Cultivation begins with harvest.

This place is only about 800 li away from the nearest sentry post, and the bushes and trees on both sides of the road have been cleared away to a width of 2 li.

The trees are endless, and the insects and birds sing in unison.

Two crimson horses galloped at a slow pace. The mane of one of the horses was stuck together, and the dark red marks proved that it had had a dangerous encounter.

Dongfang Jianming pursed his lips tightly, his hands gripping the reins becoming numb from exerting too much force for so long.

"hiss--"

Chen Guang took a sharp breath and made a shrill sound. Dongfang Jianming, who was already familiar with what this meant, skillfully threw out the bracelet. It flew above his head and fell as a white light curtain, like a veil, to protect himself and the Crimson Blood Horse. Dongfang Lieming in front of him also released a shield artifact, which swirled around the two of them.

But what truly reassured them was the purple mist that enveloped them even faster.

The purple mist drifted and floated, allowing them to see everything happening in the outside world, while completely blocking the view of those outside.

The two had clearly seen that from the seemingly flat and compacted earth in front of them emerged a dusty-faced cultivator wielding a thick, five-foot-long sword resembling a mace. A beam of yellow light, about an inch thick, covered the sword's tip and slashed down at the purple mist. Instantly, the purple mist churned, revealing a clean area two feet wide.

A fire serpent with black spots emerged from the clean area, facing the longsword. The sword-wielding cultivator, who was about to charge in, was startled but not flustered. A layer of yellowish-brown magic shield appeared on his face, and at the same time, the magic chain around his waist was pulled. Just as he was about to sink back into the ground, the fire serpent suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a fleeting, bright line of fire that passed directly through the opponent's magic shield and disappeared into the ground.

On the surface, the soil seemed to have been trampled for many years and was as hard as iron, showing no sign that a living person had just jumped out of the soil and crawled back in.

Purple mist shrouded the two crimson horses; only by getting closer could a few drops of blood be seen on the ground.

Chen Guang frowned and waved his hand at the ground. He couldn't help but use some magic power. After a while, a cotton fire needle finally pierced through the soil and returned to the hidden box.

A sweep across the ground revealed only a yellowish-brown tunnel visible only to those with clear spiritual vision, stretching into the distance to three miles away. The cultivators within and those struck by the cotton fire needles were all gone.

Chen Guang made another hand seal, and the black spot on the fire snake continued to expand, penetrating deep into the ground. Wherever it went, the soil and moisture were quickly pushed aside by the formation. The black snake rushed into the earthen-yellow tunnel and exploded with a bang. Fiery light and damp earth energy continuously spewed out from the tunnel. This earthen-yellow tunnel was directly shattered by such an attack, and the remaining earthen-yellow radiance also quickly dimmed because this section of the tunnel was destroyed.

"Won't this anger them?" Dongfang Jianming asked somewhat awkwardly. "You said before that we should just let them back down..."

"That's on the way. We're already very close to the outpost. If they make a big fuss, the other cultivators will be unhappy. Besides, these fly-like bandits need to be dealt with severely, otherwise they'll provoke you in the outpost." Chen Guang was just repeating the information he had shared before, although Dongfang Jianming seemed to understand.

"I was really scared, my heart was racing."

Chen Guang observed his condition.

For the first 1,500 li, there were disciples of the Punishment Hall patrolling, which could be described as sightseeing. However, after traveling some distance to the middle section, some restless rogue cultivators made it difficult for the Dongfang siblings to deal with them.

They started off with confidence.

The cultivation resources of independent cultivators are scarce, not only because of external things, but also because of knowledge. They often spend all day running around for a little bit of resources, which goes against common sense and leaves them with no space to practice spells.

They might be busy for days over a few whispers about swallowtail grass, and might even have to fight with another group of people.

However, this group of rogue cultivators never figured out what the swallowtail grass was for, and they didn't even know that it was an ordinary spiritual herb that could grow into dozens of plants just by scattering a handful of seeds.

A single wild Jade Heart Grass is considered an opportunity, as it can visibly increase their magical power.

These rogue cultivators were naturally confused. Having finally embarked on the path of cultivation, they didn't know which way to go next. Wherever there was even a tiny bit of cultivation resource, they could only swarm towards it like locusts.

Few dare to venture into the endless wilderness; a steady and methodical approach to cultivation doesn't exist in that kind of environment...

Therefore, the battles among the lower-level rogue cultivators are very methodical. You throw a fireball spell, I'll throw an earth shield spell. If I can't break the earth shield spell, I'll switch from defense to offense. They only know a few spells. After a few rounds, they've exhausted all their skills. If they still can't defeat each other, they'll decide based on the number of people and their cultivation level, and then they'll usually disperse.

The whole process was slow and relaxed, and there was hardly any fuss or noise.

When Chen Guang and his group appeared riding their tall, crimson horses, most of the rogue cultivators were intimidated. Those who dared to attack only threw out spells in a rush when their numbers were overwhelming, and as soon as they saw that their spells were blocked, they immediately ran away. After several such encounters, whether it was good luck or bad luck, they did not encounter any powerful opponents, and the Dongfang siblings naturally gained confidence.

Until he met a disciple of the Precious Sword Sect.

It sounds perfectly legitimate, but in the Qingheng Sect, it is one of the infamous "Three Insects and Four Poisons".

These seven powerful sects share several common characteristics. Back when they still had sect gates, promotion within the sects was chaotic and disorderly, and cultivation was haphazard and unregulated. Masters would accept disciples solely for profit, whether for lust, money, or as tools or servants...

It was a chaotic mess, a complete disaster.

Every year, a few demonic cultivators emerge. It should be known that demonic cultivators are ferocious and tyrannical, going to extremes and acting with domineering power. At the same level, demonic cultivators can be regarded as the most skilled in combat and possessing the most miscellaneous spiritual items. However, they have a weak sense of morality, are only interested in profit, and are ruthless. Often, the appearance of one of them will cause chaos among the lower-level rogue cultivators.

A stable output of demonic cultivators would put them on the opposite side of other sects.

These sects were then eradicated.

Their roots are part of the various sects in the south. Now they have become bandits. Compared to ordinary rogue cultivators, they are naturally much more systematic and less confused about how to cultivate, and they don't work hard haphazardly.

However, because of this, it can be said that compared to other sects that have no threshold for recruiting disciples, almost anyone from all walks of life is accepted. Each one is as annoying as a fly and as harmful as a poison, hence the saying "three insects and four poisons".

However, after being expelled from their sects, these sects were broken up and their heritage was scattered to various places. The "Four Poisons" were better off, as the main body of the sects was still there, and therefore they hid in the shadows and dared not be arrogant.

The "Three Insects" are different. For example, the disciples of the Precious Sword Sect, although they claim to be disciples of the Precious Sword Sect and learn the Precious Sword Sect's methods, it is difficult to find even one disciple who is only remotely related to them. The Precious Sword Sect is now full of newcomers.

The commonality among the Three Insects Sect is that they focus on controlling artifacts. No matter what means a disciple uses, obtaining a spiritual artifact based on the sect's cultivation method is considered a sign of mastery.

The Treasure Sword Sect's sword is the [Place Name Treasure Light Sword], which was originally somewhat mystical, but the sword techniques based on this sword system now only include stealthy attacks from the ground.

Often, a group of independent cultivators would gather together a single precious sword, with the strongest among them wielding it and practicing the sword-wielding techniques of the Sword Sect, known as "Sword Hands." The others would learn auxiliary techniques, known as "Auspicious Cry," which would enhance the Sword Hand's abilities to twelve times their original strength, while a normal cultivator would only achieve seven times the effect.

A group of auspicious spirits built paths for easy movement and concealment, and bestowed various buffs on the swordsmen, making them more likely to carry out a fatal sneak attack. This is the most mainstream fighting style of the Sword Sect.

Most of the members of the Treasure Sword Sect are poor, independent cultivators. Often, there are twenty or thirty Ji Mingzan (a type of martial arts expert) for every swordsman. Under normal circumstances, how could one swordsman support so many Ji Mingzan? Even when the Treasure Sword Sect had a mountain gate, it only supported three swordsmen with one sword, one of whom was the sect itself.

Therefore, some people take the risk of robbing travelers, while others seek stability or still have a conscience. They go into the wilderness to gather herbs and kill monsters for resources.

This group of people can even build a "path" that is several miles long. There are no fewer than five Ji Mingzan members. This kind of path can be used by the cultivators of the Treasure Sword Sect to lie in ambush. If the attack fails, the group can immediately escape. Their speed is equivalent to two-thirds of the full speed of the Crimson Blood Horse. The key is that it is located one zhang underground, making it very difficult to track them.

Therefore, the swordsman deserved to die. Chen Guang believed in the destructive power of the Fire Needle after it struck the heart acupoint. This was a fatal weakness that no mortal body could overcome. Once the swordsman died, Ji Mingzan would hate Chen Guang to death. Dongfang Jianming had seen Chen Guang's Fire Needle before, and it was basically a bloodthirsty attack. That's why he was worried that he might have gone too far.

After scanning the surroundings with his clear spiritual eyes and finding nothing unusual, he slightly withdrew the purple mist and urged Dongfang Jianming to continue on his way.

"Let's get to the outpost first and then we'll talk."