"Who? Who dares to antagonize my Xia Yang Peak!" Xia Yang Sanren roared in the grand hall.
Was this not adding insult to injury? Had I lost my ability to wield a sword, or was Xia Yang Peak too easily bullied?
"We don't know. By the time we arrived, the senior brothers who were ambushed were already lying on the ground, unconscious."
The disciple kneeling on the ground replied timidly.
"Master, I believe the one who dared to do this is Zhang Ergou from Chun Yang Peak," a disciple said, gathering his courage.
"Did you burn your brain during cultivation?" Xia Yang Sanren berated. "He was whipped over a hundred times; it's a miracle he's still alive. How could he have the strength?" Su Dan Novel Network
"Master's reprimand is reasonable. Indeed, we did not see Zhang Ergou in that area today."
"We haven't heard of Zhang Ergou leaving Chun Yang Peak either; he's likely still recuperating."
"Then could it be other disciples from Chun Yang Peak, or people from Qiu Yang Peak and Dong Yang Peak?"
Xia Yang Sanren was so enraged he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. More than a dozen disciples had been knocked out, and they still didn't know who the culprit was.
He stared grimly at the disciples kneeling on the ground. "Investigate for me. No matter who you find, Xia Yang will make them pay a heavy price."
At this moment, Zhang Ergou found a secluded cave and removed his black robe.
He transferred all the items from over a dozen storage rings into his own.
This ambush had been quite fruitful.
The contribution points from the dozens of jade tokens added up to nearly twenty thousand points.
For the current Zhang Ergou, this was practically a fortune.
He had to admit, these disciples from Xia Yang Peak were quite wealthy.
After checking his spoils of war, Zhang Ergou put them away and then began to cultivate by taking a Qi Condensing Pill.
As the spiritual energy from the Qi Condensing Pill entered Zhang Ergou's body, external spiritual energy was also absorbed in large quantities.
The Core Fire was also unselective; anything that entered his body was refined into the purest spiritual energy and stored in his Qi Sea.
Cultivation was never an easy, overnight feat.
As Zhang Ergou entered a state of cultivation, his foundation became even more solid.
With the Qi Sea and Core Fire, the capacity and purity of spiritual energy in Zhang Ergou's body were far superior to others.
As dawn broke, Zhang Ergou emerged from his cultivation state and opened his eyes.
After surveying his surroundings and finding no anomalies, Zhang Ergou put on his black robe again.
He disguised himself so that others could not recognize him.
This time, he did not return to the back mountain he had visited yesterday.
Instead, he went in the opposite direction, to another place frequently visited by disciples of the Misty Sect.
This was a valley, very close to the Beast Forest.
Zhang Ergou planned to ambush here today, quietly waiting for disciples from Xia Yang Peak who would be passing through on their way to the Beast Forest.
After yesterday's incident, he estimated that Xia Yang Sanren would have warned his disciples to be extra cautious.
He would also likely send powerful disciples to search for him in that back mountain.
Therefore, Zhang Ergou changed his strategy today.
He decided to do the opposite.
There were not a few Misty Sect disciples who normally went to the Beast Forest to kill demonic beasts, and among them were quite a few from Xia Yang Peak.
This was because many of the missions in the Misty Sect's Mission Hall involved killing demonic beasts.
Killing demonic beasts not only improved one's combat skills but also earned contribution points.
For Misty Sect disciples, it was a win-win situation.
"This is the spot." Zhang Ergou chose a place that was extremely hidden yet also a necessary route for people.
Today, he did not smear mud on his face again.
Instead, he wore a mask.
As the sky brightened, Zhang Ergou observed the passersby.
Soon, a disciple passed by. Judging by his attire, he was not from Xia Yang Peak.
Suddenly, an idea struck Zhang Ergou.
He leaped out and delivered a blow from behind, knocking the disciple to the ground.
After confiscating all the valuable items on him.
This was not the end; he actually left a message beside him.
"My Xia Yang Peak is not a pushover to be bullied. Since you started it, don't blame us for finishing it."
After writing, Zhang Ergou nodded with satisfaction.
Then, without looking back, he hurried to the next ambush spot.
That day, this valley near the Beast Forest was bustling with activity.
Whether they were disciples from Chun Yang Peak, Xia Yang Peak, Qiu Yang Peak, or Dong Yang Peak.
Without exception, any lone disciple was attacked by an unknown assailant.
The attacked individuals not only didn't know who ambushed them but also had their belongings robbed clean.
For a time, panic spread.
Because each victim had a line of text left beside them, but the handwriting was different.
This indicated that the perpetrator was not the same person.
However, there was a commonality: the messages left beside the victims from the other three main peaks all pertained to Xia Yang Peak.
As for the disciples of Xia Yang Peak, they suffered even worse. Not only were they robbed clean, but they were also beaten the most severely.
No text was left beside them.
For a time, the situation became baffling.
Disciples walked on the roads with extreme caution, afraid that someone might suddenly appear and hit them from the side.
After dealing with a lone disciple from Xia Yang Peak, Zhang Ergou hid in a new spot not long after.
Zhang Ergou then saw two people walking towards him, chatting and laughing.
"Li Qiang, Xu Jiao? Why are they together?" Looking from afar, Li Qiang seemed to be on good terms with Xu Jiao.
Xu Jiao would occasionally act coquettishly towards Li Qiang, and Li Qiang would affectionately stroke her hair with a doting expression.
At this time, Li Qiang's injuries had almost healed, and he walked with a strong stride.
"Senior Brother Li, that little rascal Zhang Ergou was quite badly injured this time. I personally watched Senior Brother Song whip him over a hundred times."
"Junior Sister Xu, you did well in this matter. I should thank you, senior brother. What do you want? After we come out of the Beast Forest, I'll buy it for you."
"Senior brother, you're so good to me." Xu Jiao blushed, her face filled with joy.
"As long as that Zhang Ergou gets the punishment he deserves, no matter how much you ask for, I'll find a way to satisfy you."
When Zhang Ergou was mentioned, Li Qiang's voice immediately turned fierce.
Every word of their conversation reached Zhang Ergou's ears.
So that's how it was. It was all clear now.
These two scumbags dared to plot against me!
Since he had encountered the true culprits who had schemed against him before, Zhang Ergou would absolutely not let them off.
"Heh heh, it's your fault for not checking the almanac before going out today and running into my hands."
Zhang Ergou smirked.
"If I don't skin you today, I'll take your name!"
He suppressed his aura and lay flat on the ground, quietly waiting for the two to approach.
Li Qiang and Xu Jiao, chatting, were almost at Zhang Ergou's hiding spot, yet they still hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Just as the two walked in front of him, Zhang Ergou was about to make his move when he saw a group of people rushing towards them.
"There are more people? Then I'll deal with them all!" Zhang Ergou suppressed his aura again and lay down.