Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Fire Dragon

Greed stirs the human heart. Among Independent Cultivators, there were plenty of desperados willing to risk their lives for just a few Spirit Stones.

Yang Jing looked at the two burly men before him, unsure if they were overconfident fools or pawns sent by someone with ulterior motives.

From the perspective of a Foundation Establishment Clan as a whole, the few scraps he held were of little value, especially since they didn’t know about the existence of the Three Corpses Bone Demon Spine.

But these Foundation Establishment Clans were also made up of individuals. It was inevitable that some would be blinded by greed, willing to offend a True Disciple of the Taixu Sword Sect just to squeeze out Yang Jing’s gains.

After all, the loot in hand was real, while retaliation from a True Disciple of the Taixu Sword Sect was far from certain.

Perhaps that True Disciple had long forgotten about this Independent Cultivator. Besides, if they really did come knocking, one could just return some Spirit Stones and Magical Artifacts. How many Spirit Stones could an Independent Cultivator’s life be worth?

“Do you two realize that if you attack an Array without cause, I can kill you, and the Law Enforcement Team won’t even charge me with a crime?”

Yang Jing said.

“You damned thief! You stole my sworn brother’s Magical Artifacts and Spirit Stones, and now you want to kill us to cover up your beastly deeds!”

These two brutes were seasoned Independent Cultivators, accustomed to acting shamelessly. They completely ignored Yang Jing’s words and just kept shouting, spewing all sorts of foul language and demanding that Yang Jing return the belongings of their sworn brother, Wang Wei.

“If you don’t hand over a thousand Spirit Stones today, we two brothers will flay you alive and let everyone see the vile face hiding beneath the skin of a despicable villain!”

Their commotion attracted the other residents of San Yuanli. The Cultivators in the village, having just received Yang Jing’s help, all stepped forward to speak on his behalf. But they were mostly the old, the weak, women, and children; even in a war of words, they were no match for these two brutes.

“Brother Yang, I’ll go get the Law Enforcement Team to deal with these two scoundrels!”

Li Jingjing’s face, still holding a bit of baby fat, flushed red with anger.

Yang Jing placed a hand on hers.

“If you go for the Law Enforcement Team, you’ll be falling right into their trap. I’m afraid you’d be kidnapped the moment you stepped out of San Yuanli.”

Thinking of the horrific fate that awaited her if she were kidnapped, Li Jingjing shivered.

“Brother Yang, what should we do? If only my grandfather were still here.”

Yang Jing had her return to the group of San Yuanli Cultivators.

“According to the Dharma Scripture issued by the Six Great Sects, anyone who attacks an Array protecting another’s Cave Mansion without cause is to be treated as a Tribulation Cultivator. Folks, are you willing to bear witness for me?”

“I’ll bear witness!”

Li Jingjing was the first to cry out, and after a moment’s hesitation, the other San Yuanli Cultivators also voiced their support.

Seeing this, the two Independent Cultivators felt a flicker of fear.

“So that’s how it is! You bunch of wretches, I didn’t realize this thief had bought you all off long ago. San Yuanli has completely become a den of thieves. You have strength in numbers today, so we two brothers can’t get justice for our sworn brother Wang Wei. But from now on, you’d better watch your backs. Don’t let us find an opportunity!”

The moment they spoke, the Cultivators of San Yuanli showed looks of terror. The able-bodied men of their families had already died during the Autumn Defense. Now, with only the old and weak left, what were they to do, having been targeted by such powerful men?

“You two Tribulation Cultivators, do you really think you can escape San Yuanli today?”

Yang Jing channeled his Magical Power, and the Red Sun Jade hovered in the air. ’I need to show some of my Power,’ he decided, ’Otherwise, every small-fry will think they can walk all over me.’

“You broke through to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation?”

The older of the two brutes was shocked. The information they had said Yang Jing was only in the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation. A jealousy that gnawed at his heart immediately surged within him. Yang Jing cultivated the Five Talisman Scripture; to have reached the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation at his age was enough to join the Outer Sect of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect.

’Why are we stuck as Independent Cultivators wallowing in the mud,’ the man thought, ’while this kid can have a meteoric rise just based on a bit of luck?’

“If you think breaking through to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation is enough to oppose the two of us, you’re far too naive.”

Killing intent rose in their hearts.

’If Yang Jing were only in the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation, squeezing some wealth out of him would have been enough. But now that he’s qualified to enter the Outer Sect of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect, he has a bright future. We can’t afford his retaliation. We have to cut the weeds and pull out the roots.’

The two brothers exchanged a look, instantly understanding each other’s intent.

One of them instantly activated a Hook-shaped Spiritual Artifact to attack, while the other summoned a Profound Turtle Shield for defense. The two brothers had perfect coordination. With their Cultivation at the Sixth Stage of Qi Cultivation, they even had experience fighting together against a Late Stage Qi Cultivation expert.

’In their minds, unless Yang Jing immediately retreated into the Array behind him, he was a dead man.’

The pitch-black Hook-shaped Spiritual Artifact transformed into a streak of dark light, swooping down toward Yang Jing. Li Jingjing’s face turned deathly pale. She fumbled for her Storage Bag, trying to pull out a Talisman to relieve some of the pressure on him, but the Flying Hook was simply too fast. How could she possibly be in time?

The other San Yuanli Cultivators also wore looks of horror, unable to bear the sight. They could already picture Yang Jing being cleaved in two.

Just then, a flash of fire erupted, dazzlingly bright. A crimson Fire Dragon roared out from the Red Sun Jade. The Fire Dragon’s Scale Armor materialized, and everyone present could even faintly hear the sound of a dragon’s cry.

A trace of disdain flashed through the older brother’s mind. ’These fledglings love to put on a flashy show. They don’t even know that whether a Red Fire Spell takes the form of a fireball or a Fire Dragon, its power is more or less the same. It’s a waste of energy to shape it into a dragon; its essence is still just a Red Fire Spell.’

’How much power can a mere Red Fire Spell have? It’s nothing that can’t be scattered with a single strike.’

The next moment, the Fire Dragon roared and swallowed the Flying Hook. The Flying Hook, merely a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact, was instantly burned red-hot. The Restrictions carved into it flared brightly before extinguishing, and then it completely disintegrated.

With a sharp wail, the Divine Sense the lead brute had attached to the Flying Hook was incinerated. The excruciating pain was so intense that he started writhing on the ground.

“What kind of Magic is that?!”

His younger brother was terrified.

The next moment, the roaring Fire Dragon pounced on the Turtle Shell.

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, the terrifying heat of the Fire Dragon slammed into the Turtle Shell.

As a Defensive Spiritual Artifact, the Turtle Shell wasn’t instantly incinerated like the Flying Hook. Nevertheless, its surface was severely scorched, turning pitch-black and becoming half-destroyed.

“Mercy! Mercy! We brothers will never come to San Yuanli again!”

Seeing another Fire Dragon emerge from the Jade Pendant, the color drained from their faces, leaving them deathly pale.

“We’re not the masterminds! The mastermind is—”

Before they could finish, the Fire Dragon swooped down. This strike burned straight through the Turtle Shell, and the roaring stream of flames engulfed them both.

With a single gesture from Yang Jing, the surging flames obediently retracted into the Red Sun Jade as if an extension of his own arm, leaving only two charred corpses on the ground. After using the Red Fire to destroy the Turtle Shell Spiritual Artifact, he had intentionally held back and reduced its power to avoid incinerating their Storage Bags.

He walked forward and picked up the Storage Bags from the corpses.

’Now that my Magical Power has Spiritual Essence, controlling Magic has become remarkably effortless.’ His control over the heat had been perfect. The two Storage Bags were only slightly scorched, and the items inside were completely unharmed.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep