Encountering a Grandmaster's Ambush, Defeated in Two Moves

After leaving Qingzhou City, the caravan followed the main road, heading south.

The first few days were relatively peaceful.

The main road was fairly smooth, and one could see villages and towns along the way.

Although most appeared somewhat desolate, at the very least, they maintained basic order.

But as the caravan ventured deeper into the interior, the scenes along the way became increasingly shocking.

The roads became rugged and difficult to traverse.

Everywhere one looked, there were refugees dragging their families along, dressed in rags.

They were sallow and emaciated, their eyes numb, stumbling along the road like walking corpses.

Perhaps the higher-ups of the merchant guild could not bear to see this, as they did not drive these refugees away throughout the journey.

They even distributed some food to them whenever the caravan stopped to rest.

This scene left the guards feeling somewhat puzzled; weren't merchants known for being profit-driven?

Why would they help these fleeing commoners now?

Unable to fathom this, they stopped thinking about it and returned to their respective duties.

The caravan's decisions were not for them to worry about, especially since those few Martial Master experts had yet to say a word.

On this day, the caravan reached a perilous location known as Black Wind Gorge.

Black Wind Gorge was flanked by steep cliffs that soared into the clouds, with a passage in the middle only wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side.

The terrain here was treacherous, making it the perfect spot for bandits to waylay travelers and a nightmare for all merchants.

As the massive caravan, like a long snake, slowly drove into the depths of the gorge.

At this moment, the hearts of all the guards rose to their throats.

"Stay alert, keep a constant watch on the cliffs on both sides!"

The caravan's guard captain, an experienced veteran, shouted a reminder.

However, what one fears most is exactly what happens.

Just as the caravan reached the narrowest part of the gorge, a sudden change occurred.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!"

Accompanied by a series of sharp, piercing sounds, countless poison-tipped arrows poured down from the cliffs on both sides.

"Enemy attack! All hands, prepare for battle!"

The guard captain's roar instantly echoed through the gorge.

Reacting quickly to the warning, the guards channeled their internal energy, forming simple defensive barriers.

Even though the enemy's arrow rain was extremely dense, it still could not break through the energy barriers raised by the guards.

It was a joke to think otherwise; among these hundred men, the lowest realm was first-class, and there were even seven Martial Master experts.

With such a lineup, how could mere ordinary arrow rain pose a threat to them?

However, shortly after the arrow rain ceased, hundreds of masked bandits leaped down from the cliffs on both sides.

They came from all directions, each wielding sharp blades, charging madly toward the caravan.

"Protect the masters, protect the cargo, follow me and kill!"

The guard captain drew his waist saber and roared as he charged forward.

A fierce slaughter instantly erupted in the gorge.

Although the number of bandits far exceeded that of the caravan guards, the quality of their martial artists was not high.

Under the efforts of the caravan's seven Martial Master experts, the bandits suffered a one-sided massacre.

For a time, the bandits who had come to ambush were killed in heavy numbers and forced into a steady retreat.

Just as everyone in the caravan thought the situation was settled, an aura so powerful it was suffocating descended from the sky.

An old man dressed in black robes slowly descended from the cliffs on the side.

Finally, he landed lightly atop the most ornate carriage in the center of the caravan.

"Grandmaster?!"

The moment the guard captain felt that terrifying pressure, his expression changed drastically, and his eyes revealed endless despair.

He knew that today, it was over.

Once a Grandmaster took action, even if all seven of them, the Martial Master experts, joined forces, they wouldn't be able to withstand a single move.

All the guards currently engaged in battle also felt their hearts shatter under the shroud of that Grandmaster's pressure.

The caravan manager was so terrified that his face turned ashen, and he collapsed directly to the ground.

The black-robed Grandmaster paid no heed to the guards around him, who were like ants in his eyes.

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, locked firmly onto the carriage beneath him, his voice raspy and cold.

"Ninth Princess, come out."

"My master has given the order; he does not wish for you to return to the Capital City alive."

As these words fell, the entire scene was thrown into shock.

A princess?!

Inside this carriage sat none other than a princess of the current dynasty!

All the guards, including Steward Liu, stared at the carriage with expressions of utter disbelief.

They never could have dreamed that the person they were escorting was such a golden branch and jade leaf.

Lin Hanzhou's gaze also narrowed slightly.

He had long sensed that this merchant caravan was somewhat unusual.

With five Martial Master experts surrounding a single carriage, anyone could see that there was an extraordinary personage inside.

However, he had not expected this personage to be the Ninth Princess of the Great Gan Dynasty.

Just as the crowd was reeling in shock, the curtain of the carriage was slowly lifted by a small, pale hand.

A young girl of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a plain long dress, stepped down from the carriage.

She was none other than Li Yuechan, the Ninth Princess of the current Great Gan Dynasty.

At this moment, although her face was somewhat pale, there was not a trace of fear in her clear eyes.

Instead, she possessed a composure and nobility unique to royalty, far beyond her years.

Facing the black-robed grandmaster directly, she spoke calmly.

"You are one of the First Prince's men, aren't you? Tell him his goal has been achieved."

"I can submit to your disposal, but I ask that you spare these innocent attendants; they have nothing to do with this matter."

"Hahaha..."

Upon hearing this, the black-robed grandmaster let out a harsh, mocking laugh.

"Your Highness, you are still too naive. My master has ordered that everyone here today who has seen you must not be left alive!"

"All of you must die here."

Before his voice had even faded, killing intent erupted in his eyes. He raised his palm, circulating the true qi within his body.

It seemed he intended to use this single strike to crush everyone accompanying the caravan into dust!

At this critical moment, Lin Hanzhou, who had been hiding in the crowd, moved.

The black-robed grandmaster paused, turning his head abruptly to look in a certain direction.

He saw that the young man in black, whom he had ignored all along, had arrived before him before anyone knew it.

Lin Hanzhou did not draw his sword, nor did he use any martial arts techniques.

He simply threw a plain, unremarkable punch toward the black-robed grandmaster.

This punch contained his vast spiritual power, seemingly freezing the surrounding space.

The black-robed grandmaster's pupils shrank; he felt an unprecedented sense of crisis from this punch.

He wanted to retract his palm and retreat, only to find that he had been locked firmly in place by an invisible aura.

He could only gather all the true qi in his body into his palm and, biting the bullet, meet the attack head-on.

Fist and palm collided silently in the air.

There was no earth-shattering roar, nor any violent shockwaves.

There was only a crisp "crack," like the sound of shattering glass.

Under the horrified gazes of everyone present, the black-robed grandmaster's palm was instantly pierced through, and his entire arm was reduced to a mist of blood.

"Pfft—!"

The black-robed grandmaster himself was struck as if by lightning, blood spraying from his mouth as if it were worthless.

He flew backward, slamming heavily into the cliff wall in the distance.

He smashed a massive human-shaped crater into the solid rock.

At this moment, his face was filled with an expression of utter disbelief.

Clearly, he could not understand how the opponent possessed such strength.

Such terrifying power was likely on par with, if not superior to, a top-tier grandmaster or even a great grandmaster.

However, Lin Hanzhou did not give him any chance to catch his breath.

He walked toward the heavily injured grandmaster step by step, as if taking a leisurely stroll.

"Who... who exactly are you?! Do you intend to set yourself against the First Prince?"

The black-robed grandmaster struggled, roaring in terror with the look of someone staring at a monster.

"Oh? Does your First Prince intend to set himself against me?"

Lin Hanzhou's lips curled upward, revealing a playful smirk.

Under the terrified and desperate gaze of that grandmaster, he slowly extended a finger and tapped it lightly toward his opponent.

"Pop."

A soft sound echoed.

That grandmaster, a powerhouse capable of founding his own sect and commanding the awe of countless martial artists in the pugilistic world, suddenly stiffened. The light in his eyes faded rapidly.

His consciousness, along with his sea of qi, had been completely shattered by that single finger.

In that instant, the grandmaster who had been dominating the scene just moments ago was left devoid of life.

The entire area fell into a deathly silence.

The mountain bandits, who had been so arrogant before, were now so terrified that they fled in a panicked scramble, not daring to look back.

Every survivor in the merchant caravan stared at Lin Hanzhou with the awe one might reserve for a deity.

A grandmaster powerhouse, actually finished off by him with a casual move?

They could never have imagined that things would end in such a way.

Li Yuechan, the Ninth Princess of Great Gan, stood frozen in place.

Even with all her experience, she was shocked beyond measure at this moment.

Her clear, beautiful eyes reflected the incredibly imposing figure of Lin Hanzhou.