The forest was deathly silent.
Everyone seemed nailed to the ground.
The few river bandits under the Third Boss stood with their mouths agape, utterly motionless. Behind Lin Cang, the contempt on the five private soldiers' faces first turned to shock, then from shock to fear.
Lin Cang's expression changed as well.
Not fear, but astonishment.
He stared fixedly at Xu Qing, his gaze like nails pinning him in place as he sized him up and confirmed it again and again. He had seen that slash clearly. That was not the strength of Bright Force, but Dark Force—and not ordinary Dark Force at that.
The speed, angle, and force of that slash had all far surpassed his understanding of someone at the Bright Force level.
"Dark Force..." Lin Cang's eyes abruptly widened, his voice dry. "You actually broke through to Dark Force!"
He drew a deep breath, his gaze turning graver than ever before. "At the Golden Scale Gathering, you were still at Bright Force. How many days has it been? You've actually reached Dark Force already?!"
He violently shook his head, his heart churning like storm-tossed seas. A thought shot up like a venomous snake: This boy cannot be allowed to live. If he is not killed today, the Lin Family will surely perish by his hand someday.
He suddenly swung his hand, his voice carrying the resolve to sink the cauldrons and break the boats. "Everyone, attack together! Kill him!"
The five private soldiers and the five river bandits under the Third Boss moved at once.
Ten people—ten Bright Force experts—pounced on Xu Qing from all directions. In the twilight, flashing blades and sword shadows wove a net of death.
Xu Qing did not retreat.
He stepped forward, his saber held horizontally before him. A layer of invisible