Are Those Three Bosses?

He had subdued Mingai Mountain and Cloud River Stronghold in succession, almost without spilling a drop of blood.

Although he had encountered a little trouble at Mingai Mountain,

it had not caused much of a stir.

Qin Shujian keenly appreciated the benefits of strength.

His previous world had been one where the strong preyed on the weak, but there had still been restraints.

Here, however,

might was everything.

If he had not been strong enough to sweep through the Rubble Forest,

why would bandit chiefs like Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming have bowed in submission?

After he subdued Cloud River Stronghold,

Liangshan Stronghold's strength increased substantially.

They were still in the same meeting hall.

But Xu Yuanming, who should have occupied the seat of honor, now sat below it.

Naturally, the one occupying the seat of honor was Stronghold Chief Qin.

"If you intend to attack Chaotic Gold Mountain, Chief, I have quite a bit of information on it," Xu Yuanming said as soon as they sat down.

Having submitted to Liangshan Stronghold, he quickly adapted to his new role.

And so,

upon learning that Qin Shujian intended to unify the Rubble Forest, he immediately stepped forward to prove his worth, hoping to gain greater standing in Qin Shujian's eyes in the future.

Niu Feng scoffed. "With the chief's strength, what trouble could a mere Chaotic Gold Mountain cause? Even if Zeng Hong has broken through to the entering martial sixth layer, he's still a dead man. What use would your information be?"

Anger flickered across Xu Yuanming's face.

He was about to respond when a stern shout rang out.

"Enough!"

Qin Shujian's gaze turned slightly cold. As he swept his eyes over them, both men immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Then,

he spoke slowly, his tone brooking no refusal. "Chaotic Gold Mountain is the only place left in the Rubble Forest. Even if it also has an expert at the ninth layer of martial entry, it still won't escape my grasp.

"Leave some men to guard Cloud River Stronghold. Xu Yuanming, bring the others with us to Chaotic Gold Mountain!"

"Yes, Chief!"

Xu Yuanming did not dare refuse and nodded in assent.

Seeing this,

Qin Shujian rose and left the meeting hall.

Meanwhile,

Xu Yuanming began gathering his men. After making arrangements for those staying behind, he led some of Cloud River Stronghold's bandits after Qin Shujian, marching toward Chaotic Gold Mountain in a formidable procession.

But just as they reached the foot of the mountain, they ran into the bandits from Mingai Mountain.

At the sight,

another chill ran through Xu Yuanming's heart.

He understood now that Qin Shujian had planned to wipe out Cloud River Stronghold entirely from the start.

The bandits stationed at the foot of Cloud River Stronghold's mountain had been there to prevent anyone from escaping, ensuring its complete extermination.

Fortunately, he had submitted early.

Otherwise,

after today, Cloud River Stronghold would have been eradicated, root and branch.

The bandits from Mingai Mountain and Cloud River Stronghold cleared the way ahead, while Qin Shujian walked in the middle with Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming.

Taking advantage of this spare moment,

Qin Shujian checked the attributes of his newest Elite Leader.

Name: Xu Yuanming

Identity: Elite Leader

Affiliated faction: Liangshan Stronghold

Realm: Martial entry fifth level

Faction level: Level 1

Techniques: Flowing Water Force (complete mastery), Cloud-Piercing Sword Technique (consummate proficiency), Falling Blossom Palm Technique (established proficiency)

Like Niu Feng,

Xu Yuanming had cultivated his primary technique to complete mastery.

He was stuck at the martial entry fifth level only because he could advance no further; there was no path left ahead.

For experts of this caliber,

Qin Shujian believed that as long as they obtained a continuation of their cultivation techniques, breaking through to the entering martial sixth layer would come naturally.

In other words,

with follow-up techniques, Liangshan Stronghold could immediately gain several more experts at the entering martial sixth layer.

And—

compared with Niu Feng,

Xu Yuanming's panel was a little better.

"Holy shit, what's that? Look, are those three bosses?"

A party of players spotted the tightly packed bandit procession from afar and stared, dumbstruck.

Qin Shujian and the other two, in particular, stood out like cranes among chickens, immediately catching their attention.

The sight before them

involuntarily reminded the players of several bosses leading a crowd of minions.

After their shock

came irrepressible excitement.

A tall, thin player licked his lips and smacked them before saying to his companions, "At least one of those three mobs is a boss. Maybe all three are.

"If we could kill them for loot, we'd be rich."

A player beside him rolled his eyes. "Forget those three bosses. Those sixty or seventy regular mobs alone could swallow us whole."

Kill the bosses for loot?

How?

By throwing our lives away?

Every mob in the procession carried a gleaming weapon and wore a vicious expression. One glance was enough to tell they were not to be trifled with.

If the players charged in, the odds of the mobs killing them instead were a full hundred percent.

At those words, the tall, thin player looked sheepish.

Indeed,

with so many mobs,

not just their party, but even the other top player parties would be unable to take them on.

The tall, thin player immediately abandoned the idea and simply watched the bandits pass from a distance.

However—

they had spotted the bandit procession.

Naturally, Qin Shujian, walking in its midst, had also noticed them.

"Players?"

Qin Shujian raised an eyebrow slightly.

Encountering players in the wilderness was nothing unusual.

But,

he happened to be a major boss in the players' eyes.

What kind of boss would he be if he simply ignored players?

"Send men to kill every Otherworlder we encounter along the way." Qin Shujian's calm voice reached Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming's ears.

At his words,

Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming initially froze.

But they quickly reacted. As they looked at the players retreating from the roadside, icy killing intent blazed in their eyes.

Then,

a contingent suddenly broke away from the bandit procession and charged toward the other players. Eager to prove themselves, Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming even joined the attack personally.

"Holy shit..."

The players, who had merely been watching from a distance, could not help swearing at the sight.

Were mobs this aggressive now?

They hadn't even planned to farm these mobs, yet the mobs dared attack them first.

With the players' hot tempers, they certainly could not tolerate this.

But just as the other players prepared to fight back,

Boom!

Niu Feng cleaved a player at the entering martial second layer to death with a single saber strike. Then he slammed the flat of his blade into another player's face, knocking the player's head askew and turning his entire body into dissipating white light.

The sight

sent a tremor through the other players' hearts.

They forcibly halted the attacks they had been about to launch.

Looking at the bandits charging toward them, Niu Feng's formidable presence, and his terrifying gaze sweeping over them, the players were even more frightened.

There was no winning this fight.

The boss's damage output was too high, and he had so many regular mobs supporting him.

A scattered handful of players like them stood no chance.

And so,

once these players realized the situation was hopeless, they finally chose to retreat.