"Why are you smirking? As I said, if you want to enter Dragon Skull Forest, you need to pay the fee."


    "Alright, alright. I''m dead, not deaf. Here, catch."


    The man threw a black purse, which Mo Yan caught. Opening it, Mo Yan saw nothing inside.


    "Don''t mess with us!" Mo Yan shouted.


    "Hehe." The skinny man let out a creepy laugh and then abruptly dropped to the ground, as if suffering a heart attack, appearing lifeless.


    The three stood in silence for several moments. Then, Han Zong approached the man lying on the ground. He nudged the man with his foot, flipping him over like a discarded corpse.


    "This man is really dead," Han Zong stated.


    Pu He wondered if this was another omen.


    "Check if there’s anything valuable on him."


    "Alright." Han Zong began to search the body but found nothing. The man was even more destitute than they were.


    Mo Yan sighed. "Just our luck. To think we actually tried to rob a dying beggar. Han Zong, throw—"


    Mo Yan suddenly stopped talking. His eyes glazed over, and his body stiffened.


    "Mo Yan, are you alright?" Pu He asked.


    Mo Yan blinked several times and then nodded. "I’m alright. My mind just went blank for a second. Anyway, Han Zong, throw that corpse into the water below."


    Han Zong nodded, hoisting the corpse onto his shoulder. He then tossed it off the cliff.


    "Pu He, I know you said you want to retire, but can you do us a favor and not count that one?"


    Pu He considered it for a moment and then nodded. The man had dropped dead before they had even done anything.


    "Alright."


    "Okay, let''s hide again then."


    The three of them retreated behind the tree. They waited, talking idly, when a girl walked across the bridge.


    Seeing her, Pu He felt as if lightning had struck him. She wore a purple robe that accentuated her pale, flawless skin. Her hair was long and silky, and her eyes were blue jewels, the finest he had ever seen in this life or any other. For a moment, his heart fluttered, but he then realized her robe resembled that of the young man who had let them go, indicating she was likely from the same sect.


    "Mo Yan, I think robbing her is a bad idea," Pu He said.


    When he received no response from Mo Yan, he glanced at him. Mo Yan''s expression was starstruck, his eyes gleaming, and a trail of disgusting drool ran down his chin. Then, like a rabid animal, he charged toward the girl like a dog in heat.


    "Mo Yan!" Pu He shouted.


    Mo Yan was usually composed, but Pu He recognized something was different this time.


    "Han Zong, Mo Yan is in danger."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I know! We need to stop him before that girl gets offended and kills us all."


    Pu He nodded. After all, only a fraction of cultivators showed mercy. The rest wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who dared to offend them. While the girl was undeniably beautiful, Pu He also knew she was dangerous.


    Both of them sprinted toward Mo Yan. Han Zong leaped and struck Mo Yan in the back, sending them both tumbling to the ground.


    The girl stared at him, and Pu He immediately knelt. "I''m sorry, senior sister! My friend is unwell. Please have mercy and don’t be offended!"


    After regarding him as if he were some kind of insect, the girl resumed walking. Her eyes didn’t even register the two figures wrestling on the ground. Soon, she disappeared into the trees, and Pu He turned to help Han Zong, who was still struggling with Mo Yan.


    As they attempted to restrain Mo Yan, Pu He wondered what was happening to him. He fought clumsily, without technique or style, like a wild animal. Mo Yan was usually a calm and collected man. Surely, he wouldn’t lose control simply because of a woman.


    "Calm yourself, brother Mo Yan," Pu He pleaded.


    Mo Yan growled like a dog.


    As he and Han Zong continued to subdue Mo Yan, Pu He couldn''t help but wonder if this was karma for breaking his vow to the earlier man.


    <hr>


    In Dragon Skull Forest, near Skull Hill, a medium-sized waterfall cascaded down. Inside, concealed behind the curtain of falling water, crouched Liu Xing.


    He was fully invisible, his gaze fixed on a spirit beast that was feasting. The creature had the lower body of a fish, the wings of a wasp, the upper body of a human, and a head resembling an octopus, but with large, fly-like eyes. It was happily devouring the entrails of a hapless cultivator. Red and yellow fluids stained its two razor-sharp fangs.


    If Liu Xing’s instincts were correct, this spirit beast was at the Lock Opening sixth stage, stronger than him, but still beatable.


    The only reason Liu Xing hadn’t already shot the spirit beast was because of a peculiar ability it possessed that affected him. Liu Xing felt an inexplicable connection to the spirit beast, as if it were his mother. He felt love, respect, and a deep desire to please it.


    Logically, Liu Xing knew it was not his mother; it was merely a spirit beast. He was aware that his mind was being manipulated by its strange ability. Yet, his heart told a different story. It was like knowing the sky was blue but simultaneously believing it was black.


    Even now, Liu Xing struggled to maintain his position with sheer willpower. His body urged him to jump out, to greet and embrace the creature. Resisting was incredibly difficult.


    Realizing his mind was under attack, Liu Xing inhaled deeply and focused. While this mental assault was terrifying, the very fact that he recognized it as manipulation gave him hope that the ability could be broken. This was likely a support-type ability designed to confuse opponents in combat.


    Still, Liu Xing held an advantage. The spirit beast presented its back to him, and all he needed to do was pull the trigger and obliterate the beast in a spray of gore.


    Calming his mind, Liu Xing attempted to drown out his heart with logic.


    "It''s not your mother. It''s just a spirit beast."


    Liu Xing repeated the mantra in his mind, again and again, trying to break free from the creature''s influence.


    After several moments, Liu Xing felt the ability begin to loosen its grip. His mind started to accept the undeniable truth: this spirit beast, gleefully munching on innards, could not possibly be his mother.


    When the creature began to chew on an eyeball of the unfortunate cultivator, Liu Xing summoned enough will to pull the trigger.


    The bullet, infused with Exploding Fist, flew through the water and hurtled toward the back of the creature’s head. Upon impact, the head exploded into smithereens, and a shower of blood rained into the river, staining the water crimson.


    Liu Xing felt a pang of heartache, as if he had committed a heinous act. But then, the sensation vanished, and he felt like a drowning man finally breaking the surface for air.


    Liu Xing inhaled deeply, feeling the mind control dissipate like smoke.


    "Such a terrifying ability," Liu Xing muttered.


    Mind control techniques and abilities were supposedly rare, and this encounter reinforced for Liu Xing that even with his powerful gun, victory was never guaranteed. Sometimes, people perished not from lack of power, but from ignorance or lack of wisdom.


    This battle had presented a different kind of challenge, yet Liu Xing smiled. Glancing at his gun, he noticed six green strips glowing faintly on its side.


    Recognizing the waterfall as an ideal hiding spot, Liu Xing began to absorb energy into his gun.


    In his consciousness, a constant flow of qi filled the lock. By his estimation, once he had absorbed the energy from all six bullets, his sixth lock would be half full. This meant Liu Xing only needed to defeat five more spirit beasts of at least the sixth stage to advance to the sixth stage—a seemingly unbelievable prospect, considering the difficulty he had faced advancing from the fourth to the fifth stage.


    Once again, Liu Xing was reminded of just how potent his gun truly was.