Just as he tried to open his mouth to shout, Wang Xiaoqiang pounced, pinning him to the ground, and just as a sound was about to escape his lips, a hand accurately covered his mouth.

The man's eyes bulged, as if trapped in a nightmare, filled with terror.

Wang Xiaoqiang whispered beside his ear, "Your life isn't worth much. If you cooperate nicely, I won't kill you."

The man nodded vigorously.

Wang Xiaoqiang released his mouth.

The man gasped like a stranded fish, panting and saying, "Ask whatever you want, I will spare no details and hide nothing."

Wang Xiaoqiang asked, "I want to know your identity."

"Black Armored Guard."

"Whose?"

"Hua Shao City Lord's Mansion, from the Hann Family."

A chill ran through Wang Xiaoqiang's heart. He continued, "The Hann Family? What is the Hann Family doing here?"

"They came here looking for a man named Wang Xiaoqiang to seek revenge..."

"On whose behalf?"

"For our Third Young Master, Hann Beifeng!"

A realization dawned upon Wang Xiaoqiang. He further inquired, "Who else came along?"

"The family's Third Young Miss and, and the four Guest Elders of the Hann Family."

Wang Xiaoqiang let out a cold laugh.

Seeing Wang Xiaoqiang's cold laugh, the man trembled and said in panic, "Hero, you... you won't kill me, right?"

"Do you know who I am?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked.

The man shook his head blankly, "No, I don't know."

"Well, let me tell you, I am Wang Xiaoqiang." As Wang Xiaoqiang said this, he laughed again, differently from his previous cold laugh; this time it was utterly sincere.

The more sincerely he laughed, the more terrified the man became, shaking his head vigorously.

"You are an honest man, a pity that you picked the wrong side!"

Wang Xiaoqiang extended his hand, placed it on the man's forehead, and knocked him unconscious.

Then, he took out a Dagger Fish, sliced open the man's abdomen, released 300 Spiritual Springs, and absorbed all the Spiritual Power and True Yuan from his body,

Pupu pupu pupu pupu pupu pupu pupu pupu pupu...

The 300 Spiritual Springs split into 600. At that moment, the number of Spiritual Springs in Wang Xiaoqiang's body reached 16,200, taking a small step forward toward the Second Transformation of the Immortal.

…

Hann Beifeng, born into the City Lord's Mansion of the Hann Family, later joined the Five Spirit Sect and reached the position of Sect Leader—no easy feat, but unexpectedly, he died an untimely death.

Furious, the Hann Family, upon learning that Wang Xiaoqiang was the murderer, sent people to the Mystic Yin Mountains for revenge. Hann Huaiyu, Hann Beifeng's sister from the same mother, personally led the team, including four Guest Elders of the Hann Family and a group of Black Armored Guards.

However, after several days of searching without a trace of Wang Xiaoqiang, an elder Guest Elder noticed a red cloud in the sky and realized the Spirit Turtle was transforming into a Dragon. Thus, they hurriedly rushed to the location where the Dragon Horn Turtle was transforming.

At that time, they were quite far from where the Dragon Horn Turtle was transforming. Hann Huaiyu, having practiced an incomplete version of the Thunderclap Silent Strike mental method, suffered a Qi Deviation, falling from the Fourth Transformation of the Immortal to the Third. The forty Black Armored Guards appeared to be in the Solidification Realm, and the accompanying four Guest Elders were all experts above the Fifth Transformation of the Immortal, with one having advanced to the Eighth Transformation and the others at the Sixth Transformation.

Although their cultivation was quite high, for the sake of Hann Huaiyu's safety, the four Guest Elders of the Hann Family also dared not stray from the group. Therefore, at that time, Hann Huaiyu sent only ten Black Armored Guards to compete for the Demon Core, but they were still a step too late.

The ten Black Armored Guards failed to gain the upper hand and, after turning back, reported the situation to Hann Huaiyu. Undeterred and ignoring the advice of the four Guest Elders, she insisted on investigating the matter herself.

Hann Huaiyu had come to the Mystic Yin Mountains on this fateful journey to kill Wang Xiaoqiang in order to avenge her brother. Her father, Hann Chengfeng, did not approve, but he couldn't refuse his precious daughter and reluctantly agreed. Although he agreed, he did not dare to be careless, providing her with forty Black Armored Guards and assigning the family's four Guest Elders to accompany her.

This trip into the mountains was not solely for the purpose of killing Wang Xiaoqiang, but also to hunt for Demon Crystals and, more importantly, to hone her own skills in preparation for next year's Armor Snatching Tournament.

Although the group was moving swiftly, the guards still maintained a semblance of formation.

Suddenly, a guard from the rear ran forward to report, "Miss, one person from the back ranks stepped out to relieve himself and has not yet returned. I'm afraid something unexpected may have happened, so I'm here to report!"

Hann Huaiyu kept walking and said indifferently, "Understood."

The man sulkily withdrew.

At that moment, a thunderous roar was heard ahead, and a Three-Eyed Ape, towering three zhang tall, burst out from the dense forest and blocked the path of the advancing team. Its massive body was like a mountain range.

Shocked by this sudden appearance of the giant beast, the leading ten Black Armored Guards immediately halted their march. Although startled, they did not panic. Facing the danger, they lined up neatly and raised the Spirit Soldiers in their hands.

Synchronously, the twenty Black Armored Guards on either side also quickly got into formation and raised the Spirit Soldiers in their hands.

"Three-Eyed Ape!"

The Guest Elder, who possessed the Eighth Transformation of the Immortal, cried out in shock and then loudly cautioned, "This malevolent beast is a Tenth-Level Demon Barbarian, a Three-Eyed Ape, whose demonic power is extremely formidable. We must handle it with care!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the other three Guest Elders also became cautious, activating their Spiritual Energy Protective Shields, and kept their gazes fixed on the monstrous beast before them.

This Three-Eyed Ape had previously roared in anger due to the loss of its Demon Core. Dominating the area for ten miles, it seemed impossible on its own turf to have missed grabbing the Demon Core first. It was natural for it to be furious.

It wanted to find the one who had stolen the Demon Core.

Now, having abruptly encountered a group of Immortal Cultivators, it mistook them for the thieves and immediately erupted in rage, charging towards the Black Armored Guards ahead.

"Slash!"

The commander of the Black Armored Guards immediately ordered as the Demon Beast charged towards them.

At his command, the ten Black Armored Guards raised their Spirit Soldiers and simultaneously struck out.

Suddenly, ten streams of Spiritual Energy, sharp like knives and swords, howled as they rushed towards the Three-Eyed Ape in front.

The form of the Three-Eyed Ape was hindered by the ten sharp streams of Spiritual Energy, letting out a painful howl. Though no visible wounds were seen, the pain from the Spiritual Energy was inevitable.

By now, it was completely enraged.

Leaping forward to the front of the formation, it swung its massive claw, sending two Black Armored Guards flying with mouths spurting fresh blood. It was clear they were not going to survive.

Seeing this, the frontline Black Armored Guards all collapsed, scattering and fleeing in all directions as their formation dissolved into chaos.

"Kill!"

At this command, the Black Armored Guards on both sides simultaneously released the Spirit Soldiers in their hands.

The swoosh of the wind whistled as twenty Spirit Soldiers, all enhanced with Spiritual Energy, struck together at the massive body of the Three-Eyed Ape.

As the Spirit Soldiers made contact, the Three-Eyed Ape waved its arms and knocked several Spirit Soldiers away, but still, numerous Spirit Soldiers landed on its body.

"Howl!"

The Three-Eyed Ape lifted its face to the sky and let out a painful howl as it rushed straight towards Hann Huaiyu and the five others.

Under the protection of the four Guest Elders, Hann Huaiyu quickly retreated.

The Black Armored Guards on either side rapidly shifted forward in position; the twenty men had already recalled their Spirit Soldiers and aligned neatly, holding them high.

"Slash!"

Following the command, twenty Spirit Soldiers simultaneously descended, and twenty streams of Spiritual Energy shot out from them, howling as they sped towards the charging Three-Eyed Ape. Each stream of Spiritual Energy might not be very potent individually, but their strength lay in their numbers. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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