The Scourge of the Bandits

Beginner Village 10021.

With the Bandit scourge raging, the other players could only kill chickens and ducks near the Novice Village to level up.

But compared with the sheer number of players,

there simply were not enough of these monsters to go around.

Still, they had no other choice now. They could only make do; it was better than nothing.

Suddenly,

just as several players beat a wild chicken to death together and began gathering whatever materials they could,

one of them happened to glimpse indistinct figures in the distance out of the corner of his eye.

The player straightened up and looked ahead.

One glance was all it took for his face to turn deathly pale.

"Bandit!"

"What?!"

His cry immediately drew the others' attention.

They could hardly help it.

By now, the names Liangshan Stronghold and Bandit had become nightmares for the players of Beginner Village 10021.

Almost every player had experienced a gruesome death beneath their blades.

So much so

that the Bandits had now left them unable to move freely, reduced to scraping by near the Novice Village.

Though the players loathed the Bandits of Liangshan Stronghold, merely hearing the word "Bandit" still sent an involuntary surge of panic through their hearts.

When the other players looked in the same direction, their expressions changed drastically.

Those familiar outfits, those densely packed figures.

And—

that towering frame, that resolute face.

"The Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain!"

"This is bad! The Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain has brought the Bandits! They're going to attack the Novice Village!"

"Run! Run!"

The players who recognized Qin Shujian's face were terrified out of their wits. None dared linger, and they fled toward the Novice Village in a frantic swarm.

They could hardly help it.

The Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain's reputation was simply too fearsome.

If the Bandit scourge of recent days originated with the Bandits of Liangshan Stronghold,

then their chieftain was the one who put the greatest psychological pressure on the players.

These players did not know the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain's name. They only knew that he led the stronghold's many Bandits, an NPC whose strength inspired dread.

He was a formidable boss who had slaughtered over a thousand players and scattered them even while surrounded.

A boss represented a wealth of resources.

But only if they could actually kill him and get the loot.

A boss they could not kill was nothing short of a player's nightmare.

Now—

the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain was precisely that nightmare in their eyes.

Watching the players flee, Qin Shujian did not send anyone after them. Instead, he led the Bandits steadily forward.

As far as he was concerned,

the players were not yet strong enough to pose much of a threat.

The real threat lay in whatever experts might be hidden within the Novice Village itself.

Meanwhile,

news that the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain was approaching with his Bandits had spread throughout the Novice Village.

Everyone knew one thing.

The Bandits of Liangshan Stronghold never came within two li of the Novice Village.

Over the past several days, whenever players were pursued by Bandits,

the pursuing Bandits would withdraw as soon as they entered that area.

This had led the other players to mistakenly believe that some restriction kept the Bandits from entering this safe zone.

But now, the Bandits had broken that rule.

With the Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain leading them, the players felt all the more certain that trouble was coming.

"The Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain!"

Wang Renbin's expression turned grave as soon as he heard the news.

Cao Hong, Zhao Xiaomeng, and the others had also gathered together.

Lu Shoujia said gravely, "The Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain has actually brought his Bandits here this time. I doubt he comes with good intentions. The Novice Village may not be strong enough to hold them off."

At that, he looked at Wang Renbin.

"May I ask when you intend to make your move, Young Master Wang?"

The others also turned to Wang Renbin.

They had already paid the million.

With things as they were, they could only wait for the Wang Family to resolve the situation.

Wang Renbin said solemnly, "Rest assured, everyone. The Wang Family is gathering other high-level players. They'll be able to teleport straight here before long."

Outside the Novice Village, a large number of village guards assembled.

NPCs such as Instructor Zhang from the Martial Arts Hall, who had fought Qin Shujian before, were also present.

"Liangshan Stronghold Chieftain, what is the meaning of this?!"

A tall, powerfully built middle-aged man surveyed the Bandits before fixing his gaze on Qin Shujian and shouting sternly.

Qin Shujian looked at him and asked indifferently, "Who are you?"

"I am Gong Changwu, master of this village's Martial Arts Hall."

Gong Changwu's voice rang out firmly, and his fierce eyes fixed coldly on Qin Shujian.

"Liangshan Stronghold has harassed our Beginner Village 10021 time and again, and we have let it pass. Now you've brought an army here. Do you truly think we're pushovers?"

As he spoke, a powerful aura began to emanate from him.

They could even faintly sense the surging vitality within his body.

The familiar sight made Qin Shujian narrow his eyes.

Martial Entry sixth stage!

Vitality at its peak!

He had long expected Beginner Village 10021 to have experts beyond the Martial Entry Fifth Level.

The appearance of this Martial Arts Hall master confirmed his suspicions.

Vitality at its peak was the hallmark of the sixth stage of Martial Entry.

However,

an expert at the sixth stage of Martial Entry would once have warranted caution, but to him now, such a person was no longer enough.

Qin Shujian's only concern was that Beginner Village 10021 might hold more than just this one sixth-stage Martial Entry expert.

But things had already reached this point.

No amount of uncertainty could make Qin Shujian retreat.

So what if there's someone at the Martial Entry Seventh Level?!

I'll kill them all the same!

Qin Shujian's gaze turned cold, and he swept his hand forward.

"Kill!"

Behind him, the Bandits immediately brandished their sabers and charged toward Novice Village.

Without waiting for orders from Gong Changwu or the others, the Novice Village guards rushed forward to meet them.

The previously quiet scene instantly dissolved into a chaotic melee.

"Kill!"

The Tiger Head Saber was already in Qin Shujian's hand. As the earth burst beneath his feet, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow and slashed at Gong Changwu.

He held nothing back in this strike.

His Martial Entry Eighth Level strength erupted in an instant. Combined with the Black Tiger Saber Technique at its pinnacle, its power was utterly staggering.

Boom!

The Tiger Head Saber tore through the air, producing a series of explosive cracks.

At that moment, in Gong Changwu's eyes,

Qin Shujian resembled a ferocious tiger roaring over the mountain forests. His savage aura was as bitter as the depths of winter, enough to freeze a man's very soul.

But Gong Changwu was, after all, a sixth-stage Martial Entry expert.

The surge of his abundant vitality immediately brought him back to his senses.

He swung the Bronze Staff in his hands to meet the attack, bringing it down with mountain-cleaving force.

Boom!