"Brother Teng, what's happening up ahead?" Li Jun also opened the curtain of the carriage to inquire.

Teng Qingshan looked ahead. Before them, a dense mass of soldiers was setting up camp, stationed in the open wilderness to the left of the main road. At first glance, it was a sea of people, incredibly crowded. But looking closer, even though countless soldiers were encamped there, the main road itself had not been occupied.

Travelers could still pass through as usual.

"It's an army setting up camp," Teng Qingshan chuckled.

"They're setting up camp before the sky is completely dark?" Li Jun asked, surprised.

Old Wang next to them chuckled, "Miss Xiao Jun, along the sides of this main road, some parts are barren mountains, and some are farmland. So many soldiers require a vast area to camp. Places like that aren't common! If they proceeded further, there might not be enough space left for them to rest."

Li Jun's face flushed slightly upon hearing this.

"Continue forward!" Teng Qingshan then said with a smile.

Da! Da! Da!

The two Red Wind Battle Hounds pulled the carriage forward swiftly, while the beast-youth riding the camel-like beast kept muttering, "Ah-hou... Ah-hou..."

They gradually approached the military camp.

Near the main road, quite a few soldiers stood holding their sabers or long spears. They eyed Teng Qingshan’s group passing by with ill intent. Teng Qingshan sat casually at the front of the carriage, his right hand gripping the Samsara Spear! Li Jun peered out through the window.

"Haha, pretty little thing, give us a smile!"

"Tsk, tsk, quite a handsome girl!"

The soldiers, having just finished dinner and bored, immediately started shouting and laughing.

"Hmph." Li Jun immediately pulled the curtain shut, blocking the window, and refused to show her face again.

"The little beauty is angry!"

"Little beauty, don't rush off!"

Seeing Li Jun withdraw, the soldiers laughed so hard they doubled over. However, despite their frivolous teasing, not a single soldier dared to obstruct Teng Qingshan and his party. This was due to military regulations; the road saw many travelers, and the army's high command naturally forbade their subordinates from obstructing anyone.

"The discipline of this army seems quite strict," Teng Qingshan let out a slight smile. But as they advanced, Teng Qingshan’s expression grew less pleasant, and his brow furrowed.

From the carriage, Teng Qingshan caught sight of—

In the center of the army camp beside the main road, there were massive numbers of slaves, men and women, mostly adults or adolescents, with their hands bound at the wrists by ropes. There were no children or elderly among them. All the slaves had dirty faces and tattered clothing, guarded closely by numerous soldiers.

There were many slaves, divided into several large piles!

Each pile contained over a thousand individuals!

"So many slaves?" Teng Qingshan frowned and muttered.

"Proprietor," Old Wang beside him said in a low voice, "The great families are fighting amongst themselves these days, and many of the defeated become slaves. Looking at this army... they are likely transporting slaves from somewhere toward Nanshan City!"

Nanshan City—the most prosperous metropolis on the Duanmu Continent.

The slave trade was certainly most developed in Nanshan City.

"Slaves..." As the carriage moved forward, Teng Qingshan suddenly saw a military officer approach another cluster of slaves ahead.

The officer scrutinized the group, then roughly grabbed a frail woman, messing with her disheveled hair.

"Look up!"

The officer barked coldly, examined her carefully, a slight smile appearing on his face, then casually commanded, "Take this woman to my main tent!" The slave woman’s eyes were wide with terror.

"Yes, My Lord."

Two soldiers behind him immediately responded and moved to seize the slave woman.

"No, no, My Lord, spare me, spare me!" The slave woman immediately pleaded, but the two soldiers were strong and completely ignored her begging. One grabbed her shoulders, the other her legs, lifting her directly up!

"Let her go!" A man nearby roared.

"Let my sister go!"

Two men, though their hands were bound, struggled and violently charged, knocking one of the soldiers down. "You dare rebel!" A nearby guard watching the slaves immediately swung his long whip, lashing it hard across the body of one of the slave men.

Smack! Smack!

The whips cracked against flesh, the sound making the other slaves tremble. The two slave men writhed on the ground from the blows.

"Damn it, whip him harder, how dare he bump into me!"

"Hurry up!" The officer commanded coolly.

"Spare them, I'll go with you, I'll go with you," the slave woman broke down.

"Have the guts to kill me instead, death is nothing. Damn dogs." The slave man who was being whipped roared out in agony.

...

Witnessing this scene, Teng Qingshan sighed internally. There were indeed a great number of slaves on the Duanmu Continent; truly... slaves had virtually no autonomy; their very existence was controlled by others.

"These people have probably only just become slaves and still possess the will to resist," Old Wang shook his head and sighed. "Wait until they've suffered enough hardship and their hearts have hardened. They will become numb." No one could help these slaves, not even the powerful Thunder Blade Heavenly God 'Duanmu Yu'.

At this moment, Teng Qingshan and Old Wang failed to notice the beast-youth. Because the beast-youth was in front of the carriage, Teng Qingshan could not see his face, which was contorted into something terrifying!

"Heh heh~~"

The beast-youth stared fixedly at the scene ahead, memory after memory flashing through his mind: being captured by slave traders as a child, followed by repeated horrific experiences. His deepest hatred was reserved for those humans who captured, beat, and killed slaves!

Those humans were the ones he loathed the most!

Over a decade of hatred!

"Want to die? Once you're a slave, you can't even die easily. Let him taste a little fun. Just don't kill him; we still need to sell him for silver."

"Yes, My Lord!"

The beast-youth watched the scene, his eyes beginning to glow crimson! He was a wild beast; once enraged, he dared to kill anything. Even Fang Li, in those days, dared not approach the furious beast-youth lightly.

"Roar~~"

A roar echoed across the wilderness.

"Not good!"

By the time Teng Qingshan heard the roar, the beast-youth had already darted into the ranks of the soldiers. The beast-youth, like a raging animal, sprinted on all fours, blood splashing wherever he went, followed by continuous screams of agony. In the blink of an eye, he reached the guard post where the slaves were kept.

"Ah!"

The beast-youth snatched up the soldier who was torturing the male slave.

"Let him go!" The officer, who had walked some distance away, turned back, saw the sight, and immediately roared in fury. The surrounding soldiers were momentarily stunned—where had this madman sprung from? But immediately, anger flared. Someone had dared to charge their army single-handedly!

"Roar~~"

The beast-youth held the soldier high above his head, his face savage.

"Let me go, let me go," the soldier shrieked.

With a surge of strength in both hands—

"Chii~~"

The soldier's body was torn apart, spraying blood everywhere.

"Kill him for me!" The officer bellowed in rage.

"Heh heh~~~" The beast-youth emitted strange noises from his throat, covered in blood, and leaped out again. Anyone who dared to obstruct him, he would kill!

But this time... he did not succeed!

"Stop!" A sudden, deep roar resonated, like rolling thunder from the heavens.

Teng Qingshan grabbed the beast-youth by the shoulder. No matter how hard the youth struggled, he could not break free. Teng Qingshan turned, his own crimson eyes staring fixedly at the beast-youth, who let out low growls. Teng Qingshan looked at him coldly, applying just enough pressure to cause the beast-youth extreme pain.

"Kill!"

"Kill him!"

The soldiers surged forward, countless saber strikes descending, spears thrusting! Teng Qingshan held the Samsara Spear in his other hand. Instantly, the spear transformed into ten thousand shadows. A cacophony of clattering sounds followed as every single weapon was sent flying. The soldiers who had surrounded Teng Qingshan and the beast-youth stared with wide eyes.

"This, how could this..."

Each soldier looked down at their empty hands, then back at Teng Qingshan, their eyes filled with sheer terror!

"What's going on?" A dissatisfied, angry shout rang out.

Two figures approached from not far ahead: an old man wearing a hat and opulent robes, and beside him, a powerfully built man with a stern face, carrying a massive saber on his back. His gaze was like lightning, striking fear into the heart.

"Steward Mu!" The military officer immediately bowed respectfully.

"What is happening here?" the old man asked, displeased.

The officer spoke with utmost deference, "That mad-like youth suddenly attacked. In just the blink of an eye, we lost three brothers, and several others were injured. I ordered him killed, but this young man in white suddenly appeared, subdued the mad youth, and simultaneously blasted away the weapons of the surrounding soldiers."

"Oh?" The old man glanced around, a flicker of shock in his heart.

To repel all weapons attacking from every direction instantly without injuring anyone—this indicated formidable strength.

"Who are you? How dare you run roughshod over our camp," the old man said, looking at Teng Qingshan.

Teng Qingshan held down the beast-youth with one hand and said calmly, "My subordinate disciple harbors deep hatred for those who escort and traffic slaves. Your men torturing slaves just now must have enraged my disciple, causing him to charge in... resulting in several deaths on your side. This is my failure in discipline; I ask for your forgiveness."

"Charging our camp and killing my men, you think a single sentence will settle it?" The old man’s face darkened. "I asked who you are; you have yet to answer!"

"I am Teng Qingshan!"

Teng Qingshan smiled faintly at the old man. "Might I ask who you are?"

The old man replied equally coolly, "I am Mu Wan, steward of the Rising Sun Merchant Guild... This army belongs to the Rising Sun Merchant Guild... These slaves were purchased at great expense by the Rising Sun Merchant Guild. Since your disciple has killed my men, how about this: you, as the teacher, will accompany me for a trip."