"It seemed those bandits had gotten smarter. They'd learned to hold back."
"Too bad you can't afford to wait us out."
For three days straight, not a single bandit showed himself on Falling Mist Mountain. Apparently, they had pulled their forces in.
But they couldn't stay hidden forever.
Just as a great man once said, the sixteen-character secret.
Enemy advances, we retreat; enemy camps, we harass; enemy tires, we attack; enemy retreats, we pursue.
"The farther we go, the fewer chances the disciples will have to gain experience."
The younger generation of disciples in the Fang Family were, for the most part, still in the Houtian Realm.
But the Green Ridge Stronghold's forces had been worn down nearly to nothing. The remaining experts would surely strike back, and anyone who wasn't strong enough would die.
"It's time to consider wiping out the Green Ridge Stronghold once and for all!"
A dangerous gleam flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes. He had now opened more than a hundred acupoints in his body, and his strength had increased greatly.
Of course, he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take on the Foundation Establishment expert at the Green Ridge Stronghold.
The difference between them was a chasm.
"Give it a little more time."
In half a month at most, Fang Yuan was confident he could break through to Foundation Establishment. Then he could march on the Green Ridge Stronghold and kill them all without rushing into it.
"Back to training!"
Add points!
Fang Yuan closed his eyes and sat cross-legged. His awareness shifted to the Attribute Panel, and he tapped the "+" beside his cultivation.
In an instant.
Fang Yuan felt a rush of warmth surge through his head. It itched, then ached, but the sensation didn't last long.
Next, his face began to burn. The heat spread all the way to his eyes as a warm current swept through him.
Finally, something in his chest seemed to break open, and strength burst through his entire body.
[You have cultivated painstakingly for a year and broken through three barriers in succession. Certain parts of your body have been strengthened, but your cultivation has not yet made a substantive breakthrough]
The final step of the Xiantian Realm.
He had to break through 108 acupoints. The last eight, however, were often the hardest. They linked the others, connecting what came before with what came after.
The three acupoints he had just opened were Baihui, Jingming, and Danzhong, located at the crown of his head, his face, and his chest.
After breaking through the three barriers, Fang Yuan felt his mind clear, and all five senses had improved to some degree.
Knock, knock, knock...
Before long, someone rapped on Fang Yuan's door. It turned out to be Steward Fang Zheng, who had come to discuss something with him.
"Soon, we'll be transporting a batch of pig iron back to the family's smithy."
"We'd like to ask the Young Master to help with the job. It would also be a good chance to send some injured disciples back to the clan."
Fang Yuan thought it over for a moment, then quickly agreed.
The Green Ridge Stronghold's bandits weren't showing their faces anymore, so there was little point in staying here.
"I remember the last batch of pig iron was robbed by bandits halfway there?" Fang Yuan asked.
Fang Zheng thought he was being reprimanded. His expression turned tense, and he hurriedly apologized.
"I was just curious. Does the Green Ridge Stronghold have a dedicated smithing operation?"
Fang Zheng thought for a moment, then shook his head. "They probably don't. Forging weapons takes more than just pig iron."
Smithing was a legitimate business, and one regulated by the authorities.
Fang Yuan nodded. To prevent anything going wrong again, he had the pig-iron convoy disguise itself as a merchant caravan.
He also sent people to the iron mine to find some miners and laborers, who disguised themselves and mingled with the group.
Autumn had arrived, and leaves rustled down from the trees.
The disciples walked along the main road. The miners and laborers kept watch over the pig iron behind them, while Fang Yuan lounged in the carriage.
"We haven't run into a single worthy opponent along the way. I haven't had a chance to use the Myriad Star Fist at all."
Fang Yuan decided that after dealing with the Green Ridge Stronghold, he would venture alone into Falling Mist Mountain to gain experience. The beasts there would make excellent practice targets.
"Fifth Chief, didn't the Second Chief say we weren't to rob travelers for a while?"
In a patch of woods beside the main road, more than twenty men lay in wait. Each carried a sharp blade, and every one of them looked vicious.
"If we don't rob travelers, are you all going to drink the northwest wind?" the Fifth Chief sneered.
"Once we've finished this job, I'll take you to the brothels in Prefecture City for a visit. If you do well, I'll take you to the Embracing Moon Pavilion."
At the thought of beauties on their laps, the bandits, who rarely got a taste of such pleasures, grew faintly excited.
"Chief, look! There's a caravan coming up ahead!"
The Fifth Chief looked in the direction he pointed. A smile spread across his face, and his eyes glinted.
"Get your weapons ready. Nobody moves without my order."
The caravan passed right in front of them, yet the Fifth Chief of Qinggang Stockade still gave no order.
The men began to grow anxious. They were about to miss their chance.
"Have you forgotten the Second Chief's warning?"
The man was hot-tempered, but he wasn't stupid. Worried it might be a trap, he decided to ambush them in the open.
"Or are you worried I'm not strong enough?"
At his words, the bandits hurriedly shook their heads and denied it.
"The Fifth Chief is a Ninth Layer Houtian Realm expert. Taking care of this caravan will be a piece of cake!" one of them flattered him.
The man enjoyed the flattery, and he certainly had the strength to back it up.
"We're almost at Prefecture City. We'll be home soon," one disciple said excitedly.
Once they left the main road beyond Falling Mist Mountain, a vast city came into view, like a ferocious beast crouching on the ground.
Bandits usually chose to rob travelers in Falling Mist Mountain, where there were fewer people and the terrain made it easy to strike.
So when they emerged from the mountain, most of the group breathed a sigh of relief and let their taut nerves relax.
"Everyone, stay alert!"
But just then, a loud voice rang out from inside the carriage.
The others didn't understand, but they did as they were told, warily scanning their surroundings.
A moment later, more than twenty men burst out from somewhere and surrounded the group.
"You're from the Green Ridge Stronghold?"
They had dealt with those bandits often of late. One sharp-eyed disciple recognized them.
"I didn't expect you to be so vigilant."
The Fifth Chief didn't answer directly. He was simply surprised. How had they known he'd been following them the whole way?
"Kill them all!"
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out.
But it hadn't come from anyone at the Green Ridge Stronghold. It had come from the carriage.
"I've never seen anyone this arrogant! Get out here!"
The Fifth Chief flew into a rage. He unleashed the full force of his Ninth Layer Houtian Realm cultivation and charged at the carriage, raising his saber to split it open.
"Protect the Young Master!"
The powerful energy sent the carriage trembling. The disciples were shocked and rushed toward it.
But at that moment, a figure darted out.
Bang...
A deafening blast rang out.
Everyone saw a figure hurtling backward through the air.
"Who are you?"
The man sprawled on the ground was none other than the Fifth Chief of Qinggang Stockade. He stared fixedly at Fang Yuan, his expression wary and bewildered.
Anyone who could send him flying with a single blow couldn't possibly be some unknown nobody.
"The man who's going to kill you."
Fang Yuan's tone was indifferent. The man had survived his first strike, which meant he was worthy of a real fight.
The Fifth Chief planted both hands on the ground and sprang up. His gaze turned ice-cold as his true energy surged into his saber, its edge gleaming with a heart-chilling light.
As he swung, saber energy ripped through the air with immense force. The blow looked to carry several thousand jin of strength.
Fang Yuan's expression didn't change. He moved with Phantom Step, and the true-energy sword in his hand shattered the instant it met the saber.
"You don't even draw your sword? You really are a newborn calf that doesn't fear the tiger."
The Fifth Chief of Qinggang Stockade sneered and unleashed more than ten fierce blows in succession. The ground cracked under the force of the attacks.
Boom... Bang...
Fang Yuan dodged as he unleashed the Myriad Star Fist. His dense flurry of attacks rained down on the man like falling stars.
"Damn you!"
The Fifth Chief of Qinggang Stockade howled in pain. Every punch that landed on him felt as if it were shifting his internal organs out of place.
Yet his saber couldn't even graze the other man's clothes.
Since reaching the Ninth Layer Houtian Realm and opening more than twenty acupoints, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?
After dozens of exchanges, the Fifth Chief of Qinggang Stockade realized something was wrong.
That brat was probably using him to practice his fist techniques—there wasn't even a trace of true energy gathering around his knuckles!
The burly man was horrified and terrified. He was already looking for a chance to flee.
"Trying to run?"
Fang Yuan glanced over the battlefield. The Fang Family disciples were outnumbered and at a disadvantage, barely holding on.
It was time to put an end to the Fifth Chief of Qinggang Stockade.
Fang Yuan gathered true energy in his arm and unleashed a barrage of strikes, each one sending a shockwave through the air.
Boom...
The Fifth Chief, trying to escape, seemed to have a star crash into his back. Blow after blow hammered into him, shattering every bone in his body. He crumpled helplessly to the ground, and at last, his breathing stopped...
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