Breaking the Stronghold

At the hour of Chen, below the gates of Jinling City.

Two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers assembled, standing solemnly.

Xia Qi'an, hand on the saber at his waist, appeared precisely on time.

He strode with purpose towards the front of the Black Armored Army formation.

A Black Armored Army soldier led a magnificent, pure black steed forward and respectfully said to Xia Qi'an, "My lord! The journey to Black Wind Stronghold is long, please ride your horse!"

"You are thoughtful!" Xia Qi'an nodded.

Clad in the uniform of the Wei Dao Si, even the Black Armored Army, known for their cold-blooded nature, showed him utmost respect.

This feeling satisfied him.

After all, he had earned it with his own fists!

In the armies of this secular dynasty, the status of martial artists was exceptionally high.

Even with strength at the Early Blood Refining Realm, one could secure a respectable position within the military.

And this time, there were no martial artists among the Black Armored Army sent to suppress the bandits.

Therefore, as a precaution, the Jinling City authorities chose to have a Wei Dao Si martial artist provide support.

As for Xia Qi'an's strength, they had no doubts.

After all, the name of the Wei Dao Si carried immense weight.

Black Wind Stronghold was located on Tianfeng Mountain, on the edge of the Burial Ridge Mountains.

From Jinling City, it would take half a day to reach it even on horseback.

Moreover, the mountain was steep and densely forested, with rough and difficult terrain. It was truly an arduous task.

However, Xia Qi'an couldn't understand why the Jinling City authorities were choosing to suppress bandits at this particular time.

Not far outside the city, thousands of refugees from Lishan County were still gathered, unable to receive effective relief.

Presumably, the Jinling City authorities were reluctant to spend the funds for disaster relief, and thus chose to suppress the bandits, intending to use the spoils to aid the refugees.

And just a month prior, Xia Qi'an had been one of those refugees.

Yet now, he was dressed in fine clothes, officially accompanying the government army into the mountains to hunt bandits.

Such a turn of events made him sigh at the unpredictability of fate.

As for the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold, Xia Qi'an had heard of them long ago.

He knew that suppressing bandits rarely yielded much profit. But if the government was willing to go to such lengths for a bandit suppression operation, it meant that these bandits must have accumulated a significant amount of wealth, enough for the government to profit!

Black Wind Stronghold was built on a treacherous peak, with sheer cliffs on three sides, like an impregnable fortress.

The only entrance and exit was the main gate of Black Wind Stronghold, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The Black Armored Army, starting from the old forest at the foot of the mountain, continuously shot and harassed the bandits.

It seemed the people of Black Wind Stronghold had already received wind of their arrival.

Xia Qi'an guessed it might have been scouts along the way relaying the message.

The Black Armored Army, marching at full speed, finally reached the gates of Black Wind Stronghold.

Seeing this, the commander of the Black Armored Army immediately ordered preparations for a direct assault.

However, Xia Qi'an shouted, stopping him, "No! There's an ambush behind the gate!"

Xia Qi'an activated his Crimson Pupils and clearly saw on the ramparts above the stronghold's gate.

More than twenty bandits were hidden in the shadows.

Each held flint, with fire oil barrels beneath their feet, ready for battle.

As soon as the Black Armored Army approached, they would roll down the ignited fire oil barrels.

At that time, the Black Armored Army would inevitably suffer casualties.

This was Xia Qi'an's first official mission, and he could not afford any mistakes.

Because his future promotion within the Wei Dao Si depended on it.

After a moment of thought, Xia Qi'an said, "Wait here for my command! I will scout ahead!"

The commander of the Black Armored Army dared not question a Wei Dao Si martial artist.

Because before they departed, the City Lord had instructed them to follow the lead of the Wei Dao Si official.

Inside the assembly hall of Black Wind Stronghold, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

The second-in-command, Li Feihu, his face covered in ferocious scars, looked panicked and restless. "Boss... two hundred Black Armored Army soldiers are outside, what should we do?"

"It seems the Jinling City authorities are serious this time..." The third-in-command, Li Wen, also wore a worried expression, his brow furrowed.

Previously, the authorities had conducted several bandit suppression operations, but they were merely going through the motions.

However, this time they had dispatched the Black Armored Army, clearly determined to eradicate Black Wind Stronghold.

The Great Chieftain Luo Bingzhong sat on a grand tutor's chair, his expression grim, and remained silent.

"Big Brother... that Black Armored Army is truly formidable! With only a hundred or so men under us, I fear we won't be able to resist... perhaps we should..." The Third Chieftain Li Wen trailed off, swallowing his words.

"That's right... Big Brother! As long as the green hills remain, there'll be wood to burn!"

Luo Bingzhong's brows furrowed. He roared angrily, "What do you two brothers mean by that? We've spent years building this up, and finally have some assets. You want to flee at the first sign of trouble?"

"Big Brother! ... We..."

Just as the Third Chieftain Li Wen was about to explain, a commotion erupted outside.

A subordinate stumbled in, shouting in a panic, "It's bad! It's bad... Great Chieftain... someone has infiltrated the stronghold and opened the gates! The Black Armored Army is charging in!"

Luo Bingzhong shot up from his chair, a mixture of shock and fury on his face. He bellowed like thunder, "What? What have you good-for-nothings been doing... can't even guard a gate!"

Originally, he had planned to use the Black Wind Stronghold's strategically advantageous terrain to wear down the Black Armored Army.

However, this sudden turn of events, like a boulder dropped into water, instantly shattered his plan.

"Someone in official uniform snuck in. That person is incredibly powerful; even the twenty-odd brothers guarding the gate couldn't stop him!"

Luo Bingzhong suppressed the urge to smash the messenger to death with a single palm strike. Gritting his teeth, he said to the other two chieftains, "It's too late to leave now! Are you two brothers willing to go out and fight with me?"

Li Feihu and Li Wen knew there was no other choice. Only by fighting the Black Armored Army to the death was there a glimmer of hope.

Both Li Feihu and Li Wen gritted their teeth, picked up their weapons, and followed Luo Bingzhong out of the Hall of Gathering Heroes.

On the training grounds of the Black Wind Stronghold, over a hundred Black Armored soldiers formed an iron-clad battle formation. Like an unbreakable steel Great Wall, they clustered tightly together, advancing step by step, steadily pushing deeper into the stronghold.

During the advance, the soldiers in the center of the formation continuously drew their bows and fired arrows like a swarm of locusts, taking down bandits in the distance.

Closer enemies were dealt with by the soldiers on the outer perimeter wielding halberds and axes.

The battle was a rout for the Black Armored Army, sweeping through the bandits like an autumn wind scattering leaves.

The Black Wind Stronghold was merely a rabble, not to be compared with a regular army.

Meanwhile, Xia Qi'an, who had previously scaled the cliffs like a gecko, infiltrated the Black Wind Stronghold. After fending off an ambush by over twenty bandits, he forcefully broke open the main gate and slipped into the center of the battle formation.

His objective was clear: he was only here for the three martial artists of the Black Wind Stronghold. The other minor thugs were beneath his notice.

Before long, the Great Chieftain Luo Bingzhong and his two subordinates encountered the Black Armored Army.

Upon seeing his targets, Xia Qi'an immediately stepped forward, emerging from the battle formation to face the formidable enemy.

"Someone from the Wei Dao Si? They're meddling in the affairs of the secular government now?" Luo Bingzhong's pupils contracted sharply. He recognized the Wei Dao Si uniform.

However, the thugs under his command were completely oblivious.

"The three of you are martial artists. Since you are martial artists, the Wei Dao Si has the authority to intervene!" Xia Qi'an's voice was as cold as ice, his demeanor suggesting he was merely following orders.

Li Feihu interjected, "Big Brother, why are you wasting words with him... he's only at the Early Blood Refining Realm! Let me take care of him!"

With that, Li Feihu swung the wolf-tooth club, taller than a man, from behind him, smashing down on Xia Qi'an like Mount Tai crushing an egg.

"Excellent!" Xia Qi'an roared, his voice like thunder, deafening.

He charged forward like a famished tiger pouncing on its prey, eager to meet the attack.

"Vajra's Fury!"

Xia Qi'an unleashed a killing move from the Great Strength Vajra Fist right from the start.

Infused with Bloodline Power, a massive phantom of a golden fist descended like a war god, carrying an unparalleled pressure.

Precisely, the golden fist struck the oncoming wolf-tooth club.

"Bang!"

A deafening explosion resounded, making eardrums ache.

The finely forged iron wolf-tooth club in Li Feihu's hand instantly shattered, disintegrating into countless fragments that scattered like falling petals.

However, the golden fist continued forward with undiminished momentum, like a force that could crush everything in its path.

This punch was as fast as lightning and as powerful as a gale, as if it could tear through the void.

"Pfft!"

Li Feihu's chest was pierced through, the blow passing from front to back. The scene was like a sharp spear effortlessly piercing a piece of tofu.

A chill ran down Xia Qi'an's spine as he quickly withdrew his arm.

He had intended to test his true strength, but he hadn't expected Li Feihu to be so fragile and easily defeated.

Conversely, he now had a clear understanding of his own strength – it was terrifyingly powerful!

At the same time, he was satisfied with the results of his arduous training during this period!