The North Sea Demon King's face showed towering fear as he opened his bloodied mouth and bellowed, "Explode for me!"

As soon as the word "explode" escaped his lips, his oversized torso and arms burst apart violently, becoming fragmented, before shrinking into the size of a human form. This human-sized form did not become paralyzed and swiftly contracted, diving into the water and disappearing without a trace.

At the very instant the North Sea Demon King made his escape, the remaining hundreds of Demon Frogs also plunged into the Luoo River, vanishing from sight.

Wang Xiaoqiang fired an arrow into the void, poised to dive into the water in pursuit, but then he heard that same voice say, "Do not pursue a desperate enemy!"

Wang Xiaoqiang hesitated upon hearing this, and then saw a sudden flash appear in front of him, as four figures emerged from the east, south, west, and north.

The figures were three men and one woman.

The eldest among them was about forty years old, and the youngest was the woman, who appeared to be about twenty-five years of age, similar in age to Wang Xiaoqiang.

Yet the cultivation base of these four was not low.

The woman, despite her young age, astonishingly possessed the cultivation of an Eightfold Body of the Immortal Venerable.

The remaining three men were all warriors on the Immortal Sage Level.

Among them, the eldest man around forty years old had the highest cultivation, reaching the Third Layer of the Immortal Sage.

Wang Xiaoqiang thought to himself that it was no wonder the North Sea Demon King fled so quickly, it was not only fear of my arrows, but most likely also out of wariness of these four strong allies.

After their appearance, the four swiftly converged in one place, right in front of Wang Xiaoqiang, with all eight pairs of eyes examining him with a mixture of curiosity and admiration.

Wang Xiaoqiang clasped his fists, saying, "Many thanks to the four of you for coming to my aid. Otherwise, who knows how much longer the fierce battle would have lasted?"

The leader at the Third Layer of the Immortal Sage gestured with his hand and smiled amicably, saying, "Wang Xiaoqiang, no need for formalities, actually, we did not come specifically to help you. The North Sea Demon King is a sworn enemy of us Immortal Heroes, and we are both responsible and obligated to slay him. In truth, we were after him too."

"Ah," Wang Xiaoqiang responded with a sudden realization, then he asked another question that brought a smile to one's face, "You are Immortal Heroes... Immortal Heroes, which sect are you from?"

The woman among them couldn't help but laugh softly, saying, "Immortal Heroes is not a sect nor an organization, but a title."

"A title... ah, I understand now," Wang Xiaoqiang recalled the martial arts novels he had read on Earth and had a sudden insight, saying, "Immortal Heroes are cultivators who uphold martial justice, right?"

The woman smiled gently, saying, "You are quite astute. That is basically true, but to be called an Immortal Hero is not just about upholding martial justice. At the very least, one must have slain over a hundred Demon Species and a dozen Demon Generals to dare call oneself an Immortal Hero..."

The Immortal Sage at the Third Layer waved his hand and laughed, saying, "Wang Xiaoqiang, don't listen to her, it's not like that. Actually, as you said, any cultivator who upholds martial justice can be called an Immortal Hero... Immortal Heroes do not belong to any nation, for example, I am not from the Yellow Dragon Empire, and these three are not all from the Yellow Dragon Empire either. Immortal Heroes who uphold martial justice do not concern themselves with national borders. For instance, on this demon-slaying mission, we have crossed dozens of empires, and in any nation where we encounter demons, we slay..."

Wang Xiaoqiang was deeply moved by this and bowed solemnly, saying, "Ah, my utmost respect to the four Immortal Heroes. Forgive my ignorance. May I ask for your distinguished names?"

"My name is Zhao Changtian," said the Immortal Sage at the Third Layer, introducing himself, and then pointing to the woman who had just spoken, he said, "Her name is Guan Qingsi."

"Hello, Wang Xiaoqiang," Guan Qingsi appeared quite approachable and flashed Wang Xiaoqiang a brilliant smile, her eyes crinkling delightfully, revealing a set of fine, pearly teeth.

It was only then that Wang Xiaoqiang noticed the woman called Guan Qingsi might not seem stunning at first glance, but she had a very approachable look that grew on you, the kind that was very resilient to scrutiny and quite charming. Especially striking was her long black hair, extremely thick, spread over her shoulders, glossy like black satin, with a high, elegant hairdo secured by a green jade hairpin.

Efficient, simple, modest, generous, lively, with a hint of allure.

Wang Xiaoqiang stared at her in a daze for a moment before quickly bowing his head and saying, "Guanguan, hello."

"What? Guanguan...?" Guan Qingsi exclaimed in surprise with a blush.

The other three chuckled, their faces showing a teasing expression.

"I'm only twenty-three years old, you know? Calling me Guanguan makes me sound old even when I'm not," Guan Qingsi scolded Wang Xiaoqiang with a roll of her beautiful eyes.

"Uh, I'm really sorry! I'm not very observant, please forgive any offense," Wang Xiaoqiang said with embarrassment, thinking to himself that Guan Qingsi looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. How could she only be twenty-three? Female cultivators should all have techniques to retain their youth; shouldn't they look younger as they train, not older?

"Ah, it's not Wang Xiaoqiang's fault. Who asked you, a young lady, to run around like a man all day? With the wind and sun and half a year without once taking a bath, it'd be weird if you didn't look older..." a man behind her joked.

He was cut off mid-sentence as Guan Qingsi elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a shy, annoyed glance, saying, "You're the one who doesn't bathe for months on end. I bathe once a week."

"Alright, quit the ruckus. Come, Wang Xiaoqiang, now that you've met everyone, this is Li Xingtang, and this, Wang Dali, who is a genuine native of the Yellow Dragon Empire," Zhao Changtian introduced the two men behind him.

Wang Xiaoqiang greeted the two with a fist and palm salute, "Big Brother Li, Brother Wang, my respects."

Li Xingtang and Wang Dali returned the gesture, both grinning widely, each with an air of straightforwardness.

Wang Xiaoqiang thought to himself, Immortal Heroes truly are extraordinary; they all have a spirited, forthright vibe, a sense of chivalry from the Martial World. Indeed, he must make good friends with them. With this in mind, Wang Xiaoqiang asked, "Hey? Brother Zhao, how did you know my name?"

"Pfft, the champion of this Armor Snatching Tournament from the Yellow Dragon Empire, the Thousand-House Marquis from Yue Land—your name, Wang Xiaoqiang, has already spread far and wide," Zhao Changtian said, showing a face full of admiration, and added, "But Wang Xiaoqiang, what we admire isn't that you won the championship, but your spirit of standing up to power and daring to fight against the privileged..."

Wang Xiaoqiang did not expect that his reputation had spread beyond his own borders, nor that his actions would earn such admiration. He felt a bit proud inside, but he didn't dare show it and humbly said, "Ah, Brother Zhao, you flatter me. There's really nothing to it. You just don't know the full story... By the way, brothers and Guanguan, since you're here in Yue Land, why not come to my place? I'll provide a feast to wash away the dust of travel, and we can chat more over a few drinks, how's that?"

Hearing Wang Xiaoqiang call her Guanguan again, Guan Qingsi rolled her beautiful eyes at him and pouted her red lips but said no more.

The three men, hearing the promise of drinks, all showed excitement on their faces and, with a salute, said, "We'll be imposing on you then!"

"Please, no need for formalities, brothers!" Wang Xiaoqiang said and then led the four Immortal Heroes toward the Marquis' Mansion in Luoo River City.

Wang Xiaoqiang's avatar stayed behind to take care of the aftermath.

First, he instructed Little Qing to place Dai Yu on the painted boat, then he ordered the soldiers guarding the city to send Dai Yu and the remaining eight scholars back to their homes. He also personally visited the family of the scholar who had died, to offer them comfort. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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