Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

An invisible Escape Light appeared between the mountains and forests.

On the ground, one could vaguely make out some broken trees, explosion craters, and the like, but there was no blood, no remnants of clothing, and no aura; the area had been swept clean multiple times.

”Very professional indeed.”

Jiang Ding muttered to himself.

The Storage Gold Medal emitted a faint glow, and an arrow about a foot long, completely black and red appeared in front of him, revolving with countless malicious spirits and wailing souls—a standard magic tool of Diabolism.

The Blood Soul Tracking Arrow!

Seized from Patriarch Bai Gui, it was a treasure of the Punishment Hall of the Liudao Sect for tracking and capturing, capable of tracing an enemy within a thousand miles as long as even a shred of their aura lingered.

Mana flowed into it.

The black and red arrow hummed and vibrated, unfolding a vast expanse of black and red light in front of Jiang Ding, covering several kilometers in radius and lasting for a full quarter of an hour.

When the black and red light dissipated, it revealed a few small spots—places where there might be remnants of an aura.

”Foundation-building cultivators, with their inheritance and the power of Divine Sense, even if they cleaned up, a higher-ranked cultivator willing to expend great effort could still discover traces,”

Jiang Ding murmured, thinking of Patriarch Bai Gui.

The aura he had left in Dongling City back when he was a mortal, despite the decades that had passed, was still located by Patriarch Bai Gui after a great deal of time and effort.

Of course, after establishing his foundation, things were entirely different.

Even if he stood directly in front of Patriarch Bai Gui, the Blood Soul Tracking Arrow would not find him, and he always made sure to eliminate any residual aura during his daily life and battles.

He was confident that not even Nascent Soul Monks could lock onto him from an extreme distance through his aura.

With a thought from his Divine Sense, clumps of soil, chunks of wood, and stones flew towards him, all melted by a ball of Foundation-Heart Fire. The soil, wood, and stone turned to ash, which fell in a rustle and scattered with the wind.

A strand of twisting, fluctuant grey aura emerged, and within it, one could faintly hear whispering rustles.

”Quite a number of people.”

Jiang Ding, expressionless, made a magical gesture and drew in this struggling strand of grey aura, throwing it into the Blood Soul Tracking Arrow.

”Go!”

The black and red light of the Blood Soul Tracking Arrow surged, morphing into a gaping maw of a blood ghost that swallowed the strand of aura in one gulp. Crunching and wailing screams echoed from the mouth as the black and red light gradually faded.

Whoosh!

The Blood Soul Tracking Arrow shot away into the distance like a bolt of lightning.

Jiang Ding concealed his form, following the arrow as it flew, passing through the jungle, crossing the boundary line of the Spiritless Gobi and the forest of the Demon Country, and entering into the vast expanse of the Spiritless Gobi engulfed by the swirling yellow sand.

…

In a valley within the Gobi, there was a cacophony of elated voices.

”Struck it rich, struck it rich!”

”Haha, I told you these Law Enforcement Hall cultivators were loaded. With this hit, I don’t have to worry about my cultivation for decades.”

A burly man with nine skull heads hanging around his neck laughed wildly, hugging a pile of Spirit Stones and Supreme Magic Tools, occasionally sticking out his tongue to give them a lick.

The surrounding group of more than thirty Foundation-building cultivators, varying from the early to middle stages, each with a sinister demonic aura and raging bloodlust, were surrounded by numerous zombies and fierce ghosts. Among them were recently deceased Law Enforcement Hall cultivators, barely refined into walking corpses.

Had any outsider come upon this scene, they would have thought themselves plunged into a demon’s lair or hell itself.

”So many Spirit Stones and magic tools…”

The numerous Demon Cultivators eyed the loot greedily, yet no one dared to make a move, not even daring to look too long, quickly averting their gaze for fear of displeasing the other party.

The number one on Tushan Immortal City’s most wanted list, the Nine Skulled Old Demon!

Rumor had it he had committed many crimes around Tushan Immortal City, ambushing passing cultivators, with very few escaping alive. The Law Enforcement Hall had attempted to capture him many times, all in vain, and his notoriety was significant.

”Red Demon, we owe you one this time.”

The Nine Skulled Old Demon played with the loot for a while, before finally storing away the huge pile of Spirit Stones, magic tools, and Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures. He then turned to look at a red-clothed woman nearby and laughed heartily, ”If it weren’t for your inside connection in the Law Enforcement Hall, we wouldn’t have dared muster such forces.”

”How do you like my old big bird?”

”You escaped from the Immortal City, with nowhere to turn, and I feel sorry for you.”

He brazenly swept his gaze over her voluptuous body, licking his lips and said, ”Why don’t we become Daoist partners? I’ll put you in charge of all eighteen concubines in my room. If you don’t like any, killing them wouldn’t matter to me.”

”Your cultivation base is too weak,”

Red Demon glanced at him and said indifferently, ”If you were at Golden Pill, that would be a different story.”

This person,

was none other than the former head of the Law Enforcement Hall, the loose cultivator Liu Hongshao!

For many loose cultivators, demon cultivators, bandit cultivators, and cultivators of good nature are essentially the same existence; they only differ by time and place, and the changes in the environment around them allow them to switch identities at will. Now, she was returning to her old profession.

”Golden Pill?”

Nine Skulled Old Demon was not angry and laughed with a sneer, ”If this old man could reach Golden Pill, why would I settle for you? Pure and noble fairies of the Righteous Dao would be throwing themselves into my arms.”

Liu Hongshao’s face darkened.

This reminded her of her unpleasant past. Clearly, when they both made mistakes, that Li from the Qiyu Sect was only expelled while she was to be executed without mercy, less worth than even a dog.

”Speaking of which, you were doing quite well as the head of the Law Enforcement Hall, why did you defect?”

Nine Skulled Old Demon was curious and said, ”The treatment in the Law Enforcement Hall is so enviable that even I’m jealous. You were working under a Golden Pill master. If Tushan Immortal City weren’t so hostile to demon cultivators, killing them on sight, I might have joined the Law Enforcement Hall too.”

The surrounding demon cultivators also looked over, their eyes hiding a sense of schadenfreude.

In the past, this woman was seen by them as a lofty presence, leading people to hunt them down, leaving them nowhere to run. Countless companions died at her hands.

”It’s all because of that pretty boy!”

”Merely some spirit stones, returning them would have been enough.”

Liu Hongshao’s heart pricked with pain, her face twisted with hatred as she said, ”Back in the day, when Tushan Monster Country was struggling to survive, littered with demon beasts and demon cultivators, if it weren’t for us, where would Tushan Immortal City’s prosperity come from? The little spirit stones shared each year are less than one ten-thousandth of Tushan Immortal City’s.”

”It’s so unbearable!”

”Haha!”

”I understand now.”

Nine Skulled Old Demon laughed loudly, ”You coveted the Golden Pill grandmasters’ spirit stones and pocketed them. Not bad, without us, where would the Golden Pill grandmasters get their piles of spirit stones? They should all be ours!”

The surrounding Foundation-building cultivators suddenly understood.

In their hearts, though, they held some disdain.

With the power of a Golden Pill master, those mere Foundation-building cultivators could only gild the lily, not really having a significant impact.

Receiving their salaries was just about right.

Coveting a Golden Pill master’s assets was a bit too greedy.

”You damned demon fiends of the Diabolism!”

Liu Hongshao understood the change in the people’s gaze around her, feeling anger, but she could not lash out in front of so many. She noted down a few names and auras and said coldly, ”Since the treasures have been divided, I will take my leave. It’s been many years since the Golden Pill has secluded himself; the likelihood of him coming out is slim. This might alarm that pretty boy, so take care of yourselves.”

With those words, she transformed into a pink Escape Light and flew towards the sky.

”Just a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator…”

Nine Skulled Old Demon and the other demon cultivators didn’t take her seriously, but they moved faster than anyone else, gathering the treasures and leaving the Gobi valley.

Suddenly,

the first pink Escape Light that had departed stopped in its tracks, and the surrounding demon cultivators who were about to fly away revealed faces filled with terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

The figure of a young man in green appeared in the sky.

A faint Sword Intent of Destruction spread out in every direction, locking onto every demon cultivator present.