76: Chapter 75: The Thousand Gold Return 1 76: Chapter 75: The Thousand Gold Return 1 Hou Niao waited in Liuyang for three days, and once those three days had passed, he simply turned and left.

In his view, this meant that Chong Ling did not wish to meet him yet, so of course he would not insist; with his current status in the Quanzhen Sect, there truly was no need for such a meeting.

He rode his horse out of the city, and contrary to his expectations, he felt no sense of leaving home behind.

Was he not familiar with Liuyang, having no friends or family there?

Or was it that leaving Anhe Country just didn’t stir any emotions within him?

As an undercover agent, he had successfully cultivated a detached attitude, treating Shan Country as his home.

A cultivator wandering the jianghu didn’t usually harbor a strong sense of hometown attachment.

Home is where the heart is at ease.

On the return journey, there was no need for haste.

Letting the horse lead, he traveled at a leisurely pace.

By the time the main road narrowed into a path, he was not very far from the Poplar Forest.

It was best to dismount before the Poplar Forest, allowing the horse some rest time to pass through the forest, for unlike him, the horse could not engage in cultivation techniques.

Drawing his longsword and slinging it over his shoulder, he silently turned to face the way he came.

In that direction, three riders were slowly approaching.

Ever since he had left the city, he had been aware of someone tailing him.

They sped up when he did, slowed down when he did, seemingly without any reservations.

He did not know the reason behind this, nor was he interested in finding out.

Compared to entering the forest, he preferred to deal with conflicts where the view was unobstructed.

Due to the differences in realms, those in the Energy Induction phase were significantly less perceptive than Essence Building cultivators, especially when all their focus was on their swordplay, making it difficult to maintain the sharpness of their six consciousnesses.

This was the weakness of an Energy Induction phase cultivator.

Of course, having the advantage in open terrain wasn’t a given, and it was certainly easier for the opponent to surround and attack him there.

The three people’s target was clearly him, and they didn’t wish to conceal it; one Essence Building cultivator and two late-stage Energy Induction cultivators.

Judging by the balance of power, they were already showing him considerable respect.

Anhe loose cultivators, essentially no different from those in Shan Country, were respected as high-level cultivators when donned in Daoist robes, but once stripped of those robes, they were no better than bandits.

Such was the way of life for loose cultivators, for where else would they obtain cultivation resources?

“Big brother, this fat sheep thinks he can test us here, I wonder who gave him such confidence?” the youngest brother said with a laugh.

They had set their sights on this man at the cultivation blacksmith shop.

Spending a total of one hundred and sixty Spirit Stones in one go to purchase forty weapons wasn’t a common occurrence.

Clearly, these forty weapons were not intended for cultivators; they were more likely for use by mortal armies or the forces of village fortresses.

For cultivators, such weapons were too crude, being the lowest-grade, iron-blended arms typically used by elite mortal forces.

To pay this sum without batting an eye suggested only one thing: there was more within his Treasure Gourd.

“Could he be a cultivator from Shan Country?” the second brother mused, somewhat puzzled by the man’s direction towards the Poplar Forest.

The third brother scoffed, “So what if he is?

Haven’t we dealt with cultivators from over there before?

We’ve been through those white poplars countless times, why should we fear him?”

The way of life for border bandits was to play both sides, flee to one side when things got hot in Anhe, and vice versa; causing trouble in Shan Country and then hiding out in Anhe.

This left the Quanzhen Sect and the Anhe Daoist Sect with little they could do about them.

“Swift action, don’t delay!

A Daoist friend of mine told me this man has visited Old Immortal Guan to pay respects for his longevity; he surely has some significant background and is not to be underestimated!” the eldest brother instructed.

The second and third brothers exchanged a glance, their eyes alight with excitement.

What did this indicate?

It meant their target was wealthy!

“Standard procedure, you and I will go in for the kill, big brother, while you support with techniques,” said the youngest.

For a cultivator in the Energy Induction phase, using techniques was far less satisfying than close combat with weapons, as the body’s limited spiritual power made technique casting intermittent and unsatisfying.

The most effective method was to prioritize weapons while supplementing with techniques.

The eldest brother was in the Essence Building Realm, capable of casting continuous techniques.

Such a strategy meant that not just an Energy Induction phase cultivator, but even an Essence Building cultivator would meet their end.

They had even embarrassed Fasting cultivators with such tactics, leaving them in awkward predicaments.

The most distinct trait of a Loose Cultivator is their readiness and daring to fight, but these can only be demonstrated up close.

The second and the third brother dismounted and approached swiftly from both sides.

Just as their opponent started to retreat, the eldest brother’s water arrows began to take effect.

Water arrows, a basic Water System technique within the Five Elements Skills, are of limited power, but the advantage lies in their constant flow, making them the perfect harassing tactic for Low Rank Cultivators.

The aim is not to achieve remarkable feats but rather to throw the enemy into disarray.

As expected, the little Energy Induction Cultivator had to dodge the incessant water arrows while retreating; when he couldn’t evade, he could only knock them away with his longsword.

This process made it clear that his Escape Skill was quite average, which greatly boosted the confidence of the assailants.

The second brother shouted loudly, signaling the start of their combo attack.

He soared through the air with an Eagle Strike, plunging sword-first from above; at the same time, the third brother sprinted close to the ground, achieving a certain harmony between his body and sword, reminiscent of a budget version of Body Sword Integration.

The dual sword attack arrived almost simultaneously.

The eldest brother’s water arrows stopped just in time, and to be safe, he began preparing a binding technique.

In fact, he could’ve instantly cast this type of technique with a talisman, but he was somewhat reluctant to use it; techniques required the support of Spiritual Power, which would replenish the next day, but talismans would not return.

This was a flawless coordination, the essence of their years of battle experience—simple, yet highly effective.

The adversary staggered backward, in a sorry state.

Most people find it difficult to make an accurate judgment in an instant when faced with attacks from the sky and the ground; they tend to deal first with the aerial threat, as the descending sword seems closer to their head, right?

It’s an instinct, but instincts aren’t always right!

Hou Niao acted when the sharp sword was less than a foot away from him, completely defying normal reactions; he fell backwards following the momentum of the second brother’s Eagle Strike, not straight down, but tumbling into a roll!

As he rolled, he swung his longsword, clashing directly with the third brother who came skimming along the ground!

The third brother’s sword aim was thrown off by his opponent’s sudden fall, reducing the aiming area.

Hesitating slightly to alter the direction of his thrust, he suddenly felt light, as if he was lifted into the air.

He saw his own body—a headless corpse!

The second brother’s Eagle Strike Skill missed and he couldn’t alter his falling trajectory.

An Energy Induction Cultivator, if skilled in Escape Skills, could hover in the air slightly longer than a mortal, but since he had already glided a distance in his pursuit of grace, now he could only fall!

Hou Niao propped himself up with his left hand, using the strength of his waist and abdomen to flip up again—a rabbit kick!

As he flipped, the sword gleamed, slashing diagonally from beneath his ribs.

The second brother watched in terror as the blade reached him, powerless to react.

His longsword was too far away, his defenses down, the fire technique he had been readying was meant for attack, not defense…

Before the fire could manifest, the sharp longsword had already cleaved through the flames, slicing across his waist and abdomen, followed by a shower of blood and countless organs…

Using the force of his leap, Hou Niao was now less than five zhang from the eldest brother.

With a grim smile, he shouted loudly, “Run!”

The eldest brother’s mind was seized by panic; he had never seen such ferocity.

In that moment, he forgot that his opponent was just an Energy Induction level while he himself was at the Essence Building level!

Compelled by the shout, which seemed entirely reasonable, he turned to run.

Little did he expect that Hou Niao, like a fisherman spearing his catch, threw his longsword!

This was yet another unreasonable act.

How could a swordsman so casually throw away their weapon?

No sooner had Lonely Sword Nameless left his hand, Hou Niao closed in, and with a flick his spare Quanzhen Standard longsword was already swirling under his wrist!

The eldest’s soul nearly departed his body; in a panic, he tossed talismans recklessly behind him, barely managing to block the thrown Lonely Sword.

But the next moment, a voice was close at hand,

“Too slow!”

The sword light swept down!