Kill Them All

Qin Yan looked down at Cao Lian's corpse, raised the saber in his hand, and lopped off his head.

He glanced at the notch in his saber. The blade could not withstand the intensity of his battles.

His gaze then fell on Cao Lian's long saber.

It had emerged unscathed under his tremendous strength, with only a few shallow marks on the blade.

Its quality far surpassed that of the saber in his hand.

"Zhangfeng!"

Qin Yan looked at the characters engraved on the blade. Though he did not know where the saber came from, he could sense that it was no ordinary weapon.

"Not bad! From now on, your surname is Qin!"

He swung it a few times and found that it felt exceptionally natural in his hand. It was probably worthy of being called a famous saber.

"Now it's time to take care of the aftermath."

Black Wind Stronghold!

The flames were gradually dying down. A group of people stared at the granary that had burned down, their expressions shifting.

The atmosphere in the stronghold was stifling.

That mysterious expert weighed on their hearts like a boulder, leaving them unable to breathe.

"I wonder how the three chiefs are doing now."

"What are you thinking? The first chief has advanced to the Bone-Tempering Realm. Even in Qinghe Town, experts like him can be counted on one hand!"

A minor leader snapped at the bandit who had spoken, then swept his gaze over the others. "The first chief and the others are pursuing that villain, but we must also be on guard against a sudden ambu—!"

Pfft!

An arrow lodged straight in his throat, its fletching quivering with a hum.

At that moment, everyone's faces filled with horror.

"That man is here!"

Someone cried out in terror.

The gathered crowd scattered in every direction, their faces full of fear.

Most of them ran toward the stronghold's main gate, desperate to escape this cage!

"Die!"

Standing on a rooftop, Qin Yan loosed his bowstring. The arrow flew like a thunderbolt, striking the man in the lead in an instant.

The arrow struck him squarely in the head, and he fell to the ground with a thud!

Arrow after arrow tore through the air, shooting down the bandits approaching the wooden stronghold's main gate.

In just a moment, more than a dozen corpses lay by the gate.

By then, they understood that approaching the gate would lead them only to their deaths.

"We're dead either way. Let's fight him!"

A bandit's eyes were bloodshot. Driven into a dead end, he gripped his saber, intent on fighting Qin Yan until the fish died and the net tore.

But in the next instant, an arrow pierced his mouth, its tip emerging from the back of his head.

Qin Yan glanced at his empty quiver!

He promptly drew his long saber and leaped down into the stronghold!

His legs bent slightly, and he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string, reaching a bandit in an instant.

Before the man's terrified eyes, he cut him in two with one stroke, the blade trailing a spray of bloody mist.

"Not bad! Not bad!"

Qin Yan could not stop praising the Zhangfeng saber in his hand. Cutting people down with it was like slicing radishes.

More importantly, no blood clung to the blade, which gave off a saber gleam!

Qin Yan charged into the flock like a ravenous wolf. Every stroke shattered men and weapons alike, and piercing screams rang out through the stronghold without cease.

They watched the towering, demonlike figure slaughter them, his strength and speed so great that they could not react.

Some tried to resist, only to be split in two.

"My lord! Spare me!"

The few remaining bandits looked at Qin Yan, who was like a god of slaughter, and immediately fell to their knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

They had never seen anyone so terrifying. No one remained in one piece after a single stroke of his saber.

Pfft!

A cold light flashed, and the head of the man begging for mercy flew high into the air. Blood gushed from his neck.

"Evil spirit!"

The survivors were utterly scared out of their wits. What stood before them was no human.

It was an evil spirit that had crawled out of hell.

Slash!

The blade swept past, cutting the remaining men in half at the waist.

"Aaaah!"

Piercing screams burst from their mouths, their faces contorted in the utmost agony.

Their upper bodies kept crawling away, their intestines trailing across the ground.

After a while, the screams grew fainter and fainter, until they finally breathed their last.

With the long saber over his shoulder, Qin Yan headed toward the eastern wing of the stronghold. Suddenly, he looked in one direction.

He opened the door, and a chorus of screams rang out!

The room was full of women and children huddled in a corner. A bandit held a saber against a young girl's neck.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill her!"

The bandit shouted in panic.

Qin Yan tilted his head and looked at him. "What does it have to do with me if you kill her?" he asked, puzzled.

The terror on the bandit's face froze. "Aren't you a hero?"

"Save me!"

Tears filled the girl's eyes as she gazed at Qin Yan and pleaded.

"Heh heh!"

Qin Yan planted his saber in the ground and slowly walked up to him. Looking down at him with icy eyes, he asked, "Are you going to kill her or not?"

"You!"

The bandit's expression shifted, then turned vicious. He shoved the girl away.

The saber in his hand stabbed toward Qin Yan!

But Qin Yan was faster. The instant the girl was pushed aside—

His groin kick landed a critical hit on the man.

"Aah!"

"Ghk!"

Qin Yan grinned viciously, seized the man's neck with one hand, and gripped his saber-wielding arm with the other, exerting force in an instant.

He crushed the arm in an instant, folding it at a grotesque angle.

Even so, the bandit could not make a sound.

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his flushed face turned purple in an instant. Qin Yan saw a plea in his eyes.

Crack!

Thud!

The corpse crumpled to the ground.

"Thank you, benefactor, for saving my life. May I ask your honored name?

I will surely set up a longevity tablet for you."

The girl who had been taken hostage saw the bandit's corpse and hurriedly fell to her knees, her eyes filled with the joy of being given a new life.

Ever since she had been abducted and brought to the mountain, she had imagined countless times that she would be rescued and taken home.

She had not expected the day to finally come.

Tears spilled from the girl's eyes. She was both overjoyed and lost.

She was no longer an untouched maiden, and she did not know what would happen after she returned.

At that moment, the other women also seemed to see hope. One by one, they wept for joy and knelt before Qin Yan.

Qin Yan was slightly moved, but he quickly reined in his emotions. "Are there any bandits' family members among you?"

"Yes! This old hag's son is one of those damned beasts!"

A young woman suddenly grabbed an old woman in the corner, her eyes full of hatred, and tugged at her hair again and again.

Seeing this, the others swarmed forward as well!

The old woman had often tormented them, filling the women's hearts with resentment.

Now that they had finally escaped, they naturally refused to let her off.

"Help! I was forced to do it too.

Please, don't kill me either."

The old woman begged incessantly, but the others did not stop, raining punches and kicks on her.

This vicious old woman had caused the deaths of many of them, so they had no reason to spare her today.

A short while later, she had been beaten to death.

"Benefactor! The three chiefs' children are over in the eastern wing."

The girl he had saved spoke to Qin Yan, hatred in her eyes.

Qin Yan nodded!

A short while later, Qin Yan had killed them all, men and women, young and old alike!