Wang Hong tossed the remaining Spirit Stones, a thousand pieces, directly into the Space. The area of the Space increased by one-tenth, indicating that it would take ten thousand Spirit Stones to expand it further.
In the following days, Wang Hong devoted himself to cultivation, and the five squads managed to earn him a considerable amount of Spirit Stones daily.
Initially, setting up stalls didn't yield much profit. After deducting costs, each booth had to pay a daily fee of two Spirit Stones to the management office.
However, due to Wang Hong's abundant resources and numerous stalls, dealing with Space Spiritual Medicine incurred no additional costs.
Of course, Wang Hong was fair to his subordinates. Each person received two Spirit Stones monthly, along with five Dragon Tiger Pills. The squad leader received double the amount.
This treatment was several times better than what Mortals received in Qingxu Immortal City. Moreover, the inclusion of Dragon Tiger Pills, elixirs that increased strength, made it even more exceptional.
At dusk, Xu Lun and Zhang Chunfeng, accompanied by sixteen others, returned from Azure Void City. Despite the city's outskirts being inhabited, they frequently encountered other travelers on the road.
"Zhang, have you already broken through to the Innate Realm Martial Artist?" Xu Lun asked.
"Yeah, I just broke through a few days ago, thanks to the power of the Elixir rewarded by the general. You should be close too, right?" Zhang Chunfeng answered with a hint of pride.
"I'm close. A couple more Elixirs, and I should break through. I wonder if we have Spiritual Roots. I plan to accumulate some Spirit Stones and test our Spiritual Roots. I've heard several places can do it for a bit of Spirit Stones," Xu Lun said, his eyes gleaming.
"Whether we have Spiritual Roots or not, let's focus on perfecting our Martial Arts for now."
"True, people with Spiritual Roots are rare. It's better not to get our hopes up too much."
As the two chatted, they were unaware that a chubby and a thin Immortal Cultivator were following them from a distance. These two were notorious troublemakers from Azure Void City.
Their cultivation levels were not high, only at the third or fourth layer of Qi Cultivation. They roamed various places in Azure Void City, making a living through occasional pillaging outside the city.
Since there were many cultivators stronger than them, they never provoked those with backgrounds.
They targeted those with lower cultivation levels or Mortals. As a result, they lived quite comfortably till now.
"These Mortals are definitely big fat sheep. I've been observing them for days, and their daily earnings are over a hundred Spirit Stones," the thin one said excitedly.
"Humph! Just a few Mortals, yet they have so many Spirit Stones. After this job, our brothers will live happily for a long time. Be efficient, don't waste time," the chubby one, aware of the other's tendency to enjoy torturing people slowly, cautioned.
The thin one licked his lips, "Chubby, I've investigated these Mortals thoroughly. They arrived in Azure Void City just three months ago and have no backing here. Even if someone finds out, no one will stand up for them."
"Anyway, try to be quick and keep it low-key."
In their camp, Xu Lun and Zhang Chunfeng were reporting accounts to Wang Hong, submitting Spirit Stones and Spiritual Medicine.
Suddenly, Wang Hong's expression changed. His palm emitted a bright light, and he slapped Xu Lun and Zhang Chunfeng without resistance from them.
With a thud, the two were thrown out of the tent. They quickly got up, seemingly unharmed.
They heard the sound of metal clashing from where they had been standing. Turning around, they saw Wang Hong wielding his heavy 500-pound steel Long Spear, facing off against a chubby and a thin Immortal Cultivator. The two cultivators brandished black short swords at Wang Hong.
Xu Lun and Zhang Chunfeng shouted, "Enemy attack!"
The thin cultivator spoke, "A mere Qi Cultivation first layer wants to resist? I advise you to obediently hand over your belongings, kowtow a few times to this lord, and maybe I'll spare your lives."
Qi Cultivation first layer cultivators had weak Spiritual Energy and almost no combat experience. Killing them was as dull as squashing ants for someone like him. Hence, he enjoyed slowly tormenting opponents, adding some excitement to his monotonous cultivation life.
However, Wang Hong responded with a thrust to the chest, infusing his Spiritual Energy into the Long Spear, causing the spearhead to emit a faint blue light. The thin cultivator hurriedly used his sword to block.
With a loud clang, the thin cultivator felt a surge of tremendous force from the spear, making his fingers slightly numb. Perplexed, he wondered if this guy had innate divine strength. Despite his meager skills, this Mortal dared to retaliate. He felt challenged in his dignity and swung his sword at Wang Hong.
Typical Immortal Cultivators focused on Nascent Soul, and the physical strength of a Qi Cultivation stage cultivator was not much stronger than that of a Mortal.
The two clashed quickly, and by now, the soldiers had all arrived, surrounding the chubby cultivator in a battle formation.
Military battles lacked fancy techniques; it was a straightforward thrust of the spear. Over a dozen Long Spears simultaneously emitted a white glow, stabbing at the chubby cultivator from all directions without any blind spots.
The chubby cultivator slapped a Small Cloth Bag on his waist, and a yellow paper flew out, emitting waves of light. He formed a hand seal, and the yellow paper swiftly fell onto him, forming a layer of golden Light Screen.
"Just a few mortals made me waste a Gold Light Talisman. Killing you all isn't even worth it," the chubby cultivator grumbled. A Gold Light Talisman was worth more than a dozen Spirit Stones, and he had to use it against mere Mortals.
In the past, when they plundered Mortals, they usually handed over their belongings obediently, kowtowing like smashing garlic. Yet, these damned Mortals dared to resist.
A dozen Long Spears stabbed into the Light Screen, leaving deep holes as they retracted quickly, bouncing back to their original state. However, the Light Screen became significantly dimmer.
As the first wave of attacks ended, a second wave of over a dozen Long Spears stabbed, piercing the Light Screen even more. As soon as the second wave ended, a third wave would follow. Divided into three squads, the attacks continued incessantly like a tidal wave. This tactic had trapped and killed numerous formidable experts on the battlefield.
The chubby cultivator swung his sword to fend off the oncoming Long Spears. Although his sword was a low-quality magical weapon, it was effective against ordinary iron.
Despite the infusion of Inner Strength into the Long Spear, the strength of an Acquired Martial Artist was far inferior to the Spiritual Energy of a Qi Cultivation stage four cultivator. Several Long Spears were instantly sheared off.
On the other side, the thin cultivator was no match for Wang Hong in close combat. He had spent years drenched in blood on the battlefield, not something a novice in cultivation could compare to. The thin cultivator attempted to retrieve Talismans from his storage pouch several times, but Wang Hong's ferocious attacks disrupted his attempts.
The thin cultivator felt extremely frustrated. A Qi Cultivation stage three cultivator was being pressed by a Qi Cultivation stage one cultivator using mundane Martial Arts. If this were to spread, he would become a laughingstock.
He had many techniques, but he hadn't found an opportunity to use them. Whether it was spells or Talismans, they required a bit of time. However, the person before him didn't give him any chance to catch his breath.
Wang Hong kept pressing, forcing the thin cultivator to retreat continuously. Suddenly, he thrust a dozen spears toward his face, creating chaos. In the midst of the thin cultivator's confusion, one spear pierced his chest, and another swept horizontally, cutting him into two pieces.
The chubby cultivator, initially unconcerned about the siege, still had unused fireball Talismans. However, the enemies were too close, and triggering the Talisman at close range would also harm himself. Moreover, a single fireball Talisman could only kill a few people. It wasn't worth wasting on these ants, and his Spirit Stones weren't falling from the sky; he had earned them through hard plunder.
He believed that soon his companion would kill the young man, and together they could exterminate these ants.
However, at that moment, he heard the thin cultivator's miserable scream. Turning around, he saw the thin cultivator already cut in half. The upper part of his body struggled towards the lower part. The young man swiftly caught up, swung his Long Spear, and severed the thin cultivator's head.
The chubby cultivator felt panic. Once again, he reached for his storage pouch. The crowd knew this person would likely use some strange tricks of Immortal Cultivators.
"Form the formation!" a commanding shout. The first wave of soldiers crouched, over a dozen Long Spears attacked the waist and abdomen. The second wave of over a dozen Long Spears advanced, attacking the chest and back. The third wave of over a dozen people leaped into the air, Long Spears pointing towards the head and face.
The original formation now turned into simultaneous attacks from multiple directions. Forty-five Long Spears simultaneously pierced crucial areas of the chubby cultivator.
With a soft pop, the golden Light Screen was finally pierced. However, at the same time, another yellow Talisman flew out, stopping above everyone, emitting red light and releasing a scorching heat.
Just before it was about to erupt, a lightning bolt shot out, pinned the Talisman, carried it a few yards away, and then with a loud boom, it turned into a one-foot-wide fireball, burning fiercely.
Wang Hong, recognizing the urgency, had thrown his Long Spear, deflecting the Talisman a couple of yards away.
At the moment the chubby cultivator activated the Talisman, dozens of Long Spears pierced through his body. Staring at the deflected fireball, he died unwillingly.
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