The Villain Became the Protagonists’ Nightmare

Chapter 7: The Dreaded Black Wind Bandits:

Now, with Divine Qi the size of a basketball, much larger than that of typical Martial King Realm cultivators, how could Xiao Lingfeng not be satisfied?

However, he didn’t relax.

He knew that the reason he had such an abundance of Divine Qi was due to the perfect-grade Martial King Pill, not his own abilities.

With his breakthrough complete, he wanted his spirit beast to advance as well.

He rolled up his right sleeve, revealing a bracer on his right arm, which featured a black gemstone.

This was a sixth-grade Spirit Storage Stone, capable of storing a sixth-level beast, and he had bought it at a high price.

After all, he was very wealthy, and those who followed him couldn’t live in poor conditions. Moreover, his ambitions were vast, so he purchased this Spirit Storage Stone.

However, the beast inside the stone should belong to his third identity, the one despised by everyone.

Hence, he didn’t make the Spirit Storage Stone into an obvious spirit beast bracelet. Instead, he bought a piece of fifth-grade black iron, crafted it into a bracer, and embedded the gemstone in it.

Since warriors weren’t afraid of extreme temperatures, he usually wore long sleeves, which naturally concealed the Spirit Storage Stone.

At this moment, Xiao Lingfeng activated the Spirit Storage Stone, and a burst of black light erupted from it.

When the black light dissipated, a huge black wolf appeared in the secret chamber.

This black wolf stood over six meters tall and was nearly thirteen meters long.

Although the beast was intimidating, it wasn’t unusual on the Martial God Continent, where much larger beasts roamed.

However, hearing the name of this black wolf would strike fear into most people within the Tianyun Empire.

The fierce Black Wolf King was a peak fifth-level beast, and had power comparable to a peak Martial Commander Realm cultivator. But its true terror lay not in its strength but in what it symbolized: the most formidable bandit group in the Tianyun Empire, the Black Wind Cavalry.

Of course, this title was self-proclaimed.

The common people called them the Black Wind Bandits. These bandits always operated in groups, and their strength was formidable.

Although their numbers were just over a hundred, each was a Martial General Realm cultivator, and every one of their mounts was a fourth-level Black Wolf.

Such a powerful group wasn’t something even Martial King Realm families dared to provoke lightly.

Despite their numerous raids, the Black Wind Bandits were careful, never stealing strategic resources or plundering commoners’ goods, which led the Tianyun Empire to turn a blind eye to their existence.

Even so, rumors made the Black Wind Bandits a feared presence.

Xiao Lingfeng wasn’t afraid of the common folk; if the Black Wind Bandits appeared before them, they would likely only wet their pants.

His true fear was the might of the entire Tianyun Empire. Having attended the Tianyun Conference in the capital, he knew the true power of the empire. Therefore, he knew not to provoke the empire, as the Black Wind Cavalry wouldn’t stand a chance against a full-scale attack.

So, he never raided important supplies.

Yet, the Black Wind Bandits’ existence still made many uneasy. Their survival was thanks to the Black Wind Mountain’s terrain, where they cleverly created hidden passages to evade pursuers.

Over time, powerful families stopped wasting their resources on a futile chase, forming an unspoken agreement with the Black Wind Cavalry. However, if his true identity as the leader of the Black Wind Cavalry were revealed, endless pursuers would come after him.

He might escape back to the Black Wind Mountain, but the Xiao family wouldn’t be so lucky. Though he felt no familial affection for the current Xiao family members, his parents in this life had treated him very well.

His mother died of illness when he was ten, worrying about his safety until her last breath. His father died at fifty, killed by beasts while treasure hunting in the Beast Mountain Range, leaving not even a complete corpse.

But Xiao Lingfeng would never forget how his father had spent half the family’s fortune and all his personal assets to buy him the body-tempering elixir that allowed him to start training four years early.