The Thousand-Mile Journey

The next day, the sky was still dim with the first light of dawn.

Zong Ling, Tong San, Qing Shi, Kong Youyue, and others were there to see Dongbo Xueying off.

"Uncle Zong, I leave the castle in your hands," Dongbo Xueying said.

"Rest assured, Xueying," Zong Ling replied. Six years had passed, and Zong Ling had not spent his time in vain; he had finally broken through to the Meteor Rank!

"Brother, be careful," Qing Shi said quickly. He had no memory of his parents, and having been cared for by his brother for so many years, his affection for him was profound.

"Brother Xueying, we'll be waiting for your return," Kong Youyue also called out.

"Haha..."

Dongbo Xueying laughed as he sat atop his Snow-Treading Colt, "Giddy up!"

Whoosh!

The Snow-Treading Colt immediately kicked up its hooves and began to gallop, its speed surging rapidly until it vanished at the end of the mountain path in the distance.

He first went to Yi Water City to notify Si An, who immediately relayed the message to the Dragon Mountain Tower in Qinghe Prefecture. As for Dongbo Xueying himself, he did not stop to rest and began his journey toward the capital of Qinghe Prefecture.

Qinghe Prefecture spanned over ten thousand li.

The straight-line distance from Snow Eagle Territory to the capital of Qinghe Prefecture was estimated to be six thousand li, but the official road had to wind around large mountains in some places... the actual route was likely over ten thousand li!

"Giddy up, giddy up."

Dongbo Xueying, dressed in black and carrying his weapon case, rode the Snow-Treading Colt.

The Snow-Treading Colt galloped like a phantom.

The Snow-Treading Magic Beast Colt was a third-rank magic beast, considered the finest among colts; anything higher would be other types of magic beasts. However, colts were naturally gifted at running, and a third-rank magic beast colt... in terms of speed alone, was no less than some fourth-rank magic beasts. In truth, with Dongbo Xueying's current Title-level strength, riding a Snow-Treading Colt was far too "low-key." If his strength were exposed, powerful factions would likely offer him fifth-rank magic beast mounts, or even avian magic beast mounts!

"Boom, boom, boom—"

As the Snow-Treading Colt galloped, the earth trembled faintly, and a phantom flashed past.

It could cover nine hundred li in a single hour of galloping. If it were armored for a charge, even a Heaven-Rank Knight would not dare to block it, but its price was as high as two thousand gold coins! Twenty Snow-Treading Colts could buy a territory comparable to Snow Eagle Territory! Thus, ordinary families could not bear to buy them. Dongbo Xueying had only been able to afford five Snow-Treading Colts after selling the fur and other materials from the Shadow Leopard over the years.

"Stop, stop, ahead lies Cold Qiong Mountain." A group of merchants gathered before a large canyon, and upon seeing a knight galloping from afar, they immediately shouted loudly.

"Friend, stop! Let us travel through Cold Qiong Mountain together."

"Cold Qiong Mountain is dangerous!"

Many among this group of merchants and their guards called out.

Whoosh.

The Snow-Treading Colt did not slow down in the slightest, flashing past like a phantom.

"He's mad." The merchants and guards were all stunned.

"Is that knight crazy? Does he think he can just charge through because he's riding a Snow-Treading Colt?"

"Is a place like Cold Qiong Mountain somewhere you can just force your way through?"

"Cold Qiong Mountain?" Dongbo Xueying, on horseback, was sensitive to his surroundings and naturally heard the merchants' shouts. "Cold Qiong Mountain is the only way to the capital of Qinghe Prefecture. It connects to the foothills of the Destruction Mountain Range. I've heard that many bandits occupy Cold Qiong Mountain and frequently plunder passing merchants. The bandits here are even more notorious than the Curved Blade Alliance in my Yi Water City."

Merchant caravans usually joined forces, waiting until they had enough people to pass through Cold Qiong Mountain together!

But for Dongbo Xueying?

In the entire Qinghe Prefecture, the only threats were those with Title-level combat power. And even then, they were merely threats; one would only know who would win or lose after a fight! As for a group of bandits? They were nothing but chickens and dogs!

"Whoosh."

The Snow-Treading Colt galloped like the wind, the earth trembling slightly. The commotion was significant enough to be felt from far away.

"What is the background of this man in black? He dares to charge through the Cold Qiong Mountain canyon alone?"

"Is he seeking death?"

"Boss, should we make a move?"

"Move my ass. Let's not risk it on such a tough nut; better leave it for the 'Eight Eagles of Cold Qiong' to chew on." Seeing a lone rider galloping from afar, many bandits chose to give up. Bandits, too, had to consider the risks and rewards.

After galloping for dozens of li, he had reached the middle section of the Cold Qiong Mountain canyon.

On the high mountains, a large group of bandits wearing cyan armor was stationed. There were only about a hundred of them, but they were well-equipped; almost every ordinary bandit carried a massive bow—the Star-Breaking Crossbow! The eight bandit leaders at the head possessed an extraordinary air and were the most famous in Cold Qiong Mountain—the Eight Eagles of Cold Qiong.

Among them were three Meteor Rank experts, two Heaven-Rank mages, and three Heaven-Rank Knights who all possessed enough skill to be listed among the "Eight Eagles."

"Haha, a good harvest today. This caravan was quite well-stocked." The bandits were in high spirits. Nearby, over a dozen people had been captured alive. The rest of the caravan had been killed, leaving only these dozen, including old men, middle-aged men, and a pair of teenagers who were leaning against each other, their eyes filled with terror and despair as they worried about their future fate.

"Let's go, head back to rest and check their backgrounds. We might be able to squeeze out an even larger ransom." This group of fierce bandits, the Eight Eagles of Cold Qiong, were all extremely ruthless, each with a bounty on their heads, stopping at nothing to achieve their ends.

"Leaders, look! A knight in black is coming."

"He's riding a Snow-Treading Colt, and he's all alone."

Some of the underlings immediately reported.

The eight leaders looked down from afar. In the distance of the canyon, a lone rider was indeed galloping forward.

"He dares to intrude alone?"

"Isn't he looking down on our Cold Qiong Mountain? Big Brother, shall we make a move?" The other seven 'Eagles' looked toward their eldest brother.

The leader of the Eight Eagles of Cold Qiong looked down from above, frowning as he observed: "There are only so many Title-level experts in Qinghe Prefecture, and all of them are quite famous. I know what they look like, and none of them would be so shabby as to ride only a Snow-Treading Horse. This young man in black... he looks very young, and the weapon case on his back must contain a spear. Who is he? I've never heard of him. Could he be a Silver Moon Knight?"

"Brothers, loose your arrows and test him," the leader commanded. "If the bone is too hard to chew, we'll leave. If his strength is lacking, we'll devour him!"

"Understood."

Immediately, all the bandits, including the leader, brought out their heavy crossbows or bows.

The ordinary bandits could unleash great power using the Star-Breaking Crossbow, which was capable of piercing the protective battle qi of a Meteor-Rank Knight! As for the leader and the other two Meteor-Rank Knights, they were better suited for bows! The arrows of a Meteor-Rank Knight were enough to threaten the life of a Silver Moon Knight. Relying on these arrows... it would be enough to judge the strength of the young man in black below.

Yet they did not know what kind of existence their arrows had just provoked.

"Fire!" the leader commanded.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

A dense swarm of arrows rained down from the heights of the great mountain, shrouding Dongbo Xueying as he traveled along the path.