These mercenaries' cultivation levels were basically between Qi Refining Level 5 and Qi Refining Level 9.
Yang Lingtian's Qi Refining Level 9 cultivation was considered fairly strong here.
So he did not need to patrol. Those with lower cultivation levels were responsible for patrolling instead.
Before long, it was deep into the night. Many people had already fallen asleep, and even some of the mercenaries responsible for patrolling were bleary-eyed.
Just then, a streak of black light suddenly appeared and shot toward the patrolling mercenary from afar at incredible speed.
Clearly, the black light concealed a sharp weapon. It struck the mercenary directly in the throat, and he fell straight down without even being able to make a sound.
Soon, several more streaks of black light appeared, and the patrolling mercenaries fell one after another.
One of the corpses fell near the tent where Yang Lingtian was staying.
Yang Lingtian sensed the disturbance outside. He abruptly opened his eyes, rose, and walked out.
The sight before him startled him. Many corpses had appeared on the ground.
Wang Yun, the only Foundation Establishment expert in the caravan, had also sensed the disturbance and came out to see this scene.
They all realized that bandits had launched an attack.
Wang Yun, the Foundation Establishment expert, roared a warning: "This is bad! Everyone, be careful! We're under attack!"
At that moment, two more streaks of black light shot toward Yang Lingtian and the Foundation Establishment expert.
Fortunately, both of them possessed profound cultivation and swift reactions. With a turn of their bodies, they dodged the attacks.
They immediately stared warily into the pitch-black surroundings.
Wang Yun's voice had been loud enough to awaken all the sleeping mercenaries at once.
Everyone emerged from their tents with weapons in hand, as if facing a great enemy.
They all lived with their lives on the line, so they were extremely sensitive to words like "enemy attack." Upon hearing the warning, they could rise swiftly.
At that moment, countless figures appeared around the outer perimeter, completely surrounding the caravan.
Everyone's expressions changed drastically. It seemed that this group of bandits was quite numerous.
"Wow, this caravan has a lot of people. That means whatever they're escorting must be extremely valuable." A bandit's voice came from the darkness.
"That's right, that's right! We've struck it rich this time!"
Under the faint moonlight, it was difficult to make out their faces.
"Who are you people? I'm guarding this caravan. I advise you to leave immediately," Wang Yun roared.
"Hahaha, what a joke. There's only one person at the Foundation Establishment Realm among you."
"We have two on our side. I advise you to surrender obediently!" the bandit group said arrogantly.
"Stop wasting your breath on them. Everyone, attack! Leave no one alive," the bandit leader ordered.
Immediately afterward, the bandits surged toward them from all directions.
Seeing this, Yang Lingtian knew he had no choice but to act.
However, he merely drew an ordinary longsword. Using the simplest Movement Technique and swordsmanship, he plunged into a fierce battle with the bandits.
Shouts of slaughter shook the heavens amid the crowd, while the clashing of weapons rang out in a dense, unbroken din. Miserable screams continued to echo through the night.
The two Foundation Establishment Early Stage experts among the bandits had gone to surround Wang Yun.
They believed that as long as they killed Wang Yun, the rest would be mere underlings and easy to deal with.
With only his physical strength and pure Spiritual Power, Yang Lingtian could unleash power approaching that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage expert even without using his trump cards.
Once he joined the battle, he swept through the opposition like a bamboo split from the top, constantly weaving through the crowd.
Yang Lingtian's sword was not only so fast that it was impossible to guard against, but every strike was also incredibly precise, piercing straight through his opponent's throat.
Many bandits with lower cultivation could barely dodge Yang Lingtian's lightning-fast sword.
He faced a group of enemies alone, and miserable screams continued to rise from the battlefield.
This was the first time he had killed people on such a large scale. Yet the blood-soaked scene did not affect his state of mind in the slightest. He did not even furrow his brow.
He seemed to have experienced a hundred battles and grown accustomed to such things, possessing the mentality of a true expert.
As Yang Lingtian's sword continued to stab out, bandits fell one after another.
The bandits seemed to realize how powerful Yang Lingtian was and began to shrink from approaching him, especially those whose cultivation was lower than his.
After the bandits retreated from Yang Lingtian, ten figures surrounded him.
They were ten experts at Qi Refining Level 9.
It seemed that Yang Lingtian's displayed strength had drawn their attention, directly bringing ten bandits of the same cultivation level.
"Attack together!"
The ten men attacked Yang Lingtian simultaneously.
Facing ten attacks, Yang Lingtian remained calm, without the slightest fear in his heart.
His figure suddenly moved. His agile body deftly evaded their combined attack.
Then his feet moved swiftly. His Movement Technique made him seem like a ghost, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived before one of the bandits at astonishing speed.
At the same time, the sword in his hand shot toward the bandit's throat like lightning.
Fast—far too fast!
The bandit did not react at all. He only saw a flash of sword light.
Then he felt a slight numbness in his throat, and his breathing began to grow difficult.
Suddenly, bright-red blood flowed from his neck. Unable to make a sound, he slowly fell backward.
The other nine Qi Refining Stage bandits' expressions changed drastically, and they were utterly shocked.
They were both at Qi Refining Level 9, yet one of them had been killed so easily?
The nine men continued to attack Yang Lingtian with all their might.
To end the battle quickly, Yang Lingtian directly used the Movement Technique Flowing Cloud Wind Movement.
He moved so quickly that they could not even see his figure clearly.
As that figure continued to dart through the battlefield, the remaining nine Qi Refining Level 9 experts also fell one after another.
His speed was simply too fast. They could not dodge and had no way to respond.
Moreover, Yang Lingtian's sword was so fast that even their naked eyes could not capture it. Almost no one could evade his blade.
Yang Lingtian's one-sided slaughter caught the attention of the two Foundation Establishment experts battling Wang Yun.
They had never expected another Qi Refining Stage cultivator to be so formidable. If they did not stop him immediately, he would kill all their men.
They had already suppressed Wang Yun completely and would be able to kill him with a little more time.
But now, they had no choice but to spare one person to deal with Yang Lingtian.
"Excellent skills, friend. Let me see what you can do."
A deep voice reached Yang Lingtian's ears, followed by a ferocious attack.
Sensing the powerful energy radiating from the attack, Yang Lingtian's expression suddenly changed.
This was a powerful strike from a Foundation Establishment expert. If it hit him, he would certainly suffer serious injuries.
Facing the sudden attack, he used the Movement Technique Half-Step Flowing Cloud. His figure flickered like a ghost, leaving behind only an afterimage.
The attack struck the afterimage and missed, blasting directly into the ground.
With a thunderous boom, it smashed a deep crater into the earth.
"Not bad. Your reaction is actually that fast!" A figure entered Yang Lingtian's field of vision.
Yang Lingtian looked up. Through the faint moonlight, he could vaguely make out the other man's appearance.
The man looked like a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. He had a well-proportioned, sturdy build.
This was a Foundation Establishment expert. He seemed to be one of the bandits' leaders.
"Did you come here to die?" Yang Lingtian replied flatly.
Clearly, those words enraged the man.
"Arrogant! You dare act so wildly just because you have some ability? Let me teach you a lesson!"
In an instant, his aura erupted. With a movement of his body, he attacked Yang Lingtian with tremendous force.
Yang Lingtian remained unhurried and directly used the martial technique Hundred Shadow Cold Sword to respond.
This was a Foundation Establishment expert, so he did not dare to be careless.
Soon, the two figures collided, producing powerful waves of energy that made the other Qi Refining Stage cultivators afraid to approach.
The Foundation Establishment expert opposite him grew more alarmed the longer they fought. A Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator had actually erupted with such formidable strength.
It was something he had never encountered before.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and cried out, "A martial technique! It's definitely a martial technique—and not a simple one at that!"
"I never expected a lowly Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator like you to know a martial technique. No wonder you can display such powerful strength."
His shock gradually transformed into excitement, and a trace of greed appeared in his gaze toward Yang Lingtian.
"Hahaha, if I can obtain such a martial technique, my strength will soar!"
"I'm going to capture you alive and take you back!"
Yang Lingtian merely sneered. "Hmph. I'm afraid you don't have what it takes."
Seeing Yang Lingtian provoke him so blatantly, the Foundation Establishment expert grew even more furious.
His attacks grew several shades stronger, each strike rushing toward Yang Lingtian like thunder.
His attacks contained powerful energy and held nothing back. Clearly, he wanted to defeat Yang Lingtian with a single blow.
Yang Lingtian's gaze was resolute as he brandished his longsword and met the Foundation Establishment expert's attacks head-on.
The powerful attacks collided, instantly erupting into wave after wave of air.
The two exchanged blows back and forth, and every collision sent violent tremors through the surrounding air.
Yet the bandit had not gained the slightest advantage. He discovered that his attacks could barely inflict any substantial damage on Yang Lingtian.
"This kid is truly astonishing," the Foundation Establishment expert thought in amazement.
He began to understand that he might have underestimated Yang Lingtian's strength.
In the current situation, it was genuinely difficult to determine a victor.
Yang Lingtian calmly faced the Foundation Establishment expert's attacks. He was not in a hurry to defeat him.
He had not even drawn the Low-Grade Spirit Sword, because he did not want to expose too many of his trump cards.
He had already revealed his edge to some extent, but if he acted too ostentatiously, he would inevitably draw even more attention.
Therefore, he planned to keep the stalemate going.
The battle continued for more than an hour. Seeing that they could not take down the caravan, the bandits reluctantly decided to order a retreat.
"Damn it. It looks like we can't take them. Who would have thought this caravan had a Qi Refining Level 9 cultivator whose strength was comparable to a Foundation Establishment expert?"
"Everyone, retreat!"
Soon, the surviving bandits withdrew one after another.
The two Foundation Establishment experts were ultimately forced to retreat as well. Since they could not take the caravan, continuing the battle would only cost them more men.
The Foundation Establishment expert who had fought Yang Lingtian also withdrew reluctantly.
Thus, the night that had been filled with cries of slaughter soon fell silent.
"We won! We won!"
Once the battle ended, the remaining mercenaries began cheering loudly one after another.
However, although they had driven off the bandits this time, one-third of the caravan's mercenaries had died.
Their overall strength had been drastically reduced.
Before you continue