SFS Chapter 111 What do I have to fear?
Chapter 111 What do I have to fear?
"Trying to make a living around here? Don't you know the rules? You're new here, shouldn't you offer some courtesy?"
As he spoke, Wu Gou's large, bony right hand shot out like a ghost, the movement seemingly slow, yet carrying a powerful gust of wind.
The other person didn't seem to be greeting him; it was more like they were about to grab Yang Changsheng's shoulder.
At the same time, he was gathering his inner power, preparing to test Yang Changsheng's reaction and foundation. This was a typical provocation.
Just as Wu Gou's hand was about to touch Yang Changsheng's shoulder, he seemed to be startled and subconsciously took a half step back.
A perfectly measured tension and blankness appeared on his face as he uttered a low growl: "What are you doing, fellow Daoist?"
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Yang Changsheng made a very subtle slash in the air with his right index finger hanging at his side!
"Buzz!"
A few withered, almost overlooked iron wire vines on the ground suddenly trembled. Pure, powerful, and vibrant green magic was injected into them, and the withered vines instantly turned from yellow to green, their bodies swelled, and shone with a metallic luster.
"Whoosh whoosh!"
In a flash, they wove together a tough vine net, precisely wrapping around Wu Gou's wrist and forearm.
"Um?!"
Wu Gou's expression changed drastically as he felt an unexpectedly strong and flexible binding force on his wrist.
His released magical power was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, easily dissolved and absorbed by the strange energy contained in the vines.
The vines are not only tough, but also possess a peculiar parasitic and binding force, tightening their grip as if they were living things, trying to take root.
This is precisely the extraordinary characteristic that the "Azure Emperor's Longevity Scripture" bestows upon the basic entanglement technique, using boundless vitality to stimulate the growth of spiritual plants, with strength and spirituality far exceeding those of the same level!
Yang Changsheng's cultivation level was just right, slightly stronger than the average Qi Refining Level 7.
His face showed the caution and reluctance to cause trouble common among rogue cultivators. Taking advantage of Wu Gou's surprise and doubt as he broke free from the vines, and before the ghost hand could make a move, he took advantage of the slight movement of its aura.
In the brief moment when pedestrians were passing by at the alley entrance, he swayed and slipped into the crowd like a fish, quickly disappearing around the corner.
"Such pure wood-based magic! The strength of this entanglement spell..."
Wu Gou exerted his strength to shatter the vines, and looking at the remaining dark green fragments of vines that contained vitality, his eyes were filled with surprise and uncertainty.
He looked at Ghost Hand with a questioning gaze.
"The magic power is exceptionally pure, and the vitality is abundant... unlike ordinary Qi Refining Level 7, but there are no signs of body tempering, nor any special magic artifact fluctuations. Target... be cautious, slippery."
From beneath the cloak's shadow came Ghost Hand's hoarse, deep voice, delivering the most accurate analysis.
However, he failed to detect Yang Changsheng's deliberately concealed physical cultivation level and true magical power, ultimately arriving at an incorrect conclusion.
"Hmph! No matter how refined, it's only at the seventh level of Qi Refining! Next time, it won't be so easy for you to escape!"
Wu Gou snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.
They temporarily withdrew, preparing to bring back information about his pure magical power, wood element, seventh level of Qi cultivation, and cautious, unassuming nature to their base.
Yang Changsheng, on the other hand, had already blended into the crowd in the market, as if he had never encountered this perilous encounter.
……
The light barrier at the entrance to Qingzhu Residence closed silently behind me, isolating me from the noise of the outside world.
The calm on Yang Changsheng's face had vanished, replaced by a deep frost between his brows.
That brief encounter in the secluded alley was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing the last shred of hope he had for the "safety" of Qianxue Market.
"Mantis Blade, Wu Hook, Ghost Hand... Blood Wolf Gang!"
Yang Changsheng stepped into the courtyard, his fingertips brushing against a dark red wolf claw mark on the inside of the courtyard gate, which was extremely inconspicuous and emitted a faint spiritual fluctuation.
This arcane mark means that I am being watched.
His powerful divine sense, far surpassing that of his peers and reaching a range of sixty feet, was like an invisible tentacle, having already thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of the two departing cultivators.
This is a huge problem, a massive problem.
Yang Changsheng's mind raced: "Two attacks, one setting up a marker at my courtyard gate, and the other openly following and probing me in the market—their actions are arrogant and unscrupulous!"
"This is no ordinary method of roaming and robbing cultivators. There must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator behind it, or a mole in the market, or the tacit approval of a higher level in the Lu family..."
Thinking of this, a heavy pressure weighed on my heart.
For some unknown reason, the Blood Wolf Gang infiltrated the market again, plotting something sinister.
However, this diligent and hardworking rogue cultivator who never left his home had already become the target in the eyes of the other party.
"I treat others with kindness and cultivate myself humbly, yet I inexplicably attract misfortune. Why?"
Yang Changsheng felt heavy-hearted, and a completely different kind of power surged and gushed within his chest.
That was the verdant magical power dormant deep within the meridians, containing boundless vitality; it was the feeling of being reborn after successfully cultivating the "Azure Emperor's Longevity Scripture"!
It is a terrifying force of 84,000 jin in one arm, lurking beneath a body as fine as gold and jade, and a divine sense that is as solid as a substance, far exceeding the limit of ordinary Qi Refining Level 9!
Deep within his sea of consciousness, the mysterious golden ancient tree imprint swayed slightly, as if echoing his decision at this moment.
The same cautiousness he displayed nineteen years ago in Black Wind Pass when facing a sixth-level Qi Refining swordsman and others.
Nine years ago, when I left the port market, I was ambushed by a group of cultivators who had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. They attacked me by flying boat, and I fled ninety miles away in a sorry state, my life hanging by a thread.
He has undergone a complete transformation.
"With my foundation established, what do I have to fear?"
A glint of light flashed in Yang Changsheng's eyes, and his strong confidence dispelled some of the gloom.
But caution was ingrained in his bones, and he knew he couldn't act impulsively or recklessly.
He quickly went to the table, spread out the talisman paper, picked up the brush and wrote swiftly, his handwriting steady yet sharp:
"Junjian, the enforcer of the Lu family law enforcement team, said that Fan Tu of the Blood Wolf Gang and his henchmen, Mantis Knife Wu Gou and Ghost Hand, have appeared in the market and set up tracking marks outside Qingzhu Residence. They even followed and probed the West Market at noon today."
"His actions are rampant and lawless. This villain has a notorious reputation. It is suspected that a Foundation Establishment cultivator is secretly manipulating him behind the scenes, or that he is in cahoots with the forces in the market. His goal is not small. He intends to disrupt the foundation of Qianxue Market. I urge the law enforcement team to investigate quickly, to set the record straight and reassure the people. Respectfully submitted by Yang Changsheng, tenant of Qingzhu Residence."
He carefully sealed the letter into a specially made bamboo tube for communication, walked to an inconspicuous stone block in the corner in front of the courtyard gate, and channeled his magic power into a hidden groove.
The stone block slid open silently on the side, revealing a passage just large enough for a bamboo tube to pass through.
He placed the jade slip inside, and the mechanism closed.
A moment later, a faint whooshing sound flashed across the air above the courtyard.
This is the internal communication network of Qianxuefang City, which was built last year and is controlled by the Lu family. Only tenants have the right to use it.
Using it once is quite expensive, requiring ten spirit stones to buy a new communication bamboo tube, but Yang Changsheng did not hesitate at this moment.
The house where the Blood Wolf Gang was hiding was filled with the stench of blood and a chilling aura.
Wu Gou and Gui Shou knelt on one knee and reported every detail of their encounter with Yang Changsheng in the alley to the man seated.
"This person's wood-based magic is extremely powerful; it can not only bind, but also seems to absorb magical energy..."
Wu Gou's twin swords lay horizontally on his lap, their cold blades reflecting his sinister face.
"He has the cultivation level of the seventh level of Qi Refining, and his magical power and vitality are abundant... but that's all. He is far weaker than Liu Tinglong, and could be captured and killed with one hand."
Ghost Hand's voice was hoarse and full of contempt, showing he didn't take those rogue cultivators seriously at all.