Chapter 57: Killing the Bandits

The shifty-eyed bandit had long since been scared out of his wits by Han Yuan’s earlier actions. Not daring to delay for a moment, he said hastily, "Hero, I’ll lead the way right now."

Han Yuan followed behind him, saber in hand.

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Cang followed as well.

"What are you going for?"

Han Yuan asked, puzzled.

"I’m just going to take a look."

"Don’t worry, I’ve practiced some Lightweight Body Technique. I won’t get in your way."

Zhang Cang said quietly.

"Alright then."

"I hope you don’t have nightmares after seeing this."

Han Yuan chuckled.

Zhang Cang shook his head. "I’ve traveled far and wide over the years. I’m not that fragile."

"Fine, then." Han Yuan didn’t refuse.

The figures of the three entered the pitch-black mountains.

Zheng He watched Han Yuan’s retreating figure, gritted his teeth, and returned to the village to call out the able-bodied men.

"Hero Han has gone to attack Black Wind Stronghold, saber in hand."

"He’s afraid that Black Wind Stronghold will come for revenge after he leaves, so he’s taking the fight to them."

"An outsider is willing to risk his life for us. If you still call yourselves men, grab your weapons and follow me to Black Wind Stronghold!"

After speaking, Zheng He grabbed a firewood hatchet and started walking toward the mountain without another word.

"Village Chief, I’ll go with you!"

Zheng Liu’s eyes hardened with determination.

A few hot-blooded villagers spat on the ground, grabbed their tools, and followed.

"Damn it all."

"If we die, we die!"

Seeing that others had gone, the blood of the remaining young men began to boil, and they too followed the old village chief.

...

Han Yuan’s group moved through the dark mountain forest.

At first, Han Yuan was worried Zhang Cang wouldn’t be able to keep up.

He soon discovered that Zhang Cang hadn’t been lying. He really had cultivated some Lightweight Body Technique and was keeping up right behind him.

Only then did Han Yuan feel relieved.

「An hour later.」

He saw the distant outline of a stronghold, with the faint glimmer of firelight.

"Hero, that’s Black Wind Stronghold."

The shifty-eyed bandit pointed into the distance.

"Mm."

"Besides the chieftain being a Body Tempering Martial Artist, what is the second-in-command’s Cultivation?"

Han Yuan asked another question.

"He should be at Gathering Power Perfection, not quite at Body Tempering."

The shifty-eyed bandit replied quickly.

Han Yuan seemed satisfied with this answer and nodded.

SWISH!

The next moment.

The bandit’s head flew into the air and rolled down the mountainside.

"Infinite Celestial Venerable."

Zhang Cang shook his head.

He knew these bandits had committed countless evils; not one of them was innocent.

"Daoist Zhang, you should stay here."

"Watch me raze this Black Wind Stronghold to the ground!"

Han Yuan grinned, then charged toward the stronghold with his Cold Blade in hand.

A dozen or so breaths later, he arrived at the stronghold’s main gate. Clenching his left fist with a loud crack of his knuckles, he threw a vicious punch.

BANG!

As if struck by a battering ram, the stronghold’s gate violently exploded open.

The sound was earth-shattering.

Everyone in Black Wind Stronghold was jolted awake.

A patrol of bandits was the first to come and check on the situation, running right into Han Yuan as he walked in, saber in hand.

"It’s him!"

"Kill!!!"

The bandits charged forward, shouting and yelling.

Han Yuan, of course, didn’t hold back. With each swing of his Cold Blade, he created arcs of deadly, cold light.

In the blink of an eye, the entire patrol of bandits was slaughtered.

"You audacious cur! How dare you break into my Black Wind Stronghold at night!"

A large man wielding a great hammer charged over with a dozen or so bandits.

This man was none other than the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold.

Upon seeing Han Yuan, he was unable to contain his rage. He leaped into the air, bringing his great hammer down with vicious force toward Han Yuan’s head.

If it connected, his skull would surely be split open on the spot.

"You dare jump so high in front of me?!"

Han Yuan snorted coldly. His right leg shot up high, delivering a Kuixing Kick!

Before the second-in-command’s hammer could even fall, Han Yuan’s foot connected squarely with his chin!

CRUNCH!

The lower half of his face was shattered by the kick, a mangled mess of blood and flesh. He flew backward, screaming in agony.

Seeing this, the remaining bandits were scared out of their wits. How could they dare look for trouble with Han Yuan? They turned and tried to flee.

Han Yuan had no intention of letting them go. With his Cold Blade in hand and a glacial glint in his eyes, he cut down the fleeing bandits one by one.

Not a single bandit could escape his blade.

SWISH!

A sinister gleam of a sword suddenly shot out from a dark corner, aimed straight for Han Yuan’s throat.

"I spotted you long ago!"

Han Yuan was prepared. He swung his saber in a sharp, horizontal slash!

Saber met sword!

The owner of the sword felt a tremendous brute force rush toward him, almost knocking the longsword from his grip.

"Just who are you?!"

"Why have you stormed my Black Wind Stronghold and gone on a killing spree?!"

The owner of the sword was a sinister-looking man with a goatee. He was the chieftain of Black Wind Stronghold.

Cao Liang, also known as the Black Light Sword!

He stared at Han Yuan’s youthful face, his eyes filled with dread.

"To enact justice on behalf of heaven, of course."

Han Yuan said with a grin.

"Hmph."

"In this world, there’s no such thing as enacting justice on behalf of heaven."

Cao Liang simply assumed the other man was toying with him.

"If I say it’s enacting justice, then it’s enacting justice!"

Han Yuan pushed off, instantly crossing a dozen meters.

The flash of his saber was like a falcon soaring through the sky, its speed pushed to the absolute limit.

He poured all his Qi Power into this strike, mixing it with his Sky-Breaking Divine Power.

He just wanted to see for himself just how fast this strike could be!

The saber’s light was as fast as a bolt of lightning!

Cao Liang was horrified. He barely had time to react, raising his longsword in an arc of black light, trying to block the vicious gleam of the saber!

CLANG!

Cao Liang felt the web of his hand go numb as blood burst from it. His longsword was knocked aside by the single blow!

BOOM!

Immediately after.

Cao Liang heard a dull roar!

A fist as hard as iron, like a striking mallet for a great bell, slammed viciously into his abdomen.

Cao Liang roared wildly, mustering all his Qi Power. He tensed his muscles, sinews, and skin, trying to block the punch with his Body Tempering Flesh!

POW!

Han Yuan felt as if he had punched a sheet of tough cowhide.

Cao Liang’s muscles were indeed well-tempered.

But before Han Yuan, it was all in vain!

His dense Qi Power mixed with Divine Power was simply too terrifying.

SQUELCH!

Cao Liang felt as though his very organs—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—were being punched out of him. His body shot backward like a cannonball.

Han Yuan pushed off his feet and leaped. The light of his saber drew an arc through the air, slicing into Cao Liang’s head.

"So... fast..."

Cao Liang gurgled on the blood in his throat, dying before he could finish his words.

HUFF... HUFF...

Han Yuan took a moment to calm the roiling Qi and blood in his body.

There weren’t many bandits left. Sensing that things had gone south, they had already fled into the mountain forest.

Seeing this, Han Yuan couldn’t be bothered to give chase.

"Quick!"

At that moment, another bout of shouting came from the stronghold’s gate.

Zheng He and Zhang Cang rushed in, leading a group of able-bodied villagers holding torches.

"This..."

Zheng He raised his torch, revealing a scene of utter carnage—bodies littered the ground, like a vision of Purgatory.

A lone figure stood amidst this mountain of corpses and sea of blood, his long saber dripping. The moonlight shone down on him, making him look like a god of slaughter.

Zhang Cang gazed at the scene, seemingly lost in thought.

"Why are you all here?"

Han Yuan wiped the blood from his Cold Blade, looking somewhat surprised.

"We originally came to help you kill the bandits."

"But now it seems my efforts were unnecessary."

Zheng He shook his head with a wry smile.