Just as he was about to step forward and finish off the straw puppet, a sudden burst of golden sword energy shot out like lightning, reaching the masked cultivator in the blink of an eye.
"What kind of sword technique is this?!"
The sword technique was so fast and unexpected that the masked cultivator didn't have enough time to summon his defensive artifact. In a moment of panic, he could only awkwardly tilt his body to avoid a direct hit.
With a whoosh, the golden sword energy pierced through his shoulder, causing blood to pour out and splatter all over the spiritual field. The sword energy continued its momentum, embedding itself into the wall behind him.
"Run!"
Ignoring the intense pain in his shoulder, the masked cultivator's mind raced with the thought of escaping the spiritual field. He was experienced and knew that such a powerful sword technique could not be executed by an ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivator.
If he faced a few more attacks like this, or even just one, he could very well die here.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind rushed at him, and a silver-white blade followed closely behind.
The masked cultivator quickly gathered his spiritual energy, and an ice wall appeared in mid-air just in time to block the incoming silver blade.
However, just as the blade was about to collide with the ice wall, it silently shattered into dozens of thin fragments, resembling silver butterflies, flying toward the masked cultivator from all directions.
Caught off guard by this unexpected attack, the masked cultivator found shards piercing into his limbs, shoulders, and chest.
A dark shadow flashed before him, and a black spiritual beast appeared, its bright green eyes coldly fixated on the masked cultivator, momentarily stunning him.
Before he could react, the beast raised its thick white paw and slammed it down on his head, knocking him to the ground where he rolled a few times and lost consciousness.
…
The masked cultivator slowly woke up from an endless darkness.
Instead of immediately opening his eyes to check his surroundings, he focused on feeling his body.
The situation was dire; when he tried to circulate his spiritual energy, it felt like it had vanished into thin air. His dantian was destroyed, and he had lost all his cultivation.
Moreover, he was bound by something, unable to move. The wounds on his limbs were exposed to the air, sending sharp pains through his body.
He felt a chilling sharpness in his throat, heart, and lower body, as if any slight movement would allow that sharpness to invade him further.
"You’re awake?"
A gentle voice came from nearby.
The masked cultivator kept his eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep.
"If you don’t wake up, I might just make sure you never do."
The gentle voice said lightly.
Reluctantly, the masked cultivator opened his eyes, his pupils scanning the area.
He found himself in a simply furnished room, bound by dark gray grass ropes, with the deadly shards still hovering near his vulnerable spots.
A young cultivator stood in front of him, his eyes clear and bright.
"I didn't expect a loose cultivator like you, a Spiritual Plant Cultivator, to hide so deeply."
"That sword technique… it must be close to a master level. Even the sword experts I’ve encountered before rarely have such skill."
"Plus, you’re so young."
"And your cultivation… it’s definitely more than just Qi Refining Stage Three."
The masked cultivator felt more regret as he spoke. He had thought capturing a Qi Refining Stage Three cultivator would be easy, but he ended up in a dire situation, severely injured and easily captured.
"Now, tell me why you entered my residence and tried to harm me?"
Lu Xuan asked with a smile, ignoring the masked cultivator's distress.
"I was just passing by and wanted to sneak into your spiritual field to steal a few spiritual plants. I didn’t expect to run into such a tough opponent."
The masked cultivator quickly made up an excuse, trying to play it off.
"Do you really think I would believe that?"
Lu Xuan found it amusing, his expression turning cold as the shard pressed slightly deeper into the cultivator’s throat, drawing out a drop of deep red blood.
"Just tell me who sent you."
The masked cultivator fell silent.
"Honestly, whether you tell me or not, I already have a good idea of who it is."
"I usually keep to myself and am kind to others. If someone has a grudge against me and wants to kill me, it’s not hard to guess."
"But if you don’t tell me, the outcome will be very different. This artifact in front of you will slice you into thin pieces, all while keeping you alive."
"When you’re barely breathing, I’ll sell you in the black market, where many evil cultivators buy the souls of cultivators like you. You’d fetch a good price as a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator."
Lu Xuan said coldly.
"If I tell you, will you let me go?"
"If you tell me, I’ll give you a quick and clean end. If you don’t, you’ll suffer endless torment of body and soul. The choice is yours."
"It was Zhou Haiwen, a Spiritual Plant Cultivator. He offered me spirit stones to come and kill you, promising to give me all the spiritual plants in your field, as long as I brought him your jade slips."
The masked cultivator stopped hesitating and revealed everything.
"Just as I thought, that persistent Spiritual Plant Cultivator probably wants to learn how to grow perfect quality spiritual plants from me."
Lu Xuan had already guessed most of it, and the masked cultivator's confession confirmed his suspicions.
"Tell me his address. Don’t try to deceive me. You know I’m also a hired Spiritual Plant Cultivator from the Hundred Herbs Hall, so finding out his information won’t be difficult."
"Okay, I’ll tell you."
After revealing Zhou Haiwen’s details, the masked cultivator had no more reservations and shared everything he knew, still holding onto a glimmer of hope that Lu Xuan might spare him.
"Alright, you can rest easy now."
Lu Xuan said softly, and the thin shard in front of the cultivator suddenly lunged forward, piercing deep into his throat.
After killing the cultivator, Lu Xuan circulated his spiritual energy, creating a fireball the size of a head above the corpse.
Then, it turned into a cluster of flames that fell onto the body, turning it to ashes in just a few breaths.
Lu Xuan then took out an Evil Dispelling Talisman, and a hazy white light spread out from the ashes, radiating in all directions.
Nothing unusual happened.
Only then did he feel relieved, sweeping the thick layer of black ash together and scattering it into the soil of the spiritual field.
"Tonight, you little guys have escaped a disaster. Here’s some good fertilizer for you."
Since Qin Ming, this was the second cultivator to be turned to ash and used as fertilizer in the spiritual field.
Lu Xuan tidied up the courtyard a bit, used his spiritual sense to check the surroundings, and instructed the Cloud Stepping Leopard to guard the residence before quietly slipping outside.
In the market town, cultivators patrolled day and night, but the level of protection varied by area.
The outer area of the northern district, where Lu Xuan had lived before, was chaotic and poorly protected.
The courtyard he lived in now was more secure, but usually only had a few low-level Qi Refining cultivators for show.
Only in the core area would there be mid to high-level Qi Refining cultivators providing real protection against evil cultivators or malevolent spirits.
After a moment, Lu Xuan arrived at his destination, outside the courtyard of the Zhou family Spiritual Plant Cultivator.
(End of Chapter)