Nine Turns Taoist Classic: The Lone Cultivator's Path to Godhood

Chapter 2: The Black Tiger Bandits' Lair

The passage to the Heavenly Continent was located in the southern part of the Black Bone Mountains, a narrow valley surrounded by steep cliffs. The Black Tiger Bandits had set up their lair at the entrance of the valley, a ramshackle fortress built with wood and stone, with sentries posted at every corner. Gu Zhen had arrived at the edge of the valley at noon, hiding behind a cluster of thorny bushes and observing the fortress.

There were at least twenty sentries patrolling the area, all at the Body Tempering Realm. Inside the fortress, he could sense the auras of more than a hundred cultivators, including several at the late stage of the Body Tempering Realm. And at the center of the fortress, there was a powerful aura that made his hair stand on end—the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, the leader of the Black Tiger Bandits, known as Tiger King.

Gu Zhen knew that a direct attack was suicide. He needed a plan. He watched the sentries' patrol routes carefully, memorizing their positions and the time intervals between their rounds. After observing for an hour, he noticed a pattern: every two hours, the sentries would change shifts, and during that five-minute window, the western wall of the fortress was left unguarded.

He decided to take advantage of that window to sneak into the fortress and assassinate Tiger King first. Without their leader, the Black Tiger Bandits would be thrown into chaos, making it easier for him to escape through the passage. It was a risky plan, but it was the only one he had.

Gu Zhen lay low in the bushes, waiting patiently. He used the time to circulate his spiritual energy according to the Nine Turns Taoist Classic, further stabilizing his newly advanced cultivation base. The warm current flowed through his meridians, making him feel more alert and focused. He also checked his short sword, sharpening it on a stone until its edge was sharp enough to slice through iron.

Finally, the time came. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of red and orange. The sentries on the western wall began to walk toward the barracks to change shifts, their laughter and chatter echoing through the valley. Gu Zhen tensed his muscles, ready to move.

As soon as the last sentry disappeared around the corner, Gu Zhen shot forward like an arrow. He ran across the open ground, his feet barely touching the ground, and climbed up the western wall using the cracks in the stone. The wall was about three meters high, but with his enhanced strength and agility, he scaled it in less than a second.

Inside the fortress, it was chaotic. Bandits were drinking, gambling, and shouting, with some even beating up captured villagers. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and sweat. Gu Zhen frowned in disgust, but he didn't let his emotions distract him. He clung to the shadows, moving silently toward the largest building in the center of the fortress—the Tiger King's hall.

The hall was guarded by two burly men at the late stage of the Body Tempering Realm, their arms crossed over their chests, their eyes scanning the area. Gu Zhen knew he couldn't take them head-on. He waited until a group of drunk bandits stumbled past the hall, then slipped behind them, using their bodies as cover.

When the bandits passed the guards, the guards' attention was drawn to them, cursing and pushing them away. That was Gu Zhen's chance. He darted forward, his short sword flashing in the dim light. Before the guards could react, the blade had slit their throats. They fell to the ground without making a sound, their blood pooling around their bodies.

Gu Zhen pushed open the door of the hall and stepped inside. The hall was spacious, with a large wooden throne in the center, where a fat man with a tiger-skin robe was sitting, drinking wine from a big bowl. He had a scar across his face, and his eyes were small and vicious—this was Tiger King.

Tiger King looked up and saw Gu Zhen, his eyes narrowing. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" he roared, slamming the wine bowl on the table. His spiritual energy surged, pressing down on Gu Zhen like a mountain.

Gu Zhen felt his breath catch in his throat, but he didn't back down. He activated the Nine Turns Taoist Classic, his spiritual energy circulating rapidly, resisting the pressure. "I'm here to kill you," he said coldly, his voice steady.

"Kill me? You little brat, you're asking for death!" Tiger King laughed loudly, standing up. He was more than two meters tall, his body bulging with muscles. He pulled out a huge battle axe from behind the throne, the axe head glowing with a faint red light—it was a low-grade Dharma artifact.

Tiger King swung the axe at Gu Zhen, the blade cutting through the air with a loud** (howl). Gu Zhen dodged to the side, the axe slamming into the ground, creating a large crater. He counterattacked, his short sword stabbing toward Tiger King's abdomen.

But Tiger King's skin was as tough as iron, thanks to his Foundation Establishment cultivation base. The short sword bounced off his robe, leaving only a small cut. Tiger King sneered, grabbing at Gu Zhen with his big hand. Gu Zhen rolled on the ground, avoiding the grab, and sliced at Tiger King's leg.

This time, the sword managed to cut through Tiger King's pants, drawing blood. Tiger King roared in pain and anger, swinging the axe again, this time with more force. The wind from the axe was so strong that it blew Gu Zhen back several steps.

Gu Zhen realized that he couldn't defeat Tiger King in a head-on fight. He needed to use his speed and agility to wear him down. He ran around the hall, avoiding Tiger King's attacks, while looking for an opening. Tiger King was big and slow, and after a few minutes of swinging the axe, he began to breathe heavily.

Gu Zhen saw his chance. When Tiger King swung the axe again, Gu Zhen didn't dodge. Instead, he jumped up, using the axe handle as a stepping stone, and leaped toward Tiger King's head. He raised his short sword, pouring all his spiritual energy into it, and stabbed it into Tiger King's eye.

"AAAAAH!" Tiger King let out a deafening scream, dropping the axe and clutching his eye. Blood gushed out between his fingers. Gu Zhen landed on the ground, rolled backward, and then rushed forward again, stabbing the sword into Tiger King's dantian.

Tiger King's body stiffened. His spiritual energy collapsed, and he fell to his knees, then face down on the ground, dead. Gu Zhen stood there, gasping for breath, his body covered in sweat and blood. He had killed a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator—something that no one in the Nine Rivers Domain had ever done at his age.

The sound of Tiger King's scream had alerted the other bandits. They rushed toward the hall, shouting and screaming. Gu Zhen didn't stay to fight. He grabbed Tiger King's battle axe and the bag of spirit stones on the table, then ran out of the back door of the hall.

The back door led to a narrow path that wound down the cliff to the entrance of the passage. Gu Zhen ran as fast as he could, the bandits chasing after him, shooting arrows and throwing knives. He used the battle axe to block the attacks, slicing through arrows and knives with ease.

When he reached the entrance of the passage, he turned around and swung the battle axe, creating a wall of wind that knocked the pursuing bandits back. Then he ran into the passage, which was dark and damp, with a faint light at the end.

As he ran through the passage, he could hear the bandits' roars fading behind him. He knew that he had finally escaped the Nine Rivers Domain. The light at the end of the passage grew brighter, and soon, he stepped out into a vast plain, where the spiritual energy was dozens of times denser than in the Nine Rivers Domain.

In the distance, he could see towering mountains covered in green, and the outline of a large city. This was the Heavenly Continent—the land of opportunity, and the land of danger.

Gu Zhen took a deep breath, feeling the abundant spiritual energy filling his lungs. He tightened his grip on the battle axe, his eyes full of determination. "Heavenly Continent, I'm here," he said. "And I'm not leaving until I reach the top."