Clan Cultivation: Starting with Building an Island Immortal City

58: Mid-stage Qi Refining, instantly killedThe morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the mountain path snaked like a serpent.

The clamor of Blood Gu Village gradually faded, and Li Yinglong and his group of four left the village gate, walking along the winding mountain path.

Aya and Yan Gang were eager to return home, their steps light.

Aya led the way, occasionally pointing out exotic flowers and plants, and cascading waterfalls along the path, introducing the scenery of the Southern Border.

Li Yinglong and Lin Xiaowan followed at a leisurely pace, seemingly relaxed, but in reality, their Divine Sense was subtly extended, silently observing their surroundings.

Yan Gang, though not a man of many words, brought up the rear, clearly an experienced traveler.

As the mountain path deepened, the trees grew denser, their thick foliage blocking out the sun, vines hung down, and slippery moss covered the stone steps.

The deeper they went, the fewer human traces there were, with only the chirping of birds and insects audible, making it even more secluded.

They reached a treacherous mountain pass, flanked by two mountains, where strange rocks jutted out beside the path, ancient trees towered, the light suddenly dimmed several shades, and the wind whistled through the gaps, making a mournful sound.

Just at this moment—

“Chh! Chh chh!”

Several streaks of black light, carrying aBlood Wind (pungent wind), shot out from the shadows of the dense forest ahead without any warning!

They were swift and vicious, aimed directly at the faces and vital points of the chest and abdomen of Aya and Li Yinglong, who were leading!

At the same time, the sound of rushing air suddenly rose from behind, and a foul wind assailed their backs!

“Be careful!”

Li Yinglong let out a low cry; before his voice fell, he had already moved.

Without any visible preparation, he slightly shifted his body, and the dark overlord spear had already extended, its tip trembling, transforming into several cold stars, precisely striking the black lights attacking from the front!

“Ding ding ding!”

The crisp clang of metal on metal rang out, sparks flew, and the poisoned short arrows and flying needles were knocked away, falling into the grass beside the path.

At the same moment, Aya let out a delicate shout, and the short sword adorned with colorful gems at her waist was already unsheathed, its light like a swimming Dragon, protecting her front.

Yan Gang roared, his fists condensing earth-elemental Spiritual Qi, and he slammed them onto the ground, a muffled “bang” sounding as a wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking the sneak attack from behind.

Lin Xiaowan also reacted swiftly, her slender hands waving repeatedly, launching several hard seeds silently, which immediately grew into tough vines upon landing, though they couldn’t completely block the enemies, they effectively slowed down the approach of the attackers from behind.

The four instantly formed a simple defensive formation back-to-back, their sharp gazes sweeping towards the direction of the attack.

“There are people behind us too!”

Yan Gang’s voice was deep and resonant, and he slightly adjusted his massive shield, protecting their rear.

In an instant, they were caught in a pincer attack, their retreat cut off!

Li Yinglong’s gaze swept over the deep forest shadows ahead and the path behind them, his expression as calm as water, showing no trace of panic; instead, he spoke loudly, his voice clear and penetrating the dense forest:

“Friends in the forest, since you intend to engage in highway robbery, such underhanded and cowardly methods of hiding your heads and showing your tails and launching sneak attacks are too petty and beneath you.”

“Since you are familiar faces, why bother to hide? Come out and let’s meet.”

The forest was silent for a moment, then a few rustling sounds and cold snorts echoed.

The shadows ahead stirred, and three figures slowly emerged.

The leader was none other than the Scrawny Old Man who had ambushed them outside the North Marsh Market that day and was later repelled by the combined efforts of Li Yinglong and Aya, the brother and sister!

Beside him, one person had a ferocious scorpion-shaped tattoo on his neck, his eyes filled with venomous resentment—it was the Scorpion Gu Master!

The other held a beast bone staff, surrounded by a ghastly green Phosphorescent Fire—it was the Phosphorescent Fire Man!

The three had grim expressions, their eyes intertwined with Killing Intent and greed, staring intently at Li Yinglong, especially at the seemingly bulging qiankun bag at his waist.

Almost simultaneously, two more people emerged from the mountain path behind, one tall and one short, blocking their retreat.

It was the pair of cunning Cultivators who had tried to pull off a switcheroo trick the other day and were scared away by Li Yinglong with a shadow stone!

Well, well, the two waves of enemies they had encountered in the Southern Border had all ganged up together.

Five against four, they were now completely surrounded!

“It’s you wretched, lingering spirits!”

As soon as Aya saw the Scorpion Gu Master, her almond eyes widened, and a surge of new and old hatred instantly welled up in her heart, her willow-like brows furrowed, and she sharply rebuked:

“Scorpion Gu Master! You renegade of the Black Gu Clan, you plundered our clan’s medicine-gathering team and injured my third uncle—that debt is not yet settled, and today you even dare to collude with these external thieves and set an ambush to block our way! Do you really think the blades of our Angry Dragon Clan are dull?!”

Yan Gang was even more enraged, he slammed his massive shield down heavily, his voice like muffled thunder:

“You dog villains! Today, I will make sure you never return!”

Upon hearing this, the Scorpion Gu Master’s jowly face twitched, and the venomous resentment in his eyes intensified, as he let out a hoarse, strange laugh:

“You little slut! You barbarian! Still daring to talk tough when death is at your doorstep! You were lucky to escape from the North Marsh Market a few days ago, but today, in this desolate mountain wilderness, let’s see who can save you now!”

Even though it was his group that had retreated first, he was still trying to save face.

The Scrawny Old Man interjected with a sinister tone, his voice hoarse like grinding gravel:

“Old fellow, if you know what’s good for you, hand over all your Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, and that ice soul spirit ginseng! This old man might take pity on you and leave you a complete corpse! Otherwise, I will extract your souls and refine your spirits, and feed your Physical Bodies to my precious Puppets!”

The tall Cultivator snorted coldly and continued:

“Hmph, we originally intended to extort some benefits and probe your background, but who knew you wouldn’t fall for it. It seems we still have to use this safest method—send you to an early paradise, and the items will naturally be divided among us!”

He waved a short blade in his hand that glowed with a dark light.

The tall and short Cultivators behind him had unpleasant expressions, clearly still resentful about the failure of their “The Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat” (civet cat for prince) scheme.

Li Yinglong faced the aggressive stance of the five men, his expression still unperturbed:

“So that’s how it is. Failing to swindle us in the market the other day, you changed your minds and decided to try this highway robbery scheme. It saved this old man the trouble of searching for you.”

He paused slightly, a hint of playfulness in his tone:

“It’s just that, do you really think that with superior numbers, you can guarantee victory?”

The Scrawny Old Man’s eyes sharpened:

“Death is at your doorstep, and you still dare to bluster!”

Li Yinglong, however, slowly shook his head, his tone carrying a trace of pity:

“It seems you are truly not suited for this Cultivator-robbing profession. Do you not even understand the most basic principle of ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’?”

His gaze suddenly became as sharp as lightning, sweeping towards the old man and the Scorpion Gu Master:

“You can find helpers, do you think we cannot?”

At these words, the faces of the five opponents all changed, and they subconsciously looked around, their Divine Sense sweeping the surrounding trees.

Just as their minds were momentarily distracted—

“Woo~!”

A low but extremely penetrating sound of a conch horn suddenly rang out from a small conch horn in Aya’s hand, instantly echoing through the valley!

“Not good! It’s an ambush!”

The Scrawny Old Man reacted the fastest, letting out a sharp shriek, black Qi surged around him, and the two damaged Puppets instantly darted out from behind him!

However, it was already too late!

Before the sound of the conch horn faded, a sudden change occurred!

The tall and short Cultivators behind them felt a foul wind pressing down on their heads, and a terrifying Demonic Qi and Evil Qi, as substantial as reality, enveloped them!

It was a fear stemming from primal instinct, causing the flow of their internal magical power to momentarily halt!

The two looked up in horror, only to see a blurred black shadow swooping down from the steep cliff like a ghost, moving too fast for the naked eye to discern!

“Pfft! Pfft!”

Two sickening thuds of sharp blades piercing flesh rang out almost simultaneously!

The sneers on the faces of the tall and thin Cultivator and the short and plump Cultivator instantly froze, turning into extreme terror and disbelief.

They subconsciously looked down, only to see a terrifying arm, covered in dark green, fine scales, with bulging muscles and five hook-like fingers, had already pierced through each of their chests!

Within those ferocious claws, each tightly clutched a still faintly beating, steaming, bloody heart!

Excruciating pain surged like a tide, instantly overwhelming their consciousness.

The two opened their mouths, but no sound came out, the light in their eyes rapidly dimmed, and their bodies slumped limply.

Even until their last breath, they hadn’t even clearly seen the full appearance of their attacker!

Instant kill!

Two Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators were instantly killed by having their hearts ripped out in a single encounter, without any power to resist!

The black shadow, having succeeded in one blow, did not linger; its form flickered, and it swept like a wisp of smoke to the front of Li Yinglong and the other three, landing steadily and revealing its form.

Only then did everyone see clearly:

The newcomer was an exceptionally tall and burly Southern Border man!

He wore dark green, sleeveless leather armor, his exposed arms were muscular and coiled like steel and iron, his skin was bronzed, covered with various ferocious beast-shaped tattoos and old scars.

His face was rugged, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, a pair of sharp, eagle-like pupils that flashed with brilliant light when they opened and closed, and his gaze carried a fierce authority and chilling Killing Intent of someone long accustomed to a high position.

Most striking were his ten fingers; his fingernails were unusually dark green, slightly curved, and sharp as hooks, gleaming with a metallic cold light. The terrifying heart-piercing blow just now had clearly come from these hands!

At this moment, warm fresh blood was still slowly dripping from his fingertips.

Behind him, four more Angry Dragon Clan warriors, similarly dressed in capable attire and exuding a fierce aura, silently appeared from the forest, armed with curved knives and powerful crossbows, their eyes cold, instantly sealing off all possible escape routes for the Scrawny Old Man and his two companions.

The gaze of the leading giant was like cold lightning, sweeping over the three remaining individuals who were utterly terrified, his voice like muffled thunder, carrying an undeniable authority:

“Who gave you the audacity to touch my Angry Dragon Clan people?”