Having confirmed that the incident wouldn't significantly impact the Yan Clan, Wei Zhong headed back to his courtyard.
As he passed the spirit fields, he noticed the devastation wrought by the previous night's Robber Cultivator activity. Patches of spirit rice lay flattened and destroyed, with many stalks visibly beyond saving. Some unlucky fields had been completely ravaged by the battle, their topsoil scraped away. While the spirit rice could be replanted, restoring the half-destroyed fields would require a substantial investment of spirit stones.
To his relief, Wei Zhong found no traces of fighting in his own spirit field. His plot, along with those of his neighbors, remained completely intact.
Approaching his courtyard, he circled it twice, finding nothing amiss. Still cautious, Wei Zhong cast an invisibility spell, suppressed his aura, and vaulted over the wall into the courtyard.
Inside its cage, Nine-Colored remained as listless as when he'd left, but its gaze was fixed on his room. Wei Zhong's vigilance sharpened. He tightened his grip on the small black sphere, preparing to unleash the Flying Throwing Technique.
He searched the kitchen and bedroom thoroughly, finding nothing, until he reached his cultivation chamber. There, lying unconscious and severely injured, was a male cultivator.
Wei Zhong stood behind the door, peering through the crack.
The man possessed remarkable skill in concealing his presence; even Wei Zhong's spiritual sense had failed to detect him.
As if Wei Zhong's presence had triggered some kind of alarm, the heavily wounded cultivator quickly stirred awake.
"Fellow Daoist behind the door, please come in and let us talk. I am Gongyangzi, and I've borrowed your abode to recuperate. My apologies for the intrusion."
Wei Zhong naturally wouldn't rashly enter. He pushed the door open and remained standing on the threshold.
"Fellow Daoist, your injuries appear severe."
Wei Zhong could clearly see a gaping wound on the man's chest and abdomen, as if pierced by some mysterious weapon. A large patch of blood had soaked through his robes.
"Heh, indeed. That's why I need a few days to recuperate here. Please accept these spirit stones as a token of my gratitude."
As he spoke, Gongyangzi flicked his wrist, sending ten spirit stones clattering to the ground before Wei Zhong.
"You're too kind, Fellow Daoist."
Wei Zhong levitated the spirit stones into his palm without stepping inside.
Suddenly, a warning flashed in his mind. He hurled the small black sphere in his hand upward. It landed with a splattering thud, as if hitting thick mud, and was immediately restrained by something viscous.
Wei Zhong's vigilance remained undiminished. He hurled a second sphere, this time meeting little resistance as it struck the source of the deadly threat.
Instantly, a white insect-like shadow plummeted to the ground—the very creature Wei Zhong's Flying Throwing Technique had struck.
The small sphere's impact had mangled the white body beyond recognition, but Wei Zhong could still vaguely make out that it was a milky-white spider.
"A First-Tier Spirit Insect?"
Seeing his methods effortlessly countered, Gongyangzi finally panicked. He activated a green circular shield to protect himself and hastily cried out, "Fellow Daoist, please wait! It's all a misunderstanding!"
Wei Zhong ignored him. He channeled his technique, unleashing a highly condensed Fireball Technique that slammed into the green shield.
Whatever material the shield was made of, the Fireball Technique only made it tremble slightly before dissipating harmlessly.
Gongyangzi breathed a sigh of relief. "Fellow Daoist, please stop! The Spirit Insect was merely acting on its own to protect me—I had no intention of harming you. If you're still displeased, I'll share a world-shaking opportunity with you to atone. Please forgive me."
Wei Zhong remained unmoved. He retrieved two more black spheres and resumed casting the Flying Throwing Technique.
Recognizing the technique that had slain his Spirit Insect, Gongyangzi dared not lower his guard. He forcefully channeled spiritual energy into his circular shield, causing a layer of green light to shimmer around its outer surface, further enhancing its defensive capabilities.
Gongyangzi's heart steadied slightly.
Damn it! If that man hadn't ruined all my methods and gravely wounded me, how could I have ended up in this humiliating situation, being bullied by a mere Spirit Farmer?
Thud!
The Flying Throwing Technique struck instantly. The green aura shattered upon impact, leaving a circular dent on the round shield.
"What?!" Gongyangzi's heart surged with terror. Before he could reactivate his magic tool, a second black sphere pierced through the weakened shield, following the same trajectory. With undiminished force, it slammed into his Daoist robe.
The tattered robe offered no resistance, and the sphere struck Gongyangzi's chest squarely.
Pfft!
Gongyangzi coughed up a mouthful of blood, his injuries finally overwhelming him.
"Little thief..."
Wei Zhong had no time for idle words with this thug. His fingers flickered, launching shards of magic tools. Though inferior to the black spheres, these fragments contained traces of spirit iron, making them far more lethal than ordinary stones.
Seeing Wei Zhong's relentless assault, Gongyangzi seemed to resign himself to his fate, offering no resistance. His gravely wounded body soon lay motionless under Wei Zhong's barrage.
"Is that all? He went down far too easily."
Apart from the spider and the round shield, Gongyangzi's combat skills seemed utterly ordinary.
Then again, Wei Zhong reasoned, enduring so many strikes from the Flying Throwing Technique while critically wounded was no small feat.
Wei Zhong kept his distance, conjuring a Fireball Technique in his hand, ready to reduce Gongyangzi's battered remains to ashes.
Perhaps Wei Zhong was being overly cautious, for a sigh suddenly echoed through the air.
Wei Zhong's hairs stood on end. A semi-transparent arrow shot from Gongyangzi's body, hurtling straight toward him.
So fast!
Wei Zhong barely had time to activate the Golden Body Technique, his skin instantly transforming into shimmering gold.
Yet the expert-level Golden Body Technique proved utterly ineffective against the arrow. It pierced through the golden barrier as if it were insubstantial, continuing its trajectory toward Wei Zhong's head.
Wei Zhong froze momentarily. A translucent, ethereal figure emerged from Gongyangzi's ravaged body, its form flickering like a fragile candle flame.
Without hesitation, Gongyangzi's spectral form plunged into Wei Zhong's body.
A bone-chilling sensation flooded Wei Zhong as the arrow burrowed into him, paralyzing him instantly. Then, an even colder, more malevolent presence invaded his flesh.
A strangled "Ah!" escaped his lips before he fell silent.
Recovering from the chilling sensation, Wei Zhong rubbed his head, utterly bewildered by what had just transpired.
Was that... a possession attempt?
Did Gongyangzi try to seize my body? But he failed, even before I could resist. Could I be harboring some secret treasure without realizing it?
Wei Zhong frantically searched his entire body, but found nothing.
Sigh, it seems my cultivation realm is still too low. There must be a reason I transmigrated here, and possessing a secret treasure wouldn't be unreasonable. I'll investigate further once my realm improves.
Regaining his composure, Wei Zhong conjured a fireball and incinerated Gongyangzi's remains, leaving behind only a storage pouch, a shattered shield fragment, and a pool of blood.
Wei Zhong frowned in suspicion.
"This blood..."
Another flame erupted in his palm, searing the blood. To his astonishment, the crimson liquid continued to writhe beneath the scorching flames.
Ultimately, however, it was "rootless water," and within moments, it was completely consumed.
Gongyangzi must have antagonized someone powerful. And that stroke of fortune... it might even be the reason he was so gravely injured.
Wei Zhong picked up the storage pouch, wiped away its seal, and rummaged through it. He extracted a jade slip and a finger-length crimson sword.
"The Blood Sea True Monarch's Inheritance Key?"