Chapter 104: Simple Ideals, Herbs

“Marshal Xu, I am giving you a chance to live. The Great Mage has always cherished talent. If you are willing, I am ready to guarantee your entry into the Yellow Heaven Sect. You will be seated no lower than the Canon Seat!”

The young nobleman fanned himself with a folding fan, watching calmly as Xu Guang pierced the Rabbit Demon with his spear.

Xu Guang glanced at the courtyard. He could already see Jiang Wu and Xu Nian charging out with the crowd. Guan Mountain, leading the Cold Blade Guard, was also locked in the chaotic melee. He suddenly smiled, a ferocious, bloodthirsty expression on his face.

“Recruit me?”

The young nobleman shook his head with a faint smile. “Not recruit. Subjugate.”

The ferocious look on Xu Guang’s face abruptly shifted. The muscles all over his body bulged violently. The half-ruined Armor around him was instantly stretched to its limits by his swelling physique before shattering inch by inch. A blood aura resembling that of an ancient Demon God suddenly surged across the battlefield, gathering specks of terrifying power within it.

Xu Guang lowered his brow and growled in a voice that hardly sounded human, “Let me see what exactly gives you the right to be so arrogant!”

He leaped up fiercely, tapping his foot against the back of the Cyan-Scaled Horse, and rocketed into the air. The Big Spear in his hands shook six times in rapid succession. His Six Returning Mountain Spears had long reached the realm of Mastery; this kind of intricate variation was far beyond what an ordinary person could resist.

A cold glint flashed in the nobleman’s eyes. Clapping his hands together, he snapped the folding fan shut. Countless streams of light blue Qi Force rolled across his body.

“King Yama gave you a chance to live, yet you choose to die!”

Streams of terrifying power coalesced in the air. The Power, moving like a Flood Dragon, coiled around the folding fan and shot toward Xu Guang. Wielding his Big Spear, Xu Guang continuously twirled it in midair.

BAM BAM BAM!

In a mere instant, the Big Spear and the folding fan clashed an uncountable number of times. The surrounding buildings collapsed one after another.

Xu Guang landed on the ground, his expression shifting slightly. His figure blurred like a phantom, twisting multiple times in midair like an arc of lightning descending from the sky.

The young nobleman hastily raised his arms to block. Streams of Power on his body gathered in his palms like slithering little snakes. The folding fan caught the Big Spear, matching it evenly!

The nobleman’s expression flickered. He had long reached God-Seeing Perfection and had even taken a half-step on the path of condensing a Blood Seal. Yet, clashing with Xu Guang—who had not even reached Unceasing Perfection—resulted only in a draw!?

BOOM!

Rings of air currents exploded outward like ripples. The folding fan and the Big Spear were sent flying simultaneously. The young nobleman’s face changed slightly. He looked down at his own palm, where densely packed bloody spots had appeared. A trace of shock surfaced in his heart. Immediately after, his expression twisted, and he surprisingly slammed a palm against his own chest. Right over his heart, a small black dot was writhing madly.

“Damn it! I have changed my mind. Today, you will die!”

Throwing caution to the wind, the nobleman took three consecutive strides forward. The ground exploded, kicking up waves of air. Moving with godlike speed, he circled Xu Guang, throwing ferocious punches. In just three short breaths, the two exchanged over thirty moves. The explosions generated by their clashing Power shook the surrounding corpses so violently they seemed to be coming back to life.

In this kind of head-on collision, Xu Guang’s Realm was ultimately a bit lower, allowing the young nobleman to gain the upper hand. Streams of Power continuously broke through Xu Guang’s Stone Skin and poured into his body.

SMACK!

Risking a slap to the face, the nobleman smashed a punch into Xu Guang’s armpit.

WHOOSH.

After this exchange, both of them retreated. The young nobleman’s hair was disheveled, entirely stripped of his previous elegance, but a smile hung on his face. Meanwhile, Xu Guang looked utterly stoic, though countless fractured lines had appeared on his Armor.

“What Realm is your Body Technique?” Xu Guang asked. The speed he had always taken pride in was absolutely nothing in front of this person.

“Hehe, it is just a superficial grasp of Mysterious Skills. However, it is more than enough to kill you!” The nobleman showed a hint of disdain, though it hardly matched his current bedraggled appearance. “You were hit by my Vessel-Cutting Divine Fist. You still have ten breaths to live. If you kneel and beg for mercy, I will give you the antidote.”

“Vessel-Cutting Divine Fist? Only ten breaths to live?” Xu Guang took a step forward and suddenly burst into laughter. “Then do you feel a twisting pain coming from your heart?”

The nobleman’s expression shifted slightly.

“Hit by my Heart-Breaking Palm, you only have five breaths to live. Care to test it out?” Xu Guang taunted.

The two stood frozen in place, locked in a standoff. Xu Guang retrieved his Big Spear, while the nobleman solemnly tapped against his own chest.

Suddenly, someone’s shouts rang out from afar.

“One breath… two breaths…”

As if piercing through a spatial barrier, Xu Guang’s Big Spear violently thrust out from the void.

“Ugh!” The young nobleman’s face drastically changed. The agonizing pain in his heart suddenly intensified, causing his condensation of Power to delay for a split second. The Big Spear pierced straight through his body! “You… didn’t you say five breaths?”

Supporting the tail of the spear, Xu Guang revealed a mocking sneer. “Do you just believe whatever I say? You said I could live for ten breaths, and I didn’t buy it. You are truly naive!”

SWISH!

The Big Spear was pulled out. There was no blood on the blade, but the young nobleman collapsed. Walking past, Xu Guang swept his Big Spear across the man’s clothing, scooping up the spoils of war and tossing them toward the Cyan-Scaled Horse. The intelligent beast caught the items and tucked them into the bundle strapped to its back.

Licking his lips, Xu Guang looked up at the remaining Refining Viscera experts overhead. He thought, “These are all… my blood!”

He charged forward with his spear. With every step and thrust, lives were extinguished. However, experts in the Training Refining Viscera Realm were, after all, considered formidable figures in a major city. Despite Xu Guang’s incredible speed and the wild dance of his Big Spear, a few managed to escape. Showing a look of regret, Xu Guang performed Blood Refining on those he had slain one by one before turning around.

In the distance, his subordinates had coordinated with the Martial Arts Alliance and the Commerce Alliance. They managed to stabilize their formation, effectively blocking almost all the Undead on the outside. Xu Guang gave them a glance but said nothing.

However, the crowd behind him wore complicated expressions. Guan Mountain went without saying; Xu Sanduo and Zhao Yong also looked deeply conflicted. They had watched Xu Guang enter the sect, and now, a little over two and a half years later, the strength he displayed was already enough to dominate a region. What a terrifying gap this was.

Cheng Lian’Er’s expression was even more complex. Ever since Xu Guang saved her life that day, she seemed to interact with him constantly. Of course, to a large extent, this was her actively befriending Ji Xiaolu. She did not know why she acted this way; she merely felt that compared to others, Xu Guang was somewhat special. What she didn’t realize was that some women were simply hopelessly romantic by nature. She did not understand her own heart.

The several factions banding together formed a massive group of nearly a thousand people, which stood out glaringly in the city. Xu Guang closed his eyes, a thoughtful look in his gaze. He had naturally prepared an escape route. During his closed-door cultivation, he had subjugated many Alien Species, one of which was a Mountain Armor Monkey. This beast was exceptionally skilled at digging, and over the past few months, it had already excavated numerous secret passages. He had done this out of fear that the Profound Skill might appear in Feiyun City, allowing him to quietly smuggle it away.

He never expected that before the Profound Skill could be located, he would encounter the Yellow Heaven Sect’s siege and the Demon Sect’s attack. Truly, man’s calculations were inferior to heaven’s.

His reason for bringing these people along—apart from mutual gratitude—was that he wanted to kill and stockpile more Essence Blood. Once he left Feiyun City and took his family to a stable place, he intended to abide by the rules, focus on Cultivation, avoid killing people whenever possible, and strive to be a good citizen. But before that, he needed to hoard more Essence Blood. The members of the Demon Sect and the Yellow Heaven Sect before him could all be slaughtered for their blood. Naturally, if the situation became unsalvageable, he would summon the Mountain Armor Monkey and escape on his own.

Guan Mountain rode his horse over to Xu Guang’s side. “Brother Xu, the Young Lady would like to speak with you.”

Hearing this, Xu Guang was somewhat surprised. He looked strangely toward Su Yuchan, who was protected within the crowd and appeared just like an ordinary person.

[Su Yuchan (Human), Combat Power: Heroic Level Training Refining Viscera Realm]

This woman possessed Heroic Level Combat Power, and at times, she even gave him a sense of danger comparable to Li Zongkang. His intuition had always been highly accurate. This was the most patient and cunning Old Silver Coin he had encountered since he began his Cultivation journey, and he was deeply wary of her. However, since the two of them were currently cooperating, he rode his horse toward Su Yuchan.

“May I ask what business Miss Su has with Xu?”

Looking at the practically shirtless Xu Guang, Su Yuchan could feel the dense masculine energy radiating from him even from a distance. Her face flushed red. “Marshal Xu, please put on some clothes first.”

Song Tao opportunely brought over a set of long robes.

Xu Guang draped it over himself nonchalantly. “Miss Su, can we speak now?”

Su Yuchan chuckled softly before asking, “Marshal Xu is an indomitable man. I wonder what your plans are for the future?”

Xu Guang’s heart tightened, but he replied as if nothing was amiss, “Find a place where no one knows me, focus on my Cultivation, have lots of children, and plant plenty of trees.”

Upon hearing this, Su Yuchan, who had already prepared her speech, choked on her words. She had anticipated various responses from Xu Guang—perhaps launching a rebellion, declaring that a true man living between heaven and earth could not remain subordinate for long! Or perhaps joining the Court to avenge Duan Jue. She had never imagined that Xu Guang’s aspirations would be so… rustic.

Su Yuchan gave him a complicated look and parted her lips. “Marshal Xu truly knows how to joke.”

Xu Guang shook his head seriously. “I am not joking.”

Su Yuchan’s beautiful eyes flickered. “Truly?”

As if stunned for a long time, Su Yuchan finally accepted that Xu Guang truly seemed to lack grand ambitions. Such a person was ultimately unfit for a life in these turbulent times, merely riding the high of his Bloodline Power for temporary prestige. The Refining Viscera stage was merely the starting point for a Martial Artist, yet he already harbored thoughts of retiring. Perhaps they truly were not on the same path.

Consequently, the eagerness on her face faded, replaced by an almost eternal indifference. “If that is the case, where does Marshal Xu plan to go?”

Xu Guang asked impassively, “I have no set destination. I wonder if Miss Su has any brilliant suggestions?”

“Brilliant suggestions is an overstatement. It is just my humble opinion,” Su Yuchan said. “With the Yellow Heaven Sect’s uprising today, the chaos will definitely not be confined to one state or region. In the future, the Great Qian Three Capitals, Two Dao, and Fourteen States will inevitably face turbulent times, giving rise to countless heroes and champions. There will be no safe haven left for the common people.

“If Marshal Xu only seeks stability, Jing State is not a bad choice. Located in the easternmost part of Great Qian, it has vast land and a sparse population, making it the most suitable place for rest and recuperation.”

Xu Guang smiled it off. He had already decided where to go in his heart.

In the distance, Cheng Lian’Er watched Xu Guang and Su Yuchan converse with a complex expression.

Brother Cheng whispered, “Miss, you…”

Cheng Lian’Er shook her head, avoiding the topic, and merely said, “Let’s leave the city first.”

Xu Guang rode at the very front alongside Guan Mountain, Song Tao, and a lieutenant under Guan Mountain named Zhou Shun. After saving the crowd, they undeniably became the leaders of the group. After all, those people had been besieged for a long time and had little strength left.

“Then we will follow the plan. We’ll break out through the South Gate. Throw away anything you can afford to lose on the way. We must be as fast as possible,” Xu Guang said to Guan Mountain.

“Understood!”

“By the way, do you smell something?”

Guan Mountain paused for a moment before remembering something. He explained, “Zhou Shun is injured, so he’s using some herbal medicine.”

“I see.”