Inside the old lair within the mountain belly.
The ground was leveled and smoothed. Bandits lived in accommodations varying by their ranks.
“Master, come, try one of these!”
“Master, have a bite of mine. It’s delicious.”
Five seductive women were surrounding a broad-chested, hairy giant of a man, serving him various fruits. This giant was the leader of the entire Cutlass League, and the most powerful bandit in Yishui City—the infamous Cutlass ‘Gai Bin’! These pitiful abducted women feared this bandit leader greatly, for if he was ever displeased, he would torture them to death. Out of fear, they tried every means to flatter him.
“Damn it, back then I feasted daily, surrounded by countless beauties. Now I’m stuck hiding in these mountains, surrounded only by these tasteless harlots!” Gai Bin’s triangular eyes were filled with menace.
Since being declared an outlaw and becoming a bandit, he had been harboring resentment.
This life was so unsatisfying.
Who in their right mind would willingly hide in the perilous Destruction Mountains? Food and drink had to be transported from outside, and at any moment, they might encounter magical beasts. The abducted women were merely makeshift pleasures—nowhere near the flattery he once received as a Shooting Star Knight in the city, where he could choose from an endless supply of beauties.
“I must spend money and find a way to get the Empire to revoke my wanted status!” Gai Bin’s eyes flashed with ferocity. “The Si Clan is asking too much—twenty thousand gold coins at minimum to lift the bounty. Cursed!”
The Si Clan practically ruled the Qinghe Prefecture, and had the power to revoke a wanted notice with the right bribes.
“After another ten years, I should be able to gather enough.”
“Then I’ll finally be free again!”
Gai Bin longed for it desperately.
Only after being declared an outlaw did he truly understand the value of freedom.
“Chief! Chief! Chief!” A shrill voice suddenly came from outside.
“Shut up with your yelling!”
Gai Bin angrily rose, and the seductive women beside him quickly scattered in fear. Gai Bin stormed out in rage.
“Chief, good news! It’s good news!” The voice from outside continued, clearly aware of the consequences of disturbing the chief.
“Oh? Good news?” Gai Bin, stepping outside, cast his cold eyes on the subordinate before him.
“What good news?”
The usually fierce bandit, standing before the Shooting Star-level Gai Bin, was as timid as a grandson, smiling nervously and saying, “It’s the pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King! The second chief and others are waiting for you.”
“The pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King?” Gai Bin was startled and hurried toward the meeting hall.
…
In the meeting hall.
Gai Bin sat in the main seat, surrounded by other leaders, all Heaven-ranked experts. As the largest bandit force in Yishui territory, the Cutlass League naturally attracted many powerful outlaws.
“One-Ear, quickly explain what happened!” A gray-robed elder beside Gai Bin urged.
“I was assigned to scout and guard outside when I unexpectedly spotted two humans!” The one-eared bandit hurriedly said. “One was Zong Ling of the Six-Armed Snake Demon from Xueying Domain! The other was a black-clothed youth wielding a spear, about sixteen or seventeen years old, carrying the massive pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King on his back!”
“Zong Ling?” Gai Bin’s fingers lightly tapped the armrest, his voice icy. “The only skilled young spearman in Yishui City connected to Zong Ling… it must be that boy lord from Xueying Domain who’s obsessed with spear techniques.”
“The Spear Demon Dongbo Xueying.” The gray-robed elder nodded. “I’ve heard of him too. I didn’t take him seriously before—being obsessed with spear techniques doesn’t necessarily mean great power. But now he dares to enter the Destruction Mountains and has obtained the pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King. He must indeed be formidable.”
“Brother, shall we attack?” A muscular bald bandit beside him roared.
“Obtaining the pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King… Could Zong Ling have already broken through to the Shooting Star level?” Gai Bin murmured.
“Possibly.”
The gray-robed elder nodded. “Zong Ling was already a Heaven-ranked expert long ago. It’s very likely he’s now a Shooting Star. Being a royal Six-Armed Snake Demon of the Serpent Clan, with six blades attacking furiously… he might have devastated the wolf pack. Combined with some carefully prepared traps, it’s possible he managed to capture and kill the Silver Moon Wolf King.”
Dongbo Xueying was skilled at fighting groups, but if Zong Ling, with his tail and six arms, became a Shooting Star, he would also be very adept at group combat.
“Could that young lord from Xueying Domain also be a Shooting Star?” The foolish bald bandit roared.
“How could that be?”
“How old is he?”
“Even if he became a Knight at seven or eight, he could only reach the Heaven-ranked Knight level by now.” Other bandits immediately refuted.
The bald bandit scratched his head and laughed, “I must have misunderstood.”
Gai Bin said coldly, “Zong Ling has likely become a Shooting Star Knight. As for that young lord, he’s probably Heaven-ranked! Even if he also became a Shooting Star Knight… with just two of them, and this being our territory, we still have the advantage to eliminate them.”
“That’s the worst-case scenario. That youth is unlikely to be a Shooting Star.” The gray-robed elder said. “We have a good chance.”
“Good, then we’ll kill them and seize the pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King!” Gai Bin grinned. “Since that young lord is a lord, he might carry some valuable treasures.”
“Plunder!”
“Plunder them.”
“Kill them.”
Excited howls filled the meeting hall.
“One-Ear, where are they now?” Gai Bin asked immediately.
“They’re still far away, heading toward the mountain exit. They must pass through the front canyon.” The one-eared bandit replied.
“Excellent, set an ambush in the front canyon. Brother Two, the arrangement is up to you.” Gai Bin looked at the gray-robed elder beside him. This gray-robed elder was a Heaven-ranked mage, second only to Gai Bin in the bandit group. He had been declared an outlaw after secretly capturing many humans for experiments.
“Leave it to me.” The gray-robed elder nodded slightly.
…
Deep within the mountains.
Dongbo Xueying, carrying the pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King, walked side by side with Uncle Zong.
They remained vigilant of their surroundings, but with Dongbo Xueying’s current strength, even a fifth-tier magical beast posed no threat.
“Hmm?”
Walking through a wide canyon, Dongbo Xueying suddenly furrowed his brows. “Uncle Zong, stop.”
“What’s wrong?” Zong Ling was startled.
“The aura feels off.” Dongbo Xueying looked ahead.
Since becoming a Spear Master, his spear techniques had gradually reached a divine level, allowing him to sense the natural world. Until now, the surrounding auras had been natural. But now, the canyon ahead gave Dongbo Xueying a feeling of hidden malevolence, clashing with the natural aura.
“There might be an ambush. Let’s turn back.” Dongbo Xueying said. “Let’s see if they reveal themselves.”
As Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling immediately turned to retreat—
“Six-Armed Snake Demon Zong Ling, since you’ve come to my place, don’t bother leaving!” A cold voice echoed through the canyon. “Brothers, reveal yourselves. We’ve been discovered.”
“What?” Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling immediately saw, on both sides of the canyon and the surrounding cliffs, wave after wave of bandits hidden in the shadows. At a glance, there were likely close to a thousand, all staring at Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling like wolves eyeing lambs.
Boom.
From the front of the canyon, a group of people approached. Leading was a fierce man with twin blades at his waist, followed by a group of subordinates.
“Gai Bin!” Zong Ling’s eyes flashed with cold light.
“Ha ha ha… Zong Ling, you’ve truly come here seeking your own doom!” Gai Bin sneered. “Even if you’ve broken through to the Shooting Star Knight level, coming to my territory means your certain death. Ha! If you had stayed hidden in Xueying Domain, I might have been powerless. But you actually came here willingly? That’s asking for death! I’ll gladly grant your wish. Oh, and that fair-skinned young lord, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you die quickly, without any pain.”
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