The Bandit Chief

The mountain bandits of the Central Plains are truly not to be underestimated.

Qin Jiu had been chasing them in the mountain gullies for several days. His first attack on the two petty thieves failed, but he obtained the immortal opportunity of the red sand and achieved success in cultivation. He originally wanted to take revenge, but he never expected that those mountain bandits were so cunning. When they realized that a cultivator was watching them, they packed their valuables and made a hasty escape. Moreover, even the Bandit A Qin Jiu had killed or wounded before were injured and became a burden. In order to hide their whereabouts, they were directly killed by their own companions. They didn't even bother to bury the many corpses in the village, leaving swiftly and decisively.

How could Qin Jiu let these vicious bandits escape? Besides, if he didn't finish the quiz, that old monkey would beat him to death.

So they asked the spirits of the wronged people near the bandit camp for directions, and Qin Jiu followed. He never expected the bandit leader to be so cunning; while fleeing, he suddenly launched a surprise ambush. They almost fell for it.

But this bandit leader seems really strong. Is it necessary to escape?

Although he couldn't understand it, having dodged the thunderous attack and witnessed the opponent's formidable skill, Qin Jiu immediately made a judgment.

If you can't win, run away.

People grow through setbacks and hardships. Qin Jiu was hung up and beaten so many times, so he must have grown a little bit too.

At this moment, he immediately covered his entire body with red sand, wrapping himself in a sand ball. Every now and then, he would reach out his hands and legs to poke around in it, scrambling and rolling as he fled for his life. At first glance, he looked like a toad with a bulging belly, which was indeed not very aesthetically pleasing. But his advantage lay in his agility and unpredictability. He would hop and roll, dodge left and right, and move laterally, making full use of the evasive abilities he had gained from being whipped by tree branches.

Furthermore, although Qin Jiu himself didn't know what was going on, he seemed to have a subtle, telepathic feeling. It was as if, ever since the bandit leader attacked him, there had always been an invisible thread connecting him to his forehead. Every now and then, it felt like being pricked by a needle. Even though Qin Jiu was huddled inside the sand ball, he could still clearly sense the bandit leader's location, distance, speed, and direction.

No matter which direction the opponent attacks from, their attack intentions are all anticipated and injected into Qin Jiu's mind in advance along that thread, like needles pricking him. Although it stings his brow and causes a little pain, it's much easier than being slapped on the face by a completely unpredictable tree branch.

On the other side, the Immortal Palace mecha chasing behind Qin Jiu, while not quite at the Martial God level, was still a genuine Nascent Soul Stage warrior in terms of parameters. Its speed, strength, physical toughness, and explosive power had reached their peak. Although it wasn't using any technologically advanced weapons, its individual combat performance was still quite good. It unleashed a series of combos, sometimes with Ado and sometimes with Oyster Sauce, with wide, sweeping attacks. The mecha's exoskeleton was completely automated, unlike flesh and blood bodies that needed to stop and breathe. It just kept hitting the target with hundreds of combos until he died, clearly aiming to cripple and capture him alive with its bare hands.

But to everyone's surprise, despite the overwhelming advantage in parameters, the mecha couldn't even touch this flea-like monster. Every attack, every heavy punch and kick, was precisely programmed, yet at the last moment, Qin Jiu dodged it by the slightest margin, as if deliberately missing its target. And although the flying debris and tree trunks were like bullets, they couldn't shatter the outer shell made of red sand.

It's one thing if they can't take it in one raid, but it's a problem if they can't catch it after chasing it all over a mountain!

The pilot inside the mecha immediately changed tactics, halting and switching to a different strategy. Dozens of light threads were released from the mecha's arms, resembling the texture of celestial silk but shimmering with golden light, as if the pilot's hands were capturing the arcs of light filling the sky.

If Li Fan were here, he'd probably scream with excitement like a child seeing a toy, "Holy crap! Monomolecular filament!"

However, Qin Jiu had never seen such a thing before. He didn't know why the bandit leader had suddenly stopped. The monomolecular thread had already been swung out, wrapping, binding, and slicing the sand ball into pieces in an instant! Yes, a single thread had actually cut through the Bloodbreak Sand's defense!

But it doesn't matter! Qin Jiu dodged it!

This was a deadly move that Qin Jiu had never seen before. Although it cut through the sand ball and narrowly managed to shave off a patch of Qin Jiu's bangs, revealing his face, the opponent intended to capture him alive and did not directly cut off his head!

Qin Jiu immediately bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. The scattered, broken red sand around him was then magnetically attracted to him! The red sand ball began to move and tumble again, and even after being hit only once, it could predict and dodge the trajectory of the golden threads, weaving through the gaps in the chaotic light!

Although the power of the monomolecular filaments was initially unknown and the mech was hit, dodging them with careful attention was actually easier. As the mech was swung around by the jet, it stopped maneuvering, and the trajectory of the network woven by the monomolecular filaments was easy to predict. Moreover, after only a few swings, the light on the filaments visibly dimmed, requiring them to be recharged back into the mech.

As the mecha remained frozen, retracting its threads, Qin Jiu sensed the other's intention and felt a powerful premonition erupt! So powerful it was as if another version of himself was shouting in his ear, "Now!!"

Now is the time! Qin Jiu launches his counterattack!

Yes, a counterattack!

If Qin Jiu did learn anything from being whipped by the Yuan Gong branches, it was that running away is not a solution.

But a counter-attack can solve everything!

"Blood Flow Sword Rain!"

Qin Jiu magnified the sand clumps gathered around him, and the moment the monomolecular lines retracted, they erupted like a landslide and a tsunami!

At that very moment, the mech collecting monomolecular lines experienced a fatal moment of stun! In the blink of an eye, the overwhelming sandstorm struck squarely on the mech! The torrent swept the mech away, flattening and burying half the hill, turning it into a sand pit!

If it were just ordinary sword moves, it would be absolutely impossible for Golden Core cultivator, with the added power of his Dao, to break through and send the Immortal Palace's mecha flying.

But this is not a simple sword technique, but the first level of Blood Sea Sword Howl Roar, and it is not even a simple beginner Blood Talisman Sword Technique, but a Blood Talisman Sword Technique empowered by Bloodbreak Sand!

Or to put it more bluntly, Qin Jiu didn't need to escape at all. The Bloodbreak Sand, a thing of the level that can annihilate immortals and gods, was already incredibly powerful. Furthermore, Qin Jiu used the special sword technique of the Divine Sect to control it. Even if he only used one ten-thousandth of its power, he could easily kill a mere Nascent Soul Stage level mecha!

So even though it was only buried by the sandstorm and the sword technique's power wasn't enough, the Bloodbreak Sand completely penetrated and pierced the mecha's circuit armor baseboard, causing this Immortal Palace Armor, the company's battle armor, to directly shut down and become immobile.

"Heh!!"

Of course, Qin Jiu was unaware that he had already won; on the contrary, he was in a panic. In a moment of inspiration, he unleashed all his Dao Breath. Seeing that the metal automaton had taken a huge hit but hadn't broken apart, he panicked even more, fearing that it would suddenly break free from the sand and attack again, leaving him without the Qi to defend himself. So, howling, he grabbed a handful of sand from the ground, condensed it into a Vermilion Sword sword the length of a dagger, and charged forward, wildly stabbing and slashing at the mecha that was mostly buried under the sand!

As he slashed wildly, Qin Jiu was startled when he saw the thing chasing him up close. In his haste to escape, he had thought it was the bandit leader in armor chasing him, but it turned out to be a mechanical puppet?

He had indeed glanced at the mechanical figures and beasts of Heavenly Craft Peak in Lou Guan City. But to be honest, those mechanical contraptions from Ink Bamboo Mountain were quite clumsy. Their joints and torsos were made of precision parts, and their structures were very fragile; they were just toys and handicrafts. The weapons and equipment they could carry were very limited, and they were completely incomparable to the mobility and power of this mechanical figure.

"Ahh!"

"What! There are still people inside!"

Qin Jiu plunged his sword into the gap in the joint of the iron automaton, and blood suddenly gushed out like a fountain, startling him. He pried open the armor and pulled out the person hidden inside. It was a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth, who didn't look much older than Qin Jiu. He was wearing a strange-looking suit of a thin film that seemed to cling tightly to his body.

At this moment, the man rolled his eyes and trembled. Qin Jiu then realized that he had just plunged his sword into the man's collarbone, and a large amount of blood was being absorbed into the red sand and refined by the blood breath.

"Are you the bandit leader?" Qin Jiu grabbed the young man by the hair, pressed the blood-stained dagger against his throat, and demanded, "Tell me! Where are your brothers hiding!"

The young man suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Qin Jiu, his pupils gleaming with the light of ice-blue gemstones.

Qin Jiu was stunned, then felt as if a cool spring had sprayed onto his face, and immediately flew into a rage, "You dare spit on me!"

He immediately punched the young bandit in the face, then, with his sword hilt in his other hand, struck the bandit's jawbone and cheekbone three times, causing the bandit's mouth and nose to burst open, his face covered in blood, and he immediately fainted.

"The bandits should come to rescue our leader, right? Yuan Gong said there's a reward for his head; I wonder if there's a bonus for capturing him alive..."

Qin Jiu pulled the young bandit out, rested for a while, then used his Crimson Sand Hand to crush and grab the bandit's hands and feet. He then tried to cut open the mechanical man's arm, hoping to dismantle the incredibly powerful immortal silk magic weapon from before, since it was also one of his own immortal gains.

As he was busy, a poisoned arrow suddenly shot towards his back from the dense forest. Although it was blocked by his protective red sand, it still made Qin Jiu stagger. Turning his head, he saw that more than a dozen bandits had already surrounded him.

"Hmph! You came pretty fast!" Qin Jiu sneered, pulling the 'bandit leader' up to shield him, and quickly gathered his energy. "Put down your crossbows, or I'll kill him!"

To make his argument more convincing, Qin Jiu cut off the 'bandit leader's' nose with a single sword stroke, causing him to wake up in pain and scream.

Who knew those bandits were so ruthless? The next arrow came straight at their leader's face!

"Don't even think about it!"

Qin Jiu immediately shunned the 'boss,' letting the arrow pierce his ear to save his own reward. He flicked his Vermilion Sword, creating a swirling red wind that enveloped him, and thrust it straight at the bandits.

The bandits darted past like monkeys, each throwing arrows and darts, their poisoned arrows and knives clanging and clattering against the red sand protecting Qin Jiu's body, piling up a layer of gravel that veered off course and fell to the ground. These bandits weren't blind; seeing how powerful this kid was, with his 'protective qi,' they immediately tried to jump out of the trees and escape.

At this moment, a burly man among the bandits roared, "This brat has been chasing us for days, and we just had a fierce battle. He's exhausted his energy! If we don't kill him now, when will we?"

After saying that, the big man grabbed a broadsword, leaped over, and slashed straight at Qin Jiu's shoulder!

"Ten-fold Gang Fist! Broken Mountain Sword!"

This burly bandit was indeed sharp-eyed, immediately discerning that the red 'protective true qi' on Qin Jiu's body was actually very thin, only capable of delaying and blocking attacks from hidden arrows and darts. He slashed into the red qi with all his might, and although the blade was noticeably heavy and deflected, failing to cut through, a large patch of red qi around Qin Jiu scattered, clearly indicating that his qi was insufficient and he could no longer control it!

"Men, hurry! He can't hold on any longer!"

"So you were the ringleader! Prepare to die!"

Qin Jiu thrust the dagger in his hand into the red wind surrounding him, stirred it, and with a whoosh, drew out a long sword, sweeping it horizontally across the burly bandit!

"A trivial skill!"

The burly bandit abandoned his knife and leaped into the air. With his left hand, he reached behind his back and scattered a handful of lime. With a flick of his right sleeve, he swung a meteor hammer straight at Qin Jiu's forehead. Although the method was vicious and ruthless, it had little effect. The meteor hammer missed its target and flew past Qin Jiu.

Because the burly bandit flew too high.

After all, half of his body had been severed by Qin Jiu's sword, and he had fallen to the ground with his intestines hanging from his body. How could he not fly high with only half of his chest remaining?

Qin Jiu looked at the sword in his hand with some surprise; it was literally a 'forty-meter-long sword'.

Of course, forty meters is not quite right to call it a 'sword'; it's more accurate to call it a 'thread' or a 'needle'.

The Bloodbreak Sand grains combined together, resembling a red thread or a crimson needle, firmly held in Qin Jiu's hand, crystal clear and covered with fresh blood droplets.

Upon seeing their leader's gruesome death, the bandit henchmen were the first to react. Without even shouting, they turned and ran.

Before Qin Jiu could react, his body moved first. He spread his fingers and, in the blink of an eye, Crimson Wind Blood Sand gathered in his palms. Then, with a flick of his arm, he sent out thousands of red threads, like floating fans, sweeping across the forest.

In the next instant, the pine forest halfway up the mountain, along with the bandits in the forest, were all cut into scattered pieces by the red silk.

Qin Jiu stared blankly at the red sand gathered in his hands, chin agape. After a long while, he flicked it a few times, slicing the fragments into thin pieces... This move consumes so little blood energy, it's quite effective...

"I wonder which revered leader of the divine sect is currently in power?"

Qin Jiu turned his head and saw a Daoist priest with a long beard, wearing a green robe and carrying a sword, standing next to the trembling 'bandit leader' and bowing to him.

Strangely, although he was clearly visible, this person seemed to exist outside of the world.

A thought suddenly popped into Qin Jiu's mind.

This guy is even more formidable than the Yuan Gong.

"Let me guess," the Daoist priest smiled. "Could it be Sect Leader Zhang?"

Qin Jiu swallowed hard. "My surname isn't Zhang, it's Qin."

"Your surname is Qin!" The Daoist's expression changed, he calculated with his fingers, his expression changed again, and he confirmed once more, "Your surname is really Qin!?"

Qin Jiu was baffled. "So what if someone with the surname Qin? Did someone with the surname Qin eat your rice? Our whole village has the surname Qin..."

The Daoist priest seemed surprised by Qin Jiu's 'openness' and was plotting something. He remained silent for a moment, his hands constantly making calculations, when suddenly his brows furrowed.

Qin Jiu was observing the other person closely when he subconsciously gathered the red sand around his body, forming a ball.

In that instant, a figure suddenly leaped out from underground and struck Qin Jiu on the back. With just one palm, the strike pierced through the red sand's defenses, turning Qin Jiu into a bloody mess. Blood-splattered sacks flew through the air like wildfire. Before Qin Jiu even landed, the figure had already flashed forward, grabbed the heavily injured 'bandit leader' from the ground, and vanished.

The Daoist in the green robe watched the uninvited guest fly away with a single palm strike, snatch the person, and escape without uttering a word. He walked up to Qin Jiu, whose meridians had been completely destroyed by the powerful palm strike, and who was almost rotten into pieces, with blood and sand mixed together, and frowned as he looked at him.

"You survived a slap from that old eunuch? Oh, a Divine Court Golden Core cultivator, so tough! Could you really be surnamed Qin...?"

Even the Daoist priest admitted that he couldn't figure out the cause and effect of this situation, so he could only shake his head, flick his sleeve, and take away this 'Qin fellow' first.