Cha Ming looked on grimly from his vantage point in the trees, carefully watching for any openings. He had fully restrained his incandescent force since discovering that, while he had a stronger soul than the other foundation-establishment experts, they could still sense him when their incandescent force intersected.

Keeping it withdrawn and concentrated enabled him to both avoid detection and overpower the senses of others that came nearby. Regrettably, he could now only rely on his normal, albeit greatly improved, eyesight. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, enabling him to identify complex details a few hundred meters away.

Over the past week, Wei Chen had visited the small shack every day to collect the stones obtained from the mine. Cha Ming's plan to rob them several times evaporated into thin air, and he had no choice but to reevaluate his options.

Now that Wei Chen and the other two had been alerted to his presence, he didn't have a large window in which to act. In addition, the many patrols in the woods had been withdraw. Everyone ate dry rations, and the mining operations had intensified. Based on the conversations he overheard, the mine would be completely excavated within two months. If he tarried too long, they might just cut their losses and abandon the remaining amount.

However, there was no such thing as a perfect defense. After many days of observation, he finally saw a crack in their patrols. Swift as the wind, he used his Seven Cloud Steps to descend on the bandits like a god of death, instantly killing six men with his Swift Staff Art. Then, noticing the three strong experts moving out toward him, he retreated back into the woods.

***

Wei Chen cursed as he looked at the six bodies. They had arrived just a moment too late, enabling the thief to escape with no consequences.

"Just what is his game?" one of them said. "What grudge does he have against us?"

"It's likely not a grudge," Wei Chen said after examining the wounds that were the result of blunt trauma. Although he had not fought with the thief directly, he could now assume that the man's weapon was a staff or a cudgel, much different from the sword they had originally assumed given the metal qi and the sharp wounds that had bisected the bandits guarding the shack previously. "The thief is probably trying to lure the tiger from the mountain, hoping that we'll chase him so he can obtain another small fortune. His speed is his advantage, but have you all noticed that his cultivation is no greater than someone who has just broken through to foundation establishment? He's not a match for any of us, so he can't help but resort to these means."

"Even if he was a match, he wouldn't be able to defeat either of us in less than a few minutes," Xue Shen said with a snort. He was a promising youth, one that focused on cultivating water and practiced ice techniques. "Why did you keep us all together? If we were spread out, we could defend the entire camp, and he wouldn't stand a chance against us. You're much too cautious."

"Caution keeps a man alive," Wei Chen said calmly. "However, caution won't catch this one. He'll keep nibbling away at us, and it will wear down the morale of our group. The mining efficiency will drop, and I'm afraid of staying much longer. If we dally too long, the leader will come to inspect. We won't be able to hide the evidence of such a great find. We need to finish mining as soon as possible and run away before it's too late.

"Can't we just abandon the rest of the mine?" another young man asked.

"You want to abandon nearly 200,000 mid-grade spirit stones?" Wei Chen asked incredulously. "I thought you were poor, but I must have been mistaken. If you're so rich, Fang Yao, why don't you give me a hundred thousand as a small gift."

The young man kept silent. As bandits, they were all greedy. Such a fortune would enable them to escape and live their lives in luxury without risking their necks.

"But you have a point, Xue Shen," Wei Chen continued. "We don't have to kill him immediately, just stall him. Let's all separate and stay at key points of the camp. Whoever encounters him will need to restrain him until the others arrive. You two will stay on the outskirts while I will guard the mineral shack itself."

"How nice of you, boss," Xue Shen said in a disgruntled voice. "We'll be risking our necks while you get to relax."

Wei Chen shrugged. "The guy is sneaky. Who knows if he'll circle around to the shack if we're all on the perimeter. Someone has to do it, and I'm stronger than you guys. Besides, I'm the boss. I deserve preferential treatment."

***

Looks like things are getting increasingly difficult, Cha Ming thought as he observed the movements in the camp. The two experts on the perimeter made it impossible to sneak up on them, even when trying to conceal his presence. They had completely retracted their incandescent force, focusing on covering only the nearest 500 meters they each covered.

This meant that he now had to pick a fight with them directly if he wanted to get anywhere. Over the past few days, he had observed the mannerisms of the two experts on the perimeter. Eventually, he settled on the best target, Fang Yao. The man used a spear as a weapon, which Cha Ming saw as an aggressive but slow weapon. At the very least, this man would not be as difficult to escape from if push came to shove.

The plan this time was risky, and for it to succeed, he needed to kill or severely maim one of them before retreating. If not, he wasn't sure he could survive their combined onslaught.

Cha Ming summoned his darkened Clear Sky Staff, gathering his power before bursting out with explosive speed. He flew swiftly and silently, striking out with the swiftest staff strike he had ever executed. The staff shimmered with blurry runes that Cha Ming could not decipher, but fortunately, he felt their intent. The incisiveness of the blow was far greater than the original staff art he had modified to form his own Swift Staff Art. He called this new technique Gale Strike.

As he approached, Fang Yao's head turned rapidly and faced him. While Cha Ming had not made a sound, the sixth sense of a cultivator was extremely efficient.

"I knew you'd pick me!" the man said with an excited smile on his face. His muscular body flexed, and he swung his spear out to deflect Cha Ming's blow. The haft of his spear collided with Cha Ming's staff, sending waves of recoil back to both fighters.

He's a dual body and qi cultivator? Cha Ming was surprised, as this was an uncommon path. This meant that he'd accidentally picked the second strongest in the group, assuming Xue Shen was only a qi cultivator.

Cha Ming smirked as Fang Yao's smile disappeared and his expression turned grave. The fierce man coughed up blood as a force of 4,320 jin, combined with Cha Ming's Gale Strike technique, completely overpowered the strong man almost twofold. Still, the man was experienced and didn't lose his calm. A defensive talisman flew out from his bag of holding, covering him in a translucent jade armor. Then he poured his foundation-establishment qi into his spear, holding the point toward Cha Ming, who had been pushed back ten feet due to the recoil.

Fortunately, this was exactly what Cha Ming wanted. He could deal with increased defenses but couldn't hope to contend against a fleeing opponent or an opponent that could restrict his movements. Cha Ming ran toward Fang Yao on the ground this time, his feet leaving deep impressions as his weight increased along with the weight of his staff.

The Clear Sky Staff was now shaking madly with the earthly power of vibrations. Fang Yao could only grit his teeth and hold his ground as Cha Ming's staff bore down on him, strike after strike. Each strike caused his bones to crack and his ligaments to tear. The most frustrating part was that, as a spear wielder, he was outranged by Cha Ming's elongated staff. It was now fifteen feet long, more than enough to contend against the man's ten-foot spear.

***

I won't be able to hold out if I let him continue, Fang Yao thought. His initial impression that he was unmatched by those in the same realm had completely vanished. This mysterious thief was not only a dual cultivator as well, but his strength was more than double his, despite being of the same cultivation realm.

I have to take the initiative, he thought while carefully evaluating the thief's aggressive blows. Fortunately, the attacks were clumsy and predictable, likely the reason that the man was able to strike with such vicious and numbing blows in the first place. It struck him as odd that a thief would use such techniques, but he didn't have the luxury to figure out why.

After twelve strikes passed, Fang Yao finally saw an opening. He charged forward, his spear like a raging earth dragon as he channeled all his foundation qi into his strongest killing blow, Earth Dragon's Raging Spear. He took a blow to the shoulder as he struck out, not caring for his personal safety. It was all or nothing, and he could only bet his life to delay the thief while he waited for reinforcements.

***

Cha Ming's incandescent soul focused on the man as he stabbed with his spear. He felt suffocated by an overwhelming presence, and it felt like his chest was slowly being drawn toward the tip of the spear.

Fortunately, Cha Ming was prepared for this sort of retaliation. He swiftly manipulated his weight and shifted into a stance of his Soft Staff Art, White Willow Shade, and executed Wading Through the Reeds. His body was rapidly pulled toward the spear's head as the transparent figure of an earth dragon appeared behind Fang Yao. Cha Ming softly held out his staff, brushing past the tip of the spear and then using it to roll himself slightly to the side. He coughed up blood as a fifth of the spear's potential was absorbed by his torso, but using his forward momentum, he used his Soft Staff Art to throw Fang Yao forward in the direction of his spear strike while tripping him at the knees.

The man plunged into the earth, but Cha Ming was ready, manipulating his weight and landing firmly on the ground. He poured his incandescent force into the Clear Sky Staff, aiming to land a finishing blow. Using all his strength, he smashed his staff, which was now thirty feet long, straight into the helpless man, whose exhausted qi shield shattered instantaneously.

As he crushed Fang Yao, he felt a jolting sensation that caused him to direct his incandescent force backward. There, he noticed two swords flying toward him. One emanated an aura of frost, while the other emanated an aura of decay. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to get hit by one of them.

Cha Ming clenched his teeth and chose the frost sword, manipulating his body slightly as he dove toward Fang Yao's corpse, grabbing his bag of holding and the man's spear in the process. The instant he grabbed the bag of holding, a sharp pain pierced through his side, followed by a numbing sensation. He had positioned himself to avoid any organ damage, but the pain from the blow forced him to scream.

He saw Wei Chen's archaic sword up ahead, readjusting its trajectory. Knowing that the frost sword was impeding his movements, he gritted his teeth and pulled the sword out the way it came. A stream of blood flowed onto the ground. Fortunately, he was a bone-forging cultivator, and such a small amount of blood loss wouldn't cause him to faint.

The archaic sword was in close proximity, so he immediately activated his Seven Cloud Steps, and seven green runes appeared beneath his feet. He quickly dodged out of the way and disappeared into the woods.

***

"Don't let him get away," Wei Chen yelled as he hopped onto his sword and flew off after the thief. "He's injured, so there's no way he'll be able to continue for very long after such a fierce struggle."

Xue Shen shot him a skeptical look but followed anyway. "You heard Fang Yao. It seems he's a body cultivator, and somehow his combat prowess is an entire realm higher than he lets on. He'll likely heal within a short period of time."

"You fool," Wei Chen said. "That's exactly why we can't let him escape. If we let him heal and ambush us again, he'll be able to nibble away at the entire camp with impunity. If Fang Yao died so easily, that means he and I are likely evenly matched. What if he ambushes us the next time and finishes you off? Wouldn't that mean the rest of us will be ripe peaches ready for him to pluck?"

Seeing Xue Shen's expression turn somber, Wei Chen spoke some reassuring words. "Look, he used to be able to run away at his leisure, but now he can barely keep ahead of us. We can easily follow the trail left behind by his blood. I refuse to believe that he can withstand this sort of blood loss indefinitely."

***

Two hours later, Cha Ming was exhausted. It wasn't because of his consumption—fortunately, Fang Yao's bag of holding had several qi-recovering pellets. It was because of the repeated blood loss over the course of the chase. Even a bone-forging cultivator could not sustain losing blood for so long.

He looked grimly at the wound on his side that was just healing over. Then he heartlessly grabbed a knife from his Clear Sky World and cut it open once more.

This last time should be enough. Any more, and they'll begin to suspect. Cha Ming continued running in the air for another fifteen minutes before finally darting to the side, using his superior agility to outmaneuver his pursuers and disappear.

Then he flew back the way he came, running like the wind at a pace that was fifty percent faster than the pace he'd used to bait them away in the first place.

***

Wei Chen stopped where the trail of blood ended, looking around and sending out his incandescent force to sense the thief's location. The man had disappeared, much like the morning mist in the head of the summer sun.

"Where could he have gone to?" Wei Chen pondered out loud. Then he looked up at Xue Shen, who had just returned from investigating the surroundings. "Have you found anything?"

"Yes and no," Xue Shen replied. "I didn't see anything, but his sudden disappearance makes me believe that he wasn't that wounded in the first place."

"What are you saying?" Wei Chen asked, furrowing his brows.

Xue Shen shook his head. "I'm saying that he brought us out here on purpose. The both of us at once. I suspect that stealing spirit stones was not his goal all along. I believe he actually wants to help those villagers."

Wei Chen's eyes narrowed. "If that's the case, we need to rush back immediately. My life depends on it." He didn't doubt the truth of Xue Shen's deduction. However, if the thief wasn't stopped and the bandits got desperate, who knew if they would try to execute villagers to threaten them? By then, Wei Chen's life would be forfeit. As their superior, he was directly responsible for their actions.

Xue Shen snorted. "You can go ahead, but I'm not going to go commit suicide along with you. It's your fault you made that oath in the first place. We could have safely waited for the leader to come and have him interrogated. Instead, you chose to get greedy," the frosty man said.

He turned around to leave, only to find a dreadful sword pointing straight at his forehead, the aura of decay rapidly corroding the barrier of qi protecting him.

"I don't think I asked for your opinion," Wei Chen said icily. "You will come with me and fight him. We're in this boat together, dead or alive."

Xue Shen gulped before nodding and hopping on his flying sword, flying back toward the village alongside Wei Chen.