You Walked Right Into Hell

Deep inside the mountain lair.

The floors were smooth and level, and the bandits had different quarters according to their status.

"Master, here, have one."

"Master, try mine. Mine tastes good."

Five alluring women surrounded a burly, hairy man with his chest bare, serving him an assortment of fruits.

This man was the leader of the entire Curved Blade Alliance and the strongest bandit in all of Yi Water City—the Curved Blade, Gai Bin! The poor women who had been abducted were all terrified of this bandit leader. If they displeased him even slightly, he would torture them to death... Fear drove them to rack their brains to flatter him.

"Damn it all! Back then, I ate and drank like a king every day, with more beautiful women than I could count. Now I have to hide in these mountains, surrounded every day by these vulgar women!" Gai Bin's triangular eyes glinted with murderous intent.

Ever since he had been wanted and become a bandit, anger had been smoldering inside him.

He couldn't stand this life.

Who in their right mind would want to hide in the dangerous Destruction Mountain Range? They even had to bring in food and drink from outside, and who knew when they might run into a magical beast? The women they abducted were merely a poor substitute. They were nothing like the days when he had been a Meteor Knight in the city, showered with flattery and free to choose from countless beauties.

"I'll have to spend some money and find a way to get the Empire to cancel that warrant." A murderous glint flashed in Gai Bin's eyes. "That Si Family is far too greedy. They won't withdraw the warrant for less than two hundred thousand gold coins. Damn them."

The Si Family practically ruled Qinghe Prefecture. They could certainly pull strings in every direction and get a warrant withdrawn.

"Ten more years of work should be enough to scrape together the money."

"Then I'll be free again!"

Gai Bin longed for it desperately.

Only after being wanted did he understand how precious freedom was.

"Chief! Chief! Chief!" A shrill voice rang out from outside.

"What the hell are you yelling for?"

Gai Bin shot to his feet in a fury. The alluring women beside him hurriedly scattered to the sides as he stormed out.

"Chief, good news! It's good news!" The voice came from outside. Whoever it was clearly understood the consequences of disturbing the chief.

"Oh? Good news?" Gai Bin stepped through the door and fixed his cold gaze on the bandit before him. "What good news?"

The usually fierce bandit was like a grandson in front of Gai Bin, a Meteor Rank knight. He grinned obsequiously as he replied, "It's the Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt! The Second Chief and the others are waiting for you."

"The Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt?" Gai Bin was startled, then hurried toward the meeting hall.

The meeting hall.

Gai Bin sat in the seat of honor, with the other chiefs beside him. They were all Heaven-Rank experts. As the largest bandit force in Yi Water City, the Curved Blade Alliance naturally attracted some powerful desperadoes.

"One-Ear, hurry up and tell us what happened," said a gray-robed elder sitting beside Gai Bin.

"I was ordered to scout the area and keep watch. Who would've thought I'd spot two humans!" the one-eared bandit said quickly. "One of them was Zong Ling, the Six-Armed Snake Demon from Snow Eagle Territory! The other was a black-clad youth carrying a spear. He looked about sixteen or seventeen, and he was carrying the huge pelt of the Silver Moon Wolf King!"

"Zong Ling?" Gai Bin tapped the armrest lightly, his voice icy. "The only skilled young spear user in Yi Water City who has ties to Zong Ling... must be that young lord of Snow Eagle Territory, the one who's practically obsessed with spear training."

"Spear Demon Dongbo Xueying." The gray-robed elder beside him nodded. "I've heard the name too. I didn't take him seriously before. Being obsessed with spear training doesn't mean he's actually that powerful. But now he's dared to enter the Destruction Mountain Range and even obtained the Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt. His strength may be nothing to scoff at."

"Big Brother, are we going to rob them?" roared a burly, bald bandit sitting nearby.

"To get the Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt... could Zong Ling have broken through to Meteor Rank?" Gai Bin murmured.

"Very likely."

The gray-robed elder nodded. "Zong Ling reached Heaven Rank long ago. Breaking through to Meteor Rank is entirely possible. He's also a royal Six-Armed Snake Demon of the Snake-man Race! With six blades attacking like mad... the wolf pack would have been at his mercy! Add in traps prepared specifically for the hunt, and it's entirely possible they managed to capture and kill the Silver Moon Wolf King."

Dongbo Xueying was skilled at dealing with group attacks, but if Zong Ling—with his tail and six arms—had reached Meteor Rank, he would be just as good at handling them.

"Could that young lord of Snow Eagle Territory be Meteor Rank too?" the foolish bald bandit shouted.

"How could he be?"

"How old is he?"

"Even if he became a knight at seven or eight, he could only be a Heaven-Rank Knight by now." The other bandits immediately shot him down.

The bald bandit scratched his head and laughed. "I guess I got ahead of myself."

Gai Bin said coldly, "Zong Ling may well have become a Meteor Knight. As for the young lord, he should be Heaven Rank! Even if he's become a Meteor Knight too... so what if there are two of them? We have so many men, and this is our territory. We still have a chance to wipe them out."

"That would be the worst-case scenario. It's unlikely the young man is Meteor Rank," the gray-robed elder said. "We have a good chance."

"Good. Then we'll kill them and take the Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt!" Gai Bin grinned. "Since that young lord is a lord, he might have some valuable treasures on him too."

"Rob them!"

"Take everything they have!"

"Kill them!"

Excited howls filled the meeting hall.

"One-Ear, where are they now?" Gai Bin asked at once.

"They're still a long way off, heading toward the edge of the mountains. They'll definitely have to pass through the canyon up ahead," the one-eared bandit replied quickly.

"Good. We'll ambush them in that canyon. Second Brother, I'll leave the arrangements to you." Gai Bin turned to the gray-robed elder beside him. The elder was a Heaven-Rank Mage and second only to Gai Bin in the bandits' hierarchy. He had been wanted after it was discovered that he had secretly captured large numbers of humans for experiments.

"Leave it to me." The gray-robed elder nodded.

Deep in the mountains.

Dongbo Xueying walked alongside Uncle Zong, carrying the Silver Moon Wolf King's pelt on his back.

They were still keeping an eye on their surroundings, but with Dongbo Xueying's strength, even fifth-rank magical beasts posed no threat to him.

"Hmm?"

As they walked through a wide Great Canyon, Dongbo Xueying suddenly furrowed his brow. "Uncle Zong, stop."

"What is it?" Zong Ling asked in surprise.

"The atmosphere feels wrong." Dongbo Xueying looked ahead.

Ever since he had become a Spear Technique Master, his spear skills had gradually grown so profound that he could sense the natural world around him. The surrounding atmosphere had felt natural all along the way, but the Great Canyon ahead gave Dongbo Xueying a sense of murderous intent hidden within it—something that clashed with the natural surroundings.

"There may be an ambush. Let's turn back," Dongbo Xueying said. "We'll see if they show themselves."

As Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling immediately turned around—

"Six-Armed Snake Demon Zong Ling, since you've come to my territory, don't even think about leaving!" A cold voice echoed through the canyon. "Brothers, show yourselves! We've already been spotted."

"Hm?" Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling immediately saw bandits concealed in countless places along the cliffs on both sides of the canyon. Wave after wave of them came into view. There must have been nearly a thousand, all staring at the two men as if they were lambs.

Boom.

A group of people came toward them from the far end of the canyon. At their head was a vicious-looking man with a pair of curved blades at his waist, followed by a crowd of subordinates.

"Gai Bin!" A cold glint flashed in Zong Ling's eyes.

"Ha ha ha... Zong Ling, you've really walked right into hell!" Gai Bin sneered. "Even if you've broken through to Meteor Knight, you'll still die on my turf. Ha ha, if you'd stayed in Snow Eagle Territory, I really couldn't have done anything to you. But you came here of your own accord. Isn't that asking for death? I'll gladly grant your wish. Oh, and that tender young lord—I'll make sure your death is quick and painless."