The mountain where Black Cloud Stronghold stood was not only steep and rugged, but also had just one road leading straight into the stronghold.
The mountain road wound and twisted, but Master Huang and Cao Yang, along with Lu Yuan, Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others, all moved swiftly over it as if it were level ground.
The hidden sentries and posted guards they encountered along the way never even had time to react before Master Huang and Cao Yang, the two Transformation Realm masters, snapped their necks in an instant.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, the group arrived directly outside the gates of Black Cloud Stronghold.
The massive gate, built from thick logs, was firmly shut.
"Poof! Poof! Poof..."
Before the bandits atop the gate could open their mouths to cry out, the small stones Master Huang hurled had smashed through all their heads.
Lu Yuan could tell that Master Huang had tossed the stones casually, without using any concealed-weapon technique like Flick Finger Technique.
Though they could not match the speed or force of the iron pellets Lu Yuan fired with Flick Finger Technique, they were still enough to show that even a casually thrown stone from a Transformation Realm master could easily kill an ordinary martial artist.
One could imagine how, for true ranked martial artists, even a leaf or a flower plucked from a branch could become a deadly weapon.
"Boom!"
Without wasting a word, Master Huang punched the stronghold gate.
To everyone's astonishment, the massive gate did not simply break open. It exploded into a rain of splinters.
Transformation Realm martial artists were terrifying indeed!
Before a Transformation Realm master like Master Huang, even a solid timber gate was no different from one made of paper.
If they, with only Hidden Energy Realm cultivation, had all charged in and pounded at it with their fists, they would likely have beaten their hands bloody without achieving anything close to such a terrifying result.
Lu Yuan couldn't help but marvel inwardly. If Master Huang joined a demolition crew, he'd surely be a real asset.
Even Cao Yang, who had already broken through into the Transformation Realm, could not help showing a hint of surprise.
He had to admit that even he, though also in the Transformation Realm, could not unleash such astonishing power.
Clearly, there was still a considerable gap between one Transformation Realm expert and another.
Without a word, Master Huang strode over the splintered wood and into Black Cloud Stronghold.
On the spacious square, dozens of bandits who seemed to have been drinking and playing a finger-guessing game had gone completely still.
The wine in their bowls spilled to the ground without their noticing. Even the liquor and scraps of meat in their gaping mouths kept dropping onto the ground.
"Damn it... What suicidal idiots dare come to Black Cloud Stronghold and cause trouble?"
"Brothers, grab your weapons! Get them!"
The bandits came to their senses and snatched up the blades, axes, and cudgels at their sides before surging forward.
"Bang! Bang! Bang..."
Faced with the charge of dozens of bandits, Master Huang and Cao Yang did not hesitate. They rushed to meet them first.
With no flashy moves, they killed more than a dozen bandits in the blink of an eye.
The others didn't hesitate either. They followed close behind and began fighting on their own.
Most of these bandits were martial artists, but they had not even reached the Bright Energy Realm. Even with weapons in hand, they were no match for these Hidden Energy Realm warriors.
Lu Yuan barely needed to lift a finger. Without even drawing his blade, he easily took down three bandits with a single punch each.
Hidden Energy surged through his fists and penetrated their bodies, shattering their internal organs.
In less than ten breaths, dozens of bandits lay in pools of blood.
Without pausing, the group continued deeper into the stronghold under the lead of the two Transformation Realm masters, Master Huang and Cao Yang.
The bandits they encountered, whether in the Bright Energy Realm or even the Hidden Energy Realm, were no match for them.
The moment they clashed, the bandits died on the spot, without even a chance to cry out.
As for the underlings who had not even reached the Bright Energy Realm, they were even less trouble.
"Kill! Kill! Kill..."
Before long, two middle-aged men led several hundred bandits rushing in from the rear of the stronghold.
"Huang Hui, what do you think you're doing?"
The man at the front, dressed in black and holding a Tiger-Head Blade, glared at Master Huang and asked in a deep voice.
"Your Black Cloud Stronghold took what you shouldn't have taken and kidnapped people you shouldn't have kidnapped. Naturally, you'll have to pay the price."
Master Huang's expression remained unchanged as he replied coolly.
"That's Zuo Kui, the First Chieftain of Black Cloud Stronghold. He's skilled with a heavy Tiger-Head Blade, and his strength is probably no less than Master Huang's. The one behind him should be the Second Chieftain, Situ Ming. He's also a Transformation Realm master and specializes in wielding a pair of hammers. He won't be easy to deal with either," Chen Zheng whispered gravely.
At his words, everyone's expressions turned serious.
Fortunately, they had two Transformation Realm masters leading them. Otherwise, this trip could well have ended with nine out of ten of them dead.
"So there really are people who aren't afraid to die. Fine, then you'll all stay here!"
Zuo Kui gave a cold snort, then swung his Tiger-Head Blade at Huang Hui.
Huang Hui did not simply stand by and take it. His blood and energy surged, and with nothing but his bare fists, he fought Zuo Kui to a standstill.
Just then, Situ Ming suddenly swung his twin hammers, about to bring them down on Huang Hui.
But a figure abruptly appeared in his way. It was Cao Yang, holding a long spear.
Cao Yang had only just broken through to the Transformation Realm, but with the silver spear in his hands, he was still able to fight Situ Ming to a standstill.
The two chieftains of Black Cloud Stronghold were now held off by Huang Hui and Cao Yang.
That left the rest of the rabble to Lu Yuan, Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and their six companions.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Amid a chorus of screams, bandits kept falling to the ground.
Though Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others had only just entered the Hidden Energy Realm, they were more than capable of handling the bandits before them.
As for Lu Yuan, his long blade swept up and down, and one bandit after another fell dead with blood spurting from their throats.
Almost every step he took left several more corpses on the ground.
Before long, bandit corpses lay strewn across the ground, and blood had nearly stained the entire square red.
"Lu Yuan's blade work is so fast—and so impressive!"
When Wang Chao, Chen Zheng, and the others noticed him, they couldn't help looking his way in astonishment.
They even had the vague sense that if they had to face Lu Yuan's swift blade themselves, they might not be able to handle it easily. They could probably hold out for ten strikes at most.
"Brat, don't get cocky!"
Just then, two bandit leaders in the Hidden Energy Realm lunged at Lu Yuan from either side.
Yet Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged as he stood perfectly still.
The instant the two bandit leaders reached him, his blade flashed sideways.
Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, second form: Wind-Intercepting!
The strike was as swift as a gust of wind.
"Shhk! Shhk!"
The cold blade light sliced through the air—and through the bodies of the two bandit leaders.
Blood sprayed, and two corpses, still warm, fell to the ground.
Too weak!
Even when facing two Hidden Energy Realm opponents at once, Lu Yuan felt no pressure.
He hadn't even used his real trump card yet!
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