Chapter 118: One Punch, Headshot!

"What's happening?"

Lin Ziyu, who was piloting the skyship, was a bit stunned; because Xiao Zhangqing was present, she didn't panic too much.

She subconsciously summoned her magical energy, trying to force the descending skyship to stop and lift upward, but found that her cultivation and magical power, as well as the skyship's own array force, were like a mud ox in the sea under this sudden tug, utterly unable to break free.

This was a skyship whose quality rank had reached the first tier of the supreme grade, and it was moving at high speed; a typical Late Stage of Lian Qi cultivator's attack could not pose any threat.

Only by being caught in a pre‑set array could such a result occur.

"Encountered an Evil Cultivator?"

Even though Lin Ziyu's reaction was a beat slower and she couldn't sense the outside situation, she snapped back to her senses and guessed what had happened.

Ruan Qingzhu, as a Lian Qi Grand Perfection cultivator, had divine sense perception and magical power far stronger than Lin Ziyu's; seeing this, he hurriedly joined the effort, trying to help Lin Ziyu steer the skyship and break through the invisible tug's restraint.

The result was still of little use.

The skyship plunged rapidly, landing at a height of just over twenty meters above the ground, and the powerful tug suddenly vanished; Lin Ziyu regained control of the skyship.

At that moment, they were already inside the array.

"Lord, we are trapped."

Lin Zixi and Xiao Zhangqing also arrived outside the skyship, looking at the surrounding array; they showed no fear of being blocked by an Evil Cultivator, but rather examined it with keen interest.

"This array isn't bad."

Xiao Zhangqing nodded.

This array not only employed a highly clever enemy‑trapping method, nearly reaching the second tier of lower grade; even a freshly Foundation Establishment cultivator entering it would find escape difficult. Moreover, its illusion‑array concealment technique was even more refined.

Before they entered the array, Xiao Zhangqing hadn't noticed anything unusual; perhaps he possessed a first‑tier divination skill, or perhaps once his cultivation reached his current level, he instinctively sensed something amiss the moment danger approached.

When his Golden Core divine sense projected outward, all the deceptive arrays and phantasms were completely dispelled before his eyes.

"Boss, our luck's good today; we've got prey in the net! Looks pretty plump."

Within the array, three Evil Cultivators were lying in wait.

The leader was a gaunt old man, his wrinkled face looking sixty‑seven or so, his hair nearly all gone, dressed in a black robe that gave off a chilling, harsh aura.

He had a sharp, thunder‑god‑like beak and eyes the size of soybeans, resembling a vulture circling the sky waiting to snatch prey.

The other two appeared much younger.

One man and one woman; the woman wore a pink long dress, dressed rather seductively, flamboyant, with eyes that held a hint of charm.

But compared with the three women on the skyship, they were far inferior—not just in looks and figure, but mainly because they were overly vulgar and low‑class.

Speaking was a robust, burly man, tall and fierce, whose demeanor made it clear he was not to be trifled with.

Near the three marauding cultivators, a few corpses lay, as well as a young female cultivator whose magical power was sealed and bound, unable to move.

The female cultivator's clothing was in tatters, her once‑fair, demure face now scarred; her gaze was filled with hatred and despair as she stared fixedly at the three marauders, as if yearning to devour them whole.

Suddenly, the female cultivator saw Xiao Zhangqing and the others; her desperate eyes seemed to regain a spark as she struggled and shouted a warning to them: "Run! They're one of the infamous 'Cloud Mist Seven Fiends', the vulture!"

"Cloud Mist Seven Fiends?" Xiao Zhangqing looked at the Lin sisters and Ruan Qingzhu, wanting to ask if they knew the name.

Although over the years he had come to know the basic facts of the Da Yu Cultivation World—beyond the two major Nascent Soul powers—he had essentially memorized the general state of Golden Core sects.

But regarding the major cultivation towns and markets, and forces and cultivators below the Golden Core realm, his knowledge was scant.

Because there are simply too many, and no one keeps statistics on them.

To be renowned throughout the Da Yu Cultivation World, even in towns thousands of miles apart, one must at least be a Golden Core true cultivator.

The Lin sisters shook their heads in unison.

It was also their first time venturing so far from Nanshan Fang; they knew the Cloud Mist Mountain Range and had casually learned about Qingjian Fang.

But they didn't know about the most notorious marauding cultivators of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range or Qingjian Fang.

Mainly because marauding cultivators are highly mobile; even the most infamous and arrogant ones are active for only a few to a dozen years before disappearing.

Either they quietly reform, or they offend cultivators or sects they shouldn't, become wanted, fall, or hide and dare not appear.

After all, being a marauding cultivator can bring sudden wealth, but also sudden death.

High returns also mean high risk.

"The Cloud Mist Seven Fiends are the most renowned marauding cultivators in the past thirty years across the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range; each is at the Foundation Establishment realm! However, they're not a single group, though they know each other and have connections. Most of the time they act alone, but sometimes they team up to hunt cultivators…"

"In recent years, two of the Seven Fiends have already fallen; now only five remain…"

"Cultivators killed by the Cloud Mist Seven Fiends, the total is estimated to have..."

Ruan Qingzhu, once a disciple of Baihua Valley, knew far more about the Da Yu Cultivation World, especially the Southwest Region, than Xiao Zhangqing and the others.

At this moment she felt great relief.

Fortunately she had left the Southwest Region together with Xiao Zhangqing.

If she had crossed the Cloud Mist Mountain Range alone and been targeted by one of the Cloud Mist Seven Fiends—the vulture—she'd likely not die a clean death, probably ending up like the sealed female cultivator.

Even invoking the name of Baihua Valley would be useless.

During the years the Cloud Mist Seven Fiends have wreaked havoc in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, disciples of the Qi Refining Realm from the Luoxia Sect and Baihua Valley—both Golden Core sects—have indeed been slain by them.

Of the two fallen Fiends, one was pursued to death by elders of Baihua Valley.

"Shut up!"

The hulking man, hearing the bound female cultivator's cries, frowned, clearly displeased, and immediately intended to make her taste more suffering.

But he hadn't had time to act.

He then heard the dark‑clothed elder calmly say the two words "Noisy," and a cold star shot toward the female cultivator, piercing her head.

It then circled once and returned to the dark‑clothed elder's hand.

If one's eyesight were sharp enough, one would notice it's a roughly three‑inch nail‑shaped concealed weapon magic treasure, powerful yet extremely fast, dazzling like lightning; even a Lian Qi Grand Perfection cultivator would likely be unable to react.

Pierced by the concealed weapon, the female cultivator didn't even have time to scream before her breath was gone.

But her gaze held no pain or fear, only hatred and resentment. "Boss, why did you crush the flower so abruptly? I wasn't done playing yet," the hulking man scratched his head, saying regretfully.

The dark‑clothed elder's concealed‑weapon magic treasure hovered in his palm, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Xiao Zhangqing and the three women, speaking softly: "Fool. With these three female cultivators, what use is such a low‑grade trinket?"

His voice was not loud, and his tone did not deliberately sound fierce, yet to others' ears it was filled with a grim, terrifying feeling.

"Indeed, indeed."

The hulking man cast lewd glances back and forth over the Lin sisters and Ruan Qingzhu, while the sole male, Xiao Zhangqing, was ignored by the two.

Xiao Zhangqing originally kept an indifferent attitude; when an Evil Cultivator came to his door with warmth and handed him a pile of gold coins, he was quite pleased.

But when the black‑clothed elder suddenly killed someone without any warning, it soured his mood.

Having been in this world for over a decade, Xiao Zhangqing had long adapted to the cut‑throat nature of the Cultivation World, where the lower one's life and dignity are worth nothing.

When the Evil Cultivator besieged Nanshan Fang for nearly a year, he did not personally fight but witnessed countless cultivators' gruesome deaths.

So he felt that he would no longer have strong emotional swings over the deaths of unrelated people.

He had no intention of eradicating evil or protecting the innocent, nor any resolve to become a hero and change the Cultivation World's order, yet he thought he should still take the opportunity to eliminate such Evil Cultivator scoundrels more often.

Unfortunately, the Evil Cultivator known as the "Bald Vulture" killed so brutally without any warning that even his subordinates didn't react, and Xiao Zhangqing couldn't save the bound female cultivator in time.

"Three fairies. Since you've heard my boss's title, obey us and hand over everything valuable you have, and you might live. Rest assured, my boss and I are people who cherish beauty; you three are so gorgeous that if you cooperate, we'll be reluctant to kill you…" The hulking man stared greedily at the Lin sisters and Ruan Qingzhu, his mouth practically watering in a lecherous manner.

He then turned to Xiao Zhangqing: "As for you…"

His words dragged on, as if he were contemplating what to do with Xiao Zhangqing.

Yet the next instant, his magical energy surged, his form flashed across space, and a long blade weapon, bearing domineering and sharp blade‑qi, slashed toward Xiao Zhangqing's head.

"Male cultivator, we never leave survivors!"

Judging by his striking skill, he was clearly at the Qi Refining Realm, full circle, and his speed suggested he also practiced body cultivation!

Such power is enough to dominate the Qi Refining Realm.

The force of this slash would likely cause most cultivators also at full‑circle Qi Refining Realm to meet a bitter end on the spot.

The hulking man's smile turned cruel, as if he imagined Xiao Zhangqing being split in two by his blade.

But Xiao Zhangqing indeed could not dodge the attack; instead he simply extended one hand, letting the blade‑qi descend, a palm burst outward, and then he reached out and seized the long‑blade Magic Treasure, which was a first‑grade supreme item.

Crack!

His long‑blade Magic Treasure shattered, its brilliance extinguished!

"What is this…"

The hulking man's smile froze, turning into boundless terror.

Over the years he had followed the Bald Vulture as an Evil Cultivator, and it wasn't that he hadn't encountered tough opponents; he had faced Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivators.

But those Foundation Establishment cultivators were either killed by his boss the Bald Vulture or fled with him, leaving him and his companions to scramble away in disgrace,

He had never before encountered a situation as strange as Xiao Zhangqing's.

Shocked and bewildered, the hulking man realized he had hit a dead end; he instantly activated a first‑grade superior defensive Talisman Script, intending to use his first‑grade superior body‑cultivation physique to retreat swiftly.

This is the confidence that allows him, as an Evil Cultivator, to repeatedly survive peril.

With a defensive Talisman Script and a powerful physique, even a full‑force strike from a Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivator would not kill him.

Xiao Zhangqing's attack was faster than he imagined; a single punch landed, a mountain‑crushing pressure burst the air, and the terrifying yang‑qi caused his first‑grade superior defensive Talisman Script to shatter like foam, unable to sustain even a breath.

Then came his proud, robust physique; when the fist wind struck, he knew he was done.

He could only manage a terrified shout: "Boss, help…"

*Bang! * His head burst open like a watermelon, red and white matter scattering on the ground, the headless corpse slowly collapsing.

Xiao Zhangqing withdrew his fist, murmuring, "Although I can usually keep my power fully under control, in combat I still tend to overexert, making it a bit bloody."

Seeing this, the Lin sisters and Ruan Qingzhu widened their eyes in great shock.

They were not at all surprised that Xiao Zhangqing could easily slay those Evil Cultivators.

Yet they had never imagined Xiao Zhangqing would kill Evil Cultivators in this manner.

What kind of spell or divine skill is this? No, it can't be a spell or divine skill, can it? It looks like pure physical strength.

Body cultivation?

Not to mention Ruan Qingzhu, who is an outsider; even the Lin sisters, who serve as maidens, were caught off guard.

When did their master's mortal body become so powerful?

"Second‑tier body cultivator!"

The Bald Vulture, one of the Seven Vicious Clouds, now had his bean‑sized eyes widen sharply, a gleam flashing, exuding not only a grim sharpness but also myriad dread.

He had killed Foundation Establishment cultivators before, but this was his first encounter with a second‑tier body cultivator! In the Qi Refining Realm, body cultivators are rare—hardly a few among a hundred people.

Nowadays body cultivation is in decline; reaching the second tier is exceedingly rare, with promotion odds far lower than a Qi Refining cultivator's foundation establishment.

Once they breakthrough, these body cultivators become beast‑like, with mighty physiques and domineering methods, almost the top of their realm.

Like his subordinates, whose body cultivation is only first‑grade superior, combined with Qi cultivation, they have almost no rivals in the Qi Refining Realm.

"Damn! A second‑tier body cultivator piloting a first‑grade flying vessel? Its travel speed is exactly that of a Qi cultivator!"

The black‑clothed elder muttered a curse under his breath.

Had he known a second‑tier body cultivator was aboard the flying vessel, he would never have acted.

"Friend, today's incident was a misunderstanding. Let's call it off; I'll dissolve the formation and let you leave, we'll each go our own way, okay?" The black‑clothed elder's eyes flickered, showing no anger over his subordinate's beheading nor any desire for revenge.

After weighing the situation, he seemed inclined to cease hostilities with Xiao Zhangqing.

Xiao Zhangqing shook his head: "Hand over all the valuables you carry, then summon the other four of your Cloud‑Mist Five Vicious, and after I capture them all… I'll be in a good mood and might count you as redeeming yourself, sparing your life."

(End of chapter)