There wasn't much else to ask about at this time and place, just the desire to retrieve the stolen treasure from Shi Chun.
They hadn't even seen what the treasure looked like yet; they had only heard the mine foreman mention it was an unexpected joyful find.
Now that it was recovered, they were greatly pleased.
Shen Youkun, who had fled and returned, was also very excited, a kind of fierce excitement.
Before he could utter the words threatening Shi Chun, he was glared back into silence by his uncle's cold, stern gaze.
Qi Ziru guessed what his nephew wanted to say.
He wasn't trying to stop him from venting, but he didn't want his nephew to speak carelessly before the treasure was recovered.
The reason was simple: it wasn't yet confirmed if the treasure was on the chief.
If it was hidden somewhere, and his nephew's words made the opponent feel that death was inevitable either way, what if it provoked the opponent to go all out? Wouldn't that ruin everything?
The family had entrusted him to personally manage the situation, which was also a recognition of his ability. He would not allow himself to make such a low-level mistake.
The Masked Giant, who had received the order, nodded, then turned to Shi Chun, leaping forward, reaching out to plant a restriction on Shi Chun's body to control him first, then remove the Immobilization Talisman.
Wu Jinliang, behind Shi Chun, witnessed this scene and felt waves of lamentation in his heart, knowing that he and his brother were doomed this time; they had truly fallen.
He couldn't help but complain to himself that he had repeatedly reminded them to leave earlier, but this fellow Chuntian refused, insisting on coming here to take risks. Now, look what happened.
Just as he was filled with sorrow, his eyes suddenly lit up again. He wondered if he was mistaken; Chuntian, who was fixed in front, seemed to have moved.
The Masked Giant, reaching out to Shi Chun, also thought he was hallucinating, seeing things. What the hell? He seemed to see the immobilized person move.
Before he could compose himself and look closely, the surprise in his eyes turned to horror. The immobilized person really moved, clearly turning his head to stare at him, and the blade in his hand also turned direction, his gaze even more startling.
Qi Ziru, calm and composed on the reclining chair, also thought he was mistaken. The slight smile on his face suddenly stiffened, transforming into astonishment.
Shen Youkun, whose eyes held fierce excitement, was directly stunned. His mouth hung open, his eyes widened in an instant, as if he had seen a ghost.
It wasn't their illusion; Shi Chun indeed moved. The surprise of breaking free in his eyes instantly turned into ruthlessness.
The blade trembled, slicing towards the leaping Masked Giant.
The Masked Giant, terrified, found himself with nowhere to hide.
He had just leaped into the air, with no leverage, and the blade was already upon him. In haste, he twisted his body to avoid the vital point.
His head was avoided, but the blade diagonally sliced through his shoulder and neck.
Without any warning of the sudden change, a head and a shoulder, along with an arm, flew off with spraying blood.
Shi Chun thrust his blade and kicked, sending a kick into the spraying, residual body that had just leaped up. He used the momentum in the air, twisted his body, and pounced towards Wu Jinliang behind him.
He had to save his comrade while the opponent was off guard; otherwise, the immobilized person was a live target with no means of resistance. Not to mention thrown blades or swords, even a casually thrown stone could be fatal.
Flipping through the air, he first tore off the talisman from his chest, then reached out to grab and pull off the talisman from Wu Jinliang's chest.
In the peculiar vision of his right eye, he clearly saw that the torn talismans, like pulled-out tree roots, drew out many glowing tendrils.
This scene, in a flash, left a deep impression on him. Those glowing tendrils, which couldn't be felt and existed between illusion and reality, could be grasped by this kind of talisman as if they were solid objects.
It was not difficult to understand; after all, this kind of talisman was originally a container for those glowing tendrils.
Once the talisman was torn off, Wu Jinliang's eyes lit up, and he immediately felt free from his restraints.
As he quickly landed, he casually raised his arm and gave Shi Chun a boost. He then saw Shi Chun twisting and flipping through the air, sending a kick to greet him.
Wu Jinliang immediately met it with his saber. Their unspoken cooperation was incredibly synchronized.
Shi Chun pushed off Wu Jinliang's saber, and Wu Jinliang's arms propelled him forward. Shi Chun then lunged towards the two sedan bearers who were armed and on guard.
Though he could not fly, a series of actions like killing and saving were completed in one smooth motion in the air.
The Masked Giant, instantly killed, didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was decapitated amidst spraying blood.
Qi Ziru's face changed drastically. He stood up abruptly in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.
He really wanted to ask how this was possible. The talismans he brought were not of low grade; their power could easily suppress even ordinary High Martial realm cultivators.
How could they not suppress a cultivator of low cultivation? Logically, the power of this talisman should last for at least half an hour before dissipating on its own. Could he have encountered a substandard, inferior talisman?
A sudden rustle sounded from beside him.
Shen Youkun was once again fleeing in panic. Due to his extreme haste and unstable footing, he tumbled down the hillside, rolling and crawling to escape.
He knew the power of the East Nine Plains chief, but he truly hadn't expected him to be this formidable, able to resist even an Immobilization Talisman. How could they play this game? It was too terrifying.
His face had gone completely pale with fear, his only thought was to escape. He regretted ever coming back to watch the show.
While quickly glancing at his nephew's cowardly display out of the corner of his eye, Qi Ziru ignored everything else and quickly pulled two talismans from his sleeve.
In this place, such talismans were for emergencies.
He couldn't give them all away. Besides giving two to the Masked Giant, he kept two for himself for urgent use.
He hadn't expected them to actually be needed.
However, the incident was too sudden, and Shi Chun's series of actions were too fast.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see from his clean and decisive movements that he was an experienced veteran of combat. Not only did he complete the process of killing and saving in an instant, but his counterattack also flowed seamlessly, giving his opponents no chance to compose themselves.
As a result, he didn't even have time to hand the two talismans to the two sedan bearers.
Just as he was about to, the two sedan bearers had already flashed in front of him to block, but his cultivation was crippled, and he had no magical power, thus unable to cast the talismans.
He could only adapt to the situation. For self-preservation, and to avoid becoming a burden, he quickly turned and left the reclining chair, urgently running down the hillside, while waving the talismans in his hand and shouting, “One person come!”
He meant for one to stall the opponent, and the other to come get the Immobilization Talisman.
The two sedan bearers, however, could not stop in time. They had already joined forces, shoulder to shoulder, and simultaneously swung their swords, thrusting them at the charging Shi Chun.
Shi Chun, pouncing through the air, changed his move mid-air. He held the back of his saber vertically against his brow, facing the two cold glints aimed at his face without dodging or avoiding, as if intending to collide head-on.
This action even slightly surprised the two sedan bearers who were attacking, but they both knew that things would not be that simple.
Indeed, the saber's momentum suddenly surged forward, and at the moment it reached between the two swords, it abruptly rotated like Tai Chi, disrupting the combined attack of the two swords.
He then casually abandoned the saber, giving a blow with his other palm, hitting the back of the saber, pressing it all the way to the intersection of the saber and swords. His five fingers suddenly gripped the stacked three weapons, attempting to forcibly seize the weapons from the two men's hands, exhibiting fierce momentum.
The two sedan bearers, chosen by Qi Ziru to protect him, were not to be trifled with. They instantly unleashed their magic and power simultaneously, intending to jointly cut down Shi Chun.
Shi Chun, who was lunging, seemed to be lifted into the air by the two swords.
However, this process was very brief, fleeting.
Shi Chun found that the two men's cultivation was not weaker than his own. Seeing that forcefully taking their weapons was not working and might endanger himself, he decisively gave up.
He then delivered an overhead palm strike, a resounding smash, hitting the intersection of the three weapons, sending them flying skyward. He himself took the opportunity to collide with the two sedan bearers.
The two sedan bearers urgently put out their other hands to block, either with fists or palms simultaneously, but Shi Chun's double palms seemed to pass through like shifting light and shadow.
Amidst the chaotic palm shadows, the moment their four hands connected, Shi Chun's techniques of penetration, slicing, lifting, and smashing were executed in one fluid motion, dazzling the two men.
They only felt their hands had been pushed aside, leaving their center wide open. As the two men were filled with dread, a muffled and resounding breath-gathering sound simultaneously echoed in their ears, “Demon Severing Hand!”
Clang! Clang! Two resounding shocks.
The two interlacing palms struck the chests of the two sedan bearers, causing them to lose their balance, their swords shaking wildly as they staggered backward, almost simultaneously spitting out a mouthful of blood.
They could hear the cracking sound of their own breastbones shattering.
The intense pain and sudden rush of blood instantly caused chaos within them, and they realized what had happened, but it was too late for regret.
Qi Ziru, running and calling back for someone to take the talisman, not only saw the two sedan bearers suffer severe injuries but also saw two wriggling things suddenly erupt from their smooth backs, like two human faces writhing as if under endless torment trying to break free from their flesh, or like evil spirits attempting to leave the body, then instantly solidified into two bloody imprints resembling skulls.
He thought it was his illusion, but the moonlight was bright, and he saw it clearly.
Shi Chun, landing his foot lightly on the hillside, reached up and grabbed the saber descending from the sky, then launched himself out again.
He brought the saber down, striking the intersection of the two swords again. Clang! The two swords, hastily raised to counter, were simultaneously struck down on the spot.
Immediately, the saber light spun like a disc, protecting a figure that twirled past between the two men.
Two human heads flew up almost simultaneously with a pop, two streams of hot blood soaring into the sky like a rain of flowers.
Shi Chun, who had passed between the two men, ignored what was behind him. While still in the air, he casually threw his saber out.
Swish! Qi Ziru, who was fleeing rapidly, stopped abruptly because a cold light descended from the sky, and a large saber stood vibrating in the ground before him, warning him.
He almost ran into the blade.
He stopped and didn't run further, knowing there was no longer any need to run.
Immediately after, a figure flipped and landed beside the upright saber; it was none other than Shi Chun!
A gust of wind swept by as he arrived, blowing open Shi Chun's hanging hair.
Under the moonlight, a handsome and spirited face was revealed. Qi Ziru saw it, seeing that this face was still very young, yet it exuded an undeniable determination.
He wondered what he had been through.
He looked back at the two sedan bearers, who had lost their heads and were now swaying and falling down the hillside one after another, knowing that his last hope was extinguished.
Before they fell, the skin beneath the backs of the two sedan bearers seemed to be bleeding heavily, the blood quickly spreading in large red patches across their backs, rapidly merging and erasing those skull-like blood imprints. Despite this, Qi Ziru narrowed his eyes.
“Hahahaha!” Wu Jinliang, letting out a strange laugh, flashed past them like a gust of wind from their vicinity, completely ignoring the two of them, seemingly not even bothering to look. Dragging his large saber with a swish, he chased after the fleeing Shen Youkun, cackling menacingly, “You Shen fellow, last time I pulled down your pants, this time I'll flay your skin! Where do you think you're going? Your grandpa's here!”