Chapter 157: Reaching a Consensus

Chen Mobai left Nanchuan Market and arrived at a desolate mountain.

Just as he was preparing to rest, two streaks of sword light suddenly attacked from behind, dazzling and intensely bright.

“Who’s there!”

Chen Mobai was no longer the novice fighter he once was. Two wooden shield talismans flew from his sleeve, instantly transforming into two azure light shields, blocking the sword lights.

“Bang!”

To his surprise, the two sword lights pierced directly through the two wooden shield talismans without the slightest hindrance.

“They’re two masters!”

Chen Mobai’s expression changed upon seeing this, and he dared not delay any longer.

The Water Elemental Barrier activated with his thought, forming two swirling vortexes that appeared in the path of the sword lights, enveloping them and dissipating their sharp, keen spiritual energy.

But at that very moment!

A sword hum rang out.

The sword lights split into four; while the Water Elemental Barrier blocked two, the other two arced around, striking towards Chen Mobai’s collarbones.

They weren't aimed at vital points. Did they not want to take my life? Or were they apprehensive?

This thought flashed through Chen Mobai’s mind in that instant.

At the same time, he activated the Wooden Armor Talisman and the Golden Light Talisman he held in his palm.

With a flick of his other sleeve, a square azure handkerchief flew out.

Three layers of defense emerged simultaneously, finally blocking the two sword lights that had reached him.

Amidst crashing sounds, Chen Mobai’s body involuntarily recoiled two steps.

The spiritual energy contained within these two sword lights was so immense that even his three layers of defense couldn't fully dissipate it.

These were powerful opponents, on a completely different level from the duels during the Immortal Sect’s entrance examination.

Chen Mobai compared them to Gong Xiangyu and Yan Feng, the strongest opponents he had encountered. He realized that even if those two had attacked him together, they wouldn't have posed as great a threat as the two sword lights just now.

This wasn't to say that these two sword lights were stronger than the Heaven Sea Sword Qi unleashed by the "Heaven’s Heart Sword Talisman," but rather that the attackers’ combat experience, foresight, timing, and mastery of swordsmanship far surpassed those of the students nurtured in the Immortal Sect’s greenhouse.

Chen Mobai felt at ease and confident against opponents from the Immortal Sect, but facing these two sword lights, he struggled immensely and had to exert his utmost concentration.

“Who are you, daring to attack a disciple of the Divine Wood Sect like me!”

Chen Mobai pondered, realizing that if his opponents had any reservations, it could only be due to his newly acquired identity.

“Hmph, out here in the wilderness, who would know if we killed you?”

Two scrawny rogue cultivators, one tall and one short, appeared before Chen Mobai. They wore bamboo hats and black cloths wrapped around their faces, revealing only their eyes, and each gripped a long sword.

“Good, they’re just two paupers.”

Chen Mobai breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they weren't wielding flying swords but rather holding long swords. If they had attacked him with flying swords, his defensive talismans and magic artifacts wouldn't have lasted more than a few blows.

“Seniors, I am merely a rogue cultivator myself, and I have 20 spirit stones on me. If you need a toll, please take them, but spare my life.”

Even without flying swords, the mastery evident in those two sword lights indicated that these two unsavory rogue cultivators were at least at the late Qi Condensation stage. Moreover, they were sword cultivators, known among immortal cultivators for their formidable combat power.

Chen Mobai felt he was likely no match for them, so his first thought was whether he could reach an understanding through words. He untied a cloth pouch from his waist, opened it, and threw it directly onto the grass in front of the two men.

Amidst the jingling sounds, spirit stones tumbled out of the open pouch, their crystalline spiritual light instantly drawing the attention of the two rogue cultivators. But they quickly snapped back to attention, raising their long swords and pointing them at Chen Mobai’s right hand.

“Seniors, what is the meaning of this? Do you want my hand?”

Chen Mobai couldn't accept that; if that were the case, he would have no choice but to fight to the death.

“No, we want the Sword Forging Ring you’re wearing!” the taller rogue cultivator spoke, pointing his long sword at the brass ring Chen Mobai wore.

“The Sword Forging Ring?”

Chen Mobai raised his hand and looked at the brass ring on his finger. So this magic artifact had a name after all. Was it a very famous magic artifact?

“Seniors, I can give you the item, but please give me your word that after you take it, you will absolutely not attack me again or harm a single hair on my head.”

Although Chen Mobai was reluctant to part with the brass ring, which he had only used once, it was dispensable when compared to his own safety.

“Very well, we can agree to that, but you must also promise us something.”

“Please say it.”

“We’ll take the Sword Forging Ring and leave, and you must not pursue our identities or origins because of this incident later. Even if you discover them, the three of us must not harm each other.”

This was something the two sworn brothers had planned long ago. The best method would have been to kill and rob. However, the two sworn brothers were also ambitious individuals; with the Sword Forging Ring, they had a good chance of being accepted into Golden Light Cliff. Golden Light Cliff had a "Sword Tomb Heart-Seeking" trial. If one had committed any actions harmful to Golden Light Cliff, they would fail the trial. And the relationship between Golden Light Cliff and the Divine Wood Sect was known throughout the Eastern Barrens.

Killing someone and stealing their belongings would definitely put them in the wrong. If it were exposed, Golden Light Cliff would undoubtedly kill them to cleanse its reputation, so they did not want to kill a disciple of the Divine Wood Sect. Moreover, he was a genius with outstanding spiritual roots, someone who could potentially become a true inheritor in the future. However, if they didn't kill this genius, Chen Mobai, once his cultivation reached mastery in the future, the sworn brothers might face retaliation. Therefore, they also needed a promise from Chen Mobai.

“Alright, then let’s each make a Heart-Oath.”

Although Chen Mobai didn't know the intricacies of the two sworn brothers' thoughts, he grasped their reluctance to kill a disciple of the Divine Wood Sect. While marveling at how useful the "tiger’s skin" of a major Eastern Barrens sect was, he also removed the brass ring he wore.

The three exchanged glances, just as they were about to raise their hands to swear an oath. A faint rumble of thunder suddenly sounded.

“Well, well, there’s an accomplice! As expected, everyone here is a cunning villain!”

Chen Mobai thought the rogue cultivators were deliberately trying to confuse him, waiting for him to remove the ring before making their move. But then he saw streaks of lightning bolt from afar, striking all three of them indiscriminately.

“Eh!?”

Just as he felt surprised, the two sworn brothers opposite him also changed their expressions, believing Chen Mobai had already known and prepared reinforcements. The two merged their swords, and sword qi flowed, dissipating all the bluish lightning bolts to the side of the path, searing dark scorch marks into the grass.

“I’ve been making a living in the Eastern Barrens for thirty years, and I’ve never seen the likes of you.” He Qun emerged with his two sworn brothers. His expression was peculiar; he was clearly stunned by the sight of Chen Mobai verbally persuading the two earlier.