EFB Chapter 69 First Touch of Blood
Chapter 69 First Touch of Blood
After leaving Beihan City, Lu Ming followed the map on the jade slip and traveled swiftly northwest.
The wilderness outside the city appeared even more vast, and the wind and snow intensified, swirling up thousands of snowflakes and turning the world into a vast expanse of white.
Lu Ming's figure swept across the snow, leaving shallow traces that were quickly buried by the wind and snow.
For the first time in thirty years, he came to the bustling city. Although it was only for half a day, the noise of Beihan City and the warmth of the food made him relax a little.
He was eager to return home and only wanted to complete his mission as soon as possible to earn travel expenses.
Not long after he started flying, he sensed two other auras moving northwest at a similar speed behind him.
"Are they also fellow travelers going to Ling Sha Mountain for a mission?" A thought flashed through Lu Ming's mind.
He only paid a slight distraction and didn't think too much about it, taking it as a coincidence that they were on the same road, and continued to move forward at his own pace.
After traveling several dozen miles, we entered a remote icy hilly area, surrounded by jagged rocks covered in ice and snow, forming countless natural shelters.
The two auras behind him suddenly accelerated!
"Hey kid, stop right there!"
A sharp shout accompanied by the sound of something cutting through the air rang out, and two figures swiftly surrounded Lu Ming from the left and right, blocking his path.
These were two middle-aged cultivators. One was tall and thin, with sharp eyes, and held a ghost-headed saber.
The other man was short and stocky with a fierce face, and he held a pair of short, black thorns.
Both of them were at the late Foundation Establishment stage, their eyes greedily fixed on the spirit sword behind Lu Ming.
"Why are you two blocking my way?" Lu Ming stopped and asked calmly. Although he didn't want to cause trouble, he would never back down if someone bullied him.
The tall, thin cultivator grinned: "Kid, stop pretending! If you know what's good for you, leave behind that magical flying sword on your back and hand over your storage bag. If we're in a good mood, we might spare your life!"
The two rogue cultivators who followed were eyeing the magical flying sword on Lu Ming's body.
"Otherwise," the short, stocky monk grinned maliciously, his short thorns rubbing together with a sizzling sound, "this place will be your burial ground!"
Lu Ming's eyes flashed with anger: "Do you intend to commit murder and robbery?!"
Although Lu Ming experienced countless battles in the Immortal Remnant Land, those battles were all reflections of himself.
He lacked direct knowledge about the potential for murder and robbery among cultivators, especially in broad daylight near a city.
The protection of his master and fellow disciples, as well as the relatively peaceful environment of the academy, made him less aware of the wickedness of people's hearts, especially the ruthless methods some cultivators would use for resources.
Seeing that Lu Ming was alone, and that his cultivation level seemed to be only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, and that he seemed to have no reaction to their following, the two were secretly delighted, concluding that he was just an inexperienced "fat sheep".
"Heh heh, I've given you the chance, but since you don't cherish it, then leave your life behind too," the tall, thin cultivator sneered.
"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"
On the left, dozens of emerald green rays of light shot out from the sleeve of the tall, thin cultivator. These were the Hundred Shadow Needles, as fine as rain, covering many vital points on Lu Ming's upper body. The tips of the needles shimmered with a ghostly light and emitted a pungent stench, clearly indicating that they were coated with a deadly poison!
On the right, the short, stocky cultivator tossed out a ball of dark light, which instantly transformed into a giant net. The net was covered with dark threads, its spiritual light dim, and it carried an aura that imprisoned spiritual power, descending upon them! It was the Spirit-Binding Dark Thread Net!
The two worked together seamlessly, their attacks ruthless and cunning, clearly intending to kill Lu Ming in one blow, giving him no chance to react.
Although Lu Ming was startled, he remained calm, and his fighting instincts, honed over many years of battles with Mirror Shadow, erupted instantly!
He used a mysterious footwork technique, his figure flickering like a ghost, and he passed through the densest gaps in the poison needles in the blink of an eye. At the same time, his spiritual energy formed a solid cyan light shield around his body.
"Pfft pfft pfft!" Most of the poison needles were dodged, but a few hit the light shield, making a corrosive sound. The light shield rippled violently and even had small holes corroded in it, which showed how potent the poison was!
The massive, dark net had already descended upon him! But the ability to imprison spiritual energy had absolutely no effect on Lu Ming!
"Open it!"
Lu Ming let out a low shout, neither dodging nor avoiding. He pointed his right hand like a sword and unleashed a sword aura through the air!
"Rip!"
As the sword energy collided with the black net, the Spirit-Binding Black Silk Net, which was powerful enough to trap an ordinary late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, was actually torn open with a huge gash by this fingertip sword energy! The black light dimmed instantly, its spirituality greatly damaged!
The two rogue cultivators' expressions changed drastically. They hadn't expected this seemingly young cultivator to react so quickly and use such fierce and powerful methods!
The tall, thin cultivator shouted sharply and waved his hands repeatedly, sending more poisonous needles raining down like flowers, enveloping the space around Lu Ming.
At the same time, the short, stocky cultivator roared, wielding a pair of short, black daggers, and lunged forward, the daggers aimed straight at Lu Ming's waist and abdomen, the force of the attack fierce!
Lu Ming's eyes turned cold; the other party was trying to kill him!
He moved again, using the Void Step to its fullest extent, weaving through the countless needle shadows and the cold light of short thorns as if strolling leisurely.
Each time he narrowly avoided an attack, he simultaneously flicked his fingers, unleashing the Xuanwu True Skill's finger power from a distance, precisely striking the short, stocky cultivator's wrists, shoulder wells, and other vital points.
"Snap! Ah!"
The short, stocky cultivator screamed repeatedly as his wrist shattered, his shoulder bone punctured, and his short dagger slipped from his hand. He was sent flying backward, spraying blood as he crashed heavily onto the snow, unable to get up for a moment.
Upon seeing this, the tall, thin cultivator was terrified, realizing he had kicked a hornet's nest, and turned to flee.
Lu Ming snorted coldly, his figure moving like lightning, arriving first despite being behind, and blocking the other party's path.
"Fellow Daoist, spare my life! Oh, no, senior, spare my life! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness! You can take the storage bag, just spare my life!"
The tall, thin monk, his face ashen, knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, tears streaming down his face, looking utterly pathetic.
Looking at the other person's demeanor and recalling the ruthlessness of his earlier attack, Lu Ming felt disgusted, but ultimately unwilling to easily take lives. He said in a deep voice, "Get lost! If I see you again..."
Before the words were even finished, another unexpected event occurred!
The short, stocky cultivator, who appeared to be seriously injured and lying on the ground, having lost all ability to resist, suddenly slammed his uninjured left hand against the snow, using the force to leap up!
At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a barely perceptible dark light, which shot towards Lu Ming's heart like lightning! This was his trump card for saving his life—the Mother-Child Bone-Piercing Nails, extremely insidious and specifically designed to break through protective qi!
The tall, thin cultivator who was kneeling and begging for mercy suddenly launched an attack. The last three poison needles, glowing with blue light, hidden in his sleeve shot out and aimed directly at Lu Ming's face!
A pincer attack! Utterly vicious!
Although Lu Ming had been on guard, he did not expect that the other party's plea for mercy was a pretense under such a disadvantageous situation, and that the counterattack was so synchronized!
"puff!"
The mother-and-child bone-piercing nails struck Lu Ming squarely in the back of his heart!
However, the anticipated scenario of the poison penetrating the body and causing death did not occur.
The moment the bone-piercing nail struck Lu Ming's body, it made a crisp "ding" sound, as if it had struck divine gold and immortal iron!
The nail tip couldn't even pierce his skin before being sent flying by the powerful body of the Great Perfection of Body Tempering Realm!
Lu Ming felt as if a small pebble had poked his back, causing a slight numbness that was instantly dispelled by the surging blood and qi within his body.
At the same time, facing the three poison needles aimed at his face, Lu Ming neither dodged nor evaded, but instead threw a punch! The fist rippled with energy, and his blood flowed like a dragon!
The fist technique was simple, yet it contained terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and splitting rocks! Where the fist's force passed, the three poison needles were shattered in mid-air! Reduced to dust!
His fist, undeterred by the force of the blow, slammed heavily into the chest of the tall, thin cultivator!
"Bang!"
A dull, loud bang!
The tall, thin monk's chest visibly caved in, and his eyes bulged out instantly, filled with bloodshot veins and endless terror.
He was sent flying backward, crashing into a huge rock covered in solid ice behind him. A cracking sound rang out, and the cultivator slid down softly, lifeless.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Lu Ming stood with his fist clenched, staring at the twisted corpse of the tall, thin cultivator, then at his own fist stained with a few drops of crimson blood, and was completely stunned.
A strong, pungent smell of blood filled my nostrils, carrying the scent of life fading away.
"I...killed someone?"
Although it was a self-defense counterattack against a vicious sneak attack, a fight to the death, and although the other party deserved to die.
But the feeling of ending a life with his own hands was completely different from when he fought against vengeful spirits, mirror images, and even the wolf girl of the demon race.
Through the fist, one could almost feel the opponent's bones shattering and internal organs being shaken apart.
Lu Ming felt a churning in his stomach, his face turned slightly pale, and he even felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.
"Is this...the feeling of killing someone?" Lu Ming muttered to himself, his face contorted with distress.
Seeing his companion die instantly, and realizing that his strongest sneak attack hadn't even scratched the skin, the short, stocky cultivator was terrified. Ignoring his serious injuries, he scrambled to escape.
Lu Ming abruptly turned his head, his icy gaze locking onto him, carrying a hint of bewilderment and ferocity following his first murder.
The short, stocky cultivator, meeting that gaze, trembled as if stared at by a prehistoric beast. His crotch instantly became soaked, and he collapsed to the ground, kowtowing with tears streaming down his face.
"Senior, spare me! Senior, spare me! I was blinded by greed! I deserve to die! Please, senior, just let me go!"
Looking at his ugly state, Lu Ming felt a surge of nausea and vomiting.
He quickly calmed himself down, but the feeling of disgust lingered.
To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself.
If it weren't for my incredibly strong physical body, I would be the one lying on the ground right now.
The cruelty of the cultivation world was etched into his heart for the first time in such a bloody way.
But Lu Ming ultimately did not make another move.
"Get out!" Lu Ming spat out the word coldly, carrying a chilling killing intent.
The short, stocky cultivator, as if granted a pardon, practically crawled and scrambled into the rocks, then flew away quickly and disappeared from sight.
Lu Ming stood still, the wind and snow blowing against his slightly thin new clothes.
Looking at the corpse gradually being covered by snowflakes on the snow-covered ground, and the glaring specks of blood, Lu Ming gagged and remained silent for a long time.
The Snow Clouds emitted a soft hum from its sheath, as if sensing the complex fluctuations in its master's emotions.
Lu Ming forcibly suppressed his discomfort. The road ahead was long, and some lessons could only be learned through bloodshed.
Lu Ming didn't look at the corpse again, turned around, and continued flying towards the Ling Sha Mountain Range.
He was faster than before, and his eyes held a coldness he had never shown before.