Wei Zhao and Liu Hao quickly got into battle formation as the Qian family and their minions blocked their path. The peak stage core formation cultivator stepped forward, a sneer on his face.
"Hand over the Thousand Golden Lotus and you might just live to see another day," he growled.
Liu Hao stepped forward, a fierce expression on his face. "We won't give up the herb or our dignity to the likes of you," he declared, his power of peak stage core formation surging forth.
As they prepared for battle, the air filled with the sound of crackling energy and the clanging of weapons. Liu Hao shouted, "Wei Zhao, focus on the weaker ones! Leave the core formation cultivator to me!"
The Qian family cultivator was taken aback by Liu Hao's sudden display of power, but quickly regained his composure and launched an attack. The two cultivators clashed with a deafening sound, their attacks creating shockwaves that shook the surrounding area.
Wei Zhao nodded, "Got it!" He charged towards the foundation realm cultivators, his sword ablaze with flames. "You guys should have just let us go," he said with a smirk. Wei Zhao found himself surrounded by the Qian family's minions. He quickly assessed their power levels and noticed that there was an early-stage core formation cultivator among them. He knew he would have to take out the more powerful cultivator first.
The minions from the Qian family sneered and one of them shouted, "You think you can take us on? We have the backing of one of the most powerful families in the city!"
Wei Zhao didn't back down, "I don't care about your backing. You attacked us first, and now you will face the consequences!"
The fight began with a flurry of punches and kicks, with Wei Zhao dodging and weaving around the minions' attacks. He landed a few solid blows, but the early-stage core formation cultivator proved to be a tougher opponent.
Meanwhile, Liu Hao faced off against the peak stage core formation cultivator. Their energy clashed, causing shockwaves that rattled the surrounding buildings. Liu Hao was holding his own, but he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.
Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and a pillar of fire shot up into the sky. Wei Zhao had unleashed the Blazing sword technique that took down several of the minions. "That's what you get!" he yelled triumphantly.
But there was still one minion left standing, the early-stage core formation cultivator. He sneered, "You may have defeated my comrades, but you won't defeat me!"
Wei Zhao grinned, "We'll see about that!" He charged forward, his sword glowing with even brighter flames than before.
The two clashed again, their attacks and defenses so fast they were nothing but blurs. As they clashed Wei Zhao was able to easily keep up with the cultivator's speed and power. Qian family cultivator's power is nowhere near the thunder-horn rhino he faced before.
"Punch!" As Wei Zhao used his right hand with the sword to black the cultivator and unlisted his new skill thunder strike with his left hand with a punch.
Finally, Wei Zhao landed the decisive blow, knocking the minion out cold. Wei Zaho looked at Liu Hao and the peak stage core formation cultivator fighting.
Wei Zhao watched the fight carefully, analyzing the Qian family cultivator's moves. He noticed that the cultivator was using a technique that relied on brute force rather than skill.
Wei Zhao knew that he could defeat the cultivator if he used his skills wisely. He stepped forward, ready to join the fight.
"Wait, Wei Zhao," Liu Hao said, holding out a hand to stop him. "I can handle this."
Wei Zhao nodded, stepping back to observe the fight once again. Liu Hao continued to dodge the Qian family cultivator's attacks, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Finally, he saw an opening and delivered a powerful Sword attack, knocking the cultivator to the ground.
Liu Hao had also emerged victorious from his battle, his opponent lying on the ground defeated. The two friends looked at each other, panting and covered in sweat, but triumphant.
"That was intense," Wei Zhao said, grinning.
Liu Hao chuckled, "Yeah, but we made it out alive. Let's get out of here before more trouble comes our way."
Wei Zhao and Liu Hao knew that they had made a powerful enemy, but they also knew that they couldn't back down from a fight. They had accomplished their mission of trading the village's goods for cultivation resources, but they also knew that they had to be more careful in the future.
The other Qian family cultivators were shocked by their comrade's defeat. They quickly realized that they were outmatched and decided to retreat. They glared at Wei Zhao and Liu Hao before disappearing into the crowd. They were all injured they took their nocked-out comrades along with them.
. . . . . . . .
They left the city in a hurry. As they journeyed back to the village, Wei Zhao and Liu Hao discussed the encounter with the Qian family.
a Villager said, "That Qian family seems powerful, we need to be careful of them in the future."
Liu Hao replied, "Yes, they are a big family in the city and have many cultivators under them. But they won't dare to mess with our village if they know what's good for them."
Wei Zhao nodded in agreement and continued, "I was surprised that you could take on that peak stage core formation cultivator. Your cultivation is really impressive."
Liu Hao grinned, "I have been cultivating diligently and pushing myself to the limits. I won't let anyone harm our village or its people."
Wei Zhao smiled back and said, "I will also work hard to improve my cultivation and protect our village. The herbs I gathered in the city will help me in my cultivation."
Liu Hao looked at Wei Zhao's collection of herbs and was impressed, "You have a good eye for finding useful herbs. With these, you will definitely make quick progress in your cultivation."
Wei Zhao smiled, As Wei Zhao and Liu Hao with villagers were making their way back to the village, they were greeted by beautiful scenery that caught their attention. They could see the sun setting behind the mountains, casting a warm glow over the entire landscape. The sky was painted in shades of orange and pink, with fluffy clouds scattered across it.
As they continued to walk, they came across a field of wildflowers, with vibrant colors of purple, yellow, and blue. The flowers swayed in the gentle breeze, creating a beautiful melody. Wei Zhao couldn't resist the urge to stop and take a closer look. He walked towards the field and bent down to take a closer look at the flowers.
"Wow, these flowers are beautiful," he said, admiring the intricate details of each petal. "I wonder if any of these could be useful for our cultivation."
Liu Hao chuckled, "Always thinking about cultivation, aren't you? But you're right, some of these might be useful. Let's take a closer look."
They spent some time exploring the field and collecting a few herbs that Wei Zhao identified with the help of his system. As they continued their journey back to the village, they couldn't help but feel grateful for the natural beauty that surrounded them.
As they reached the village, they could see the villagers waiting for them. They were happy to see them return safely and with plenty of resources to help the village.
As they returned, they went to the village chief to hand over the resources and also inform him about the Qian family.
Wei Zhao and Liu Hao brought back a variety of foods and resources from their trip to the city. They had bags of rice, baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables, jars of honey, sacks of different types of grains, and salt. They also managed to trade for some rare herbs that would aid in their cultivation.
As they unloaded their haul, the villagers gathered around, marveling at the abundance of food. They knew that the trip to the city would have been perilous, but they were grateful to have such dedicated volunteers among them.
The village chief looked at the food and resources with satisfaction, knowing that they would be able to feed the village for several months. they went inside the village chief's house to talk about the Qian family and other things.
As they discussed their successful trip but also the problems they created with the Qian family. The village chief expressed his concern about the Qian family's power and influence. He explained that the Qian family was one of the most powerful cultivation families in the region and had a long history of dominating the smaller villages and towns.
"They have always been a thorn in our side," the village chief said. "We try to avoid crossing them whenever possible, but it seems like you have already gotten on their bad side. they have cultivators at nascent soul realm"
Wei Zhao nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. He knew that they needed to be careful when dealing with the Qian family in the future.
"We will be more careful in the future," Liu Hao assured the village chief. "but We won't let them cause any trouble for the village."
The village chief nodded in approval and thanked them for their hard work. "You have done well for the village," he said. "Rest up for now, and we will discuss other things later."