In the following period, Wang Xiaoqiang had made the deep mountains his home, keeping company with the Demon Tigers, setting himself against the Barbaric Demons, and engaging with nature so thoroughly he had almost forgotten he was human. At this time, he both longed to and feared seeing other people.

What you fear, comes your way!

That morning, Wang Xiaoqiang woke up in a tree and immediately sensed an unusual atmosphere. Looking down, he spotted seven people standing below the tree.

An old man around fifty years of age, with a long beard that seemed half a year untrimmed, and hair as messy as a bird's nest. He wore a gray and white robe, filthy enough to scrape oil from. At first glance, he looked like a beggar.

The other five men, all around thirty years old, had peculiar appearances and a bit of a bandit-like air. They differed in height, build, and stature but uniformly donned black tight-fitting clothes and each had an Immortal Sword tucked at their waists.

Next to the sloppy old man stood a stunning young lady, around seventeen or eighteen years old, whose cleanliness and prettiness contrasted sharply with the old man's sloppiness and the five men's peculiarity. Her face, full as the moon and somewhat naive, paired with fiery spirited large eyes that also held a hint of brashness. Her skin was snow-white, and her figure was voluptuous, exuding an enticing charm.

From their attire, it was apparent that they were Loose Cultivators.

The difference between Cultivators and Loose Cultivators lies in that Cultivators belong to the orthodox, organized and disciplined major class, while Loose Cultivators, half of whom don't belong to any faction, act freely and unrestrainedly. They cannot compare with orthodox Cultivators who receive Demon Crystals regularly distributed by their organizations, easily surmounting cultivation bottlenecks. Without any security or benefits, they must fend for themselves and risk their lives in the Mystic Yin Mountains to hunt and harvest Demon Cores for cultivation.

Of course, orthodox Cultivators also periodically hunt for Demon Crystals in the Mystic Yin Mountains, but they are not as understaffed as the Loose Cultivators; they often come in teams, typically in groups of five or ten. Teams keep a certain distance from each other, coordinating and moving with utmost caution.

This action is usually referred to as hunting.

Take, for instance, the Five Spirit Sect that organizes three or four hunting events annually to ensure a steady supply of Demon Crystals for the sect.

Hence, when he saw only two people approaching, he immediately suspected they were Loose Cultivators.

Between Loose Cultivators and orthodox Cultivators, there's a deep-seated animosity; to describe them as incompatible as fire and water wouldn't be an overstatement. Generally, a simple disagreement escalates to armed conflict and violence, relentlessly until death.

Especially in the Mystic Yin Mountains, where not only do Cultivators clash with Loose Cultivators, but Cultivators also fight amongst each other over interests, even resorting to murder. Of course, those cruel and ruthless Loose Cultivators often engage in deadly robbing incidents as well.

Realizing this, Wang Xiaoqiang's heart skipped a beat, his gaze quickly shifted towards the underbrush where the Shadow Flying Tiger slept every night, and his heart leaped again.

The Shadow Flying Tiger was lying motionless, as if it were dead.

How could this be?

An Eighth-Level Demon Beast, even if it was pregnant, certainly wouldn't die by the hands of Loose Cultivators. What on earth was going on?

As Wang Xiaoqiang felt deep confusion, the seven Loose Cultivators stood quietly, looking up at him with peculiar expressions, their eyes also filled with deep wariness. They all raised their Spiritual Energy Protective Shields, prepared.

Undoubtedly, Wang Xiaoqiang, to them, was a mysterious entity, a person devoid of any apparent spiritual cultivation, sleeping in a tree in the dense forests of the Mystic Yin Mountains, near an Eighth-Level Barbaric Demon, yet completely unharmed.

Spread the word, and it would be a wonder of wonders.

Little did they know, Wang Xiaoqiang, while sleeping, in order not to emit any Spiritual Power Wave, had expelled all 7800 Spiritual Springs from his body, making him appear like an individual without any cultivation base.

Now, Wang Xiaoqiang had already sensed that among the seven below the tree, the old man had a Seven Transformations Cultivation, one of the five men was at the Sixth Transformation of the Immortal, and the remaining four were all at the Fifth Transformation of the Immortal.

The young lady possessed a Fourth Transformation of the Immortal cultivation.

Wang Xiaoqiang believed that, apart from the old Immortal of Seven Transformations, he could easily defeat any of the remaining six individuals one-on-one using the Penglai Immortal Sword.

But to face all seven alone, he couldn't say he might probably not be able to win, he could only affirm with certitude that he definitely could not win.

Therefore, it was better to keep his cultivation hidden. By disguising himself this way, perhaps there was a slim chance, a hint of hope. Eventually, he might find a way to escape to safety.

"Kid, the sun's already heating your back, aren't you coming down?" the old man with the Seven Transformations Cultivation was the first to speak, his face breaking into a somewhat profound smile.

"Uh, sorry, I always wake up naturally," Wang Xiaoqiang, suppressing the panic rising within him, tried to maintain a calm demeanor, covered his mouth, and yawned...

"Haha..." the brightly radiant girl with the Fourth Transformation of the Immortal's cultivation base laughed, her large eyes curving like crescent moons, seemingly carefree.

The old man maintained his smile, but the five men's expressions changed.

"Why are you sleeping alone up in the tree?" the radiant girl asked with a laugh, her face devoid of any scheming.

"Uh, I'm not alone," Wang Xiaoqiang yawned again, settled back against the tree trunk, closed his eyes, and lazily said, "The two old guys who came with me went to gather some wild fruits for me. They should be back soon."

Upon hearing this, the old man's smile faded, and the five men immediately turned around, looking around warily.

"Which two old guys?" The radiant girl, who showed no hint of caution, asked eagerly, "And what's your relationship with them?"

Wang Xiaoqiang, without even opening his eyes, showed an annoyed expression and said, "Who else could it be, if not two elders from my family?"

At this revelation, even the old man with a Seven Transformations Cultivation Base was greatly startled, and the five men concentrated their spiritual power between their arms, with the short and plump one drawing a small, Vajra Zhongzi from his sleeve—though only a tiny bit of the zhong's head peeked out. Although a Loose Cultivator, he still cared about face; he wouldn't show fear just because of someone else's words, as that would earn him disdain from others.

If Wang Xiaoqiang hadn't hidden his cultivation base, they might have thought Wang Xiaoqiang was merely bluffing to scare them. But someone showing no hint of spiritual energy wave, speaking those words was believed to be telling the truth.

Because in their view, a person without any cultivation base wouldn't dare or be able to enter the Mystic Yin Mountains, unless accompanied by a highly skilled person.

And Wang Xiaoqiang's attitude, like a young master, along with the fabricated mention of two elders, aligned perfectly with logical reasoning.

Thus, they couldn't help but believe him.

Different from the reactions of her six companions, the radiant girl was consistently unperturbed, as if the Mystic Yin Mountains were a place for leisure, and the young man in the tree represented a romantic encounter to her.

"Hey, what's your name?" the radiant girl asked once more.

This question almost made her six companions faint.

In such a situation, she was still interested in asking his name!

From their perspective, the youth up in the tree was undoubtedly a young master from a cultivation family, and orthodox cultivators and Loose Cultivators were usually as incompatible as fire and water. Meeting on such a narrow path in the Mystic Yin Mountains meant either his death or theirs.

Hearing the girl's question, Wang Xiaoqiang couldn't help but open his eyes, he gazed at her, seeing her sincere expression, not seemingly feigned, and he felt amused. This girl seemed like a sheltered rich girl, ignorant of the dangerous world, venturing out for the first time. No, she seemed more like she was tricked out by those six Loose Cultivators.

Yet, she clearly had strong spiritual energy waves!

Just as the radiant girl looked expectantly at Wang Xiaoqiang, the Sloppy Old Man suddenly turned and scolded loudly, "Enough with the nonsense, don't you know trouble comes from the mouth!"

The radiant girl immediately puffed out her meaty, red lips, shot a glare at the old man, then huffed lightly. She turned away, leaving him with her back.

The old man stepped forward, leaned close to the girl's ear, and commanded, "Quick, check if there's anyone nearby."

"I won't listen! Humph!" the girl said loudly. Her annoyed look was quite adorable.

The Sloppy Old Man looked panicked, glanced over at Wang Xiaoqiang, who had closed his eyes again, and his expression relaxed slightly as he said, "Be a good Qiaoqiao, please check, otherwise, we won't just miss out on the Patterned Beast, we might even lose our lives."

The girl wasn't really naive and hearing this, her face became serious. She nodded at the old man, then bent down, pressing her hands to the ground, her body flipping over with remarkable agility.

With her hands on the ground and legs in the air, she closed her big eyes.

At this moment, the six Loose Cultivators beside her stood completely still, not daring to make a sound. However, the eyes of two young Loose Cultivators were restlessly fixed on the delightful curve of the girl's waist.

As she inverted herself, her dress slipped down, revealing her small waist.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote on Qidian (qidian.com), monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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