"Don't listen to the bandits' boasting, everyone speed up and shake them off!" Zhu Chongshi commanded loudly.

Instantly, the teamsters fiercely whipped their horses, urging them faster.

The cargo carts bumped violently, but fortunately, the crates had long been secured tightly to the wagons with ropes. Both the cargo wagons and the horse-drawn carriages surged forward at full speed. This was a flight for their lives; no one hesitated. The Black Armored Army soldiers formed the rear guard, staying behind to stop the bandits from pursuing.

"Two thousand bandits ten li away?" Du Hong gasped, "Qingshan..."

"Whether it's true or not is still hard to say." Teng Qingshan watched the speed of the carts and carriages, sighing inwardly. The cargo wagons were running for their lives, yet their speed was agonizingly slow, making Teng Qingshan helpless. If only the Black Armored Army were alone, they would have vanished like a gust of wind long ago. But the cargo made things troublesome.

"Hahahaha... You still don't believe me? Truly, you won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Fine, I will chase you slowly now. Let you see for yourselves whether it's true or not!" That voice boomed across the heavens and earth. To project a voice over such a distance undoubtedly meant the speaker was a master with profound Inner Strength.

Teng Qingshan turned his head to look—

Indeed, the bandits were running at a leisurely pace. Given the pathetic speed of the cargo wagons, the bandits could have easily caught up quickly.

"It seems there really is an ambush," Teng Qingshan frowned.

"This is troublesome now," Du Hong also grew worried.

...

"Hmph, in killing you, the fewer of our brothers die, the better." The First Chief rode his warhorse, chasing slowly behind. The three thousand brothers he led only had one thousand bandits mounted on warhorses. Because they were chasing slowly now, two bandits shared one horse. This allowed the two thousand mounted bandits to keep pace, with another thousand bandits running behind them.

"Once both sides converge, they won't have a wing to fly away!" The First Chief's smile grew ever more triumphant.

...

The convoy fled desperately, but after a while, everyone's expression changed.

Rumble~~~

That violent tremor of the ground came from ahead.

"There really is an ambush, and there are many of them!" Zhu Chongshi looked far into the distance. Dense shadows were rapidly approaching from that direction. Even from this far away, one could sense the ground shaking from that area, suggesting the astonishing number of bandits.

Zhu Chongshi glanced ahead, then looked back. Behind him, the First Chief was leisurely following with his main force.

"These bandits of Xuyang Commandery dare to actually target cargo protected by the Black Armored Army," Zhu Chongshi cursed inwardly. This shipment was extremely important to him. He had pondered for a long time before hiring the Black Armored Army personnel. In Zhu Chongshi's view, weak bandit groups would simply be slaughtered by the Black Armored Army. Powerful bandit groups should know better than to provoke the Black Armored Army, understanding that attacking cargo under their protection would invite severe retaliation! Zhu Chongshi believed that strong bandit groups would exercise caution and refrain from acting.

But...

Zhu Chongshi had forgotten!

Bandits live by putting their necks on the line every day; they are all prone to taking risks. Perhaps some powerful bandit groups hesitated to act out of fear of the Black Armored Army. However... Xuyang Commandery was one of the two most chaotic commanderies among the thirteen in Yangzhou, where the influence of bandits was most rampant. It was entirely normal for a crazed bandit group to emerge.

...

"Kill them all clean. How will the Guiyuan Sect know who did it?" The First Chief coldly watched the scene. In the distance, the convoy had stopped. The road ahead and behind were both blocked by bandits. The sides of the official road were farmland, the soil extremely muddy—any person stepping into it risked sinking deep. Whether it was warhorses or cargo wagons, once they entered, moving forward would be incredibly difficult. With thousands of bandits swarming in, there would be nowhere to escape.

...

"Hahahaha... I am very reasonable! If you leave all the cargo and all your silver and gold, I will let you live," the voice of the First Chief echoed in the sky.

"Mighty sir, you can have this cargo; you cannot use it anyway," Zhu Chongshi laughed loudly. "How about this: I offer you one hundred thousand taels of silver! Sir, allow us to leave with the cargo... That way, no one gets hurt, and everyone is satisfied. If a fight breaks out, too many deaths won't be worth it. Now, if none of you die, you get one hundred thousand taels of silver—isn't that better?"

On the bandits' side:

"Big Brother, what that man said makes sense. If we demand more silver, no one has to die," someone beside him said, looking at the First Chief. The First Chief glanced at him and snapped, "Third Brother, is your head filled with feces!"

The First Chief then said loudly, "I said, the cargo and all the gold and silver, and I will let you live!"

Just then—

"You must be the First Chief of this group," Teng Qingshan, mounted on the Scarlet Blood Horse, spoke coldly. "Stop trying to deceive people! If we leave the cargo and the gold and silver, we are afraid that the moment you collect it, you will use that opportunity to launch a sneak attack and kill us all, right?"

The First Chief's face changed. That was precisely what he had been thinking. Because... anyone who dared to rob cargo and wealth protected by the Black Armored Army could never be allowed to live; they all had to be wiped out. Otherwise, the inevitable revenge from the Black Armored Army would be disastrous.

"Listen to me!"

Riding the Scarlet Blood Horse, Teng Qingshan shouted coldly, "For any cargo protected by my Black Armored Army, no one has the right to plunder it! You have been blinded by greed, daring to steal cargo protected by my Black Armored Army! I, the Commander of the Third Battalion, First Company, of the Guiyuan Sect's Black Armored Army, declare here today: If you dare to plunder the cargo today, then... within half a month, your entire faction will be reduced to ashes!"

The First Chief choked.

Teng Qingshan sneered, "Don't think about silencing me; if I wanted to escape, none of you could stop me! Be smart, clear the way and let us leave, or else... Hmph, when the Black Armored Army marches down, we will flatten your faction." Every word Teng Qingshan spoke carried the explosive force of Inner Strength. The sound echoed in the sky, heard clearly by the thousands of bandits present. All the bandits felt a stir of panic, including the First Chief, who felt a measure of dread.

"Brothers, we live by licking blood off the edge of a blade. What are we afraid of? If our heads fall, it's just a big scar!" the First Chief roared, his face contorted. "Damn it, we have five thousand brothers here. If we let this small group of people leave alive, what face will we have left? We might as well kill ourselves!"

"That's right, we five thousand heroes, what's there to fear!" voices howled.

"Damn it, anyone who dares to retreat is a spineless coward!!!"

The roars made the bandits' eyes turn red. Bandits live by licking blood off the blade and hate nothing more than being called cowards. Moreover, they had five thousand men—what was there to fear?

"Archers, shoot!" the First Chief suddenly commanded.

...

Teng Qingshan and his men’s faces changed drastically.

Zhu Chongshi shouted, "Protect the wagons!" Immediately, more than half of the surrounding guards took out huge square shields and formed a circle around the wagons, completely shielding them.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...

Dozens of archers lined up on both sides of the bandits, some already positioned in the muddy fields. The archers on both sides shot arrows wildly; the arrows came down like rain, attacking furiously. The Black Armored Army soldiers closed their helmet visors and lowered their heads. The arrows striking their bodies did nothing.

Teng Qingshan was slightly more inconvenienced, riding his horse to the side of the wagon to use it as a shield against the arrows from behind, and using his long spear to block those coming from the front. In truth, the arrows striking Teng Qingshan would not have even pierced his skin, but he did not wish to reveal his secret.

"Kill!" Teng Qingshan ordered.

"Kill!" The two teams of ten charged forward again. Even facing an army of thousands, the Black Armored Army knew no fear.

"Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!"...

A series of heavy sounds was heard. In front of the bandit ranks, iron-cast objects suddenly appeared, nearly half a meter high, with sharp spikes facing the charging warhorses.

"Caltrops!" Teng Qingshan’s expression changed.

The mass of caltrops, layered one after another, would stop the Black Armored Army even if they broke through the first layer. They would be completely blocked, unable to charge. The inevitable outcome would be the enemy swarming them, pulling the riders off their horses, which would spell disaster.

"Stop!" Teng Qingshan commanded.

"Hahahaha... Playing with warhorses? Hahahaha, with these caltrops, let's see how you charge!" The First Chief laughed wildly. "Brothers, let's kill!" Instantly, many bandits jumped off their horses and charged forward. The caltrops prevented the warhorses from charging, but it didn't significantly impede human runners.

"Brother Qingshan, what now?" Zhu Chongshi grew anxious at the sight. He was unwilling to accept this! What had he sought after years of drifting overseas? He was unwilling to let this cargo be seized.

"Everyone, retreat and protect Master Zhu Jiu," Teng Qingshan said coldly.

"Yes!" the Black Armored Army soldiers responded, but they looked at Teng Qingshan in confusion. What was he planning to do?

"Rumble~~~"

At this moment, a massive tide of bandits seemed to surge forward, with large numbers also flooding in from behind.

"Whoosh!" Teng Qingshan leaped from his warhorse, launching himself forward like an arrow. After landing, he strode forward directly toward the mass of bandits.

"Hahahaha... He dares to fight my thousand-strong army alone? Does he think he is a Xiantian expert? Brothers, kill him, kill him!" the First Chief laughed wildly. Facing the surging tide of bandits, Teng Qingshan charged forward alone.

"Kill!" The bandits viciously brandished their blades and spears, surging toward Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan’s gaze was sharp as he fixed on the First Chief, and finally, his spear moved.

When he was ten, even numerous wolves couldn't inflict the slightest scratch on Teng Qingshan; now, did these bandits think they could kill him?

Spear Technique—Hunyuan Yi Qi!

"Puff!" "Puff!" "Puff!"...

The bandits directly in front of Teng Qingshan were all sent flying backward, coated in blood. The numerous bandits were like surging waves, and Teng Qingshan was the warship breaking through them! Unstoppable!

"Kill him, quickly, charge, kill him!" The First Chief was startled. "Iron chains, iron chains, trap him!"

"Boom!"

Teng Qingshan charged forward like a porcupine covered in spear tips; anyone he collided with was riddled with holes and sent flying. No one could stop Teng Qingshan’s progress.

"Quick, stop him, kill him!" The First Chief now wanted to retreat, while several elite experts beside him swung iron chains.

"Die!"

Teng Qingshan roared suddenly, like spring thunder from clear skies, and his speed abruptly increased. He actually leaped into the air.

"Leaping up?" The eyes of those elite bandits lit up, and they immediately threw out their iron chains.

"Whizz!" "Whizz!" "Whizz!"

Three throwing knives shot out, killing four elite bandits; one throwing knife simultaneously pierced two men. Terror filled the eyes of those bandits, but they were already dead.

Teng Qingshan stepped on the head of one bandit and, like a hurricane, dove toward the First Chief.

"Perish!" The First Chief swung his long saber directly at Teng Qingshan in mid-air.

"Hmph!"

Teng Qingshan gave a violent shake of his long spear. The spear moved like a fiery wheel, smashing over ten nearby bandits within a two-zhang radius away. This included the First Chief! As the First Chief was thrown backward, he couldn't believe it: "I, I am also a Houtian peak master, yet this, this..." His tiger's mouth was already split open. He fell heavily to the ground, still unable to comprehend.

"Whoosh!" Teng Qingshan moved like a phantom!

Teng Qingshan reached out and grabbed the First Chief by the throat, hoisting him up.

"Stop!"

Teng Qingshan roared, the sound echoing between heaven and earth. His cold, sharp gaze swept around. The bandits were completely stunned. Even the Black Armored Army soldiers, the convoy guards, and Zhu Chongshi and his men watched this scene in shock. All the bandits stopped wielding their weapons, staring blankly.

Teng Qingshan stared at the First Chief dangling from his grasp and said coldly, "I said, your men could not stop me."

"Ah, I!" The First Chief tried to speak, but the grip on his throat prevented him. In the history of Teng Qingshan's past life, examples of seizing a general's head amidst a thousand troops were countless. Today, Teng Qingshan had demonstrated this skill. With his current spear technique, these bandits couldn't even impede his steps. However, to protect Zhu Chongshi and the others... Teng Qingshan decided to use swift, decisive force to capture the enemy leader first. Capture the king before capturing the army!

"Hmph!" Teng Qingshan tossed the First Chief aside. The First Chief stumbled back two or three steps before regaining his balance.

The First Chief stared at Teng Qingshan in horror. He couldn't understand why the gap between them was so vast. Were the masters of the Guiyuan Sect truly this powerful?

"Lord Commander, Lord Commander!" The First Chief swallowed and stammered, "It was our overestimation! I will immediately order my men to leave and absolutely not obstruct Lord Commander!" Both Teng Qingshan's spear skills and the throwing knife technique that instantly killed four of his elite men filled him with terror.

"Yes, we retreat, we leave now," the Second Chief and others nearby also cried out in fear.

"Everyone, clear the way and let Lord Commander and his people pass!" the First Chief roared. Immediately, the bandits opened a wide path.

Teng Qingshan stared at the First Chief, his gaze ice-cold: "Oh, you think you can just send us away like this? Plundering the cargo protected by my Black Armored Army... This is a capital crime. You think you can just let it go?"