Fear

The bandits who had chased after them, intending to surround and kill Dongbo Xueying with their leader, were all stunned. Their leader was dead just like that?

They had only exchanged a few blows, and he had died far too quickly.

Pfft! Dongbo Xueying instantly pulled out his spear, his gaze turning towards these blood-soaked ruffians.

"Run!"

"Run!"

All the bandits were terrified. None of them were even Heaven-Rank Knights. If their leader, Gai Bin, alone could slaughter them, what more this young lord who was even more powerful than Gai Bin?

"Scum, you still want to escape?" Dongbo Xueying instantly charged towards these bandits. Snowflakes fluttered, and blood splattered, just as the bandits had wantonly slaughtered ordinary civilians. Now, these bandits were equally fragile before Dongbo Xueying... The remaining three Earth-Rank Knights were killed within two breaths, their bodies flying and falling.

"Run, run!" All the bandits had completely collapsed. The gap was too vast. That spear possessed immense power; a mere brush would cost one their life. Not a single bandit could withstand a single move from Dongbo Xueying!

"Die."

"Die."

Dongbo Xueying showed no mercy to these ruffians of the Curved Blade Alliance. He killed them, causing the bandits to flee in terror in all directions. Dongbo Xueying knew... he was, after all, only one person. If the bandits scattered, he couldn't possibly kill every single one. To eliminate this tumor of Yi Water City, Dongbo Xueying first targeted those with greater strength.

He eliminated all the Knight-level ones as well.

In just a moment, the bandits had completely scattered and fled. Over two hundred corpses littered the ground. The leader of the Curved Blade Alliance, Heaven-Rank experts, Earth-Rank experts, the true backbone – none were left alive.

The Curved Blade Alliance was thus annihilated!

As for the low-level thugs, perhaps the guard teams of some mountain villages could handle them.

"Spare us, spare us." Five bandits were cornered by Zong Ling against a mountain wall, not daring to move, for those who moved had died.

"Xueying," Zong Ling laughed heartily, "That was exhilarating! The Curved Blade Alliance, this great tumor, has been eliminated just like that! I've searched the bodies of Gai Bin and some other experts, and found quite a few treasures. Especially on Gai Bin, he even had a storage treasure."

Dongbo Xueying was a little surprised. A storage treasure?

"This great bandit is indeed wealthy," Dongbo Xueying walked over.

"Here," Zong Ling handed over a package. The package contained many gold notes issued by the Imperial Bank. Clearly, as bandits living day by day, treasures were usually kept on their person. Among them was a ring.

After Dongbo Xueying received the ring, he immediately felt a connection. His battle qi flowed along his finger, directly penetrating and scouring the entire interior of the ring. Instantly, the ring and Dongbo Xueying's consciousness formed a connection! Knight-Mages could use battle qi or magic power to refine storage treasures. For ordinary people, they would need the help of Mages to refine it with their blood.

"Good heavens." As he refined it, Dongbo Xueying was startled. Inside, scattered about, were quite a few treasures, mainly gold notes, gold coins, and weapons, along with other miscellaneous items. However, the entire storage space was only about two feet in size, much smaller than the storage pendant his mother had left him.

"So many gold notes." Dongbo Xueying's consciousness could clearly sense everything within the storage space.

The gold notes alone were worth eighty-five thousand gold coins! There were also some miscellaneous treasures, bringing the total to around ninety thousand gold coins.

The wealth of the other Heaven-Rank Mage and Knight bandits, when added together, was over twenty thousand gold coins.

"Being a bandit is truly quite profitable," Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly.

"You five."

Dongbo Xueying looked at the five terrified ruffians. "Lead the way to your stronghold. If you lead us correctly, your lives will be spared. If you lead us astray... you will all die!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

"My Lord, don't worry, we will definitely lead the way," the five ruffians immediately responded.

The ruffians led the way ahead, filled with trepidation.

Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling followed behind.

"Uncle Zong, here," Dongbo Xueying handed the storage ring to his uncle.

"How can this be? You eliminated the Curved Blade Alliance, all of this should belong to you," Zong Ling refused.

"Haha, Mother already gave me a storage pendant, I don't need this," Dongbo Xueying said.

"But you could also keep it for Qing Shi. Qing Shi will become a Mage in the future, and a Mage still needs storage treasures," Zong Ling shook his head.

Dongbo Xueying gently shook his head. "That's still a long way off. Qing Shi will study with his teacher for at least a few years before becoming a true Mage! By then, I will give Qing Shi an even better one. Uncle Zong, don't forget, our gains this time are immense."

Zong Ling was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

Indeed, this time they had the Shadow Leopard and the Silver Moon Wolf King, worth over a hundred thousand gold coins. Coupled with the over a hundred thousand gold coins obtained from eliminating the Curved Blade Alliance, they had indeed made a substantial profit.

"Alright," Zong Ling no longer insisted and accepted the storage ring, refining it with ease.

"Hmm?" Zong Ling was surprised. He discovered a large number of gold notes and some gold coins within the storage ring. The gold notes alone were worth fifty thousand gold coins.

"Snow Eagle Territory still has various expenses. Uncle Zong, please take these fifty thousand gold coins to use first, and we'll discuss it if it's not enough," Dongbo Xueying said softly. "When we return this time, I will also find opportunities to slowly sell the Silver Moon Wolf King's fur and the Shadow Leopard's corpse."

The Shadow Leopard's corpse was stored in the storage space. The storage space was an absolute vacuum, which was extremely beneficial for preserving items.

"Mm," Zong Ling pondered and nodded slightly. Xueying's strength would continue to improve, and the expenses of Snow Eagle Territory would naturally increase accordingly.

After walking for a short while.

"My Lord, we are almost there," the five ruffians said with utmost respect and obedience. One of the thin ruffians quickly added, "Our stronghold is inside the mountain. Ordinary people wouldn't even see it if they walked right up to the mountain face. The passage into the mountain is very well hidden."

"Lead the way,"

Dongbo Xueying held his spear, constantly vigilant.

The five ruffians moved forward with practiced ease, but Dongbo Xueying vaguely sensed a terrifying threat.

It felt as if some terrifying existence was lurking within the great mountain ahead.

Ever since reaching the Master of Spear Arts realm, his connection with the divine and the natural world had become even more miraculous. For instance, he could now detect Magic Beasts in advance, and even ambushes by bandits.

"What's wrong? I don't sense any aura, just an irrepressible fear." Dongbo Xueying felt his heart pound and abruptly stopped, holding up a hand to halt Uncle Zong.

He looked at the great mountain before them, its rocky face covered in moss.

"Xueying, what is it?" Zong Ling asked, puzzled.

"Something's not right. I have a very bad feeling," Dongbo Xueying said in a low voice. "Let's go, quickly."

Zong Ling's expression changed; he didn't doubt Dongbo Xueying for a moment.

Whoosh, whoosh.

The two immediately turned and retreated rapidly.

"Lord, this passage into the mountain's depths is very hidden, tucked away behind these rocks. Lord... huh? Where'd they go?" As these five fierce bandits turned, they all noticed that Dongbo Xueying and his companion, who had been following behind, had vanished.

"They left? That young lord of Snow Eagle Territory is gone?"

"Brothers, the Curved Blade Alliance is finished. Let's grab some treasures and make a run for it."

These fierce bandits were also quite cunning, and each quickly entered their lair.

Whoosh...

On the cliff face of this mountain, which had stood for countless ages, a colossal face emerged. Eyebrows, eyes, and a mouth formed from rock... exuding an air of supreme condescension. Its gaze swept across the distance to Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling, who were now several miles away.

A hint of confusion appeared on the massive face. "Hmm? They could actually detect my presence? How is a mere youth so capable? Perhaps there's a powerful human behind him."

"I'll have to find another place to monitor humans."

The giant face on the mountain wall quickly vanished, and the cliff returned to its normal appearance.

Boom.

Deep beneath the earth, a colossal entity quietly departed from the area, relocating elsewhere.

Outside the Destruction Mountain Range, at the encampment.

Dongbo Xueying and Zong Ling ran out of the Destruction Mountain Range at top speed and arrived at the encampment.

"Finally out," Dongbo Xueying said, turning to look back, still feeling a lingering sense of dread.