Intimidation

Zhou Minghu and his party had not traveled far from the market before they sensed a hidden tail trailing behind them.

Zhou Minghu said in a low voice, "Walk faster. We are still too close to the market."

Conflicts could erupt around the market at any moment. If their clan remained too close and happened to be targeted by a Qi Condensation cultivator, they would have nowhere to voice their grievances.

Zhou Xuanya, meanwhile, had positioned Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi within the ranks of the group. If a clash broke out, they could catch those fellows completely off guard.

The entire procession abruptly quickened its pace, causing the figures trailing behind them to grow anxious.

Before long, a white-robed man dressed as a scholar blocked the Zhou family's path, smiling faintly. "Fellow Daoist, why are you in such a hurry? Why not sit down and have a chat?"

Behind the group stood a black-clad swordsman radiating a fierce, bloody aura. The thick stench of blood made the servants tremble with fear, unable to stop themselves from taking a few steps back.

Beside him stood a burly man eight chi tall, his bulging muscles stacked like boulders, with a string of bone beads hanging around his neck.

"Why waste words with them? Just kill them. Which of these immortal clan disciples isn't dripping with wealth?"

"That Zhou family only has one Qi Condensation cultivator, and he cowers in the mountains all day. Why should we fear him?"

The Zhou family members hurriedly formed a defensive ring, guarding against both sides.

Suddenly, Zhou Minghu and Zhou Xuanya felt their bodies grow sluggish, their expressions shifting slightly.

This was clearly a Spirit Awakening Realm formation. Although it could not trap the two of them, it could hinder them for a time.

An old Daoist appeared from the side, stroking his beard with a laugh. "Everyone, the formation is already set. Why haven't you killed them yet?"

Immediately, the four of them closed in on the Zhou family from all sides.

Zhou Xuanya gripped his long spear, vigilantly guarding their surroundings. He said in a low voice, "Brother, end this quickly. Any delay will bring unforeseen changes!"

Zhou Minghu nodded slightly. There might only be four people present now, but there were surely many more Rogue Cultivators rushing over. The auras of the four before them were no weaker than their own. If they became entangled in a prolonged fight, it would be difficult to escape today.

Fortunately, both of them possessed Magical Artifacts, and they still had Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi hidden away. Perhaps they could instantly slay one or two of their foes to intimidate the pack of wolves.

"Everyone, form ranks and prepare for battle!"

In an instant, the Zhou family members stood in strict formation, tightly gripping their blades as they stared at the four attackers. However, the fear in their eyes was impossible to conceal.

The four pressed forward step by step, showing no trace of fear.

Although the Spirit Awakening Realm was not incredibly powerful, most of the people before them were mere mortals. Dealing with them would be more than easy; they only needed to guard against Zhou Minghu and his brother.

Though the four were not a single group, they displayed a surprising tacit understanding in this moment. The black-clad swordsman and the burly man possessed greater strength, so they charged forward to slay the Zhou brothers. As for the scholar and the old Daoist, they advanced upon the servants.

The swordsman faced off against Zhou Minghu like a ravenous jackal. He pushed off the ground, slashing his blade downward with vicious force.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Zhou Minghu was naturally prepared. He parried with his longsword, forcing the swordsman back, though the webbing of his hand was left numb from the impact.

Although their strength was comparable, how could his ferocity match that of these ruthless Rogue Cultivators? He was immediately suppressed and forced into a disadvantage.

While trading blows, Zhou Minghu continuously searched for a flaw in his opponent's guard. Spiritual Qi faintly surged within his body, ready at any moment to empower his longsword for a killing strike.

Because Spirit Awakening Realm cultivators possessed meager reserves of Spiritual Qi, they mostly relied on physical combat to engage their enemies, saving their Spiritual Qi for a fatal blow.

Zhou Minghu was gathering his momentum to find a weakness, but the swordsman opposite him was doing the exact same thing.

The two exchanged fierce blows, and for a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

On the other side, however, Zhou Xuanya was completely suppressing the burly man.

Although the man was as strong as an ox, Zhou Xuanya wielded a martial long spear with surging offensive power. His wide, sweeping strikes carried a valiant momentum, forcing the large man into a constant retreat.

Swish!

The long spear thrust forward viciously. The burly man could not dodge in time, and a bloody hole was pierced straight through his shoulder, leaving him dripping with fresh blood!

The blood on the spear was rapidly absorbed by its rust, enhancing its imposing aura by another fraction.

"Damn it, why are you two taking so long to kill a few mortals?!" In a panic, the burly man knocked away the incoming spear thrust and roared at the distant scholar and old Daoist. "This guy's spear is a treasure! I can't handle him alone. Hurry up and help me!"

Despite facing a group of mortals, the old Daoist and the scholar showed no contempt. They continued to deal with the clan soldiers with utmost caution.

Up to this point, although they had only slain two people, the remaining servants were already utterly exhausted. If they just dragged the fight out a little longer, they could easily slaughter the rest.

As for Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi among the crowd, they had yet to reveal their true strength.

After all, while the Green Jade Guards possessed boundless strength and incredibly tough skin, their movement speed was far too slow. If a cultivator noticed them, they wouldn't be able to close the distance and might even be slowly whittled to death from afar.

Seeing the burly man fall into a disadvantage, the scholar hurriedly shouted to the old Daoist, "Go help him! I'll butcher these mortals!"

Yet at that very moment, Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi, who had been hiding in the crowd, seized the instant the scholar was distracted. They suddenly burst forth, charging out like rampaging wild bulls!

Even if the Green Jade Guards were slow, the distance between them was so incredibly short that the scholar had no time to dodge. He could only frantically channel his Spiritual Qi to protect his body and internal organs.

But even with the protection of Spiritual Qi, his defenses were utterly fragile in the face of the Green Jade Guards' terrifying physical power.

With a sickening crack, the scholar's chest was completely caved in by Zhou Liu's punch, reducing his flesh and blood to a mangled mess. In the next instant, Zhou Qi cleaved his head open like a watermelon with a single stroke of his blade, splattering yellow and white matter everywhere.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Let alone the old Daoist, even the surrounding clan soldiers had not managed to react before the scholar's life was extinguished.

"Flee!"

The old Daoist's expression warped in terror. He immediately turned to flee, but Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi blocked his only path of retreat.

He hurriedly focused his mind, and Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi felt a significant resistance press against them. It was the old Daoist manipulating the formation to hinder their steps.

However, a faint white light simply emanated from the two guards' bodies. They took a heavy step forward, and the resistance was violently shattered, leaving only shallow marks upon their forms.

The old Daoist suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, clearly suffering from the backlash of the shattered formation.

Ultimately, it was only a Spirit Awakening Realm formation. Trapping mere mortals was not an issue, but the terrifying brute strength of the Green Jade Guards was something even a Qi Condensation cultivator could not withstand, much less someone in the Spirit Awakening Realm.

Zhou Liu took a fierce stride forward, his heavy footfall making the earth tremble slightly. He then raised his massive fist and brought it crashing down!

The old Daoist tried to escape, but Zhou Qi stood behind him like a solid wall, entirely blocking his path.

"My life is over!"

This final thought flickered through the old Daoist's mind just before his head was smashed into an unrecognizable bloody pulp. Blood sprayed in all directions, making Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi look like demons clawing their way out of hell!

In the distance, the swordsman and the burly man were already seized by dread, desperately thinking of ways to flee.

The swordsman forced Zhou Minghu back with a desperate slash and prepared to run. Naturally, Zhou Minghu seized this exact opening. He frantically poured his Spiritual Qi into his longsword, and a streak of blood-red light erupted forth. The swordsman's severed head flew into the air before tumbling to the dirt.

As for the burly man, he was forcefully pinned to the ground by Zhou Xuanya's spear thrust, the life entirely drained from his body.

"Exhilarating!"

Zhou Minghu let out a long roar. Since becoming a cultivator, this was the first time he had felt so freely unhindered and satisfied.

Zhou Xuanya was not quite as excited. He began directing the servants to search the corpses. "Search them from head to toe. Let us see if they carry any treasures."

Not far away, a few figures were rushing over from the direction of the market. However, upon witnessing such a brutal and bloody scene, they naturally hid themselves and did not dare approach.

These Rogue Cultivators had targeted the Zhou clan because they knew the family had only recently been established and assumed their strength was weak. But seeing four Rogue Cultivators fail to take them down had already proven that the Zhou family was not to be trifled with. They were not about to rush forward and do something foolish.

Zhou Xuanya turned his head to look in the direction of the hidden Rogue Cultivators, his eyes incomparably cold. He immediately took Zhou Liu and charged toward them.

Those Rogue Cultivators were not a unified group to begin with. Seeing Zhou Xuanya charging in for the kill, they instantly scattered and fled in all directions.

However, one of them was simply too slow and was ultimately pierced to death by Zhou Xuanya's spear.

After thoroughly searching all five corpses, Zhou Minghu finally led his people away with their heads held high. Wherever they passed, no one dared to block their path again.

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