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"Hidden weapons? Ever seen a hidden weapon as big as a door?"

Facing their encirclement, Zhang Yunhao didn't give a damn. He first used the large shield to block a sword strike, then hurled it with all his might at the Hidden Weapon Master. Every hidden weapon flying toward him was knocked away, the shield surging forward with ferocious force!

The Hidden Weapon Master hurriedly used his lightness skill to dodge. Amid the howling wind, his arm narrowly brushed past the shield as he escaped. The shield missed its target and crashed into a large tree behind him with a thunderous boom, snapping it clean in half. The tree came crashing down.

"If that had hit me—no, even if it had only grazed me, I'd be crippled if not dead, right?"

The Hidden Weapon Master glanced back and swallowed hard. He looked at the Axe Master, who hadn't joined the fight, and wisely stayed on the sidelines too. Whether Tiger Head Stockade fell or not didn't matter to him; he had no wish to die.

"Those two damn bastards..."

Phantom Sword Qin Lin saw that both experts were merely "holding the line," and rage surged through him. But there was nothing he could do. He could only grit his teeth and keep attacking. The others had a way out, but he didn't!

"Blood Hand Tian Ming is terrifying. Fortunately, his strength is immense, but he isn't agile enough. I happen to counter him, so I still have a chance."

Qin Lin was still somewhat confident. He unleashed the Phantom Sword in full, covering Zhang Yunhao in a web of real and illusory sword flashes. At the same time, he moved swiftly, never giving Zhang Yunhao a chance to attack him. He knew perfectly well he couldn't take even one punch.

"I hate speed-focused fighters most. It's a shame I never learned a skill like Dragon-Capturing Technique. But no matter—I still have Yin Force!"

Zhang Yunhao's gaze was sharp as a torch. He easily saw which sword moves were real and which were feints. Seizing an opening, he flicked a finger against the longsword with lightning speed. A surge of Yin Force struck Qin Lin at the base of his thumb. Qin Lin felt as if he'd been struck by lightning: not only did his sword fall to the ground, but half his body went numb.

Ever since Zhang Yunhao's strength had increased dramatically, the power of his Yin Force had grown as well. Of course, the added effect of true qi had helped too.

"Die! Leopard Fist!"

Zhang Yunhao showed no mercy. His fist crashed forward like a thunderclap. Qin Lin recovered in time and raised both hands to protect himself, but the punch sent him flying. He rolled violently across the ground for dozens of meters, then lay motionless.

After killing Qin Lin, Zhang Yunhao turned to the other two true-qi experts and declared with imposing authority, "Surrender, or die!"

"I surrender!"

The Hidden Weapon Master was still hesitating, but the Axe Master surrendered at once. Tian Ming was simply too terrifying; he'd been scared stiff.

Seeing that, the Hidden Weapon Master reluctantly raised his hands too. "I surrender as well!"

"Good. Go make everyone else surrender. If anyone dares to run, kill them all!"

Zhang Yunhao issued the order without hesitation. The two true-qi experts wore bitter expressions, but they didn't dare disobey.

With Qin Lin dead and the other two true-qi experts surrendered, the battle ended quickly under Zhang Yunhao's terrifying strength. The people of Tiger Head Stockade were either dead or had surrendered.

"Long live the Great Chieftain!"

Seeing how easily Black Wind Stockade's bandits had taken Tiger Head Stockade, they cheered wildly. They'd expected a bloody battle, but it had turned out to be a one-sided fight—quick and easy, without a single casualty.

Of course, the bandits knew full well it was all because their Great Chieftain was so powerful. If the original three chieftains had been in charge, they wouldn't have been able to take Tiger Head Stockade at all, let alone so easily.

The Great Chieftain was so strong he barely seemed human. Some of the bandits had already begun to worship him!

Next, to unite the people, Zhang Yunhao selected three men who had distinguished themselves in the battle and announced that he would teach them Eagle Claw Skill, which could cultivate true qi. He would even give them pills!

Seeing Zhang Yunhao honor his promise, the bandits of Black Wind Stockade cheered again. Most of them hadn't been selected, but they still had a chance—as long as they performed well next time!

As for the bandits of Tiger Head Stockade, at first they didn't quite understand what was going on. But once they learned that the Great Chieftain would teach them martial arts, they became just as excited as Black Wind Stockade's bandits had been. Before long, they were loyal to him too!

Seeing Zhang Yunhao take another stockade with ease, Scholar Lu—who'd been worried sick earlier—hurried over, thrilled, to flatter him. "Great Chieftain, you're incredible! You must be a heavenly god descended to save our Great Jin State!"

"Cut the nonsense. Go count this stockade's money and set some aside to reward these men. Also, if there are any women who've been rescued, let them go. Those who don't want to leave can stay here. We'll decide what to do later."

Zhang Yunhao said this with a scowl. After such a fierce battle, the bandits deserved rewards. Since martial arts could only be taught to a few, the rest could receive money and women.

Zhang Yunhao wasn't a good person, but he couldn't stand by and watch the bandits abuse those poor women. So he would use money instead—and earn a good amount of merit in the process.

"The Great Chieftain is truly compassionate. He must be a bodhisattva reborn."

Scholar Lu kept flattering him. Zhang Yunhao's strength had given him hope of being accepted by the Imperial Court, and now he was more loyal than anyone.

Before leaving, Scholar Lu remembered something and said, "Great Chieftain, we've taken two stockades now. It won't do to keep using the name Black Wind Stockade. You should choose a new name. That's the only way to build your reputation. After all, you're going to become a hegemon."

"A new name?"

Zhang Yunhao thought for a moment, then said, "Let's call it the Good Men Gang. We'll take down the stockades one by one. Soon, we'll rule this whole region, and even the government won't be able to do anything about us!"

"Yes, Great Chieftain—no, Gang Leader!"

Scholar Lu immediately changed how he addressed him. His heart was pounding with excitement, his blood running hot. Once they were strong enough, being accepted by the Imperial Court wouldn't be far off!

In Great Jin State, there were plenty of precedents. Take the Southern Heavenly King, for example, who'd ruled the northern lands without rival with his Hundred Step Divine Fist. He'd gathered tens of thousands of men, and in the end, the Imperial Court had accepted him into its ranks and made him the governor of a prefecture. He'd lived a glorious life!

A month passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, in a tavern in the Prefecture Capital of Nanyang Prefecture, a group of people from the Jianghu were discussing the hottest topic of the moment!

"I never imagined Blood Hand Tian Ming would be this strong. In just one month, he's swept through half the bandits in Nanyang Prefecture. His newly formed Good Men Gang is now well-armed and powerful. It's probably only a matter of time before he unites all the bandits and brigands in Nanyang Prefecture!"

"Exactly. These days, lots of people call Tian Ming Divine Fist Blood Hand. They say no one can withstand a single punch from him. He's terrifyingly powerful!"

"I've heard that new title too. Come to think of it, wasn't Tian Ming always a lone wolf? Why did he suddenly start gathering bandits? What's he trying to do?"

"They say he wants to become a hegemon, then get accepted by the Imperial Court like the Southern Heavenly King did. With strength like his, it's only natural he'd have such ambitions."

In a corner of the tavern sat a graceful woman in her twenties, silently listening to them speak with a slight frown. Just then, someone suddenly scoffed. "Tian Ming won't live much longer!"