C9 Human Beings Die for Money Birds Die for Food!

"Do you feel honored to die by my spear?" Zhang Heng asked with a smile.

The only response was the furious roar of the Wind Lightning Demon Tiger.

Zhang Heng paid it no mind, activating the Overlord Spear technique and thrusting his spear with precision.

The air whistled around him.

In an instant, he pierced a fist-sized, gaping hole in the shoulder of the Wind Lightning Demon Tiger.

"The power is truly formidable."

"Although, my aim was a bit off... I was aiming for its spine just now."

Zhang Heng harnessed the lightning power within him, carefully mastering the newly understood Tremor Force.

He launched one spear thrust after another.

In a mere moment, he had executed a hundred thrusts.

The Wind Lightning Demon Tiger, serving as his sparring partner, was riddled with wounds, each one a testament to its suffering.

"I'll put an end to your pain now!"

With those words, Zhang Heng lunged with his spear.

The dark, razor-sharp spearhead plunged into the chest of the Wind Lightning Demon Tiger. The ferocious Tremor Force erupted from within the spear, obliterating its heart and leaving behind only a pristine Demon Crystal.

"Now, I can control my spear's attack range to within a fist's breadth."

"It's no surprise that so many are drawn to Silverflow Canyon for their training."

"Truly, the trials of life and death are the best method for breaking through the limits of one's ultimate techniques."

"Regrettably, such opportunities are not a daily occurrence. One misstep, and it could mean actual death."

Zhang Heng let out a silent sigh.

He proceeded to extract Demon Crystals from the fallen beasts, stowing each one in his backpack.

Then, his gaze returned to the Demonic Night Lotus at the center of the clearing.

Zhang Heng noticed that the Demonic Lotus was siphoning the blood spilled by the nearby beasts.

With each drop absorbed, the lotus, sculpted as if from white jade, blossomed even more resplendently.

"The Compendium of Materia Medica states that the flesh and blood of living beings can hasten the maturation of a Demonic Lotus. It's worth a try."

With that, Zhang Heng hoisted the carcass of a Cloud Leopard and tossed it onto the Demonic Lotus.

After a flurry of rustling, in just a short while, the Cloud Leopard's body vanished, leaving not a single bone behind.

The Demonic Lotus appeared to have grown slightly larger.

"Just as I thought!"

Zhang Heng mused internally, his hands busy tossing more carcasses of demonic beasts into the vicinity of the Demonic Lotus.

With each beast it consumed, the Demonic Lotus visibly expanded at an astonishing rate.

In just a moment, it had reached the size of a bamboo hat.

Its surrounding vines gradually shifted from green to yellow, slowly withering away.

After Zhang Heng cast the last Demonic Tiger carcass towards the Demonic Lotus,

All of its leaves and branches had dried up and fallen.

The Demonic Lotus, resembling a sculpture of pure white jade, began shedding its large, fan-like petals right before Zhang Heng's eyes.

In an instant, all the petals had dropped.

On the vibrant jade-green stalk, there remained only a single pearl-white lotus pod.

The pod was as big as a fist.

It was now exuding a scent even richer than that of the lotus itself, seemingly signaling its ripeness.

Zhang Heng gazed at the white lotus pod with satisfaction and stepped forward. Midway, he furrowed his brow and murmured, "The demonic beast's roar earlier was so thunderous, it was bound to draw others here."

From behind the ancient pine tree across from Zhang Heng, three figures emerged at a leisurely pace.

The one in the center was clad in an opulent Taoist robe, donning a crest on his head, and carrying an ancient sword with a pine pattern. He was a young man, always with a slight smile when facing others, and his cultivation was at the peak of the first rank in the Qi Refining Realm—two minor levels above Zhang Heng.

The other two were a bit younger, each bearing a military crossbow and a standard-issue military saber at their waists. Their cultivation levels had reached the mid-stage of the first rank in the Qi Refining Realm, putting them on par with Zhang Heng.

As soon as they made their appearance, the young Taoist leading the group cheerfully remarked, "Excellent, excellent."

"This morning, I divined that my brothers and I would be blessed with immense fortune today."

"Little did I expect that it would be linked to this nocturnal Demonic Lotus."

Then he heard the person to his left say, "What's even better is that we were concerned those demonic beasts would get in our way. Who knew someone would step in so quickly to take care of the problem for us?"

The Taoist to his right glanced at Zhang Heng with a sneer and added, "Not to mention, he's even been moving the demonic corpses and nurturing the demonic lotus for us. It seems there truly are plenty of good Samaritans in this world."

With that, the young Taoist bowed slightly to Zhang Heng and said, "We're in your debt, young man. My brothers and I will be sure to repay your kindness one day."

Zhang Heng observed the trio's performance with a detached expression, choosing not to engage with them, and kept walking towards the white lotus.

Secretly, he was carefully watching their attire and behavior, growing more uneasy the longer he looked. He concluded that these were real braves, seasoned in battle and bloodshed, a stark contrast to the academy's seniors who boasted high cultivation levels but had only ever sparred in a few matches.

Noticing Zhang Heng's indifference, the trio's demeanor turned frosty.

The young Taoist gestured, and the two beside him lifted their crossbows, aiming them at Zhang Heng.

In a tone feigning earnestness, the Taoist said, "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord, let's talk this over. The Dark Night Demonic Lotus belongs to no one, so it's fair game for all. Surely you agree to share some of it with us?"

His words suggested negotiation, but before he could finish, two razor-sharp bolts were already slicing through the air towards Zhang Heng.

They had never intended to share the treasures of the Dark Night Demonic Lotus with anyone else!

The Taoist's speech was merely a ploy to distract Zhang Heng, giving his companions an opening to strike.

The military crossbow bolts packed a formidable punch; unless one had reached the third grade of Body Tempering, a hit would be fatal or severely injurious to any Qi Refining brave.

But they had to hit their mark.

As the bolts neared Zhang Heng, his spear quivered slightly.

With two crisp 'dings,' Zhang Heng deflected the bolts, sending them flying off course.

The two crossbow bolts thudded into the pine tree, courtesy of Zhang Heng's precise aim. As his adversaries scrambled to reload, Zhang Heng dashed towards the trio with remarkable speed. The gap between the four combatants closed rapidly, and within moments, they were less than ten feet apart.

The man on the left had finished reloading his crossbow and was just about to take aim at Zhang Heng when the latter's spear quivered and struck the crossbow with force. The sound of shattering metal filled the air as the steel crossbow was reduced to scrap in an instant.

With his crossbow ruined, the man reached for his Swallow Plume Blade, drawing half of its blade, which shimmered like autumn water. But before he could fully unsheathe his weapon, Zhang Heng thrust his spear again. A wet puncture sounded as the spear pierced his chest, leaving a gaping, bowl-sized hole.

The man on the left crumpled to the ground. Meanwhile, the man on the right had managed to reload his crossbow and took aim at Zhang Heng, fingers poised on the trigger. But Zhang Heng had no time to redirect his spear.

Acting on instinct, he channeled his Origin Energy into the butt of his spear. Unleashing the combined forces of Spiritual Strength, Whirlwind Strength, and Tremor Strength through his arms, he thrust the spear's butt end directly at the crossbowman's arm.

The man on the right scoffed in disbelief, "You think to stab me with the butt of your spear? You really believe you can—"

His taunt was cut short as Zhang Heng's iron spear whistled through the air, colliding with the man's right arm. A mist of blood burst forth, and in the haze, the man's arm, still clutching the crossbow, was severed by the force of Zhang Heng's spear, detaching from his body.

Zhang Heng looked on dispassionately as the man writhed on the ground, clutching his profusely bleeding shoulder and screaming in agony. Without hesitation, Zhang Heng thrust his spear once more, this time into the man's throat, leaving a lethal wound.

Zhang Heng showed no mercy to those who sought his life.

Zhang Heng had never harbored an ounce of pity for those who sought his life.

Curiosity piqued, he turned his attention to the young Taoist priest. While his companions had launched their attack on Zhang Heng, the priest had not only refrained from assisting them but had instead seized the opportunity to put some distance between himself and the trio.

The Taoist priest remained on the scene, standing a mere ten meters away, impassively observing as Zhang Heng dispatched his two companions without so much as a twitch of his slender eyebrows.

"They're unlucky to have a 'friend' like you," Zhang Heng remarked, eyeing the Taoist priest ten meters away with a mix of scorn and relief.

Had the priest joined the fray, Zhang Heng wouldn't have been able to dispatch the other two so effortlessly. In fact, he might have been killed on the spot by their combined forces, or at best, escaped with grave injuries.

Such was the significance of cooperation.

Yet, even with only the priest remaining, Zhang Heng couldn't afford to let his guard down. He detected a pungent stench of blood emanating from the man.

This indicated that the priest had taken more than one life. Without having killed over a dozen people, the priest couldn't possibly exude such an intense aura of bloodlust and malevolence!

"Who said we were friends? If they considered me a friend, that was their folly," the Taoist priest responded nonchalantly.

"With a treasure like the Dark Night Demonic Lotus at stake, it's better for one to have it all than to share among three. You've done me a favor by dealing with them, sparing me the effort."

"People like them, greedy for life and yet so utterly incompetent, are better off dead."

As Zhang Heng advanced toward the priest with his spear at the ready, he inquired, "And what about you?"

The priest burst into laughter, his expression contorted with a hint of derangement, "I'm different."

"I am not like you or them."

"I am stronger than they were, and I am stronger than you."

"In this world, it's the survival of the fittest. I am the one who deserves to live, not you."

Reaching the priest, Zhang Heng lunged with his spear. The priest unsheathed the ancient pine-patterned sword from his back and effortlessly traced a sword flourish, as graceful as clouds gliding through water.

He then brought his sword down towards the tip of Zhang Heng's spear.

The clash of spear and sword resounded.

With a crisp clang, the young Taoist's easygoing face contorted in shock. "How is this possible? I'm clearly two minor levels above you, yet you managed to withstand my sword strike?"

His confidence quickly returned. "Hmph, that thrust of your spear—you must have exerted your full strength, didn't you?"

"Do you realize I only used 80% of my power?"

Zhang Heng watched the young Taoist with amusement. "I merely exerted 40% of my strength. Surprising that you went as far as 80%."

Enraged, the young Taoist spat, "You're spouting nonsense, take this!" His long sword flashed like lightning, slicing through the air towards Zhang Heng, significantly faster than before.

Zhang Heng's spear resonated with a hum, echoing like the roar of a dragon, and moved even swifter than the Taoist's sword.

Sword like lightning, spear like a dragon!

The weapons met once more, their clash ringing out like the peal of metal on metal. A streak of light soared heavenward.

The ancient sword, embedded in the trunk of a towering pine, continued to tremble with a persistent buzz.

"Has your supreme technique reached Great Completion? How else could you have knocked my weapon aside?"

The young Taoist's complexion turned ashen as he stared at the youth in disbelief. "You're merely in the mid-stage of the first Qi Refining level, and your supreme technique has reached Great Completion? I refuse to believe it!"

"Indeed, it has reached Great Completion," Zhang Heng replied with confidence, lunging his spear towards the Taoist's throat.

"Don't kill me, I am..." the young Taoist cried out in desperation, but Zhang Heng paid him no heed.

As the Taoist turned to flee, the chilling tip of the spear was already upon him. His head soared into the air, followed by a gush of blood.

The young Taoist's body thudded to the ground.

No one else stepped forward to prevent Zhang Heng from claiming the Night Demonic Lotus.

Zhang Heng approached the white jade-like lotus pod with deliberate steps, carefully plucking it before placing it into a specially crafted jade box for safekeeping.

The stalk of the Night Demonic Lotus was also extremely valuable, being an essential component for crafting top-tier medicinal pills. Zhang Heng, not one to squander such resources, gathered it all, securing it before stowing it away in his pack.

He then collected the Taoist priest's ancient pine-patterned sword, along with two goose-quill knives and a military crossbow from the others. He also removed the backpacks from each of the three individuals. To Zhang Heng's delight, he discovered that the young Taoist's backpack was no ordinary bag but a small storage pouch.

This storage pouch boasted a space of approximately one cubic meter, ample room for Zhang Heng to deposit all of his newly acquired items.

Leaving the three bodies behind, Zhang Heng turned to leave. "There's no need to hurry back to the academy. I'll find a hidden spot nearby to sort through today's loot," he thought to himself. "Most importantly, I need to refine the lotus seeds from the Night Demonic Lotus pod. Doing so will enable me to condense more and purer Yuan Qi, advancing me to a higher level of Qi Refining." With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Heng stepped onto the ancient pine trees and soared away.

​