Chapter 117: The Freelancers’ Alliance
Half a month later.
With a thunderous rumble—
The towering city gates slowly swung open.
A group of black-robed figures wearing fang masks filed out in single file, announcing the rules of the Villains’ Battle, distributing villain tokens, and registering names.
“Name?”
“Ming Ruoshui.”
Jiang Min stepped to the front of the line and spoke in a different tone. In this vast world, there were countless people sharing the same name. Many who came here used aliases; no one cared whether the names were real or not—they were just codes.
One of the black-robed men pointed with two fingers, and the three characters “Ming Ruoshui” appeared on a jade mirror.
“Infuse your spiritual energy into the jade mirror.”
This was the method to capture the cultivator’s aura.
A cultivator’s aura could be locked onto the villain token or erased from it by others. Once the aura was captured, the number of villain tokens a cultivator held could be displayed on the villain leaderboard at any time.
After Jiang Min complied, she received a small, gray token.
The token was inscribed with the words “Villain.”
Once spiritual energy was infused into the villain token, the back of the token revealed the three characters “Ming Ruoshui,” indicating that the token and the jade mirror were a pair of related artifacts.
At this moment, Jiang Min had no intention of letting this name appear on the leaderboard.
She had come here solely to comprehend the essence of the sword.
...
Night fell.
The vast Villain City was already filled with tens of thousands of people, with more continuously arriving from all directions, streaming ceaselessly into the city.
The sounds of fighting echoed repeatedly through the night.
In a remote forest area beside a river, dozens of newly built earthen and wooden houses stood. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, forming defensive earthen houses and wooden structures was a simple task.
This was a loose alliance of independent cultivators.
Known as the Lone Wolves Alliance, it numbered about a hundred.
The alliance existed simply to resist the already established temporary gangs, preventing them from being wiped out one by one. Members enjoyed freedom of movement, no rules to bind them, and could leave at any time.
There was only one rule: no attacking fellow members.
Inside one of the modest earthen houses,
Jiang Min was arranging defensive array disks meticulously, fortifying the house with impenetrable defenses.
“I hope this Lone Wolves Alliance can hold out for some time.”
She lifted her garment’s hem and sat cross-legged.
Joining the Lone Wolves Alliance was a decision she made after witnessing the factionalism among cultivators some days ago.
She had overheard others discussing that the Villains’ Battle had been ongoing for years, and a system had long been established: upon entering the city, temporary gangs would first hunt down lone wolves to collect a large number of villain tokens. Then, the gangs would fight among themselves, vying to appear on the villain leaderboard and earn rewards. Unless one possessed overwhelming strength capable of defeating hundreds alone, most relied on temporary gangs or alliances for success.
Therefore,
lone wolves who refused to join gangs were at the bottom, following orders or hiding their tracks. Alternatively, they banded together for warmth and protection. At least in the early stages of the Villains’ Battle, a stable environment was needed.
Some cultivators had quietly gathered villain tokens at the start, then hid during the gang wars, ultimately making it onto the leaderboard and earning generous rewards. Consequently, many independent cultivators hoped to fish in troubled waters, seeking great fortune.
After all,
at the end of the Villains’ Battle, there was only one standard—
Only one hundred holders of villain tokens would remain.
“I must learn the fourth level of the Thunderfire Ten Thousand Sword Technique before these people start attacking each other.”
Jiang Min’s spiritual eyes flickered as she pondered.
After mastering the sword’s aura,
she had no time to learn the fourth level of the sword technique before Master Guanqi summoned her to the Villain City.
Master Guanqi knew she was studying the Thunderfire Ten Thousand Sword Technique and advised her to continue. First, she had already laid a foundation in Thunderfire Dao magic, and switching to another technique would require much effort. Second, this sword technique, passed down by the Thunderflame True Lord a thousand years ago, was extraordinarily powerful.
“The fourth level of the Thunderfire Ten Thousand Sword Technique: the Flaming Thunder Sword Formation Chapter, based on the sword aura realm.”
“Combining sword formations and sword moves, flexible and ever-changing.”
“If I master it, dealing with Foundation Establishment cultivators at minor completion would be effortless, and even major completion cultivators could be handled with ease.”
Her five-element root spiritual foundation, combined with a perfected Dao seed and the sword technique, became her trump card. After all, when she had just reached Foundation Establishment, she was already able to overpower Jiang Ziyi, a cultivator a realm higher.
“Flaming Thunder Sword Formation Chapter.”
“The sword rises, lightning and fire are born; descending, it kills the fiendish souls of heaven and earth.
The sword departs with a long howl, the fierce wind chills; the sword returns, severing sun and moon.
Three thousand blazing seas of fire surge; thunderous might shocks the gods.
Sharpness conceals hidden deadly intent, heard only by the undead a few times…”
Jiang Min formed her fingers into a sword and executed the sword moves passed down by the Thunderflame True Lord.
The earthen house, concealed beneath multiple arrays, roared with the sounds of wind, thunder, and fire, masked by soundproofing arrays so no one outside was aware...
At midnight,
faint clashes echoed within the camp, quickly fading away as if just an illusion.
At dawn the next day,
a shout rang out.
“Someone’s dead!”
In an instant, dozens from the Lone Wolves Alliance rushed to the scene.
Under a large tree lay an old man with gray hair, dead, his forehead stained with dried blood—one of the independent cultivators.
Soon after,
a young girl and a middle-aged man were found dead inside their respective houses, each with a single drop of blood on their foreheads, and all their valuables gone.
Cultivators who had reached Foundation Establishment were generally cautious and capable, yet no one had noticed anyone killing in secret the previous night.
Panic spread rapidly.
As the sun rose, many began to leave—whether to hunt for villain tokens or to disappear for good, no one knew.
Jiang Min glanced from afar,
then withdrew into her earthen house to continue practicing her sword technique.
She had joined the Lone Wolves Alliance only to secure a brief period of stability, master the fourth level of the Thunderfire Ten Thousand Sword Technique, and then leave.
If anyone intended to make a move against her,
they would find no mercy under her sword.
Several days later.
Night fell.
Inside the cramped earthen house, unable to fully stretch, Jiang Min formed her fingers into a sword, practicing sword moves. Each strike summoned wild thunder and fire, cutting through the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The thunderfire sword energy struck the second-level array inside the house, suddenly tearing open cracks that dimmed the array’s light, clearly dealing it severe damage.
“Once I master the fourth level, even facing a major completion Foundation Establishment cultivator, I’ll have a fighting chance.”
“Time to find someone to spar with.”
Jiang Min sheathed her sword, smiling with satisfaction.
It was time to leave the Lone Wolves Alliance. Over time, such loose alliances were either subdued or dissolved, and lingering only increased danger.
Moreover, in recent days, people had been killed in secret every night, and disputes over possessions had begun within the alliance.
She packed away all the array disks.
Just as she was about to activate her invisibility veil and slip away,
a gust of wind sounded outside the door.
“Help!”
Jiang Min’s earthen house was on the edge of the Lone Wolves Alliance camp—a remote but convenient place for escape.
At that moment,
a figure dashed in.
A petite young girl, about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in gray, clutching a beautifully dressed wooden puppet.
Her face was striking, sweet and innocent, still bearing the freshness of youth. Her deep black eyes were pure and clear, untouched by the world, but now filled with fear and panic.
Jiang Min had never seen her before.
She was not one of the Lone Wolves Alliance cultivators.
“Help—”
The girl’s eyes brightened upon seeing Jiang Min, as if spotting hope. Before she could finish pleading, Jiang Min acted.
With her left hand, she gathered spiritual energy in midair, seizing the girl’s throat; her right hand formed a finger sword and swept toward the door.
A streak of thunderfire sword energy shot out, instantly killing the pursuer outside with a single strike.
Caught off guard, the girl’s pupils contracted. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, prepared to form a hand seal, astonished that Jiang Min had dispatched her pursuer so effortlessly. She hesitated.
Seizing that moment, Jiang Min drew a plain sword—unremarkable so as not to reveal her identity—and pressed its cold blade against the girl’s throat.
On the sword’s edge,
a terrifying sword aura flowed, threatening to pierce her throat at any moment.
The girl wore an innocent expression, her voice trembling.
“Sister... I... I’m not a bad person.”
Jiang Min smiled with interest.
“Anyone who can enter this Villain City is no saint.”
“I’m not, and neither are you.”
Her gaze fell upon the wooden puppet in the girl’s arms.
The puppet emanated a familiar sinister aura—the same as the flesh-and-blood monsters she had encountered.
Suddenly,
the lifeless wooden puppet’s jet-black eyes moved, staring directly at her.
At the same time, the girl’s expression twisted into a strange, cunning smile, and in a sweet voice said, “Sister, Little Guai says it’s hungry.”