Bill sneered, concluding the two must be greenhorns just starting out. Attack Bill’s band of horse thieves at night? Did they think they’d get into a brawl with him? Wrong! Horse thieves are always about efficiency; if they can shoot you dead, they absolutely won't resort to melee!

Thwip, thwip...

The instant six bandits raised their crossbows level with their shoulders, Qian Jin struck first, seven slender throwing knives already grasped in his palm.

Suddenly! At such close range, the knives were faster, more unexpected, and caught the bandits completely off guard compared to the crossbows! The images of the flying knives were still lingering in the pupils of the six bandits when a bloody hole appeared in their brows, the knives embedding themselves deep into the wooden wall behind them without so much as a smear of blood on the blades.

Bill slowly staggered backward, his wrist shield on his left arm only just reaching his chest. The image of the knives hadn't faded from his eyes; he stared at Qian Jin in disbelief, the last thought echoing in his mind: This young man is no rookie!

Throwing knives? Mu Ne Tian Ce lifted an eyelid slightly. He actually had this ability? This was even more terrifying than a bow and arrow!

The surrounding bandits paused in stunned silence. Qian Jin flicked his wrist, unleashing several more knives, while at the same moment, intense magical energy surged from a nearby wooden hut!

Mages! And not just one! Qian Jin raised an eyebrow. Over the rooftop of the hut, more than a dozen fireballs, each the size of a washbasin, had already gathered. Propelled by a sudden gust of wind, they hurtled towards them in an instant.

“Fall back!”

Mu Ne Tian Ce shouted, retreating rapidly, his gaze fixed on the hut in shock. Mages here? There were rarely mages among horse thieves, and the Bill Marauder Group wasn't exactly a major force—how could they have mages? Had this group been keeping a low profile all along?

The red spheres slammed into the ground, erupting in a spectacular burst of crimson firelight. The frigid battlefield instantly saw its temperature surge. The bandits finally shook off their stupor. Despite the scattering sparks, not a single one fled; instead, they gripped their weapons and charged directly toward Qian Jin and Mu Ne Tian Ce.

Years of bloody conflict had taught the bandits clearly what Qian Jin and his companion were there to do; there was only one way to survive: eliminate these two!

Fireballs and blades of wind formed above the hut. A single Earth Spike shot out from directly behind Mu Ne Tian Ce, utterly silent and creeping from the ground. The appearance of this spike was so bizarre, so strange! It carried almost no discernible magical essence for others to sense.

Thump! Mu Ne Tian Ce was kicked squarely in the rear, flipping in mid-air as he lashed out, kicking a bandit away. Turning back, he saw the earth spikes, taller than two men, where he had just been standing. Was that… Third Brother? No! Impossible!

Qian Jin kicked Mu Ne Tian Ce away. Dou Qi flowed into his horse-cleaving saber; the black cloth wrapped around the blade disintegrated under the surge of power, revealing the weapon’s savage true form.

Several bandits who had rushed close paused upon seeing the horse-cleaving saber. What kind of weapon was that? Such a massive blade!

Mu Ne Tian Ce landed, staring dumbfounded at the towering earth spikes. The biggest problem for mages was the magical fluctuation that occurred when casting spells—much like an archer drawing a bow, making it easy to be detected.

To overcome this, many mages dedicated their studies to finding solutions, gradually developing methods. However, most required groups of mages working within specialized magic arrays to achieve success. Only a select few magical geniuses, those with extraordinary control over elemental forces, could truly manage it independently.

This wasn't simply a matter of the mage’s rank; perhaps even an Archmage couldn't manage it. Yet, a mere magic apprentice could accomplish it with ease. In a sense, this was an ability exclusive to those mages with specialized talent in this specific area.

Counting all the mages in the entire Zhence Dynasty's Magic Guild, you could count them on one hand. Coincidentally, one person in the Zhence Imperial Family possessed this gift: Chang Kong Zhen Ce!

The Third Prince of the Zhence Dynasty, a true genius who cultivated both Dou Qi and magic! His proficiency in both disciplines wasn't merely that of a casual dual-cultivator; he had genuinely reached a significant height in both.

The Earth Spike was precisely Chang Kong Zhen Ce’s signature spell. When cast, it generated no magical fluctuation, nor did it carry any killing intent. Relying on this unique capability, the Third Prince of the Zhence Dynasty had secured considerable merits on the Human-Demon Battlefield.

He was once considered the primary heir apparent to the next generation of the Zhence Imperial Family!

“Third Brother? Impossible!” Mu Ne Tian Ce completely forgot he was on a battlefield, staring blankly at the rigidly upright earth spikes. I must be overthinking this! It has to be me overthinking!

Pfft!

The bandit who rushed toward Mu Ne Tian Ce suddenly split open, scalding blood spraying onto the Sixth Prince’s body. It was like a basin of ice water thrown in his face, wrenching him from his daze back to reality. His sharp horse-cleaving saber struck the ground and wobbled violently.

“Do you want to die?” Qian Jin projected his saber over the distance, then raised his hand to use Shattering Earth Strike, shattering the wooden shield of an opponent, crushing another's throat, and roaring, “What are you doing?!”

What was he doing? Mu Ne Tian Ce’s eyes lit up. He grabbed the saber, held it horizontally across his chest, and unleashed successive bursts of Dou Qi fueled by his Dou Xin—Demon Slaying Strike One, Strike Two, Strike Three… up to Demon Slaying Strike Seven!

In an instant, Mu Ne Tian Ce’s power surged. His feet planted firmly, his body soared like a soaring dragon. With every step, Dou Qi exploded beneath him. His extraordinary bearing swept away all prior dejection as he cut down the enemies blocking his path and bolted toward the wooden hut.

The sturdy wooden door was more fragile than paper before the Ji Du Horse-Cleaving Saber. Wood chips flew everywhere as Mu Ne Tian Ce, like a dragon, burst into the room. The sixteen mages hiding inside were all startled—the door had been reinforced with a special magic array.

“This is…” Mu Ne Tian Ce froze, looking at the magic array on the ground. Although the array appeared ordinary, one detail was different! Though hidden deeply, it carried the unmistakable flavor of the Four Symbols Transformation Array uniquely devised by Third Brother.

“You all…” Mu Ne Tian Ce began to speak, but then he saw the faces of the sixteen mages suddenly twist. Their entire skeletal structure began to rotate with unbelievable sounds. The magic crystals surrounding the array wildly channeled energy into the sixteen mages’ bodies, causing them to inflate rapidly like balloons—expand, expand, expand!

Veins, thick and dark green like ancient earthworms that had struggled long in the soil, crawled across the faces of the sixteen mages, mapping out both agony and ferocity.

This is? Not good!

Mu Ne Tian Ce stomped his feet and retreated sharply, his saber cleaving through a bandit rushing toward Qian Jin, yelling, “Dodge!”

Dodge? Qian Jin saw the urgency in Mu Ne Tian Ce’s eyes. He stopped holding back his internal Dou Qi. Just as Mu Ne Tian Ce rushed close, Qian Jin grabbed him, activating Myriad Shadows and pushing his body to the absolute limit regardless of the strain.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Qian Jin ignored the requirement for his feet to leave no imprint while activating Myriad Shadows; he sacrificed everything for speed. The powerful recoil thrust his body toward the outside of the stockade. The wooden hut housing the mages behind him exploded violently at that exact moment. A massive pillar of fire shot skyward, countless wind blades scattered like shattered razor shards, and earth spikes erupted from the ground like sudden spring bamboo shoots.

The intense shockwave slammed into the backs of Qian Jin and Mu Ne Tian Ce, launching both men violently back dozens of meters.

Rumble...

The two tumbled over the ground like rag dolls for nearly twenty meters before finally stopping. A searing pain pulsed across their backs. Mu Ne Tian Ce bled from several dozen wounds across his back.

Qian Jin’s skin was only slightly flushed red; his clothes, however, were less fortunate, exposing his healthy, wheat-colored back.

“Heh heh,” Mu Ne Tian Ce pushed himself up from the ground, rubbed his thumb, index, and middle fingers together, and refurled his slightly tattered folding fan, slowly waving it as he stared at the devastated stockade. “That was close…”

Qian Jin remained silent, nodding repeatedly as he looked at the ruins. That was dangerously close. But how could such a small-time Bill Marauder Group possess such formidable strength? It made no sense!

“Alive…” Mu Ne Tian Ce adjusted his sitting posture slightly, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back, leaning against Qian Jin’s back and tilting his head up with a faint smile. “It feels so good to be alive.”

Qian Jin reached into his Dou Realm and produced a bottle of self-mixed medicinal liquid, handing it to Mu Ne Tian Ce.

“I have some too…” Mu Ne Tian Ce began, but upon taking Qian Jin’s potion and sniffing it, he paused slightly. This medicine…

“Thanks!” Mu Ne Tian Ce uncorked the potion immediately, first smearing it on his hands, then applying it to his back.

“Young Master…”

Mu Ne Tian Ce frowned as Tie Nan rushed over. “I was nearly killed just now.”

Tie Nan knelt instantly, bowing low. “It is Tie Nan’s fault.”

“You didn’t die,” Hong Zhe Ling Guan yawned. “Why kneel?”

Mu Ne Tian Ce sighed, looking at Tie Nan’s self-reproachful face. Tie Nan had been watching over him since childhood; he probably intended to let Mu Ne Tian Ce experience real life and death, but the situation had simply escalated beyond anyone’s expectations.

Earth Spikes… Magic Array… Self-detonation…

A chill ran down Mu Ne Tian Ce’s back. He subconsciously scanned the endless darkness around them, trying to find something, but ultimately found nothing.

Did Third Brother really make a move? Mu Ne Tian Ce gently shook his head. No! Third Brother’s goal was the throne, but he wouldn't move against me! Yet, how could the situation just now be explained? Few people knew I had entered the Northern Wastes, and almost none knew what I was doing there.

Although Third Brother didn't know my specific mission in the Northern Wastes, with his methods and capabilities, tracking my whereabouts and general objectives, and making arrangements in advance without my knowledge, wouldn't be difficult.

Third Brother, is it really you? Mu Ne Tian Ce looked up at the starry sky. They say royalty is ruthless, but the six of us brothers always had a good relationship growing up! Does this observation mission of Qian Jin in the Northern Wastes have to include some unexpected takeaways I don’t want?

“How did it feel just now?” Hong Zhe Ling Guan asked Mu Ne Tian Ce, “Experiencing life and death alongside the person next to you—how did that feel?”

Feel? Mu Ne Tian Ce smiled. “Quite comfortable.”

“Just that?” Hong Zhe Ling Guan frowned, staring at Mu Ne Tian Ce.

“Just that,” Mu Ne Tian Ce countered, looking up. “What else did you expect?”