Chapter 12 Extremely Cautious, This is What a Cultivator Should Be

Holding the Mirror of Immortal Appraisal in his hands, Arius felt a mixture of anticipation and unease.

Yet, after a long wait, the ten fragments of spirit stones showed no significant changes.

Disappointment flickered across Arius's face.

It seemed that spending mundane gold and silver treasures wouldn't suffice to upgrade the spirit stone fragments.

"So, a trip to the Immortal Market is unavoidable…" he muttered to himself, tucking the fragments away and shaking his head in resignation.

Using the spirit stone fragments directly for cultivation wasn't cost-effective for him. Ten fragments could be exchanged for thirty Body Refining Pills. Though a single low-grade pill wouldn't compare to the effect of one fragment, with the Mirror of Immortal Appraisal enhancing them, even a single pill could far surpass the efficacy of absorbing a spirit stone fragment.

The key lay in the mirror's ability to upgrade ordinary low-grade pills using mundane gold and silver.

If his strength grew sufficiently in the future, Arius could even purchase low-grade elixirs, enhance them using the mirror, and sell them for a hefty profit.

The thought brought a faint smile to his lips. Such a plan could yield endless returns.

Of course, pursuing this path required both caution and sufficient strength to back it up.

After organizing the cultivation resources in his secret chamber, Arius carefully packed a leaf from the century-old Spirit Purification Herb and five spirit stone fragments. As he prepared to leave for the Immortal Market…

Beyond the town of Nezier, a cloaked old man with long, gray-white hair approached slowly.

Though the elder was thin and frail, almost feeble-looking, the immense vitality emanating from his body surged like a vast ocean, radiating a suffocating pressure in all directions.

This was the Ashfell family's Second Elder. As a master in the early Bone Refining stage, he lacked the arrogance of the Third Elder, instead maintaining a low-key and composed demeanor at all times.

Standing with hands clasped behind his back, he gazed toward Nezier Town but did not enter directly. Instead, he casually seized one of the armored guards at the gate, his voice dripping with menace as he demanded,

"I'll ask, you answer."

"If you lie… you die!"

"Do you understand?"

The Second Elder's words sent the guard into a pale-faced panic. Nodding frantically, the man stammered out a trembling agreement.

Satisfied, the elder wasted no time. "Not long ago, did the Ashfell family contingent arrive in Nezier Town?"

"Y-Yes, Immortal Master… Please, have mercy! I'm just a common mortal working for the De Molinos family to earn a living…"

The guard dared not conceal anything. He was no fool. Not long ago, Arius had single-handedly slaughtered the Ashfell family's envoys, even killing one of their immortal cultivators.

It was only natural that the Ashfell family's cultivators would come seeking vengeance.

The guard could already tell this frail-looking elder was no ordinary man—he was undoubtedly a cultivator from the Ashfell family.

Though the guard had trained in martial arts since childhood and could handle even the finest mortal warriors, in the face of this elder, he couldn't muster even the thought of resistance.

The elder's mere presence was enough to freeze his blood and bind his body in invisible chains.

This was the divide between mortals and immortals.

Even the lowest-ranked cultivators of the Body Refining Realm were an insurmountable terror to ordinary people.

The guard's trembling form only deepened the elder's frown.

So, the Ashfell family's contingent had reached Nezier Town… Yet now, the town bore no trace of their presence.

The stone walls of Nezier Town bore no signs of the Ashfell family's banners.

That alone told a story.

Though the Second Elder of the Ashfell family already had a sinking suspicion about what had occurred, he clung to a sliver of hope as he pressed on with his questioning.

"And then? What happened to the Ashfell family's contingent?"

"D-dead… They're all dead… slaughtered entirely by the De Molinos family's patriarch…"

The guard's voice came in weak, broken gasps as the Second Elder's hand tightened around his throat.

"The De Molinos family of Nezier Town dares this much arrogance!" the elder hissed.

His expression darkened to the extreme. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he hurled the guard to the ground with tremendous force.

Boom!

The impact resonated through the air like thunder. Under the overwhelming strength of a Bone Refining cultivator, the guard's body exploded into a mist of blood the moment it hit the ground.

The surrounding earth trembled, forming a deep crater where the guard had fallen.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Witnessing this horrifying scene, the guards stationed around Nezier Town and several residents scattered in a panic. Terror spread like wildfire. Only a handful of guards managed to keep their wits, their leaders hastily retreating toward the De Molinos family estate to report the situation.

But after killing the guard, the Second Elder made no further moves. He stood at the town's edge, his cold eyes fixed on Nezier Town. Though his body radiated murderous intent, he did not dare to take a single step inside.

He knew the truth. Whoever had slaughtered the Third Elder of the Ashfell family—who had achieved the pinnacle of the Blood Tempering Realm—and wiped out two hundred elite Ashfell guards could not be an ordinary cultivator. That De Molinos family patriarch's strength clearly surpassed the Blood Tempering Realm.

To recklessly charge into Nezier Town without fully understanding the De Molinos family's strength would be to court death.

Unlike the reckless Third Elder, the Second Elder had never been a man of exceptional talent. The only reason he had climbed to his current position was through caution and restraint.

After careful deliberation, the elder suppressed his fury and made his decision. Turning sharply on his heel, he left Nezier Town without looking back.

The death of a family elder and the damage to the Ashfell family's prestige were indeed grave matters. But compared to his own life? They were trivial.

The Second Elder had never been one to gamble with his survival.

In the world of cultivation, those lacking overwhelming strength or talent needed to abandon recklessness and act with utmost caution if they wished to live long and rise further.

With that thought in mind, the elder quickened his pace, his figure streaking like a comet across the mountain ranges. Within moments, he had disappeared completely, leaving not a trace of his presence.

Back in Nezier Town, the earlier commotion had alerted the entire De Molinos family.

Elders, guards, and warriors all hurried out, their expressions filled with a mix of vigilance and dread.

Simon, the head of the De Molinos family, personally stepped forward. When his gaze fell upon the blood-stained crater, his heart sank. Anxiety gripped him.

The Ashfell family's retaliation had finally arrived.

"Stand down," he ordered, his voice steady but strained.

"The Ashfell family's cultivator has already left. There's no need to worry…"

Despite his calm words, Simon couldn't quiet the unease gnawing at him. His thoughts raced as he considered possible countermeasures.

Then, breaking through the tense air, a voice—ancient and commanding—resounded across the heavens.

"Disperse. There is no need for alarm."

It was Arius.

The moment the Ashfell family's Second Elder had approached Nezier Town and attacked the guard, Arius had sensed it.

He had even prepared the Three-Talent Formation Flags, intending to trap the Second Elder in the town. But the Ashfell family's elder had been too cautious, fleeing before Arius could act.

Cautious, restrained, and rational… This was the true nature of most cultivators.

"Patriarch…"

"Patriarch…"

At the sound of Arius's voice, the De Molinos family's elders and guards immediately turned and bowed in reverence.