Chapter 115: Despair Breeds Recklessness

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, why won't you submit? When the demon race arrives, everyone will die anyway. Why not indulge in some pleasure while you still can?" A middle-aged man’s voice echoed through the small courtyard.

"Get out! You shameless wretch!" Cheng Jiaojiao stood protectively in front of the two younger women, her face flushed with fury.

The middle-aged man licked his lips, his gaze fixed on the heaving mounds on her chest, which shook with her indignant rage. Cheng Jiaojiao, unable to avoid his lecherous stare, felt a mixture of shame and fury. The man was tall and a cultivator of the Profound Body Sect; though they shared the same cultivation realm, she knew she was no match for him.

"Hehe! Don't you know? There are plenty of beautiful female cultivators outside who want to unite with me. It’s just that because your cultivation is high and your figure is so lush, I imagine the experience would be even better. Come here!"

Despair breeds indulgence. Cultivators are but human, and human nature is always thus.

Suddenly, Mu Qingqing leaned out from behind her and scolded, "Go away, you shameless scoundrel!"

The middle-aged man’s eyes lit up, his gaze sliding from her flawless white neck down toward her chest. Her own ample curves were by no means inferior to Cheng Jiaojiao's. He wiped his lips with his hand and casually stripped off his upper garment, revealing sturdy, muscular pectorals.

Mu Qingqing let out a sharp cry and shrank back behind Cheng Jiaojiao, her right hand clutching the collar of her Daoist robes tightly.

The man laughed boisterously. "Haha, look how strong I am? I have even stronger attributes that will surely satisfy you both, haha!"

With that, he strutted toward the three women, his lower body prominently aroused. The three women were forced back step by step, consumed by shame and anger.

*Thump!*

Their backs hit the wall; there was nowhere left to run!

The middle-aged man’s eyes turned bloodshot as he reached for his trousers. The three women quickly squeezed their eyes shut. Cheng Jiaojiao cried out in despair, "My two disciples, detonate your dantian! Do not let your purity be violated!"

"Yes, yes...!"

The middle-aged man, unwilling to let them succeed, lunged at them. Just then, a green shadow flickered.

*Boom!*

With a dull thud, the man was sent flying back four or five yards, crashing heavily onto the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, struggled to lift his head, and asked with venomous resentment, "Who—who are you?"

The three women felt a gentle breeze brush over them, and the chaotic Profound Qi within their dantians was instantly calmed. They opened their eyes to see a figure standing before them.

Stately. Upright.

"Is... is it you?" Cheng Jiaojiao sobbed with relief.

Mu Qingqing and Huang Rong'er peeked out, staring at the back of the man. It felt familiar, yet strangely distant. The newcomer was none other than Su Yizhao. The Three-Nothing City had expanded too much, and the population was immense, but he had finally arrived at the critical moment.

He turned back and smiled. "Am I late?"

The three women were overcome with bashful embarrassment. Why was it that every time they were in such a humiliating situation, he always appeared right on time?

"Who the hell are you? I have three thousand disciples; are you tired of living?" Seeing that Su Yizhao was young, the man’s cruelty returned.

Su Yizhao moved in a blur. *Slap!* A heavy blow landed on the man’s face.

The middle-aged cultivator was sent spinning through the air, crashing into the courtyard gate. *Boom!* The gate shattered. He collided with four or five other cultivators, pinning them all to the ground. Nearby, three other cultivators stood frozen in shock. What was going on? Weren't they supposed to be here to learn a thing or two?

Su Yizhao stared at the man, whose face was now swollen like a pig’s head, and said calmly, "Where are your three thousand disciples? I shall kill them all at once!"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and shouted, "Send word! Call for reinforcements!"

"Yizhao!"

"Fellow Daoist Su!"

Behind him, the three women called out anxiously.

"Wait!"

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!*

The middle-aged man, his mouth dripping with blood, had barely finished the word "wait" when countless message talismans flew into the air. He suddenly realized the gravity of the situation, scrambled to his knees, and begged, "Brothel-frequenting swordsman, I was wrong! Spare my life!"

Nearby, seven or eight cultivators were stunned. The man suddenly whipped his head around and cursed, "You're all slow at everything else, but when it comes to calling people for a fight, you're damn fast!"

Su Yizhao was even more incensed. What did he just call him? A "brothel-frequenting scoundrel"? Even at death's door, the man was trying to provoke him, as if afraid he wouldn't be killed.

With a thought, a flying sword materialized instantly.

Seeing he could not escape, the middle-aged man stood up abruptly, gripped a massive sword with both hands, and hacked down at Su Yizhao. Su Yizhao waited calmly. The giant blade descended toward his crown, and blood was moments away from being spilled.

"Yizhao!" The three women screamed.

The middle-aged man, seeing that Su Yizhao didn't dodge, bared his blood-filled mouth and smiled. But suddenly, his eyes blurred; the flying sword in front of Su Yizhao had vanished.

*Puchi, puchi...!*

A series of soft sounds echoed. The giant blade, just inches from Su Yizhao's head, suddenly lost its momentum and slid harmlessly past his forehead.

*Clang!*

The giant sword hit the ground. At that same moment, outside the gate, the eight cultivators who had arrived suddenly clutched their throats as blood sprayed out, and they collapsed one after another.

*Thump, thump, thump...!*

Eight corpses piled up in a heap.

"Who dares touch my master?"

At that moment, several figures streaked in from the distance. Su Yizhao showed no mercy, sending all nine of his flying swords out at once.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!*

"Ah!"

The three women stared blankly at the sky. Cultivator after cultivator fell from the air. There were no flashes of blades, no shadows of swords. Only a rain of blood fell as they turned into lifeless corpses. After four or five breaths, someone finally realized something was wrong and fled in all directions. But within the range of his spiritual sense, any cultivator rushing toward the courtyard was struck down by a single sword, no matter where they were.

Ten breaths later, the entire city was silent. Not a single cultivator dared even glance toward the courtyard.

Just then, a female voice called out from afar, "Fellow Daoist Su!"

Su Yizhao was startled. The voice was unmistakable. Qin Hongyi! Why was she here?

Through his spiritual sense, he saw a woman in red Daoist robes leading more than a dozen cultivators toward the courtyard. Su Yizhao was even more surprised. Why was the clan leader with her? Behind Qin Hongyi stood Li Tiancheng and the members of the Li family.

"Yizhao, you haven't forgotten about Xiuyue, have you?" Cheng Jiaojiao’s voice came from behind him.

Su Yizhao quickly replied, "Xiuyue? Of course not!"

Qin Hongyi and the others entered the courtyard. Su Yizhao went to greet them. "Clan Leader, are you all alright?"

Li Tiancheng nodded. "Thanks to this Fellow Daoist Qin, we are unharmed."

Su Yizhao asked, surprised, "Fellow Daoist Qin, why are you here? And why are you looking after them?"

Qin Hongyi glanced at the three women, noticing their flushed faces, and chuckled, "If you had told me sooner, Fellow Daoist Su, I would have looked after them as well!"

Su Yizhao was speechless.

Qin Hongyi continued, "I can't afford to repay the Profound Stones I owe you, so I must stay by your side!"

Su Yizhao: "..."

Cheng Jiaojiao suddenly interjected, "How much do you owe? You don't need to pay it back!"

Qin Hongyi smiled, "Three hundred million high-grade Profound Stones!"

The crowd was stunned. The three women covered their mouths, not daring to speak. Thirty thousand could be forgiven, even three hundred thousand! But three hundred million? That was impossible.

Su Yizhao waved his hand. "How did you know how to find them?"

Qin Hongyi said, "Since I intend to stay by your side, I naturally need to know about the people connected to you. It's just that, they..."

Su Yizhao fell silent.