68: Chapter 68 Mountain Stronghold

Ten thousand miles away.

Atop a mountain Peak within a canyon.

Upon this mountain Peak stood a massive mountain stronghold.

A group of ferocious-looking bandit Cultivators were gathered in the center of the stronghold, joyfully dividing up the spoils from their recent raid.

"Scarface Liu, you did pretty well, kid! If not for that fierce slash of yours, that Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator might have dealt us a heavy blow."

"Hahaha! My blade is sharp. How could a mere 8th Layer of Qi Refining cultivation withstand it?"

"Not bad, not bad. It looks like you're close to a Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Stage 9 Realm. Given your contributions, you can take a larger share of the raided resources this time and strive for an early Breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage 9!"

They retrieved a large pile of looted Cultivation resources from their Storage Pouches and stacked them in the center of the stronghold.

The bandit Cultivators were all gleeful, eyeing the huge pile of Cultivation resources with greedy looks.

They awaited the division of spoils based on their contributions.

Once they got their hands on this stash of resources, they could comfortably enter secluded Cultivation for a while to significantly boost their strength.

When the time came to team up and go out again, if they ran into any fat sheep, their haul would surely be even greater.

Just as everyone was animatedly discussing how to distribute the resources they had gained, a flash of white light erupted.

Amidst the blinding white glare, a rift was torn directly open in midair.

The blinding light forced the bandit Cultivators to shut their eyes.

Boom!!!

A muffled crash echoed.

The ground trembled slightly.

By the time the bandit Cultivators opened their eyes, four strangers were standing right where their pile of Cultivation resources had been.

Among them were two drop-dead gorgeous beauties who looked completely identical.

The sudden occurrence left the bandit Cultivators wide-eyed with shock and disbelief.

"This... creating living people out of thin air?"

A bandit Cultivator stammered as he watched the scene before him.

"No! It's a windfall of beauties! A windfall sent from the heavens!"

However, upon laying eyes on the two top-tier beauties who looked identical, he couldn't help swallowing greedily: "What lovely young ladies! If I, Old Wang, could spend a passionate night with them, even if I died, I would..."

Pfft!

Blood splattered everywhere.

Before the bandit Cultivator could finish speaking, his head flew high into the air, his pupils still filled with endless lust.

"Anyone who insults my two elder sisters dies!"

A cold voice echoed.

The one who had struck was none other than Li Yifan.

Back in the Leize Mountain Range, he had used his final trump card, the ten-thousand-mile escaping talisman.

With the aid of the ten-thousand-mile escaping talisman, he had appeared directly in this unfamiliar stronghold.

As soon as he arrived, before Li Yifan could figure out where he was, he overheard someone making crude remarks with ill intent toward Muru Xue and Muru Yu.

Out of instinct, Li Yifan struck out casually and decapitated the bandit Cultivator.

Seeing their companion lose his head in a single instant, the remaining surrounding bandit Cultivators were seized with horror.

"Senior, spare our lives! Senior, spare our lives!"

Without the slightest hesitation, the bandit Cultivators fell to their knees one after another, begging for mercy.

How was this creating living people out of thin air, or a windfall of beauties sent from heaven?

This was clearly the arrival of a fiend.

At this moment, they completely came to their senses; anyone capable of such terrifying spatial teleportation techniques could easily wipe them out.

Thus, having spent years licking blood off their blades, these bandit Cultivators dared not resist at all and simply knelt together to plead for mercy.

They knew full well that if they resisted or rashly tried to run, they would only die faster.

Only by kneeling, begging for mercy, and acting submissive would they stand a slim chance of survival.

"Lin Fan, don't kill them."

The severely injured Muru Xue feebly waved her hand and spoke, "These people still have their uses. Spare their lives for now. We can decide what to do after my sister and I recover somewhat from our injuries."

Muru Xue did not yet know where they were.

In this unfamiliar place, it was best to keep this group under control first and make plans after learning the specific details of this area.

"Yes, Sister Xue!"

Gently supporting Muru Xue, Li Yifan nodded obediently, then turned to speak to Lin Shen, who seemed lost in thought: "Brother Zhao, the strongest among these people is merely at the Qi Refining Stage 9 Realm. Control them for now while I take my two elder sisters inside to heal."

"Rest assured, Brother Lin, leave it all to me!"

Lin Shen snapped back to reality and smiled, nodding in response.

Receiving Lin Shen's reply, Li Yifan nodded gently and directly helped Muru Xue and Muru Yu toward a nearby room.

"Senior, we have healing Medicinal Pills! We are willing to offer all our healing resources, as long as Senior spares our lives!"

After Li Yifan and Muru Xue entered the room, the bandit Cultivators looked at Lin Shen, whose aura was equally extraordinary, and hurriedly cried out for mercy.

They hoped that the Lin Shen before them was soft-hearted and that they were still of some use, so they might escape with their lives from his hands.

"Stop babbling! Every single one of you, squat down properly in a line!"

Lin Shen snorted coldly, the majestic Qi and blood power inside his body surging forth: "Don't even think about running. With my strength, if any of you try to flee, not a single one will live!"

"A Body Cultivator at the Peak of Body Refining?"

Feeling the terrifying Qi and blood power within Lin Shen, the bandit Cultivators couldn't help swallowing hard, completely lacking any courage to resist.

If he were a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Peak Realm, they might still have a chance at a successful ambush. But if he was a Body Cultivator at the Peak of Body Refining, forget ambushing him—the moment they got close, they would likely be pounded into bloody pulp by him.

"Yes, yes, yes! Senior is absolutely right!"

Feeling Lin Shen's terrifying strength, the bandit Cultivators became exceptionally obedient, lining up orderly with their hands behind their heads, squatting on the ground.

This appearance looked quite comical and ridiculous.

Seeing that everyone was behaving themselves, Lin Shen nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Where is this place? Is this still within the borders of Yun Prefecture?"

In fact, just a moment ago, Lin Shen had almost been unable to resist stabbing them in the back.

But out of caution, he decided not to take the risk of striking personally for now, choosing instead to get a clear picture of the local situation first.

"Yun Prefecture?"

One of the Loose Cultivators nodded, then shook his head, saying, "In reply to Senior, this place can no longer be considered Yun Prefecture. It should be counted as the border between Qing Prefecture and Yun Prefecture. Our stronghold is situated right between the two, a lawless no-man's land."

Have we already left the bounds of Yun Prefecture?

Hearing this, Lin Shen also let out a soft sigh of relief.

What had transpired earlier was somewhat outside his original plan.

So even if he rashly revealed his true identity, it wouldn't work; after all, Li Yifan carried far too many treasures on him.

Under the temptation of such treasures, even if he directly revealed his true identity and claimed to be acting on behalf of the Qin Family, Qin Tieying would still definitely silence him by killing him.

Therefore, before taking action, Lin Shen specifically wanted to inquire about which territory this area fell under.