Chapter 977: Taking the Blame

The man in the black robe spoke in a sinister tone, "Since you've recognized me, leave the items behind quickly, and I might spare your lives."

Zu An was curious. It seemed this person was of considerable importance, but he had no idea who it was. After all, he had been in this world for too short a time and had always remained in the imperial court, so he wasn't very familiar with names in the martial arts world.

At that moment, Sun Ji voiced the same question: "Old Yang, who is he?"

Yang Long didn't answer him, his eyes never leaving the black-robed man. "If I hadn't recognized you, I might still harbor some illusions. But the infamous Thickbrow Daoist, a notorious figure in the evil cultivation world, has never left anyone alive."

"Thickbrow Daoist?" Zu An frowned. He had never heard the name before. Was he very powerful? However, he noticed the man's two eyebrows beneath the cloak were indeed thick and dark. The nickname certainly fit.

Sun Ji said angrily, "What 'thickbrows' or 'thinbrows'? In Yi Commandery, apart from the King of Yan, it's our Sun family that calls the shots. I advise you not to be so unappreciative. Perhaps our Sun family could even take you in as an honored guest and offer you a bright future. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died."

Yang Long secretly frowned, wanting to tell Sun Ji to stop talking. But then he reconsidered: the opponent already had a notorious reputation, so speaking or not speaking wouldn't make much difference. He decided not to intervene.

Upon hearing this, the Thickbrow Daoist laughed heartily, looking up at the sky. "Hahaha, cultivators refine themselves, comprehend the heavens and earth, and seek true freedom and transcendence. I, Thickbrow, have no interest in being a dog for a powerful clan."

Yang Long's face burned. Clearly, in the other man's eyes, he was nothing more than a servant. As a cultivator himself, he had his own pride and immediately retorted, "What's wrong with mastering both civil and martial arts and serving the imperial family? The path of cultivation inherently consumes countless resources. How can one bear such massive consumption relying solely on oneself? You speak of being unconstrained, but your own hands are stained with blood from robbing and killing other cultivators to devour their resources and cultivation. How is that nobler than anyone else?"

Hidden in the shadows, Zu An was taken aback. He hadn't expected this Thickbrow Daoist also relied on absorbing others' cultivation. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Indeed, such a method was considered an evil cultivation technique in the martial arts world. He hoped his Gluttonous Heaven Devouring Art wouldn't be exposed, lest he be hunted down by everyone.

At that moment, the Thickbrow Daoist snorted, "You're just stalling for time with all this rambling. Prepare to die!" With that, he waved his black robe, and a surge of black mist surged towards the carriage.

"Young Master, be careful!" Yang Long quickly shielded Sun Ji. The other guards also faced it as a formidable enemy, unleashing their ultimate techniques against the black mist, but unfortunately, they all vanished like mud oxen entering the sea. Screams echoed, and some of the lower-ranked guards, enveloped by the two black mist masses, were pulled towards the Thickbrow Daoist.

"Hahahaha..." The Thickbrow Daoist extended his hands, clamping them directly onto the tops of their heads. After a long laugh, the victims were shriveled into mere husks.

"This feels so good." The Thickbrow Daoist casually tossed aside the dried corpses, still unsatisfied as he licked his lips. At his gaze, the Sun family members collectively swallowed hard.

Zu An frowned, noting how exceedingly bloodthirsty this fellow was. He also perceived that while the cultivation technique the man used seemed somewhat similar to his Gluttonous Heaven Devouring Art, there was a vast difference in substance. The man's absorption efficiency was too low; he indiscriminately absorbed all sorts of impurities into his body. Accumulating these over the years would lead to serious health problems, and his temperament would be twisted by the negative emotions from others' bodies. Eventually, he would either go mad or die from mental derangement. He was likely in the penultimate stage of this process, which explained why he seemed so neurotic and bloodthirsty.

As he pondered, the Thickbrow Daoist's figure flickered, and he charged directly towards Sun Ji. Sun Ji possessed a fifth-grade cultivation, and he usually boasted and showed off, thinking himself incredibly powerful. But now, facing the overwhelming killing intent, he felt his entire body tremble and weaken, unable to muster any thought of resistance.

At this moment, Yang Long roared. He was, after all, a seventh-grade master. Before him, countless ice cones materialized, shooting towards his opponent.

"An ice-element cultivator," Zu An murmured, thinking of Chu Chuyan. He wondered if she had returned to her sect yet.

The Thickbrow Daoist swept his wide robe, and dark mist emerged from his palm. The ice cones instantly melted away. Yang Long hadn't expected to stop his opponent with just that. A cold glint flashed as he pulled out a twelve-foot spear from behind him and thrust it directly at the Thickbrow Daoist. The spear was entirely silver-white, exuding a chilling aura.

Zu An's eyes widened. Where did this guy pull out such a huge spear from? He seemed to have noticed him pulling it from behind his buttocks just now. *Gasp*, the more he thought about it, the more horrifying it became!

The spear transformed into countless phantom spear images, instantly enveloping the Thickbrow Daoist. Soon, Thickbrow Daoist appeared to be sealed within a cocoon-shaped block of ice. The Sun family members cheered, but Yang Long's brows remained tightly furrowed.

At that moment, a sinister voice suddenly echoed from within the ice. "In terms of spear techniques, you have already reached the Grandmaster level. Unfortunately, the gap between a seventh-grade and an eighth-grade cultivator cannot be bridged by mere skill. You simply don't understand what it means to borrow the power of heaven and earth."

As soon as his voice faded, the enormous ice block shattered like an eggshell and then exploded outwards with a loud bang. A black figure shot out from within. Yang Long was greatly alarmed, shouting, "Young Master, run!" He raised his spear and charged forward, but the opponent neither dodged nor avoided. He simply struck the spear shaft with a palm, and with a crack, the previously formidable spear instantly snapped in two. The opponent then pressed his palm against Yang Long's chest.

Yang Long spat out blood and flew backward. Fortunately, he had cultivated for many years and managed to break free from his opponent's control at the crucial moment, thus avoiding the fate of being shriveled into a husk. However, this had exhausted all his strength, and he lay sprawled on the ground, unable to fight anymore.

On the other side, Sun Ji was already terrified. He pushed one of his subordinates off his horse, then savagely kicked the horse's belly with both legs, desperately galloping away into the distance. The remaining guards scattered like monkeys from a falling tree, fleeing in different directions.

The Thickbrow Daoist snorted coldly and simply waved his sleeve. The scattered weapons on the ground shot out like guided missiles, accurately striking the backs of the guards. Not a single person among them escaped.

Looking in the direction Sun Ji had fled, he took a step, and the next moment, he appeared directly in front of him. "Hiss~" The horse neighed in fright and reared up. The Thickbrow Daoist snorted and slammed a palm onto its head. The horse shriveled at a visible rate and died on the spot.

Sun Ji was thrown off, landing clumsily. He tried to run but found his legs wouldn't obey, his body constantly scooting backward as he pleaded, "Senior, all you want is wealth. I'll give you the items; there's no need to kill me, is there? This is Yi Commandery, after all, and making a mortal enemy of the Sun family would cause a lot of trouble."

At this, the Thickbrow Daoist nodded. "You're right, offending your Sun family in Yi Commandery would be quite troublesome."

Hearing him say this, Sun Ji couldn't help but rejoice. "As long as Senior spares me, I promise not to pursue this matter further. Those guards who just died are dead; our Sun family won't take it to heart. The items are here, please show mercy, Senior." He said, offering the storage bag containing the auction items with a fawning smile.

Zu An sneered inwardly. Those guards had fought to their deaths to protect him, only for this to be their reward.

The Thickbrow Daoist inspected the bag, confirmed its contents, and tucked it into his robes. A mocking smile appeared on his face, and then he directly slapped Sun Ji's head.

"You..." Sun Ji only managed to utter a single word before collapsing softly.

The Thickbrow Daoist sneered, "Offending the Sun family is troublesome, but if I kill all of you, who will know it was my doing?"

Seeing this, Yang Long, from the side, let out a long sigh. "There are no impenetrable walls in this world; the Sun family will surely find you." After saying this, he directly slapped his own forehead, committing suicide. He knew he had no chance of survival and didn't want to remain there to have his cultivation absorbed by the opponent. Ending it himself was a more dignified choice.

The Thickbrow Daoist approached him, and only after confirming his death did he mockingly say, "Now that there's a ready-made scapegoat, how could the Sun family ever find me?" As he spoke, he tidied up the scene. He took out a bottle and sprinkled its contents on the shriveled corpses. Those bodies then visibly disintegrated, and finally, a cold night wind blew them all away into dust.

Zu An nodded inwardly. This man was indeed careful and cautious, concerned that such a manner of death might easily lead others to him, which was why he destroyed the bodies. Next, the Thickbrow Daoist went to Yang Long's side and used his finger to draw the characters "three three three" on the ground. To make it more convincing, he deliberately only drew half of the last 'three' and then covered it with Yang Long's hand.

After completing all this, he nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to leave, a sigh came from the side: "You are a person who dares to commit deeds but not to take responsibility. You insist on making innocent people bear the blame. Doesn't your conscience bother you?"