Chapter 204 : Counterattack

Chapter 204: Counterattack

“Senior Lei, I wish to buy some third-rank demon beast flesh and blood, as well as armor materials from third-rank demon beasts.”

Lin Chang’an respectfully bowed, stating his purpose.

The butcher with the surname Lei, upon hearing that it was a big customer, immediately squeezed out a smile from the fat on his face.

“Good, good, I didn’t expect young friend to be such a big customer.”

Facing the false core cultivator’s warm smile, Lin Chang’an dared not show the slightest negligence. He respectfully nodded, then stepped aside.

The man opened his shop for business. Though he seemed rough, in reality, he was crude on the outside but meticulous within. While ordering his puppet underlings to chop meat with a broad grin, he secretly transmitted his voice in communication.

“Young friend, which part of the beast’s hide do you require? You should know that the price of different parts varies greatly.”

“Senior, I and my friend wish to craft an inner armor, and we would like a part with better quality material.”

“Inner armor? Then it must be from the softer parts. The price won’t be cheap.”

Lin Chang’an continued his respectful exchange, but upon hearing the price, he couldn’t help but show a pained expression.

Truly extortionate.

The price was thirty percent higher than what he had inquired before.

But there was no choice. In this place, this was simply how the trade worked.

Lin Chang’an didn’t bother bargaining and directly completed the transaction.

The moment he received the spirit stones, the fat butcher Lei instantly revealed a hearty smile.

“Good! Little brother is straightforward. I, Fatty Lei, like straightforward people such as you. Though this demon beast hide is from old stock, the flesh and blood are guaranteed fresh.”

Fatty Lei’s smile was wide, though behind him, inside the iron cage, the quasi–third-rank demon beast’s miserable wails spoiled the atmosphere.

Lin Chang’an saw clearly: the quasi–third-rank demon beast was howling in pain as the puppets sliced chunks of flesh off its body. Yet, thanks to the beast’s powerful constitution, it was not fatal.

They then force-fed it to recover its wounds, only to repeat the process for continual use.

But for a true third-rank demon beast, it was different. A false core cultivator did not have the power to imprison one alive for such torment.

A large, fat piece of demon beast flesh was brought out, carefully sliced into thin pieces by the puppets.

The beast’s blood was stored inside a wine jar.

In the end, even the third-rank demon beast’s bones tempted Lin Chang’an so much that he bought two more. Whether for medicinal baths or for boiling soup, they were great nourishing materials.

Seeing the large transaction, Fatty Lei laughed and slapped his belly.

“Young friend is generous! I, Fatty Lei, will gift you an extra three catties of beast meat.”

“Many thanks, Senior Lei.”

“What senior? From now on, when you come to my shop, just call me Fatty Lei.”

This manner made Lin Chang’an force an awkward smile. But he truly did not dare casually call a false core cultivator “Fatty Lei.”

Their cultivations were worlds apart.

Clearly, the man was in such good spirits because he was satisfied with the large amount Lin Chang’an had purchased in one go, despite the already inflated prices here.

Just as Lin Chang’an respectfully stored away the demon beast meat and blood and prepared to leave, Fatty Lei swept his eyes around the shop and suddenly his smile vanished, letting out a cold snort.

“Anyone who dares spy in Fatty Lei’s shop, they’d better pray I never find out. Otherwise, one day I’ll chop them up and hang them here for sale.”

Lin Chang’an’s expression instantly grew solemn. He knew Fatty Lei was warning others.

Yet from the corner of his eye, he saw the corpse of a Foundation Establishment cultivator hanging on an iron hook.

“Isn’t that Old Third He?”

“He actually ended up being sold here.”

The corpse of Old Third He, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, hung from an iron hook. His eyes stared wide open in death, unwilling, as the puppets shaved away his flesh piece by piece under everyone’s gaze.

“Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator’s flesh! Truly nourishing. Any Daoists in need? Even if you don’t consume it yourself, feeding it to your spirit pets will greatly benefit them…”

“I’ll take it. My giant python has long been starving. Don’t chop it for me.”

“Give me the cultivator’s essence blood…”

Watching the lively trade, Lin Chang’an drew a deep breath and stepped out of the butcher shop.

He had already prepared himself mentally before coming.

“As expected, this place is utterly vicious. That cultivator who just bought essence blood clearly cultivates a demonic method.”

After living for over a hundred years, Lin Chang’an was no stranger to cannibalistic worlds—even among mortals such things existed.

He was only secretly shaken by what he had observed just now.

A cultivator with abnormal qi and blood—Lin Chang’an had clearly sensed the tyrannical, chaotic, and disordered mana within him.

Many demonic cultivation methods were like this: extremely powerful, advancing swiftly, but burdened with immense drawbacks.

“Though it is a land of chaos, even chaos has its own rules.”

Lin Chang’an shook his head, dismissing the thought. Instead, his heart eased. At last, the materials he had long planned for his talisman treasure were secured.

The beast hide could be tanned into talisman paper. The demon beast essence blood, though a great tonic, could also be refined into cinnabar.

As for the third-rank demon beast flesh, it was an immense tonic as well—whether for body refinement or otherwise, it had great benefits.

This trip had finally fulfilled his goals.

“Though it was dangerous, once I return, I can begin preparations for crafting the talisman treasure.”

Lin Chang’an felt fortunate. He had originally only intended to scout, not expecting such luck.

Who would have thought everything he sought would be available.

“Fortunately, the requirements of this magical treasure are not overly strict.”

The Blood Fiend Sword belonged to the category of demonic treasures, refined from metallic materials, and imbued with blood fiend energy.

So long as it wasn’t materials with lightning or anti-demonic attributes, it could be forged.

Afterward, Lin Chang’an wandered the marketplace a bit longer. The prices here were indeed high, so he only purchased a few rare resources.

Though he had plenty of spirit stones, he was not wasteful.

Later, he contacted Hu Jin with a voice-transmission talisman. Both of them had also procured some rare resources, and they regrouped in the marketplace before preparing to leave.

……

Inside the marketplace, one cultivator after another wore malicious, fiendish expressions. They all seemed like robber cultivators.

In the shadows, several pairs of eyes followed Lin Chang’an and Hu Jin, exchanging words in secret.

“These two must be carrying a fortune in spirit stones. My spirit pet may be poor in combat, but its sense of smell is unmatched. As long as they carry a large amount of spirit stones, it can detect them.”

A masked cultivator spoke gloomily, and the others secretly nodded.

“We’ve tailed them a while. The items they bought are unique to our market. They must be outsiders.”

Indeed, cultivators like Lin Chang’an and Hu Jin, who only purchased unique resources, stood out to anyone observing carefully.

It was clear they avoided wasting spirit stones on things available outside.

“Two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Let’s call for more help.”

“Outsiders—if they had real backing, they wouldn’t risk coming here to shop. Let’s go!”

……

Lin Chang’an and Hu Jin left the marketplace and, under the dim night sky, flew on their swords.

“Old Lin, we’ve got tails. Looks like we’ve been marked.”

As soon as they left, Hu Jin noticed the pursuit, and Lin Chang’an’s brows furrowed.

“To think we were so cautious, and still got spotted.”

“No choice. Even if our baleful qi isn’t weak, some with experience can still tell.”

Old Hu spoke grimly. Any cultivator lurking here was a desperado.

The two flew swiftly on their swords, but those behind weren’t slow either. Lin Chang’an’s hopes of shaking them off quickly vanished.

Out of caution, Lin Chang’an frowned, then raised his hand and summoned the flying vessel he had obtained from that female cultivator earlier.

“Old Hu, I bought this flying vessel at the marketplace. Once we return, I’ll have to trouble you to remodel it.”

As Lin Chang’an summoned the vessel, Hu Jin boarded and couldn’t help but reveal envy.

“A top-grade flying vessel, Old Lin, you’re really generous.”

“For survival. If I’m stingy, one day I may not even live.”

Lin Chang’an said irritably. He wasn’t afraid of Hu Jin knowing about this spirit vessel.

After all, any spirit artifacts bought in the Fog Sea of Tongtian marketplaces were all shady.

Thus, having Old Hu alter its appearance was only natural.

This was also the first thing many cultivators did after acquiring illicit magical artifacts.

After all, if some misunderstandings could be avoided, it was best to avoid them.

“Should you ask me to refine a top-grade spirit artifact for you, this Old Hu doesn’t have that ability. But if you want me to alter its appearance, that’s easy enough.”

Old Hu patted his chest and guaranteed.

After the two of them changed to a flying vessel, their speed became much faster.

This flying vessel, under its soaring speed, surged up to another level.

However, the five pursuers behind them clearly noticed the speed at which the cultivators ahead were escaping.

“Still a big catch. They actually even have a top-grade flying vessel.”

“Everyone, stop holding back. I have a top-grade flying artifact here. Later, I’ll take an extra ten percent of the spoils.”

“Alright!”

Among the five robber cultivators behind, all with cold and indifferent smiles, one summoned a gourd-shaped flying artifact and shot forward at high speed.

……

In this chase and escape, Lin Chang’an and Old Hu couldn’t help but frown.

“Truly relentless.”

Lin Chang’an and Hu Jin exchanged glances, both revealing a trace of killing intent.

Though the two of them were rogue cultivators, who normally avoided trouble, it didn’t mean they were afraid of trouble.

The robber cultivators here were all desperadoes who had killed their way out. But were they not the same?

“Haha, the two Daoist friends in front, leave behind your storage pouches, and we’ll let you go.”

A jeering voice came from behind. Yet another of them let out a cold shout and directly dived into the sea. In the next instant, a water-attribute demon beast surged forward at high speed, no slower than the flying vessel.

“Kill!”

Lin Chang’an and Hu Jin did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately unleashed their killing moves.

Lin Chang’an drew nine second-rank high-grade Thunderclap Talismans. Tearing through the void, nine lightning spears struck forth in an instant.

This caused the faces of the robber cultivators behind to change drastically.

“Arrogant!”

“Stay here for this old man!”

Old Hu, ruthless as well, sacrificed a gourd. One by one, fiery-glowing beads shot out as streaks of light.

“Taste this old man’s Thunderstrike Beads!”

As an artifact refiner, Hu Jin normally didn’t forge such terrifying explosive beads. These were made from leftover scraps saved over time, refined with true fire.

Their power was immense.

“Die!”

The five robber cultivators were all ruthless veterans. Although their combat experience was rich, it was precisely because they were acting together as five.

Not only did they fail to unleash full combat strength, but each kept holding back, waiting to conserve power for when it came time to divide the spoils.

To fight fiercely was no skill—having the strength left afterward to seize spoils was what mattered.

Lin Chang’an and Old Hu, however, fought with astonishing strength even against five opponents.

Yet, in the midst of the chaotic battle, Lin Chang’an suddenly used several talismans as a feint, then turned and escaped on the flying vessel.

“Old Lin! You bastard!”

“Old Hu, forgive me. The enemies are simply too many.”

The sudden change left Old Hu utterly shocked, while the five robber cultivators seized the chance to burst into mocking laughter.

“Haha, it seems your companion can’t be trusted.”

“Stay here.”

Abandoned alone, Old Hu’s face twisted into madness as he roared:

“Since there’s no way for me to live, then let’s all die together!”

From behind came the sound of violent explosions. The fleeing Lin Chang’an revealed a strange expression.

He had confidence Old Hu could hold on—after all, Old Hu still had a talisman treasure.

“This place is perilous. I must finish this quickly. If more robber cultivators are drawn here, it’ll be troublesome.”

With solemn gaze, Lin Chang’an locked onto a small reef island ahead.

This is the place!

……

“Where are you running?”

“Kid, if I catch you later, you’ll suffer bitterly!”

Chased by five robber cultivators, Old Hu fled in panic, covered in dirt and ash.

Yet, in the eyes of the five, only greed shone.

The spirit artifacts and magical tools on this man—one after another—he was a great catch.

But indeed tricky. Even with their five-man team, he could still escape.

Still, each of the five harbored their own schemes, their eyes shifting secretly, holding back part of their strength.

After all, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who fought with his life on the line was no easy opponent.

Under thunderous magical attacks, the sounds in Old Hu’s ears caused his expression to change. He suddenly feigned being struck by a spell, tumbling from the air into the sea.

Splash!

Water splashed everywhere. The next instant, Old Hu clambered out of the sea in a wretched state. This scene made the five nod secretly.

So it seemed this man truly had reached the end of his rope.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s join forces and take him down, before others catch wind.”

“Good. Stop holding back. Attack!”

Amid booming sounds, Old Hu fell again, this time toward a reef island in the distance.

On that reef, Lin Chang’an, hidden in the shadows, cursed inwardly. These men were truly sneaky old foxes.

Even against one opponent, they still maintained a highly cautious formation.

If he activated the formation, it could only trap three—there was no way to take down the other two.

But he did not hesitate. The chance for battle was fleeting!

【Blood Fiend Scarlet Sun Formation · Activate】

In an instant, the reef was enveloped in a blood-red formation barrier.

“Not good, it’s an ambush!”

The robber cultivator riding a water beast cried out with lingering fear. Just as he was congratulating himself for being cautious, a sword radiance surged from beneath the water.

It was Lin Chang’an, lying in ambush below. With the sword light he had been charging, he instantly arrived before the enemy.

In the disbelieving gaze of his foe, the sword radiance erupted with terrifying power.

“How is this possible!”

Seeing his defensive spirit artifact shattered in a single strike, its glow dimming, and even his mana shield cracking apart, the robber cultivator’s expression changed drastically.

At that very moment, a streak of golden light struck from behind.

Crack!

The mana shield shattered instantly. Before the man could react, his head burst like a watermelon.

The residual force pierced even his water-attribute spirit pet. With a beastly cry, blood spread across the sea’s surface.

When the golden light emerged again, the golden Wind-Chirp Bird held a second-rank demon core in its beak and clutched the cultivator’s storage pouch.

All of it happened in an instant.

Only one robber cultivator remained. In his terror, he faced Lin Chang’an’s terrifying sword radiance.

“How can he be this strong!”

Sword radiance condensed around Lin Chang’an, ready to strike or defend.

“Trying to flee? Now it’s too late.”

Lin Chang’an sneered coldly. Yet, seeing the Wind-Chirp Bird still busy gathering spoils after finishing the kill, he cursed inwardly.

“What are you standing around for!”

This bird was truly obsessed with wealth!