Desolate Ancient Martial God

The journey to Red Moon Camp was smooth and uneventful. Upon arriving, Ye Ling and the others received a carriage loaded with valuables, sealed tightly in a fine iron box, and began their return along the original route.

“What exactly is in this box?” Li Feng asked, casting a curious glance at the sealed container on the carriage.

“It doesn’t matter what it is,” Ye Ling replied firmly. “Even if you knew, would you dare to take it? If any sect valuables are opened during transport, the sect will hunt you down. The important thing now is to complete the mission and claim the 20,000 contribution points.”

Li Feng scratched his head awkwardly. “I was just curious.”

After the long journey, Xiao Yun, whose Qi Sea was only 30% full and whose injuries had yet to fully heal, looked visibly pale and was even short of breath.

“Brother Xiao, are you tired? Do you want to rest?” Ye Ling approached him with concern.

“No, there are still forty miles left. Let’s keep going,” Xiao Yun replied, shaking his head.

“I already said this guy is useless,” Huo Lian sneered, his voice laced with contempt. “He can’t help at all, and now we even need to look after him. He’s nothing but a burden.”

Ye Ling was about to retort when a sudden rumble echoed through the air. Massive boulders and logs tumbled from the hillside, crashing onto the path and blocking the road.

The horses reared in panic and bolted.

Immediately after, more than a dozen masked men appeared atop the hillside, weapons in hand and fierce gazes fixed on Ye Ling’s group below.

“No… it’s the Cangshan Bandits!” Huo Lian shouted, his voice trembling.

Hearing those three words, everyone’s expressions changed drastically.

Anyone who had been in the Heavenly Net Sect for even a year would have heard of the Cangshan Bandits.

This ruthless group of thieves roamed the Heavenly Net Sect’s territory, looting and slaughtering with abandon. Their methods were cruel, and few who encountered them lived to tell the tale.

“There are fourteen of them, far more than us, and one of them is at the ninth level of Qi Refining. There’s no choice—we need to abandon the mission. If the valuables are lost, the mission will fail, but if we stay, we’ll lose our lives,” Huo Lian said quickly.

Then, his eyes fell on Xiao Yun.

“You! Go lead them away. Buy us some time to escape,” Huo Lian ordered coldly.

Xiao Yun didn’t respond, ignoring him entirely.

“Useless fool! I asked you to draw a few of them away, and you won’t even move! What’s the point of you being here?” Huo Lian barked angrily.

“Brother Huo, that’s too much!” Li Feng stepped forward. “The enemy is the Cangshan Bandits. Asking Brother Xiao to stop them is the same as sending him to his death!”

“At worst, we abandon the mission,” Ye Ling said resolutely, gritting her teeth. “Brother Xiao, don’t worry about the mission. We’ll retreat.”

Compared to a mission, their lives were far more important. Missions could always be retaken, but once a life was lost, there was no coming back.

“No need to retreat,” Xiao Yun said quietly. His calm gaze turned toward the bandits. “We just need to take action and deal with them.”

“You’re delusional,” Huo Lian snapped. “Do you really think you can handle the Cangshan Bandits with your seventh-level Qi Refining cultivation? If you don’t leave now, you’ll just die here.”

“I may not be smart, but I’m still smarter than you,” Xiao Yun replied evenly.

He looked at Huo Lian coldly. “The Cangshan Bandits are notorious for their cruelty. Wherever they appear, no one survives. If these truly were Cangshan Bandits, do you think we’d even have a chance to escape?”

Huo Lian’s eyes flickered, but he refused to meet Xiao Yun’s gaze.

“Enough talk!” Huo Lian suddenly barked, waving his hand. The masked men atop the hillside immediately charged down, surrounding Xiao Yun and the others.

Ye Ling and the others’ faces paled. Even a fool could see that these so-called “Cangshan Bandits” were working with Huo Lian.

“Why?” Ye Ling demanded, her voice trembling with anger as she stared at Huo Lian.

“Why?” Huo Lian sneered. “Because of the 20,000 contribution points, of course! I already thought splitting it among four people was too much. Then you brought in this useless trash, and now there’s five of us? I don’t want a share—I want it all!”

As he spoke, Huo Lian’s gaze wandered greedily over Ye Ling’s figure.

Ye Ling was known as one of the most beautiful female disciples. Though she usually dressed plainly, her natural beauty was undeniable. Huo Lian had long coveted her but never had the chance to act. Today was an opportunity he wouldn’t let slip.

Thinking of what was to come, Huo Lian licked his dry lips.

“So, you had these people ambush us, pretending to be Cangshan Bandits, to scare us off. Now that we won’t leave, you’ve decided to force us instead?” Ye Ling asked bitterly.

“Your body might be injured, but your brain still works. So what?” Huo Lian sneered, his tone mocking.

“Huo Lian!” Bu Feiyan suddenly stepped forward, her expression cold. “You and these outsiders dared to rob the valuables of Heavenly Secrets Hall. If the sect learns of this, you and your accomplices will be hunted down. If you retreat now, we’ll pretend this never happened.”

“Will the Heavenly Secrets Hall know? No—because the dead don’t speak.” Huo Lian’s smile was sinister and cold.

Ye Ling and the others’ expressions changed drastically. They hadn’t expected Huo Lian to plan on killing them.

“Ye Ling, don’t worry,” Huo Lian said, his tone turning lecherous. “I’ll give you a chance to live. As long as you serve me well and satisfy me, I’ll let you live. As for you two,” he pointed at Li Feng and Feiyan, “whoever kills that useless man first can walk away alive.”

Li Feng clenched his teeth, his face pale, while Feiyan’s expression grew tense.

“I’ll kill you!”

Ye Ling’s anger exploded as she slashed at Huo Lian with her sword. The eighth-level Qi Refining energy burst forth. Her green sword fell like a descending leaf—seemingly slow, yet incredibly fast.

Huo Lian sneered, extending his hand. Sharp iron claws gleamed on his fingers as he caught Ye Ling’s sword directly.

The sword froze in place, unable to advance further. Ye Ling was momentarily locked in position.

Seeing an opportunity, Li Feng and Feiyan charged from two different directions, attacking Huo Lian together. Their only chance of survival was to overwhelm him, then use Huo Lian to force the fake “Cangshan Bandits” to retreat.

“Get back!”

With a powerful shake, Huo Lian flung Ye Ling away. Then, with a kick, he struck Li Feng and Feiyan in the shoulders, sending them flying backward. Both landed hard on the ground, coughing up blood.

Ye Ling’s face turned pale. She hadn’t expected that even with their combined strength, the three of them couldn’t defeat Huo Lian.

“You think the likes of you can challenge me?” Huo Lian snorted disdainfully.

“Let me try.”

Xiao Yun’s calm voice cut through the tension. Before anyone could react, he leaped forward and drew his blade, slashing at Huo Lian.

“You? A useless man who doesn’t know his limits?” Huo Lian sneered. “They couldn’t do it, and neither can you!”

He lunged, his iron claws reaching for Xiao Yun’s head with blinding speed. As his fingers closed in, Huo Lian’s lips curled into a victorious grin.

But the moment his claws touched Xiao Yun’s head, he grasped at nothing but air.

His smile froze. Xiao Yun had disappeared.

What?

Before Huo Lian could comprehend what happened, a terrifying sword aura erupted in front of him.

A chilling sense of danger shot through Huo Lian’s body. Desperately, he twisted to dodge, but the sword aura was too fast. He barely managed to avoid a fatal blow, but his left shoulder, left arm, and left leg were severed in one clean strike.

Huo Lian collapsed to the ground with a shrill scream of pain.

Sword cultivator!

Ye Ling, Li Feng, and Feiyan stared in shock at Xiao Yun. He now stood in the center of a storm of sword energy, his presence overwhelming.

Only sword cultivators could unleash sword energy.

The masked men pretending to be Cangshan Bandits froze in terror, their faces pale. They quickly scattered in every direction, fleeing the scene. Though their leader had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, they were merely hired casual cultivators—not sect-trained martial artists. Compared to Huo Lian, they were far weaker.

“Take me with you! I’ll pay you double—no, three times as much!” Huo Lian screamed at the retreating men, but none paid him any attention. They had already abandoned him.

Seeing Xiao Yun approach, Huo Lian’s face drained of all color.

“I… I’m a descendant of the Huo family! If you kill me, my family won’t let you go! My cousin is an inner sect disciple!” Huo Lian shouted desperately, his voice trembling.

Inner sect disciple…

Ye Ling, Li Feng, and Feiyan stiffened.

The difference between outer sect and inner sect disciples was like night and day. Outer sect disciples were considered lesser members ofthe Heavenly Net Sect, while inner sect disciples were the true elites. If Huo Lian had a relative in the inner sect, killing him could bring serious trouble.

Seeing their hesitation, Huo Lian gritted his teeth and barked, “What? Are you scared? If you’re afraid, help me up! And you—useless man—cut off your own arms! When my cousin arrives, I’ll deal with you myself. The 20,000 contribution points will be mine as well!”

Crack!

Xiao Yun’s foot stomped down on Huo Lian’s right arm. The sound of shattering bones echoed through the forest as Huo Lian screamed in agony.

“Don’t kill me! I don’t want anything—not even the contribution points!” Huo Lian pleaded, his face twisted in pain and terror.

“It’s too late,” Xiao Yun said coldly.

In one swift motion, he slashed the Hundred Refinement Iron Knife across Huo Lian’s neck.

Huo Lian’s body stiffened, his eyes wide with disbelief before life left him entirely.

For Xiao Yun, killing Huo Lian was a simple decision. A man like him deserved no mercy. If left alive, Huo Lian would seek vengeance without hesitation. Not only would Xiao Yun suffer, but Ye Ling, Li Feng, and Feiyan would also be dragged into the chaos.