An Attack in the Mountains

Shen Fan had already made plans for almost all the money he'd earned from the medicinal herbs, so he began his return journey.

Although it was still early, he hadn't practiced his martial arts today. So even if he might find more, he had no intention of staying.

A lithe figure darted through the dense mountain forest. Each time he pushed off the ground, he left a small dent in the hard earth.

It was enough to show just how terrifying Shen Fan's leg strength was.

Since he hadn't practiced the Light Body Cultivation Method, Shen Fan could only rely on brute force to travel. Even so, his speed far exceeded what most people could imagine.

In just half an hour, he'd run several hundred kilometers, and his breathing was still perfectly steady.

As he was about to leave the Black Dragon Mountain Range, Shen Fan began to relax.

But then, he keenly sensed someone calling out not far away.

Curious, he quietly made his way over.

What he saw was a group of people committing murder!

Five burly men with their faces covered by black scarves were surrounding and attacking several Martial Artists.

At a glance, Shen Fan recognized the besieged Martial Artists as fellow disciples of the Ox Demon Martial Arts School. One of them had even mocked him for practicing the Health Cultivation Method.

Now the disciples were struggling to hold their ground, looking utterly wretched.

Although he wasn't close to them, Shen Fan thought that since they had trained under the same master, shouldn't he try to save them?

Besides, the men's auras weren't very strong. He couldn't sense the slightest threat from them, which meant their strength was definitely below his!

That gave Shen Fan the courage to stay.

If he'd sensed danger, he would've run long ago. Brotherhood couldn't outweigh his own life.

The burly men had clearly come prepared. Every one of them carried a weapon, and they were remarkably strong. Looking closely, Shen Fan saw that two were Bone Forging experts, while the other three were at the Muscle Refining stage.

Their opponents—Shen Fan's fellow disciples—were merely a few greenhorns at the Skin Refining and Muscle Refining stages.

The fight should've been over almost instantly, but the masked men were enjoying themselves so much that they'd dragged it out.

"Big Brother, should we keep playing around? If these brats' companions come looking for them, we could be in trouble!" one of the men in black said in a deep, rumbling voice.

The "Big Brother," who'd been watching from the back, glanced at him and chuckled. "The whole point is to draw people over. Otherwise, we'd have to go looking for them one by one. What a hassle."

"Don't worry, Third Brother. I've already looked into it. The strongest disciple among our targets this time is only at the same stage as me. Even if things go wrong, we can still get away in one piece!"

"Besides, Second Brother and I are both Bone Forging Martial Artists. Together, we can beat anyone at our level. No need to worry!"

As the leader, he naturally had the swagger of a big brother.

Seeing his eldest brother like this, Third Brother shook his head and said nothing more. Instead, he joined the fight, wanting to bring this game to an end as quickly as possible.

"Big Brother, Third Brother's as cautious as ever. Still, there's nothing wrong with being careful," another masked man said calmly and objectively.

With another Muscle Refining Martial Artist joining the fray, the Ox Demon Martial Arts School disciples could no longer hold on. In just a few breaths, several of them had fallen beneath their enemies' long blades.

Before Bone Forging, ordinary blades were still highly lethal to Martial Artists!

Shen Fan hesitated for a while, but in the end, he decided to keep watching.

He was capable of saving them, but doing so would expose his strength. A tree that stood out was the first to be felled; once he made a name for himself, trouble would come endlessly!

If saving them carried such a great risk, then it was better not to.

After all, Shen Fan wasn't that close to these disciples.

He didn't feel much attachment to the Ox Demon Martial Arts School, either. He'd spent more than a year working as an odd-job apprentice before becoming a disciple, and the school had never treated them as anything special.

He'd made it this far only by putting in a great deal of effort.

The relationship between Shen Fan and the school was mostly transactional.

Of course, the school had taught him, and when necessary, Shen Fan would do his part for it.

As Shen Fan remained silent, the disciples were soon slaughtered. Their eyes, wide open even in death, showed just how unwilling they were to die!

Shen Fan watched in silence. A flicker of regret crossed his mind, but he quickly stamped it out. If he wanted to cultivate his own Longevity Martial Path, he was better off staying clear of karma.

The more karma one accumulated, the more trouble followed. Once entangled in it, one could no longer act freely.

It was a little cruel, a little cold-blooded, but in a world where human lives were as cheap as grass, simply holding to one's principles and not harming others was already enough. As for healing the world and saving the people from misery, Shen Fan felt that wasn't something a man like him could do!

Without meaning to, Shen Fan let out a sigh.

But suddenly, the masked man at the front turned toward the place where Shen Fan was hiding and shouted, "Who's there? Come out!"

"Did they notice me?" Shen Fan thought, feeling both a little self-deprecating and a little glad.

Now I have to step in—and make sure to wipe them all out!

He cast an inconspicuous glance at the mangled corpses, then slowly walked out.

Looking the men in the eye, he spoke in a calm voice. "You're out of luck. I'm in a bad mood, so you're finished!"

"What did I just hear? Big Brother, is this kid crazy? How dare he talk to us like that?!"

The leader chimed in, "Kid, you're the unlucky one!"

As a Bone Forging Martial Artist, he had every reason to be confident.

"You don't look very old. You've probably only just started training, right? Skin Refining? Muscle Refining?"

"Ah, whatever. Since I've found you, you're going to die!"

Before the leader had even finished speaking, he started to charge forward, intending to kill the kid. Suddenly, everything went black. Then he saw his own body standing where he'd been.

Why was the world in front of him spinning?

Oh. So I'm dead!

At the final moment, the Bone Forging leader understood what had happened to him.

He wanted to warn his brothers that this man was dangerous and they should run.

But unfortunately, he never got the chance. The moment his head hit the ground, Shen Fan struck again, his nimble hands moving like butterflies flitting through flowers.

In an instant, the men's heads had been severed.

Even the other Bone Forging Martial Artist was no exception.

The Thousand Mechanisms Hand lived up to its name, with a thousand ingenious variations!

In this fight, Shen Fan relied on his qi and blood, far greater than that of others at his level, and the powerful traits of Bone Forging to deal with the enemies effortlessly.

There was no denying it: Shen Fan's strength had far surpassed his actual realm.

And he could still grow even faster. That was the truly terrifying part.