Chapter 103 - 79: Two mere Energy Refinement Late Stage cultivators dare to ambush me?_3
A single misstep, a mere carelessness, could easily result in death and the end of one’s path in cultivation.
Although both of them were formidable, they were only cultivators at the Energy Refinement Late Stage.
Let alone facing a First Grade, high-quality Thunder Summoning Talisman.
Without enough preparation to defend oneself, a single middle-grade talisman could potentially cost one their life directly.
At this time, Lu Changsheng finally let out a slight sigh of relief.
He let the heart that had been stuck in his throat settle down.
“That was close—without my magical robe and the Cold Jade Pendant, I wouldn’t have even had a chance to use a talisman when that flying sword suddenly came at me,”
Lu Changsheng swallowed with his dry throat, filled with lingering fear in his heart.
He felt that his awareness of danger was still severely lacking.
At the first sign of the Iron Feather Eagle losing control, he should have sensed the danger, become alert, and been ready to defend himself.
Instead of waiting like just now, realizing the problem was dangerous only after the flying sword had come out and was about to strike.
“Huh, my experience in this area is seriously lacking!”
Lu Changsheng let out another breath, licked his lips, and silently thought.
He also knew that such awareness couldn’t be improved overnight; it needed to be accumulated and cultivated.
He planned to prepare more body-protecting magic artifacts for himself after returning to Nine Dragons Market, ensuring he was fully armed.
Otherwise, if he encountered this situation again or met robber cultivators more formidable than those two, the protective techniques of the magical robe and Cold Jade Pendant would be insufficient.
“Based on the conversation between those two just now, it seems like they were specifically waiting for me here?”
“I’ve always been kind to others, never offended anyone, and have no enemies. Why would anyone be lying in wait for me?”
“The only possibility is that I was targeted in Nine Dragons Market?”
Lu Changsheng thought about his expenditures in the Nine Dragons Market over the past couple of months.
If someone paid attention, they could see that he was quite wealthy, a juicy target.
“There’s a saying that one shouldn’t flaunt their wealth; once you show your wealth, you’re likely to be targeted.”
“While Nine Dragons Market may be safe, it does not mean that the people within are all good.”
“As soon as you leave Nine Dragons Market, any cultivator inside could potentially become a robber cultivator.”
“Moreover, as a Fourth Level Energy Refinement cultivator, in the eyes of most cultivators, I am nothing but a piece of fat meat, a child holding gold.”
Lu Changsheng also understood this point and didn’t dwell on it, deciding to be more cautious going forward.
He looked around and saw no trace of other people.
Immediately, he used a Flying Ascension Talisman to descend towards the ground to collect his spoils of war.
Just now, both men turned to charred bodies and ash under the onslaught of talismans, leaving only their robes and boots wrapped around the remains.
“These must be magic artifacts, right?”
Lu Changsheng looked at the clothes and boots, his eyes lighting up.
If these were ordinary clothes, they would not have survived the talisman attack just now.
He stepped forward and performed a Cleansing Technique, cleaning away the remnants and ashes inside the robe and shoes, then picked up the robe to examine it.
Under the attack of the talismans just now, the robes had suffered slight damages and were probably only of lower grade.
Inside both robes, he found a storage bag.
This brought a hint of joy to Lu Changsheng’s face.
After all, in such a perilous fight of life and death, the spoils were the only thing worth looking forward to.
He did not check the contents of the two storage bags right away, choosing to pocket them first.
He then searched around and found both men’s flying artifacts, flying swords, as well as shield artifacts, and curved saber artifacts.
After collecting everything, Lu Changsheng felt that this haul should be quite substantial.
He took out the Beast Control Token to sense the condition of the Iron Feather Eagle.
If the Iron Feather Eagle were gone, getting back to Qingzhu Mountain would be quite troublesome for him.
Even if he got back to the Nine Dragons Market, he would only be able to do so by running.
Through the Beast Control Token, he could sense a faint connection with the Iron Feather Eagle; it should still be on the peak.
“As I suspected, the two robber cultivators must have used Demon Beast Lure to send the Iron Feather Eagle out of control, rushing to the mountaintop,” he thought.
“An Iron Feather Eagle is worth hundreds of Spirit Stones. As robber cultivators out for wealth, they naturally wouldn’t harm the Iron Feather Eagle,” he reasoned.
“Otherwise, when I was riding on the Iron Feather Eagle, they would have attacked it directly instead of me,” he deduced.
Lu Changsheng thought for a moment and decided to go to the peak to retrieve the Iron Feather Eagle.
Seeing that the effects of the Flying Ascension Talisman on him were wearing off, Lu Changsheng gritted his teeth, took out another talisman, and used it on himself.
Then, with caution in his heart, he hastened toward the mountaintop.
Though only two people had come to assassinate him just now, they likely didn’t have accomplices.
But given what had just happened, it was best to be extra cautious.
Moreover, demon beasts might also be present between these forested mountains.
When Lu Changsheng arrived at the peak with great caution, he immediately saw a light brown incense stick as big as an adult’s arm, burning on a giant boulder on the mountaintop.
Thick white wisps of smoke were slowly floating upward, spreading into the air.
Meanwhile, the Iron Feather Eagle was next to the incense, squawking violently and uneasily.
“It really is Demon Beast Lure!” he confirmed.
“It seems these two went to great lengths to ambush me, preparing well in advance and putting in a lot of effort,” he surmised.
“Wait a minute, I left the Nine Dragons Market ahead of schedule to go home; how could they calculate my movements so accurately if they were lying in wait out here?” he wondered.
“Surely, they can’t be lighting a Demon Beast Lure every day in advance, can they?” he questioned.
“And looking at this Demon Beast Lure, it appears to have only been burning for about two or three hours…” he observed.
Lu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the burning Demon Beast Lure in front of him.
He sensed that something was amiss.
The attackers must have another accomplice.
This accomplice was likely in the Nine Dragons Market, watching him in secret.
The moment he left the Nine Dragons Market, they would signal here.
Otherwise, how could they be so precise?
After all, the Iron Feather Eagle was already quite fast.
To prepare even faster, only a Transmission Talisman would do.
“It seems I’ll need to be even more careful when I return to the Nine Dragons Market,” he reflected inwardly.
He didn’t approach the violently uneasy Iron Feather Eagle.
He took out a Water Bullet Talisman, activated it to form a water bullet, and shot it at the Demon Beast Lure to extinguish it.
With the scent extinguished, the Iron Feather Eagle calmed down quite a bit.
Lu Changsheng used the Beast Control Token to attempt to command the Iron Feather Eagle and assess its condition.
But he found that the Iron Feather Eagle was still in a disturbed animalistic state, not very obedient to commands.
“It will probably take at least a day for the effects of the Demon Beast Lure on the Iron Feather Eagle to wear off,” he estimated.
Lu Changsheng sighed, feeling somewhat helpless.
He knew it would take quite some time for the incense that provoked the demon beast’s instincts to fade completely.
Right away, he took out a Spirit Nourishing Pill and threw it to the Iron Feather Eagle to help stabilize its mood by eating.
Then he used the Beast Control Token to store the Iron Feather Eagle back into the Spiritual Pet Bag, planning to find a cave to hide in for the time being.
Otherwise, if he waited here for the Iron Feather Eagle to recover, the accomplices of the two robber cultivators from earlier might arrive any moment.