Chapter 73: Feng Ruohan Comes Online
“I’ll give you one chance.”
Being misunderstood was precisely what he wanted.
Su Yan didn’t explain or deliberately accept this identity. Instead, he coldly pressed for an answer to his earlier question.
Seeing this, Tao Dashan was terrified, unsure of the other person’s intentions.
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you.”
He quickly nodded, “The Little Mountain Association released news that whoever can take the life of a true disciple of the Golden Ape Martial Arts School will be rewarded with the ability to visualize the ‘Wild Wolf Howling at the Moon Diagram’ for three days.”
Su Yan showed surprise. “The ‘Wild Wolf Howling at the Moon Diagram’? They’re really willing to go that far.”
Even if it wasn’t the complete cultivation manual, it was clearly a very core part of the Little Mountain Association’s techniques and a crucial catalyst for breaking through to the True Intent Realm.
Although the Little Mountain Association wasn’t comparable to a sect or a martial arts school, and their martial arts inheritance wasn’t that strict,
they wouldn’t offer something like this easily.
‘So, are they trying to lure rogue cultivators like fish into a trap, or do they genuinely intend to stir up trouble?’
“Lord, I… I only know this much.”
“Good, then you can go.”
Su Yan nodded slightly. The man was overjoyed and immediately got up to leave.
Suddenly, a fierce wind attacked from behind. He quickly turned around.
The pale White Bone Poison Centipede had already lunged before him.
He hastily swung his saber to slash, but only heard a clang. The White Bone Poison Centipede was unharmed.
“Whoosh.”
A White Bone Poison Centipede Nail shot out from its mouth. Tao Dashan couldn’t dodge in time and had a nail shot through his shoulder.
He cried out in pain and cursed, “Villain, you broke your promise!”
Su Yan, however, remained calm. The Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect darted forward, its poisonous mist like a thread, resembling a fiery blade.
Tao Dashan, who had achieved Great Accomplishment in Muscle and Bone, resisted with all his might.
However, although the two exotic insects were small, their methods were extremely potent.
Tao Dashan often lost his footing while dodging, and as the poison took effect, his body stiffened, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Dead.
The White Bone Poison Centipede bit his throat, completely killing him.
Su Yan then stepped forward to search the corpse. After a thorough search, he had some gains.
“A bottle of Blood-Strengthening Pills. The main ingredients are first-order Feral Beast Blood and Blood Ginseng. The quality is passable, but it’s indeed not as good as Lu Ba’s prescription.”
Besides the Blood-Strengthening Pills, there was also some silver, not much, only about a hundred taels.
Su Yan threw the corpses into the mountain stream, not bothering with them, erased his tracks, and continued on his way.
He traveled through the territory of the Golden Ape Martial Arts School and quietly entered the desolate mountain where he was headed.
‘The Seven Blades Martial Arts School and the Little Mountain Association have placed a bounty and released such rumors. Their plan for the Golden Ape Martial Arts School is likely to be relentless. Although I might not be the main target, if the martial arts school makes a move, I probably won’t be able to escape the consequences. I need to speed up.’
After a brief analysis, Su Yan knew there was definitely a big problem behind this.
They even brought out a Visualization Diagram to lure people in. Such generosity in baiting the hook suggests what their target must be.
Although he wasn’t a core fighter like those in the Blood Moving or Spirit Nurturing realms, if a fight truly broke out, he wouldn’t be able to stay out of it.
So, after a short rest, Su Yan headed straight for White Stone Mountain.
—
White Stone Mountain stretched for dozens of miles, with sharp, angular white rocks. The terrain was undulating, with precipitous sections resembling cliffs that touched the sky.
In the lower areas, it formed deep valleys and narrow crevices.
The forest here was not as dense as in other desolate mountains; it was so thick that the sky was obscured.
Often, there would be lush forest in one area and exposed rocks in another, as if something had been stripped clean.
“With White Stone Mountain being this vast, finding it won’t be easy. Red Mountain Armadillos like to eat ore, but they are also carnivorous Feral Beasts that prefer bone.”
Su Yan pondered for a moment, took several pieces of Feral Beast bone, and headed towards water sources and other places where Red Mountain Armadillos were most likely to appear.
His mountain hunting skills came into play at this time; ordinary martial artists would only be able to worry.
At the same time, he also dispatched the White Bone Poison Centipede and the Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect to search together.
Time passed slowly. In the mountain stream, a giant, imposing green-rock colored pig was greedily devouring bones and flesh on the riverbank.
Su Yan rushed over and frowned upon seeing this scene.
“It’s not it either?”
“Oink oink.”
The Green Rock Pig sensed Su Yan’s movement, turned sharply, and immediately let out a warning grunt, seemingly intending to drive him away.
Su Yan’s eyes turned cold. ‘Damn you.’
His Fine Steel Longbow instantly unleashed a volley of arrows. The Green Rock Pig tried to dodge, but it was too late.
One arrow hit its head, embedding itself, while another shot through its throat and exited.
How could a First-order Early stage Green Rock Pig withstand such an attack?
Su Yan leaped down from the giant rock and approached the Green Rock Pig. He reached out, and the Fierce Insect Cauldron vibrated slightly, absorbing its essence blood.
As he absorbed more essence blood and refined the third insect tamer, Su Yan realized that while low-level insect tamers might only require a hundred catties of Feral Beast essence blood,
stronger insect tamers would likely require much more.
He cut open the Green Rock Pig’s belly to extract its bones and flesh, preparing to set up a trap for the night.
Red Mountain Armadillos were more likely to appear during the cool of the night. Having been startled earlier, they would be more likely to emerge at night than during the day.
Su Yan needed to set up more traps.
“Whoosh!”
A sharp arrow pierced the air. The Jade Beetle vibrated wildly, and Su Yan suddenly dodged to the side.
The arrow instantly embedded itself in the Green Rock Pig’s body.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw a person cautiously approaching from behind several rocks.
How audacious!
Su Yan drew his bow. The person panicked, their eyes filled with ferocity, and they attempted to draw their own bow to shoot.
However, before the arrow could be loosed, Su Yan had already acted.
Sidestepping, the arrow grazed past him. Then, a volley of arrows split and attacked from both sides, causing the person to dodge in panic.
They tried to take cover behind the rocks, but the arrows came too fast, leaving no room for evasion.
With a *plink*, an arrow pierced their shoulder, causing them to fall to the ground in pain.
Su Yan strode forward with his bow, an arrow already nocked.
He advanced quickly. As he peeked, the fallen individual was still unyielding.
They actually produced a Heart-Piercing Nail and shot it directly at Su Yan.
This Hidden Weapons technique was quite exquisite, but how could Su Yan not have been prepared?
He deflected the Heart-Piercing Nail with his Fine Steel Longbow, and the arrow in his hand was already aimed at the person’s back.
“Misunderstanding, I thought you were a Feral Beast. My teammate is hunting in the mountains; let’s not have a conflict over this.”
The strong man quickly finished speaking, hoping to exchange this for a chance to live.
Who would have thought that after roaming the mountains all day, he would make such a mistake today?
“Are you done?”
Su Yan’s gaze was icy; he had no intention of letting him go.
The man sensed Su Yan’s killing intent, his eyes hardened, and his true colors were revealed: “My Big Brother is at the Blood Moving Realm in this mountain; don’t make a mistake.”
This was a naked threat to Su Yan.
“Why can’t I see him?”
Su Yan’s heart stirred. He had searched almost half the mountain, yet hadn’t encountered anyone. He must have missed a spot.
“Tell me, where is he?”
He appeared nonchalant, but he was actually probing for the location.
The man gritted his teeth, realizing Su Yan’s intention. A *plink* sound.
Seeing his hesitation, Su Yan shot an arrow through his thigh.
“The cave beneath Stone Peak. I know you’re trying to trick me. If you let me go, we’ll forget this happened. You’re only in the Muscle and Bone Realm and can’t defeat my Big Brother. If you don’t believe me, you can keep me alive for now, go and see for yourself, and leave yourself a way out.”
He spoke earnestly, as if he were truly considering Su Yan’s well-being.
However, Su Yan smiled. “Rest in peace.”
With a single arrow, he ended the other’s life and pulled the arrow stuck in the man out.
He identified the direction and hurried towards Stone Peak.
If you want to cut grass, you must remove the roots. It didn’t matter if this was a spur-of-the-moment decision or if these people inherently behaved this way.
None of this mattered to Su Yan.
What he wanted to do was see if he had the opportunity to cut the grass and remove the roots.
They were all people who practiced martial arts and ventured into the desolate mountains to risk their lives; their heads were merely on loan.
Talk of no grudges was meaningless.
Moreover, there was actually a cave in that place…
“Big Brother, the smaller caves next to the main cave are all blocked. We’ve put in smoke-emitting dried grass; just light it.”
Outside the cave, a group of six people, armed with weapons and large nets, were guarding the area.
The one leading them had long hair and a beard, with eyes like a leopard’s ring eyes. He was Tang Rong, the leader of the group.
“Be careful, everyone. Seven Red Mountain Armadillos are valuable prey. Besides the two large ones, if we can tame the smaller ones and have the prescription, our financial path will be endless.”
Their scales can regenerate, though it takes a considerable amount of time. As long as they are raised, why wouldn’t they be profitable?
“Understood, Big Brother.”
The men were eager to act, but Tang Rong’s gaze swept over them. “Where’s my brother? Why is he taking so long to come back after going to get food?”
The subordinate before him dared not speak much, only saying, “Big Brother, don’t worry. Perhaps Brother A Yao, feeling a bit antsy, spotted some easy prey…”
“Nonsense, ‘easy prey’? With his Minor Accomplishment in Muscle and Bone, how dare he act so recklessly?”
Tang Rong was furious. In these desolate mountains, who dares to enter without some skill?
With his archery skills, no matter how good, there are bound to be times when he misses.
“Su Heng, take two brothers and call him back.”
Before he could finish speaking, Tang Rong shook his head. “Never mind, let’s deal with the Red Mountain Armadillos first. Light the fire.”
The longer they waited, the more the Red Mountain Armadillos might escape. They had already been cornered, and if they got away, their efforts of the past few days would be in vain.
Tang Rong and his brothers acted together. The torches were lit, and the dried grass mixed with sedatives was ignited, sending thick smoke pouring into the cave entrance.
He stared intently at the cave entrance, holding a Beast Head Saber. His brothers held a Fine Steel Net, blocking the rocks above and to the side of the cave entrance.
“Are they trying to force out what’s inside?”
After searching for a while, Su Yan finally found the entrance to the cave near a mountain valley.
No wonder he couldn’t find it; with such a location, even if they searched the mountain, it would be low on the priority list.
It was better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Su Yan covered his face and intently watched the situation below.
Time passed slowly. As the thick smoke continued to pour in,
“Roar!”
A furious roar echoed from the depths of the cave, and a deep red figure burst out, directly knocking away the large pile of fire at the cave entrance.
With scarlet scales and an iron-like cranial cone, its two enormous claws swept left and right, extinguishing the campfire completely.
“Attack!”
Two large nets flew towards them, landing directly on the Red Mountain Armadillo.
The Red Mountain Armadillo swung its sharp claws to tear the nets. The two men immediately charged forward with their weapons.
“Die peacefully!”
As the two were about to succeed, their sharp weapons attacked the Red Mountain Armadillo’s abdomen.
The Red Mountain Armadillo curled its body, facing the blade edge with its scarlet scales, deflecting the attack with a clang.
Just as the two men were about to attack again, a figure suddenly burst out of the cave and slammed into them with a *bang*.
A muffled sound accompanied the cracking of bones. At this moment, another Red Mountain Armadillo appeared, its eyes blood-red, as if it had gone mad.
It tore its companion free with its sharp claws and then lunged at Tang Rong and his group.
“Trash!”
Tang Rong cursed and met it head-on. All five Red Mountain Armadillos from the cave rushed out.
They were smaller than the two adult Red Mountain Armadillos, only about the size of adult Gray Wolves. As they emerged, they ferociously charged towards the surrounding martial artists.
“Be careful not to kill the young ones.”
Tang Rong, with a saber strike, corralled the two adult Red Mountain Armadillos within his combat range, shouting at his remaining three subordinates to be cautious.
The three men heard this, assumed their stances, and blocked the five smaller Red Mountain Armadillos.
A large net was cast, first capturing the two smaller ones that were groggy from the sedatives.
The remaining three slightly larger Red Mountain Armadillos pounced.
They put aside their blades and spears, instead using claw-like restraints to entangle them.
Tang Rong’s Qi and Blood surged, his Muscle and Bone exceptionally strong. The Beast Head Saber in his hand wielded immense power.
Two First-order Mid-stage Red Mountain Armadillos attacked, posing a threat no less than that of two Martial Artists at Great Accomplishment in Muscle and Bone. Their scarlet scales only increased their ferocity.
A saber strike often clashed against their scarlet scales with a resounding clang.
“Roar!”
The male Red Mountain Armadillo spread its arms like shear blades, embracing from both sides and steadily cleaving towards Tang Rong.
Tang Rong held his saber horizontally, blocking the heavy claw.
In the blink of an eye, just as he blocked, a red tongue shot out from the Red Mountain Armadillo’s mouth like a sharp sword, heading straight for Tang Rong’s head.
Tang Rong’s eyes flickered with cold light. He yanked his saber, sidestepping to dodge, and simultaneously drew a short blade from his waist.
The saber light flashed, severing the tongue with a single strike, causing blood to flow.
The female Red Mountain Armadillo lunged from his side like a rolling boulder, its momentum fierce.
Ghost Head Slash!
Tang Rong coldly observed the charging beast, thinking, ‘Overestimating yourself.’
He was a Martial Artist in the Blood Moving Realm; even facing two at once, how could they injure him?
With his Qi and Blood empowering his saber light, he unleashed a strike, immediately carving a deep, bone-revealing gash on the female Red Mountain Armadillo’s abdomen.
Blood gushed out. The female Red Mountain Armadillo tried to go berserk, but he kicked it flying.
The male Red Mountain Armadillo, enraged, charged wildly. But how could it contend with Tang Rong, who was now free? He immediately stabbed it through the body with a saber.
“Just a beast.”
Tang Rong spat on the ground and drew his Beast Head Saber. Suddenly, he heard three screams.
He quickly turned his head. His three subordinates, who had just captured the young Red Mountain Armadillos, were now clutching their chests and falling to the ground, three sharp arrows having pierced their bodies.
“Who!”
Tang Rong immediately hid behind a rock to avoid being shot by the cold arrows. He scanned his surroundings vigilantly, then spotted a black-robed figure with a bow standing on a low slope on one side of the valley.
“Who are you, daring to ruin my business, Tang Rong?”
Su Yan held his longbow, exerted force, and drew the bowstring taut, instantly releasing an arrow straight at Tang Rong.
Tang Rong’s pupils contracted. He held his saber horizontally to block, clanging loudly and shaking his palms slightly with the immense force.
Su Yan’s voice echoed from afar, “The Red Mountain Armadillos have a connection with me, Feng Ruohan. Friend, would you mind stepping aside?”
