First Victory

After visiting Little Peach and her mother, Xiao Ming stepped out of the courtyard to find that dusk had already fallen.

By then, all the bandits of Black Demon Stockade had long been waiting at the stockade gates.

Seeing the gathered bandits before him, Xiao Ming said nothing more. With a sweep of his hand, the massive bandit force marched grandly down the mountain.

Though Black Demon Stockade had made such a major move, the bandits on the other nearby peaks remained completely unaware.

They continued as usual, freely living their lives of robbing homes and plundering travelers at the foot of the mountain.

After descending the mountain, Xiao Ming, with Seven Baleful Intents and the others identifying the targets, set his sights on the nearest bandit group.

Even though Xiao Ming and his men were already close at hand, those unlucky men had yet to notice.

"Boss, those people ahead are the group we're hitting tonight. What should we do? Kill them, or...?" a bandit asked.

Xiao Ming shook his head at that.

"No. Knock them all out first and bring them back."

"Yes!"

Xiao Ming's group of more than five hundred bandits then marched imposingly toward the opposing bandits' stockade.

At that moment, those bandits were eating.

Upon hearing movement outside, they immediately became alert.

After all, their line of work was one of licking blood from the edge of a blade.

The slightest carelessness outside could cost them their lives, making them extremely sensitive to any disturbance.

Once they realized it was an enemy attack, the bandits hurriedly cleared the food from their tables, then rushed toward the stockade hall to prepare for battle.

"Boss, people have come from outside. They're from Black Demon Stockade!" A subordinate ran over and reported.

"Black Demon Stockade?!" The boss froze briefly.

Although he had heard of Black Demon Stockade, he had never heard much about its strength.

Moreover, according to rumors, Black Demon Stockade was only mediocre in strength.

Hearing that Black Demon Stockade was nothing remarkable, the boss relaxed. Since its strength was so unimpressive, it could not possibly pose much of a threat to him. He immediately nodded.

"Since the people of Black Demon Stockade have come knocking, there's no need to show mercy. Kill them!"

With that, the boss grabbed the weapon at his side and charged outside.

Seeing their boss rush out, the other bandits followed suit.

"Kill!"

Amid the bandits' battle cries, the boss took the lead and arrived at the stockade gates.

"Who are you? State your names..." the boss shouted at Xiao Ming and the others, weapon in hand.

But in the next moment, the bandits fell silent when they saw the Black Demon Stockade forces covering the mountains and plains.

Hearing the bandits' shouting, Xiao Ming sneered. Then he waved his hand and shouted to the people behind him.

"Kill!"

At once, more than five hundred bandits from Black Demon Stockade surged forward and charged at the opposing bandits.

The instant the two sides met, fierce fighting erupted.

Because of Xiao Ming's prior orders, Seven Baleful Intents and the others held back when they attacked, merely knocking these people unconscious.

After all, they knew that Xiao Ming still had use for them.

Led by Seven Baleful Intents and the others, the men of Black Demon Stockade easily defeated every bandit before them in no more than the time it took to burn a few sticks of incense.

Painful groans could be heard everywhere across the ground.

"Boss, are we taking them all back?" Seven Baleful Intents, radiating Sha Qi, came to Xiao Ming's side and asked as he looked at the many bandits lying on the ground and groaning endlessly.

"Mhm."

With that, Xiao Ming led the others away into the distance.

There were still other bandits nearby.

Under Xiao Ming's leadership, the people of Black Demon Stockade soon swept up every bandit in the surrounding area.

After finishing all this, Xiao Ming said to Seven Baleful Intents and the others, "Keep guarding this place. I'll take a few men and head deeper in."

"Stockade Lord, let me accompany you." Hearing Xiao Ming's words, Seven Baleful Intents immediately asked.

After all, they had not yet fully recovered to their peak condition. They could not rest easy if Xiao Ming ventured alone into the depths of the mountains.

"No need. I only need to bring one person. There are quite a few brothers from our stockade nearby, so if I encounter danger, I'll notify you immediately." Xiao Ming waved his hand, rejecting Seven Baleful Intents' proposal.

"But..." Seven Baleful Intents said worriedly.

If something happened to Xiao Ming while he was alone in the depths of the mountains, they did not know where this entire group of theirs would go from there.

Seeing Seven Baleful Intents' concern, Xiao Ming smiled faintly.

"I know what you're worried about, but I promise you that as long as I'm here, nothing will happen. Just wait for me nearby without worry," Xiao Ming said with a smile.

Xiao Ming was not speaking falsely. After all, he possessed the super divine artifact Gungnir.

As long as Gungnir was at his side, Xiao Ming would be invincible in Wu Tan City. That gave him the confidence to say such things.

Seeing Xiao Ming's certainty, Seven Baleful Intents and the others knew there was no point in trying to persuade him further, so they nodded in agreement.

Seeing them agree, Xiao Ming nodded as well. Then he waved his hand, signaling everyone to move aside, before casually taking a Black Demon Stockade underling and heading toward the depths of the mountains.

Within the forest, Xiao Ming took the lead.

Behind him, seeing that their Stockade Lord possessed such astonishing bearing at such a young age, the underling's worries instantly vanished. Even his stride became proud and imposing.

"Phew..."

Upon reaching the depths of the forest and sensing the frightening silence around him, Xiao Ming let out a breath. This sort of place truly did not suit him.

"Boss, there seems to be a village up ahead. Should we go take a look?"

At that moment, the underling who had been following Xiao Ming stepped forward and pointed at a small village not far ahead.

Xiao Ming nodded. "All right, let's go take a look at that village. It should be the only village nearby."

"Yes."

The underling nodded and sprinted toward the village.

However, shortly after he began running, his expression suddenly changed drastically.