Breaching the Stockade, Too Weak

The mountain peak where Black Cloud Stronghold is located is not only rugged and precipitous, but also features only a single mountain path leading directly into the stronghold.

However, although the mountain path is winding and rugged, Master Huang, Cao Yang, Lu Yuan, Wang Chao, and Chen Zheng all moved as if walking on flat ground, advancing with rapid strides.

Along the way, whether they encountered hidden sentries or guards in plain sight, they were all killed instantly by Master Huang and Cao Yang—the two great masters of the Transformation Realm—who twisted their necks before they could even react.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the group arrived directly outside the main gate of Black Cloud Stronghold.

The massive gate, constructed from solid logs, was tightly shut.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft..."

Before the bandits above the gate could even open their mouths to make a sound, their heads were all pierced through by small stones thrown by Master Huang.

Lu Yuan could naturally see that these small stones were merely tossed by Master Huang at will, without the use of any hidden weapon techniques like the Flick Finger Technique.

Although the speed and power could not compare to the iron beads he fired using the Flick Finger Technique, it was enough to show that a great master of the Transformation Realm could easily kill ordinary martial artists even with a casually thrown stone.

One could only imagine, if it were a true ranked martial artist, wouldn't they be able to kill simply by plucking leaves or tossing flowers?

"Boom!"

Without any wasted words, Master Huang slammed a fist directly into the gate.

In the astonished eyes of everyone present, they saw the massive gate not just smashed open, but completely shattered, turning into a sky full of debris.

A Transformation Realm martial artist—terrifying to this extent!

The tough, solid wooden gate was no different from paper in front of a great master like Master Huang.

If it had been them, with only Dark Energy cultivation, even if they all attacked together and punched wildly, they would likely have reduced their own hands to a bloody mess without achieving such a terrifying effect.

Lu Yuan could not help but marvel inwardly; if Master Huang were to join a demolition crew, he would surely be an expert.

Even Cao Yang, who had successfully broken into the Transformation Realm, could not help but show a trace of astonishment in his eyes at this moment.

Because he admitted that even he, as a fellow Transformation Realm practitioner, would find it difficult to unleash such astonishing power.

Clearly, there is still a significant gap between different practitioners of the Transformation Realm.

Master Huang did not waste any words, stepping directly over the debris and wood chips as he strode into Black Cloud Stronghold.

In the rather spacious plaza, dozens of bandits who seemed to be drinking and playing finger-guessing games were all left completely stunned.

The large bowls in their hands tilted, spilling wine without them even realizing it, and even from their wide-open mouths, leftover wine and meat kept falling to the ground.

"Damn... where did these death-seeking fools come from, daring to come to Black Cloud Stronghold to stir up trouble!"

"Brothers, grab your weapons, let's take them together!"

The bandits, having regained their senses, immediately grabbed the knives, axes, and clubs at their sides and swarmed forward.

"Bang... bang... bang..."

Facing the charge of these dozens of bandits, Master Huang and Cao Yang did not hesitate in the slightest, meeting them head-on.

Without any flashy moves, they killed more than a dozen bandits in an instant.

Seeing this, the others did not hesitate either, following closely behind and beginning to slaughter the enemy themselves.

Although most of these bandits were martial artists, they had not yet entered the Bright Energy realm; even with weapons in hand, they had no power to resist against these Dark Energy martial artists.

Lu Yuan barely made a move, not even drawing his blade, and easily took down three bandits with one punch each.

He channeled his Dark Energy, the force penetrating their bodies and shattering the bandits' internal organs.

In less than ten breaths, dozens of bandits had all fallen into pools of blood.

Without delay, the group, led by the two great Transformation Realm masters Master Huang and Cao Yang, continued deeper into the stronghold.

Any bandits they encountered, even those of the Bright Energy or Dark Energy realms, were not a match for them in a single exchange.

As soon as they clashed, they were killed on the spot, without even a chance to groan or scream.

As for the small fries who weren't even at the Bright Energy level, it took even less effort.

"Kill! Kill! Kill..."

Before long, two middle-aged men led hundreds of bandits rushing over from the back of the stronghold.

"Huang Hui, what is the meaning of this?"

The black-clad man in the lead, holding a Tiger-Head Blade, glared at Master Huang and said in a deep voice.

"Your Black Cloud Stronghold touched things you shouldn't have touched and kidnapped people you shouldn't have kidnapped; naturally, you must pay the price!"

Master Huang's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly.

"That is the First Chief of Black Cloud Stronghold, Zuo Kui. He is skilled with the heavy Tiger-Head Blade, and his strength is likely no weaker than Master Huang's. The one behind him should be the Second Chief of Black Cloud Stronghold, Situ Ming. Not only is he also a great master of the Transformation Realm, but he is skilled with dual hammers and is equally difficult to deal with!"

Chen Zheng whispered with a solemn expression.

Hearing this, everyone could not help but look grave.

Fortunately, they also had two great Transformation Realm masters leading the way; otherwise, this trip might truly have been a narrow escape from death.

"So there really are those who don't fear death. Since that's the case, then all of you can just stay here!"

Zuo Kui let out a cold snort, then swung his Tiger-Head Blade and slashed toward Huang Hui.

Huang Hui naturally did not sit idly by; with his blood and qi surging incessantly, he relied solely on his bare fists to fight to a standstill, neither side able to gain the upper hand for the moment.

At this juncture, Situ Ming suddenly brandished the twin hammers in his hands, preparing to smash them down upon Huang Hui.

Yet, a figure suddenly appeared before him, none other than Cao Yang, who was wielding a long spear.

Although Cao Yang had only just broken through to the Hua Realm, he was still able to fight Situ Ming to a draw with the silver spear in his hand.

The two stronghold leaders of Black Cloud Stronghold had effectively been held back by Huang Hui and Cao Yang.

The remaining small fry naturally fell to the nine others, including Lu Yuan, Wang Chao, and Chen Zheng.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

Amidst the rising and falling screams, mountain bandits fell to the ground one after another.

Although Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others had only just entered the An Realm, they were more than capable of dealing with these mountain bandits with ease.

As for Lu Yuan, as the long blade in his hand danced up and down, one mountain bandit after another could be seen collapsing with blood spraying from their throats.

With almost every step he took, more corpses were added to the ground.

Before long, the ground was littered with the bodies of mountain bandits, and the blood had nearly dyed the earth red.

"Lu Yuan's blade technique is so fast, so formidable!"

After noticing this, Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others could not help but cast astonished gazes toward Lu Yuan.

They even had a vague feeling that if it were them facing such a swift blade technique, they might not be able to parry it easily, and at most, they could only hold out for ten strikes.

"Brat, stop your arrogance!"

At this moment, two mountain bandit leaders with An Realm cultivation suddenly lunged at Lu Yuan from the left and right.

Yet, Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he stood there quietly.

Just as the two bandit leaders reached him, he suddenly slashed his blade horizontally.

Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, second form, Wind-Intercepting!

This strike was as fast as a gale.

"Shhh! Shhh!"

The chilling blade light tore through the air, as well as the bodies of the two bandit leaders.

Blood splattered, and two corpses that still held their warmth were added to the ground.

Too weak!

Even when facing two An Realm experts simultaneously, Lu Yuan still felt no pressure.

He hadn't even needed to use his true trump cards yet!