Chapter 121

Chapter 121

Bunny realized that the person carrying it was Brother Ning, so it didn't dare to scratch him with its claws and could only listen to Brother Ning's instructions.

Ning Yuzhou gave it a spirit pill and said, "I have a task for you. If you do well, I'll reward you with a bottle of Earth-grade spirit pills."

Bunny’s ears perked up high, and its ruby-red eyes stared tightly at Brother Ning, seemingly confirming the truth in his words.

Ning Yuzhou affirmed, "I've already started attempting to refine Earth-grade spirit pills."

Bunny immediately abandoned its little sprout and quickly sprawled its belly towards Brother Ning, presenting itself for him to pet and knead as he wished.

Brother Ning once again coldly and ruthlessly rejected its belly, directly urging it to work: "Alright, go about your business."

Bunny looked at him with a sense of grievance. Brother Ning was hard to please indeed; it might as well go to work. After finishing its tasks, it would get to eat Earth-grade spirit pills.

Bunny transformed into a white blur, disappearing from sight instantly.

Following that, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou took advantage of the bandits' inattention to silently leave.

The other bandits were all focused on the demon wolves outside and did not notice their departure. Even if any did, seeing them head inward, they paid no mind.

This time, they didn’t need to search for wolf pups. The two picked a direction at random, avoiding the bandits hiding in caves along the way, specifically choosing places devoid of people.

There were many caves in Blackrock Gorge, transformed into human living environments with passages extending in all directions.

At this moment, most of the bandits were attracted by the large army of demon wolves outside, leaving only some timid ones hiding inside. These individuals weren’t much of a concern.

Passing a corner, Wen Qiao seized the opportunity, reaching out to strangle a passing bandit, dragging him into the shadows.

The bandit's neck was tightly clasped by an arm. The strength was too great, making him roll his eyes, as if he would foam at the mouth and collapse at any moment.

Fortunately, just before he suffocated, the hand strangling him loosened, and a cold, gleaming spirit dagger pressed against his dantian.

This was a more terrifying threat than being strangled. The bandit stiffly collapsed there, not daring to move, looking at the two hooded figures appearing before him and tremblingly asking, "Who... who are you?"

A hoarse voice came from beneath the hood, "Where are the people captured and brought to Blackrock Gorge?"

The bandit, upon hearing this, assumed these two had taken advantage of the demon wolf army's attack to sneak in and look for someone. This assumption wasn’t too far off, for when the bandits of Blackrock Gorge plundered outside, if they encountered some beautiful male or female cultivators, they would seize them back to Blackrock Gorge. They would play with them until they died, then throw their corpses into the underground river to feed the fish.

The bandit trembled and said, "Recently, Blackrock Gorge hasn’t plundered anyone in, and the previous ones have already..."

He secretly swallowed saliva, not daring to explicitly state it, fearing the two would angrily kill him on the spot.

Sure enough, the two fell silent for a moment before continuing to ask, "Do you know who stole the wolf king's cub?"

This particular bandit did know.

Originally, he didn’t, but when the wolf king attacked and killed a Primordial Realm expert of Blackrock Gorge, the matter could no longer be concealed. Soon, everyone in Blackrock Gorge knew.

"It was Lord Zuo Peng."

Through the bandit's explanation, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou learned about the situation among the bandits of Blackrock Gorge.

Blackrock Gorge had nearly ten thousand bandits in total, the strongest of whom were two Primordial Realm cultivators, followed by thirty Spirit Realm bandits. The rest were below the Void Realm, not much of a concern.

Among those Spirit Realm cultivators, two were close favorites of that Lord Wu, serving as his right-hand men. Zuo Peng was one of them, a late-stage Spirit Realm cultivator and also an array master. It was he who decided to steal the wolf cub.

Zuo Peng was an ambitious man, always coveting the resources of other cultivation cities in the shifting desert, wanting to incorporate them into Blackrock Gorge's territory. Unfortunately, those cultivation cities had Primordial Realm experts in residence. If Blackrock Gorge truly clashed with those cultivation cities, the cultivation cities in the desert might join forces to attack Blackrock City, resulting in losses outweighing gains.

Thus, Zuo Peng devised a plan, intending to use others to kill for him.

The blade he borrowed was the Azure-winged Demon Wolves clan.

The wolf king was at the late stage of the ninth rank, powerful enough that if it could be provoked into attacking cultivation cities, those cities would suffer heavy losses, allowing Blackrock Gorge to effortlessly pick up the pieces afterward.

So Zuo Peng planned this.

Taking advantage of the wolf king's cub playing outside, he led several Spirit Realm bandits to kill the adult demon wolves guarding the young wolf, capturing the cub and using secret techniques to erase its scent and bloodline traces. Then, he had the cultivators of Shagu City take away the corpse of the killed demon wolf.

It must be said, Zuo Peng’s use of others to kill for him was very effective. If not for Shagu City's lord being decisive, coupled with the wolf king not wanting to really clash with the human cultivators in the desert, things wouldn’t have escalated.

According to Zuo Peng's original plan, he wanted to directly kill the young wolf and frame the cultivators of the cultivation cities, which would make the wolf king truly go mad.

However, the other bandits who accompanied him saw the young wolf and felt that since it was the wolf king's cub, if they could form a contract with it, it would become a decent fighting force in the future. Perhaps they could even use this wolf cub to lead the Azure-winged Demon Wolves clan in the desert.

Unfortunately, the young wolf, born at the eighth rank, wasn’t easy to contract. If forced, the young wolf might choose to self-destruct. Thus, they devised a method, secretly imprisoning the young wolf and continuously harming it, beating it until it was terrified. When its body was extremely weakened, they would then form a contract with it.

Events unfolded according to Zuo Peng's expectations. The wolf king gathered an army of demon wolves, besieging cultivation cities and cultivators across the desert, searching for the young wolf's whereabouts. Those cultivation cities and cultivators were tormented by the group of demon wolves.

The only regret was that the wolf king hadn’t completely lost its mind, not going on a killing spree, failing to achieve the desired outcome.

But what they didn’t expect was that before they successfully contracted the young wolf, the wolf king somehow learned that the cub had been stolen by the people of Blackrock Gorge, leading the demon wolf army to attack.

Understanding the cause and effect of the events, the two pulled the bandit up.

His cultivation was sealed, and he dared not move, doing whatever they asked.

Wen Qiao had him lead them to Blackrock Gorge's storeroom.

The bandit cautiously said, "Blackrock Gorge doesn’t have such a thing. After we plunder something, we divide the spoils on the spot. Only during a fixed period each month do we offer some of our loot to the higher-ups, who keep it with them."

What was safer than keeping it themselves? Blackrock Gorge was merely a group of desperadoes, selfish and only concerned about their own survival. It wasn’t like those organized and disciplined sects and forces, so naturally, it wouldn’t have storerooms.

Wen Qiao instead asked, "Then what treasures do you have here?"

The bandit’s eyes darted around, and then he received a punch.

The blow nearly knocked his intestines out, causing him to double over in pain. He then heard the short, hooded figure gruffly say, "Don’t try any tricks, or we’ll finish you off."

The bandit hastily said, "I know of a Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower by the underground river. Lord Wu treasures it greatly and has always forbidden us from approaching it."

A Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower? Wen Qiao was somewhat bewildered.

Ning Yuzhou transmitted his voice, saying, "The Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower is a Tier 9 spirit herb that thrives in damp and shady environments. Its roots and stems are incredibly poisonous, but its flower can enhance a cultivator's cultivation level."

This is a good thing!

Wen Qiao immediately made up her mind and instructed him to lead them there.

The bandit had no choice but to obediently guide them, not daring to play any tricks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that every so often, these two people would toss something into their surroundings. The object resembled a black bead, and he didn't know what it was used for.

The bandit had a bad feeling.

They avoided others in Blackrock Gorge as they headed toward the underground river.

Wen Qiao discovered that the path they were taking this time was different from the one leading to where the little wolf pup was being held. This route was more remote, and it was easy to get lost. Only someone very familiar with Blackrock Gorge could find their way.

They arrived at the riverbank without incident and saw the Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower growing on the stinky mud by the underground river from afar.

Its petals were black, like a black butterfly about to take flight. Around the petals grew several golden whiskers that supported the central butterfly. The black and gold intermingled beautifully. Despite growing on foul-smelling sludge, it did not detract from its beauty. It was as if the sludge nourished it like fertilizer, and the fouler the substance, the more beautiful it became.

"Indeed, it's a Tier 9 Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower," Ning Yuzhou's voice carried a hint of admiration as he looked at Wen Qiao. "Ah Chuo, wait here while I go over and pluck it."

Wen Qiao responded and continued holding onto the bandit.

At this moment, their voices were not disguised, nor were their identities concealed. However, this only intensified the bandit's ominous premonition.

He could only pin his hopes on that Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower. Lord Wu cherished this Tier 9 spirit herb and set up an array formation around it for protection. If anyone touched it, it would trigger the array and alert Lord Wu.

As long as Lord Wu could arrive, these two people wouldn't be able to escape.

Just as the bandit thought this, he saw Ning Yuzhou approach the Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower and then make hand seals, actually beginning to break the array.

Even after Ning Yuzhou successfully dug out the Golden-Whisker Blackwing Butterfly Flower from the sludge, the bandit was still in a daze.

Wen Qiao ignored the bandit's thoughts, dragging him away from the riverbank and returning to the Blackrock Cavern. Then, she continued their plan, throwing explosive beads in some narrow passages.

After placing explosive beads in all the designated areas, the two crippled the bandit's cultivation and knocked him unconscious before stuffing him into a small crevice. They quickly ran out, detonating the explosive beads behind them as they went.

Under the clear sky, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out, causing the entire Blackrock Gorge to tremble.

The explosions continued for a long time. With each blast, Blackrock Gorge shook, although it appeared sturdy and did not collapse due to the explosions deep within. Still, it caused panic among the bandits hiding in Blackrock Gorge.

Especially those hiding deeper in the gorge; when the explosions sounded, the caves within fifty feet were destroyed, and the bandits were also killed. Even those who weren't blown up were buried under the collapsing sandstone, their fates unknown.

The explosions persisted, spreading from the depths of Blackrock Cavern outward, finally forcing the bandits hiding in the caves to come out.

Once the bandits emerged, they would be torn apart by the demon wolves waiting in the gorge.

For a moment, Blackrock Gorge echoed with cries of agony again as the black sandstone was once more covered in thick blood.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou mixed among the panicked bandits, rapidly running out. Every so often, they would detonate the explosive beads behind them.

The explosion radius of the explosive beads was fifty feet. As long as they ran more than fifty feet away, they didn't have to worry about being caught in the blast. Of course, to prevent nearby sandstone caves from collapsing due to the explosions, they would detonate them from a safe distance.

The bandits didn't know what was exploding, and the bandit who might have guessed had already died in the explosion. This allowed Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou to smoothly mix among the bandits and run out.

When they exited the cave, they found that the bandits who had been hiding in the caves to ambush the demon wolves had mostly been forced out and were now fighting the demon wolves head-on.

Wen Qiao glanced around and quickly spotted Zuo Peng, the mastermind behind this plan.

Zuo Peng was attacking several Tier 8 demon wolves alongside a few Primordial Spirit Realm individuals.

Because this group attracted the demon wolves' attention, other bandits with lower cultivation levels managed to escape to the other side smoothly. However, other demon wolves blocked that path, making escape impossible.

Wen Qiao stared at Zuo Peng, glancing at the few demon wolves, feeling somewhat regretful that she couldn't blow him up.

Just as she was feeling regretful, Zuo Peng was suddenly sent flying by something, slamming into the opposite sandstone wall. Before he could get up, he was clawed by a white figure that flashed past, tearing open his entire left shoulder.

"Ahh—"

Zuo Peng let out a scream of pain and was then bitten in the head by a demon wolf, which crushed his skull, ending his life instantly.

Wen Qiao turned her head and saw Wen Tutu, who had previously ambushed Zuo Peng.

At this moment, it was hiding on a Tier 8 demon wolf, concealed under the wolf's wing. Due to its small size, nobody had noticed it hiding there. Whenever the demon wolves fought the bandits, it would dart out and attack. Because of its speed, it was difficult to guard against, and it had managed to kill several Primordial Spirit Realm bandits in this manner.

Wen Qiao had to admit that Wen Tutu was indeed suited to be an assassin.