Shen Fan sensed the Innate Aura behind him but chose not to strike, knowing these people would deliver themselves to his doorstep!
To avoid startling his prey, Shen Fan fully concealed his aura. With the Evergreen Cultivation Method, even someone a full Great Realm above him would struggle to gauge his true strength.
At this moment, Shen Fan was as unremarkable as any ordinary member of the Black Wind Bandits.
On the road, Liu Yunfeng tried to strike up a conversation, but Shen Fan's glare shut him down. Catching on, Liu Yunfeng played the part of the Big Brother without a fuss.
Only a handful within the Black Wind Bandits even knew Shen Fan existed.
Laden with gold, silver, and grain, Liu Yunfeng's group couldn't move fast, so the Innate Martial Artist Zhang Feng had no trouble tailing them.
As the Grand Elder of the Black Tiger Sect, Zhang Feng was a trusted Confidant of Yan Min. At the third layer of the Innate Realm, his strength was respectable enough.
In the Black Tiger Sect, Yan Min's authority was absolute, but major decisions still required Zhang Feng's nod.
Compared to Yan Min, the shrewd Zhang Feng was the true brain of the organization.
To cleanly wipe out these bandits, Zhang Feng held back his urge to attack. To him, these men were ants he could crush with a flick, but their lair might harbor a hidden expert. Offending one could spiral out of control.
What Zhang Feng never guessed was that the very expert he feared was right under his nose, even taking the time to size him up.
"His aura's a bit weak—definitely not an Innate Realm powerhouse. One move should do it."
Shen Fan judged silently, then crisply mapped out his kill strategy.
Zhang Feng could never imagine that after decades of grueling training to reach the third Innate layer, he was nothing but an ant to be felled in a single blow.
That was the truth: there's always a higher mountain, a sky beyond the sky, a man beyond the man.
To Liu Yunfeng and his crew, Zhang Feng was an invincible master. To Shen Fan, he was just a slightly bigger bug.
Zhang Feng bided his time, and so did Shen Fan. Watching a weakling prance before him was honestly grating.
But for the sake of reeling in a bigger fish and snagging more Innate Cultivation Methods, Shen Fan decided to hold his patience.
From Zhang Feng's aura, he could tell the man's cultivation method was entirely different from Yan Min's.
If Yan Min was a ravenous tiger stalking its prey, Zhang Feng was a lively, restless ape.
Nourished by the Evergreen Cultivation Method, Shen Fan's perception had subtly shifted. He no longer judged people by appearance but by their aura.
Faces could change, but auras never lied.
Shen Fan's instinct was spot-on. Zhang Feng's method wasn't the Black Tiger Fiend but the Spirit Ape Transformation—a technique that prioritized Movement Technique over offense.
With it, Zhang Feng could slip away from even stronger foes.
By midnight, Shen Fan's group finally reached the mountain stream. Zhang Feng followed, slipping in to search every hut. At last, he confirmed that this pathetic Black Wind Bandits had no expert at all.
The thought nearly made him strike, but alone, he might let some rats slip through the cracks.
To root them out completely, Zhang Feng decided to summon his Big Brother Yan Min and bring enough men to butcher every last mouse in these hills.
On his way back, Zhang Feng went all out, moving far faster than before. In just half an hour, he caught up to Yan Min.
"Big Brother, Big Brother, hold up!"
Yan Min's face lit up at the sight of him.
"Good brother, tell me—what's the Black Wind Bandits' deal? Any experts?"
"Rest easy, Big Brother. We were overthinking it. Those dirt-poor bastards grew some balls, didn't they? A bunch of wastes, none above Viscera Refining, daring to mess with the Black Tiger Sect. They've got a death wish!"
"Big Brother, let's move. I've found their den. Surround it with the Disciples and slaughter them all!"
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Yan Min relaxed instantly. "Good, I'll follow your lead, brother!"
Truth be told, Yan Min's hands had been itching ever since he laid eyes on Liu Yunfeng.
Cultivating the Black Tiger Fiend made him more bloodthirsty than the average martial artist.
For Yan Min, killing wasn't just about satisfying his urges—it drastically sped up his cultivation. Without it, his Talent would never have let him reach the seventh Innate layer at his age.
Across all of Nine Lions City, Yan Min was a name that carried weight.
The title "Tiger Yan" was earned by trampling over countless martial artists' corpses!
"Move out! Follow this old man and wipe out the Black Wind Bandits!"
Yan Min flashed a smug grin. Behind him, Yan Shaofeng stirred awake, still looking like a pig's head.
The memory of his treatment made Yan Shaofeng's blood boil.
"Father, leave a few for me. I want my revenge!"
Yan Shaofeng's mind replayed the faces of the men who'd beaten him, his teeth grinding in fury.
Zhang Feng and Yan Min exchanged a glance, and Yan Min laughed heartily. "No problem, Shaofeng. After this, you'd better grow up!"
"Father, don't worry. From now on, I'll train the Black Tiger Fiend hard. I won't shame the Black Tiger Sect again!"
Yan Shaofeng's vow warmed the heart of the century-old Yan Min.
"Black Wind Bandits, Black Wind Bandits—I have you to thank for pulling the tiger's whiskers and turning my Shaofeng around. I ought to thank you!"
"But letting you fuel Shaofeng's maturity by dying at his hands—that's your final honor..."
Yan Min thought to himself, completely unconcerned that anything might go wrong this time.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shen Fan waited patiently. Liu Yunfeng, along with several skilled men, kept a covert watch on the stronghold's main gate, ready to react the moment anything happened.
Sure enough, in less than an hour, the ground began to tremble—clearly a large force was approaching.
When Liu Yunfeng spotted Yan Min, his eyes lit up. Watching Shen Fan sit calmly before the gate, Liu Yunfeng felt a surge of excitement.
"Old dog, let's see how you die this time! This lord had better come through!"
No one knew what Liu Yunfeng was thinking.
Yan Min led his men straight toward the closed stronghold gate without hesitation. He charged forward, his True Qi erupting like a raging tiger. With a single tiger's roar, the sturdy gate shattered into pieces.
A Xiantian Expert—truly something to behold!
But this didn't faze Shen Fan, who sat over ten meters away. He remained wrapped in his black robe, even wearing a mask.
Though his expression was hidden, his eyes betrayed a hint of cold indifference.
"Finally here. You've kept me waiting long enough."
"Kill them all—leave no one alive!" The Black Tiger Sect elites, led by Yan Min, were about to charge in for the slaughter when a black figure suddenly appeared.
The figure descended directly before Yan Min and, without a word, struck out with a palm. A vast surge of ice-attribute True Qi poured forth like a waterfall.
Even before the attack landed, Yan Min sensed the threat of death.
"What is this? Such fearsome frigid True Qi—it can freeze this old man's blood and energy without even touching me! Truly terrifying!"
But Yan Min had no chance to beg for mercy. He barely managed to muster a mouthful of True Qi to brace himself, yet under Shen Fan's Cold Shadow Art, his resistance proved far too feeble.
In an instant, Yan Min was sent flying backward. His limbs and body turned to ice sculptures, and the moment he hit the ground, they shattered into pieces.
Yan Min—killed in a single blow by Shen Fan!
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