Fei Xin arrived at the Scarlet Sun Sect and, familiar with the procedures, easily found the sect elders responsible for these affairs.
The two sides completed a large transaction worth over a hundred thousand spirit stones at the pre-arranged price.
Although such transactions belonged to the sect and the three of them were merely couriers, handling a lucrative deal always brought some benefits.
Afterward, True Person Guang Ling and the participating disciples would all receive a share of the profits.
This was why businesses with significant benefits within the sect were monopolized by various elders.
Ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples, lacking such connections, could only undertake tasks that were time-consuming, labor-intensive, and offered meager rewards.
In fact, the more arduous tasks in the sect generally paid poorly, while the highly profitable ones were rarely difficult.
For instance, the three of them had completed transactions totaling four to five hundred thousand spirit stones across three sects. It wouldn't be unreasonable for True Person Guang Ling to take a hundred thousand from that.
Xiao Fei, by participating, could at least expect to receive ten thousand spirit stones.
He had just spent all his savings on reaching Foundation Establishment, so this venture would provide him with a substantial living allowance.
It was a pity that such good fortune didn't occur every year, and the sect wasn't solely theirs; other elders were also eyeing such opportunities.
After completing their transaction at the Scarlet Sun Sect, the trio descended the mountain and proceeded to the next destination.
As they passed through the town they had visited previously, where an evil cultivator had massacred the villagers, they sensed a violent fluctuation of spiritual energy from afar.
"Someone is fighting over there!"
The three of them stopped to observe for a moment. Not only was there a fierce surge of spiritual energy in the distance, but also a chilling ghost aura, suggesting that Scarlet Sun Sect cultivators were engaging with evil cultivators.
"Let's keep our distance!"
Fei Xin, fearing being caught in the crossfire, led the other two away. Once they reached a safe distance, they landed on a large rock to watch the battle.
The cultivation world severely lacked entertainment. Minor incidents were often met with crowds, and life-and-death battles between cultivators were particularly popular.
Moreover, some enthusiasts enjoyed playing the role of commentators, expressing gratuitous shock at opportune moments.
Fei Xin was no exception, occasionally explaining the techniques used by both sides in the battle to Xiao Fei.
As for Ao Ling Xue, she was merely a decorative figure throughout the entire affair. Cold and beautiful women rarely spoke unless someone actively sought their attention.
Only if someone possessed exceptional skills and pleased her would she occasionally utter a word.
Unfortunately, neither Xiao Fei nor Fei Xin excelled in that regard.
"Junior Brother Xiao, look, there seem to be four cultivators from the Scarlet Sun Sect, forming the Four Phases Demon Slaying Array, trapping two evil cultivators within."
"These two evil cultivators are truly formidable, both possessing late-stage Foundation Establishment strength.
And look at the black banner they've conjured; it's called the Myriad Soul Banner, a commonly used treasure among evil cultivators. It can seal fierce ghosts and their souls within the banner to aid in combat.
It's likely that these two evil cultivators massacred the village and town precisely for this Myriad Soul Banner."
Under Fei Xin's explanation, Xiao Fei gained a clear understanding of the situation.
At the center of the battlefield, thousands of fierce ghosts emerged from the black banner, their visages ferocious, their eyes crimson as they lunged at the four Scarlet Sun Sect cultivators.
However, they were blocked by the Four Phases Demon Slaying Array, thrashing about within the formation, emitting piercing and shrill howls.
The evil cultivators, by relying on these vengeful spirits and fierce ghosts, managed to successfully fend off the attacks of the four Scarlet Sun Sect cultivators.
Xiao Fei channeled his spiritual power into his eyes to discern the appearances of the two evil cultivators. These two were significantly different from ordinary humans.
They had high noses, deep-set eyes, triangular pupils, and a messy clump of golden hair that looked as if it hadn't been washed in at least a decade.
One of the taller evil cultivators, seeing that he could no longer hold on, bit his tongue and drew a blood-red rune in the air with his tongue's essence blood.
"Junior Brother! Guard me for a moment, I must sacrifice an arm to perform the Demonic Spirit Explosion Art and break through the great formation."
"Alright!"
The leaner evil cultivator agreed and increased the flow of his spiritual power to drive the fierce ghosts within the Myriad Soul Banner, making them crash even more ferociously against the great formation.
The taller evil cultivator continuously drew several blood-red runes in the air, forming a sharp cone shape.
Under the taller evil cultivator's control, the blood-red cone gradually descended, then suddenly turned and accelerated, piercing the back of the leaner evil cultivator. The leaner evil cultivator's essence blood rapidly surged into the cone.
"Senior Brother, you..."
The leaner evil cultivator only managed to utter three words before turning his head, his essence blood completely drained.
"Junior Brother, I apologize. Senior Brother fears pain, and I am even more unwilling to part with this arm, so I can only sacrifice you!"
The taller evil cultivator withdrew the blood-red cone and kicked the leaner evil cultivator's corpse aside.
"Junior Brother, rest assured, once I escape, I will surely take good care of your wife and daughters."
The taller evil cultivator put away the Myriad Soul Banner, and the blood-red cone in his hand transformed into a blood-red thread that shot out.
This cone, imbued with the essence blood of an entire Foundation Establishment cultivator, exploded the moment it touched the great formation.
"Boom!"
A massive gap was blasted open in the Four Phases Demon Slaying Array, and one of the cultivators maintaining the formation was severely injured and fell to the ground.
The taller evil cultivator seized the opportunity to break out.
"Quick, block him!"
Despite the full encirclement by the remaining three cultivators, the taller evil cultivator still managed to escape with his injuries.
"Chase! We absolutely cannot let him escape this time!"
Several Scarlet Sun Sect cultivators immediately pursued him.
"Fellow Daoist Fei, the evil cultivator is too cunning. I implore the three of you to assist in intercepting him! Afterward, I will compensate you with 5,000 spirit stones."
The escaping evil cultivator was at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. The strongest among the Scarlet Sun Sect cultivators was only at the middle stage, and now with one injured, intercepting him became even more difficult.
Du Xiu thought of using spirit stones to hire Fei Xin's assistance.
"Apologies, I have a mission from my sect, and it is inconvenient for me to intervene."
Fei Xin directly refused. Although he also possessed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, who knew if the evil cultivator had any other hidden means.
"How about 10,000 spirit stones?"
"Apologies! I truly have matters to attend to!" Fei Xin shook his head.
"20,000 spirit stones!"
"Deal!"
Fei Xin immediately conjured a spiritual artifact flying sword.
"Junior Sister Ao, accompany me to slay the evil cultivator. Junior Brother Xiao, you are not skilled in combat, and it would be too dangerous. It is better to find a place to hide. You will still receive a share of the spirit stones!"
Fei Xin gave his instructions and then led Ao Ling Xue away on their sword, heading in the direction the evil cultivator had fled.
Leaving Xiao Fei alone, he sighed. He hadn't expected his senior brother, who had previously been so eager to avoid this matter, to bend his knees for a mere 20,000 spirit stones.
Xiao Fei, having just raided the Lin family and seen a hundred thousand spirit stones, now considered one or two thousand spirit stones to be very little.
In reality, many ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators did not possess even ten thousand spirit stones in their entire net worth.
When a Foundation Establishment cultivator undertook an ordinary sect mission, they would mostly receive only a few hundred spirit stones.
Opportunities to snatch up missions like this one were not frequent.
Xiao Fei decided to sit tight and wait for his senior brother's return. With so many people gone, even if they couldn't capture the evil cultivator, they shouldn't lose.
About half an hour later, a figure was rapidly flying towards them from a distance.
As the distance closed, Xiao Fei finally recognized the person as Du Xiu from the Scarlet Sun Sect.
"Senior Brother Du, how is the situation?"
"The situation is not looking good!"
Du Xiu walked up to the severely injured Scarlet Sun Sect cultivator and, drawing his sword, swiftly decapitated him.
"Senior Brother Du, why are you doing this? Where is my Senior Brother Fei?"
Seeing Du Xiu kill his own fellow disciple, Xiao Fei immediately became wary.
"Heh heh heh! He probably won't be coming back!" Du Xiu walked towards Xiao Fei with a cold smile.