As dusk approached, Wu Tao, prioritizing his safety, found a hidden stone cave at the foot of a nearby mountain to rest for the night before returning to his own residence the following day.
The cave was located at the base of the mountain, concealed by thickets of shrubs from the outside, making it difficult to discover. Wu Tao had stumbled upon it by chance.
After a brief tidying up, Wu Tao sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating his spiritual energy. Time slipped by unnoticed, and it was already the latter half of the night.
While cultivating, Wu Tao suddenly heard a sound from outside. His heart leaped, his entire body tensed, and he instantly became alert.
…
"Hehe, Ling Mei, this environment is quite nice, and it's secluded with no one around. I think this is it!" a somewhat familiar male voice echoed from outside the cave entrance.
Hearing this, Wu Tao was initially surprised, but in the next second, he breathed a sigh of relief. Since they weren't specifically looking for him, it meant they were just passing by, and there was nothing to worry about.
"Lin Mei, why are you looking at me like that? You've been in 'bed' with me before, haven't you? Why pretend to be a pure maiden? Today, help your brother out one last time."
"Let me sell you to the Nu-Daughter Sect for some spirit stones. It will help me solve my urgent financial problems and pay off my gambling debts. This way, it can also fulfill our love for each other."
The man's voice was steady and gentle, like flowing water, but the content of his words was utterly heartless.
Hearing this, Wu Tao couldn't help but gasp in disbelief. He marveled at the man outside, who could speak of selling a woman for spirit stones with such a gentle tone.
However, the man's voice was so familiar; he must have met him recently. With this thought, Wu Tao's body transformed into an afterimage, disappearing from his spot.
"Come, Lin Mei, take this Heart-Muddling Pill first. Otherwise, you won't fetch a good price tomorrow, hahahaha!" the man laughed arrogantly.
…
At this moment, Wu Tao had crept into the shrubs by the cave entrance and was stealthily peering out into the clearing outside the cave.
He saw a young man standing there, and on the ground lay a girl of seventeen or eighteen years.
"So, it's him!"
Upon clearly seeing the young man's face, Wu Tao was both surprised and enlightened.
This young man was the same one who had argued with the stall owner in the dark market earlier that day. He was indeed a cruel and ruthless person. He wondered which unfortunate girl had fallen into this scoundrel's clutches.
…
Perhaps by divine providence, a gentle breeze blew, parting the girl's disheveled hair to reveal a pretty face, albeit one contorted with venomous resentment.
"How is this possible?" Seeing the girl's face clearly, Wu Tao's pupils constricted, and he almost cried out.
…
Isn't this the girl who was with this young man in the dark market?
She was his own Dao Companion! How could this guy be so deranged as to want to sell his own Dao Companion to a place like the Nu-Daughter Sect?
"Lin Mei, don't blame me. I have no choice. You know, I still owe Old Jia Si spirit stones, and I've lost so much more this time. I'm truly desperate."
"Now, the only way I can get some spirit stones to cover my losses is by selling you."
"Lin Mei, you once said you were willing to give me anything. Now, I'm just asking for a small favor, so why are you so upset?"
If the girl lying on the ground still had her wits about her, hearing these callous words from the man would have likely enraged her enough to leap up and maul the unfaithful wretch.
But unfortunately, the Heart-Muddling Pill that this faithless scoundrel had given her rendered her dazed and foolish, incapable of any independent action, leaving her at his mercy.
Hidden in the bushes, witnessing all this, Wu Tao couldn't help but sigh inwardly, lamenting the state of affairs.
It always seemed to be this way in the world. When you dedicate yourself entirely to someone, they are often the ones who betray you. Because you have given your all, you become stale and devoid of any further value, making abandonment a natural consequence.
When faced with difficulties, they would even drain the last bit of value from the person who had given them everything, only to discard them afterward.
Human nature was an extremely complex emotion; things easily obtained were often not cherished.
After observing for a while, Wu Tao decided to step in and deal with this disgusting young man.
As for why Wu Tao decided to act, there were three reasons.
First, this young man was too vicious. Having gambled away his fortune and having no spirit stones, he could even bring himself to harm the Dao Companion who had been with him for many years. Even someone like Wu Tao, who stood in a morally gray area, couldn't stand to watch.
Second, the young man only had a cultivation of Qi Refining level twelve. Wu Tao was confident he could easily handle him.
Third, Wu Tao himself had lost some spirit stones in the dark market this time and was in urgent need of some extra income.
…
After observing for a while, just as Wu Tao was about to launch a sneak attack, he instinctively sensed something was amiss.
This guy was taking far too long. When committing such a wicked deed, the sooner, the better. Yet, he had been dragging this out for so long without finishing.
Even more peculiar was that the young man's gaze was clear, and a cold smile lingered at the corner of his lips.
Wu Tao's heart sank. He felt even more that something was not right and became wary, spreading his spiritual sense.
As soon as he dispersed his spiritual sense, Wu Tao felt a magic artifact silently flying towards him from behind. If he hadn't been using his spiritual sense at that moment, he wouldn't have discovered it even as he died.
This filled him with both shock and anger.
He saw a dark, short sword, a mid-grade magic artifact, flying towards him, merely three feet away. Judging by its sheen, the sword must have been quenched with a potent poison.
Since his presence had been exposed, there was no longer any point in hiding here.
Wu Tao's muscles tensed, spiritual energy surged, and the Armor-Piercing Dragon Cones on his fists flashed with a cold glint. With two or three powerful punches, he shattered the mid-grade magic artifact sword into pieces.
The next second, Wu Tao moved like lightning, his actions as swift as thunder. He surged towards the young man, his Dragon-Tiger Steps carrying him hundreds of meters in a single stride, bringing him almost face-to-face with the young man.
His fierce aura caused the young man, who lacked combat experience, to instinctively step back.
Then, he saw Wu Tao's fist, like a colossal mountain, descending upon him. This was a true killing technique!
The young man patted his storage bag, and two high-grade magic artifacts, the Purple Moon Cold Hooks, appeared in his hands.
Wielding the Purple Moon Cold Hooks, the young man swung them, unleashing waves of cold light towards Wu Tao.
Seeing this, Wu Tao's expression remained unchanged. Almost without thinking, he immediately launched another offensive.
After exchanging over a dozen blows, Wu Tao seized a momentary flaw in the young man's technique and struck him in the chest.
The immense force sent the young man flying backward uncontrollably. Three of his ribs were broken, and blood gushed from his mouth.
The young man's face twisted in pain and desperation. He no longer hesitated. His figure blurred as he turned and fled rapidly into the distance.
It turned out the young man knew he couldn't defeat Wu Tao and turn the tide. Not only could he not win, but continuing the fight posed a risk to his life. His only chance of survival now was to run.
…
The next instant, his body was bound by a rope of spiritual energy, bringing him to an abrupt halt. Wu Tao's voice then reached him from behind.
"If you manage to escape from me today, then my surname isn't Wu!"
The young man ignored him and struggled with all his might.
Wu Tao had anticipated the young man's attempt to escape and had used a high-grade fire-attribute restraint talisman to bind him.
At this moment, the young man felt a searing, heart-wrenching pain. He quickly bent down to look, only to see flames consuming him from the waist down.
The young man couldn't help but let out a pained scream, but his limbs were rendered immobile. He could only struggle to turn his head and look at Wu Tao.
His eyes pleaded for mercy, begging for his life. He was unwilling to die like this.
Wu Tao snorted coldly, his expression indifferent, as if he saw nothing. He collected the young man's storage bag and stood there with his hands behind his back, silently watching as the young man was consumed by the raging flames, turning into a pile of ashes.
…
After dealing with the young man, Wu Tao looked at the dazed girl lying on the ground. A flicker of unprecedented pity crossed his eyes.
In this cruel world of cultivation where the strong prey on the weak, Wu Tao knew all too well the fate awaiting a beautiful girl who had lost her mind.
After pondering for a moment, Wu Tao ultimately decided to kill the girl as well, taking her storage bag.
However, unlike his treatment of the young man, Wu Tao dug a pit and properly buried the girl. Before leaving, he murmured, "May you be reborn into a better life, and never trust others easily again."
With that, Wu Tao rose and departed from the scene.
…
Returning to his own cave residence, Wu Tao carefully examined the storage bags of the young man and the girl. He couldn't help but curse them as paupers.
Together, their combined possessions amounted to only a little over a hundred spirit stones, a few mid to low-grade magic artifacts, and over a dozen talismans.
…
The boundless sea of sand, the sun shining brilliantly.
The scorching heat caused the very air above the desert to distort. The crimson sand resembled a sea of blood from ancient times.
"The Crimson Sand Sea has existed since the primordial, ancient, and uppermost ancient eras. The fire-attribute spiritual energy in the air is violent, and storms frequently occur. It is not advisable to stay in one place for too long!"
Upon entering the Crimson Sand Sea, Wu Tao took out a compass-like artifact and began to scan the surroundings.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The scorching wind howled. Even with his protective spiritual energy shield deflecting the heat, Wu Tao felt a slight warmth. This was merely one-fifth of the way through.
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