71: Murder and arson bring wealth; this is a windfall.

The night wind blew past, carrying a thick scent of blood.

The Rocky Forest returned to a deathly silence.

Thirteen corpses lay scattered across the ground.

Oh wait, twelve and a half.

Black Whirlwind, the leader, ultimately failed to muster the courage to commit suicide and was drained of his essence by Su Mo's banner, turning him into a mummy.

“Done.”

Xiao Chen performed a sword flourish, rewrapped the blood-drenched immortal slaying sword in rags, and slung it onto his back.

The movement was elegant and unrestrained, possessing the demeanor of a peerless swordsman.

However.

The next second.

The scene changed abruptly.

“Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters! Stop standing around! Get to work!”

Shi Tian placed the dark swallowing heaven demon jar on the ground, excitedly pulled out a sack, and was the first to squat down and begin searching the corpses.

His movements were extremely practiced.

Clearly, he was an old hand.

Xiao Chen: “...”

Leng Yanran: “...”

Ye Fan and Su Mo also twitched their mouths.

Their Third Senior Brother harbored an unusual enthusiasm for “cleaning up the battlefield.”

“Aiyo, this poor bastard, why is his Storage Pouch full of rocks?”

Shi Tian complained while rummaging.

He removed a Storage Pouch from a corpse, swept his Divine Sense inside, and immediately looked disgusted.

“Only a few hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and a pile of broken Magical Artifacts? Is this supposed to be for beggars?”

“It's not even worth as much as that broken knife we sold at the auction.”

He shook his head, casually tossed the Storage Pouch into his sack, and turned to the next corpse.

“This one is poor too.”

“This one is even poorer!”

“Senior Brother, these bandits have terrible business skills. They've been doing this for years and only saved this much? I feel embarrassed for them.”

Watching Shi Tian act like “an emperor despising a beggar for having no meat in his bowl.”

The Loose Cultivators hiding far away and peeking had their eyes practically popping out.

Poor?

A few hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones is considered poor?!

That’s a huge sum we couldn't earn even working hard our whole lives!

Just where did you Immortals come from?

“Even a small mosquito has meat.”

Leng Yanran also walked over and elegantly slipped a seemingly valuable Storage Ring off a corpse's finger.

Emulating Li Daoxuan's tone, she said lightly:

“Revered Master said we must understand the importance of diligence and thrift.”

“Not a single bit of resource can be wasted.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the relatively intact Dharma Robe on the corpse.

“This clothing is made of thousand-year Ice Silkworm Silk, impervious to water and fire. We can take it back, dismantle it, and make a new nest for Da Huang.”

“And this saber, although only Earth Rank High Grade, if we melt it down and recast it, it can be used as a hoe for the vegetable patch behind the mountain.”

“...”

With the Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister taking the lead.

Ye Fan and Su Mo also joined the “scavenging” army.

Ye Fan, being strong, was specifically responsible for stripping clothes and dismantling armor.

Su Mo, with his strange methods, was responsible for searching the Divine Souls for any hidden Cultivation Techniques or Secret Manuals.

A scene of robbery and murder that should have been bloody and terrifying.

Was forcibly turned by them into... a large-scale scrap recycling center.

“Senior Brother, this person's boots are good. They are Cloud-Treading Boots, which increase speed.”

“Strip them off.”

“Senior Sister, this mask is made of Profound Iron; it's quite tough.”

“Smash it up and take it back for Fat Aunt to use as a spatula.”

“Third Senior Brother, this... this person's underwear seems to be a Magic Treasure too...”

“Don't let it go! Revered Master said that even earthworms must be split vertically!”

...Under the moonlight.

Five youths who should have possessed the air of Immortals were currently surrounding a pile of corpses, engaging in deeds more professional than those of bandits.

The scene was as bizarre as could be.

The Loose Cultivators secretly watching from afar were completely numb.

Their worldview was repeatedly crushed, reshaped, and crushed again tonight.

“This... this Hidden God Sect... are they a righteous Sect or a Demonic Path behemoth?”

“Why do I feel like they resemble bandits more than the Thirteen Fiends of Black Wind?”

“More than just bandits, this is like a locust plague passing through! Not a blade of grass remains!”

“Too terrifying... The people of this Sect are not only strong fighters, but they also damn well know how to manage their household finances...”

A moment later.

The battlefield was swept clean.

The thirteen corpses were stripped naked from head to toe, truly achieving the state of being “without a thread.”

Forget Storage Pouches, even slightly valuable clothes, shoes, or even gold-inlaid teeth were not spared.

“Alright, job finished.”

Xiao Chen clapped his hands and nodded contentedly, looking at the small mountain of “war spoils.”

Although they were all “trash,” taking them back to report to Revered Master would be an explanation.

“Senior Brother, what should we do with these corpses?” Ye Fan asked, pointing at the dozen or so naked bodies.

“What did Revered Master teach us?”

“Destroy the bodies, eliminate all traces, and prevent future trouble.”

Leng Yanran flicked her finger.

A wisp of black Demonic Fire descended.

“Whoosh—”

The flames burned fiercely.

There were no screams, nor any struggle.

The thirteen corpses of the once arrogant bandits, along with the bloodstains they left on the ground, turned into ashes under the scorching Demonic Fire.

Finally, Su Mo summoned a gust of Yin Wind.

Scattering all the ashes into the night.

The technique was professional, and the coordination was tacit.

It was clear they had done this sort of thing often.

After finishing all this.

The five looked at each other, revealing an understanding smile.

“Let's go.”

“Time to go back to sleep.”

Five streaks of light shot into the sky and vanished into the night.

Only the scorched earth and the faint smell of burning in the air remained, proving that a... rather improper battle had taken place here.

A long time later.

The Loose Cultivators hiding in the dark finally dared to walk out, trembling.

They looked at the empty ground, then in the direction the five had departed, and each fell into deep contemplation.

“Murder, arson, and a golden belt...”

An old Cultivator muttered to himself, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

“I think... I understand now.”

“So, this is the true meaning of the Cultivation World?”

“The former me was still too young, too naive.”

“Starting tomorrow, I'm also going to become a... Delivery Boy!”