Ambush

"Brother Li Xingluo, why are you asking about the Nether Poison Swamp? Don't tell me you're planning to go there?"

Mentioning the Nether Poison Swamp, especially hearing Li Xingluo express interest in it, made Song Xue's emotions flare up instantly. She simply could not fathom why Li Xingluo would want to venture into such a hellish place.

Seeing that Li Xingluo did not answer her, Song Xue grew anxious, her voice trembling slightly.

"Brother Li Xingluo, the Nether Poison Swamp is infested with miasma and toxins. My grandfather told me that a hundred years ago, a group of people went in to explore it, and not one of the hundred came back out. They say it's filled with venomous creatures and shrouded in perpetual miasma; no one who enters ever returns."

Li Xingluo sensed that Song Xue's concern was genuine and heartfelt, but the fact that the place held something he needed was non-negotiable.

"Alright, get some rest early. We have to travel tomorrow."

Li Xingluo sat back in his original spot and closed his eyes to begin his cultivation. Song Xue's expression darkened, looking deeply troubled, her gaze never leaving Li Xingluo for a second.

The next day, having recovered his vitality, the two set off on the road to Ink Cloud City.

They hadn't traveled far when a scene of corpses littering the ground came into view. Li Xingluo vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

Song Xue had already lost control, running frantically toward the bodies. She knelt to inspect them, tears streaming down her face, muttering names, but there was no response save for the echo of her own voice.

Li Xingluo let out a long sigh, walked over slowly, and tried to comfort Song Xue.

"Brother Li Xingluo, they... they are all dead."

Song Xue wept like a broken person, blaming herself incessantly.

"They died protecting you. They wouldn't want to see you like this; I think they would rather see you show some resolve."

Song Xue seemed to grasp his meaning, her brows knitting together as she nodded.

"Let's bury them first."

Loyal people should not be left exposed in the wilderness. Just as the two began to move, a whistle pierced the air.

Dozens of men leaped out from all directions, surrounding Li Xingluo and Song Xue in the center.

Song Xue turned pale with fright, pointing at the men closing in as she stammered, "Brother Li Xingluo, they... they are the Tiger Mountain Sand Bandits."

Li Xingluo naturally recognized this group; their attire made it obvious. He just hadn't expected their leader to have some grasp of military tactics.

The men surrounding them did not attack immediately, as if waiting for someone.

Li Xingluo scanned the circle; these men were all at the Dou Master level and posed no real threat.

Suddenly, the crowd in front parted, and a man dragging a long blade walked into the formation. He swung the weapon, slamming it into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Big Boss!" Dozens of underlings bowed in unison, a truly spectacular sight.

The man eyed Li Xingluo and Song Xue with a wicked gaze, as if looking at prey.

"Young Miss Song, you were quite hard to find. I never expected you to escape safely yesterday. I must say, I am impressed."

Song Xue leaned toward Li Xingluo and whispered the identity of this so-called Big Boss: "Brother Li Xingluo, he is Orsi, the leader of the Tiger Mountain Sand Bandits. Years ago, he was already a nine-star Dou Grandmaster."

Seeing Song Xue whispering in Li Xingluo's ear, Orsi laughed—a wild, arrogant laugh.

Song Xue did not answer him, so Orsi shifted his gaze to Li Xingluo, examining him from head to toe.

"You were the one who saved her?"

Looking at the incredibly arrogant Orsi, who didn't even bother to hide his disdain, Li Xingluo didn't give him a pleasant look either.

"Yes, that's right."

Orsi had expected Li Xingluo to deny it; he hadn't anticipated the man would so readily admit to it.

This actually earned Li Xingluo a modicum of respect from Orsi.

"So, you're the one who killed my second-in-command?"

"I am!" Li Xingluo replied crisply.

"Good, kid, you've got guts. It's been a long time since I've seen someone with your kind of nerve. Listen, kid, I'll give you two choices."

Orsi picked at his ear, clearly still not taking Li Xingluo seriously.

Li Xingluo's lips curled slightly as he looked at Orsi with interest.

"Oh? I killed your men and I still get two choices? I'm quite curious to hear them."

Seeing that Li Xingluo was playing along, Orsi spoke bluntly, without any pretense.

However, Orsi's next words made Song Xue feel a chill of terror, causing her body to tremble as she instinctively distanced herself from Li Xingluo.

"The first choice: you hand her over to me, and I'll make you the second-in-command of Tiger Mountain. How about that?"

"And the second choice?"

Orsi's expression darkened, and a powerful, icy aura radiated from his body.

"The second choice is that today will be your funeral. You should know how to choose; it's not worth losing your life over a woman."

Song Xue retreated two steps, her eyes filled with fear.

She was terrified in her heart, and she realized that even though this man had saved her, she didn't actually know him at all.

Li Xingluo looked at the fearful Song Xue and couldn't help but shake his head. Am I really that scary? And what is up with your train of thought?

It was one thing that the direction of their escape yesterday had been wrong, but to fear the person who had saved her today—it had to be said that Song Xue had experienced too little; she truly was a sheltered young miss.

"Kid, have you decided?"

"Noisy."

"You..."

"I choose the third option."

Orsi seemed insulted, struggling to suppress the fury within his heart.

Feigning composure, he asked with a stiff, mirthless smile, "Uh, the third option?"

"Yes, this third option is..." Li Xingluo deliberately drew out the sound, glancing around as if searching for something.

"It is to turn this place into your graveyard."

Li Xingluo spat the words out through gritted teeth, his amiable expression instantly transforming into that of a vengeful ghost coming to claim a life.

Upon hearing this, Orsi did not get angry; instead, he burst into loud laughter.

It was as if he had heard a colossal joke, and his underlings followed suit, laughing uproariously.

"Kid, I think you've gone insane. You haven't even looked at your own situation."

"Oh, is that so? Why don't we make a bet."

"Bet on what?"

"Bet on your life and mine." A fierce intensity shone through Li Xingluo's resolute gaze.

Seeing that Li Xingluo was not joking in the slightest, and feeling the chill emanating from him, Orsi dared not be careless.

"Fine, then we'll bet on your life. As for mine, I'm afraid you won't be able to take it."

"Is that so?" The moment the words left his lips, Li Xingluo struck, his movements blindingly fast.

Before Orsi could even see Li Xingluo move, he caught a glimpse of an afterimage flashing past, and the man was already before him.

With no time to think, he drew his long blade to block, and with a resounding BOOM, Orsi was sent skidding backward, two deep furrows carved into the ground before his eyes.

Orsi set aside his arrogance; he suddenly realized that the person before him was no simple character.

"What are you all standing there for? Hack him to pieces!"

Having suffered a setback in the first exchange, Orsi was in a foul mood and roared in anger.

Receiving the order, the Sand Bandits raised their blades and swarmed toward Li Xingluo.

Li Xingluo merely glanced at the crowd surrounding him from the corner of his eye, not putting these people in his sights at all.

His figure wove through the Sand Bandits; wherever he passed, screams erupted, signaling that someone had fallen—clean, efficient, and without a hint of hesitation.

Seeing twenty or thirty men surrounding the target yet unable to even touch a corner of his clothes, Orsi shrieked in frustration, cursing them as useless trash.