Volume One: The Emperor's Sword Chapter 130: The Point of No Return to Prosperity

Seeing Yun Que so certain, Lando looked on with utter disdain, muttering the word "braggart."

She simply didn't believe him.

How could a despicable fellow who specialized in looting ever get his hands on such a beautiful fairy? It was like a toad lusting after a swan—nothing but a pipe dream.

After the first bout, a dozen figures leaped up from the creekside. Two of them landed first, while the others were forced to retreat in failure. Among the pair was Yan Xu from the Eastern Academy, and the other hailed from the Barbarian Sword Palace.

After announcing their names, they struck simultaneously, swords flashing. Within twenty breaths, the fight concluded with Yan Xu emerging victorious. He plucked two cocoons and returned to the creek.

The first two matches had been complete victories for the Yan Sword Palace!

This boosted the morale of the numerous disciples from the Yan Sword Palace, who began rubbing their palms, eager to have a go themselves. However, they overlooked one thing: the two who had just fought were both Chief Sword Disciples, the pinnacle of the Yan Sword Palace’s combat strength, and the gap between them and the other disciples was significant.

Beneath the Silkworm King Tree, the fighting continued unabated. People had effectively turned the clearing into a tournament ring—a "Silkworm King Arena."

The disciples of the four sword palaces were all vying for success, not just to secure cocoons for themselves, but to win prestige for their respective schools. With all four palaces gathered, the one who secured the most cocoons would prove to possess the greatest strength.

From time to time, someone would be blasted out of the clearing. The losers were often heavily injured, some even collapsing in critical condition.

Each bout was fast, rarely lasting longer than a cup of tea. Everyone knew time was limited; it was crucial to divide the cocoons as quickly as possible. If the illusion realm were to close while the treasures remained right before their eyes, it would be a source of endless regret.

Yun Que watched the duels from afar and noticed a pattern. Everyone gathered beneath the tree was wrapped in a thick layer of sword-qi armor, shielding them at least down to their knees.

The Silkworm King Tree was nearing the core of the illusion realm, and any disciple capable of reaching this point possessed no small amount of skill. Low-level disciples and sword servants like Luo Xiaoyu or Wu Dachuan could never have made it this far.

The deeper one ventured, the fiercer the sword rain became. By Yun Que’s estimation, the density of the sword rain here was more than twice that of the starting area. The sword-qi armor condensed by sword servants and low-level disciples could barely withstand it.

"This is a bit tricky," Yun Que muttered to himself, shaking his head.

There were too many people, making it difficult to act. In such a large, public setting, it was hardly the place for looting.

It might not be suitable, but that didn't mean it was impossible.

From the woods behind him came the sound of hurried footsteps. A barbarian came sprinting toward the Silkworm King Tree. Before he could even emerge from the tall grass, a blade of light pierced the back of his head, and the man collapsed stiffly to the ground.

Yun Que moved with practiced efficiency to clear the scene. He first took the storage bag, then stripped off the man’s outer garments and put them on himself. He donned his "Hundred Faces" mask, and his features shifted instantly into those of a common, unfamiliar face. After smearing some greasepaint across his forehead, Yun Que was transformed into a genuine-looking barbarian. Apart from his frame being slightly less burly, there were no flaws to be seen.

He fished two curved blades out of Lando’s storage bag and handed them to her. "We’re going over there. You handle the fighting, and the silk cocoons you win belong to me."

"I want the Spirit Jade Bow! Give me the bow, and I’ll help you fight!"

"A few silk cocoons aren't worth a top-tier magical artifact. Stop dreaming."

"Then I’m not going!"

"You can accumulate them. Once you’ve earned enough to match the value, you can trade for the Spirit Jade Bow. Otherwise, you won't even dream of getting it back. I’ll just take it and re-forge it into a shield."

"No! You can't change it! The Spirit Jade Bow has a great purpose!" Lando blurted out, panicked.

"Oh? What purpose?" Yun Que was curious. He hadn't expected the Spirit Jade Bow of the Chuyue Tribe to have other uses.

"N-nothing special! It’s just very important to me, it has sentimental value! You want the silk cocoons, right? I’ll help you fight, but you can’t go back on your word. You must trade the bow to me!" Lando’s dark, beautiful eyes flickered with panic, her stubborn tone masking her lack of confidence.

Yun Que chuckled inwardly but didn't press the issue. The Spirit Jade Bow was clearly more than it appeared, and as long as it remained in his hands, he was confident he could eventually pry the truth out of Lando.

"A gentleman’s word is his bond. It’s a deal. Let’s go."

Yun Que walked out of the grass first, approaching the Silkworm King Tree with Lando. Disciples arrived periodically; the sounds of battle and the clash of sword qi were enough to draw a crowd. When Yun Que and Lando stood at the back of the barbarian group, no one paid them any mind. Everyone was captivated by the fighting in the clearing.

"Pick the big ones," Yun Que said, gesturing toward the giant tree to signal Lando to choose the largest cocoons. A small cocoon surely held only one silkworm, but a large one might hold two or even three.

Lando was utterly reluctant, but since her precious bow and storage bag were in his hands, she waited until the current fight ended and leaped into the clearing with great speed.

She was several steps faster than the next person to land.

"Lando of the Chuyue Tribe!"

Mimicking the others, she announced her name and engaged her opponent. With her eighth-level Qi Refining cultivation and the innate physique of a Blood Barbarian, Lando was a fierce combatant. However, her opponent was no slouch—a Sword Disciple from the Shaowu Sword Palace, also at the eighth level, who wielded three swords that circled him with formidable power.

The battle in the clearing held everyone's attention, and Yun Que took the opportunity to approach a barbarian expert who had just won a match. He tapped the man on the shoulder.

"Brother, could I have a word with you?"

The barbarian expert, seeing that Yun Que was a stranger, asked curiously, "What is it?"

"A good thing. Something even better than getting two cocoons."

Yun Que whispered, leading the man away from the crowd and into the woods.

"Which tribe are you from? You look unfamiliar. What is this 'good thing' you speak of?" the barbarian asked suspiciously.

"I’m from the Zhu Xie Tribe, of course," Yun Que explained as he led the way. "I know of a pool that holds a giant fish. It’s extremely rare, worth no less than ten silk cocoons, but you need a silk cocoon to catch it."

They walked further and further away until they were well clear of the crowd. The barbarian expert began to sense that something was wrong. He stopped in the woods and asked with suspicion, "What kind of giant fish? Explain yourself! And how come I don’t remember a skinny guy like you in the Zhu Xie Tribe?"

"A very big fish. As big as you."

Yun Que looked back with a smile. His flying swords shot out simultaneously, piercing the man’s body before he could even defend himself. He died on the spot.

Yun Que retrieved two cocoons and a storage bag from the corpse, then dragged it into the grass.

"Fighting in the ring is too slow. Robbing is so much simpler."

Backing up and walking back to the barbarian group, Yun Que began scouting his next target.

Under the giant tree, Lando was locked in an evenly matched struggle. By the creek, Yun Que repeated his old trick, taking down one barbarian after another, his harvest growing steadily.

By the time the duration of a cup of tea had passed, Lando had finally defeated her opponent with the help of her Blood Barbarian strength. By then, Yun Que had already pocketed ten cocoons and five barbarian storage bags.

When he robbed the disciples of the Yan Sword Palace, Yun Que never went for the kill, opting only to knock them out. But when dealing with the barbarians, he left no survivors.

If there were no conditions for robbery, he would create them. Yun Que continued further and further down the road of no return, the path to riches.

He walked through blood. He walked until his pockets were overflowing.