Chapter 73: The Snake-Scorpion Couple

He leaned down and unfastened the Storage Bag from the sturdy man's body. After opening it and probing inside with his Divine Sense, he found, as expected, over thirty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Adding the more than ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones he had obtained earlier from the girl in the palace-style dress, Zhang Nuo's net worth was now over forty thousand Spirit Stones. However, thinking back, if his own cultivation had not been sufficient, he likely would have fallen victim to these two long ago.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zhang Nuo's gaze suddenly fell upon the "Wu Hook" still gripped in the sturdy man's hand. Having fought the man twice, Zhang Nuo had a deep impression of the "Wu Hook."

He curled his five fingers slightly toward the "Wu Hook," and with a "whoosh," the Magic Treasure flew into Zhang Nuo's hand. Now that the sturdy man was dead, the Divine Sense Mark originally left inside the Magic Treasure had also vanished. With a slight movement of his Divine Sense, Zhang Nuo left his own Divine Sense Mark on the "Wu Hook."

Injecting his Spirit Power into it, he gave his wrist a light flick, and a cyan streak of light shot out from the Wu Hook.

"Boom!"

The streak of light instantly struck a large tree as thick as three people could embrace, punching an arm-thick hole right through the center of the trunk. While marveling at it, Zhang Nuo carefully examined this "Wu Hook."

The Wu Hook was neither a sword nor a saber; its body was curved with blades on both sides, yet the front end was not pointed but very smooth. It was over three feet long and radiated a cyan glow throughout. After a moment of thought, Zhang Nuo placed it into his Storage Bag as well.

The Nine Dragon Sword Case was too conspicuous, but since Zhang Nuo had no other Magic Treasure, he had to activate the "Nine Dragon Sword Case" whenever he fought. Now that he had an extra Wu Hook in his hand, he could avoid using the sword case directly in his next battle.

Thinking this to himself, Zhang Nuo steered his Flying Sword and flew toward the depths of the great mountains. Seeing that it was getting late, he found a secluded spot to settle down.

Sitting cross-legged, he absorbed the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth and waited quietly for dawn. After today's battle, Zhang Nuo felt even more confident in the Fast Sword of the "Nine Dragon Sword Case." When he killed the sturdy man, he had intentionally let all eight Flying Swords launch the Fast Sword attack simultaneously. Although it consumed a bit more Spirit Power, with his Double Spirit Sea strength, he could still handle it.

This was only the first layer of the "Shangqing Sword Art." If he were to cultivate the sword art to the second layer, how fast would it become? Vaguely, Zhang Nuo felt a sense of anticipation. However, he was clear about the consumption of Spirit Power; when launching the Fast Sword, not all the Spiritual Qi was drawn from his body—the Spiritual Qi stored within the "Nine Dragon Sword Case" itself also played a huge role.

No wonder Lin Fan said at the time that this set of sword arts and the "Nine Dragon Sword Case" complemented each other; looking at it now, his master's words were not wrong at all.

The "Shangqing Sword Art" prioritized speed, and behind this "speed" lay the implication of paying with a sufficient amount of Spiritual Qi. With Zhang Nuo's current cultivation, if he were an ordinary single-Spirit Sea cultivator, he would likely have his entire body's Spiritual Qi drained after launching the Fast Sword more than five times.

"Speed is supreme! Nothing cannot be broken by speed! I really want to know what the effect would be if I mastered the sword art!"

Zhang Nuo muttered to himself. Unknowingly, he began to ponder the mysteries of the second layer of the "Shangqing Sword Art" again, though such a technique was not something he could fathom in a short time.

It was not until dawn that Zhang Nuo opened his eyes. He stood up with a wry smile; he had gained almost nothing throughout the night, not even touching the edge of the second layer of the "Shangqing Sword Art."

However, Zhang Nuo was not too disappointed. If one could find the method of cultivation so easily, then this technique could not be considered a good one. In any case, there was still plenty of time, and Zhang Nuo would eventually have the opportunity to comprehend it thoroughly.

Looking at the newly risen sun, Zhang Nuo touched the bulging Storage Bag at his waist. Now that the issue of Spirit Stones was resolved, he needed to return to the shops in Guyan City to purchase some Pills. It would be preparation for his seclusion!

Steering his Flying Sword, Zhang Nuo returned to Guyan City. Walking down the street, many voices of discussion reached his ears.

"Have you heard? That couple who specialized in teaming up to set traps and kill Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators has been killed!"

"Are you saying the 'Snake-Scorpion Couple' has been killed?"

"That's right! Today, someone found the corpse of the Snake Woman, one of the 'Snake-Scorpion Couple,' ten miles outside the city. That bitch had her body pierced right through by a Magic Treasure."

"Didn't you just say both the husband and wife were killed? Where is the Scorpion Man's corpse?"

"I don't know! I suspect he might have been killed too! It looks like they provoked a ruthless character this time!"

"Pfft! You haven't seen the Scorpion Man's corpse, so how do you know?"

Someone asked skeptically. From the conversation of these few people, Zhang Nuo finally learned that the man and woman he had killed were nicknamed the "Snake-Scorpion Couple," with the woman known as the Snake Woman and the man as the Scorpion Man!

"Regardless of whether the Scorpion Man is dead or not, at least the Snake Woman is dead. This has removed a great scourge for our Guyan City. They specialized in killing those Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators who had just entered the city and were unfamiliar with the area. Who knows how many they've killed over these years!"

At this moment, one of them even loudly cheered.

"Keep your voice down, aren't you afraid of being heard by their master, Zuo Mutang? If he finds out who killed his two beloved disciples, that person won't have a good end!"

One of them lowered his voice and sighed.

Zhang Nuo felt a slight shock in his heart. No wonder the "Snake-Scorpion Couple" dared to be so rampant in Guyan City; it turned out they had a powerful backer! However, he did not know who Zuo Mutang was, so he simply ignored it. Moreover, when Zhang Nuo killed the two, no one else had seen it, so he was not too worried.

Walking forward a distance, Zhang Nuo entered the same shop as yesterday. The young clerk was cleaning up. Upon seeing Zhang Nuo walk in, he was initially happy, but after seeing Zhang Nuo's face clearly, his heart sank again.

"It's that poor wretch from yesterday again!"

He muttered to himself, but the clerk dared not show the slightest sign of neglect on his face.

"This senior, are the 'Inedia Pills' you bought yesterday still suitable?"

"Yes! Very good, I am very satisfied! Give me another hundred today!"

Zhang Nuo nodded, appearing very satisfied with the Pills. What he said next almost made the clerk bite his tongue. One hundred "Inedia Pills!" That was two thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones! He really couldn't tell; yesterday he was poor as dirt, and today he had become an upstart!