Outside, a thick feather-like snowfall blanketed the ground. Su Bingyun stood inside the wooden hut, quietly looking at Zhao Yu and asked, "Why did you save me?"
This question was something Su Bingyun had wanted to ask all along. However, previously too weak and for the sake of safety, she had kept this doubt hidden in her heart.
Zhao Yu smiled and replied, "Do you still remember when you were expelling the evil spirit, you rewarded a spirit farmer with ten evil-banishing charms? That spirit farmer was me! Those ten charms were very important to me at the time! And since you act with fairness and possess a noble character, that's why I saved you."
In the Cangling Sect, dragons and snakes mixed together, but Su Bingyun, the captain of the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team at the Black Mountain Market, was a person of noble character who had helped many people.
Zhao Yu considered himself an ordinary person, but when he had the chance to extend a helping hand to a good person, he was not stingy about it.
Su Bingyun was silent for a while before she slowly said, "I do have a Foundation Establishment Pill on me indeed."
Zhao Yu said, "I know! I heard your conversation. But I feel that you are more important than the Foundation Establishment Pill!"
Su Bingyun suddenly felt a warm stream flow through her heart.
Even within the Cangling Sect, Foundation Establishment Pills were extremely rare, and only a genius with an Earth Spirit Root like Su Bingyun could be certain to obtain one. To silence the mouths of others in the Cangling Sect, she had volunteered to defend the Black Mountain Market for three years and thus legitimately obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill.
For that Foundation Establishment Pill, Ren Peiming, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Cangling Sect, had betrayed the sect and even stabbed Su Bingyun in the back. If it hadn't been for Zhao Yu's rescue, Su Bingyun's fate now would have been very bleak.
Su Bingyun was silent for a while before she slowly offered, "As long as you speak, I can give you this Foundation Establishment Pill!"
Zhao Yu slowly shook his head and said, "No! I hope you can use this Foundation Establishment Pill to advance to the rank of a Foundation Establishment Expert! In this way, we can be more secure. After you advance to Foundation Establishment, help me buy another Foundation Establishment Pill in the future! I will pay the corresponding spirit stones. What I lack most is a channel to purchase Foundation Establishment Pills."
Even if Zhao Yu obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill now, he would not be able to advance to the level of a Foundation Establishment Expert in the short term. Once Su Bingyun used the Foundation Establishment Pill to advance to Foundation Establishment Expert, Zhao Yu would be safe.
Su Bingyun asked, "Are you a Pill Master?"
Zhao Yu replied, "Barely enough to make a living refining Yellow Spirit Pills!"
Su Bingyun took out more than a dozen pill recipes and handed them to Zhao Yu, "These are the pill recipes I have on hand, you may copy them."
"Thank you!"
Zhao Yu took the dozen or so pill recipes and his eyes immediately lit up as he eagerly began to copy them.
Among those dozen pill recipes were the low-grade Yellow Spirit Pill of the first order, as well as mid-grade and superior-grade pill recipes of the first order, in addition to four Foundation Establishment Pill recipes, a low second-order Red Blood Beast Pattern Pill recipe, and a middle second-order Moon Spirit Pill recipe.
Among the superior first-order pill recipes, there was also one for a Lifespan Extension Pill that Qi Refinement level cultivators could use.
The value of these dozen or so pill recipes was extremely precious, and some Alchemists were even willing to spend ten to twenty thousand spirit stones to purchase them.
In the Black Mountain Market, only the most basic pill recipes for Vitality Pills, Fasting Pills, and the like were sold; not a single higher-grade recipe was available.
After copying the pill recipes, Zhao Yu and his group left the wooden hut and headed toward the market.
In the Cultivation World, breakthroughs in the Great Realm are typically conducted on a Spirit Vein. Besides, some Cultivators also use Spirit Stones and Formations to construct a temporary Spiritual Land for their breakthrough. However, the vast majority of Cultivators still prefer to make their breakthrough on a Spirit Vein due to the higher success rate.
On the road to the Market of Xiaohei Mountain, Zhao Yu saw the skeletons of many human Cultivators scattered by the wayside, along with traces of Magical Combat. Clearly, many Cultivators had been killed by bandits.
Back when the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team was around, they maintained order, and those bandits did not dare to go too far, usually only daring to make a move within the Canglong Mountain range.
After the obliteration of the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team, the entire Market of Xiaohei Mountain had become a place where the strong preyed upon the weak. Hunting down a human Cultivator could yield dozens or even hundreds of Spirit Stones, and hunting low-level Cultivators was much less dangerous than hunting demonic beasts.
Su Bingyun suddenly tugged at Zhao Yu and pointed towards a clump of grass in the northwest direction.
Zhao Yu frowned slightly and called out, "Come out! I have already seen you! What are you planning by ambushing there?"
"Hand over all your belongings, and those two women! Spare your life, or I will make you unable to live or die!"
A muscular man with short, fiery red hair, a black wolf tattoo on his forehead, and a ferocious face, possessing the ninth level of Qi Refinement cultivation, walked out from the bushes and said with a chilling smile.
Behind the middle-aged man were four Cultivators at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, all five of them staring greedily at Zhao Yu and his two companions.
A hint of peculiarity flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes as he asked, "Are you the Black Wolf Bandits?"
The Black Wolf Bandits were notorious for their brutality in the Market of Xiaohei Mountain. They were cunning, specializing in ambushing Cultivators within the Canglong Mountain range, leaving almost no survivors. Because they were very elusive and cautious, hiding for half a year after each crime to avoid attention, and since their crimes took place within the Canglong Mountain range, even the Cangling Sect Law Enforcement Team had not been able to capture them.
The leader of the Black Wolf Bandits, with a hint of mockery and cruelty in his eyes, said, "It seems you have heard of us! Just hand over the two women beside you, then lick the soles of my boots, and I will spare your life!!"
A man with short, brown hair and a burly figure stared intently at Li Xianjiao and licked his lips, saying, "Big brother, how about you let me have the little one first? I promise I won't play her to death!!"
"Act now, kill all these beasts!"
A flash of cold light shone in Su Bingyun's beautiful eyes as she directly took out the Supreme Grade Magic Artifact, the Fire Crow Mirror. Crimson Spiritual Patterns emerged, and a Fire Crow flew out from the mirror, pouncing towards the leader of the Black Wolf Bandits.
"Fire Crow Mirror!! You are Su Bingyun!! How is this possible? Su Bingyun should have been dead long ago!!"
The complexion of the Black Wolf Bandit leader changed drastically, fear sweeping over his eyes. He frenziedly urged his Mana, and a Superior Magical Instrument Grade green Spiritual Shield flew out in front of him, forming a green Protective Shield.
The Fire Crow pounced on the green Protective Shield, burning it fiercely, igniting the shield immediately.
Within a few breaths, the green Protective Shield was burnt to nothingness, and the fiery red Fire Crow pounced on the leader of the Black Wolf Bandits, igniting his head and eliciting a spine-chilling scream.
"Su Bingyun!!"
The other four Black Wolf Bandits turned terribly pale, cried out in shock, and began to flee in all directions, each desperately activating Featherweight Talismans and Armor Horse Talismans.
Zhao Yu executed the Flying Dagger Technique, and the Low-grade Magical Instrument Grade Flying Harpoon flew from his hand in an instant, piercing through the brain of the Black Wolf Bandit who had coveted Li Xianjiao.