Chapter 077: Robbing Li Hongtao

Extremely arrogant laughter! In the stone hall, it rumbled and exploded incessantly, shaking several people's eardrums painfully, echoing endlessly in the hall.

"Who is this? Such an arrogant voice." In the stone hall, many people's hearts tightened. From this roar, one could tell that the cultivator was very powerful.

"Why does it sound so familiar?" Hearing the voice, a trace of doubt flickered in Yang Tian's eyes. He then turned his head slightly, his gaze landing on a green afterimage that was now rushing madly towards them, its speed rivaling Dan Qu's.

"Who is this?" Many people's eyes shifted instantly. The newcomer's strength was terrifyingly formidable, exuding a pressure that swept the surroundings, making it impossible to gauge his depth—his power was extremely strong.

A fat-faced, big-eared visage appeared before these people's eyes, and a familiar feeling rose within them. For some reason, a chill crept into the hearts of several.

"So familiar, like I've seen him somewhere." Staring at the fat face, Yuan Ling scratched his head, a look of confusion spreading across his face.

The fat man's gaze swept around. When it landed on Yang Tian, an indescribable smile surged on his plump face. He suddenly bellowed, "Haha, Yang Tian, I'm here! I've found you!"

"This is... Qing Yuan... his illness is cured?" Staring at the fat man before him, Yang Tian's eyes instantly widened, and he exclaimed in shock. He hadn't expected that not only had Qing Yuan's qi sea been repaired, but he had also come to Wudao Mountain.

"How did this fatty get here? ... Bastard!" Huang Li also noticed the fat man's face, a look of malice surging in his eyes. Not long ago, he had been kicked flying by Qing Yuan, a memory he still couldn't forget.

Li Hongtao's gaze shifted. When he saw the fat man, his face instantly darkened. His gloomy eyes swept over Qing Yuan, and he immediately cursed, "Dead fatty, get out of the way! Let me kill Yang Tian first, then I'll deal with you later."

"Isn't that Qing Yuan? How did he get here?" Xing Hao's pupils suddenly contracted, staring at the fat man in disbelief.

Qing Yuan was from the same era as his elder brother and had once fought him. Xing Hao had also met Qing Yuan before; he had a good relationship with his brother. Back then, Xing Hao had just started cultivation and was very familiar with that fearless fat man.

"What audacity!" Qing Yuan was furious. Looking at Li Hongtao, he suddenly grinned ferociously. A silver hammer instantly appeared in his hand, gleaming with silver light and interlaced with traces of purple lightning. Arc of lightning danced on it, surrounded by divine patterns, exuding a chilling aura.

"Is this? ... Thor's Hammer!" Staring intently at the silver hammer in Qing Yuan's hand, a burning desire suddenly surged in Dan Qu's eyes, and his throat bobbed. But then he slapped his forehead and muttered, "Scared me to death, it's a replica. I thought it was real."

In the distance, the black-clad youth also had a flicker of shock in his eyes. He recognized Thor's Hammer. Though not the genuine article, its power was extremely formidable. This hammer was also sealed—it was a Dao artifact!

"He... is... Qing Yuan..." Many people saw the hammer. One of them recalled something and stared at Qing Yuan with horrified eyes, exclaiming in terror.

Qing Yuan was once a brilliant genius in the Eastern Continent, able to rival some reclusive holy sons. His strength was terrifying, and he was audacious enough to even flirt with holy maidens. But later, he disappeared from the cultivation world. There were also rumors that Qing Yuan had lost all his cultivation—all sorts of tales circulated.

"It's him." Yuan Ling's heart jolted. He knew a bit about Qing Yuan's legends. He hadn't expected Yang Tian to know Qing Yuan, and even have a good relationship with him.

"Not good... Why him..." Li Hongtao's eyes flickered rapidly. Staring at the silver hammer in Qing Yuan's hand, he suddenly shrank his head and dashed towards the door.

"Hmph, trying to run in front of me? Today, I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of Li Xuan." Shaking his head disdainfully, Qing Yuan's fat hand grabbed through the air. The figure frantically fleeing suddenly halted, a massive suction force pulling Li Hongtao's body backward.

"Retreat!" Seeing Li Hongtao being lifted like a chick, the group was greatly alarmed. Qing Yuan's former reputation was too formidable. When they had just started martial cultivation, he had already made a name for himself in the Eastern Continent. Without hesitation, their morale shattered, and they bolted for the stone hall's entrance.

"You bullied my brother and still want to run?" Qing Yuan sneered. He suddenly swung the hammer in his hand. Fierce blood energy roared out, and a terrifying force swept through the air, mixed with countless purple lightning arcs, instantly piercing the void.

Bang! Bang! Like a storm, it swept up several who were slow to flee. Countless lightning arcs danced on their bodies, and miserable screams exploded repeatedly, chilling to the bone.

"Such strong strength. It seems that with his qi sea restored, Qing Yuan is hard to find an opponent among half-step martial artists." Seeing this, Yang Tian couldn't help but smack his lips and murmur.

Even the black-clad youth, without his trump card, couldn't beat Qing Yuan, especially with the silver hammer in his hand—its power was too terrifying.

"Hehe, Brother Qing Yuan, that was a slip of the tongue, definitely a slip of the tongue..." Seeing the torn bodies and the minced flesh on the ground, Li Hongtao's face instantly turned pale. The man before him was a madman who killed anyone he disliked.

"You called me fatty. How about I beat you into a pig's head?" Clenching his fist, Qing Yuan turned to look at Li Hongtao in his hand and grinned grimly.

"Bang, bang..." Seeing Li Hongtao's terrified face, Qing Yuan directly swung his fist and smashed it into his face.

"Ah!" With one punch, blood splattered, and a piercing scream exploded. A treasure robe instantly appeared on Li Hongtao's body, but Qing Yuan's fist force was astonishing, continuously shaking the robe. The recoil force shook Li Hongtao, making him cough blood repeatedly.

"Crack!" Rows of teeth fell out. Dan Qu watched, his scalp tingling. If this kept up, Li Hongtao would eventually be shaken to death.

"Too brutal!" Dan Qu rubbed his hands, his face full of admiration.

After nearly a hundred punches, sensing Li Hongtao's extremely weak aura, Qing Yuan raised the man in his hand and said to Yang Tian, "How do we deal with this kid? Should I kill him?"

"You can't kill me. My father left a divine thought inside me. If you dare lay a hand on me, he will kill you." Hearing they were about to kill him, Li Hongtao hastily roared, his face full of fear.

"Threatening me? I fear nothing less than threats." Lifting the figure in his hand, Qing Yuan smiled, then threw a few punches.

"Not long ago, the Li family auctioned a soul crystal. I wonder if he has it on him." Xing Hao thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled sinisterly.

"Soul crystal." Hearing this, Qing Yuan's eyes lit up. He licked his lips, staring at the figure in his hand with gleaming eyes. The effects of a soul crystal were too powerful; no one could remain indifferent.

"Xing Hao, you'll die a miserable death, a miserable death..." Li Hongtao's heart trembled. If the soul crystal were lost, even if he returned alive, he would surely be punished, perhaps even stripped of his holy son status.

"Speak. Where is the soul crystal? I can be merciful and spare your life." Squinting, Qing Yuan chuckled.

"I don't have the soul crystal on me. It was sent back to the clan. Truly, I don't." Li Hongtao hastily roared: "I have elixirs and everything, but the soul crystal was taken away by clan members."

"If you don't have it, that's fine. I'll shatter your lower body now, and you'll never be able to mount a woman again." Scratching his head, Qing Yuan suddenly smiled, his cold voice making the others touch their crotches.

"You bastard!" Li Hongtao's heart burned with rage, nearly spitting blood. Never being able to thrust into a woman for life was worse than death.

"I'll give you three breaths to consider. One... three, time's up!"

"..."

A faint crisp sound echoed in the hall. Everyone's gaze instantly converged on the ground, where a pitch-black stone gleamed with luster, and a tremor surged in their hearts.

"This is the soul crystal, haha!" Excitement flooded their faces as they couldn't help rubbing their hands. This item had fetched a sky-high price at the Martial Arts City auction.

"Not bad, quite obedient." Qing Yuan picked up the soul crystal, examined it for a moment, and after confirming it was genuine, a look of joy spread across his face.

"Now can you let me go..." A very faint voice came, but without a trace of complaint, all swallowed by Li Hongtao.

"Hand over the void ring too. Don't try to play tricks or fool me. Make it snappy." Grinning, Qing Yuan raised an eyebrow and barked.

"You... you have no honor..." Li Hongtao was nearly bursting with rage, his face instantly turning bright red.

"Who's keeping honor with you? Hand it over quickly. If you piss me off, I'll shatter your lower body. Is treasure better, or women? You weigh it yourself." Qing Yuan roared ferociously.

After about three breaths, a void ring fell onto the stone hall. Judging by its quality, it was a high-grade void ring. Yang Tian and the others exchanged glances, unable to help smacking their lips. Li Hongtao was too timid.

Clatter! A huge pile of treasures appeared in the stone hall, filling the space of several hundred zhang with ancient elixirs, spiritual herbs, and rare refining materials—everything one could want. This guy was a mobile treasure vault; his possessions were even richer than Wang Long's.

"Where are the artifacts? Hand them over quickly. Hand them over and I'll spare you. Don't try any tricks with me." Scanning the pile, Qing Yuan continued to roar.

After a moment of silence, a small cauldron appeared in the stone hall. It was the Qian Yuan Cauldron, a semi-finished Dao artifact thrown out.

"Haha, get lost!" Qing Yuan roared excitedly, grabbed Li Hongtao's body, and threw him out of the hall.

"Too brutal." Shan Qu scratched his head, a surge of delight welling up in his heart. The extortion was complete.

"Yang Tian, these two are for you." Qing Yuan stood up and tossed the Qian Yuan Cauldron and soul crystal to Yang Tian.

"I can't accept this." Looking at the two items, Yang Tian shook his head slightly. Though the treasures were precious, they had been obtained together; it wouldn't be right for him to take them all.

"You must accept them. You two have no objections, do you? We'll split the rest equally." His face darkening, Qing Yuan said, then glanced at the other two with a threatening look.

"Hehe, absolutely no objection. Give them to Brother Yang." The two quickly waved their hands and chuckled: "It doesn't matter who uses them; let Yang Tian have them."

Yang Tian thought for a moment, then tossed out three purple lotuses: "These few spiritual herbs are compensation. Please don't refuse. I've already taken a big advantage."

"These are Yun Shen Lotus Seeds!" Catching the purple lotuses, the others exclaimed. Yun Shen Lotus Seeds had incredible effects for those who had not yet entered the martial realm, nurturing a soul that was many times stronger than others and growing quickly.

Although some soul-nurturing spiritual herbs were potent, they could not be taken by a newly formed soul. But Yun Shen Lotus Seeds were most effective at the moment the soul was born.

"Hehe, where did you get this treasure?" Scratching his head, Qing Yuan smiled. He hadn't obtained this when he first became a martial artist, but now, starting over, he had actually gotten it.

"We got it from the medicine garden outside." Yang Tian and the others chatted for a while longer, when suddenly the light gate beside them began to surge.