Chapter 11

The shopkeeper waved his hands impatiently, and the assistant scurried into the back hall.

Shortly afterward, before Saibot could even make a choice, the assistant returned carrying a bundle of clothes. Hanging them up swiftly, Saibot's eyes immediately fixed on a deep-colored inner-fur leather jacket—a custom-made item abandoned by its original buyer.

By the time it took to burn an incense stick, Saibot emerged from the shop, clad in the deep-colored jacket. 

Despite its oversized appearance on his small frame, he felt a warmth that surpassed his previous attire, making him content despite the mismatched appearance.

Although eager to search for Rock Head, Saibot paused when he heard a commotion outside the campsite. Fire Possoms poured out, drawn by the arrival of a convoy of horse carriages, likely traders or buyers of the seven-leaf grass used in white pill concoction. Despite the spectacle, Saibot's focus remained on Rock Head, whom he followed discreetly.

As the bustling market created a distraction, Saibot patiently trailed Rock Head throughout the day. However, it wasn't until late into the night that Rock Head finally returned to his residence, prompting Saibot to abandon his plans for the day and return to his house to cultivate.

The following morning, Saibot donned his old tattered coat, feeling somewhat regretful about his impulsive purchase. As he roamed the campsite, his attention remained fixed on Rock Head's movements, even as he passed by a crowded market.

Observing from a rooftop, Old Master Utopia noted Saibot's attire change, puzzled by the switch back to his old clothes. Meanwhile, Saibot continued to shadow Rock Head throughout the day, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

As night fell, Rock Head unexpectedly changed course, heading to a remote area in the outer ring of the campsite. Sensing a potential threat, Saibot circled and concealed himself in the darkness, prepared for a confrontation.

"Why don't you stop chasing me and fight me like a man?"

Saibot emerged from the shadows. Unfazed by Rock Head's accusations, he prepared for a battle against a fellow cultivator, his first direct confrontation of its kind. 

"You wished for it," Saibot launched himself into the fray, meeting Rock Head's attack head-on with a powerful punch.

This marked Saibot's first use of his full strength, unleashing a punch that reverberated with thunderous claps upon impact with Rock Head's body.

"Such power..." 

Rock Head's frame trembled violently as the air barrier surrounding him shattered inch by inch, his internal organs churning in turmoil. A spurt of fresh blood punctuated the assault, intensifying Saibot's murderous intent.

With an iron stick in hand, Saibot swiftly maneuvered past Rock Head's hasty retreat, aiming the weapon at his head. However, just as he moved to strike, Saibot abruptly withdrew, sensing imminent danger. Two winged centipedes hurtled toward him, dispatched by Rock Head in a swift counterattack. 

Saibot deftly dispatched them with his dagger, narrowly averting disaster. Undeterred, Saibot pressed the assault, only to find Rock Head's inner organs somewhat restored during the brief respite. 

Rock Head continued his retreat, conjuring a poisonous mist that billowed towards Saibot, crackling ominously as it advanced. Despite the onslaught, Saibot emerged unscathed, prompting a mixture of shock and fear in Rock Head's eyes. 

Saibot's resilience surpassed Rock Head's expectations, leaving him grappling with the realization that his ultimate killing technique had failed. 

As he hesitated, contemplating his next move, Saibot seized the opportunity to break free from the poisonous haze, launching a ferocious attack. 

With blinding speed, Saibot's iron stick pierced Rock Head's skull effortlessly, ending the confrontation decisively. Saibot, panting heavily, scanned his surroundings cautiously before retrieving Rock Head's leather pouch. 

Upon inspecting the contents, he discovered a half-cracked piece of amber, housing a scorpion tail within. Saibot swiftly disposed of Rock Head's remains, wiping the blood from his body before fading into the night. 

Observing from a distance, Old Master Utopia contemplated Saibot's actions, finally understanding his reluctance to wear new clothes for fear of staining them with blood. With this revelation, Old Master Utopia's lingering curiosity was satisfied, sparing him further speculation on the matter.

In the darkness of the night, Saibot’s figure was like a cat. He proceeded forward nimbly and silently.

His hand pressed against his mouth occasionally as he forcefully bore with the impulse to cough.

During the first few times of this process, it was still tolerable. However, as Saibot continued moving, as well as with his many times suppressing the impulse, his lungs gradually felt like burning, and this caused his countenance to become paler and paler.

Luckily, this place wasn’t far from his residence. Besides, the campsite wasn’t very large, so Saibot saw Litcht’s courtyard not too long later.

He didn’t directly rush in. Instead, he stood at his original location and breathed deeply, trying his best to make himself seem somewhat more normal.

Only then did he reduce his speed and proceed forth in a manner that was neither hasty nor slow. 

He pushed open the courtyard’s gate. After that, Saibot’s gaze swept through the surroundings, and he slowly entered the little house.

The instant he entered, Saibot couldn’t endure it anymore and directly coughed up a mouthful of blood. 

The blood was black, and when it landed on the ground, it emitted a sizzling sound.

As he coughed up this mouthful of poisoned blood, Saibot’s countenance turned somewhat more normal compared to the paleness earlier. He panted heavily and sat down cross-legged as he began to use his breathing technique.

It was only a long time later that he opened his eyes. The color of his face had now recovered completely.

"Such a potent toxin," murmured Saibot, the breath of poison mist unleashed by Rock Head at the end contained extremely high toxicity.

However, in that situation, if Saibot had chosen to dodge, the other party would have surely fled immediately while calling for help to attract attention. 

At that time, things would become much more complicated if he wanted to handle things.

Besides, even if he pretended he was injured, it would most probably be very hard to swindle the cunning Rock Head.

Ever since Rock Head sensed he was being followed, everything he did was to mask his intentions. His only miscalculation was his wrong estimation of Saibot’s strength.

So, at that crucial moment, Saibot had chosen to believe in the recovery prowess brought about by his purple crystal. He forcibly endured the invasion of the poison mist as he decided to push ahead and finish the fight quickly, taking his target’s life with a single blow.

From the looks of things now, his choice wasn’t wrong.

The purple crystal indeed possessed a very strong recovery characteristic against the invasion of poison.

On his way back, the burning feeling in his lungs and the impulse to cough were actually his recovery prowess taking effect.

“There are indeed no simple people among Fire Possoms. Most probably, if it wasn’t for me being quick enough during my attack on Centuriox and not giving him time to retaliate, he was going to be very hard to handle as well.”