Luo Feng sensed that numerous presences were rapidly closing in from a few miles away.

Hearing Luo Feng's words, Liu Tao glanced around. In the pitch-black night, not a soul was in sight. He chuckled, "Feng Luo, aren't you being overly tense? There's no one around in these desolate hills."

Uncle Lu's expression turned solemn. "Feng Luo, this isn't something to joke about."

Luo Feng shook his head. "I'm not joking."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Lu immediately grew alert. He knelt, pressing his ear to the ground to listen for a moment, and his complexion darkened. He leaped up and called out, "Captain Fang, people are coming from the west—perhaps dozens of them!"

THUD!

Captain Fang tossed the grilled meat he was holding into the fire and ordered, "Form up!"

CLANG!

As soon as the order was given, the sound of swords and sabers being unsheathed echoed through the clearing. Sword shadows flickered as dozens of guards meticulously took their positions, forming a circular defensive formation, their aura thick with killing intent.

The dark night was eerily serene; for a kilometer in any direction, there was no sign of human life.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP...

Just as confusion began to set in, the galloping of horse hooves suddenly rang out, drawing nearer from the distance. A troop of riders charged out of the darkness.

"It's horse thieves! Wait for my order, then kill them!" Captain Fang's face darkened as he spotted the approaching riders, his command laced with deadly intent.

"Yes, sir!"

The other escorts were all seasoned warriors. The resolute and stern tone in their voices was even colder than the steel of their blades.

The horsemen approached swiftly. In the blink of an eye, they were within a kilometer, close enough for everyone to discern their faces and attire.

The band numbered forty to fifty individuals, all clad in black armor. In the night, they resembled a swirling black wind. More than a dozen individuals at the front exuded an especially strong Yuan Qi and had sharp eyes; all possessed strength at or above the seventh rank of the Essence Storage Realm.

Leading the charge, towering over the others on horseback, was a burly man.

This man had an impressive stature, his face a roadmap of hideous scars. The aura he exuded was as vast and robust as mighty rivers and mountains. Amazingly, he was an expert at the initial stage of the Heavenly Court Realm!

In an instant, the horse thieves were within thirty paces of the convoy. Surprise flickered across their faces when they saw the well-prepared escorts.

Captain Fang and Yao Qing stepped out from the ranks of the guards.

"I am Fang Li of the Shangfeng Escort Agency," Captain Fang said, offering a fist-and-palm salute to the horse thief leader. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit from so far away?"

A long-faced horse thief rode forward, patting his large saber, and laughed heartily. "You look like an old hand in the jianghu; enough with the pleasantries. Times have been hard for my brothers and me. What do you propose?"

Captain Fang sized up the newcomers. "Since we are all friends in the jianghu, I, Fang, am willing to offer ten thousand taels of silver for you and your men to have a drink. In return, please grant us passage."

The men before him exuded a palpable killing intent; they were clearly desperate outlaws, and many among them were skilled. A fight would undoubtedly result in casualties. Therefore, resolving the situation with silver was the best course of action.

"Ten thousand taels of silver? Do you take us for beggars?"

The long-faced horse thief's eyes gleamed coldly as he contemptuously surveyed the escort convoy from his elevated position, sneering, "Seeing how much effort you've put into this, your cargo must be quite valuable. Leave the goods and scram!"

"Hold on."

The burly leader gestured, his piercing green eyes focusing on Yao Qing. "This lass isn't bad. Leave her behind. There hasn't been a woman in these barren hills for ages. She'll be perfect for letting off some steam."

"Brilliant, Boss!" The long-faced horse thief chuckled, fawning over his leader.

"These bastards! How dare they insult Her Ladyship!" Uncle Lu's face turned grim, his body emanating a chilling murderous aura.

The other escorts were similarly filled with righteous indignation, their ferocious glares fixed on the horse thieves, eager to attack.

Yao Qing's pretty face turned deathly pale. Her delicate body trembled slightly with a rage she fought to suppress as she said coldly, "Surely, you jest, gentlemen?"

Liu Tao observed Yao Qing and laughed heartily, remarking, "This lass is usually so fiery, yet she's being incredibly tolerant now. Truly a rare sight!"

Luo Feng nodded slightly, a newfound appreciation for Yao Qing in his gaze. Her current restraint, her refusal to act rashly, was undoubtedly to protect the convoy's safety as much as possible.

"Who's joking with you? Do as our boss says, or we'll feed all of you to Demon Beasts tonight!" the long-faced horse thief threatened, licking his blade, his face a mask of killing intent.

"Attack!"

Before his words fully registered, Captain Fang suddenly bellowed. He launched a palm strike that sent the long-faced horseman, horse and all, flying into the air, where they exploded into a mist of blood.

"Crossbows, ready! Fire!" Yao Qing drew her sword and cried out sharply.

WHIZZ! WHIZZ! WHIZZ! WHIZZ!

At her command, a dense shower of arrows shrieked through the air like a swarm of locusts.

The horse thieves at the vanguard had no time to react before agonizing screams erupted as arrows turned them into human pincushions.

"Hahaha! Kill all these bastards! How dare they insult Her Ladyship!"

"They dare to rob an escort from the Shangfeng Escort Agency! They should have known better!"

The burly horseman cleaved the oncoming arrows with his weapon. Seeing his underlings fall, his eyes blazed with fury. Roaring, he cried, "You refused a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Kill!"

"Kill!"

Battle cries shook the heavens, the surrounding space vibrating in resonance as dozens of horse thieves charged forward, sweeping in like a black wind.

"Kill!"

The numerous guards also surged forward, meeting the charge of the horse thieves.

"Feng Luo, stay behind me and don't wander off," Uncle Lu said, positioning himself before the cargo carriage and looking back at Luo Feng with a warning.

Luo Feng met Uncle Lu's concerned gaze and rubbed his nose. He clearly still sees me as a child, Luo Feng thought.

The two groups clashed instantly. For a moment, it was a whirlwind of flashing blades and sword shadows, spattering blood, and an unceasing chorus of screams. The scene was gruesome.

The earlier arrow volley had killed many of the horse thieves' experts. Now that the two sides were locked in melee, the bandits' lack of these skilled fighters immediately became a glaring disadvantage, and they were continuously cut down.

"Boss, these escorts are too strong! At this rate, we won't last much longer," a horse thief reported gravely, falling back to the bandit leader.

The bandit leader grunted in acknowledgment, his expression grim. These escorts were more formidable than he had imagined.

BOOM!

The bandit leader leaped from his horse, his landing shaking the earth and creating two large pits.

"Everyone, get out of my way!"

With a low roar, the bandit leader gathered his strength and punched towards a nearby boulder as tall as several men.

BOOM!

With a thunderous crack, the boulder split. A sinister smile touched the bandit leader's lips as he suddenly punched one of the massive fragments of the shattered boulder.

THUD!

The surrounding space trembled violently as the massive rock fragment shot forward, striking everyone in its path and sending them flying backward, vomiting blood.

"That's the boss's ultimate technique, Mountain Crush Strength! Get clear!"

The nearby bandits recoiled in horror, scattering. Several escorts who failed to retreat in time were caught by the concussive force accompanying the rock and were instantly killed.

The sight of the oncoming rock made everyone's scalp tingle with fear. This wasn't just a rock; it was like a small mountain peak! An irresistible sense of dread welled up in their hearts.

WHIZZ!

The rock, fast as lightning, reached the front of the escort team in the blink of an eye. With a deafening boom, it flew through the air, arcing straight towards the carriage Luo Feng was in.

"Damn it!"

Captain Fang's expression changed drastically as he watched the giant rock. He hadn't expected the bandit leader to suddenly target the convoy itself.

Meanwhile, Uncle Lu stared at the flying rock, his heart pounding.

The rock, weighing countless tons and propelled by the bandit leader's fist, possessed incredible power. The sheer pressure radiating from it made Uncle Lu's palms grow cold; it felt as if it would crush and pulverize everything in its path.

Uncle Lu glanced at Luo Feng behind him, a resolute look hardening his eyes. I don't know if I can block this, he thought. His gaze locked onto the giant rock, he desperately circulated his internal Yuan Qi and yelled, "Feng Luo, get back quickly!"

WHOOSH!

Just as Uncle Lu steeled himself for a desperate defense, in that split second, a sound of rushing wind reached his ears, and a figure shot past him.

"Feng Luo, you..."

Uncle Lu cried out in alarm, but it was already too late to stop him.

Hearing the shout, many turned their attention in that direction. They saw Luo Feng, clad in moonlight-colored martial attire, meeting the giant rock head-on.

Before the massive rock, Luo Feng's figure appeared small. Yet, everyone sensed a sharp, blade-like aura from him, as if he were a perilous, unbreakable mountain peak, inspiring a sense of shock and awe.

Luo Feng gathered his strength, clenched his right hand into a fist, and punched towards the boulder.

BOOM!

Before the force of his punch, the small mountain of a rock split down the middle. Shattered stone flew in all directions as Luo Feng emerged from the explosion of debris, landing steadily on the ground.

Effortlessly evading the shower of shattered rock, Luo Feng retreated, his posture poised and cool.

A brief silence fell over the battlefield. Everyone stared, scarcely believing their eyes. No one had expected Luo Feng to be capable of blocking such a terrifying blow.

"Excellent!"

Captain Fang burst into hearty laughter, pointed his longsword, and roared, "Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Hahaha... we can't fall behind this young brother! Kill!"

Battle cries erupted once more. Luo Feng shattering the bandit leader's killing blow had greatly boosted the escorts' morale. Each one of them, fierce as a tiger, charged at the nearby bandits.

With this shift in momentum, the escorts, now radiating an unstoppable aura, caught the remaining bandits off guard, felling several more in an instant.

"Boss, their morale is soaring! If this drags on, I'm afraid we'll all die here! We should retreat quickly!" one of the horse thieves said in panic, watching the ferocious escorts.

The bandit leader's eyes looked ready to split with fury. He had lost nearly twenty men this time, several of whom were his trusted lieutenants—a disastrous loss.

His eyes, bulging with rage and threaded with thick bloodshot veins, fixed on Luo Feng. "Damn it all!" he roared. "It's all that cursed brat's fault! If I don't kill him, this hatred in my heart will never be appeased!" He suddenly erupted in a long cry, his entire body's Yuan Qi surging wildly as he stomped down heavily.

BOOM!

A clap of thunder seemed to explode in the night as the earth trembled violently. The ground in an area several zhang wide beneath the bandit leader's feet cracked and shattered, and numerous boulders, each several meters in diameter, began to float into the air.

"Mountain Crush Powerful Strike!"

With an enraged roar, his hair and beard bristling, the bandit leader punched out.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM...

The ferocious force of his punch swept up the surrounding boulders, forming a violent stone tornado that roared towards Luo Feng. Anything in its path was instantly torn to shreds, offering no chance of resistance.

"Not so fast!"

This time, Captain Fang was prepared. With a roar, his figure flickered, and he appeared before the raging stone tornado.

"Break!"

With a low cry, Captain Fang slashed down. A massive beam of Sword Qi tore the dust-and-rock tornado in half. His sword blade trembled, and then, with another flick, he sent a second strike, hidden within the swirling dust, flying out.

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