiong's mid-stage of building foundation, he killed opponents who were in the late stage. Moreover, his opponents were also fierce individuals who had been fighting in the wilderness for many years. His disciple is even more abnormal. He grew up in the wilderness since he was young, eating the flesh of beasts like a wild animal."

"These pieces of information are too vague. Can't you provide more details?"

"No, who would dare to reveal their details in the wilderness? Do they want to die slowly?"

Fan Tong shook his head, the Wilderness is a lawless place, if people found out the details, they would definitely be hunted down.

"Now it's about how to deal with them. The number of independent cultivators in the Building Foundation stage in the Yunzhong Mountain Range usually ranges from fifty to one hundred. We don't need many, just twenty people can easily kill the two of them."

Lin Jiang sighed and said, after hearing Fan Tong say so much, he didn't actually think Shao Xiong and the others were powerful. The real exceptional geniuses are the ones who can kill across different realms, like killing someone in the later stage of Building Foundation while being in the early stage of Golden Core. But obviously, Shao Xiong doesn't have that ability yet.

He heard more about Shao Xiong's toughness and survival in harsh conditions, but these things are not necessarily impressive; they don't prove that he is invincible.

When the crowd heard what Lin Jiang said, they fell silent, nobody spoke. Maybe twenty people could kill Shao Xiong and his disciples, but there would definitely be casualties. Who would die? Nobody wanted to die themselves.

This is the characteristic of independent cultivators. Freedom is their advantage, but fighting alone is their disadvantage. Nobody wants to expose their back to others.

"We should find a way to contact the senior cultivators in the later stages of Building Foundation. We, these people, to put it harshly, are all poor. How much spirit stones can we get if we were killed? The later stages of Building Foundation are where the wealthy ones are."

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😅)

Fan Tong said. In the early stages of Building Foundation, we don't have much money. Most of the money we make is invested in cultivation. Those senior cultivators in the later stages, firstly, they live longer and have more means of making money. Secondly, they are also preparing for Core Formation and have saved up a lot of spirit stones.

Lin Jiang smiled and remained silent at Fan Tong's words. He was not poor. The total wealth of these people combined couldn't match his. Just the spiritual talisman alone was worth several times their net worth.

Lin Jiang also realized that it was impossible to rely on these people to unite. Everyone was accustomed to being scattered, like a loose sand. To bring them together, there needed to be someone with very high prestige. But currently, nobody had that kind of prestige.

Lin Jiang had a spiritual talisman as a trump card and wasn't afraid of Shao Xiong and his disciples. He just didn't want to reveal his strength and waste his trump card. So he just waited and watched. If Shao Xiong and his disciples really provoke him without using their brains, then there would be no choice but to take them out.

Chapter 89

Yunzhong Mountain Range, middle section.

Fan Tong looked at Shao Xiong and his disciple in front of him, feeling scared. Have these two killing gods finally targeted him?

Where are the reinforcements? What happened to the promised alliance and support?

He had already used more than ten Sound Passing Talismans, why hasn't he received any replies? This is so frustrating and unfair.

"Dear Taoist friend Fan, have you made up your mind?"

Shao Xiong asked again, while his disciple Shao Jie threw down the corpse in his hand and stared at him with a fierce expression, ready to attack.

"Don't do anything, I'll give it."

Fan Tong roared in humiliation. This time, Shao Xiong came to collect money first and then use force. He demanded ten thousand spirit stones from Fan Tong to save his life, while Shao Jie carried a corpse to intimidate him. The corpse was renowned in the Yunzhong Mountain Range for its powerful combat abilities during the mid-stage of Building Foundation cultivation.

Fan Tong originally wanted to resist a bit, as they had agreed to support each other and form an alliance. But since no reinforcements arrived, he had no choice but to surrender. After all, his family's formation was not advanced, just a common second level formation. It would certainly not be able to withstand the fierce attacks of Shao Xiong and his disciple.

"That's right, when it comes to choosing between a life and ten thousand spirit stones, everyone knows what to choose."

"If you've got the ability, go find someone in the Late Building Foundation Stage. How dare you bully me, someone in the Early Building Foundation Stage?"

"If you don't have enough money, then I'll go find someone in the Late Building Foundation Stage. Now, let me ask you a question, who has the most money?"

Shao Xiong didn't pay much attention and decided to extort some money from someone in the Mid Building Foundation Stage first. He figured that would be enough. As for someone in the Late Building Foundation Stage, he would deal with it later.

"Lin Wu, he's the richest."

Fan Tong didn't hesitate and blurted out, "This guy took over Alchemy Sun Man's cave, with hundreds of acres of spiritual herbs. We're so envious, if it wasn't for Lin Wu killing Hu Buwei and scaring us off, someone would have taken action a long time ago."

"Interesting, let's go, little Jie."

Shao Xiong nodded and took the spirit stones before leaving. He prided himself on being a trustworthy person. If someone paid him, they were safe from harm.

Two hours later, Shao Xiong knocked on the gates of another cave in the Building Foundation Period and forced him to hand over ten thousand spirit stones for his life.

"I have a question for you, who is the richest?"

"It's Lin Wu, he is a Talisman Maker, and he took over the underground cave that the Alchemist had been running for years."

"Interesting, let's go, little Jie."

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😨)

Shao Xiong nodded, said no more, and went to the next house.

·······

"Friend Taoist Lin, how about we make a deal? I will buy a life for 10,000 spirit stones, what do you think?"

"It seems that Taoist Friend Shao's life is worth more than just 10,000 spirit stones, right?"

Lin Jiang pretended to be clueless while Shao Xiong already knew about his scheme of extorting independent cultivators in the Yunzhong Mountain Range. Lin Jiang knew that Shao Xiong would eventually come knocking on his door. He specifically targeted independent cultivators in the early to middle stages of building their foundation.

"Looks like Taoist Friend Lin is quite good at pretending to be clueless. Well then, the price goes up, 50,000 spirit stones."

"No money."

"Is that so, but out of the twenty-seven Taoist friends, eighteen of them said you are the richest."

"What's that?"

Now it was Lin Jiang's turn to be confused. Who is this grandson who says he is the richest? Does he really have money? How does he not know?

"Taoist Friend Lin, you won't pass today without paying money. Either lose your money or lose your life, you choose one."

Shao Xiong said coldly, the extortion didn't work as well as he had expected. Out of the twenty-seven Building Foundation stage cultivators he approached, only fifteen were willing to pay. The remaining twelve had all mastered the Third Order Array Formation and were not afraid of him at all.

The Third Order Array Formation theoretically can withstand attacks from the Golden Core stage cultivators. Although due to the spiritual veins, it couldn't exert a hundred percent of its effect, it would still be difficult for him to break through it for a while. Faced with those who would rather die than give money, he could only give up and quickly move on to the next one, because if he didn't, those people would run away.

Even so, he only managed to visit twenty-seven households. The rest had all fled to Yunzhong City. Ten thousand spirit stones were enough to pay rent for two years in Yunzhong City. They wouldn't give money for nothing.

"I don't have money, and I won't give my life either. You figure it out."

"Well, there's no other way. I'll have to target you, they say you're the richest. Your house is worth my effort to attack."

Shao Xiong said. Blackmailing is something that must be done. It will definitely be difficult to succeed next time. So he had to really attack a cave.

That's why he was asking everywhere about who was the richest person. Breaking through a well-defended cave takes a lot of effort, so naturally he had to choose the one with the best value for money.

"It's up to you, fight if you want to. I've exchanged all my spirit stones for True Spirit Pills, you see, the pill bottles are here. I have the third-level Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation, you won't be able to break it in a short time. I'll slowly consume my pills. Oh, by the way, I've deactivated the formation in my Spiritual Herb Garden. The spiritual energy is now concentrated in the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation. Once you break it, I'll have finished all my medicines and the herbs will have withered away. You'll be working for nothing."

Lin Jiang displayed his pill bottles, there were hundreds of them, of course, ninety percent were empty. He just wanted to tell the other person that he had no money, he was a poor person, not worth robbing.

Shao Xiong's face immediately turned black, while Shao Jie jumped up and shouted, "Master, this guy is being unfair, kill him!"

"Take action."

"Okay."

Shao Xiong also felt the need to strike Lin Jiang, otherwise, everyone would imitate each other. How could he continue with blackmailing? Did he really have to kill them one by one? He's not that stupid.

"Boom, boom."

Shao Jie was the first to launch an attack. Lin Jiang's cave had a simple second-level formation at its periphery, which was easily broken in just a few moves. Lin Jiang also retreated back inside.

Inside was a third-level Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation. Shao Jie made several attempts to break the formation, but it remained unaffected. Shao Xiong also joined in on the attack.

Lin Jiang watched as they exchanged dozens of blows, but the formation remained unharmed. He felt relieved and thanked his buddy Sun Man. The formation was really impressive.

If it weren't for Sun Man leaving the cave, they would have never been able to defeat Liu Dong. It was a missed opportunity. Now, Lin Jiang was benefiting from it.

"Come on, come on, show me what you've got!"

Lin Jiang brought over a stool, took out some sunflower seeds, and watched them tirelessly attack. This infuriated Shao Xiong, who put even more effort into his strikes.

Shao Jie was shouting loudly, never having seen anything so frustrating. He attacked fiercely, giving it his all.

"Congratulations, you've finally depleted my one thousand spirit stones. Keep it up!"

It took almost a whole day for Lin Jiang's voice to be heard, and Shao Xiong almost vomited blood again.

"These southern turtles."

Shao Xiong angrily said. North of Yunzhong Mountain Range, besides their stronghold, they never set up defensive formations in the wilderness because it's useless. If they are being targeted by monsters or enemies, the right choice is to run and relocate, not to defend one spot. That's why they only set up warning formations.

This made Shao Xiong feel helpless. If they were fighting face-to-face, he could defeat this person within thirty rounds, but now he was hiding inside a turtle shell, and Shao Xiong couldn't break it.

"Stop fighting. It won't work to exhaust his spirit stone. It will take at least a month. We should guard him."

Shao Xiong told Shao Jie to put away his weapon. Since they couldn't break through, they would guard him. Shao Xiong didn't believe this person wouldn't show up.

"Hmph, playing a game of endurance, Shao Xiong, you've made a mistake."

"When I was young, I guarded the area next to the monster's den for three whole years for a medicinal herb. Lin, I wonder how long you can endure?"

Shao Xiong said coldly, Wilderness hunters have no other advantages, but patience is their strongest. He could guard a monster's den for three years for a medicinal herb, and then steal from it after the monster left. Now his patience will only be stronger.

"He's trying to challenge me. Okay, you can keep waiting."

When Lin Jiang heard this, he almost burst out laughing. He really bought a lot of True Yuan Pills and there was no shortage of food and drink in his cave. He even prepared tens of thousands of jin of jerky for Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao. He had at least thirty to fifty Inedia Pills. He could stay at home for twenty years without any problems.

Lin Jiang waved his hand and used his magic to create a thick mist from the formation, blocking the view inside the cave. He released Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao, instructing them not to make a sound but to keep a close eye on the two outside. If they made any moves, he wanted to be notified immediately.

Lin Jiang simply went about his business, completely ignoring their presence. After all, staying at home was nothing new to him. He was used to it.

The news of Shao Xiong and his disciples being blocked at the door quickly spread throughout the middle section of Yunzhong Mountain Range. Seeing Shao Xiong and his disciples being humiliated, many secretly rejoiced.

However, many others became jealous of Lin Jiang. Sun Man's cave was really amazing and now it was occupied by Lin Jiang. They felt extremely envious. If only they had fought against Hu Buwei earlier and driven him away, then the cave would have been theirs.

After a month and a half of stalemate, just when Shao Xiong was undecided whether to retreat, another Taoist came to Lin Jiang's cave. When Shao Xiong and his disciples saw this person, their faces changed.

PS1: Book 9 (Chapters 301-340) has been translated and published on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3QN5xKI). 

PS2: If possible, please rate us on Amazon or Novel Updates to help us. Fanqie is very dissatisfied with "how efficiently we make money". We probably won't be able to obtain more novel translations licensed, or we will have to pay a very high price to purchase licenses from them.  (＞﹏＜)

PS3: Book 10 will be translated within 3 weeks.

Chapter 90

Yunzhong Mountain Range, middle section

Zhou Yunyang stood outside Lin Jiang's cave, several meters away from Shao Xiong. Zhou Yunyang didn't say a word, but his mocking expression on his face was obvious.

"Zhou Yunyang, what are you doing here?"

Shao Xiong said, Zhou Yunyang was his old friend. In the wilderness north of the Yunzhong Mountain Range, Shao Xiong had ambushed Zhou Yunyang seven times, but Zhou Yunyang always managed to escape. Zhou Yunyang didn't want to fall behind either, so he launched six attacks against Shao Xiong. They ended up becoming good friends despite all the fights.

"I heard about your embarrassment in the wilderness. As a powerful late stage Building Foundation cultivator, you couldn't defeat an early stage Building Foundation cultivator, and you even blocked his way. You've made all the cultivators in the wilderness lose face."

"This guy is hiding behind the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation. It's a third-grade formation. Do you have the ability to break it?"

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😒)

"No, I don't have the ability."

"Then why are you even talking? How dare you call yourself a Formation Master and shamelessly claim to be the future King of Formations."

Shao Xiong also mocked, Zhou Yunyang had exceptional talent in formations and was one of the few skilled Formation Masters among independent cultivators. He had once boasted, after having a few drinks, that he wanted to achieve the same fame as the legendary Alchemist, Pill King Li Ruoxu. Pill King Li Ruoxu had suppressed the pride of two major sects' alchemists with his outstanding skills. Zhou Yunyang wanted to do the same with formations and dominate over the Formation Masters of the two major sects, claiming the title of the King of Formations.

"I am a mid-stage second-tier Formation Master, and the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation is a high-grade third-tier formation. It's normal that I can't break it. But you, shameless as ever, go around extorting independent cultivators and yet couldn't even make a breakthrough in the early stage of Building Foundation. Tsk tsk, you've ruined your reputation."

"You..."

"Master, just kill him, he can't set up formations now."

"Don't act, he's not alone."

Shao Xiong held onto Shao Jie, if Zhou Yunyang came alone, he would have attacked already.

"You have quite the nose, old man. You could even smell this."

"You dare to associate with assassins, aren't you afraid of the two major sects peeling your skin?"

Shao Xiong said, the fight had already begun, and he had already locked onto his surroundings, searching for Zhou Yunyang's accomplice, but he couldn't find them. However, that chilling sense of murderous intent persisted. Shao Xiong guessed that Zhou Yunyang's accomplices were those assassins.

The Wilderness highly valued the role of a Formation Master, as they could establish a safe base in the Wilderness, which was like a treasure trove. Zhou Yunyang had done the same before, but not long ago, their base was destroyed by a beast tide.

"I don't know what you're talking about, assassins with no understanding at all."

"Hmph, Mr. Zhou, what do you want to do?"

"Nothing much, just want to take your job. How about it? I'll give you a way out, you can leave, right?"

Zhou Yunyang smiled and said, Shao Xiong's face was uncertain.

He thought carefully, Zhou Yunyang's skills as a Formation Master in Yunzhong City would definitely not be able to compete with Wilderness. He came back, could it be that something happened in Wilderness?

"What's it to you if I let you do it once?"

After considering, Shao Xiong decided not to argue with Zhou Yunyang, and quickly retreated with Shao Jie.

"Brother Zhou, why don't you let me take action? I'm 70% sure I can defeat him. He has a lot of money on him."

A voice secretly entered Zhou Yunyang's ears, faintly heard.

"Don't underestimate Shao Xiong, this guy is really something. I ambushed him six times and let him escape. It's not that easy to kill him."

Zhou Yunyang shook his head, realizing that he wasn't a match when it came to one-on-one fights, and even if the assassin lost his element of surprise, facing Shao Xiong directly didn't guarantee that he would be a match.

·······

"Zhou Yunyang, I curse you"

Ten miles east of Lin Jiang's cave, Shao Xiong glared at his abode and cursed Zhou Yunyang through gritted teeth.

He had been robbed, and his cave had been tampered with by Zhou Yunyang, even though it was clearly his home, he couldn't enter anymore.

"Master, what should we do?"

Shao Jie was both confused and terrified. He had never experienced something like this before. He didn't dare to go inside his house now, who knows what traps Zhou Yunyang had set up?

"Let's go, forget about it."

Shao Xiong shook his head and left without a second thought. Cultivators who spent most of their time in the Wilderness didn't focus on managing their possessions because no matter how well they managed, a beast tide could sweep everything away. Therefore, Shao Xiong taking over the cave was merely a temporary safe haven, with no valuable items inside. He was ready to abandon it if necessary.

One hour later, a unlucky person fell in Shao Xiong's massacre, and the cave he had managed for many years became someone else's home. Shao Xiong asked Shao Jie to stay at home while he went out to gather information.

Five days later, Shao Xiong returned with a gloomy face. Shao Jie dared not speak loudly. He rarely saw Shao Xiong with such a expression.

"Master, what happened?"

"Wilderness is in trouble. The monster clan is counterattacking. The strongholds of Wilderness have all been destroyed. Now only the strongholds of the two major sects are holding on, but it seems they can't hold on for long."

"No way, didn't the two major sects have Soul Changing Ancestors guarding them?"

"I don't know the details, but all I know is that Wilderness is in trouble."

"How will this affect us?"

"The impact is huge. Wilderness is also the money bag of the two major sects. Now that the money bag is broken, they will have to find it from elsewhere."

Shao Xiong said, the two major sects have never been kind, especially when it comes to harvesting independent cultivators. They are ruthless one after another. If the income from Wilderness is gone, they will have to recover it from other places. Naturally, it will be collected from the hands of independent cultivators, and Shao Xiong himself is one of them, and also a target for the two major sects to harvest.

"Did Zhou Yunyang come back because of this?"

"Not only him, but many famous people from Wilderness have come back, Yunzhong Mountain Range will be lively from now on."

Shao Xiong said. There are many tough and capable people in Wilderness. Before, they didn't have much impact on this place as they were only mixing around in Wilderness. But this time, with so many people coming back, things will be difficult to handle. For example, his extortion plan will definitely fail and won't work.

"What about Master's plan..."

"Don't worry, let's keep a low profile, see how things develop, and not act like heroes."

Shao Xiong said. In Wilderness, he is not among the top group yet. He has to wait and see. Surviving is the most important. Those who act recklessly will die first.

·······

"Friend Lin, have you made a decision?"

In front of Lin Jiang's cave, Zhou Yunyang appeared again. On that day, Zhou Yunyang drove away Shao Xiong, didn't harm Lin Jiang, but made new demands.

Zhou Yunyang asked Lin Jiang to join him, promising not only to protect their cave but also to provide many benefits, ensuring that they will not lack any resources in the future.

Lin Jiang's eyes were hesitant as he had recently been in contact with Fan Tong and others, who informed him that many dangerous people had returned to the north side of the Yunzhong Mountain Range. Not only Shao Xiong and Zhou Yunyang, but also others.

The previously independent cultivators with a basic middle-level cultivation in the southern building foundation were almost gone. Even Fan Tong had fled and sought refuge in Yunzhong City. Fan Tong told Lin Jiang that something major had happened in the north, and these cruel independent cultivators from the north considered their southern counterparts as easy prey. Many people had been killed, and Fan Tong urged Lin Jiang to leave as soon as possible.

"Dear Taoist Friend Zhou, may I ask what exactly happened in the north?"

"That's something dear Taoist Friend doesn't need to worry about. Just answer me, will you agree or not?"

"If I don't agree, will I die?"

"You're smart, dear Taoist Friend. It's exactly as you think."

Zhou Yunyang smiled and said. There's big trouble in the north. The independent cultivator strongholds have been completely wiped out, with only two major sects barely holding on. However, he dares to confirm that the demonic forces' attack won't last long, and the cultivators will rise again.

During this time, he needed to gather more followers who could be used as cannon fodder when they return to the north. Of course, if some are skilled and talented, they can be groomed as trusted subordinates.

"Then I choose not to agree."

Lin Jiang answered directly, that's just how he is, he likes when people are nice to him and not when they are mean.

Of course, Lin Jiang also considered the pros and cons. He doesn't know how Zhou Yunyang is as a person or how he does things. If he joins Zhou Yunyang, he will probably end up being used as a pawn. Naturally, Lin Jiang doesn't want that.

"If I don't agree, then it's fine. Taoist Friend Lin, please stay at home and don't come out!"

Zhou Yunyang smiled. It won't be easy to force someone with a strong cave like this to come out. He can just wait here. He is more patient than Shao Xiong, after all.

"Then Taoist Friend doesn't need to worry."

Lin Jiang covered his figure and returned to the cave.

However, Lin Jiang's mood was a little bit bad. He knew that if there's a problem here in the middle part of Yunzhong Mountain Range, it will be harder and harder for him to survive in the future. But he doesn't want to give up this cave.

He invested a lot of spirit stones into this cave and it's also very comfortable. The core area is hundreds of acres big. He can do whatever he wants here. Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao are the same. In Yunzhong City, they can only walk in a very small yard. So, whether it's in terms of benefits or emotions, Lin Jiang doesn't want to give up.

So Lin Jiang could only choose to hold on. Even without considering the spiritual talisman, he had confidence now. With the Explosive Element Technique and excellent quality spiritual weapons equipped on him, he wasn't weak at all.

"Being patient doesn't mean always giving in, compromising, or avoiding. When it's time to take action, you still need to take action."

Lin Jiang comforted himself, saying that he couldn't keep hiding. If he only defended, he would be continuously attacked. He needed to find an opportunity to kill a few powerful ones to intimidate the others.

Chapter 91

In the middle section of the Yunzhong Mountain Range

In just a few days, the entire middle section, spanning thousands of miles, became a place that made independent cultivators tremble in fear. Independent cultivators from the north of the Yunzhong Mountain Range kept pouring in, committing one bloodshed after another. In just one day, over 300 independent cultivators were killed, mostly from the vast number of Qi Refining Period cultivators.

In the following days, as the situation escalated, a large number of independent cultivators fled. They either entered Yunzhong City or the villages and towns outside the city to avoid being killed.

With the mass exodus of ordinary independent cultivators, only the tough ones remained. There were quite a few caves like Lin Jiang's that had a third-tier defensive formation. Before tackling these tough nuts, the northern faction independent cultivators started killing each other. Countless cultivators were drenched in blood every day.

"They've gone completely insane, killing like mad."

Lin Jiang stood above his cave, his eyes empowered by spiritual energy, looking around. Everywhere he looked, he could see several conflicts happening, including Zhou Yunyang, who was a threat to him, engaged in a fight with someone else.

Lin Jiang couldn't understand why the independent cultivators from the northern faction had such a strong murderous intent. Hadn't they thought about earning spirit stones through their own cultivation and production? Did they really have to rely on robbery for everything they needed?

After a while, Lin Jiang saw Zhou Yunyang emerge from Lin Jiang's cave, covered in blood. He wasn't alone, there were three other people with him, all at the Building Foundation Period.

"Dear Taoist Friend Lin, sorry for the inconvenience. We would like to borrow your cave."

Zhou Yunyang said to Lin Jiang and promptly set up more than ten formation plates. These plates surrounded Lin Jiang's cave, creating a new outer formation where Zhou Yunyang and the others hid.

Lin Jiang's expression turned dark. This guy named Zhou had a wicked heart. He was deliberately drawing trouble towards him. When his enemies came, they would surely see him as Zhou Yunyang's accomplice.

"Well, you're tough. But did you know, I need someone to show their strength, and you coming here is a perfect opportunity."

Lin Jiang coldly stared at Zhou Yunyang, as if looking at a dead person. Well, they brought this upon themselves, so he couldn't blame anyone else.

·······

Zhonghang Sect, Grand Hall of the Sect.

Outside the main gate, the respected Elder Nalan De from the Outer Sect was discussing matters of the Yunzhong Mountain Range with the Sect Master of Zhonghang Sect. Despite being called an "Elder," Nalan De was actually considered just a middle-ranking member in Zhonghang Sect due to his cultivation level being only in the Golden Core Period.

Only by advancing to the Nascent Soul stage and becoming an Elder of the entire Zhonghang Sect would one qualify as a true high-ranking member.

"You don't need to worry about Yunzhong Mountain Range, let those independent cultivators who love to kill do as they please. A group of low-level cultivators, at most a few mid-level cultivators, cannot cause any trouble."

"Master, I am worried that it will affect the income of Yunzhong City. If all the independent cultivators in the mountains are gone, there will be no one to cultivate crops or grow spiritual herbs."

Nalan De said. Yunzhong Mountain Range covers thousands of miles, and there are thousands of independent cultivators living there. They open up caves, cultivate spiritual land, grow spiritual crops, and raise spiritual beasts. They are an important source of resources for Yunzhong City.

Now that all the people have left, the city will definitely be affected. The prices will soar, trade will be greatly impacted, and there will be no taxes without trade.

"Don't be so naive. That piece of land has never been very important. By not occupying it with the Cloud Sword Sect, we are giving the independent cultivators a place to vent their frustrations."

The sect leader shook his head. With their strength, it would be easy for them to unify the middle section of Yunzhong Mountain Range. There must be a deeper reason why they didn't do so.

The two major sects have monopolized too many things. They could have completely blocked the independent cultivators' paths to advancement. However, doing so would certainly provoke a backlash from the independent cultivators. In a situation where they have no hope for the future, they would attack the two major sects recklessly.

This is indeed what happened. That's why the two major sects intentionally left this place empty, giving the independent cultivators hope. They let them fight among themselves. With thousands of Qi Refining cultivators and hundreds of Building Foundation cultivators, there may be one or two Golden Core cultivators emerging through the breeding of spirit insects.

However, these Golden Core cultivators ultimately cannot pose a threat to them. They will willingly go to the north because the resources in the south are no longer sufficient, so they can only seek resources in the Wilderness.

With this move, the two major sects have firmly held power for thousands of years, without any force that can challenge them. People like Pill King Li Ruoxu are rare, and even he cannot pose a threat to them.

"Yes, Master, I understand."

Nalan De lowered his head and agreed, feeling somewhat helpless. He had been so proactive because he had a lot to gain over there. He had hoped to handle this matter with the help of the sect, but since the sect disagreed, he could only reluctantly give up this part of the benefit.

"Master."

As they were talking, Ouyang Qing walked in and bowed to the Master.

"Elder Thirteen, you have come at the right time. Are all the personnel ready?"

"We're all prepared. I will personally lead the team, along with fifteen Golden Core cultivators and one hundred twenty Building Foundation cultivators. We will depart today."

"Very well, remember not to attack rashly. Just defend the stronghold. The demons are not good at attacking cities and cannot sustain long battles. Given enough time, they will naturally retreat."

"I understand. This time, I am here to collect supplies."

"Everyone is ready, let's go to the Internal Affairs Hall and collect it."

The head nodded and handed a command token to Ouyang Qing. Ouyang Qing glanced at Nalan De and immediately left without saying much.

"Head, this is..."

"There's nothing important, go and do your tasks."

The head waved his hand and Nalan De quickly left.

"So many things going on, sigh."

The head looked at the empty hall and sighed. Compared to the matters in the north, the things in the south were nothing. That was where the threat to the sect really lay.

The collaboration of the two major sects for hundreds of years had turned into nothing overnight. This made the head feel mentally exhausted. He even pondered if he should step down from his position as head. In that Soul Changing realm, he still had a slight chance to strive for.

·······

The four of them hid around Lin Jiang's cave in the Yunzhong Mountain Range. It was unexpected that many people passed by but didn't notice them, which made Zhou Yunyang quite pleased.

"Brother Zhou, let's take care of that kid inside."

In the middle of the night, Zhou Yunyang heard a whisper. Actually, there were not just four of them, but five. One of them had a special spiritual tool that could make them invisible, so the casual building foundation wouldn't be able to find them.

"What's wrong, feeling itchy?"

"Well, just now I used the Magical Eye to take a quick look. I saw at least hundreds of acres of spiritual herbs, all of them second level. Many of them are already mature. If we were to take these herbs, we could make a big profit."

"Hundreds of acres of second level spiritual herbs, no wonder this kid doesn't want to leave."

Zhou Yunyang was shocked. If all the hundreds of acres of second level spiritual herbs were mature, there would be at least seventy to eighty thousand spirit stones. If there were some more expensive ones, it wouldn't be impossible to have over a hundred thousand.

People die for wealth, birds die for food. They went to the Wilderness to hunt monsters, all for money. Zhou Yunyang could understand why this kid didn't want to leave.

"Brother Zhou, are you in or out?"

"Can you break the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation?"

"I have a Breaking Array Cone, a second-order formation that can penetrate even the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation, but we must remain completely still."

"Are you sure the Breaking Array Cone can break it?"

"If we create an opening and allow one or two people to enter, it's possible. But if we go together, with you in the light and me in the dark, killing him will be as easy as pie."

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😁)

The assassin explained that he had bought the Breaking Array Cone from someone else. It used to belong to a powerful assassin in his organization, but that person had died, so now it was his.

"Alright, let's do it."

Zhou Yunyang was immediately intrigued. He didn't know when the two major sects would stabilize the situation in the north. If he couldn't return for a long time, he would have to find another path. But no matter what he did, he needed money. Money is the key to everything.

Zhou Yunyang discussed with the other three people and asked them to be ready outside, ensuring that no one else would approach. They would go inside and deal with the person surnamed Lin.

"Brother Zhou, are you ready?"

"Are you ready? You can go ahead, I can dash in an instant."

Zhou Yunyang nodded. He was already standing outside of the protective barrier, only about twenty meters away. With such a close distance, he could cross it in just a moment.

"Okay."

"Bang!"

The assassin responded and then used the Breaking Array Cone to attack the barrier. The Breaking Array Cone was a weapon specifically designed to break barriers. It could easily slice through barriers of second-tier or lower, but for a third-tier barrier, it would need to be forcefully broken.

After a loud bang, a hole appeared in the barrier. Zhou Yunyang was incredibly fast and managed to dash through the hole before it closed.

"Ying..."

However, as soon as he entered, he heard a piercing scream. Zhou Yunyang was startled and realized it was not good. This person unexpectedly had a beast pet.

"Puff."

Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao were incredibly fast. As soon as the formation was attacked, they reacted instantly. When Zhou Yunyang entered, they grabbed him from both sides, their claws tearing into his shoulders and lifting him up before throwing him into the air.

"Brother Zhou"

The assassin was also shocked by the unexpected turn of events. At this point, they couldn't afford to remain hidden any longer. They revealed themselves and struck at Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao with a sword, preventing them from finishing off Zhou Yunyang. Otherwise, Zhou Yunyang would surely die.

"Aurora falcon"

"Two Aurora falcons at the late stage of the second rank"

Zhou Yunyang regained his balance and slowly descended. He applied some medicinal powder to his wound and coldly watched Lin Jiang walking out of the gate.

"You guys are really looking for trouble, searching lanterns in the toilet."

Lin Jiang looked at the two people, unable to say anything for a while. He was still thinking about how to separate them and conquer each one individually. But they surprised him by coming to him willingly. Isn't that asking for trouble?

Chapter 92

Yunzhong Mountain Range, middle section.

Inside Lin Jiang's cave, Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao were circling around at a height of about a hundred meters. They kept adjusting their positions, taking on the posture of attack. Hunting and killing were their instincts, and they were ready to face any intruders.

"Even in the early stages of a small building foundation, they can afford to raise two level-two late-stage spiritual beasts. That's really impressive."

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😧)

Zhou Yunyang looked at Lin Jiang, then glanced at the two Aurora falcons. He had an approving look on his face. That's great! A cultivator who can afford to raise level-two late-stage spiritual beasts must be very rich. It's no wonder they put in so much effort.

"Come and give it a try. If you win against me, all of this is yours."

Lin Jiang took out his flying sword and pointed it at Zhou Yunyang, provoking him.

"I'll take care of the two beast pets, you deal with him, okay?"

Zhou Yunyang said to the assassin next to him. The assassin's cultivation was not very high, at the mid-stage of Building foundation. If his identity was exposed during the earlier fight with Shao Xiong, they would have to retreat. However, facing an early-stage Building foundation opponent, he felt confident in his chances of winning.

"No problem, Brother Zhou. Let's make it quick and not cause too much commotion, lest others take advantage of it."

The assassin nodded, he didn't think he would lose. He had been a fierce bandit in the Wilderness for over ten years, while the person called Lin was just a useless independent cultivator surviving here.

"Start!"

Zhou Yunyang soared into the sky, actively seeking a challenge from the Aurora falcon.

The assassin instantly put on the invisibility cloak and disappeared from Lin Jiang's sight.

"One Sword Flying Immortal"

"Explosive Element Technique"

Lin Jiang remained calm and stabbed with his sword. The Explosive Element Technique consumed a hundred years of lifespan and multiplied its power tenfold.

"Puff"

Lin Jiang's sword aimed to his right, and the flying sword pierced through the assassin, stringing him up directly.

"You..."

The assassin looked confused. The Dark Night Organization's assassination techniques, combined with his special invisibility tool, should have allowed him to silently kill his opponent. Why does he know that he is here?

"Surprised, aren't you?"

Lin Jiang's power flowed through the sword, damaging the assassin's internal organs. The assassin fell heavily to the ground, lifeless.

"I didn't expect you to be so foolish."

Lin Jiang shook his head. He knew where the assassin was because his secret hideout had two formations. One was the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation facing outward, and the other was the Five Elements Shock Killing Formation inside. Everything inside the formations was under Lin Jiang's control.

"Boom!"

Zhou Yunyang had been watching Lin Jiang closely. When he saw his assassin brother get killed, Zhou Yunyang immediately turned to attack. However, at that moment, a sharp blade appeared in the sky and struck Zhou Yunyang, causing him to fall.

"Five Elements Shock Killing Formation"

Zhou Yunyang was shocked. How much money does this guy have to afford two sets of formations? He must be really scared of dying to invest so much.

"Try a fire attack."

Lin Jiang laughed loudly and activated his spell. Suddenly, dozens of fire dragons appeared in the sky, sweeping towards Zhou Yunyang.

Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao seemed afraid of fire, so they flew to Lin Jiang's side. Zhou Yunyang, on the other hand, was defending against the fire dragons' attacks. The third-level killing formation he used had the attacking power of a late-stage Building foundation cultivator. He was having a tough time blocking the attacks.

"Big Shadiao, Small Shadiao, come with me and kill the enemies."

Lin Jiang glanced at the formation token and saw that it was already flashing red. The only downside of his cave was that the spiritual vein level was too low. In just a few moments, the spiritual energy provided by the spiritual vein was depleted, so he had to replenish it with spirit stones.

"One Sword Flying Immortal"

"Explosive Element Technique"

Lin Jiang continued to use One Sword Flying Immortal. It was a powerful move that could defeat any opponent. He wasn't concerned about the technique being old as long as it had the power.

"Boom"

Zhou Yunyang barely blocked the attack, but he was shocked to see that his expensive, top-quality flying sword had cracked.

"superb quality spiritual weapon"

Zhou Yunyang remembered something a master craftsman had told him - the master had suggested that he create an amazingly well-crafted magical weapon with immense power, but Zhou Yunyang had declined because it was too expensive.

"You guessed right"

"What does the use of an amazingly well-crafted magical weapon matter? Today, I will kill you"

Zhou Yunyang felt determined. He considered the lack of spiritual energy in Lin Jiang's cave and the need for a large amount of spiritual energy to support two sets of third-level formations. He also knew that having a weapon advantage didn't guarantee victory.

"Boom"

In the next moment, Zhou Yunyang stabbed Lin Jiang with his sword, but Lin Jiang's robes emitted a radiant light, completely deflecting the attack.

"Is it of great quality again?"

"You guessed it, give it to me."

Lin Jiang shouted loudly and used the flying sword to attack repeatedly, striking more than ten times. The flying sword in Zhou Yunyang's hand shattered completely.

At this moment, Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao also launched an attack. They coordinated extremely well with Lin Jiang. When the flying sword in Zhou Yunyang's hand shattered, the two Shadiaos swooped down.

Big Shadiao pecked and shattered his protective energy, while Small Shadiao clawed and shredded his shoulder, causing Zhou Yunyang to scream in pain.

Seeing this opportunity, Lin Jiang threw a dart, which went through the wound on his shoulder and came out from the top of his head.

"Don't rest, take care of the three outside as well."

Lin Jiang took their storage bag and casually told Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao to prepare for an ambush.

Then, Lin Jiang grabbed Zhou Yunyang's body with one hand, carried it to the edge of the formation, opened a gap, and made some movements.

"Taoist Friend Zhou"

The three people heard a noise and turned around to see Zhou Yunyang. They were immediately delighted, as it seemed they had succeeded.

At this moment, they had no idea what was happening inside. The holes in the Eight Gate Golden Armor Formation had already been sealed, blocking their view and sound. Even their divine senses could not penetrate through.

The three people didn't see Zhou Yunyang respond, but they saw him wave his hand at them and then turn around to leave. They exchanged glances and quickly followed him.

They never realized that Zhou Yunyang would lose. On their side, there was an assassin at the late Building Foundation stage and another at the mid Building Foundation stage. If they couldn't defeat someone at the early Building Foundation stage, it would be too unbelievable.

"You..."

When the three people entered the formation, it quickly closed, and they realized something was wrong. However, it was too late. Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao swooped down like arrows.

Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao were already known for their speed. At this moment, they were fully prepared, and their transformations happened in an instant. The three people didn't even have time to activate their protective aura and were directly killed by Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao.

Lin Jiang naturally made a sneak attack, severely injuring it with a sword, and then took it down in over ten rounds.

······

"Master, Master, something's wrong!"

"What happened that made you so anxious?"

"Zhou Yunyang is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"He's dead, it's Lin Wu's doing. He died in Lin Wu's house."

"What? That's impossible, he was only in the early stages of building foundation."

"It's true. There are five wooden poles at the front of his house, and his body is hanging from them. There's even a lantern hanging, very noticeable."

"Let's go."

Shao Xiong couldn't sit still, immediately getting up and flying away. Zhou Yunyang had been his mortal enemy for decades, and despite several ambushes, he had never been able to kill him. How could he just easily die like this?

The two flew to the front of Lin Jiang's cave, where there were five tree trunks over ten meters tall. There was a lantern at the very top, while the tree trunks were hung with five bodies. If it wasn't Zhou Yunyang's group, then who could it be?

"Open."

Shao Xiong activated his Magical Eye to observe Lin Jiang's cave. Lin Jiang willingly dispelled the smoke caused by the formation and smiled at him.

"How did you do it?"

"Do you think this streetlight is bright or not?"

"I'm asking you how you did it."

"Just tell me if this streetlight is bright or not. If it's not, I'll add a few more."

Lin Jiang showed a menacing smile. I don't bully you guys, but you all come and bully me. Do you really think I'm easy to mess with? If I get provoked, I'll hang all of you on streetlights.

Shao Xiong became silent. Zhou Yunyang, who had similar abilities to him and even more people, died here. This reminded him of the recent challenge he made to Lin Jiang.

"Master..."

"Let's go, we've misjudged."

Shao Xiong said, it turned out they weren't targeting the family dog, but a fierce tiger that would devour people once it attacked.

"Things should be much quieter now."

Lin Jiang saw Shao Xiong leaving, but he didn't chase after him. Taking down Zhou Yunyang and his group was actually a lucky break. If they had a proper confrontation, Lin Jiang wouldn't have been a match.

Smoke billowed, and Lin Jiang's figure disappeared into the cave. He returned home to continue counting his spoils.

"Without opportunities, one cannot become wealthy. Plundering and killing indeed seem to be the quickest way to make money."

An hour later, Lin Jiang neatly organized all the items and said to himself.

From the storage bag of the five people, Lin Jiang found a total of three hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones, as well as over a hundred bottles of various elixirs, including the True Spirit Pill. The total value is estimated to be no less than thirty thousand spirit stones.

The most abundant items were various materials from monsters, such as fur, bones, claws, and flesh. Lin Jiang couldn't estimate their exact value. If we include their shields and flying swords, Lin Jiang expected the total value to be no less than five hundred thousand.

That's why Lin Jiang sighed. You can't get rich without any windfalls. This slaughter has brought him wealth, surpassing even when he crafted superb quality spiritual weapons in the past.

"I don't like killing, but I hope for peace."

Lin Jiang shook his head again and collected all the items into his storage bag. He didn't have much desire for killing, but unfortunately, in the cultivation world, cultivators who don't shed blood are rare.

Perhaps it was because of Zhou Yunyang's reputation, but for the next half month, no one bothered Lin Jiang anymore. They all avoided him. Lin Jiang's fame had spread throughout the Yunzhong Mountain Range.

Lin Jiang paid no attention to this. He never left his home, spending his days cultivating, drawing symbols, taking care of medicinal herbs, and playing with Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao. His days became much more fulfilling.

However, the killing continued in the Yunzhong Mountain Range. Once the original independent cultivators had fled, the independent cultivators from the north started killing each other. As big fish ate smaller fish, they also formed alliances. The power of these independent cultivators was growing, and some groups already had dozens of members.

After two more months, Lin Jiang's neighbor, the cave that used to belong to Xie Youjia, was occupied once again. Lin Jiang welcomed his new neighbor.

Chapter 93

Middle section of Yunzhong Mountain Range

A group of cultivators arrived at the cave of Lin Jiang. One person took out a Sound Passing Talisman and handed it to Lin Jiang. He opened it and heard a voice saying, "Lin Wu, my Taoist friend, I am Yusong. Please come out for a conversation."

Lin Jiang waved his hand and the smoke around him dispersed, revealing his figure. The person in front of him approached.

"Yusongtaoist friend?"

"Indeed, it is I."

"May I know what brings you here?"

"I dare not claim to give instructions. I have brought my friend to establish a stronghold in the Cangying Ridge ahead. We also have friends stationed in this area. I came to pay a visit to our neighbors."

"Establish a stronghold?"

"Yes, recently, there has been chaos in the Yunzhong Mountain Range. Many independent cultivators who returned from the north have been causing great harm, resulting in a large number of them becoming displaced. Yusong couldn't bear to see this and thus gathered his friends to establish a stronghold for self-protection. Many friends came to help, but the Canying Ridge is small and cannot accommodate so many taoist friends. Therefore, a group of people has been purposely relocated nearby. After learning that Taoist Friend Lin is here, they came to pay their respects."

Yusong's words made Lin Jiang silent. During this period, he had been staying at home and knew very little about the outside world. He was still unclear about Yusong's origin and intentions.

"If Taoist Friend is worried, there's no need to come out. Today's just a notice. We'll understand Yusong's character as time goes by."

"What do you want to do?"

"Just to protect ourselves."

"I'm not interested in joining you."

"Taoist Friend Lin, you've misunderstood. I didn't ask Taoist Friend to join us. I just hope that Taoist Friend will be kind to others and become a good neighbor in the future."

"I won't harm others unless they harm me."

"Great, then Yusong will take his leave first."

Yusong bowed to Lin Jiang and then led his group away. Lin Jiang watched him leave.

"He looks quite polite, what's going on?"

Lin Jiang wondered in his heart. Compared to those who were extremely wicked, Yusong indeed appeared very polite. Some people's personalities are hard to hide. Of course, it could also be a cunning facade.

Lin Jiang pondered for a while, unable to figure it out. He took out the Sound Passing Talisman and sent it to a few friends to see what was happening.

·······

"Taoist Friend Lin"

"Fan Tong, my Taoist friend, why are you here? Didn't you hide in Yunzhong City?"

Three days later, someone suddenly called out to Lin Jiang at the door. When Lin Jiang went out to have a look, it turned out to be Fan Tong. Lin Jiang remembered that Fan Tong had indeed fled to Yunzhong City.

"Friend Lin, you've been at home for many days, unaware of the outside situation. Now, the Yunzhong Mountain Range has returned to calm."

"What does it mean?"

"May I come in and speak slowly? I am alone."

"Come in."

Lin Jiang looked around with his divine sense, making sure there was no one nearby. Even if there were someone, he wasn't afraid. After fighting with Zhou Yunyang, Lin Jiang knew his own strength.

"Thank you for trusting me, Taoist Friend Lin."

"What's happening outside now?"

Recently, a lot of fierce and cruel people came from the north, causing a massacre in the Yunzhong Mountain Range. About ninety percent of the independent cultivators at the Qi Refining and Building Foundation stages fled. These killers realized that without independent cultivators to prey on, they didn't dare to plunder near Yunzhong City. So they turned against each other. But they soon realized that if they continued killing each other, they would all perish. Everyone was after wealth, not insanity.

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😍)

Therefore, several influential independent cultivators stood up and gathered a group of independent cultivators to establish their own stronghold for self-protection. Now, within a radius of thousands of miles, five forces have emerged. They are Taoist Yusong of Cangying Ridge, the Zheng brothers of Black Water Pool, Chen Xuan of Medicine Immortal Valley, Ma Ping of Songmao Mountain, and Fu Tao of Baiyugang. These five are currently the leading figures among the independent cultivators in the Yunzhong Mountain Range.

"Do the two major sects have any objections to their actions?"

"What's your opinion? It's not just one company, there are five of them."

"That's right."

Lin Jiang replied, but he felt that the two major factions must have their own people among these five forces, and it's possible that all of them are their people.

This is not unheard of. Look at the fishing gang next to the Yuntuo River. Without the approval of the two major factions, it wouldn't be possible.

"Taoist Friend Lin, Yunzhong Mountain Range is different now, the territory has been divided, Taoist Friend Lin also needs to find a sheltering force."

"It seems that Fan Tongtaoist friend has made a choice."

"That's right, I have chosen Taoist Yusong."

"What about the other four? Can you introduce them to me?"

Lin Jiang nodded. It was expected that without someone's instructions, Fan Tong wouldn't have told him so much.

"The five factions are all quite similar. The leaders are all at the Building Foundation stage, but Taoist Yusong is a bit stronger. He has attempted to break through to the Golden Core stage before, although unsuccessful, but he has already stepped into the Golden Core stage with one foot. The next in line would be the Zhengzhan and Zhengqin brothers. They both have accomplished the Building Foundation stage and they are also twin brothers who have a telepathic connection. Their combined attacks are very strong. As for the other three factions, they also have their unique strengths."

"Since you want to recruit me, what are the conditions? You surely can't offer me no benefits at all."

"Of course there are conditions. Taoist Yusong said that if Taoist Friend Lin is willing to join Cangying Ridge and is willing to be given a position within Cangying Ridge, this cave dwelling will be reserved for you. People can be sent to help with the management, and all the proceeds will go to Taoist Friend Lin."

"What do you want me to do?"

Lin Jiang said. Cangying Ridge, Black Water Pool, and Medicine Immortal Valley are all blessed lands within the Yunzhong Mountain Range. The spiritual energy levels are very high there, and it has always been a sought-after place. Cultivating there will definitely be very beneficial for cultivation.

"There's no need to do much. Taoist Friend Lin is a Talisman Maker and can make amulets to sell to everyone. The prices will be the same as in Yunzhong City. If someone comes to provoke, Taoist Friend Lin can help fight."

"Is there anything else?"

"No, if Taoist Friend Lin wants to do other things, that's also possible. For example, helping to patrol the territory will have its own rewards."

"Which faction did Shao Xiong and his disciples join?"

"No, there are many other people like Taoist Friend Lin who are independent cultivators. But it's just a matter of time. How can someone who fights alone be a competitor for everyone to seek warmth together, right?"

"That's true."

"So, what does Taoist Friend Lin think?"

"As for me, I don't have much vision or ambition. Besides, I'm used to being wild, so I won't join in."

"Taoist Friend Lin, please reconsider."

Fan Tong became anxious. Brother, if you didn't mean it, you should have said it earlier. He has even run out of saliva! You can't just say you won't join, that's so disappointing.

"I'm really a free and uncommitted person. Sorry, Fan Tongtaoist friend."

"Oh, it seems like I'm not suitable to be a mediator."

"No, Taoist Friend Fan is still very excellent. He will surely achieve great success in Cangying Ridge."

"I'll take your kind words then. Since Taoist Friend Lin doesn't want to go, we won't force you. If Taoist Friend Lin changes your mind in the future, please let me know."

"Certainly."

"Then I'll take my leave first."

Fan Tong wasn't worried. He still had to hurry to the next place. Although Yusong valued Lin Jiang a lot, he wasn't indispensable.

"The world is becoming more chaotic, with all kinds of monsters and creatures appearing."

After seeing Fan Tong off, Lin Jiang sighed when he returned home.

"If they don't have a story behind them, I'll punish myself by not going to Baihua Tower for three years."

Lin Jiang sighed again. There are definitely golden core independent cultivators in the Yunzhong Mountain Range, though maybe only a few. But they don't say a word. The waters here are too deep. Lin Jiang doesn't plan to get involved.

After a few more days, Lin Jiang saw that order was gradually restored in the Yunzhong Mountain Range, so he left the mountains and went to Yunzhong City. He needed to clean up the things in his storage bag.

Over the years, he had killed many people, and his storage bag was almost too full of miscellaneous items. He needed to clean it up. He also needed to sell some of the spiritual talismans he had drawn.

He didn't go to the big market. He openly sold some of the items to businesses and sold the rest in the city's underground market.

After two days passed, Lin Jiang reached a total of 850,000 spirit stones on his body without cleaning everything up. This number shocked Lin Jiang himself.

"When did I become so rich? Oh no, when things go wrong, there will be disaster. When money goes wrong, it's the same one by one."

Lin Jiang looked at a whole storage bag full of spirit stones and felt worried. If news of this leaked out, people from the entire Yunzhong City would come to hunt him down. Even the Nascent Soul Ancestor might make a move.

"How about buying a house?"

A thought suddenly popped up in Lin Jiang's mind. In a slightly remote area of Yunzhong City, he could buy a small house with enough money.

But he rejected the idea. During the Blue Star period, he didn't want to be enslaved by a house. It was the same here. Although he could pay it in full, this was the money he had saved up over more than a hundred years, worse off than being enslaved by a house.

The most important thing was that a house in Yunzhong City couldn't provide food and drink. If he didn't have any backing, he would still be targeted by others unless he was willing to restore Lin Sheng's identity and continue to embrace Cao Ying's support.

"Spending money, spending money. Keeping so much money makes me uneasy. If one day I get killed, others will benefit from it all."

"Shadiao friends, you are also lucky, from now on we will eat Demon Core as our food."

Lin Jiang gritted his teeth and decided to spend money. Poor people rely on mutations, rich people rely on spending money. Now he is also rich, so he doesn't need mutations anymore. Mutations are not reliable, but spending money is.

And Lin Jiang decided to increase his investment in Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao. It's just the third level, let's do it. Let's eat Demon Core.

For the next half month, Lin Jiang lingered in the various shops of Yunzhong City, constantly changing his identity and purchasing a large amount of daily needed pills like True Spirit Pill and Soul Nourishing Pill.

Lin Jiang also bought a total of twenty third-level Demon Cores for Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao. Each third-level Demon Core costs between thirty thousand to eighty thousand spirit stones. If he didn't have enough money, he would continue to sell items like spiritual tools that Lin Jiang didn't need at all.

After such insane spending of nearly one million spirit stones, most of Lin Jiang's spirit stones were used up. The remaining ones had to be saved for emergencies, as maintaining the cave also incurred a considerable expense.

Quietly leaving Yunzhong City, Lin Jiang returned to Yunzhong Mountain Range once again. Near his cave, he encountered the people of Cangying Ridge who were patrolling.

"Who goes there?"

"Stop."

The people of Eagle Mountain saw Lin Jiang and shouted loudly. Lin Jiang remained silent, took out his flying sword, and coldly looked at the people in front of him.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding, please don't get violent."

At this moment, Fan Tong appeared and quietly spoke to the patrolling people. Their faces immediately changed, and they quickly put away their weapons.

"Friend Lin, it's all a misunderstanding, please put away your weapons."

"Friend Fan Tong, it seems that the street lamp in front of my house isn't bright enough."

"It really is a misunderstanding, Friend Lin."

"Alright, since it's a misunderstanding, I hope there won't be a second time. Can we move on?"

"Of course, I will go back and tell Friend Yusong, and ask him to give the order to let everyone in Cangying Ridge know about Taoist Friend Lin's identity. There won't be a second misunderstanding."

Fan Tong quickly said. Zhou Yunyang and his group of five were killed by Lin Jiang alone. Everyone in the independent cultivator community in the Yunzhong Mountain Range already knows about it. They are all amazed by Lin Jiang's strength and don't want to offend him easily.

"Hmph!"

Lin Jiang snorted coldly and didn't care about anything else. He went straight back to his own cave and then completely sealed it off. He hung a "Do not disturb" sign. He was ready to stay in seclusion for a long time and wouldn't come out until he used up all his medicinal pills. Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao wouldn't come out until they reached the third level.