The winter sun rarely shone so brightly over the mountain forest.
Sunlight fell through the trees, casting dappled shadows.
Chen Qinglin glanced at the two unconscious men, picked them up, and moved them somewhere else.
After watching the two flee from behind, Chen Qinglin had quietly run ahead of them and waited for them to arrive.
When they did, he gave them a surprise.
"Where are we?" The two men slowly woke up. Before they could make out their surroundings, they spotted a green-robed figure not far away.
Once they got a clear look at the green-robed figure, they realized it was a boy of fourteen or fifteen.
Reassured, one of them darted a glance around and said, "Little brother, did you save us?"
"We're brothers who came into the mountain forest to hunt. We owe our lives to you, little brother."
"What hunter would come to such a remote place? Don't bother testing me. I was the one who knocked you out," Chen Qinglin said.
"You're bandits, aren't you? I'm very interested in your mountain stronghold. I'm sure you two won't disappoint me."
Scar Wolf looked around. Seeing that Chen Qinglin was alone, he immediately put on a vicious expression.
"You little brat, still wet behind the ears. You only got the better of your grandpa Scar Wolf with a sneak attack!"
With that, he sprang up and charged at Chen Qinglin.
After a brief, friendly negotiation...
"Hero, spare me! I have a seventy-year-old mother at home and children who are still hungry for their mother's milk. Please spare my life..."
"I swear I'll turn over a new leaf and be a decent man."
"That's right, that's right, hero! Same here!"
"Tell me about your stronghold. If it interests me, perhaps I'll spare your lives." Chen Qinglin looked at the two men, their faces bruised and swollen.
"Yes! Yes! Hero, our Mountain Wolf Bandits usually don't..." one began.
As the two men told him about their stronghold, Chen Qinglin occasionally asked a question.
Gradually, he pieced together what had happened.
About seven days ago, a sinister man in his twenties had come to their stronghold, killed their chieftain, and taken over the Mountain Wolf Bandits.
He had also poisoned them and ordered them to bring people up the mountain.
Everyone they captured was locked in the stronghold's dungeon, which was sealed off. No one was allowed inside.
Each of them had to capture people and bring them up the mountain. Anyone who failed would be locked in the dungeon.
A few nights earlier, the two men had heard terrible screams coming from inside the dungeon.
And now no one was bringing food to the prisoners. The people inside were probably...
The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became. That was why they had tried to run away.
Chen Qinglin sorted through the clues in his mind. The man was capturing people and locking them in the dungeon, and no one had seen anyone come out again.
Putting those clues together, Chen Qinglin suspected the man was also cultivating an evil art.
His target, Shen Dingyuan, had appeared in Shanmen County before.
The man was likely connected to his mission target. He might even be the very person he was looking for.
Having figured that out, Chen Qinglin decided to sneak into Mountain Wolf Stronghold and investigate.
After giving the two men a glance, Chen Qinglin leaped into the woods.
Scar Wolf and Shi Xiaohu were overjoyed. Before they could even celebrate, two pebbles came flying...
How could Chen Qinglin possibly let those two go? These bandits robbed and looted every day. Which of them didn't have innocent blood on their hands?
If he let them go, they might harm others in the future. They could also cause trouble for him right now.
Sometimes Chen Qinglin felt he had already grown used to this world.
The first time he had killed someone, he hadn't felt much of anything.
He quietly followed another group of bandits, waiting for dusk to fall.
"Why have the boss and Xiao Hu been gone so long?"
"Maybe they went back ahead of us."
"Damn it, they left us here while they went back."
"What can you do? They're the bosses, and you're not."
"..."
Several bandits grumbled and complained in the mountain forest.
Suddenly, one of them cried out in alarm.
"Someone's coming!"
Chen Qinglin took a closer look. It was Ling Xueyan and the other Patrol Envoys.
"Get them! We can't let anyone escape this time." The bandits drew their blades and rushed toward Ling Xueyan and the others.
"..." Chen Qinglin was speechless. They were practically rushing to their deaths.
Sure enough, they went down as fast as they'd charged in. They had thought they'd found easy prey, but it turned out they'd run into a tiger.
"Hold on! Spare them!" The two men were almost done killing the bandits, so Chen Qinglin leaped out of the woods and called to them.
Though he knew roughly where the stronghold was from Scar Wolf and Shi Xiaohu, it would be quicker to have someone guide him.
He hadn't kept those two alive because he wanted to rush in recklessly while it was still early.
Ling Xueyan and the others had just finished dealing with the bandits who'd practically delivered themselves into their hands when they heard someone call for them to spare their lives.
Even if he hadn't called out, she would have left a couple alive to question.
She looked toward the voice and saw the young man she had met before.
"Junior Brother Chen from Qingfeng Mountain? What are you doing here?" Ling Xueyan asked curiously.
"Senior Sister Ling, I'm investigating a mission, and it seems to be connected to the Mountain Wolf Bandits. I'd like to ask you to leave someone alive to guide me," Chen Qinglin explained.
"The Mountain Wolf Bandits? These bandits are all from the Mountain Wolf Bandits?" Ling Xueyan was a little surprised. She hadn't even done anything yet, and members of the Mountain Wolf Bandits had practically walked right into her hands.
"Perfect. We're investigating this group of Mountain Wolf Bandits too. What a coincidence."
"Sis Yan, Brother Chen, since we have the same goal, why don't we work together?" Qin Wu came over and suggested.
Even Lin Yi had nothing to say. Since they all had the same goal and there was no conflict of interest, having another person with them could only help.
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Besides, disciples from Qingfeng Mountain who came down the mountain on a mission wouldn't be below the Inner Qi Realm.
"That works." Chen Qinglin thought it over and agreed.
Ling Xueyan and the others questioned the two bandits they had kept alive and learned about Mountain Wolf Stronghold.
Apart from the new chieftain, the bandits were all at the Body Tempering Realm.
Chen Qinglin shared his theory with them as well. Combining it with the Patrol Division's intelligence, Lin Yi and the others concluded that the man was very likely Shen Dingyuan.
He was also likely cultivating the Bloodthirsty Demonic Art. He might already have broken through to the Mid Inner Qi Realm in the past few days.
After discussing it, Chen Qinglin and the others decided to launch a night raid.
To keep the man from escaping, they decided that Chen Qinglin would hide in the shadows and strike a fatal blow at the crucial moment, leaving him no chance.
A few figures suddenly appeared in the silent mountain forest. Ling Xueyan and the others watched the outline of the stronghold taking shape in the distance, then dealt with the two bandits who had guided them.
They waited quietly for nightfall.
As darkness fell, Ling Xueyan and the others stealthily made their way into the stronghold.
A group of low-ranking guards at the third or fourth level of Body Tempering Realm were easily taken down.
Ling Xueyan gestured with her hand, and the others quietly spread out to investigate the hall and the main building.
After Lin Yi, Qin Wu, and the others finished searching, they made a few hand signals. Ling Xueyan frowned when she saw them.
There was no one there. Could it be...
She signaled for them to sneak toward the dungeon.
Once they entered, they saw that there wasn't a single living person inside!
All the corpses had been piled together. A figure sat cross-legged in the middle, streams of blood qi surging from the bodies and flowing into him.
"Who's there?!"
Shen Dingyuan had been absorbing the blood qi of the dead when he suddenly sensed someone watching him.
He raised a hand, and a Blood-colored Long Sword instantly appeared in it. Without a moment's hesitation, he slashed toward the dungeon entrance.
A streak of scarlet Sword Qi flew toward Lin Yi and the others. Lin Yi hurriedly drew his blade to meet it.
The dungeon collapsed with a crash. Lin Yi was sent flying, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Sis Yan, be careful! He's at the Mid Inner Qi Realm!"
Before Ling Xueyan could react, Lin Yi had already been injured. She immediately recovered and thrust her sword at Shen Dingyuan.
The dungeon was instantly engulfed in scarlet, azure, and white Sword Qi.
Lin Yi blocked several incoming sword strikes, then immediately told his brothers to get out. This man was beyond what they could handle.
As soon as they left the dungeon, the bandits outside heard the commotion and swarmed over. The others drew their weapons and fought their way out.
Blades and swords flashed overhead without mercy. The bandits were soon sent scattering, and the rest fled when they realized they were outmatched.
"Brother Yi, are you okay?"
Qin Wu, Ding Cheng, and the others asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. What matters is how things are going with Sis Yan."
"Boom!"
They heard a tremendous crash, then saw the dungeon cave in, dust billowing everywhere. For a moment, they couldn't see what was happening inside.
Two streaks of sword qi, one azure and one white, cleaved through the dungeon and burst out.
Two figures followed close behind.
Suddenly, a pure azure sword light flashed. A scream rang out, and one of the figures dropped from the sky.
The azure sword light didn't stop. It continued to envelop the man. When Lin Yi and the others could finally see what had happened,
they saw that he was lying in a pool of blood, his arms and legs all crippled!! A green-robed figure stood nearby, sword in hand.
Ling Xueyan felt a chill in her heart. If that sword light had been aimed at her instead, she would have left her life behind here today.
What a swift sword technique. What a formidable fighter.
She looked at the green-robed figure, walked over, and exclaimed, "Junior Brother, what an incredible sword technique!"
"Is he your mission target?"
"That's right. That's him. I've seen his portrait."
"You're right, aren't you, Shen Dingyuan?" His words sounded like a question, but his tone was certain.
"You... who are you!" Shen Dingyuan screamed.
Ling Xueyan and the others wore the uniforms of the Patrol Division. Shen Dingyuan had dealt with the Patrol Division before and naturally recognized them.
He was asking about Chen Qinglin.
"A disciple of Qingfeng Mountain," Chen Qinglin replied calmly.
"Qingfeng Mountain! So that's why! Cough, cough..." Shen Dingyuan coughed up blood, understanding that the boy had come for him too.
"Do you know why I killed every last member of the Shen Clan? It was because..."
"I don't want to know. Go on your way!" A flash of sword light streaked past. The head that flew through the air still wore an astonished expression.
Chen Qinglin took out his disciple Jade Token and activated its Formation to record Shen Dingyuan's body. Then he put the token away in his Storage Ring.
"It's late, Junior Brother Chen. Let's rest here for the night," Ling Xueyan said.
"Sure. We can search the stronghold too."
As he spoke, he searched Shen Dingyuan's corpse and removed his Storage Ring.
"Hiss!"
Lin Yi and the others felt a chill run down their backs.
They exchanged glances. Lin Yi whispered, "I didn't offend Brother Chen, did I?"
"Brother Yi, you said this morning that Brother Chen wasn't a good person," Qin Wu answered earnestly.
"It's over, it's over! Waaaah..."
"Hurry up and search the stronghold. Junior Brother Chen won't hold it against you. We'll meet in the hall later."
Before you continue