Chapter 13: Splitting the Spoils

“Why hasn’t that brat come out yet?”

Bandit Cultivator A glanced at the sky. By this time, the secret realm should have already closed.

“Could he have truly met his end inside?”

Bandit Cultivator B asked, a hint of perplexity in his voice, “Speaking of which, don’t you all find it strange? In theory, as the secret realm approaches closure, the fluctuations of the spatial node should gradually subside, shouldn’t they? Yet, the passage we’ve been watching hasn’t shown any change from beginning to end.”

At Bandit Cultivator B’s reminder, the others simultaneously paused, realizing the anomaly. Some of them had previously trespassed through spatial nodes as ‘black households’ (TL Note: A term for unregistered individuals or those operating outside official channels), thus they understood some of its characteristics. Indeed, as B had pointed out, this passage seemed rather unusual.

“Could it be…?!”

One audacious bandit cultivator, Bandit Cultivator C, strode forward and boldly extended his hand into the spatial node. Though a simple act, it caused cold sweat to stream down his forehead.

After all, given their cultivation levels, touching a spatial node meant immediate absorption. The very reason they had been stubbornly guarding this spatial node passage, despite knowing its dangers, was their profound fear of death—far greater than that of other daring rogue cultivators.

Every entry and exit through a spatial node was a gamble with one’s life. They had no desire to gamble their own lives; they only wished to gamble with the lives of those adventurous cultivators.

Moreover, with the secret realm on the verge of closing, being drawn inside at this moment would be a near-certain death sentence. A secret realm during its active period and one in its closed state were two entirely different worlds.

He was fortunate; absolutely nothing happened. Yet, he was not entirely unfortunate either, for this merely confirmed his suspicion.

With a grim expression, Bandit Cultivator C spoke in a cold voice, “Search everywhere! That brat must have placed an Illusion Stone nearby!”

Having said this, Bandit Cultivator C began rummaging through the surroundings.

The others also came to their senses, hurrying to search the vicinity.

An Illusion Stone was a magical artifact capable of recording short images and playing them on a loop. Powered by spirit stones, it could operate for an extended period. Its inherent price was not cheap for rogue cultivators, as few of their standing would be so extravagant as to use such an item as bait.

Nevertheless, Quan Haoqing had done precisely that, leaving them to wait like foolish hunters for a rabbit to foolishly dash into their trap.

Annoyance and regret were certainly present, but more pressing was finding a way to recoup their losses. Naturally, such a long stakeout could not have been in vain; in their eyes, Quan Haoqing must have already escaped.

Even a single Illusion Stone could be exchanged for a few spirit stones. While certainly not enough to divide among all of them, the plan was for whoever grabbed it first to make a swift escape.

Their idea was indeed sound, but they had underestimated Quan Haoqing’s audacity and overestimated their own strength.

Bandit Cultivator D was the first to discover the Illusion Stone. A surge of joy filled his heart, causing him to forget to protect himself with spiritual energy. He directly picked up the Illusion Stone, which was half-buried in the soil.

It was at this exact moment that the talisman affixed to the back of the Illusion Stone erupted in golden light. Immediately afterward, the Illusion Stone exploded, severely injuring the unsuspecting Bandit Cultivator D.

The others’ attention was drawn by the explosion, leaving Bandit Cultivator A and B completely oblivious to Quan Haoqing and Ye Qingfeng, who, having concealed their aura, had already launched a surprise attack from behind.

Quan Haoqing drew the sword from his waist; a fiery blaze instantly enveloped its blade, then directly pierced through A’s chest, incinerating his internal organs completely.

Ye Qingfeng, however, had no readily available weapon. Yet, between her fingers, she had already conjured five ice needles, condensed from Xuan Yin spiritual energy, which emitted a chilling aura that made one tremble, even under the scorching sun.

The five ice needles plunged directly into B’s head, and in an instant, B perished on the spot.

Of the original five bandits, two were now dead and one severely wounded. The remaining two were momentarily thrown into disarray. Despite knowing that Quan Haoqing and Ye Qingfeng had just emerged from the spatial node, they dared not confront them, instead turning to flee.

Unfortunately, they had not cultivated any escape techniques.

Although Ye Qingfeng’s spiritual energy cultivated at the Sky Philosophy Sect had been entirely dispersed, she could still execute the sect’s basic escape technique. Thus, within a few breaths, she had already caught up to C.

Seeing this, C’s heart hardened. He turned and lunged at Ye Qingfeng.

Cultivators at the Marrow Cleansing realm could not project spiritual energy externally; they could only enhance their physical strength through it.

However, Ye Qingfeng, having cultivated the Xuan Yin Netherworld Art, was capable of projecting her spiritual energy externally to combat foes even in the Marrow Cleansing realm. While this might seem insignificant compared to cultivators of the Primordial Reversion realm, it already overwhelmingly surpassed ninety percent of other Marrow Cleansing cultivators.

What’s more, how could the strength of a body reshaped within the Xuan Yin Lake be compared to that of these rogue cultivators? Furthermore, the ice sword she wielded was formed from condensed Xuan Yin energy. Though crudely shaped into a sword, for cultivators of this caliber, it was already a divine weapon.

Nevertheless, Ye Qingfeng was not careless. She continuously evaded her opponent’s attacks, relying on her superior speed. The ice sword in her hand did not aim for a single fatal blow; it merely sought to inflict wounds, allowing the Xuan Yin cold energy to seep into the opponent’s body.

Bandit Cultivator C felt his body temperature continuously drop. His body, once controllable at will, grew increasingly heavy, as if burdened by thick shackles. Yet, he was utterly helpless; the spiritual energy flow within him seemed to have frozen over with a thick layer of frost, preventing even basic circulation.

The cold energy spread from within, causing his soft, warm clothing to gradually stiffen and turn icy. Under the scorching sun, white frost covered his entire body, and each breath was accompanied by a surge of intense cold emerging from his nose and mouth.

Ye Qingfeng ceased her attack, her cold eyes watching the frost-covered saber slowly swing towards her.

The saber halted completely less than 20 centimeters from him. Ye Qingfeng extended her flawless, delicate hand towards the saber, gently flicking the back of its blade.

With a series of crackling sounds, the saber shattered like a dandelion dispersed by the wind, dissolving into icy powder in the air.

However, the shattering did not stop there; cracks even spread onto Cultivator C’s body.

His tall physique now resembled a statue riddled with cracks, ultimately crumbling into shattered fragments on the ground.

In the sunlight, Ye Qingfeng observed the fragmented human ice blocks, their various organs clearly visible within.

Fortunately, her memories had merged rather than being completely replaced, so while she felt a degree of discomfort, her expression did not betray excessive distress.

“How powerful.”

Ye Qingfeng exclaimed with genuine emotion. This was her first time using the Xuan Yin Netherworld Art in battle. She had sensed the extraordinary nature of this cultivation method before, but its actual application proved hundreds of times more effective than she had imagined.

Although she had once hailed from a prestigious orthodox sect, being from such a sect did not mean all disciples were treated equally. Different tiers of disciples gained access to different cultivation techniques.

To claim that the Sky Philosophy Sect lacked cultivation methods comparable to the Xuan Yin Netherworld Art would be absolutely impossible. As one of the eight great Daoist sects in the world today, the Sky Philosophy Sect had produced more than one immortal in its history. These immortals would naturally not allow their legacies to be severed. However, such techniques were beyond Ye Qingfeng’s reach unless she became an influential elder or a grand elder’s disciple, only then would contact be possible.

If she had followed the conventional path within the Sky Philosophy Sect, perhaps she would have remained without hope for this lifetime.

Perhaps Liang Tong might have…

At this thought, the murderous intent in Ye Qingfeng’s eyes surged uncontrollably. Although she had yet to view the memories left for her, she already understood that returning to the Sky Philosophy Sect would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible. She was destined to become a rootless rogue cultivator.

‘Just you wait, Liang Tong!’

“Fellow Daoist Ye? Are you… alright?”

Quan Haoqing’s voice reached her, and only then did Ye Qingfeng snap back to reality, turning her gaze towards him.

“Hiss, your methods are quite… intense.”

While her method of killing was unique, it merely involved freezing and fragmenting for preservation. Quan Haoqing, on the other hand, had essentially steamed a living person to death, with some parts even charred black, indicating a clear lack of fire control that required improvement.

‘You’re not much better than me, are you?’

Quan Haoqing looked at the glistening ice fragments reflecting light by Ye Qingfeng’s feet, silently complaining in his heart. Outwardly, however, he nodded and said, “After all, I’ve just learned a new cultivation method, and I’m still not used to controlling it.”

Ye Qingfeng’s appearance just now had been somewhat frightening. Despite possessing the beauty of a celestial immortal, the murderous aura emanating from her made her seem like a demonic enchantress, even bearing a devilish visage. It was for this reason that Quan Haoqing had spoken, pulling Ye Qingfeng back from that state.

Humans possess seven emotions and six desires; this is quite normal. Cultivators are merely people who have cultivated spiritual energy. Indeed, precisely because they wield abilities beyond ordinary mortals, they are often more prone to obsession in this regard.

Once or twice might be fine, but prolonged indulgence would allow inner demons to breed, transforming a person into a malevolent fiend.

Here, ‘malevolent fiend’ does not refer to a demonic cultivator, but rather a fiend who has completely lost their reason, becoming hopelessly immersed in their desires—a state that Daoists, Buddhists, Demonic Cultivators, and Confucians alike would absolutely refuse to descend into.

Daoists, Buddhists, and Confucians would undoubtedly exterminate such fiends upon encountering them. Even demonic cultivators would only consider refining them into puppets or sacrifices, never treating them as fellow practitioners.

“Mhm, mhm, well then, since everyone’s taken care of, how about we…”

Ye Qingfeng’s gem-like eyes radiated a starlike, beautiful brilliance, and her ruddy, glistening vermilion lips, illuminated by the sun, parted slightly. “Split the spoils?”

“Pfft!”

Quan Haoqing couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Ye Qingfeng’s image as a celestial fairy had utterly shattered, replaced by a mischievous sprite frolicking in the mortal world. This was excellent; while the former was sacred and beautiful, she was like a snow lotus atop a ten-thousand-year-old ice mountain, aloof and cold, making her difficult to approach.

The current Ye Qingfeng, though touched by worldly air, appeared vibrant and genuine. Her shrewd, mercantile expression, displayed on her peerlessly beautiful face, only made one want to playfully tease her.

It was much like a cat owner seeing their feline overlord begging for dried fish.

Nevertheless, Quan Haoqing retained his rationality, understanding that Ye Qingfeng was no domesticated kitten. His relationship with her was far from that stage; it had merely softened slightly compared to before.

Thus, Quan Haoqing nodded and said, “Of course.”

Storage bags possessed properties resistant to both high and low temperatures. Since Quan Haoqing’s heat and Ye Qingfeng’s cold were both internal and external, they hadn’t caused any damage to the storage bags; at most, they merely needed to be set aside to cool down or warm up.

Several storage bags were placed together, their contents incredibly diverse. Spirit stones were the most abundant, followed by talismans and some low-grade magical artifacts.

The value of spirit stones was easiest to ascertain, but pricing talismans and magical artifacts was more difficult, as both of them knew nothing about artifact refining or talismans.

“Hmph hmph hmph~”

Humming a little tune, Ye Qingfeng meticulously laid out the contents of the bandits’ storage bags onto the ground, one by one. Although these were mostly cheap items, her discerning eye, honed from her time in the Sky Philosophy Sect, found them somewhat beneath her notice.

But who could blame her? She was now a humble rogue cultivator.

Of course, there was another crucial reason: the process of splitting spoils was always so utterly delightful.

Quan Haoqing had initially been helping to tally the items, but upon seeing Ye Qingfeng’s adorable, money-loving demeanor, his movements paused, and he found himself unconsciously captivated.

Then, he began to ponder an idea he had previously abandoned, sinking into silence.

Ye Qingfeng had been enthusiastically rummaging through the spoils, but Quan Haoqing’s sudden cessation of movement beside her struck her as odd.

‘Wait, could this person be thinking of a ‘black-on-black’ scheme?’

‘No, ‘black-on-white’ perhaps?’ (TL Note: 黑吃黑 (hēichīhēi) means ‘dog-eat-dog’ or ‘bad guy preying on bad guy’; 黑吃白 (hēichībái) means ‘bad guy preying on good guy’. She’s correcting herself, realizing she’s the ‘good’ one in this scenario, or at least not the ‘bad guy’ compared to him.)

Ye Qingfeng secretly pocketed some spirit stones, cautiously watching him while silently moving away from Quan Haoqing.

By the time Quan Haoqing reacted, Ye Qingfeng was already about fifty paces away from him.

He asked, surprised, “Why are you so far from me?”

“Nothing, just feeling a bit hot. Ah~, it’s stiflingly hot.”

Ye Qingfeng offered a clumsy performance, her exquisite face slightly stiff, her gem-like eyes darting around like startled fish. Her hands were clasped behind her back, a crystalline blue Xuan Ice Sword pressed tightly against her spine.

“You… seemed to be distracted just now.”

Quan Haoqing, whose observational skills were already meticulous, realized that he seemed to have frightened her.

‘No, am I really that scary?’

Quan Haoqing touched his face. While he couldn’t claim to possess the peerless beauty on par with Ye Qingfeng, he could certainly be described as handsome and resolute.

‘Sigh, it seems the impression points deducted during our first meeting were simply too many.’

“My apologies. I just remembered something important and became lost in thought.”

Quan Haoqing relaxed his entire body, effectively demonstrating his harmlessness through his actions, which finally prompted Ye Qingfeng to cautiously approach.

“Let’s continue dividing the items.”

At this moment, Ye Qingfeng’s movements and expression were precisely like those of a wary wild kitten, tempted by dried fish, cautious yet unable to resist the allure of the treat.

Ye Qingfeng stopped five paces away from Quan Haoqing. She had no intention of getting too close; for her, this was a safe distance.

Quan Haoqing did not press the issue. Instead, he resumed their work of splitting the spoils, then casually inquired, “Fellow Daoist Ye, do you plan to continue your travels outside after this?”