Chapter 209: Deputy Stronghold Chief: Spirit Vein and Breaking the Stronghold

Heng Xian eased his tone and asked: "Besides the people of Green Mountain Stronghold, can outsiders never enter?"

The leading man was about to answer when a faint voice came from behind: "Unless your cultivation is high enough that we can't handle you, or your power far exceeds our Green Mountain Stronghold!"

As the voice spoke, a carriage pulled by a three-headed white bear arrived, with three scantily clad girls driving it.

The speaker was one person inside the carriage.

A group of men blocking the road immediately stepped aside respectfully: "Deputy Stronghold Chief!"

Heng Xian looked into the carriage; judging by their aura, there seemed to be two people inside, their cultivation likely around the seventh or eighth layer of the Qi Hai Realm.

Then the carriage curtain opened, and indeed a man and a woman stepped out—the man dressed in fine brocade, wearing an arrogant air of privilege, the woman in white robes, delicate in appearance, expressionless.

Seeing them, the group of road-blocking men hurriedly bowed again: "Deputy Stronghold Chief, Miss Shao!"

The youth ignored the bowing men, smiling as he gestured for the woman beside him to go ahead.

Immediately, the two walked together toward the valley.

Just as they passed Heng Xian, the youth paused slightly and asked: "Have you just arrived at Wanli Han Mountain?"

Heng Xian said: "Exactly!"

The youth said: "This time, considering you're an ignorant newborn, I'll let you off—just leave!"

Heng Xian shook his head with a smile, turned, got into the carriage, and said, "Let's go check another place."

The youth suddenly asked: "What? You kid, are you disdainful?"

Heng Xian replied in surprise: "I don't even have the right to be disdainful?"

The woman in white frowned slightly.

The youth's face darkened: "In front of Miss Shao, it's not proper to act rashly, but no matter who you are, you can't escape—I say so!"

Heng Xian rubbed his nose: "So overbearing?"

The youth gave a cold smile: "There's even more overbearing— in your next life, be a good person, and remember my name: Lan Chengyu, Deputy Stronghold Chief of Green Mountain Stronghold!"

Heng Xian nodded: "Okay, I've remembered!"

The youth said no more, accompanying the woman in white as they entered the valley.

Meanwhile, the group of men who had blocked the road and the three carriage-driving girls now had icy expressions.

The lowly person panicked, hurriedly drove the carriage, and carried Heng Xian away.

Only after they had gone several li away from the valley did the lowly person relax, saying: "Sir, they've taken the valley; that spirit vein is theirs—why are you so insistent?"

"People living in this world must insist on some things, otherwise where would hope come from?" Heng Xian said.

The only hope to change the situation is to have a strong realm and power—at least reaching the level of a 'monkey'; without a spirit vein, everything is wasted!

The lowly person shrank his neck: "Indeed! I recall this Green Mountain Stronghold—within Han Mountain, there are over a thousand big and small forces, and Green Mountain Stronghold counts as a fairly large one."

It occupies thirty-six mountain peaks, with over two thousand followers!

Heng Xian nodded slightly: "Awesome!"

The lowly person continued to shrink his neck: "Let's hurry and run!"

Heng Xian said: "Don't rush, go eleven li east and take another look."

The lowly person sighed and had no choice but to comply.

Afterward, they ran to the remaining four spirit veins indicated by the Mysterious Yellow Heavenly Hexagram, and as expected, all were occupied.

Three of them belonged to Green Mountain Stronghold, and the other to the Cloud Plate Gang.

This Cloud Plate Gang is also a major force, second only to Green Mountain Stronghold in strength.

Most importantly, the two major forces are related by marriage!

There was no way; they had to turn back the way they came.

The wolf cart clattered forward, kicking up sand everywhere.

Heng Xian crossed his legs, pondering how to obtain a spirit vein.

No need to think—those minor spirit veins to the west and north are definitely taken by other forces. Nobody's a fool; in the spirit-poor Han Mountain, these minor spirit veins are absolutely treasures!

Recalling the magnificent dragon spirit vein at Bitter Willow Peak in the Tianyuan Sect, these minor spirit veins pale in comparison, and he couldn't help but feel sentimental.

Now, to cultivate in a minor spirit vein, there are only two options:

First, join them as a lackey, but lackeys certainly aren't qualified to freely cultivate in a spirit vein.

Second, have a greater power than theirs and seize their spirit veins.

Even thinking with your heel, it's impossible to serve as a lackey for them.

Heng Xian pinched his chin: "Greater power than theirs? That's a bit challenging!"

"Creak——"

Then the carriage suddenly stopped.

The lowly person's teeth chattered: "Sir, my name is Sun Xiaohong; I live in Big Spider Country, Weishui Commandery, Huangshui City, Sun Family Town, Little Sun Village—if you can escape, please send my corpse back home!"

Heng Xian furrowed his brow, opened the carriage curtain, and looked outside.

He saw the road ahead blocked by three people.

Three girls, holding long swords, their clothes fluttering, faces full of killing intent.

Judging by their aura, two were at the fifth layer of the Condensing Qi stage, and one at the first layer of the Qi Hai Realm.

They were exactly the three girls who drove the carriage for Deputy Stronghold Chief Lan Chengyu of Green Mountain Stronghold!

"This road is blocked!" the middle girl said coldly.

Heng Xian chuckled; these three women were obviously products of drug enhancement—how dare they be sent to assassinate him?

"This…" the lowly person trembled all over, turning back: "Sir, how can you still laugh?"

Heng Xian replied in surprise: "Not laugh—should I cry instead?"

"Crying is useless!" the middle girl stepped forward, coldly saying: "In your next life, remember—there are people you cannot provoke, and you shouldn't!"

The girl on the left also said, "You've provoked a noble person; you should accept your fate!"

As they spoke, the three girls' aura rose to its peak; they flew in from three directions and swung their swords down.

"Master, hurry up and run!" Jianren went all out, snatched the nearby knife, his whole body's third-layer Condensing Qi aura gathered to the extreme, preparing to fight for his life.

However, the knife had only been raised halfway when three "puchi" sounds rang out.

The three girls lunging through the air had already been split into six halves by a sharp, swift sword qi; they didn't even have time to let out a miserable cry before their broken corpses fell to the ground.

Fresh blood slowly turned the sand crimson; the bloody smell, carrying sand and dust, blew into their faces.

Jianren stared for a long time, slowly turned his head, looking at Heng Xian still sitting with legs crossed in the carriage, stammering: "Good, good fast sword! I, I forgot Master is also an expert! From a great sect!"

"It's that the person sent by the young village chief is too cold-hearted!" Heng Xian said.

Jianren wiped the sweat from his forehead: "In this godforsaken place of Han Mountain, there aren't any genius youths; you look only about ten-something years old, and you show no aura—being able to have Condensing Qi at this age is already not bad."

"Originally, these three people could absolutely have killed us!"

Heng Xian waved his hand: "Understood, go back!"

Jianren, frightened, ducked his head into the sandy corner, drove the cart carefully around the corpses, and continued on the road.

Heng Xian turned his head to look—Lan Chengyu?

One hundred ninety li is not close; they only made it back to the Righteous Aid gang's stronghold at dusk.

However, upon arriving before the stronghold, both were stunned by the sight inside.

All that could be seen was the stronghold in utter ruin; the original thirty or forty wooden huts had all collapsed, leaving piles of ashes and embers to the left and right.

The gang members were all covered in wounds.

Several chiefs gathered around Chief Baoyu, sitting in a ruin, silent.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Jianren rushed over, his voice suddenly less effeminate.

Everyone looked up, glanced at Jianren, then all looked at Heng Xian, still silent.

Heng Xian approached and said: "Must be the work of the Tiger Stronghold?"

Baozhu frowned: "How do you know?"

Heng Xian said: "Simple, yesterday we won four hundred thousand low-grade spirit crystals from them; today they came seeking a fight, which is understandable."

The second chief gave a wry smile: "You guessed right, the Tiger Stronghold just came charging over, wanting to take back the spirit crystals they lost yesterday; we lied and said you had left, that it had nothing to do with us, but they wouldn't let it go and started fighting."

They had two hundred people; we had less than a hundred, suffering a major loss, and our brothers lost five more.

Fortunately, the chief exerted his energy forcefully, blocking the enemy chief's palm strike; they didn't want to fight to the death, so they left.

Baoyu waved his hand weakly: "I can still hold on, thanks to Brother Heng's medicine!"

Third Chief Tuzi cried with a sorrowful face: "But the stronghold is destroyed!"

Heng Xian laughed: "Destroyed then destroyed—what's there to regret about these shabby huts?"

Everyone was stunned.

Baozhu frowned: "You say it so lightly!"

Heng Xian flicked his sleeve: "As bandits and mountain pirates, you must keep to your proper role, broaden your horizons—since nothing can be built without first being destroyed, even if the small stronghold is ruined, a larger one can still be erected!"

(End of chapter)