Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 612: Chapter 316: Black Mountain Ghost 2

When the man saw this, his eyes filled with despair! He would rather die at the hands of an enemy than fall prey to a Black Mountain Ghost and become its meal!

The moment the Smoke Pill hit the ground, thick clouds of Confusing Smoke erupted, instantly enveloping the middle-aged man and spreading in all directions!

At the same time, the Black Mountain Ghost charging toward Cheng Zongyang was stunned for a moment when its target suddenly vanished.

It hadn’t expected its opponent to also use smoke to hide! But that didn’t matter in the slightest. It immediately halted its charge, turning it into a leap and flipping in the air to land firmly on its feet.

It looked toward the middle-aged man, its flat nostrils sniffing the air. A look of excitement and bloodlust instantly filled its face and its large, scarlet eyes.

Unable to resist the temptation of fresh blood, it completely ignored the smoke and plunged in, reaching for the unconscious middle-aged man.

It had no fear of the smoke being poisonous, for it was naturally immune to toxins! As it gazed at the prey almost within its grasp, the Black Mountain Ghost grew even more excited, its breathing accelerating.

However, just as it grabbed the man’s head, preparing to twist it off and feast, its vision abruptly went black. With a THUD, it collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

A short while later, Cheng Zongyang reappeared.

The smoke from the Smoke Bomb, made using Wilderness Beans and a few other materials, had already dispersed.

Looking at the Black Mountain Ghost and the man lying unconscious on the ground, Cheng Zongyang smiled. "This stuff really works wonders."

’Of course, I know the countermeasures are simple,’ he thought. ’Basically, a Protective Gang Qi can easily block its effects.’

’It’s most effective against anyone below the level of an Innate Expert. Against Innate Experts and Cultivators, it’s not nearly as good, unless it’s a surprise attack that leaves them no time to react and resist the effects of the Wilderness Beans.’

’But as for whether it would work on a Cultivator... I’ve never actually tested that.’

Looking at the Black Mountain Ghost, Cheng Zongyang retrieved his Tang Blade and chopped its head off. ’Doesn’t matter what Tier of creature it is. It can’t live without a head, can it?’

Cheng Zongyang turned to the man. His aura was even fainter than before, like a candle flickering in the wind. ’Even if I don’t do a thing,’ he thought, ’this guy won’t live long after he wakes up.’

After dealing with the creature, Cheng Zongyang breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he couldn’t linger here any longer; he had to leave, and quickly. He stored the Black Mountain Ghost’s corpse in his Wilderness World, then glanced at the middle-aged man on the ground. He drove his blade through the man’s heart, granting him a death in his unconscious state.

He then took out a Fireball Talisman, activated it with his Inner Strength, and tossed it onto the man’s body.

’This guy may have been an Innate Expert, but not even a Third-Level Qi Cultivation Cultivator could have escaped unscathed from the simultaneous explosion of ten Talismans.’

’Besides, this guy saw my ability to appear and disappear. Who knows if some Cultivator could probe his memories from his corpse? I can’t leave behind such a potential threat!’

’Once the body is reduced to ashes, not even a Cultivator or Demon Cultivator will be able to do a thing.’

’Of course, it was also to destroy the body and erase all traces.’

Once the body was reduced to ash, Cheng Zongyang extinguished the flames and left the forest. He moved quickly and soon returned to the same mountain he had been on before.

He followed a trail of markers that only he could recognize, which he had left on his way down. He ascended the mountain stealthily, arriving at the cave he had previously concealed.

Seeing that the cave entrance and its surroundings were unchanged, he knew it was unlikely anyone had found it.

He pushed aside the thick vines that completely obscured the entrance, opened the camouflaged door, and went inside.

He knew that with the three men not having returned, the Black Wind Gang would surely suspect he had killed them. They definitely wouldn’t let the matter rest.

Of course, neither would he.

As for the Supreme Profound Gang...

According to the power structure of the Ice and Fire Cultivation Immortality Realm, the Five Great Immortal Sects stood at the apex.

Below them were two main types of Cultivation Immortality Influences: families and Gangs. Both were judged by a Star Level system.

Nine-Star was the highest, and One-Star was the lowest.

Below One-Star were the ordinary Martial Arts Gangs and Martial Arts Families. The five Gangs of the South District fell into this category.

Their Star Level was determined by the Five Great Immortal Sects, who rated them based on various factors: the highest combat Cultivation within their ranks, their contributions to the Immortal Sects, and whether they had ever been punished or reprimanded by an Immortal Sect.

The Star Level determined the size of an influence’s territory within a Cultivation Immortality City, the Grade of any Spirit Vein lands they might be allocated outside the city, how many disciples they could send to an Immortal Sect every ten years, and what valuable resources they could obtain from the Sects.

When Cheng Zongyang first learned of the class distinctions in the Cultivation Immortality Realm, only one word had come to his mind: Control!

This rating system meant that all Cultivation Immortality Influences beneath the Immortal Sects were, in effect, controlled by them.

The amount of territory and resources allocated to each Star Level was rigidly dictated by the Immortal Sects, and there was only one fate for those who disobeyed.

The Immortal Sects didn’t prohibit conflict between these influences, but no matter how much they fought, the fixed "benefits" remained fixed. The only thing a victor could claim was the loser’s personal property and resources. As for the Spirit Veins, territories, disciple quotas, and exchange privileges allocated by the Sects—those could not be taken.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t quite know how to describe this system of allocation. It was a bit like the model used by the Thirteen Royal Families. Or perhaps, it was the Thirteen Royal Families who had copied this model.

But the fact that this system had been in place for hundreds of years without being challenged was a testament to the supreme status and power of the Immortal Sects—a power sufficient to suppress any and all voices of discontent among the lesser influences.