The dawn broke, and across the clean blue sky, a sheer, rosy gauze slowly began to unfurl. The azure twilight quietly seeped through the jagged mountain passes, slipping through dense thickets, even sliding beneath fallen leaves, pervading every corner, dressing the earth in preparation for the arrival of the sun's brilliant radiance.

Before Xujia Fortress, the fierce atmosphere preceding a massive battle saturated every nook and cranny.

Above and below the battlements, it seemed everyone understood this was the final confrontation; they waited silently for this moment to arrive.

Yet, when the sunlight flooded the land, what they awaited was not a bloody, chaotic melee, but a thunderous roar that split the heavens.

Within that single, drawn-out cry, it seemed the entire heaven and earth changed color, and a deafening buzz resonated in everyone's ears.

The expressions of all those present shifted, and looking toward the direction the sound originated from, they felt an overwhelming sense of impending doom.

Suddenly, the howling cry that seemed to fill every corner of the world ceased. The sound had arrived so abruptly, and its stopping was equally unexpected.

For a moment, the overwhelming noise flooding their ears vanished instantly, creating an extreme sense of unease. Anyone whose internal Neijin cultivation was weaker than the Seventh Layer felt their legs involuntarily turn to water.

Hai Huijiao was the first among them to regain her composure. Although her Neijin was not the strongest among all the bandits, she was undoubtedly the most composed and quickest to react.

At this moment, her face had completely drained of color, and deep terror etched itself into her eyes.

But this expression flashed across her face only for an instant, immediately replaced by a demeanor as if nothing unusual had occurred. "This person is formidable; he cannot be fought by one man alone. Brother Xu Hanbai, please lead the two hundred 'Fierce Tiger' suicide squad as the first wave of obstruction. Brother Zhong Wei, please command the 'Wolf Fang' reserve unit; if this individual manages to break through the Fierce Tiger squad, you must engage immediately, ensuring this person does not derail our grand offensive plan. Chieftain Guan Qing, Second Chieftain Guo Shaofeng, please commence the assault on the fortress according to the original plan now. As for my husband and I, we will remain in the center to coordinate and support as needed."

The assembled leaders hesitated, a sense of ominous foreboding rising within them, feeling that something was profoundly wrong. However, ever since they were stalled before Xujia Fortress, Hai Huijiao had served as their strategist; every action had been planned by her. Now that Xujia Fortress was cornered within five days by these unruly bandits, she was largely responsible for their success.

So, despite their unsettling premonition, after a brief pause, they chose to trust her guidance.

Four thousand-plus bandits, all powerful cultivators—surely they wouldn't be scattered by a single shout?

Those who were named were all grand masters of the Tenth Layer Neijin; their movements were swift. Within a few leaps, they had reached their pre-assigned positions.

Seeing them depart, Hai Huijiao immediately pulled Lan Hanyang's hand and melted into the crowd, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Forget everything else; let's change clothes quickly and go..."

Lan Hanyang started. "Why are we leaving?"

"If we don't leave now, it will be too late," Hai Huijiao said, her face pale with terror. "The one who arrived is a Xiantian expert."

Lan Hanyang’s expression did not change drastically. After hearing that earth-shattering roar, a vague sense of recognition had already dawned upon him.

After all, he himself was a peak late-stage expert of the Tenth Layer Neijin, only a hair's breadth away from the legendary Xiantian realm.

If even he was horrified by the sound, the arrival must indeed be a Xiantian expert.

He lowered his head slightly. "Madam, we have four thousand men here; can we still not defeat a single Xiantian expert?"

The name Xiantian expert had long been woven into countless legends among the great aristocratic families and top-tier cultivators. However, the number of cultivators who had actually witnessed a Xiantian expert was extremely small.

Although legends depicted the strength of Xiantian experts as impossibly high—super-tier masters who could not simply be overwhelmed by numbers—before truly seeing their power, everyone inevitably held onto a sliver of fantasy in their hearts.

It wasn't just Lan Hanyang; the others felt the same way. Otherwise, they would likely have already scattered like frightened birds and disappeared.

Hai Huijiao's face suddenly turned deathly pale. She stated grimly, "Chieftain, listen to me. Change clothes and leave quickly!" She composed herself. "Unless we are on the open plains of Tai'a County with ten thousand elite cavalry to strike and kill, ordinary forces cannot contend with a Xiantian expert."

In her heart, there was another sentence she did not speak.

Even under those circumstances, the Xiantian expert they could handle would only be the most rudimentary level; if they had advanced further within the Xiantian realm, sheer numbers would truly be useless against them.

Fortunately, she could discern from the roar that the Xiantian expert appearing now was only of the lowest tier; otherwise, even if they changed clothes, escape would be impossible.

Lan Hanyang’s expression flickered several times. He hesitated. "But... them..."

"It's this late; must we still speak of loyalty?" Hai Huijiao tightened her grip. "We came to help fight, not to throw our lives away. Fine horses and treasures are wonderful, but only if we live to enjoy them."

Lan Hanyang finally ceased his objections, following his wife into the crowd, and with the cover of a few trusted confidants, changed into common attire.

※※※※

Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng reached the very front line. Waving their great sabers, they shouted sternly, "Men! Ahead lies Xujia Fortress, filled with countless gold and countless beauties! Once we take it, everything inside will be yours!"

Guan Qing's voice was fierce, and his words were blunt and direct, which was precisely why they could maximize the awakening of the bandits' savage nature.

Following the fierce shout, the many bandits seemed to have forgotten the heart-shaking roar that had just silenced everyone. Under the leadership of the two chieftains, Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng, they charged toward the breaches in the fortress walls.

In mere moments, they reached the openings. Before them stood the last defensive line, composed of servants and retainers from the three families, along with the guest fighters. Even Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng each found their respective old masters.

They all knew this was the moment of life or death. Every individual gripped their weapons tightly, the distance between the two sides shrinking, their eyes reflecting a mixture of tension and excitement. At this juncture, no one had room left to retreat.

The eyes of those in the front rank already reflected the silhouettes of their enemies. They could even hear the heavy breaths escaping from their own mouths, those of their comrades, and even those of the enemies ahead. The battle was imminent.

Suddenly, they heard another earth-shaking sound—a fierce roar that seemed impossible for a human throat to produce.

Even amidst such intense, poised tension, even for the bandits on the very front line, their bodies quivered. The tense, hair-raising atmosphere seemed to dissipate under the impact of that great shout.

Everyone turned their heads or looked up, their gazes sweeping past thousands of bandits, settling on the rear direction.

There, the man had finally arrived, engaging with the 'Fierce Tiger' Two Hundred Suicide Squad, renowned throughout Tai'a County, positioned at the rear.

Then, a flash of light—an endless stream of light—filled everyone's eyes...

※※※※

"Form up! Draw blades..."

With a colossal shout, Xu Hanbai, the Fierce Tiger, stood majestically at the mouth of the official road, gripping his Nine-Ring Great Saber.

Behind him stood two hundred men he had personally selected and trained—a suicide squad whose prowess alone was enough to strike terror into every faction in Tai'a County.

These men were the strongest elites among the Fierce Tigers, and thanks to his countless efforts, they had finally coalesced into a small unit resembling a true army.

In this tight-knit group, even the weakest individual possessed the cultivation of the Seventh Layer Neijin. Moreover, these men worshipped him as a deity and would never defy his command.

It was precisely relying on this unit that the Fierce Tigers had earned such great notoriety; even facing the two chieftains of the Red Scarf Bandits or the couple, Lan Hai, he dared to meet them head-on with this suicide squad.

Now, following his booming order, the two hundred men behind him simultaneously drew their blades.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if they were one entity. A terrifyingly powerful, murderous aura instantly condensed into a single point. Even a Tenth Layer Neijin master might hesitate to charge directly into such a formation.

Toward the suicide squad, the figure approached like a flying dart. Looking at this man who commanded such immense presence, their faces contorted into vicious snarls, each one erupting with their full savage might.

They were utterly convinced that when the Two Hundred Suicide Squad advanced under the leadership of their great chieftain, they would be invincible and unstoppable.

No matter who came, they would not breach their defense line; they would instead break their heads and bleed before him, ultimately losing their lives.

This was not blind confidence; it was the result of decades of accumulated combat experience, a confidence as unshakeable as the tallest, most majestic mountain.

Suddenly, the man drew near. He tossed something into the air, then leaped high. As everyone looked up, they saw...

A flash of light!

※※※※

He Yiming moved with astonishing speed, his figure like a ball of cloud, like a sudden shower; the Cloud and Rain Evasion Art was pushed to its absolute limit in an instant.

Rushing from the county seat to Xujia Fortress was certainly not a short distance, nor was it too far. The only issue was that when he started his journey, it was already late.

Fortunately, just as he could vaguely sense the tall, dark walls ahead, the first ray of sunlight had just barely peeked out.

A long shout perfectly expelled the frustration and excitement building in his heart, making his speed increase by another three parts while already at its maximum.

Before him materialized a formation of two hundred men. This formation did not appear very deep, but when these two hundred men drew their blades, the powerful, battle-hardened killing intent and conviction instantly shot toward the sky.

In He Yiming's perception, this aura seemed to subtly transform into a vast mountain—a steadfast, immense, and utterly indestructible mountain.

His gaze swept over the bandits slowly advancing at the very front; they were already nearing the fortress walls, where several breaches indicated the intense carnage of the past few days.

He Yiming’s heart began to pound violently, as if an extraordinary power exploded from his chest, instantly surging through every cell of his body.

His eyes widened, and he let out another furious roar, a short, shattering blast of anger that shook the soul like a thunderclap in a clear sky.

Facing the Two Hundred Suicide Squad that resembled a towering mountain, a peculiar scene suddenly flashed through He Yiming's mind.

It seemed he was no longer on this perilous battlefield, but had returned to the mountaintop where he once achieved enlightenment.

The great mountain was majestic; the mountain rain was long and continuous.

Though the fine mountain rain lacked the power of a tempest, it seemed soft and without force; even when it landed on a person, it left only a slight damp mark.

However, beneath the mountain rain, the entire peak was enveloped, leaving no apparent omission—neither the massive, ancient trees nor the newly sprouted, tender shoots were spared its coverage.

In that moment, He Yiming's heart suddenly understood.

He seemed to have grasped the Way of the Mountain Rain: seemingly not strong, yet omnipresent...

The muscles on his back suddenly convulsed. The Great Saber, weighing three hundred and sixty pounds, was unexpectedly flung high by the muscles on his back.

He Yiming pushed down with his feet. While suspended in mid-air, his hands swept out, and the saber sheath was abruptly dragged away; the three sections of the Great Saber snapped together instantly.

Facing the gradually spreading daylight, the massive, fierce saber head reflected a blinding gleam of light.

In an instant—just a single instant.

That ray of light transformed...

One became two, two became three, and then multiplied infinitely.

Light—countless rays of reflected light scattered down like the soft, drifting mountain rain. Gentle, they washed over everything.

The entire two-hundred-man suicide squad was enveloped in a sea of light!

Dispelling the prior atmosphere that could swallow mountains and rivers, He Yiming’s aura instantly shifted after his heaven-shaking roar, transforming from ultimate rigidity and power to ultimate Yin and softness.

Innumerable beams of light, like countless raindrops, permeated every inch of space below, turning that stretch of official road into the mountain peak from that early morning, soaking it thoroughly under the assault of the mountain rain.

※※※※

Beneath the mountain rain was fresh air. But beneath the saber light was a bloody massacre.

Suddenly, all the light vanished.

He Yiming’s body drifted across the official road as if weightless, still moving forward at a blazing speed.

The Two Hundred Fierce Tiger Suicide Squad, personally led by Fierce Tiger Xu Hanbai, had failed to impede him for even a moment; he had cut through them with a single slash, breaking through instantly.

The terrain of Xujia Fortress was not flat; it was built sloping downward, meaning the ground rose the closer one got to the castle.

Everyone on and outside the walls watched the spot. When the expanse of light disappeared, a moment of stunned silence fell across the entire battlefield.

Where the two hundred and one members of the suicide squad had stood, they were gone.

They had all vanished completely.

In that place remained only a mixed slurry of blood and flesh. In the eyes of the onlookers, there was only crimson blood, and more crimson blood.

Two hundred and one men—not one could any longer be called human. Including the Tenth Layer Neijin master, Fierce Tiger Xu Hanbai, everyone had been reduced to chunks of bloody meat, mixed together indistinguishably.

With a single slash, the two hundred and one were utterly dismembered, severed by the myriad streaks of light generated by the Great Saber into a pool of blood and a forest of ruined flesh.

No one knew how many cuts that person had delivered within that burst of light, but everyone clearly saw it.

In that single moment, the renowned Fierce Tiger Suicide Squad of Tai'a County ceased to exist, vanishing without a trace.

Cold—an icy chill permeated everyone present.

Not only did all the bandits instantly turn pale and lose their courage, but the garrisoned retainers and guest fighters manning the walls felt it just as acutely.

The might of one saber was irresistible...

The figure dancing in the air instantaneously swelled limitlessly in the eyes and minds of all spectators.

In that instant, he seemed to transform into a demon king from the Nine Hells, eternally and indelibly etched into the deepest recesses of everyone's hearts.

※※※※

A shadowy figure in black suddenly launched himself from the crowd behind.

This man’s face was stern and cold. While everyone else stood slack-jawed, he bolted toward the flank like a wildcat. His speed was unparalleled; in the instant he started running, he had already covered more than ten meters.

On the battlefield, which was as quiet as the grave, amidst the petrified crowd, the movement of this one man immediately drew countless gazes.

In almost a single breath, everyone clearly saw that this person was Zhong Wei, the chief leader of the Wolf Fang.

Zhong Wei was known for his caution and cunning. When Hai Huijiao instructed him to prepare for the second wave of interception, his heart was filled with uncertainty. Although he had never met a Xiantian realm expert, he had heard rumors about such masters.

Whether he believed them or not, he was certainly not as arrogantly self-assured as Xu Hanbai.

Therefore, while assembling the bandits, he kept a close watch on the front lines, eager to see if the so-called Xiantian expert was truly as exaggerated as the rumors suggested.

However, what happened next vastly exceeded his expectations. The power of that single saber strike had thoroughly shattered his courage, extinguishing any shred of will to resist within him.

Seeing He Yiming soaring through the air, rushing toward his position like a streak of lightning down the official road, his heart immediately leaped into his throat. At this moment, his only thought was to flee as far away from this harbinger of death as possible; he was willing to pay any price to put distance between himself and He Yiming.

Thus, without a second thought, he spun around and fled sideways, daring not to hesitate.

However, He Yiming, still airborne, had already taken in the entire scene on the battlefield. While everyone else was frozen in place—or perhaps had not yet recovered from the previous saber strike—this suddenly leaping, fleeing figure was exceptionally conspicuous.

Following that previous devastating blow that transformed into rain, He Yiming’s imposing aura had already reached its zenith; even when he defeated Lü Xinwen last time, his spirit had not soared so fiercely toward the heavens.

Flipping his wrist, the Great Saber twitched suddenly. The immense Xiantian True Qi within his body poured into the saber like a flowing Milky Way, reaching the edge of the blade.

Enormous power instantly condensed into a single point, and a sliver of blue light flickered uncertainly at the blade's edge.

Unlike the last time, this saber projection was not metallic in color, but the deep azure of the vast ocean.

After the blade light pulsed three times in rapid succession, He Yiming swung his arm, his saber tip aimed directly at the fleeing Zhong Wei.

As if suddenly possessing intelligence, the saber projection clinging to the blade’s edge shot out.

A streak of azure light instantly ripped through the sky. This strike seemed to tear through the void, or perhaps traverse endless space.

Almost the moment the saber projection left the blade, it left a clearly visible azure trail in the air, which immediately reached behind Zhong Wei.

Though a top-tier late-stage master of the Tenth Layer Neijin was far inferior to a Xiantian expert, he still sensed the arrival of mortal danger.

Almost instinctively, Zhong Wei swept his hand to his waist, drawing a soft sword. Neijin instantly surged into it, causing the soft sword to snap rigidly straight, emitting a "hissing" sound like a viper striking.

Then, without looking back, he thrust the soft sword behind him.

Having been a bandit for many years, his mastery over this soft sword had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

Supported by powerful Neijin, the soft sword instantly formed an impenetrable net behind him. Even a barrage of concealed weapons would find it impossible to break through his sword net.

The two individuals—one striking with a saber from the air, the other blocking with a sword on the ground—were separated by less than half a breath before the saber projection clashed with the sword net.

"Crack..."

A colossal sound erupted, like a massive stone shattering a glass wall. The dense sword net, which appeared tightly woven, shattered completely in an instant.

The blade seemed to cleave through the solid wall without hindrance, like a sharp knife slicing through taut paper, passing through the rapidly charging Zhong Wei without the slightest pause.

Zhong Wei kept running as if he felt nothing, then, suddenly, before the eyes of all onlookers, his upper body pitched backward, flying into the air amidst a storm of bloody spray. Yet, his lower half continued to pump forward at lightning speed.

But as he ran, blood erupted as if it were an endless spring, spraying over the landscape; even those watching from high atop the city walls could seemingly smell the tragic, terrifying scent of iron.

Only after charging nearly a hundred meters did the lower portion of his body abruptly crash to the ground, twitching as it bled its final drops onto the earth.

For so much blood to pour from a single body was simply unimaginable. Anyone who witnessed this scene would feel a chill sinking deep into their very bones.

A piercing scream suddenly erupted from the remaining upper half of Zhong Wei, a sound that seemed the most tragic the world could produce, venting the heart-wrenching agony and gut-wrenching despair like a bursting mountain flood.

This scream acted as a signal; once loosed, it completely shattered the current stalemate.

"Run..."

No one could tell whose voice it was, but after a moment of stunned silence, the four thousand bandits immediately turned tail and fled in all directions like dogs who had lost their way.

Before the city walls, the bandits who hadn't yet fully engaged the three opposing forces paid no mind to the enemies nearly within arm's reach. They all spun around and fled into the distance at speeds several times faster than when they arrived.

Some masters who had reached the eighth or ninth layer of Internal Strength, seeing their own men blocking the path ahead, actually raised their weapons high and mercilessly hacked forward.

In an instant, miserable wails became incessant. The four thousand bandits trampled one another; though many were practitioners with some foundation, it was precisely because they were practitioners that the destructive force they unleashed was even greater.

In just a moment, over a hundred lives were lost or injured by their own comrades.

When He Yiming landed from the air, the scene before him was one of utter chaos.

Watching these figures scramble away as if they had grown four extra legs, fleeing for their lives across the hills and plains, a question suddenly surfaced in his mind.

How was the Blood Butcher, Lu Xinwen, able to slaughter the entire thousand-person lineage of an ancient family back then?

Were those people complete idiots, that they wouldn't flee even after a Xiantian expert displayed such overwhelmingly powerful strength?

At that moment, he heard a voice like a rolling thunderclap: "Yiming, Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng are here! Don't let them escape!"

He Yiming turned, glanced swiftly, and immediately saw four figures locked in combat before the city wall.

He paused his steps, then shot forward like a meteor chasing the moon. Once his speed reached its peak, utilizing his cloud-like, rain-like movement technique to its utmost, he instantly transformed into a streak of light smoke, arriving outside the city wall within a few breaths.

Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng had long since noticed He Wude and Xu Yinjie, but similarly, the two elders had fixed their gazes upon them.

As the sharp gleam of the blade flashed, He Wude and Xu Yinjie instantly recognized that terrifying weapon. Though they couldn't comprehend why He Yiming had suddenly become so inexplicably powerful, both elders performed the single most correct action: they tightly engaged Guan Qing and Guo Shaofeng.

If these two scourges were allowed to escape today, Tai Cang County would surely never know peace again.

He Yiming’s ghost-like, phantom movements were at their absolute limit of speed. He arrived below the wall faster than anyone could imagine, raising his great broadsword high, like the scorching sun ablaze at high noon...

Ps: Although there are two chapters today, the update already totals fifteen thousand characters. Please vote on Monday...