Chapter 275: Fresh Fertilizer

Two late-stage second-rank beasts, one mid-stage Foundation Establishment giant beast, plus two mid-grade second-rank golems.

A overwhelming aura of ferocity blanketed the entire area.

The tribulation cultivators present were all startled by this sudden turn of events!

Just those two late-stage second-rank giant beasts would be more than enough to trouble them, let alone a master who had hidden himself so deeply.

Only now did the tribulation cultivators realize that Qin Ming of Wei State wasn't afraid at all—he had confidence in his strength.

He hadn't fled the marketplace immediately precisely because he was waiting here to fish! How could an ordinary Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator control so many terrifying second-rank giant beasts?

But then.

An even more shocking scene unfolded.

"Brother Two, take care of those on the right."

"Brother Three, watch the left."

"I'll handle those three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators."

"Make sure none of them escape, and leave their corpses intact—my master has great use for them."

"Cough! This is my first battle since pledging loyalty to my master—show your best."

Among the three beasts, the massive gray-furred rat beast suddenly spoke in human speech!

In an instant, the tribulation cultivators' entire worldview was shattered.

Only a third-rank beast king among the beast race could speak and possess spiritual intellect. Thinking of this,

many tribulation cultivators broke into cold sweat. The Five Devils of Blade Peak who had earlier boasted they could easily seize Qin Ming now sensed something was wrong and began retreating.

Roar! Before anyone could react, the Blackwater Crocodile's body swelled to thirty zhang, its massive form like a mountain, instantly blocking all escape routes.

Its tail flashed with blue lightning arcs and swept horizontally toward the nearest cultivators.

Boom! Two Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivators, merely grazed by the tail, were instantly crushed by overwhelming force, their bodies falling from the sky like ragged cloth.

Qin Ming acted swiftly, casting Thorns Technique to drain the two corpses into dry husks, producing two blood pearls in his hand.

No one had ever seen such a bizarre technique—they were terrified out of their wits.

"Too strong! Flee now!"

They quickly assessed the situation: aside from the three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, every single one of them was insufficient to even fill the teeth of those two late-stage second-rank giant beasts.

Hummm~ At that moment, invisible ripples spread through the surrounding air.

Everyone felt a sudden dizziness in their minds, followed by a stagnation of their magic power—nearly all their techniques became unusable.

After advancing to late-stage second rank, the Silverwing Frost Bee's abilities were no longer comparable to before.

In this brief window, within moments, three Foundation Establishment cultivators were slain.

Zzzt! The bald giant, seemingly also a body cultivator, snarled fiercely and leapt toward Qin Ming, aiming to break through from his side.

But halfway there, a terrifying vibration surged up from below.

By the time the late-stage Foundation Establishment bald giant tried to retreat, it was too late.

Pfft!

A black earth spike, several zhang long, flashed forth from thin air, piercing him clean through.

The bald cultivator's formidable body, under this black earth spike technique, was as fragile as paper.

The next instant, the Devouring Rat appeared silently from the nearby void, baring its sharp fangs and biting clean through his neck.

Blood sprayed—his eyes wide with terror, the bald giant was dead beyond doubt.

"Ahh!"

On the other side.

Qin Ming's three spirit beasts and two golems unleashed their full might—it was a one-sided massacre.

Though the Devouring Rat's cultivation had only recovered to mid-stage second rank, its combat prowess was no weaker than that of a full-stage second-rank giant beast.

Its form flickered unpredictably as it moved through the void; the remaining two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't even see where it was before the Devouring Rat severed their necks.

"Qin Daoist, spare my life!"

Pleas for mercy rang out continuously, but Qin Ming paid them no heed.

Half a stick of incense later.

Qin Ming barely had to lift a finger—over a dozen tribulation cultivators were utterly wiped out.

Qin Ming cast Thorns Technique again, collecting over a dozen blood pearls from Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Fresh fertilizer!" He remained expressionless, gathering all their storage bags, then erased all traces and departed.

But he hadn't gone far.

Behind him came another sound of air tearing.

And the newcomer's speed was incomparably faster than that of the previous tribulation cultivators.

Within just a few breaths, the figure caught up to Qin Ming's rear.

He frowned, turned back—and saw Lin Zi, disguised as a pale-faced middle-aged man, had caught up.

Qin Ming grew wary, his gaze cold. Lin Zi, a demonic warlord, was no match for those ordinary tribulation cultivators.

'Could he also be after me?'

'If so, then I'll strike first.'

Just as Qin Ming prepared to act, he sensed three powerful cultivators following behind Lin Zi.

"Huh?"

"Qin Daoist! You said we were going different ways."

"We meet again so soon."

Lin Zi halted before him and greeted him with a smile.

Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt! Three aura trails arrived and stopped nearby, revealing their identities.

Qin Ming looked up and recognized Muhe Laogui and two other late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who had attended the black market trade.

Muhe Laogui was still puzzled why his target had suddenly stopped—until he saw Qin Ming, then a sinister smile spread across his face.

"So it's Qin Daoist. What a coincidence."

Qin Ming immediately deduced the situation: Muhe Laogui must have set his sights on the Five Elements Qi Spirit Peach in Lin Zi's possession.

Having failed to bid for it, he now intended to seize it by force.

But Muhe Laogui likely didn't know he was chasing the number-one demonic bandit of Wei State's cultivation world.

He was about to die and still didn't realize it.

"Muhe, there's one extra—what do we do?" asked one of the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators beside Muhe.

They knew Qin Ming was highly renowned in Wei State; if they killed him too and word leaked, they'd never be able to stay in Wei State.

"Kill them all!"

"We can always return to Liang State."

Muhe Laogui was decisive—he made his decision instantly.

Lin Zi smiled faintly, showing no concern, and said to Qin Ming: "Qin Daoist! Did you hear that? These three Daoists want our lives."

"Heh! It's them who will die, isn't it? What do you say, Lin Daoist?" Qin Ming sneered, exposing his identity.

Lin Zi had been relentlessly pursuing him—likely because he was after Qin Ming too. Now there was no point in hiding anymore.

He hadn't expected three more tails trailing behind.

Lin Zi's face had still been smiling, but when Qin Ming revealed his true identity, his pupils sharply contracted.

"How did you discover my identity?" Lin Zi dropped his smile, his mind in turmoil.

For a moment, he found Qin Ming utterly inscrutable.

His disguise technique came from the Yunze Great Wasteland, from a demonic inheritance within an ancient ruin.

Even Jin Dan elders couldn't pierce it—yet Qin Ming had seen through him. This was deeply unsettling.

As they spoke, they nearly ignored Muhe Laogui and the others.

This left Muhe Laogui momentarily stunned.

"What Lin Daoist?"

"So you're a coward hiding behind a mask."

With his identity exposed, Lin Zi no longer concealed himself—he was engulfed in a cloud of black mist.

His body and face writhed, revealing his true form.

A tall, cold-faced black-robed cultivator stood before them.

"Qin Daoist! Long time no see!"

(End of Chapter)