Chapter 60, Rogue Cultivators Discord and to the Rescue

Translator: Raznick

 

The Red Rock Mountains stretched for two or three hundred miles. Aside from the Red Cliff Market, there were no other cultivator factions present in this vast expanse.

 

However, due to the presence of the market, cultivators frequently came and went, making it difficult for demon beasts to survive in the area. The closer one got to the market, the fewer wild animals were found. After all, although beasts lacked intelligence, their instinct to avoid danger kept them at a safe distance.

 

This made Zhou Chun’s task of hunting enough game near the market to feed his Silver Thunder Python and Rock Turtle challenging. He wandered the forests within three miles of the market for half an hour, managing only to hunt a few rabbits and wild chickens—meager prey that could barely satisfy the python’s hunger.

 

This was hardly worth the trouble of taking a leave from his duties. After hesitating, Zhou Chun decided to venture further into the mountains.

 

As he moved deeper into the forest, approximately ten miles away, the number of wild animals increased. Zhou Chun didn’t have much difficulty in securing two deers and a wild boar.

 

The meat was enough to give the spirit pets a hearty meal.

 

He released the two spirit pets and allowed them to eat right there, not wanting to dirty his storage bag.

 

However, as soon as the Silver Thunder Python consumed one wild deer and the Rock Turtle finished half of a wild boar, loud sounds of combat erupted from the nearby forest.

 

Zhou Chun’s face tightened. He retrieved the Silver Thunder Python, which had just finished eating one deer, into its spirit beast pouch.

 

He hesitated for a moment before issuing an order to the Rock Turtle to speed up its feeding. Meanwhile, he placed the other wild deer carcass into his storage bag.

 

After waiting for a few minutes, the Rock Turtle finished the remaining half of the boar, even crushing the head with one claw and eating it clean.

 

The noises from the distant forest, however, showed no signs of stopping. In fact, trees had been set on fire.

 

Zhou Chun hesitated no longer. He retrieved the Rock Turtle into his spirit beast pouch and moved to leave.

 

But before he could walk a hundred meters, a loud shout from the forest caused him to stop in his tracks.

 

“Liu Shiyun,” the voice boomed, “don’t you care what will happen to your father ify ou flee?”

 

[Is that female cultivator?]

 

Zhou Chun’s mind conjured up the image of a veiled young woman in green robes.

 

The profit he had gained from selling the Red Crystal Mushroom was enormous, so Zhou Chun naturally remembered the names of that day’s Liu family father and daughter quite distinctly.

 

“Third Aunt He, one day everyone will know of your persecution of my father and me! I’ll make you pay, even if I have to become a cauldron for someone!”

 

A voice filled with hatred reverberated through the mountains.

 

Because he had not heard the sound of the green-clad maiden speaking on that day, Zhou Chun could not at this moment identify the speaker by her voice. But his curiosity was indeed piqued.

 

By the sound of it, it seemed that the Liu father and daughter were likely victims of someone they knew who had betrayed them.

 

But they, as mere rogue cultivators, had nothing of value to make acquaintances disregard their friendship and plot against them.

 

Zhou Chun’s mind buzzed with all sorts of suspicions, his curiosity piqued.

 

He remembered that Liu’s daughter was only at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining Stage in her cultivation.

 

For someone of such low cultivation to manage an escape and even resort to plotting against them implied that their pursuers couldn’t be too formidable.

 

With this thought in mind, Zhou Chun formed hand seals to cast the Soaring Art upon himself and hurried toward the noise.

 

As he got closer, he spotted the two individuals.

 

He was correct in his suspicions—the owner of the clear, young voice was none other than that mysterious veiled girl from earlier.

 

The other voice belonged to a charming woman in purple robes, who was at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.

 

At that moment, both the woman and the veiled girl were each commanding their artifacts in combat, so absorbed in their battle that they failed to notice a third party had arrived.

 

Zhou Chun silently reached down to his storage bag and summoned out the Shooting Moon Edge.

 

“Who’s there?”

 

Despite Zhou Chun’s efforts to conceal his manipulation of the artifact, it did not escape the notice of the robed woman, who immediately activated a blue ribbon to shield herself.

 

However, the robed woman could never have anticipated that her opponent was not only a late Qi Refining cultivator but also unleashed a superior first-grade artifact from the very beginning.

 

Under the relentless onslaught of the silver-black circular artifact, Zhou Chun’s Shooting Moon Edge cleaved through her sash effortlessly, reducing it to rags. The same fate awaited her well-proportioned figure, which was severed into two, creating a scene so gruesome it was highly unsettling.

 

This grotesque sight even caused the previously hateful girl to let out a cry of surprise and quickly look away, unable to bear witness to the bloodied remains on the ground.

 

This incident led Zhou Chun to hastily clarify: “Fellow Daoist Liu, there’s no need to panic! It is I!”

 

Upon hearing his voice, Liu Shiyun also turned her head towards him.

 

Fortunately for Zhou Chun, Liu Shiyun possessed an unexpectedly good memory—or perhaps it was due to his strikingly handsome and memorable appearance—the woman immediately recognized him and addressed him with uncertainty: “Are you the young manager from the Spirit Beast Pavilion?”

 

“Exactly!”

 

Zhou Chun nodded and then explained with a serious expression: “I was hunting nearby when I heard Fellow Daoist Liu’s voice and realized an old acquaintance was in danger. That’s why I stepped in to help.”

 

After finishing his explanation, he didn’t wait for Liu Shiyun’s response. Instead, he looked gravely at the direction Liu Shiyun had come from and asked: “Is it your father dueling with someone over there? Who is the enemy, and what is their cultivation?”

 

Liu Shiyun suddenly snapped out of her daze at the mention of her father.

 

In an instant, she knelt on the ground, bowing repeatedly to Zhou Chun and pleaded: “Please, Shopkeeper Zhou, save my father! I am willing to work like a slave to repay your kindness!”

 

Zhou Chun, seeing this, quickly helped her up and said: “Fellow Daoist Liu, why such formality? Please get up and tell me what’s going on!”

 

Saving someone was nice and all, but only if it was possible. He didn’t want to rush into a rescue without knowing how many enemies there were or their cultivation.

 

The last thing he wanted was to end up rescuing no one and losing his own life in the process.

 

Fortunately, Liu Shiyun’s response eased Zhou Chun’s worries.

 

It turned out that only two people were attacking Lou Qingshan at the moment. One was a cultivator in the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining, and the other was a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. Both were rogue cultivators, just like Lou Qingshan.

 

Since this was the case, Zhou Chun had no reason to hesitate anymore.

 

He immediately waved his sleeve, summoning his flying artifact, and sped towards where Lou Qingshan was.

 

The flying artifact naturally traveled much faster than the Soaring Art technique, and Zhou Chun arrived at the battle in no time.

 

Just in time, too. Lou Qingshan was already exhausted and about to be killed.

 

Zhou Chun descended like a heavenly warrior, instantly shielding Lou Qingshan with his body. He then reached for the spirit beast pouch at his waist, releasing the Rock Turtle.

 

As soon as he did that, Zhou Chun spoke words that would reassure Lou Qingshan.

 

“Fellow Daoist Liu, do not worry. Your dear is fine, and I have come here to save you at her request.”

 

Lou Qingshan’s face eased in relief, and the gratitude in his gaze towards Zhou Chun was unmistakeable.

 

But the two individuals attacking Lou Qingshan were suddenly filled with shock. One of them, a burly, round-bellied bald man, immediately shot him a murderous glance, his eyes wide as copper bells, roaring at Zhou Chun: “What did you do to her? What have you done to Third Aunt?”

 

“Killed her, of course,” Zhou Chun replied calmly.

 

It only work to send bald man into a rage. He bellowed like a wounded beast, screaming repeatedly: “Ahh! You’re dead, you hear? Dead!” His anger seemed to know no bounds, as if he had lost his wife.

 

He brandished a blood-red axe and launched it toward Zhou Chun in a swift slash. At the same time, he reached into his storage bag and pulled out several talismans, unleashing them without looking at Zhou Chun.

 

This sudden turn of events left Zhou Chun momentarily puzzled, trying to comprehend why the man was reacting so vehemently. However, he swiftly instructed the Rock Turtle to activate Stone Wall, shielding himself and Lou Qingshan behind its protective barrier. Simultaneously, he summoned a jet-black shield, which hovered around him.

 

He followed by gesturing and unleashing his secret art, Elemental Armor Art.

 

At this point, the bald seemed to have gone completely mad.

 

Even though Zhou Chun’s Stone Wall was high in front of him, he could have easily used his artifact to bypass it and attack Zhou Chun.

 

Instead, he swung his axe furiously at the wall.

 

Meanwhile, the other middle-aged man who had been attacking Lou Qingshan alongside him did not join in the assault on Zhou Chun. Instead, he took advantage of the bald man’s distraction to run away.

 

“Damn, Guo Dahu is escaping! Fellow Daoist, he musn’t get away!”

 

Lou Qingshan noticed this and hurriedly warned Zhou Chun.

 

“Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Liu. He won’t get far!”

 

Zhou Chun replied, then instructed the Rock Turtle to protect Lou Qingshan while dealing with the bald man.

 

For his part, Zhou Chun swiftly summoned Shooting Moon Edge and pursued Guo Dahu who was fleeing.

 

As soon as Zhou Chun made a move, that bald immediately turned his axe towards him with bloodshot eyes, intent on protecting Guo Dahu’s escape. Yet, looking at his furious demeanor, it seemed he was solely focused on avenging Third Aunt by slaying Zhou Chun.

 

Zhou Chun, who had been traversing the cultivation world for several years, was encountering such a person for the first time. He didn’t wish to engage in a prolonged struggle and directly deployed his black iron shield to parry the axe strike, continuing his pursuit of Guo Dahu.

 

Meanwhile, Rock Turtle struck the ground, causing sharp rock spikes to burst forth from the earth, pinning the bald man beneath them. Then, it unleashed a mouthful of yellowish light that transformed into a massive stone boulder, the size of a wheel, which crashed down onto the bald man.

 

In this manner, under Rock Turtle’s relentless assault, despite the bald man’s intense hatred for Zhou Chun, he was powerless to stop him from departing.