Chapter 289 (2): Traveling a Thousand Li to Offer Your Heads

There were tumultuous waves in the burly man's mind as he stared intensely at the young boy in white.

Since when did sword cultivators also possess such powerful physiques?

And that handsome young master standing on top of the tree is also a fucking sword cultivator who possesses a bonded flying sword... No wonder the two of them dare to carelessly venture across foreign lands.

Two sword cultivators who possess three flying swords... As long as they don't provoke those powerful immortal clans, how many vagrant cultivators will dare to challenge them even if they swagger from Jade Tablet Sect all the way to Parasol Leaf Sect?

The group of bandits consisted of all kinds of people who definitely wouldn't have gathered together during normal times. However, the lure of riches had now brought them together. Even though none of them possessed very high cultivation bases, they were each skillful in their own niche and they had also been provided with information and strategies by some powerful figures hiding behind the scenes.

Thus, the group of bandits could even attempt to kill a Golden Core Tier cultivator as long as their target didn't detect their presence beforehand. This could potentially net them immeasurable wealth.

For example, the group of bandits was intent on obtaining that young Mutton Fat Beast.

They definitely had to obtain it!

In reality, they had already overestimated the young boy and the handsome young man in their plans. However, they quickly found out that they had still underestimated their targets.

This time, there was a middle-aged sword expert to engage the young boy and the wood-element Qi refiner to take advantage of his unique skills in the mountain forest. The Qi refiner was surprisingly able to control the ancient trees, uprooting them from the ground and making them slowly stumble forward like elderly people. Meanwhile, the burly man retrieved a vermilion alchemical pill and tossed it into his mouth, causing his face to become scorching red.

He was going to summon a deity again!

The branches of the ancient trees viciously swung toward Chen Ping'an like long whips. While dodging them, Chen Ping'an also needed to avoid the one or two bursts of azure sword rays that were slashing at him from extremely deadly angles. He was walking a tightrope between life and death.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before Lu Tai used his mind's voice to teach Chen Ping'an how to deal with those strange trees. Afterward, each of Chen Ping'an's punches would precisely strike and obliterate a small line of well-concealed symbols on the large trees. Whenever these lines of symbols were destroyed, there would be a shattering silver glow before the large tree crashed to the ground. In fact, the lush green trees would instantly wither as they fell.

Lu Tai also warned Chen Ping'an that the so-called 20 seconds claimed by the old Daoist priest from the talismanic branch was potentially a lie. It was extremely likely that he could trap Chen Ping'an's two flying swords for another 30 seconds or even longer.

Chen Ping'an remained expressionless after hearing this, most likely unable to divide his attention to respond. After knocking down all of the strange trees, he found that the burly man had already succeeded in summoning a deity. Having already abandoned his two iron whips, the eyes of the burly man were snow-white and completely lacking any human emotion. It was as if he were a deity coldly peering down at the world.

However, Lu Tai was slightly astonished.

This was because he didn't detect any ripples in Chen Ping'an's mind after the young boy heard his warning. It was clear that Chen Ping'an was already well aware of the old Daoist priest's plans, or else he couldn't have been so composed.

Chen Ping'an was still very young, yet he was already an experienced veteran in the cultivation world.

Lu Tai leaned his hand against the tree trunk. Compared to Chen Ping'an's intense and chaotic battle with the group of bandits, it was truly very boring at the top of the tree.

His flying sword, Needle Tip, was unable to kill that old formation cultivator. However, the ghostly black smoke flowing from the small clay pot was also unable to threaten him.

Lu Tai casually retrieved a five-colored rope and tied it around his arm. Even though it was far inferior to the colorful ribbon that he tied around his waist when he dressed as a woman, this five-colored rope was still a very impressive immortal treasure in the eyes of ordinary Qi refiners.

Each of the five colors on the rope represented a different ability. There was the life-sustaining core that could improve his ability to absorb spiritual energy, the weapon-warding fabric that could increase his resistance to attacks from weapons—naturally not all weapons, else this would be a pseudo-celestial tool rather than an immortal treasure—the evil-warding rope that had a sentient miniature snake proudly raising its head and able to blow away sinister and murderous auras, the sword-spitting thread that could independently fly forth and act like a flying sword controlled by a sword expert, and finally the thin and small demon-binding chain.

This immortal treasure was powerful in the sense that it was all-encompassing and able to provide both offensive and defensive benefits.

At the end of the day, however, everyone would be afraid of being exhausted to death if they weren't Golden Core Tier cultivators one or two tiers more powerful than their opponents.

Luckily, there was Chen Ping'an to draw fire from the enemies today. Sitting there with nothing to do, Lu Tai felt a rare sense of guilt. He had indeed been too careless this time, failing to take into account the audacity of these people. Not only did they dare to gather a large group of cultivators to hunt him and Chen Ping'an, but they were even determined enough to tail them for an entire 500 kilometers.

In the battlefield to the north, the heart of the demonic cultivator was most likely aching as he watched the continually dispersing clouds of black smoke. He turned to the old Daoist priest and shouted, "Do you still have any Dry Well Talismans? If you do, then hurry up and activate one! Count this one on me, and I'll find the money to repay you later!"

The old Daoist priest hopped in anger and scolded, "I have your mom!"

Rage welled up in the demonic cultivator's heart, yet he could only forcefully suppress this feeling and prevent it from exploding. There was ample time in the future to settle these debts with the stinky old Daoist priest.

The old Daoist priest thought very lowly of that demonic cultivator who was neither human nor ghost. Seemingly afraid of the 20 seconds elapsing, he subtly shook his sleeves as if preparing something.

The two talismans trapping First and Fifteenth started to shudder more and more violently.

There was unspeakable pain in the old Daoist priest's mind.

Just as Lu Tai speculated, he had been purposely deceiving Chen Ping'an by claiming that his talismans could only last for another 20 seconds just then. He hoped that Chen Ping'an would mistakenly believe he could retrieve his flying swords after 20 seconds and use them to attack his opponents.

However, the old Daoist priest was stuck in an awkward and painful situation right now. As it turned out, the two exorbitantly expensive talismans were indeed only able to trap the flying swords for another 20 seconds, not 40 seconds as he had initially anticipated!

The talismans were known as Dry Well Talismans.

They specialized in subduing bonded flying swords.

In order to create one such talisman, there was a need to manufacture seven small nails from lightning strike wood and place them in the pattern of the Big Dipper. Afterward, this pattern needed to be embedded into a unique type of talisman paper using some secret technique.

In addition, one also needed to collect one ounce of flying dirt that had landed after being brought up by the tail end of a gale. Moreover, this gale needed to be the Northwest Gale, one of the eight types of gales. The symbol illustrated on the talisman needed to be that of a sword trapped in the center of a three-by-three grid. The characters "cease moving" also needed to be written on the backside of the talisman.

This would form the main component of the Dry Well Talisman. Apart from this, however. there were still other branch components that required many steps to complete.

The Dry Well Talisman was a high-grade secret talisman from a heretical talismanic branch in Parasol Leaf Continent. Even though it was inferior to the so-called Sword Scabbard Talisman and Mountain Sealing Talisman that Lu Tai had mentioned before, it was still very powerful and not to be underestimated. Indeed, this was a type of life-saving talisman that Middle Five Tier cultivators used against powerful sword cultivators. As such, they were worth a huge sum of money.

Creating a Dry Well Talisman that required many types of different materials was extremely time-consuming and even more money-consuming.

If this talisman were summoned within 30 meters of a flying sword, it could trap the flying sword as if caging a person and completely restrict it from moving.

The grade of the talisman determined how long it could trap a flying sword.

If the person who had summoned the talisman desired to undo the restriction, they simply needed to reverse their command, flick their sleeve, and blow some air. Upon doing this, the flying sword trapped in the center of the nine grids would regain freedom and be able to fly away.

Some people sharpened their swords for 10 years, and the old Daoist priest had similarly refined his talisman for 10 years. Thus, its value and preciousness to him couldn't be understated.

The fights on both battlefields were in full swing.

Deep in the mountain forest, there were two people observing the fights from a distance.

They were watching the fire from the opposite shore.

One person was none other than the cultivator who had wanted to purchase the Mutton Fat Beast and had engaged in a bidding war with Lu Tai. He was short in stature, and his appearance was also quite unremarkable. Right now, there was a hint of smugness on his face.

The other person was a sword practitioner wearing a red robe with a sword hanging by his waist. He was tall and slender, and he radiated with an elegant and dignified aura. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword as he observed the battles in the distance, and he smiled faintly and commented, "Everyone thought you were making a mountain out of a molehill before. Even I was no exception. However, the current situation proves that your caution was completely justified. It's thanks to your prudence that I'm spared so much trouble."

The man in red was a sword practitioner at the peak stage of the sixth tier of martial arts.

Disregarding the cultivators from the mountains, he could already be regarded as a sword grandmaster in the cultivation world of Parasol Leaf Continent. His face was still smooth and jade-like even though he was already over 70 years old. For the past few decades, he had carried his sword and traveled across a dozen or so nations, rarely coming across anyone powerful enough to challenge him.

Moreover, the sword by his waist was a peerlessly sharp immortal treasure. Because of this, the martial artist sword practitioner dared to claim that he could wound his opponents with a single sword strike as long as they were under the level of Golden Core Tier earth immortals. Not only that, but he could kill his opponents with a single sword strike as long as they were under the Dragon Gate Tier. Few cultivators from the mountains or the cultivation world questioned this claim.

His might was recognized far and wide, and his graceful bearing was also known to be unparalleled. Many young women adored this sword practitioner from the cultivation world who wasn't seeking to obtain longevity. In fact, there were even unsubstantiated rumors about him having relationships with the empress of Cloud Foothill Nation's Zhao Clan.

As for the gallant women and celestial maidens from renowned forces in the cultivation world, countless of them revered and respected this powerful sword practitioner in red robes.

The short and unremarkable cultivator smiled and said, "It's a habit of mine to be so cautious. I suffered far too many losses and experienced far too many painful experiences during my youth, so I always keep in mind one thing—people from the cultivation world like us need to use our full strength when we're targeting immortals from strong clans or forces, regardless of how powerful or weak they are. We need to kill them with a single strike. Otherwise, we can only achieve a pyrrhic victory if we're lucky enough to win. We won't make a big profit."

The sword practitioner in red smiled and replied, "Ma Wanfa, we already agreed that I would only watch over the situation for you and prevent any accidents from occurring. That sword owned by the young boy in white already belongs to me. Now that an unforeseen circumstance has appeared, it seems like I genuinely need to go over to kill the enemies. Since that's the case..."

Ma Wanfa nodded and said, "I can't give you the Sword Nurturing Gourd, but it's not like you're a sword cultivator anyway. However, there's at least one pocket treasure between those two young cultivators, and I'll naturally need to retrieve its contents to share with everyone. However, I can give you the pocket treasure. What do you say?"

"Absolutely brilliant," the sword practitioner in red replied with a smile.

Ma Wanfa hesitated for a moment before adding, "Even though the outcome is already set in stone, we still need to be cautious when fighting against our enemies. The young boy in white is most likely out of tricks already. However, that feminine-looking young man might still be able to put up a fight. Maybe you should deal with him first? That way, the young boy won't be able to make a ripple either."

The sword practitioner in red shook his head and replied, "That young man on the tree has a defensive immortal treasure on his arm as well as a flying sword flying around in a hidden manner, so it's very difficult for me to launch a sneak attack on him and kill him in a single strike. On the other hand, I can kill that young boy in white in a single strike.

"At that time, the young man who's even more delicate than women will definitely become flustered upon realizing that his companion is dead. When that moment comes, it matters little whether I go over to kill him or you personally join the battle and kill him."

Ma Wanfa thought about this for a moment before nodding and replying, "That sounds like a good plan."

He then chuckled, "The two Dry Well Talismans summoned by the old Daoist priest are almost about to fail, so when are you going to act?"

"Right now!"

The sword practitioner in red had already disappeared into the distance, yet his voice still lingered in his original position.

The twigs where he had stood before didn't move a single bit.

This was a reflection of the agile nature and profound martial arts skills of this grandmaster from the cultivation world.

On the battlefield to the south, Chen Ping'an was still engaged in a battle of attrition with the burly man who had successfully summoned a deity. The burly man now had the help of two others, so it appeared as if the chaotic battle was going to continue for a very long time.

A ray of red shot down from the sky as quickly as lightning, instantly tearing apart the battlefield and filling heaven and earth with murderous sword qi.

A sword left its scabbard and pierced at the heart of the young boy in white.

The sword unsurprisingly struck its target.

The corners of the sword practitioner's lips curled up into a slight smile. This was interesting yet uninteresting as always.

He had slain another so-called cultivation prodigy.

In the next moment, however, the sword practitioner in red was just about to shoot back in retreat. Not only that, but he was even planning to abandon his sword, a precious immortal treasure.

This was because staying alive was the most important.

Everyone on the battlefield had their eyes bulging and their mouths agape with shock. The grandmaster sword practitioner had been far too imposing when charging over just then, so everyone had stopped their movements lest they accidentally interfere and ruin the sword practitioner's plans.

They didn't want the sword practitioner to casually turn around and stab them to death after killing the young boy in white with a single slash. They didn't want to become collateral damage, as the sword practitioner would surely put it.

Moreover, one less person would mean extra spoils for everyone else, so which of the surviving bandits wouldn't be happy about this?

However, what happened next was an unforgettable memory that would be seared into their minds forever.

After the young boy in white was stabbed in the heart by the sword practitioner in red...

Dazzling ripples spread from the point where the sword had struck, causing the snow-white robe to reveal its true appearance.

It was a golden robe!

It was as if there were countless flood dragons hidden among the golden sea of clouds drifting across the robe.

Chen Ping'an didn't purposely suppress the might of this Dao robe, an immortal relic of a foreign immortal, anymore. He no longer revealed weaknesses and gaps in his defense on purpose. He didn't seek to become wounded to make himself appear bloody.

Thus, the sword practitioner's attack was completely unable to pierce through the golden robe.

Lu Tai hadn't said anything.

However, Chen Ping'an had been waiting for this moment the entire time.

He had been waiting for the mighty figures in the background to step forward and launch the decisive blow.

Chen Ping'an wouldn't lose anything if they didn't step forward.

However, he would reap huge rewards if they decided to step forward.

Having traveled all the way here, from the first time he had left Jewel Small World to accompany the children to the academy in Great Sui Nation, to the second time he had left his hometown to deliver a sword to Stalactite Mountain, and finally to his journey right now...

Chen Ping'an had remained extremely cautious the entire time, seeking the ideal of "not doing wrong" day after day. And now, Chen Ping'an's caution was finally bringing him rewards.

At this instant...

The sword practitioner in red had only just let go of his sword, yet the young boy before him was striding forward without a care in the world even though there was a sword attempting to pierce through his chest. The young boy reached back and unsheathed his sword.

He beheaded the sword practitioner with a single slash.

Even Lu Tai was stunned by what he saw. He then looked around and smiled beautifully at the terrified bandits, remarking, "Ah, you people... Traveling a thousand li to offer your heads, it's the thought rather than the gift that really counts."[1]

Chen Ping'an slid Lasting Qi back inside its scabbard. After walking several steps forward, he stood still before reaching down with his other hand to lightly grab the hilt of his fallen foe's sword.

He was holding this sword backward.

He appeared a little bit carefree and graceful at this moment.

1. This is a play on the saying, "Travel a thousand li to bestow a goose feather, a small gift may be a token of profound friendship." It refers to a trivial present with deep feelings behind it. ☜