"The Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits have maintained their number at nine for years. Whenever one of them was lost, they immediately recruited another, yet their number has never increased. There must be some special reason for that."
"I can't think of what that reason is for now, but I know there are only nine of them. Crossing the Illusionary Mist Mountain Range is no longer like it was over a decade ago. There are checkpoints at both the northern and southern entrances. The official roads have been cleared countless times, merchant caravans have figured out the patterns of the mist, and those lacking strength even travel in groups."
"Under such circumstances, the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits can no longer rob whoever they please like before. Not to mention the authorities are watching them closely. They must place great importance on gathering intelligence, selecting suitable targets at the checkpoints to avoid pointless robberies and danger."
"The people gathering intelligence must be trusted confidants of the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits, perhaps even one of the bandits themselves."
"Furthermore, I noticed that the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits do not act whenever they are short-handed. Whenever they act, all nine of them are present."
"Assuming they agreed to Jia Lie Clan and Ao Ba Clan's request to ambush me, they would certainly send someone to obtain detailed information about us."
"Therefore, from the moment we entered the checkpoint, we could send someone to observe them and lock onto our target."
"There is a high chance that person is one of the Nine Bandits and will take a shortcut back after we leave the checkpoint."
Zhang Yuan's analysis still echoed in his ears, and the black-robed man's eyes held an indescribable shock.
Perhaps not every deduction had been correct, but eight or nine out of ten had already been proven true.
Zhang Yuan had inferred all this merely from certain intelligence-gathering behaviors and had enabled him to successfully keep an eye on one of the Nine Bandits. He could truly be called resourceful and wise.
If Zhang Yuan had known what the black-robed man was thinking, he would only have smiled proudly rather than smugly, for he merely had the backing of a brilliant culture.
As an actor, he had watched the famous fish-selling legend before transmigrating, firmly remembering the truth that "the bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish." He had also kept up with the trend and bought a copy of The Art of War online. The seller had even thoughtfully included Thirty-Six Stratagems and Guiguzi as gifts.
At the time, he had been fired up, reading through all three books several times. Yet before he could try putting their lessons into practice, he had transmigrated to the Dou Qi Continent. Perhaps he had simply been too excited.
After breaking through to become a Dou Zhe and awakening the Thunder God Visualization Diagram, his Soul Power had continuously grown stronger, allowing him to recall memories from his previous life with perfect clarity. Naturally, that included this knowledge, and it was one of the reasons he had enlisted.
The Dou Qi Continent was so vast that it certainly did not lack clever people, but hardly anyone studied military strategy, just as hardly anyone studied technology.
Because people in this world could cultivate dou qi and obtain transcendent power, gathering immense strength within themselves, most devoted themselves to cultivation. Even when they had spare time, they immersed themselves in researching cultivation methods, combat techniques, and ways to increase their strength.
The differing backgrounds of the worlds had led to differences in the development of culture and other fields. Those who worshiped strength above all would only become more convinced that before absolute strength, every scheme is useless.
Zhang Yuan believed that as well. If he were a Dou Emperor now, he could settle any slutty nuisance with a single slap.
But when opponents were in the same realm, or when the gap between their realms was not great, schemes could erase the difference and even allow one to surpass the other.
Therefore, he had never stopped studying, comprehending, and applying knowledge from The Art of War, Thirty-Six Stratagems, and similar works from his previous life.
Naturally, he could see farther than many "brutes."
"There shouldn't be any special medicinal powder or traps nearby. At least, I can't detect any with my strength."
A gray-robed man appeared beside the black-robed man and spoke, interrupting his thoughts.
"If that is the case, there is no need for us to follow that person. We should take the official road and catch up with Zhang Yuan as soon as possible," the black-robed man said.
"Ah?" The gray-robed man seemed rather surprised by his decision.
"You don't understand, do you?" The black-robed man chuckled. "The Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits escaped from a Dou Wang expert. Aside from their ability to move freely through the Illusionary Mist, they must have some method of locating their enemies."
"Since that method is not medicinal powder, we cannot chase after him. Otherwise, he may discover us, and we would alert the enemy."
Hearing that, the gray-robed man nodded. "I see. Your insight is truly profound, my lord."
"It was all Young Friend Zhang Yuan's analysis. I would not have thought of so much myself." The black-robed man seemed to smile before saying, "Then let us take the official road and catch up."
The gray-robed man had no objections.
The two men each used their own methods to summon mounts and unhurriedly set foot on the official road.
The Illusionary Mist Mountain Range was shrouded in Illusionary Mist, though the density of the mist naturally differed from place to place.
In the deepest parts of the mountain range, the mist was so thick that one could not see one's hand before one's face. It was said that even a Dou Wang expert who entered could lose their bearings and begin hallucinating in less than half an hour. With poor luck, they might become trapped and die within.
But along the outskirts of the mountain range, the Illusionary Mist was not so dense. Ordinary people might even feel refreshed after taking a few breaths. The mist was also thinner near water.
Most of the two official roads connecting the Illusionary Mist Mountain Range had been built alongside rivers. Travelers on those roads often saw wild beasts and magical beasts coming to drink, and battles sometimes broke out.
As for the sections that did not follow rivers, they either detoured around the territory of powerful magical beast groups, or the rivers were too winding, so a straight road had been cut through instead.
These sections were often the most dangerous stretches of the official roads through the Illusionary Mist Mountain Range. Those without sufficient strength could easily fall into a hallucinatory state and had to pass through quickly.
Experienced merchant caravans would camp somewhere before reaching these dangerous stretches, adjust their condition, and only then continue onward.
But since Zhang Yuan's group was in a hurry, they did not stop in the slightest. The Silver-Horned Black Rhinoceros Horses galloped along the official road, covering over a thousand li in four hours without even panting. That was while their view was obstructed by the Illusionary Mist and they dared not run too quickly. The endurance and speed of magical beasts were obvious.
"Stop!"
Seeing a massive rock marker within the mist thirty zhang ahead, Zhang Yuan tugged the reins, making the Silver-Horned Black Rhinoceros Horse raise its front hooves and halt sharply. At the same time, he raised a hand to signal his personal guards to stop.
"The next stretch is the final and longest straight section of the official road. Go to the riverbank, take Green Spirit Pills, regulate your breathing, and then we'll depart."
The Green Spirit Pill was a First-grade Pill. It detoxified poison and cleared abnormal conditions from the body. It could not directly block the Illusionary Mist's hallucinatory effects, but it could regulate one's physical state.
There were pills that could directly eliminate the Illusionary Mist's effects, but their grade was relatively high and their price extremely expensive. Few people would take such pills merely to cross the Illusionary Mist Mountain Range.
Some had proposed pooling funds to buy such pills for powerful experts and have them wipe out the Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits. But after discovering that the Nine Bandits constantly replenished their numbers, seemingly without end, they abandoned the idea.
"Yes!"
The personal guards accepted the order, dismounted, and led their horses forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as Zhang Yuan dismounted, the sound of sharp arrows tearing through the air suddenly rang out.
He had long since spread out his Soul Power and immediately detected the anomaly. He slapped the horse's back and leaped high into the air while extending a hand toward one direction.
Suction Palm!
Zhang Yuan circulated the Heavenly Thunder Art, and the dou qi within his Dou Crystal rapidly gathered in his palm before leaving his body as a whirlwind. It blew away the surrounding mist while colliding head-on with nine arrows reinforced by dou qi.
"Come here!"
Zhang Yuan exerted force in secret. The detached whirlwind immediately swept up all nine arrows and dragged them toward him, but when they neared him, they were swallowed and incinerated by flames he casually waved out.
The Black Armored Guard behind him was well-trained. The moment they discovered the situation, they drew their blades and gathered together, forming a military formation as they watched their surroundings warily.
Zhang Yuan landed before the Silver-Horned Black Rhinoceros Horse and looked coldly toward a certain spot. "Illusionary Mist Nine Bandits, are you nothing more than rats who only know how to hide?"
Before you continue