Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 1098: Forcible Killing

Chapter 1098: Chapter 1098: Forcible Killing

In the process of a clan’s growth and expansion, the number of offended enemies and potential enemies they accumulate is certainly countless. Otherwise, the clan could not possibly have grown and expanded—territory is seized from others.

But when such a number is spread out over the course of history, it doesn’t seem that much anymore.

In plain language—recently, the Xue Family has only offended a finite number of people. After eliminating the unlikely ones, it’s fairly easy to lock onto the suspects.

The Ji PingAn gang were the most suspicious, and only Combat Cultivators could possess such cruel and violent methods.

To give an example, exterminating an entire family is something Gu Cultivators are also adept at, but after they slaughter a family, they usually take away some of the useful items left at the scene—take the Qingback Bulls, for instance; Gu Cultivators would definitely take their corpses with them.

Even if the storage capacity of their Storage Bags is limited, who would lack such a small amount of space?

To put it bluntly, leaving behind the corpses of the Qingback Bulls is tantamount to declaring: we are here for revenge!

Those who can so openly declare their intention of revenge are few and far between, and Combat Cultivators are among them.

So the suspect is essentially confirmed. As for why they targeted the clan of the murderer—does that even need an explanation? No, it doesn’t.

Since the murderer and their family are well-protected, the only option is to kill their relatives.

Such killings are merely a means, not the end goal. Firstly, to intimidate the opponent into understanding that the matter is a fight to the death, and secondly, to force the other party to stop protecting the murderer—If you dare to keep protecting them, I’ll dare to keep killing others.

From close relatives to distant ones, from third-degree kin to fifth-degree kin, until the point where anyone surnamed Xue is targeted—just ask if you’re scared or not.

That day, the Xue Family didn’t come up with any leads, but they still reminded everyone in the clan to stay alert and ensure their protection at night.

However, this was of no use. There were many members of the Xue Family involved in the retaliatory attacks that day—ten in total. One was killed, two were seriously injured, and seven remained relatively healthy.

What the Xue Family didn’t know was that only the identities of three attackers had been confirmed, so the relatives and friends of these ten people should have been protected—moved to the central gathering place.

In a large family, how many people can ten individuals affect? It’s a complex question indeed.

In any case, there’s always someone who goes unprotected, and so another household fell victim that night, a family of seven.

This family was actually quite innocent, having married into the Xue Family from outside. But the matriarch who was the head of the household was also the murderer’s paternal aunt, an undeniable fact.

On the third night, the entire Xue Family was on high alert, with most people returning to the ancestral Xue residence. The majority carried their weapons with them at all times—even the Martial Artists did the same.

The night passed peacefully.

The following night, peace prevailed yet again.

In the afternoon of the third day, the Ji PingAn crew learned that a brother-in-law of one of the murderers would be passing through, so they ambushed in advance, planning to strike once more—For them, these actions were quite normal, since if you can ambush me, of course, I can ambush you too.

After they lay in wait, a figure appeared not far away, vague and indistinct, as if made up of mist and rain. Without close scrutiny, it would be impossible to detect anyone there.

A Combat Cultivator named Song Chunbo couldn’t hold back any longer. He was at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, and due to injuries to his lower body during a previous battle, he could no longer continue his lineage, which made him a lot more radical in character.

He wasn’t a Combat Cultivator from Qiuchen Market, but belonged to another Fang Market not too far away—although in reality, the distance was significant, tens of thousands of miles to be precise. When he heard that there would be Combat Cultivators participating in battles, he immediately rushed over without hesitation.

His Cultivation Level was relatively high among Combat Cultivators—reaching Enlightened State was another matter altogether. Hence, he always spoke his mind, nudging Ji PingAn with his elbow, "PingAn, there seems to be something over there..."

Ji PingAn glanced at it and replied softly, "That’s an Enlightened One, don’t worry about it, they’re here to protect us."

"Enlightened One...protecting us?" Song Chunbo felt his worldview challenged in an instant, and being someone who can’t keep things to himself, he couldn’t help but ask, "Then why doesn’t he help us fight?"

"Have you gone mad?" Ji PingAn gave him a speechless look, "It’s good enough that someone is looking out for us. To request the aid of an Enlightened One in a fight...do you know what kind of consequences that would bring?"

Of course, there would be serious consequences, which Song Chunbo understood well. Yet, he still couldn’t help but ask one more question, "Is he sent by Mountain Master Feng? How come we weren’t notified?"

Unbeknownst to them, the Combat Cultivators had come to regard Mountain Master Feng as one of their spokespeople for their interests—at least as one of them.

This was something Feng Jun had not anticipated because he insisted on presenting himself as a Loose Cultivator. His own endeavors had been very successful, and he was willing to look after the business interests of other Loose Cultivators—for Loose Cultivators, if you’re not one of us, who is?

Of course, limited as Feng Jun’s Cultivation Level was, his influence could not match that of Pan Jinxiang of Guanquan Valley in the hearts of Loose Cultivators. However, in terms of rallying power among Combat Cultivators, Pan Jinxiang might not quite measure up to him.

Pan Jinxiang is Pan Renjie’s father, with countless descendants, and is the most hopeful person in Guanquan Valley to ascend to the Golden Core realm.

Ji PingAn is one of the few who knows the inside story, so he slightly shakes his head, "They are not Mountain Master Feng’s men."

Song Chunbo deeply looked at him, his mouth twitching as if he wanted to ask something, but ultimately he restrained himself—he might be impulsive, but that doesn’t mean he’s unaware of when to hold back.

Lying in ambush until dusk, a flying boat came swiftly from afar, about a hundred zhang off the ground.

Ji PingAn fiddled with an array card in his hand, letting out a bitter smile, "This Aerial Exclusion Formation really consumes Spirit Stones, not to mention the rental cost, even the usage fee is steep."

Song Chunbo softly replied, "Indeed, only someone like you, PingAn, with a generous hand can afford such a thing; ordinary people really can’t bear the expense."

Soon, the flying boat had already drawn near, and Ji PingAn suddenly activated the array card. Like a bird struck by an arrow, the speeding flying boat swiftly plummeted towards the ground, its hull fiercely lighting up with a misty layer of light — a defensive formation had been activated.

At the same moment, three shrill screeches sounded as three black arrows of about three zhang in length and an arm and a half in thickness shot toward the flying boat, their arrowheads burning with black flames.

These are Armor-Piercing Arrows, used for hunting large Spirit Beasts and for attacking defensive formations. The black flames burning on the arrowheads are called Absolute Spirit Flames, which can accelerate the destruction of the Spiritual Energy defense membrane.

The three arrows firmly punctured the hull of the flying boat. From inside came screams of agony as the flying boat jerked violently, accelerating towards the ground.

The flying boat crashed into the ground with a loud thump, shaking the entire surface several times. Then, more than a dozen figures appeared from around, the air twisting with the emergence of a three to four zhang long blood-colored curved saber.

Formed by a seven-man military formation, after stimulating their qi and blood, they manifest the "Blood-Colored Slaughter Knife", which with a single slash, cut the flying boat in half.

This flying boat was first pulled down by the Aerial Exclusion Formation, and then hit by three arrows before crashing to the ground, now a wretched sight to behold.

Luckily, the flying boat was not traveling particularly fast, about three hundred kilometers per hour. Otherwise, if it had been any faster, it simply would have smashed itself to pieces upon impact.

This is a universally recognized safe flying speed in the Cultivation World, unless there is a detached ascetic inside the flying boat capable of reacting; if the speed exceeds five hundred kilometers per hour, the Qi-Refining Practitioners inside may not survive.

Based on the flying speed of the flying boat, it could be inferred that there were no detached ascetics inside. Qi-Refining Practitioners are much more resilient than mortals. As long as they detect the Aerial Exclusion Formation and quickly slap a Defense Talisman on themselves, they should not suffer too much harm.

But those hit directly by the Armor-Piercing Arrows, or slashed by the Blood-Colored Slaughter Knife, were not so fortunate.

As the flying boat was sliced into two, the people inside tumbled out like rolling gourds, two people rolling out from the severed section. Although both were protected by the light film of a Defense Talisman, evidently they had been battered and bruised, or else they certainly would not have tumbled out.

The blood-colored long blade had not yet completely dissipated; a military formation like this could be triggered a maximum of three times. However, because there are few who understand military formations, and gathering enough people is not an easy task with varied Cultivation Levels, they were barely able to launch a second strike.

The second strike was originally meant for the flying boat, but seeing two people fall out, the long blade swung down toward the pair.

Just then, someone from the flying boat shouted, "Spare lives under your blade, may I ask which sect’s daoist friends are you outside, could there be some misunderstanding?"

However, the blood-colored long blade had already heavily fallen. One cultivator’s head was struck and exploded like a watermelon, while the other, more fortunate, had both legs severed and writhed in agonizing pain on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, while the blood-colored long blade still hadn’t fully vanished, a person burst out of the flying boat and shot towards the distance without looking back, clearly a martial enlightenment Qi-Refining Practitioner.

In such a scenario, flying Qi-Refining Practitioners are quite difficult to kill, and their own combat strength is typically very formidable. Last time Ji PingAn and others were ambushed, an Innate Martial Cultivator had escaped, causing the assailants to give up their intent to silence them.

However, this martial enlightenment Qi-Refining Practitioner was half-covered in blood and mangled flesh, obviously hit by the Armor-Piercing Arrow. Despite swift movements, it was clear he had suffered internal injuries.

Just as he was about to escape, suddenly, three more arrows shot forth, not Armor-Piercing Arrows this time, but still extremely fast.

At the same time, two figures soared into the air, both Innate Martial Cultivators.

In such a chaotic melee, inviting Innate Martial Cultivators to participate is very normal. Not only are they exceeding strong in combat, but they can also cover any shortcomings and effectively prevent opponents from escaping. If truly unmatched, they can also be the first to flee.

The martial enlightenment Qi-Refining Practitioner was indeed formidable, and despite his injuries, managed to twist his body quickly, dodging two arrows. Unable to evade the third arrow, it struck his shoulder.

Right behind him, the two Innate Martial Cultivators were closing in, a longsword and a sidearm saber attacking simultaneously.

Seeing escape was impossible, the practitioner sighed, flicked his wrist, and sent a flare into the sky resulting in a loud explosion.

The next moment, he turned abruptly and charged towards the two Innate Martial Cultivators, "Damn it, not done yet? Then let’s die together."