Chapter 215: The Treasure Rat

Chen Luo suppressed his presence and waited in place. Sure enough, before long, a muffled groan echoed from one of the nearby rooms, and the aura of seven cultivators in the late stages of Qi Refining vanished without a trace.

This was followed by a second, third, and more.

The Outer City wasn’t under the protection of the Blackstone Ancestor, so safety wasn’t guaranteed. One could easily encounter rogue cultivators even while staying in an inn.

When the tenth person met their demise, the hidden assailant finally encountered resistance. A rogue cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage flew out from a room. As the cultivator unleashed their Foundation Establishment presence, they swept away the surrounding insects with a divine ability. Then, a figure covered in golden light burst from the room, rushing towards the exit.

A physical cultivator!

This cultivator struck like a flame, slamming a fist into the hidden attacker. A dull thud echoed as the two collided, neither gaining an advantage.

Just as it seemed they were about to engage in a full-blown battle, the physical Foundation Establishment cultivator unexpectedly turned and fled the inn, avoiding the interloper. On the other side, the exposed attacker also stopped killing and changed direction, fleeing the inn alongside the first. As both left, the confrontation ended as abruptly as it had begun.

Chen Luo’s eyes flickered, and his figure flashed, transforming into a streak of light that chased after the departing interloper.

His speed was incredible, and his cultivation base far surpassed that of the other man. They swiftly reached an isolated peak, the night wind gently blowing at their backs. The cultivator in front suddenly halted and turned to Chen Luo, an eerie smile crossing his face.

“Not bad for running after us.”

Chen Luo landed gracefully, his gaze sweeping over the man before him. Sensing scattered fragments of divine will, he quickly identified three additional mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators nearby, including the one from the Outer City. There were four in total now.

“Got any high-ranking spirit items, boy?” The body refinement cultivator’s eyes flashed with greedy intent.

His diversion earlier had been a clever ploy to mask the aura that would’ve been emitted while examining Chen Luo’s bag of holding. This tactic had proven effective countless times; the only challenge here was Chen Luo’s unexpectedly high cultivation, which complicated matters slightly. But even late-Foundation Establishment cultivators weren’t beyond their killing ability.

After all, cultivation alone doesn’t determine everything. With the right tools and numbers, even significant disparities could often be negated.

“High-ranking spirit items, you say? I’m not aware of any such thing.” Chen Luo’s gaze fixed on the body refinement cultivator before him. His aura had shifted, now clearly indicating a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. The four men now surrounded Chen Luo, forming a deadly circle.

“There’s no need to pretend! My treasure-seeking mouse never makes mistakes!”

The body refinement cultivator looked at Chen Luo, his eyes betraying an uncontrollable greed. With a wave of his hand, a small golden hamster appeared in his palm. The hamster, upon materializing, sniffed incessantly in Chen Luo’s direction, its small, expressive eyes darting about.

The body refinement cultivator had never seen such a strong reaction from his treasure-seeking mouse before.

This wasn’t just any ordinary mountain sprite-rat; it was a special type of spirit pet used for discovering hidden treasures. It was said that even the immortals in the Immortal Realm recognized their ancestors. Although the bloodline of the body refinement cultivator’s mouse was somewhat mixed, it still retained the basic abilities of a treasure-seeking mouse, including the perception of valuable items like treasures, magic artifacts, holy weapons, spirit pills, medicinal elixirs, and more. The body refinement cultivator had undoubtedly spent a great deal of effort in capturing this particular treasure-seeking mouse.

However, the rewards were also plainly visible.

Ever since obtaining the treasure-seeking mouse, he had never been lacking in spirit medicine. Throughout his journey from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment cultivation, all the spiritual materials and precious medicines were found with the assistance of his treasure-seeking mouse. Initially, he and a few fellow cultivators had planned to visit Blackstone City in search of rare items. However, while passing through the Outer City, the treasure-seeking mouse reacted even more strongly than when they had discovered a third-rank spiritual object previously.

This revelation instantly captivated the group.

A tier-4 spiritual artifact!

If genuine, the risk would be entirely worth it. Just one successful score would provide them with the resources for advancement. They might even glimpse Core Formation within their lifetimes, experiencing the taste of becoming a king or founding a lineage.

“Is this what you’re referring to?”

Seeing their certain expressions, Chen Luo suddenly recalled something. During his visit to the Yue Kingdom’s Great Tomb, Zhangqing Zhenren had given him a gift—a fragment of a root. He flipped his sleeve, revealing the small black box bestowed by Zhangqing Zhenren.

This rare encounter with a Treasure-seeking Rat presented an opportune moment to test the composition of his prized possession.

Chirp, chirp, chirp!

The moment Chen Luo produced the box, the Treasure-seeking Rat grew instantly agitated, emitting rapid, high-pitched squeaks while held by the body refinement cultivator.

“That’s it!” exclaimed the body refinement cultivator, his expression turning exhilarated. The remaining three swiftly joined him. Among them, an insect control cultivator summoned a large swarm of insects; these were the very creatures Chen Luo had sensed earlier—the qi-ingesting bugs. Another set up an array flag, activating a pre-configured formation on the ground.

A first-level entrapment array!

“Kill the man first! We’ll divide the loot equally later,” the four great tribulation cultivators said in unison, launching their attack.

Now that their target had been lured out, they could strike while the iron was hot.

“Divine Light Magic Mirror!”

The tribulation cultivator who had earlier led Chen Luo into the trap extracted a round, bronze-hued mirror with eight convex sides. Its central circular area was inlaid with a violet mirror. With a wave of the cultivator’s hand, he lifted the mirror aloft and aimed it at Chen Luo.

A stream of light flashed, condensing into a beam of dark red energy that struck Chen Luo squarely in the chest.

Thud!

A dull sound rang out, causing Chen Luo to stumble back a few paces. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, the expected devastation failed to materialize. The Divine Light Magic Mirror had merely pierced through Chen Luo’s clothing. The moment its radiance touched his skin, it turned pitch black, with faint jade-like veins becoming visible on his left chest.

“Watch out! He’s a body cultivator! Keep your distance,” the tribulation cultivator warned his companions, having missed his mark. The remaining three cultivators visibly sighed in relief.

“This simplifies things,” one of them said. “Fellow Friend Zhong, entrap him! We’ll gradually wear him down.”

In response, the array master swiftly adjusted the formation flag underfoot. The array shifted accordingly, transforming into a configuration primarily focused on entrapment—ominously named the ‘Deeply Tranquil Desolate Forest, Capturing Balance’.

At that moment, the insect cultivator’s attack commenced. A dense swarm of bugs swept forward; these were iron-eating insects, the best kind for countering physical cultivators.

In the center, Chen Luo languidly tucked the black box into his Pouch of Holding. His aura gradually recovered, and under the influence of the Demon Bone Array Sigil Art, he radiated like a awakening monster, emitting waves of tangible malevolence.

“Careful! He’s going to counterattack!” Sensing this shift, the leading cultivator’s expression changed, and he shouted to the physical cultivation cultivator.

“Lao Zhang, you hold them off.”

The four worked as a team, each with a clear role. The physical cultivation cultivator faced the enemy’s attacks, the insect cultivator tracked and struck, the array cultivator set up entrapment and killing arrays, and the leading calamity cultivator was their strongest brother.

A mid-Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!

“Hurry up! This guy’s late Foundation Establishment. I won’t hold out long!” The physical cultivation cultivator gritted his teeth, his qi and blood surging. His skin bulged like a cowhide, muscles rippling, and he forced himself three inches taller, turtle-like patterns emerging on his skin’s surface.

“Late Foundation Establishment isn’t unkillable.”

The leading calamity cultivator gripped the magic mirror, pouring spiritual energy into it. With forty spiritual energy dragons’ worth of power, the magical energy within the mirror condensed into form, ready to unleash a second attack.

BOOM!

Chen Luo sprang into action. After activating the Demon Bone Array Sigil Art, he vanished into thin air.

The Calamity Cultivators felt their vision blur as something jet-black whizzed past them. A shower of ‘rain’ splattered against their faces, its droplets still warm.

“Blood?”

The Insect Control Calamity Cultivator stared at the crimson liquid on his body, momentarily bewildered.

An unexpected noise soundedBehind them.

Instinctively, they turned just in time to see a perfectly round head, its eyes wide open in death, still fixed upon them.

“Lao Zhang?”

The Formation Calamity Cultivator swallowed hard, finally noticing that the Physique Cultivator Lao Zhang, who had been pouring everything he had into his cultivation technique moments ago, was now only half-present. Everything from his waist up had disappeared, leaving his legs still standing as if frozen in time. Below his knees had even sunk into the earth—clear evidence that Lao Zhang had struggled desperately in his final moments.

But he had failed.

Lao Zhang, renowned for his formidable physical defense, had been felled by a single punch.

This isn’t just about not enduring long, it’s about not lasting a single moment!

“What kind of fucking monster is that?!” The Insect Control cultivator erupted in panic, cold sweat beading on the face of the Formation cultivator beside him.

They’d kicked a hidden iron plate.

Over there, Chen Luo held a golden little mouse in his hand. Under his vicious glare, the tiny creature didn’t dare move an inch for fear of its life.

“Blackstone City is truly my treasure trove. Just a stroll and I’ve already found a treasure rat and four Foundation Establishment brains.” Chen Luo, quite pleased with himself, stored the treasure rat in his Beast Taming Pouch.

He then walked over to retrieve Lao Zhang’s dead brain, extracting the man’s brainwaves in the process.

“Don’t panic, he’s still within the formation. As long as the formation remains active—”

Fwump!

Before the calamity cultivator’s leader could finish his sentence, he watched in horror as Chen Luo emerged from Lao Zhang’s corpse, unfurling a soul banner from his sleeve.

The calamity cultivator’s mind raced, unable to comprehend this twist of fate. His formation was still active—how could it have failed so suddenly?

In a heartbeat, a translucent yet ferocious main soul burst forth from the soul banner, its serpentine body coiling around the leader and binding him swiftly.

Then—

Boom!

The banesoul self-destructed.

The calamity cultivator’s leader had no chance to even muster a cry of agony, perishing on the spot. Chen Luo moved with deadly efficiency, swooping to catch the man’s brain as it went flying.

These guys have Foundation Establishment, yet they can’t hope to take out a fully matured Demonseed Sect leader?

“He’s left the formation!” The cultivator who had set the trap looked on in abject terror. He couldn’t fathom how his clearly functional formation had lost its effect so inexplicably.

The insect-controlling cultivator, abandoning even his comrade, turned tail and fled.

Chen Luo wasn’t about to let them get away that easily. He soared upward, a grand gesture unfurling nine magic swords from his sleeves as he wove them into an ethereal formation that instantly sealed the area like a shimmering cage of light.

“A second-rank formation?!”