Talisman Emperor
chapter-40

The middle aged burly man was called Liang Hu, and he was an infamous leader of a gang of bandits in Pine Mist City. His cultivation was only at the perfection-stage of the Congenital Realm, but relying on his cunning and cautious disposition, he’d always moved about freely until today, and he lived an extremely comfortable life.

The key of it was that he’d never once offended a disciple from a famous sect or great clan, and he only robbed and killed those independent cultivators at the bottom of society that didn’t have status or position.

Three years ago, Liang Hu had participated in the Southern Barbaric Nether Domain trials, and he knew everything within it like the back of his hand. He knew that at this place where Bloody Mountain and the Dusty Nightmare Area were connected, he would normally be able to obtain extremely generous returns when he used the layers of haze to conceal his group and conduct raids. He entirely didn’t have to waste both physical and mental effort to hunt baleful beasts to obtain baleful pearls.

Most importantly, so long as he was slightly careful, Liang Hu completely didn’t have to worry that his identity would be leaked out when he conducted raids here. Even if the disciples of those sects were to die, their sects would mostly think that they’d died under the fangs of baleful beasts and wouldn’t place any suspicions onto him.

With such thoughts in his heart, Liang Hu had brought over 10 Congenital Realm subordinates to participate in the Southern Barbaric Nether Domain trials this time for the sake of conducting wanton raids.

Reality was indeed like what Liang Hu thought, in a mere few hours, he’d already robbed and killed tens of cultivators that were traveling alone, and obtain a great number of baleful pearls.

Nevertheless, Liang Hu wasn’t blinded by his victories, and he still carefully selected cultivators that traveled alone as the target for his raids.

However, at this moment, he suddenly realized that those fellows that travel alone aren’t always weak, and a youth that had a young appearance might not always be a fledgling that was at his mercy.

Just like… Chen Xi who was before him.

Only an instant had passed since he attacked to the moment he noticed the calm killing intent that Chen Xi’s eyes emitted, however in this instant, Liang Hu instead had a strong feeling of extreme danger. He didn’t dare hesitate and fiercely stomped his right foot on the ground, then used the repulsive force from the stomp to twist his body and swiftly leap towards the side.

However, it was already too late.

Whoosh!

A breathtaking sword light appeared out of thin air and pierced out with an inconceivable speed that was swift like lightning.

Liang Hu’s body was still in mid-air when a sword hole suddenly appeared on the right side of his abdomen and passed straight through his back, causing thick blood to suddenly shoot out.

“How… How could this be possible? I’d already attained the perfection-stage of the Congenital Realm eight years ago, how could it be that I’m unable to block even a single strike?” Liang Hu fell onto the ground and lowered his head to gaze at the injury on his right abdomen that blood surged out from, and his face was filled with disbelief.

“Boss!”

“Boss is injured?”

“How could this be possible!?”

Liang Hu’s subordinates were stunned when they saw their Boss’s attack failed and instead was pierced by the sword of their enemy, and only now did they jolt awake from their shock and exclaim out in surprise.

Liang Hu was their leader, and a cultivation at the perfection-stage of the Congenital Realm already stood at the peak ranks within the Southern Barbaric Nether Domain, but he was instead injured and fell to the ground within a single move. This…this was simply an inconceivable matter!

Immediately, within the eyes of these bandits that lived a bloody life at the tip of their blade, that youth that stood there holding a sword seemed to instantly transform from a little fat sheep into a cold-hearted expert, and it caused their hearts to palpitate in fear.

Actually, with Chen Xi’s current cultivation, if he were to really battle Liang Hu, he didn’t dare guarantee being able to heavily injure Liang Hu with a single move. The only reason he was able to achieve it so easily this time was a result of his formidable Perception Force.

Early on when he heard the shouts of Liang Hu’s group, he’d used his Perception Force to sweep through the surroundings. His Perception Force that was comparable to that of a Violet Palace Realm cultivator was able to clearly search through an area of 50 kilometers, and he’d utterly not found a shadow of a baleful beast pack. How could he possibly fall for Liang Hu’s trap?

Whereas Liang Hu was completely unaware of this and only took Chen Xi to be an inexperienced fledgling. Under his carelessness and lowered guard, he was naturally injured within a single move by Chen Xi who’d already gained insight into the matter.

Step! Step! Step!

Steady and rhythmic footsteps sounded about, and Chen Xi had an icy cold expression as he held his sword in hand and walked forward with a heart filled with surging killing intent.

He didn’t have the slightest bit of a favorable impression towards these bandits that raided and killed people. If it wasn’t for his formidable Perception Force that had noticed something was not right, he’d nearly fallen for their trap and lost his life on the spot. At this moment, how could he possibly let these fellows off so easily?

Liang Hu forcefully endured the violent pain as he crawled up from the ground and shouted out explosively. “Brothers, attack! No matter how formidable he is, he’s only a single person. Kill him and the baleful pearls in his possession will be ours!”

“Boss is right, he’s only a single person, what’re we afraid of?”

“Right! This kid might have a large number of baleful pearls in his possession!”

“Kill!”

The ferociousness of the bandits was successfully aroused, and they all had gazes of insanity as they besieged Chen Xi.

Chen Xi’s was emotionless as always. Having cultivated bitterly within the southern barbaric mountain forests every night for the past three months while fighting life and death battles with numerous Congenital Realm greater demons had caused him to already forget how many injuries he’d received, and how much fresh blood he’d sprayed.

The live combat experience that Chen Xi tempered through slaughter and bloodshed had caused Chen Xi to enter combat status the instant he decided to get into combat.

No hesitation, delay, or spouting any nonsense, all of his concentration was locked onto the slaughter that was approaching, and his mind was calm and filled with killing intent.

“Die!”

Chen Xi’s wrist nimbly revolved as he stepped using the Heavenly Dragon’s Eight Steps, and the Azurebolt sword in his hand transformed into innumerable sword silhouettes that were like a squally shower, and it sprayed down swiftly and fiercely like a hurricane.

The bandits noticed in terror that within their field of vision, innumerable sword silhouettes were like a large net made of sharp blades that arrived before them in an instant, causing them to be unable to dodge.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

In the air, a string of thick blood was like spraying lava as it shot out violently wherever he passed.

The diligent and bitter training during these past three months caused Chen Xi’s Chaotic Windsplit Sword Technique to have attained the advanced-stage since a long time ago. In terms of the profundity of his sword technique, it was comparable to that of a Violet Palace Realm cultivator, and it was far from something these useless bandits could compare to.

When Chen Xi had assessed his combat strength within the Self-Reflection Diary he wrote every day, he’d labeled himself as being invincible under the Violet Palace Realm. Even the spirit of the Manor, Ji Yu, who’d lived for nearly one million years and possessed a hypercritical eye didn’t raise any doubts towards this. Thus it could be seen to what degree Chen Xi’s combat strength had transformed to.

Cough… Cough…

The pupils of the six bandits before him abruptly dilated, and their expressions were stiff and savage. A bloody hole was pierced through all their throats, and they emitted a hoarse and horrifying shrill cry before crashing onto the ground.

Even until death, they’d never imagined that Chen Xi’s sword technique would actually be so swift, swift to the point they hadn’t even attacked when they fell lifeless on the ground.

The weapons held up by the remaining five bandits froze mid-air, and they stared blankly at their companions whose corpses lay scattered on the ground. An inexplicably large fear that felt like two shapeless hands choking their throats surged throughout their bodies, and they actually forgot to breathe!

Even though they were bandits, not all of them had cultivations at the Congenital realm. It wasn’t that they’d never encountered a ferocious person that was difficult to handle within the Southern Barbaric Nether Domain, but they were usually able to obtain the final victory by relying on their numbers. However, at this moment, when they were faced with Chen Xi who had killing intent filled between his brows, only now did they notice that such a wide gap actually existed between two Congenital Realm cultivators!

Dead!

In the blink of an eye, six of our Congenital realm companions have all died…

Their fighting spirit fell like an avalanche as they gazed at Chen Xi who was like a devil, and the five bandits all emitted a sharp cry of terror before desiring to flee.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Azurebolt Sword was like fluttering mist as the blurred sword light brought along a sharp howl, and it easily pierced through the backs of the five bandits, causing blood to shoot out wherever it passed.

During these past three months of carrying out life and death battles with those ferocious and cunning Congenital Realm greater demons had allowed Chen Xi to understand an extremely important principle: Refraining from holding back in the slightest when dealing with enemies and making sure to kill his enemies as swiftly as possible was always the safest method.

He didn’t hold back. Within his eyes, these extremely violent and wicked bandits were a group of animals, and their deaths were nothing to be regretted!

Liang Hu had long since been muddled by everything that had happened before him, and when he saw Chen Xi holding the Azurebolt Sword that still dripped blood droplets and walked over, his legs shivered before falling to kneel on the ground with a thump, then he emitted an extremely frightened shout. “I’ll hand over all the baleful pearls. Please don’t kill me, Young Hero!”

Chen Xi remained completely indifferent, and his expression was extremely cold and indifferent.

“I’ll fight you with my life!” Liang Hu couldn’t help but laugh grievously when he saw Chen Xi was so resolute. Under the stimulation of fear from his approaching demise, he suddenly leaped up and a pitch-black dagger suddenly appeared within his hand, then he pounced forward before fiercely stabbing his dagger towards Chen Xi’s Dantian.

Whoosh!

A sword light flew out and Liang Hu’s head separated from his body and flew high up into the air. A pillar of blood that was as thick as a baby’s arm rushed out from his severed neck and splattered all over the ground.

Up to this point, Liang Hu’s group of bandits had all been killed on the spot!

If someone saw this scene, they would surely be shocked by Chen Xi’s viciousness and decisiveness.

“They actually have over 10,000 baleful pearls. These fellows have most probably robbed and killed quite a number of cultivators here. Truly a heinous crime! They deserved death!”

Chen Xi found a Hundred Treasure Bag from Liang Hu’s corpse and briefly sized it up. At the same time that he was surprised at the large number of baleful pearls within, he was even more disgusted in his heart of these bandits that were full of sin.

“Within the Southern Barbaric Nether Domain, no matter how a person’s cultivation was, their strength would surely be restricted at the perfection-stage of the Congenital Realm. I presume Su Jiao and Li Huai are the same as well. But the two of them are Violet Palace Realm cultivators after all, and are even core disciples of great clans. They presumably have various formidable trump cards. If I were to encounter these two people, I wonder who would be the victor…?”

After tossing all the baleful pearls he obtained into his storage ring, Chen Xi silently pondered for a moment before shaking his head, then turned around and left.

When he returned to their campsite, Du Qingxi’s group of three just happened to have finished eating. When they saw Chen Xi return, they utterly never imagined that he’d just experienced a bloody battle, and they greeted him before departing.

Chen Xi naturally would not speak out about what had happened, and he followed closely behind them. After walking for the time an incense stick to burn, the surrounding scenery abruptly changed.

The originally lead gray sky suddenly turned dark red, and an oppressive and irritable aura brought along a burning hot stream of air as it assaulted their faces.

There weren’t any layers of haze here anymore, and their field of vision was extremely vast. Chen Xi was able to see the faraway mountains that towered into the sky and the enormous rocks that were of bizarre shapes, sand still fluttering about on the ground that was devoid of life.

Terrifying roars vaguely sounded out from far away, and when interlaced together with the dark red sky, it caused one to feel extremely stifled.

“We will be entering Bloody Mountain from now onwards. True danger and slaughter is about to begin. Watch out everyone.” A voice that was chilly as ice echoed out. Du Qingxi gazed at everything in the distance that was like a blood colored world, and her expression was filled with seriousness.