Having acquired the Foundation Establishment Pill, Wei Zhong left Bright Moon Market City and continued his journey, deliberately heading away from the Azurewood Sect.
Not far behind, three figures emerged from the shadows, all cloaked in black robes with hoods obscuring their faces.
"Why is that Spirit Farmer heading outside the Azurewood Sect's territory?" one of them asked.
"Isn't this perfect? Once he leaves Bright Moon Market City, it'll be easier for us to strike," another replied.
Only the third member of the group frowned slightly, a sudden flicker of doubt crossing his mind. "Brother Liu, is it true he possesses two Foundation Establishment Pills?"
"Absolutely," Brother Liu assured them. "Qi Yun kept the fact that he refined two pills at once completely secret. I doubt even a handful in the Pill Hall know about it. I only learned of it by chance, which is why I invited you both to help."
The other two men's eyes gleamed with anticipation. One of them spoke first: "I have no interest in Chu Zhong's other possessions. I only want one Foundation Establishment Pill."
"Then the remaining pill is mine," the second man declared.
Having spoken, the two cultivators turned to Liu Di, who smirked inwardly, dismissing his earlier hesitation.
"That won't do," Liu Di said. "Who knows how many spirit stones Chu Zhong has left after paying for the alchemy? If you two want to split the loot like that, one of you will have to compensate me with at least a thousand spirit stones."
The two exchanged glances. One of them spoke up: "A thousand is too much. How about five hundred? We'll combine our resources to give you a thousand, Brother Liu."
Liu Di shook his head. "No, a thousand is too little. I want at least fifteen hundred spirit stones. Hurry up and decide—Chu Zhong is getting farther away."
"Very well, we'll agree to Brother Liu's terms."
Liu Di's face lit up with delight.
Foundation Establishment Pills were rare for Loose Cultivators, but not for Inner Sect Disciples of the Azurewood Sect like Liu Di, especially one who was also a member of the Pill Hall.
In recent years, the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range had significantly alleviated the Azurewood Sect's internal shortage of Foundation Establishment Pills, far surpassing the days when they relied solely on the Clear River Secret Realm.
With their agreement settled, the trio immediately mounted their Flying Swords and sped off in the direction Wei Zhong had fled.
As Wei Zhong fled deeper into the remote mountains, he finally saw his three pursuers catching up and breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared his frantic, aimless escape might have aroused their suspicion.
Thank goodness they followed, he thought.
Choosing a less traveled path, Wei Zhong quickened his pace.
"Damn it, he's spotted us!"
"Chase him!"
The deeper Wei Zhong fled, the more relentlessly his pursuers closed in. Suddenly, he darted behind a massive boulder embedded in the mountainside and vanished without a trace.
"He's gone! Could it be a formation?"
The three halted before the boulder, exchanging puzzled glances. Liu Di watched as one of them reached out, his arm passing right through the solid stone.
"A concealment formation! He's inside. After him!"
Without waiting for the others, Liu Di plunged into the boulder and disappeared. The remaining two shared a look before following suit.
A moment of disorientation later, they emerged to find the first cultivator beaming with manic joy.
"This... is a Third-Tier Spirit Land?"
The newcomers sensed the overwhelmingly dense spiritual energy permeating the area and erupted in identical euphoria.
Liu Di's initial elation vanished instantly as he realized that such a remarkable spirit ground could never be concealed by a crude formation.
Unless it was intentional.
A chill crept up his spine. Overwhelmed by dread, Liu Di spurred his magic sword to turn and flee the way they had come.
But when he turned, there was no path back, only a vast expanse of shimmering golden Spirit Fields.
Just then, Wei Zhong's eerie laughter echoed through the air.
"Heh heh heh... Now that you've entered my Grotto-Heaven, do you think you can leave so easily?"
With those words, Wei Zhong's aura underwent a sudden transformation.
Dao of Time
Wei Zhong instantly broke through from the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, then continued to surge forward, reaching the Third Layer of Foundation Establishment—barely a step away from the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment realm.
"Grotto-Heaven? No, Senior, spare us! We had no intention of trespassing. It was him—he tricked us into coming here to steal your Foundation Establishment Pills!"
Sensing Wei Zhong's Foundation Establishment aura, one of the intruders stammered in terror, his words tumbling over each other as he frantically pinned all the blame on Liu Di.
"Oh?" Wei Zhong showed no haste to act, watching the scene unfold with amusement.
Liu Di's face turned ashen as he witnessed the Loose Cultivator he had invited betray him in an instant. Turning to Wei Zhong, he promptly sheathed his magic sword and knelt in supplication.
"Senior, spare my life! I am Liu Di, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Azurewood Sect and a First-Tier Pill Refiner. From this day forth, I pledge to serve you like a loyal beast of burden. Please, Senior, have mercy on this humble one!"
As an Inner Sect Disciple of the Azurewood Sect who frequently interacted with Foundation Establishment cultivators, Liu Di understood all too well the impassable gulf between Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining. Realizing escape was futile, he immediately prostrated himself and begged for mercy.
Simultaneously, he cursed Wei Zhong inwardly: You're a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Why pretend to be a Qi Refining cultivator making such a show of refining Foundation Establishment Pills? Does anyone in Bright Moon Market dare steal pills from a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
"A First-Tier Pill Refiner? Alas, First-Tier Medicinal Pills would likely be of little use to me. Since you three have learned the secrets of my Grotto-Heaven, you might as well meet your demise here."
"S-Senior! I swear I'll advance to Second-Tier Pill Refiner within ten years—no, five! I'll certainly prove useful to you!"
Wei Zhong remained unmoved. A surging wave of spiritual energy coalesced into a massive arm, reaching out to seize the trio.
Seeing no hope for negotiation, the other two cultivators hardened their expressions and drew their personal magic tools. As seasoned Robber Cultivators who had licked blood from their blades for years, they possessed a ferocity that Liu Di lacked.
One of them formed a hand seal, and a rusty, ancient sword shot forth from the scabbard on his back, its blade stained with what appeared to be tainted substances.
The other slapped a jade talisman against his body, unleashing a flash of brilliant light that enveloped him in a thin layer of golden radiance. He then produced a massive stone halberd, revealing himself to be a rare close-combat cultivator.
"Brother Liu, your desperate pleas are futile. Join us in resisting!"
Seemingly swayed by their words, Liu Di grimaced and swallowed a blood-red Medicinal Pill.
Under the pill's potent effects, Liu Di's face twisted into a grotesque mask, blood streaming from his eyes and ears. The spiritual pressure radiating from his body scattered his neatly bound hair. For a brief moment, Liu Di exuded a hint of the imposing aura typically reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators, effectively becoming a half-step Foundation Establishment expert.
His companions' expressions turned grave, then swiftly shifted to delight. Liu Di's transformation seemed to have bolstered their confidence in confronting Wei Zhong.
Liu Di, however, looked utterly defeated, sorrow brimming in his eyes. It's over for me, he thought. By consuming this Medicinal Pill to unleash his potential, he had permanently damaged his foundation, sealing his fate—he would never reach Foundation Establishment now.
Wei Zhong watched the trio unleash their respective methods, his already smiling face beaming with even greater delight.
As expected, none of these Ninth Layer Qi Refining cultivators are pushovers, he mused. Years without Foundation Establishment Pills had forced them to seek out bizarre methods to enhance their power.
The strange Flying Sword was one such example, and the Golden Body cultivator wielding the massive halberd was another.
Liu Di, in particular, lived up to his reputation as a member of the Azurewood Sect. He possessed a Medicinal Pill capable of forcibly elevating one's cultivation by half a realm. Any ordinary Qi Refining cultivator would surely be caught off guard by such a trick.
Their strength is decent—perfect for me to familiarize myself with the power of Foundation Establishment.
Without resorting to any incantations or techniques, Wei Zhong simply condensed his spiritual energy into a massive ethereal hand.
The spiritual energy generated by the Spring and Autumn Water Refinement Manual was already far denser and more potent than that of ordinary Cultivation Techniques, imbued with an extraordinary weightiness.
Now, at the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment realm, this density had increased dramatically, with traces of black hue mingling within his spiritual energy.
To an outsider, Liu Di's aura seemed tainted with ink, radiating an overwhelming and unstoppable force.
Let's see if you three can withstand this, Wei Zhong thought.
"Ah, no..." Wei Zhong's face twisted in shock.
"Liu Di, have you gone mad?" The cultivator wielding the great halberd roared, clutching a gaping wound in his chest.
Liu Di slowly withdrew his hand from the chest of another cultivator, simultaneously retrieving the magic sword embedded in his neck. "As expected, Body Refinement cultivators are tough to kill," he muttered.
Flicking the blood from his fist and sword, Liu Di glanced at Wei Zhong and immediately charged toward the Loose Cultivator without another word.
Behind him, the dying cultivator let out a strangled gurgle as blood gushed from his severed neck, sealing his fate. His body plummeted from the sky, his strange, decaying Flying Sword falling with him.
Wei Zhong watched in disbelief as Liu Di effortlessly dispatched the remaining two cultivators in mere moments. After gathering their spoils, Liu Di knelt before Wei Zhong, presenting the three Storage Pouches.
His forehead slammed against the ground with a resounding thud. "This humble servant has slain the two bandits, Master! Please spare this lowly dog's life!"