“They’ve been working in the Northern Mountains so long—how could they miss a Lingcao like this!” Hua Jian groaned, covering her face.
“Only a fraction of cultivators actually dare risk their lives in the Northern Mountains. Their numbers are small compared to the Resource Zone, so finding or missing a treasure is normal.”
Linglong provided a reasonable explanation, but Hua Jian still found it hard to accept.
Not long after, though, she finally found a more convincing reason.
It wasn’t that cultivators hadn’t spotted the Lingcao, but that when it appeared, everyone nearby had been distracted by something else—explaining why they hadn’t met anyone on the way in.
And the evidence appeared after they’d walked about half an hour further, after securing the Lingcao.
“Fresh—hasn’t been dead long, and the wound is almost exactly like the one we saw before!”
A cultivator lay dead in the forest; judging by the decomposition, he hadn’t been dead long.
And the wound on his body matched exactly the one Hua Jian had seen on a female victim earlier.
Both had a diamond-shaped wound in the back, piercing through the chest.
“The same killer struck again here?” Hua Jian flipped the corpse and found an obvious mark on the clothes.
It was a huge pale gray Wolf Head, with fur like sharp blades around it.
This was obviously the symbol of a Big Faction, and in this area, there was only one such faction—the one occupying the Core Region.
The killer was targeting this faction?
A turf war, or perhaps an honest man finally snapping after being bullied?
“Looks like we’re in for a good show if we head over now.”
Hua Jian stood up and said to Linglong.
Didn’t you want a real challenge and some excitement? Here you go—your wish has come true.
Someone’s assassinating the Big Faction’s people—don’t you want to get in on the action?
“Let’s go take a look.”
“Right~”
As they neared the Core Zone, the traces of battle grew more numerous. Many cultivators dressed like the previous corpse lay sprawled across the ground, lifeless.
There were so many that even if Linglong wanted to bury them, she couldn’t keep up. She could only check the bodies briefly, then leave them where they lay.
“The killer must be pretty strong. Look, these three cultivators died together—they must have tried to gang up on the killer, but got counter-killed instead.”
Anyone who could join a Big Faction wasn’t weak, and for the killer to defeat three at once, they had to be formidable.
“The fight was fierce, and both sides struggled for a while—the killer wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger.” Linglong circled the area and drew a more detailed conclusion.
The killer outmatched the three working together, but not by a huge margin—they only won after a hard fight.
Which meant the killer couldn’t be a Ling King; if a Ling King had struck, the others wouldn’t have lasted that long.
“Found them! Didn’t expect you’d dare stick around!”
As they were inspecting the scene, a sinister voice suddenly rang out behind them.
Immediately, several arrows whistled toward their backs.
Linglong instantly drew her Ling Sword, slicing the arrows out of the air with flashing silver light.
Hua Jian stood up slowly, still facing away from the attackers, and said, “Attacking without knowing the truth—should I say you’re brainless, or that you’ve got water in your skull?”
As she spoke, she turned to face a thin, wiry cultivator carrying a bow, trailed by four Spirit Master-level cultivators.
Hua Jian’s mockery made the thin cultivator’s face freeze. He realized he might have made a mistake.
“Linglong, do you want to fight or talk?” Taking advantage of the thin cultivator’s awkwardness, Hua Jian quietly asked Linglong.
If Linglong wanted a fight, she’d provoke the thin cultivator with an outrageous demand, forcing him to take the bait.
If Linglong didn’t, she’d just have him apologize and let the matter drop.
The choice was Linglong’s.
Linglong glanced at the hostile cultivators, thinking this might be out of their hands.
“How many can you take?”
“Without using any trump cards, none of them will get away.” Hua Jian swept her gaze over the thin cultivator’s group, eyes full of disdain.
She’d only struggled with Liu Yi before because she hadn’t used her most effective combat style. Now she could use Magic Mist freely—how would these Northern Mountains cultivators deal with that?
Her mist was not something ordinary antidote pills could withstand.
“I thought you could take on five by yourself.” Hua Jian muttered softly.
From what she knew about geniuses, fighting same-level cultivators should be a piece of cake, right?
Why did Linglong need to ask her about taking five at once—surely the little dragon lady wasn’t that weak?
“I could, but I’m worried they’ll attack you while I’m at it.”
If it were just a brawl, Linglong was confident she could take all five, but with a ‘young lady’ to protect, she had to watch out for sneak attacks.
That made things a bit trickier. Fighting alone versus protecting someone while fighting five—totally different levels of difficulty.
That’s why Linglong had to ask.
“No need to worry about me. If they come over, I’ll deal with them.” Hua Jian smiled. She loved it when people blindly charged at her.
That way, her traps could easily ensnare them—one mouthful of Magic Mist and their minds would go spinning.
But, as the young lady now, she definitely couldn’t act rashly.
Linglong was the bodyguard; it was her job to shield all danger. If Hua Jian was threatened, it was Linglong’s fault.
“If you force me to step in, you owe me a favor as compensation for failing to protect me.”
Linglong felt a little complicated at that, but still nodded.
“Deal.”
Rationally, Hua Jian was just taking advantage—after all, they weren’t really young lady and bodyguard, and Linglong wasn’t obliged to protect her.
But what did it matter between future sisters—just a bit of fun between friends.
Once their murmuring was done, the other side finally made a decision.
“Enough with the tricks. I see you’re clearly in cahoots with that little thief. Go—capture them!”
The thin cultivator nocked another arrow, but Linglong didn’t give him another chance.
Lightning moves faster than arrows.
“My young lady never intended to be your enemy, but you force us into this. Nothing more to say!” With a slash, Linglong struck the bow, her voice cold.
Light burst from the Ling Sword, leaving cracks all over the thin cultivator’s bow.
Though it didn’t shatter, it was as good as ruined—this Spirit Tool was done for.
The thin cultivator was heartbroken—Spirit Tools weren’t cheap!
Looking back, he saw his men still rooted in place and shouted, “Go! Get them!”
With this command, his men finally rushed forward, using Spirit Techniques to temporarily force Linglong back.
Linglong flipped into the air, pointed her Ling Sword at the sky, and suddenly the world changed.
When Linglong fought, it was all about making a spectacle. Never mind the damage—sound effects came first.
A bolt of Thunder came crashing down, and if the physical damage wasn’t much, the ringing in their ears would be.
Boom!
A lightning bolt as thick as a barrel split the sky, forcing the five cultivators to retreat.
Linglong held the high ground, and among Spirit Masters she was a rare expert. Her chained Thunder attacks alone were enough to keep these ordinary Spirit Masters on their toes.
And more frightening was that Linglong wasn’t just a spellcaster—her close combat was every bit as good as her spellwork.
While the others were reeling from the Thunder, Linglong darted forward and thrust her Ling Sword at the thin cultivator.
Capture the leader first—this thin cultivator was the strongest of the five; deal with him and the rest would scatter.
Faced with Linglong’s focused assault, the thin cultivator, his Spirit Tool ruined, had a massive headache. From his chosen weapon, it was clear he wasn’t skilled in close combat.
Now, chased down by Linglong, he was under huge pressure—he’d be beaten down in a few moves.
How was this damned white-haired girl so strong?
No, if this kept up, they’d lose for sure!
The thin cultivator was anxious—what could he do to turn things around? He knew the strength of his men; counting on them to save him was hopeless.
In a flash, he spotted Hua Jian standing off to the side, watching.
Hua Jian’s aura was weak, full of openings—clearly a sheltered greenhouse flower.
Judging by her and Linglong’s outfits, the two girls were definitely young ladies out for fun from a rich family.
Hua Jian was the young lady, Linglong the bodyguard.
A strong bodyguard was normal, but if there was only one… you, go grab that little girl, quick!”
They had five people. If even one caught the young lady, Linglong would have to stop.
Then, that damned white-haired girl would still die!
The four henchmen glanced from the fierce Linglong to the delicate flower that was Hua Jian and instantly agreed.
Yes—strike at the enemy’s weakness. Boss, you hold her here; we’ll grab the defenseless young lady!
“Don’t even think about it!”
Seeing the four move, Linglong immediately left the struggling thin cultivator and rushed at the four splitting off.
That confirmed all the thin cultivator’s suspicions. Hua Jian was Linglong’s weakness—a glaring, vulnerable weakness!
Lightning wove a net to block the four, but they were elite fighters.
Unafraid of the lightning, two used all their power to break a gap, escorting the other two through.
Just as those two broke through, the other two were overtaken by Linglong. In a few moves, two screams rang out.
They were weaker than the thin cultivator and no match for Linglong in full force.
With two spurts of blood, Linglong kicked the wounded men flying and continued after the other two.
She was much faster, and if nothing blocked her, she’d catch them before they reached Hua Jian.
“She’s so fast!” one of the two shouted.
They realized if no one stayed behind to delay Linglong, they’d both be caught.
But who would stay? Whoever did was doomed.
They glanced at each other and sped up—whoever ran slower would be left behind!
Lightning was even faster. Linglong’s sword was at one man’s back before they’d gone two steps.
He had no choice but to stop and fight, hoping his partner would hurry to Hua Jian and seize the ‘young lady.’
He’d seen—this young lady was dumb as a rock, just standing there petrified as they charged.
A real sheltered girl; his partner was a battle-hardened veteran and would surely grab Hua Jian in no time.
Clang!
Blocking Linglong’s sword, he felt his arms go numb. Why was this white-haired girl so strong?
Was she really a Spirit Master?
“Thief, don’t get cocky!” came an angry shout from behind— the thin cultivator had finally caught up.
Despite now fighting two at once, Linglong wasn’t afraid. Instead, she ramped up her assault, determined to defeat them before the last fish could reach Hua Jian.
The battle had only been going for a few minutes, yet Linglong had already downed two and pressed the rest.
Without Hua Jian as a target, these five would never last five minutes.
But reality was drama—Linglong not only had to win, but protect the ‘young lady.’
And Hua Jian just stood watching, not moving at all.
That made things much harder for Linglong.
Boom!
“Urgh—”
With a heavy blow, Linglong left one weaker man paralyzed and barely able to hold his weapon.
She followed up with a palm strike to his chest, sending him flying and spitting blood—a foe settled.
The last thin cultivator, weaponless and lacking in close-combat skill, was no match. Two moves and his arms were cut, a palm to the chest sent him flying.
It all happened so fast—Linglong dispatched two foes in the blink of an eye.
But still… too slow.
A hundred paces was nothing for a Spirit Master. Even as Linglong tried to stop the last enemy with Thunder, that man was nearly at Hua Jian’s side.
Linglong wouldn’t reach him in time.
“Oh, what a shame, you lost,” Hua Jian said, grinning at Linglong.
Just as she was about to give the charging cultivator a taste of Magic Mist, a black sword suddenly fell from the sky, pinning the attacker to the ground.
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