Beheading

"You've got some nerve. My brothers are all outside. You'll never get out, so let me go now." The bandit's legs trembled slightly as he put on a show of toughness and threatened them.

He was certain this was the stronghold. They would not dare do anything to him.

Slap!

Xu Bai struck the bandit across the face, a vicious gleam in his eyes as his long saber pressed against the man's neck.

The icy touch made the bandit shudder.

"I'll strip, I'll strip! Don't kill me!" The slap had knocked some sense into the bandit. Coupled with the cold blade at his throat, he quickly gave in, undoing his clothes as he begged for mercy.

Before long, he had removed his outer clothes. Xu Bai had the escort guard keep his saber raised while he changed into the bandit's clean clothes.

With no blood on him, it would be easier to get out later.

"I've done everything you said. Please don't kill me. I was forced into this line of work too," the bandit said tremblingly.

"Why did you stay away from Fierce Tiger Stronghold and travel all this way to rob an escort shipment? And why haven't I seen you move any of the goods you stole?" Xu Bai raised his long saber again.

By searching the original owner's memories, he could tell something was wrong. They had deliberately avoided Fierce Tiger Stronghold while escorting the shipment, yet the bandits had gone to every length to cross such a long distance and rob them. That alone was far from ordinary.

It was as though they had been lying in wait for them specifically. And the goods on the carriage had not been touched at all.

"I don't know either. Great Stronghold Master told us to do it. I'm just a little underling, I really don't know. Please let me go!" Tears and snot streamed down the bandit's face as he feared the saber at his neck would fall.

"So you don't know?" Xu Bai rubbed his chin and tightened his grip.

Thrust!

The long saber pierced the bandit's chest. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground without another breath.

The escort guards behind him all sucked in a cold breath, as though they were seeing Xu Bai for the first time.

He killed without hesitation. His methods were truly ruthless.

When they had worked the same trade before, none of them had realized Xu Bai possessed such a vicious nature.

"Continue." Wearing clothes free of blood, Xu Bai left the cell once more.

In this situation, if he was not ruthless enough, he would be the one out of luck.

The escort guards exchanged glances. One of them picked up the long saber that had fallen earlier and silently stood watch in the corner.

Outside, Xu Bai lured the bandits in one by one with all sorts of excuses. The prison cell was already piled full of corpses.

Starting with the fourth man, the escort guards no longer remained inside the cell. Instead, they waited in the dark passageway outside. Whenever a bandit entered, they swarmed him. Before he could cry out, they clamped a hand over his throat, made him change clothes, and then killed him.

Gradually, fewer and fewer bandits remained outside. The escort guards had all changed into bandit clothing and emerged from the prison.

"Do as I say later." Xu Bai walked into the open yard, looked at the somewhat luxurious house directly ahead, and headed toward it.

The escort guards spread out, imitating the bandits as they kept watch at every corner.

The doors of the house ahead stood open. Only after entering did Xu Bai clearly see the situation inside.

A bearded middle-aged man sat in a chair, a long scar across his face, drinking from a bowl.

The moment Xu Bai stepped into the room, he caught the middle-aged man's attention.

Other than the middle-aged man, there was no one else in the room. Xu Bai stood out the instant he entered, impossible to miss.

"Great Stronghold Master, the brothers found a big fish." Xu Bai stepped forward twice, lowering his head with one hand resting on his saber hilt.

At that moment, he was still two meters away from the Great Stronghold Master—not the optimal distance for the Bone Severing Blade Technique.

"Oh?" The Great Stronghold Master set down his wine bowl, interested. "What big fish?"

Xu Bai moved another step closer and spoke word by word. "It's like this. One of the escort guards said..."

The two meters narrowed to one. Xu Bai's grip on his saber tightened.

"What did he say?" The Great Stronghold Master frowned. Suddenly, he realized he had never seen this man before. "Why haven't I seen you? When did you join the stronghold?"

"Great Stronghold Master, look at this." Xu Bai abruptly changed the subject. He raised his head, drew his long saber, and stabbed straight at the Great Stronghold Master's chest.

The distance was right. The Bone Severing Blade Technique erupted, True Qi circulating and coating the blade.

Clang!

A crisp ring sounded out. Xu Bai felt his arm jolt, as if he had stabbed something hard.

He looked closely and saw that the Great Stronghold Master's clothes had split across the chest, revealing a gleaming golden inner armor.

"You've even got a treasure?" Xu Bai raised a brow.

"You dare!"

At this point, even if the Great Stronghold Master did not understand the full situation, he knew someone was trying to kill him.

He drew the long saber at his waist, knocking aside the blade at his chest before chopping down at Xu Bai's head with the same Bone Severing Blade Technique.

A demon head adorned the hilt, and the blade gleamed like snow. At a glance, it was clearly an excellent saber.

Xu Bai raised his arm. The two sabers collided with the ring of metal against metal.

A notch was carved into Xu Bai's long saber, but as True Qi circulated, the Great Stronghold Master was sent crashing into the wall.

"This is... True Qi!"

Having roamed the martial world for years, the Great Stronghold Master immediately saw that something was wrong.

As the saying went, without a cultivation method, even after entering the Ninth Rank, one would forever remain a martial artist beneath notice.

This man had knocked him into a disadvantage with one strike. They used the same blade technique, yet the other's power was greater. He definitely possessed a cultivation method!

"You're a Ninth Rank Martial Artist. You have True Qi!"

Greed immediately filled his eyes.

An unrealistic thought rose in his heart. If he could obtain this man's cultivation method...

Xu Bai rotated his long saber. His movements opened wide and closed hard, changing his downward chop into a horizontal slash.

"I do. Give me your head, and I'll give you the cultivation method."

That horizontal slash swept toward the Great Stronghold Master's neck.

With True Qi circulating, the saber's power doubled.

The Great Stronghold Master was battle-hardened. In the face of such immense danger, he raised his saber upright to block Xu Bai's strike. Yet the tremendous force smashed the back of the blade into his face, leaving a long wound.

Had the Ghost-Head Saber not been such a fine weapon, his head would already have parted from his body.

At that instant, the Great Stronghold Master finally came to his senses. His earlier greed had been nothing but the dream of a fool.

He hurriedly raised his free left hand, his sleeve fluttering.

Xu Bai had been about to press his advantage, but from the corner of his eye, he caught a glint at the Great Stronghold Master's left wrist. He immediately withdrew his attack and dodged aside.

Thunk!

The Sleeve Arrow shot out and struck the wall with a thunk.

"Playing dirty!" Xu Bai's expression darkened.

Had he not been cautious just now, that arrow would have struck him directly.

There was no need to think about what would happen if it did.

Enraged, Xu Bai swung his long saber around again, unleashing the Bone Severing Blade Technique madly.

The last thread of True Qi circulated and struck the Ghost-Head Saber.

The first slash sent the Ghost-Head Saber flying.

The second slashed across the Great Stronghold Master's neck.

Fresh Blood sprayed!

The Great Stronghold Master clutched his neck, blood flowing through his fingers.

"There's nothing protecting your neck." Xu Bai leaned on his long saber, his gaze blazing.