Fang Xing left the city with Chu Ci at four in the morning to be on the safe side.

　　As they left the inn, the City of Appointed General grew rather lively. On the roofs and within the alleyways, a countless number of silhouettes focused their attention on him and followed along close behind. The cultivation levels of this group of people were all different—some in Spirit Stage, others in Foundation Stage—but their chilling gazes were all directed towards Fang Xing and Chu Ci from far. They followed the pair out of the city like a pack of hungry wolves while their murderous intent stirred up the peaceful night sky.

　　The special characteristics of the mysterious coffin made it so only young elites were able to get their hands on it, but more than just young elites had been lured here by the grand opportunity. There were plenty of people from all walks of life who’d heard the news and gathered just outside the Beast Exhausting Range to see if they could earn something from it as well.

　　These people all had different preferences on what to target to gain something and their methods were all very diverse as well, but no matter their targets or their methods, Fang Xing was one fat sheep that couldn’t be missed. A little Foundation Stage cultivator who was actually carrying hundreds or even thousands of supreme-grade Spirit Stones…. This was simply tossing a slab of meat in front of some hungry hounds—of course they’d try to eat it!

　　Fang Xing had sensed this hidden danger well in advance and looked rather relaxed and casual. It was Chu Ci who was feeling rather terrified from this strong murderous intent; she grasped tightly onto Fang Xing’s arm and looked nervously in all directions as they walked.

　　A mere thirty miles out of the city, a grey-robed elderly man appeared from beneath a dried old tree to block their path. “Please wait, little friend!”

　　Fang Xing recognized this old man as the guardian of that Shimei Fu and smiled. “What are you doing blocking our path here, old man?”

　　“You’ve upset my young miss. I am here specifically to take your life,” the grey-robed old man calmly replied. As he spoke, his Qi began to accumulate and his murderous intent rose, revealing his cultivation level to be at mid-Foundation Stage. Although he’d thought this would be a terrifying revelation for Fang Xing, however, the elderly man was surprised to see the boy begin to laugh.

　　“There are plenty of people who want to kill your little grandpa; you may need to wait in line.” Fang Xing’s held Chu Ci who was close to tears and pointed with his thumb behind him. The grey-robed elderly man followed where he was pointing towards the darkness and was once more surprised.

　　A large number of people—some with high cultivation levels, some with low—gradually appeared to surround Fang Xing completely. The highest levels included terrifying auras of at least mid-Foundation Stage that even the elderly man himself knew he’d have a low chance of winning against, while the lowest were in around Spirit Stage five and six. Eye-catchingly, even the innkeeper from the inn they’d just stayed at could be seen glancing out from amidst the crowd.

　　Right now, even the grey-robed elderly man was stunned. Although he’d anticipated people would assuredly target this boy after that earlier display of wealth in front of so many people, he hadn’t been expecting so many.

　　Yet, at this moment, he felt a sense of concern. This boy seemed to be a little toorelaxed….

　　Fang Xing drew out a large flag and waved it in the air with his right hand. “Has everyone just about arrived?” he coldly asked. The crowd became quiet and no one spoke, but their murderous intentions were a clear enough answer to his question. Fang Xing let out a loud laugh, revealed his cultivation level, and then cupped his hands. “All fellow Daoists, I don’t believe we actually know each other. We’ve all come to this city for the grand opportunity that fell from the heavens, but it puzzles me why all of you would follow me all the way outside the city like this. What is your reason for doing so?”

　　The crowd was silent. No one answered.

　　After a long time had passed, a sinister voice finally rose up to say, “Brat, birds are willing to die for food, men are willing to die for fortune. What is the use in you asking such things?”

　　“Ah, so you’re here to rob me of my fortune? Haha, seeing as we are all of the same trade, let me ask you…” Fang Xing’s face dropped as he swept his gaze across, “… is there anyone who doesn’t wish to rob me and wants to leave now?”

　　The crowd became silent once more. No one left, and a few even circled in closer to try to block off all paths of escape.

　　Fang Xing pretended not to notice and continued to ask. “Nobody wants to leave?”

　　Some of the people within the crowd even activated their spirit weapons, causing the weapons to glimmer and flash with a menacing, murderous aura.

　　“Men are indeed willing to die for fortune….” Fang Xing sighed to himself before asking again, “Nobody wants to leave?”

　　……

　　……

　　Each time he asked, the murderous aura would only grow, causing the entire night sky and the atmosphere to become heavier by the moment. Some of the people with higher cultivation levels had already sensed the danger from Fang Xing, but they still hesitantly decided to remain. They still believed there wasn’t much to fear from a Foundation Stage tier two cultivator.

　　Someone abruptly let out a loud laugh, breaking the heavy atmosphere. “Haha, has this boy gone crazy? Is he trying to scare us all away with such language?”

　　“Hehe, the boy sure has lots of valuable treasures on him. I heard he had some dog-sh*t luck and managed to salvage the storage sacks of a few powerful cultivators who’d all died in duels against one another. Who knows how many there were? I wonder if there’s enough to split between all of us….”

　　“That will be up to each person’s own abilities! The brat is here; whoever robs him takes them!”

　　“Hmph, our bone age might have passed the limit to enter the Mysterious Domain, but chopping up some fat little lambs like these is also an opportunity….”

　　Some within the crowd began to whisper among themselves, and those whispers soon grew into full-on discussions and jeering.

　　“What do we do, Fang Xiaojiu?” Chu Ci asked with a pale, colorless face; she’d never witnessed a spectacle like this before. Despite being the princess of all Chufung, despite being an elite at the peak of Spirit Stage, in front of so many bandit-like cultivators, she began to tremble with fear and become restless. She clung tightly to Fang Xing’s sleeve and partially hid herself behind him.

　　“No matter if you look at me like that, I don’t have any solution,” Fang Xing casually replied. “The only way is to kill them all off!”

　　Chu Ci was nearly in tears. “How could you defeat all of them? It’s best we think of a way to escape!”

　　“It’s easy for me to escape, but that’s not gonna work with you along!”

　　Stunned, tears began to roll down Chu Ci’s cheeks. “Are you going to leave me behind?”

　　That pitiful look actually caused Fang Xing’s heart to soften as he smiled. “The hell are you crying for? I never said I’d leave you behind. Stay close to me….”

　　Chu Ci immediately grasped the edge of his clothes and began to closely follow every step he took. Fang Xing turned and sighed. “If this is going to turn into a bloodbath, having you like this isn’t going to cut it. I’ll just have to endure carrying you on my back!” By now, Chu Ci had completely lost any desire to argue and quickly climbed onto Fang Xing’s back before burying her face in against him.

　　Fang Xing waved his large flag, and the aura he gave off seemed to change completely as he coldly yelled out, “I’ve already asked three times. Whether it is life or death, it’s all up to your fate now. Do not accuse me of being cruel!

　　Within the crowd, a masked elderly man walked out and coldly laughed before pointing his finger towards Fang Xing. “Heh, how dare a mere Foundation Stage brat act so arrogantly in front of us?” This person’s cultivation level was already at Foundation Stage tier four, and as he pointed his finger, a strong gust of wind began to sweep through a hundred-foot radius before collecting into a single point. This single point was like a pin formed from a countless number of sharp wind blades and contained a horrific amount of power.

　　“Acting so recklessly; off you go!” Fang Xing loudly commanded before waving the large flag in his hand, rolling it up and stabbing it outwards like a spear. The flag was dark and unassuming without even the hint of Qi, so the masked elderly man didn’t bother paying any attention to it at first. It wasn’t until his point of wind and the flag made contact that he noticed something was wrong: his Point of Whirlwind that could shear apart Refined Iron couldn’t even tear a small piece off this extremely ordinary-looking flag. Feeling something amiss, he immediately felt the need to escape.

　　“You think I’ll let you go?” Fang Xing loudly yelled out in a cold voice. He added strength into his hand, causing the flag to shake as a powerful force began to rise amidst a loud crashing sound.

　　Pah ….

　　The masked cultivator didn’t even get the opportunity to respond. The wind blades were dispersed, his finger was shattered, and then that large flag pierced right towards him and gouged out a huge hole in his body, causing fresh blood to splatter….

　　The blood didn’t splatter onto the ground, however; instead, it was sucked up into that giant black flag. Even the drops that were splashed up into the air seemed to be drawn in by a strange force to be pulled into the flag.

　　“This… what’s going on?!” someone timidly cried out.

　　“To kill a mid-Foundation Stage cultivator with one strike, this brat… just what is he?” Some people began to shrink back in panic, their wavering hearts steadily filling with the desire to flee.

　　A chilling laugh suddenly rang out. “Haha, don’t panic. Although this brat’s battle prowess is high, it also means whatever he has is even more valuable! That giant flag, I’ll have it!” A ten-foot-tall man in Foundation Stage stepped forward and threw a punch into the air, sending an earth-shattering force careering towards Fang Xing alongside a thunderous boom. Judging from the strength of this punch, this person was most certainly a Battle Cultivator; it was only battle cultivators who were able to raise their strength to such a caliber as this.

　　The man’s attack was potent, his words were even more so. They immediately stoked the greed within the nearby people, causing them to crowd inward anew.

　　‘Birds are willing to die for food, men are willing to die for fortune. That is indeed true….’ Fang Xing laughed to himself and waved the large flag. “Here’s your chance to have a lavish feast, Old Peng….”

　　From atop the flag, black smoke began to roll forth, covering portions of the heaven and earth. Within this black smoke, the muffled laughter of the Peng King could also be heard.

　　“Kill….”

　　All the cultivators rushed forward.

　　Fang Xing showed no fear in the face of the assault and threw the flag into the air, allowing the Peng King to freely take control of it. He himself held the one-legged-man lance in his hand and instilled it with Qi before sweeping it out to meet the ten-foot-tall man’s fist. A loud, thunderous bang resounded out as lance and fist collided. Crazed winds swept out from the force, but the man was forced to stagger back a few steps as the bones in his hand were shattered.

　　Pah .

　　Despite having the advantage, Fang Xing didn’t let it get to his head. He stepped out, his foot forming a pit in the earth before as he flourished his one-legged-man lance once more. The tall man let out a low growl, but his head was suddenly crushed into pieces and his body shook from side to side before falling to the ground.

　　Fang Xing’s extraordinary spirit sense went on alert at the same time. He reached out his hand and caught a Foundation Stage cultivator who was short and small in stature but proficient in sneak attacks before lifting him up and throwing him down against the ground

　　Blood began to rain as it turned into a massacre!

　　Every time Fang Xing brandished his one-lagged-man lance, a group of cultivators in front of him would be swept flying away. Not even the ordinary early-Foundation Stage cultivators were his opponent, to say nothing of the Spirit Stage cultivators who couldn’t even find a good opportunity amidst the chaos.

　　This battle was truly to Fang Xing’s satisfaction.

　　Fang Xing had wanted to kill from the beginning, and his actions revealed this in full. Of the group of cultivators who tried to rob him, at least three were in mid-Foundation, up to eight were early-Foundation, and the rest were mostly at the peak of Spirit Stage. It could be said it was a very powerful force, yet they were all cornered by Fang Xing and his flag. Kill after kill, fresh blood splattered all over, dyeing the tilted crescent of the moon above with a dark crimson….