Gongyi Tianheng took a Scent Hiding Pill, and quietly concealed himself beneath an enormous tree with layers upon layers of branches.
The shadow cast by the tree sheltered him completely. On top of that, at this moment, he was completely odorless. Thus, not even the insects and snakes that passed by along the road could sense his existence.
— The Scent Hiding Pill was a type of medicinal pill that could erase a Xiantian martial artist’s scent. Unless it was a martial artist at the Immortal Realm or above, no one would be able to detect him.
It seemed the application of this sort of medicinal pill wasn’t that wide, but between similar realms, it was a sharp weapon for mounting sneak attacks and concealing oneself. While Gu Zuo was carefully searching, he found this to allow Tianheng to adequately protect himself under all kinds of situations.
Tianheng used it at this time.
There were two hundred something Houtian bandits, quite a few Xiantian bandits whose realms even surpassed his own, and the Xiantian stage nine Bandit Master! If he really confronted them directly, it would’ve been impossible, even though Tianheng believed that his strength far exceeded those of equivalent realms. With his IQ, it was only natural that he wouldn’t use his own weak points to fight against the bandits’ strong points.
Thus, Tianheng’s plan was to divide and conquer, and to kill them in secret.
Simply said, he would continue to play tricks on them!
After those bandits entered the mountain, under the demands of the Bandit Master, they needed to search every inch for the traces of Tianheng and the others. As such, it was certainly impossible for them to gather in large groups. Rather, they each carried summoning fireworks, and divided into a dozen or so small squads of twenty people. They were led by Xiantian martial artists, and searched in all directions.
Tianheng was calm and collected as he hid. He slightly tilted his head as he listened to the directional movements of the bandits.
Perhaps it was due to the uniqueness of the Tiandu Body, but Tianheng’s five senses were much stronger than those of ordinary Xiantian martial artists. On top of that, the Enhancer Pill that Gu Zuo refined further magnified the five senses, which allowed him to become extremely keen. At the very least, the sounds within a fifty-kilometer radius could be easily captured by him.
This pill was similarly used at this time.
Not long after, Tianheng moved.
Under the cover of layers upon layers of vegetation, he quietly arrived near a leading Xiantian stage six martial artist. After that, his left hand flicked, and several Trick Pills were launched out. The ground immediately exploded with a dense, yellow smoke. At the same time, his figure was like lightning as he flipped his hand and swiped a dagger across that Xiantian martial artist’s neck!
This squad of bandits silently toppled over, becoming a pile of corpses. Moreover, their corpses were still in the middle of rotting. Not much time had passed for the bodies to completely melt under the effects of this toxin.
This poison was called the Yellow Springs Mist. It was an incomparably dreadful toxin. Houtian Realm martial artists basically had no way to withstand it, and even Xiantian stage five or six martial artists would be rapidly corroded. If they relied on Xiantian true qi, they could slowly expel it, but these Xiantian martial artists would be completely powerless while driving out the poison.
Tianheng took out a gourd, and dripped some Corpse Melting Water onto those slain Xiantian martial artists to remove all the evidence. After that, he leaped out towards another direction, taking advantage of the Scent Hiding Pill’s effects which hadn’t completely disappeared yet — If he didn’t hear incorrectly, there was another squad that had also entered his fifty-kilometer radius.
He had to seize this chance for another round of scheming.
Gongyi Tianheng, who’d changed his clothing for a dark-green robe, was continuously shuttling through the forest.
He possessed countless medicinal pills. At least thirty percent of them had brought him endless success during this time’s assassination operation. These pills had also saved him effort on many occasions.
Otherwise, how could he have continued this mission which seemed impossible to complete? Originally, he thought about using certain methods to draw out each and every one of the bandits. He never anticipated that he would’ve first encountered the Ling Clan siblings, and that they would’ve taken the initiative to work with him. This was a golden opportunity bestowed by heaven. If he couldn’t seize it…then he wasn’t Gongyi Tianheng.
Using nearly the same methods, whenever Tianheng heard signs of activity, he would suddenly approach and assassinate those bandits.
Two squads… Three squads… Five squads…
In less than two hours, there were already eight squads that had fallen for his schemes. At the same time, the total number of dead bandits had reached a hundred sixty to a hundred seventy.
In other words, more than half of the current Mount An Bandit Gang had been lost!
The ones who remained were the strongest Bandit Master, whom Tianheng deliberately avoided, as well as a few Xiantian stage five martial artists. Whether it was the Xiantian stage six or seven bandits, they had all died one after another under Tianheng’s attacks.
However, because more and more people died, those corpses that didn’t have enough time to completely rot away were gradually discovered by others. And the person who became aware of those half-rotted skeletons was a Xiantian stage five martial artist.
His eyes suddenly contracted. He raised a hand and fired a summoning firework!
At this moment, Tianheng was already hiding not far away. Upon seeing this, his gaze faintly moved and his hand flashed to hurl out several Trick Pills. In an instant, he dashed out and went to kill that Xiantian martial artist directly!
Since the matter had already been exposed, it wasn’t necessary to hide when confronting these trifling twenty people.
How could that Xiantian stage five martial artist be Tianheng’s match? He never thought that Tianheng would appear this suddenly and fight with him directly. Caught off guard, his head was immediately blown up with qi energy — He didn’t even have enough time to scream!
Those Houtian martial artists in the rear were racked with pain. Under such pain, they couldn’t scream at all. They could only watch as their skin constantly sloughed off and as their bodies produced creaking noises inside and out. After that, their minds were smothered, and they knew no more.
Tianheng quickly withdrew.
He was aware that this Snake Tail Mountain wasn’t so big that it was beyond the reasonable limits of the arriving martial artists. Through the summoning firework’s function, not much time had passed for the remaining bandits to rush over. If he hesitated again, he would be stopped here.
Taking out a Trick Pill and urgently setting it off took time. If he wasn’t hiding in a secret place and was instead surrounded by others, under the suppression of a Xiantian stage nine martial artist, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to find the time.
As a result, Tianheng took another Scent Hiding Pill and quietly vanished amid the dense canopy.
Then, dozens of bandits rushed over from all directions one after another.
Tianheng watched this very clearly. The leader had an astonishing aura and strength that was like a deep pool. It even gave him a threatening feeling. Undoubtedly, he was the Bandit Master.
At this time, the Bandit Master’s whole face was full of wrath, and his chest continuously heaved up and down. Behind him followed a gallant young man whose temperament was treacherous. The young man was furrowing his brows, and seemed to be avoiding the Bandit Master to some extent.
The other bandits could bear it even less. Almost all of them didn’t dare to approach this great leader. Simply because the rage of this great leader…was already skyrocketing.
The Bandit Master looked at the melting skeletons on the ground and couldn’t help letting out a roar: “Useless trash! Letting that guy kill so many experts right under your noses!”
Just then, a minor leader spoke while trembling in fear: “Reporting to the Bandit Master, it’s all due to a toxin&#k2026;”
The Bandit Master couldn’t restrain his anger: “What toxin? What about our Detoxification Pills? Have you all taken them?!”
Another minor leader said: “Yes, sir. But it’s useless against this poison, Bandit Master. We don’t know where that guy got this medicinal poison, but it’s too terrifying!”
Time passed, but eventually, no more people came over.
The Bandit Master’s heart sank: “Anyone else? Where did everyone go? A summoning firework was set off, but there’s still those who dare not show up? Don’t they take this senior seriously?!”
Merely, even though he spoke in this way, still no one else came.
At last, a bandit cautiously reckoned: “Could they have all…fallen for that guy’s schemes?”
The Bandit Master’s aura suddenly increased sharply: “Find them! Find them for me!”
Seven or eight bandits set out and dispersed in all directions. Their goal was to search for traces of the others. After a little less than an hour passed, these people returned. Their faces were filled with alarm and panic.
“Bandit Master, fifty kilometers to the southwest, I s-saw the same thing…”
“Bandit Master, in the southeast direction, there’s also…”
“Forty-one kilometers to the west… There’s…”
“The northeast, too…”
Nearly all of the mouths of these people carried pieces of news.
And these pieces of news were all bad news.
The Bandit Master’s infuriated expression gradually turned grave, and then became as deep as the sea. However, not a single person felt that he wasn’t angry anymore. On the contrary, everyone understood that his wrath had been pushed down to the bottom of his heart. This was even scarier than his previous outward appearance. At the same time, everyone also knew that something terrible had befallen their fellow bandits who hadn’t rushed over — It was hardly a guess to say that those people should’ve become like what they discovered just now. They had all turned into corpses under the toxin’s harmful effects!
What could they do? What should they do?
Those people who were secretly hiding were too scary. Unexpectedly, with the insignificant strength of just a few people, their Mount An Bandit Gang had been turned into such a miserable state — Yes. They still didn’t know that the real one who carried out this matter was only the lone Gongyi Tianheng.
But just this fact was also too frightening.
The Bandit Master took a deep breath: “From this moment on, don’t split up. Be mindful of your actions.”
The numerous bandits barely managed to shore up their thoughts, but morale was still declining: “Yes, Bandit Master.”
Soon after, the Bandit Master took out a leather bag from his waist. After the strap was opened, he immediately shook out the thing inside.
It was a mouse that was only as big as a fist. Its entire body was snow-white, and it looked exactly the same as ordinary white mice. As for any minute differences, its nose was twice as big as a common mouse’s, and the tip of its nose presented a pure-gold color.
The Bandit Master lowered his voice: “This is a Tracking Mouse. It can smell any odors left behind several hours ago. Moreover, through this odor, it can find the corresponding person. Previously, this senior wasn’t certain where those people had appeared. But since that person had appeared here just now and dared to assassinate my bandit gang members, that Tracking Mouse can find him for this senior to take his small life!”
After the numerous bandits heard this, they promptly sighed.
Indeed, this was very good.
Those who were hidden were scary because mounting sneak attacks and poisoning others was frightening. However, if the whereabouts of the other party were found, the strength of the other side definitely wouldn’t reach theirs. The bandits flocked together, so naturally they weren’t worried.
When the Bandit Master saw that everyone’s morale picked up again, his expression improved a little. Following which, he made several hand seals at that Tracking Mouse and said: “Tracking Mouse, go!”
Right after that, the Tracking Mouse was like a sharp arrow released from its bowstring. With a whooshing sound, it dashed in front of those corpses. Its nose trembled in the vicinity of the corpses and smelled the remnant odors.
Tianheng naturally watched and heard everything.
He didn’t doubt the ability of that Tracking Mouse. It was to the point that he was rather interested in this Tracking Mouse. However, it was obvious that now wasn’t the time to continue hiding himself. Otherwise, if that Tracking Mouse dashed towards him, perhaps his tracks would be exposed, and he might lose his final chance for an ambush.
— Although he had taken the Scent Hiding Pill, who knew if the Scent Hiding Pill had any effect on the Tracking Mouse?
In the end, Tianheng’s decisiveness was absolute. At once, his body flashed out, and there were already a dozen or so Trick Pills bursting forth between his fingers’ continuous movements. In a split second, those Houtian martial artists were encased in dense, yellow smoke!
The next moment, the Houtian martial artists all bonelessly collapsed to the ground in quick succession. Those Xiantian stage five martial artists who were relatively close also suddenly felt their bodies stiffen. Painful sensations instantly surged up. It was like their bodies were paralyzed and their minds were muddled. They turned pale with fright, and hastily operated their true qi in an attempt to block the spread of the poison. They wanted to expel it!
The Bandit Master similarly felt a paralyzing sensation.
However, no matter how powerful that toxin was, its capabilities weren’t that great when brought to bear against a Xiantian stage nine. In just the blink of an eye, more than half of the poison was discharged, and the remaining poison already couldn’t hinder the Bandit Master’s movements.
Of course, the Bandit Master couldn’t think about other things right now.
Because, after swiftly discovering those Trick Pill attacks with his keen senses, he’d seen the direction where Tianheng hid! Meanwhile, Tianheng had long settled on a plan. The moment he launched the Trick Pills, he himself swiftly leaped out!
A terrifying streak of qi energy dashed directly at the Bandit Master!
The Bandit Master reacted almost simultaneously. Although he hadn’t personally taken action in a long time, this didn’t mean that he had neglected his cultivation on the path of martial arts. His reaction speed was still incomparably superb.
The two qi energies collided with a loud bang. The Bandit Master surprisingly discovered that his own hurried strike was evenly matched with that of his counterpart. While he hadn’t used his full strength, the guy in front of him clearly only had qi emissions at Xiantian stage four — How could this speck of a realm compare to his own?!
In a split second, the Bandit Master understood that he had met a genius-level martial artist. Perhaps the other party was a disciple of a famous sect and could exhibit the ability to fight surmounting battles with such a realm.
But, so what if the guy was a disciple of a famous sect?
Any who opposed him would die!
The Bandit Master took things seriously, and immediately used his most powerful martial skill — Scorpion King Energy.
This was originally his powerful method of suppressing the crowd of bandits. At this moment, although his opponent’s realm was far inferior to his own, he promptly made use of it and didn’t dare to neglect anything.
He was like a gigantic scorpion. His whole body was lightning-fast as he dauntlessly charged at Tianheng. With every manner of attack, it seemed like there was the sound of a scorpion’s tail brilliantly swinging back and forth. That tremendous qi energy permeated everything, and it was as if the wind carried a bloody stench — While cultivating this kind of qi energy, he could continuously absorb many subtle poisons. This allowed his attacks to become even more dreadful.
When Tianheng saw this, his expression shifted.
A martial skill that carried poison?
It was no wonder that the Bandit Master got rid of the Trick Pill’s poison that quickly.
However, he also had martial skills that carried poison!
In Tianheng’s body, a set of bone pearls had already been dyed black. Everything contained inside was toxic. So long as his thoughts moved, those poisons would burst forth, mix with his qi energy, and turn into a type of corrosive power.
Most of all, during this period of time, he’d been constantly using Trick Pills. He had a new realization about the method of manipulating the poisons within his body.
In a split second, the qi energy on Tianheng’s body rose rapidly.
Wrapped in such an aura, Tianheng carried a type of terrifying air that wasn’t usually present. It was like there were countless, blood-drenched killing intents, which made his temperament undergo a complete reversal.
The people who died under his hands numbered in the hundreds. After those people died, the resentful energy they produced was inadvertently absorbed by him. This was equivalent to becoming a part of him.
At this time, it had evolved into a part of his aura.
Tianheng shot out a fist.
This fist, which carried that resentful energy, was a tyrannical attack!
The Bandit Master and Gongyi Tianheng collided once more.
When the Bandit Master’s scorpion poison and the poison of Tianheng’s qi energy struck each other, it produced a sizzling noise. This noise was incomparably eerie. It wasn’t like the sound of martial skills colliding at all. Instead, it was like they were tearing and corroding each other. It was extremely bizarre.
However, the movements of the two didn’t stop just because of the powers’ collision. On the contrary, they took it one step further, and started attacking each other even more ferociously!
Tianheng still used his fists.
As fists struck flesh, each punch was stronger and fiercer than the last.
There was no need to doubt. Such violent punches didn’t match Tianheng’s appearance at all. But at this moment, his eyes flickered with the radiance of the thrill of the hunt. He was enjoying his fight with the Bandit Master!
The Bandit Master’s mood, however, was different.
He had come to take revenge. He wanted to get rid of Tianheng as quickly as possible to vent his anger!
As the battle progressed, the minute differences in mental states caused Tianheng to become braver and the Bandit Master to become impatient with the lack of victory.
But Tianheng’s powers were still increasing.
Bang bang bang! Bang bang!
The fight’s momentum was grand.
Tianheng was incredibly calm. He looked at every flaw in the Bandit Master’s actions and violently collided with him. When Tianheng punched out, he also discovered that his own punching power had changed drastically on some level.
It seemed that the resentful energy within each fist had deepened. And the toxins contained in the qi energy of each punch had also undergone a subtle type of change.
The resentful energy and toxins combined, forming a strange power. After integrating with his surging qi and blood, it vaguely transformed into a scarlet qi energy.
This kind of qi energy was unceasingly refined within each punch.
At the same time, it caused the pressure on the Bandit Master to get bigger and bigger.
Gradually, the Bandit Master alarmingly found that he had fallen to a disadvantageous position. On the contrary, Tianheng’s aura became twice as valiant as before!
The bone pearls in Tianheng’s body rejoiced. True qi battered an acupoint. Under this state of comprehension, a Heavenly Spirit bone pearl was formed there at flying speeds!
All of a sudden, a muffled sound echoed in his mind. Tianheng sensed that his own powers were greatly reinforced and his body became even sturdier. His qi and blood rushed forth and his true qi boiled over.
He made a breakthrough! Just at this moment, he had become a Xiantian stage five martial artist!
The Bandit Master’s eyes flashed with traces of panic.
Immediately following which, he firmed his resolve. He retreated, and grinned evilly as he slapped a mark onto his own dantian.
Right then and there, the qi emissions on his body sharply rose!
Tianheng’s gaze deepened.
He could detect that the Bandit Master’s realm was rushing towards the Immortal Realm very quickly. Previously, the Bandit Master had already reached peak Xiantian stage nine. At this time, he wanted to rely on the pressure here to directly break through to the Immortal Realm!
How could Tianheng allow this?
At once, he threw himself forward and hurriedly acted.
This time, he didn’t only employ his fists. Many martial skills were put to use by him one after another, which overwhelmed the Bandit Master. Because of that fluctuating power, it interrupted the Bandit Master’s qi emissions multiple times.
Tianheng knew that what he currently needed to do was to rush against time!
Faster! Faster! Faster!
The faster his speed, the harder it was for the Bandit Master to concentrate his power.
The facts were indeed as such. Tianheng’s breakthrough took but an instant. However, the Bandit Master, who’d just started breaking through, was stifled by Tianheng’s successive actions, which almost made him cough blood.
After that, the Bandit Master’s realm, which had gotten extremely close to the Immortal Realm, abruptly stopped.
At most, the present Bandit Master could only be said to be a half-step Immortal.
Tianheng perceived the Bandit Master’s qi emissions, and suddenly let out a sigh.
Then, he withdrew and stuffed a medicinal pill in his mouth.
He had to get this done as soon as possible. Although Tianheng wanted to use this opponent to hone that newly-understood punching skill of his, now was unfortunately not the time for tempering himself.
Tianheng had never been a stupid person. Naturally, he wouldn’t drag things out. Ultimately, that would instead allow the opponent to turn defeat into victory — Even if the Bandit Master had trump cards, he didn’t intend to give his opponent the time to use them!
In the blink of an eye, Tianheng got close to the Bandit Master.
The Bandit Master’s heart shuddered.
Surprisingly, he never detected Tianheng’s approach! This guy was too fast!
And once Tianheng got close, the Bandit Master discovered that the current Tianheng’s long hair and front lapels had exposed his bare skin. It was all gradually stained with a layer of reddish-gold.
At the same time, the atmosphere seemed to heat up.
No! This was the heat produced by Tianheng!
Tianheng’s aura had unexpectedly risen by more then ten times compared to before he broke through!
This was —
The entire body of the approaching Tianheng seemed to be wrapped up in rays of reddish-gold light. The Bandit Master only felt that it was extremely strange. He mobilized all the strength in his body, wanting to send out his strongest attack —
But that terrifying reddish-gold power actually swallowed it up.
In the end, the Bandit Master simply hadn’t been able to harm Tianheng with the attack he believed was strong. In the horrifying heat, he was melted down to the point where even his bones no longer remained!
That reddish-gold radiance fell to the ground and abruptly scattered.
All that remained in this place was Gongyi Tianheng, whose body surged with waves like a red sun.
On the other side of things, City Lord Xin, who’d just finished discussing business, had sent someone to bring Gu Zuo to select his spirit medicine.
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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