“Brat! Time to die!” Fan Jiushe laughed maniacally, aiming at the hole torn through the vine wall. His hands waved together, continuously shooting out ice bullets.

Pale blue specks of light flickered, shooting rapidly into the Cage Grass like fireflies. The ice bullets struck the walls, instantly congealing into large ice blocks. The temperature inside the cage plummeted.

However, Ye Kong already had a way to escape. He raised his palm, and a yellow paper talisman appeared in his hand.

“Haha, Qi Refinement Layer Four, I’m about to enter the middle stage!” Fan Jiushe was still daydreaming, crazily throwing ice bullets into the hole. As long as he absorbed Ye Kong’s spiritual energy, he would advance to the middle stage. At that point, controlling his magical artifact, his strength would increase even more.

“Then let me congratulate Brother Fan in advance.” Suddenly, a cold voice came from beside him. Fan Jiushe found it so familiar.

He twisted his head to look. The moon had just risen, its bright clear radiance spilling into this clearing in the forest. A blue-robed youth stood there proudly, his face full of mockery.

“You…!” Fan Jiushe’s eyes went wide with disbelief. His fat face looked like he’d seen a ghost. His mouth stammered, “How did you get out!”

Ye Kong ignored him. Seizing the advantageous moment, gripping the dagger, he stabbed fiercely toward Fan Jiushe’s throat… Fan Jiushe had no defenses and no resistance. The dagger blade traced a sinister arc through the dark night, disappearing into Fan Jiushe’s thick neck.

In Fan Jiushe’s wide pupils, there was only the despair, unwillingness, and questions of someone about to die.

“I’ll let you die understanding… there’s ​visit our site​a kind of talisman called the Wall-Penetrating Talisman… any solid wall can be penetrated…”

Fearing the fat man wasn’t dead, Ye Kong pulled out the blade and stabbed down again. Pulled the blade out, stabbed down again… Under the moonlight, fresh blood showed black-red, especially terrifying. On the small patch of grass, the sound of the dagger piercing human flesh continued without stopping.

Not knowing how many times he stabbed, Fan Jiushe’s big head separated from his body. The head fell to the ground. He couldn’t be any more dead. Only then did Ye Kong breathe a sigh of relief.

Panting, he sat to one side. Just as he was about to relax for a moment, he saw the storage pouch hanging at Fan Jiushe’s waist.

“Really am a novice. Not very practiced at killing and looting.” Ye Kong hurriedly lunged over and tore the storage pouch away.

There weren’t many items in the storage pouch, but they made Ye Kong wildly overjoyed, because they were all things this immortal cultivation rookie needed.

First, most eye-catching was that small sword magical artifact. This was a decent middle-grade magical artifact, and also the first magical artifact Ye Kong had obtained. He held it in his hand, playing with it endlessly. Holding the small sword artifact in that moment, Ye Kong also experienced Fan Jiushe’s feelings. “If I reach Qi Refinement Layer Four, I can use it!”

Next, what attracted Ye Kong’s attention were the remaining spirit stones. Fan Jiushe had wasted quite a few. In the end, only four remained, packed in a small black cloth bag. This was also Ye Kong’s first time obtaining spirit stones.

He curiously picked one up. This was a black water-attribute spirit stone, about the size of a fresh date, flat and square-shaped, multifaceted, somewhat like an extra-large rock candy.

Ye Kong gripped the spirit stone and circulated his cultivation to absorb. A stream of incomparably pure water spiritual energy transmitted from his palm into his meridians. This water spiritual energy was much purer and denser than the spiritual energy in the air.

Ye Kong didn’t dare absorb much. He quickly put the spirit stone back in the storage pouch. What attracted his attention next were two jade-green, mahjong-tile-sized square bamboo slip tubes.

Ye Kong guessed these were the spiritual slips that stored cultivation technique formulas. He quickly grabbed one and pinched it in his hand, probing inside with his spiritual consciousness.

“Great Cauldron-Destroying Core-Seizing Method” – this was precisely the cultivation technique Fan Jiushe had obtained from the ancient barbarian cultivator’s remains. Ye Kong briefly looked it over and found it basically useless for him. He’d already cultivated the Five Elements Ascension Scripture. He couldn’t possibly abandon that to re-cultivate a basic technique. Moreover, this barbarian technique was too cruel, and furnace cauldrons were hard to find. After a rough look, Ye Kong put it back in the storage pouch.

He examined the other spiritual slip and discovered that what was recorded inside was precisely what Ye Kong currently needed most – spell formulas for several low-level spells, including Fireball Technique, Ice Bullet Technique, Flowing Sand Technique, Heaven Eye Technique, Object Manipulation Technique, and so on.

“From now on, I’m no longer an immortal cultivator who doesn’t know spells!” Ye Kong was extremely excited.

These spells could be said to be his best gains this time. Learning these spells, he’d already truly stepped onto the immortal path. Against mortals, he’d basically be invincible. Ye Kong held the spiritual slip, reluctant to put it back. He looked in the storage pouch again and discovered that aside from dried meat and food, there was also one more talisman.

This talisman was completely different from Ye Kong’s yellow paper talismans. This was a spirit talisman. It had the same width as paper talismans but was slightly shorter in length. The entire thing was jade-white – who knew what material the talisman paper was made from.

On the talisman’s front, written in Cangnan Continent’s ancient script, were the words “Spirit Cultivation Sitting Formation.”

“This is a formation talisman!” Ye Kong was shocked. This was also one of the items he urgently needed. Looking at the name, it was a formation used when cultivating in meditation. This way, when cultivating at home in the future, he wouldn’t need to worry about being interrupted.

“No wonder everyone on this continent loves killing and looting. It really does come easily. All the things I needed are here.” Ye Kong smiled and looked in the storage pouch again at his spoils of war.

However, this time he didn’t discover any other ​stolen content​valuable items. There was just a large pile of silver stacked in one corner of the bag, about two thousand taels worth.

Although the silver wasn’t little, Ye Kong didn’t take it seriously at all. As an immortal, would he worry about silver?

Putting the formation talisman into the storage pouch, Ye Kong couldn’t wait to learn the Fireball Technique. With spiritual power, learning these was basically effortless. In the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he could already successfully emit small fireballs.

He threw several small fireballs at Fan Jiushe’s corpse. The body was immediately burned completely clean.

After Ye Kong cleaned up the battlefield, he suddenly noticed the Cage Grass still standing in the center of the grass clearing. His eyes suddenly brightened. “Since it’s a lower low-grade spirit herb, doesn’t that mean the juice inside can be used to make spirit talismans?”

With this thought, Ye Kong took out the small sword artifact again and hacked and dug at the Cage Grass. Just with Ye Kong’s strength alone, he couldn’t possibly chop down the entire Cage Grass. So he could only chop as much as possible.

After chopping for quite a while, he finally cut down one side wall of the Cage Grass and divided it into three pieces. Only then could he stuff them into the storage pouch.

After finishing all this busy work, the moon was already overhead. Ye Kong worried about Southern Capital City and didn’t dare delay. He’d better hurry back!

At night, the forest was pitch black without any reference points. It was very easy to get lost. Fortunately, Fan Jiushe’s horse actually knew the way. Ye Kong just rode on the horse, letting the old horse walk out of the forest on its own.

Not knowing how long he’d walked, he finally saw the fiery red forest. Only then did he completely relax.

Cangnan Continent was different from Earth. The plants here didn’t all grow through photosynthesis. For example, these red trees grew through spiritual energy. These trees were entirely red. At night, they ​noodles​even emitted a red dim glow, lighting up the entire forest as if it were on fire. Looking at it with one glance – magnificent, brilliant.

“Looking at the color, it’s probably fire spiritual energy. I wonder if immortal cultivators can absorb it?” Ye Kong, sitting on the horse, broke off a section of fiery red branch and discovered he couldn’t absorb any spiritual energy from it at all. Moreover, after the branch was broken off, it quickly dimmed and lost its light.

“Looks like that won’t work, otherwise those immortal cultivators would all be fighting to come chop down trees.”

The forest was very large. Coming in during the morning had taken two shichen. Going out took about the same time. He walked until the moon set and the sky grew bright with dawn. Only then did Ye Kong reach the edge of the red forest.

Before leaving the forest, he saw quite a few figures slowly walking inward through the trees. Ye Kong focused his gaze and saw they were actually Ye family personal guards.

“Liu Changqing!” Ye Kong shouted and hurried to meet them.

Those personal guards saw Ye Kong and immediately cheered, “Eighth Young Master has returned!” The sound waves transmitted out in successive waves.

On the great grassland, the young girl standing in the center of countless candle grasses heard this news. She immediately shouted, “Brother Ye Kong!” and ran wildly toward where the sound came from.

Ye Kong dismounted and walked out shoulder to shoulder with Liu Changqing, listening along the way as he recounted the situation in Southern Capital City.

Early in the morning, right after Ye Kong and Fan Jiushe left the city, someone came back to report. The Lu brothers joined with Liu Changqing’s personal guards and immediately surrounded the Fan family residence. They’d already investigated thoroughly – Fan Jiulong hadn’t gone to Treasure Spring Pavilion that day either. However, the Fan family compound housed quite a few martial arts experts. If they attacked forcefully, there would definitely be significant casualties. Moreover, in broad daylight, they might attract intervention from the City Guard Office.

Although the Southern Capital City Guard was someone Ye Haoran had arranged, they couldn’t go too far, right? And they weren’t familiar with Ye Kong at all. The fellow very likely wouldn’t give face.

However, Ye Kong had thought of this point long ago. He had Lu Qin use an Invisibility Talisman to quietly infiltrate and open the back door of the Fan residence. Then everyone killed their way in together.

Little girl Lu Qin was also bold. Taking advantage of her Invisibility and Wall-Penetrating Talismans, she entered the great hall where Fan Jiulong was, intending to abduct him. But who knew – ever since the last time Ye Kong’s assassination attempt failed, Fan Jiulong had become more cautious. He’d set up a trap behind his seat. As soon as someone stepped on it, a net bag would immediately catch the person.

Little girl Lu Qin didn’t notice and stepped right on it. Fortunately, she’d learned quite a bit of Shadow Dance martial arts from Ye Kong. She actually flipped and bounced out before the net bag closed.

The alarmed Fan Jiulong and his subordinates knew someone had come. They each wildly swung swords in the room, slashing randomly. The little girl nearly got injured. However, in the end, she stuck a Spirit-Calming Talisman on Fan Jiulong’s forehead, ending the battle.

“Pretty capable.” Ye Kong said with a smile.

“That’s right. The little girl earned great merit this time.” Liu Changqing also nodded, then quietly asked Ye Kong, “Eighth Young Master, those talismans of hers are really magical. She’s an immortal, right? Could this humble one take Miss Lu as a master?”

“Take her as master?” Ye Kong laughed. Looking up, he saw Lu Qin running toward them on her little legs like a small deer. He smiled and said, “Well then, you’d better tell her yourself.”

“Brother Ye Kong~” The little girl had worried all night. Now seeing Ye Kong, her emotions surged. She actually rushed over without caring about shyness. But charging up to him and discovering Liu Changqing and others standing nearby, Lu Qin forcibly slammed on the brakes.

Looking at the little girl’s pretty face still hanging with a few drops of excited tears, even Ye Kong, who’d resolved not to provoke her, couldn’t stop ripples from swaying in his heart.

“Liu Changqing, listen up! About face!” Ye Kong barked.

Liu Changqing laughed. “Reporting to the General, the enemy forces are too fierce. We humble ones aren’t a match. We might as well leave them to the General to strike alone. We’ll head back to camp first to wash pots and make rice.”

“Then get going already.”

“Haha, brothers, to Treasure Spring Pavilion – Eighth Young Master is treating!”

Hearing “Treasure Spring Pavilion,” those soldiers ran off clean as a whistle in the blink of an eye. Only then did Ye Kong spread his sleeves wide, making a gesture toward Lu Qin to accept an embrace.

The little girl blushed, lowering her head and hesitating for a while. Finally, unable to resist the temptation of her beloved’s chest, she stepped forward and gently embraced Ye Kong.

“Sigh, what a sin. Even I’m puppy-loving now.”