Bandit Suppression, Part Two

Inside the grandest hall of Black Crow Stronghold.

Stronghold Chief Li Xuanfeng sat at the head of the table, while the other leaders, great and small, gathered around a large blackwood table. They were merrily drinking bowl after bowl of wine, celebrating the large shipment of medicinal herbs they had seized several days ago.

"Let us celebrate Big Brother's breakthrough into Skill-Transforming Force! May Black Crow Stronghold grow ever greater and stronger!"

"Congratulations, Stronghold Chief!"

The many leaders below raised their bowls and drained the wine in one gulp.

The chief of Black Crow Mountain was named Li Xuanfeng. He had practiced martial arts for more than twenty years and had only recently broken through to Skill-Transforming Force.

It was precisely because his confidence had swelled that he had dared to seize the imperial medicinal herbs he had once been afraid to touch.

The haul had been substantial—four entire carts filled with precious medicinal herbs. They had made a fortune!

Just as everyone was drinking merrily, an underling suddenly rushed in to report that the Gaoyang County yamen could not swallow this insult and had sent troops to wipe them out!

Reeking of alcohol, Li Xuanfeng snorted coldly. "Brothers, follow me out of the stronghold to meet the enemy! Let those cowards from the yamen see the might of Black Crow Stronghold!"

The leaders below roared their assent. Black Crow Stronghold had always been a force no one within dozens of miles dared provoke.

Now that their chief had broken through to Skill-Transforming Force, his momentum was unmatched. Naturally, they did not take the yamen's men seriously!

Just as everyone was preparing to leave the hall, the stronghold gate exploded with a BANG! He County Magistrate had already cleaved it apart with a single slash.

The corpses of the many underlings at the entrance had been torn limb from limb, their original faces unrecognizable!

Cheng Heng, following closely behind, saw the Thousand-Pound force behind He County Magistrate's strike. His gaze sharpened deeply. The might of a Skill-Transforming Force expert was terrifying indeed!

He County Magistrate stepped over the corpses and entered through the gate. Blood dripped continuously from the refined iron saber in his hand, and his expression was cold. "Kill the enemy!"

The men behind him charged into the stronghold and clashed with the bandits.

The battle had only just begun, yet it had already reached a white-hot pitch!

CRACK!

Cheng Heng coldly crushed the neck bones of the bandit before him, then looked upon the chaotic scene without much stirring in his heart.

He felt no guilt whatsoever over killing these bandits. They were scourges who had ravaged the region. There was only one word for dealing with them: kill!

In but a short while, corpses lay everywhere throughout the stronghold!

"You dare harm my stronghold's men? Give me your life!"

Cheng Heng swept his gaze over the scene and saw a dark-faced man wielding twin axes charge out from one of the halls. With a single axe swing, he split the Bright Force martial artist before him into two!

That Bright Force martial artist had not even possessed the strength to fight back!

Cheng Heng's eyes narrowed. Judging by this man's strength, he was clearly a Skill-Transforming Force martial artist!

"Hmph!"

"No wonder you dared swallow a Bear-Heart Leopard-Gall Pill. So someone broke through to Skill-Transforming Force. But that still isn't enough!"

He County Magistrate snorted coldly and, saber in hand, engaged the dark-faced man from the stronghold in battle!

"I'll deal with this man. You three, command the others and wipe out every last bandit. Leave none alive!"

After receiving their orders, the three constables under He County Magistrate immediately engaged the several leaders rushing out from the Hall of Gathering Heroes!

Within the bandit stronghold, the battle had already reached its fiercest stage.

At that moment, a short, sturdy bandit with a scar across his face raised a nine-ring broadsword and slashed straight at Cheng Heng.

Cheng Heng's gaze was sharp as he surveyed the battlefield. This man was likely the last Hidden Force bandit!

BANG!

The nine-ring steel saber came whistling through the air with a piercing howl!

Cheng Heng shifted slightly to the side, evading the heavy, powerful blow. Then he clenched his right hand into a fist and viciously struck the man's chest!

BANG!

The bandit staggered back several steps, clutching his agonizing chest with his right hand. A trace of shock appeared in his vicious eyes. Clearly, he had not expected Cheng Heng to possess such strength.

The force of that punch—fortunately, he had cultivated the Horizontal-Training Vajra Art, making his body several times tougher than an ordinary person's. Otherwise, he would have already fallen into a disadvantage after one move!

Yet Cheng Heng did not fare much better either. He was forced back several steps in succession, his fist numb from the impact.

A horizontal-training art?

If his opponent had merely been an ordinary Hidden Force martial artist, Cheng Heng's punch would likely have already inflicted light injuries. Yet he had not expected the man to cultivate a horizontal-training art, with such terrifying defensive power!

The short, sturdy man gave a low shout. His saber flashed, once again sweeping toward Cheng Heng's face with a muffled roar of wind.

In the split second of lightning and flint, Cheng Heng stomped fiercely with his left foot and leaped high into the air. At the same time, instead of retreating, he surged forward, his upper body drawn taut like a great bow pulled into a full moon!

The muscles in his arms bulged. With a move called Tiger Descending the Mountain, his fists crashed toward the man's temples like heavy cannons.

CLANG!

CRACK!

The sound of shattering bone rang out. The short, sturdy man let out a miserable scream, his head a bloody mess and golden stars bursting before his eyes. His movements had lost all order as he wildly swung his broadsword around!

Seizing this opportunity, Cheng Heng lashed out with his right leg like a whip. With a Tiger Sweeping Its Tail, he viciously struck at the man's head.

This kick was heavy and powerful, and it contained Hidden Force. If it landed, the short, sturdy man would never be able to fight back again!

CRACK!

Another crisp sound of a skull cracking rang out.

The short, sturdy man felt himself falling into endless darkness. Though the Vajra Art protected his body, there was no turning the tide!

He then let out a shrill wail and plunged headfirst to the ground, dead or alive unknown!

In the span of lightning and flint, the battle here had ended.

Cheng Heng quickly went to the short, sturdy man's corpse. After carefully searching him, he pulled an old martial arts manual from his robes.

Without stopping to examine it closely, he tucked the manual into his own chest.

When he looked up and swept his gaze around, the battle between He County Magistrate and the Skill-Transforming Force bandit had already ended.

As expected, Li Xuanfeng was no match for He County Magistrate, who had reached Peak Skill-Transforming Force. He had only managed to block a few moves before being beheaded with a single slash!

Throughout the entire process, He County Magistrate's expression had not changed in the slightest, as though he had used only thirty percent of his strength!

With two leaders dying one after another, the remaining bandit leaders no longer possessed their previous ferocity and began scattering in all directions to flee.

"Show no mercy. Kill every bandit on Black Crow Mountain. Leave none alive!"

He County Magistrate said coldly as he wiped down the steel saber in his hand.

The entire battle lasted less than an hour before all the bandits in the stronghold were completely eradicated!

They then turned the entire stronghold upside down, but to their surprise, they found none of the seized medicinal herbs anywhere in the stronghold!

"Lord He, we have thoroughly searched the entire stronghold three times. We found only some grain and silver, but none of the missing medicinal herbs!"

Inside the Hall of Gathering Heroes, He County Magistrate sat in the seat of honor. His face was ashen as he listened to Constable Wang's report, then sank into prolonged silence.

"With such a large batch of medicinal herbs, a mere bandit like him could not possibly have disposed of them so quickly!"

"There must be something suspicious here. Wang Ming, do not alert the enemy next. Investigate in secret and carefully see whether Black Crow Mountain has colluded with any other great Lineages in the city!"

"Yes!"

Wang Ming stood to one side and hurriedly cupped his hands in acknowledgment.