Killing and Looting

The dim sky was devoid of stars or moon; it was impossible to tell if it was day or night.

In a corner of the vast, sandy desert, a campfire burned. It was as brilliant as a night-blooming cereus, exceptionally dazzling against the darkness.

Within a dozen meters of the fire, formation patterns pulsed. Any gale that passed was repelled by the vibrations, forced to veer around the site.

Xu Xian concealed his aura and quietly approached. Crouching on a small sand dune, he looked down and saw everything clearly.

Six or seven cultivators were gathered around the fire. Some were drinking, some were sharpening blades, and others were dozing off. They seemed to be resting. They were all dressed in light ink-colored robes, looking travel-worn.

There were four men and three women.

Every one of them had a sharp expression and cold, ruthless eyes. They were clearly veterans in the art of taking lives.

On the nearby open ground, a woman was tied up like a bundle and thrown onto the sand. She writhed and struggled incessantly, her mouth spewing a stream of colorful insults...

Clearly, the commotion Xu Xian had heard was coming from her.

This woman was different from the others. Her hair was crimson, and she had a pair of horns. Her skin was very pale, appearing bloodless even under the glow of the fire, and her clothing was unlike anything commoners wore.

Though she was currently as pathetic as a wriggling maggot and her mouth was full of curses, she still possessed an undeniable air of nobility.

It was obvious that this girl was not human; she was likely a member of the demon race, and she had been kidnapped.

The little book spirit squatted on Xu Xian’s forehead, looking extremely excited. After all, they had been walking in this desert for a long time, and this was the first time they had encountered living people—even if they were kidnappers.

There was a strange sense of familiarity to it.

It urged him, 'Master, they’re kidnappers! What great luck. That girl isn’t half bad-looking either. Quick, quick, quick! The time for a hero to save the beauty has come. Get moving...'

Xu Xian was speechless and rolled his eyes.

Hero saving the beauty? He had zero interest in such a cliché trope.

Then again, in a desolate place like this, encountering kidnappers really did require a bit of luck.

The demon girl continued to shout and scream. Even though she was at their mercy, her words didn't contain a hint of fear. Everything she said was either a threat or a warning, delivered with an arrogant tone.

The seven captors acted as if they couldn't hear her, ignoring her completely.

"She's been shouting the whole way. How can she holler so much?"

"Go gag her. It’s annoying as hell."

"Why don't you go?"

One of the men, who was thin and had a lecherous face, took a large gulp of strong liquor. He squinted at the girl and licked his lips. "This little wench is quite tempting. Look at those breasts; they’re practically bursting out. It’s a pity demons don't have an 'O', otherwise I’d definitely have my way with her..."

A man beside him sneered, "Who says they don't? Isn't there one on her backside?"

"The one for shitting? You don't find that foul?"

"Heh... if you're truly hungry, don't be so picky."

A female cultivator chimed in, "Hehe, isn't there another 'O' on top? That one won't be foul. Go on, gag her with it so she stops screaming."

The thin cultivator licked his lips again, actually considering it.

However, the female cultivator among them who hadn't spoken yet glanced over coldly. The thin man immediately averted his gaze, his thoughts vanishing.

She warned them gloomily, "Are you tired of living? Have you forgotten why we are here? The Cave Master gave orders: we need her alive and unharmed. Understand?"

The others backed down sullenly.

The lecherous cultivator couldn't help but grumble, "I was just joking, and you took it seriously. How boring."

"What exactly do you want?"

"Hey... this goddess is asking you a question! Are you deaf?"

"..."

Xu Xian listened patiently, capturing the information within their conversation.

Crimson Demon? Goddess? Cave Master?

Two at the seventh stage... Five at the sixth stage...

The answer was obvious. These guys were likely demonic cultivators from the Twelve Immortal Demon Caves. As for the girl, she probably had a significant background.

To dare call herself a goddess... her father, the Crimson Demon, was likely very powerful. Perhaps she really was the descendant of a demon god?

However, it was somewhat ridiculous that the descendant of a demon god would be kidnapped by a group like this.

Xu Xian couldn't help but wonder. Did the demon god raise his children like the Wendao Sect did? Did he also like to take away their protection and force them to suffer?

It was hard to say.

The little book spirit sat on Xu Xian’s forehead with its arms crossed, looking at its master with disappointment. It complained, 'Master, how long are you going to crouch here? if you're not going to save her, let's just go... you're wasting time.'

It really hoped its master would take action. A hero saving a beauty—how romantic! And then she might offer herself to him in gratitude. Just thinking about it was interesting.

Of course, the main reason was that it had heard those people say the demon girl didn't have a 'hole'. What hole? It was still small and didn't know. So, it really wanted to see for itself—purely to broaden its horizons!

"What's the rush..."

Silence...

Xu Xian signaled the little book spirit to get to work.

The little book spirit seemed to have known Xu Xian's intentions all along and wasn't surprised at all. 'I thought you weren't going to save her?'

Xu Xian said nonchalantly, "I have no interest in being a hero!"

He quietly pulled out Wait, the corners of his mouth curling up. "However, I am very interested in killing and looting."

Squinting slightly, Xu Xian said excitedly, "Want to bet? I bet these people definitely have Shadow Soul Stones on them."

The little book spirit’s mouth twitched. When it saw the cunning glint in Xu Xian’s eyes, it knew its master was about to cause trouble. Or rather, from the very beginning, he knew these people were dead meat.

The reasons were simple.

First: Xu Xian could beat them.

Second: They were demonic cultivators.

Xu Xian still held a grudge over the incident in Yecheng. Even in the Demon Suppression Abyss, amidst the chaos of the demon race, he would relentlessly pursue any demonic cultivator he scented.

And now, here...

If he let these seven isolated demonic cultivators go, it would be a miracle.

Seeing the little book spirit still dazed, Xu Xian urged impatiently, "Go."

"Oh!"

The little book spirit drooped its head and floated up. A moment later, it appeared above the group. It activated the Pupil of Insight for visual sharing.

Every move the seven made, even a slight change in expression, fell clearly into Xu Xian’s eyes.

As soon as the visual sharing opened, Xu Xian slightly shifted the heavy sword in his hand. With a movement of his feet, he charged forward, wrapped in the Immortal King's Shroud.

He was incredibly fast.

He used the wind and sand to mask his movements.

The demonic cultivators noticed nothing until Xu Xian’s body passed through their wind-shielding formation. Only then did one of them react.

"Who?"

But before they could make any response, Xu Xian unleashed a divine sense attack from his eyes.

Pupil of Insight: Mental Shock.

The strongest among the seven, a cultivator at the middle of the seventh stage, didn't even have time to summon her dharma treasure before she felt her head grow heavy and a stinging pain surge through her. Her face instantly contorted in agony.

In that split second, a cold flash of light appeared. Xu Xian had already arrived with his sword qi, sweeping the blade across her throat.

Fast. Precise. Ruthless.

The sword returned to its edge and slashed straight down. A frozen lotus bloomed instantly, and the area for hundreds of meters was immediately swallowed by sword intent...

The leading female cultivator of the seventh stage didn't even have time to groan. First, her throat was slit by Wait, and then her physical body and dantian were shredded into icy fragments by the overbearing Extreme Cold Sword Intent.

The others reacted as if facing a formidable foe, moving quickly to respond.

"Who is it!"

"Watch out!"