Nanadun was a soldier, after all. Seeing the urgency of the situation, he immediately ordered, "We really can't wait any longer! We'll start preparations right now. Kankanqi, take a squad to the passage. Zhao Zhi, take..."
"What are you all doing?" Li Qiang emerged from his room, looking radiant, an unusual silver-white spear held point-down in his hand. He smiled at everyone.
Nashan shouted, "Boss, this is bad! Something big has happened!"
Li Qiang gave the spear a light twirl. "Old Nashan! Jumping at every little thing, never keeping your cool-how did you ever manage to be a boss? Tell me, what happened?"
Li Qiang was in a truly excellent mood. He had successfully broken the ten Soul-Shattering Golden Finger seals Situ Yong had placed on him, and his Nascent Soul had grown rapidly.
"Well, um... better let the commander explain!" Nashan rubbed his bald head. He did not know what had happened either, so in a flash of inspiration, he pushed Nanadun forward to explain. He was quite pleased with himself. I'm getting smarter now. If Boss finds out I was shouting nonsense, there'll be no escaping a slap.
"The bosses from every area have gathered in the Great Open Area. They sent word asking our area's boss to attend. Our scouts discovered large crowds surrounding our area. Things don't look good. Boss, should we send anyone?" Nanadun was not afraid of their numbers. Rather, if fighting broke out, everyone they killed would be a fellow prisoner. That was why he hesitated and looked so tense.
Now Nashan understood. He laughed smugly. "Haha! Let this one-eyed dragon beat them into scattered blossoms and flowing water! I'll show them what I can..." Seeing Li Qiang raise his hand again, he hastily covered his head. "Boss, don't hit me!"
"All you know is killing! Kill your own head! These prisoners are just like you. Which of them wasn't captured and brought here? They're our own people too," Li Qiang snapped. Nashan slunk aside.
Li Qiang pondered for a moment, then said, "Looks like we'll have to bring those bosses into line. We'll attend. Old Nashan, Kankanqi, Brother Zhao, and Paben, you four come with me. Nanadun, lead the troops into the Great Open Area in batches. Lin Fenghe and Tange, guard our base. Be careful not to underestimate the enemy. Let's go over the details."
They had five squads in all, each numbering around a hundred, somewhat more than when they had first formed. There were still not enough weapons and equipment to go around, with only thirty sets per squad. To make a show of force, they assembled a hundred-man squad and fully equipped every man. In the Black Prison, such a force was enough to sweep through every area.
After carefully reviewing the steps of their operation once more, Li Qiang said, "Be careful on this mission. Once we act, we must strike hard. If we can't suppress them, many innocent prisoners will die. Does everyone understand?"
Seeing everyone nod, Li Qiang continued, "Who here is good with a bow?"
Han Jin smiled. "Brother Lin and Brother Yuanqing are the best."
Paben suddenly said, "Ben can shoot too. Their native bows are all very formidable."
Li Qiang smiled. "I've just refined four longbows. Try them out. I don't know whether they'll work." He handed the bows over.
Lin Fenghe took a longbow, delighted beyond measure. Mounted archery was his greatest skill, and he had been a renowned cavalry general in the Gusong Kingdom. This longbow was completely different from any bow he had used before. It had no string, and its strange shape resembled a wild goose soaring with outstretched wings. Cross-shaped and 1.3 meters long, it was shorter than an ordinary bow and jet-black in color. A crystal was embedded in the grip, and there were two small holes in the middle where the string should have been.
Wei Yuanqing examined the longbow over and over, unable to keep from asking, "Boss, there's no string and no arrows. How do we use it?"
Li Qiang took the longbow, holding it in one hand and hooking the other into the small holes where there was no string. He drew the bow. "You don't need arrows. It shoots arrows of crystal energy. They should be very powerful. We can't test it here. Let's call this the Crystal Origin Bow!"
The men only half understood, not knowing what energy arrows were. Still, a bow that needed neither string nor arrows was something very novel.
"All right, study them later. Let's go!"
Nashan, Kankanqi, Zhao Zhi, and Paben put on standard-issue armor and followed Li Qiang toward the Great Open Area with Spine-Piercing Spears.
Of the five, Paben wore armor but carried no weapon. Li Qiang was empty-handed and wore no armor; his weapons and equipment remained in his bracelet, with nothing visible from the outside.
Nanadun, Han Jin, and Wei Yuanqing also slipped toward the Great Open Area with their fully armed hundred-man squad. Anyone they encountered along the way was immediately detained to prevent word from leaking out.
Li Qiang and his four companions made quite a conspicuous sight along the way. Many prisoners looked at them with fear in their eyes.
Nashan was immensely pleased. Even when he had been a boss, he had never enjoyed such glory. Swinging the Spine-Piercing Spear in his hand, he all but strutted sideways.
Li Qiang reckoned they had walked for nearly an hour. "Old Nashan, why aren't we there yet? How much farther?"
Nashan swung his Spine-Piercing Spear and swayed his big bald head, speaking in an odd tone. "Just ahead. Ah, how did we get here so quickly..." He felt he had not flaunted his might enough yet. "Boss, I'll clear the way up ahead."
Emerging from the passage, Li Qiang saw the Great Open Area they had spoken of.
Countless lights made from crystals illuminated the surroundings brilliantly. It was an enormous space, at least the size of a large soccer field by Li Qiang's estimate, with countless passages opening into it at different heights. Huge crowds of prisoners had gathered there. The moment Li Qiang and his four companions emerged, every gaze turned toward them.
The clamor immediately died away. Nashan stood in front with his spear leveled, his standard-issue armor and arm shield gleaming faintly. Kankanqi stood to the left and Zhao Zhi to the right. Paben followed close behind Li Qiang in terror, his defenses turned up to their maximum. The poor man had never witnessed such a scene. Though the Lesser Origin-Nurturing Pill had strengthened his body, he was timid by nature. His legs went weak, leaving him no choice but to stay as close to Li Qiang as possible.
A large group of prisoners slowly closed in from all sides. Kankanqi estimated there were over two hundred. Every man carried a crude weapon, and their clothes were somewhat tidier than the others'.
Paben trembled as he said, "B-Boss... th-they're thugs..."
Without turning his head, Nashan laughed. "Wrong! Boss isn't a thug..."
Li Qiang and the others could not help smiling. Zhao Zhi said, "Well, Old Nashan certainly looks calm and composed!"
"Of course!" Nashan was bursting with pride. He thrust his Spine-Piercing Spear forward and shouted, "Our boss has spoken! His venerable self doesn't wish to harm too many innocents. Listen up... you clay chickens and pottery dogs! Our boss only needs to twitch a finger, and every last one of you will be fucking reduced to drifting ash and scattered smoke! Get your bosses out here to answer him..." Nashan felt utterly exhilarated. When had he ever cut such an imposing figure? His eyes shone, and with the conditioning from the Lesser Origin-Nurturing Pill, his overall presence was indeed impressive.
Li Qiang was almost amused despite his annoyance. Since when did I become 'his venerable self'? And what a muddled speech. Now they couldn't talk even if they wanted to. Those words are far too insulting. But he did not want to smack Nashan's bald head at a time like this, so he could only smile as he watched him flaunt his authority.
The thugs looked at them fearfully. Someone urged, "Charge! We outnumber them. We could crush those few men just by crowding them!"
"Right! Let's go! Don't be afraid! Ten days' food for anyone who captures one..." The thugs began stirring, each tempted by the generous reward.
"Fire your Spine-Piercing Spears at the ground in front of their feet," Li Qiang said calmly. It would be troublesome if they all rushed them at once.
The three fired streams of light orbs simultaneously into the ground. The hard rock exploded, sending fragments flying everywhere. The thugs were battered bloody about their heads and fled, howling.
"Everyone, fall back! You've gone too far! You've only got a few sets of good weapons. Do you think we have none?" A burly man as imposing as a lion stepped out.
Nashan was startled, and half his swagger vanished. "Boss, he's the toughest man in the Black Prison. All the bosses here are a little afraid of him." He added, "His name is Wuya. I don't know where he's from."
Kankanqi suddenly grew tense. "The weapon in his hand is... Paben..."
He rattled off a sentence in the local language. After listening, Paben stammered, "I don't know how to translate it either. I think it should be called some sort of cannon..."
Li Qiang was inwardly startled. A cannon? Could it be a cannon? He carefully examined the thick object Wuya carried but could not make out what it was. From Kankanqi's tension, he knew it had to be astonishingly powerful.
Li Qiang pulled Nashan aside, raised a hand to don the Billowing Essence Battle Armor, and activated the Crimson Flame Dragon Shield at the same time. Holding the Hundred-Blade Spear, he rose into the air and slowly walked forward.
The Great Open Area fell utterly silent. The prisoners stared, dumbstruck. Who had ever seen attire or a presence like Li Qiang's?
Wuya retreated a step and raised the enormous weapon in his hand, two meters long and as thick as a bowl's mouth. Facing Li Qiang as he walked through the air toward him, Wuya felt powerless for the first time. Even with the Sharp Cone Cannon in his hands, he felt he could not harm his opponent. Mountainous pressure bore down on him, making it impossible even to stand his ground.
He retreated another step and could not help shouting, "Stop, or don't blame me..."
"Ha... ha... hahaha..."
Holding the Hundred-Blade Spear point-down, Li Qiang threw back his head and laughed. His laughter rose from low to high, gradually booming like rolling thunder. Every "ha" sounded like a thunderclap exploding.
Wave after wave of laughter pressed toward Wuya. Everyone in the hall, including Nashan and the others behind Li Qiang, turned ashen under its force.
Li Qiang had only just comprehended this sonic blast. It came from the vibrations of the Supreme Radiance Shuttle within his Nascent Soul. Since he was not yet proficient with it, however, the spreading blasts immediately engulfed everyone in the hall. Some weaker prisoners were actually knocked unconscious.
Bearing the brunt of the blasts in Li Qiang's laughter, Wuya staggered backward repeatedly. In an instant, his blood surged and his face flushed crimson. Had his body not been extraordinarily tough, that laughter would have severely injured him on the spot.
Wuya howled wildly, "Stop laughing... I... I'm going to..."
Wuya held up the Sharp Cone Cannon in misery. He had never feared anyone, yet the pressure this opponent exerted had made him lose control and roar. A sense of humiliation welled up within him.
Li Qiang secretly admired his opponent. He knew that once freed of Situ Yong's restrictions, his current level of cultivation was beyond any mortal's ability to withstand. Yet Wuya had endured it and could still stand and speak to him. No wonder Nashan feared him.
Stopping his laughter, Li Qiang said, "Wuya, I respect you as a real man. Put down your weapon, and I won't make things difficult for you."
"Do you think I'll submit? We Lazhen People... have only warriors who die standing. I respect you as a real man too. Come on... Wuya will never surrender..." Wuya declared proudly, holding his Sharp Cone Cannon ready.
Li Qiang inwardly lamented. Ah, this fellow is a stubborn mule. This won't be easy. I can't just beat him to death! What a headache. He actually admired people who would rather die than submit. If he could win Wuya over, the bosses of the other areas would not be able to stir up much trouble.
"You're a warrior? Are you really a warrior? Fine! Let me see just how formidable a warrior you are!"
Li Qiang landed and put away the Hundred-Blade Spear and Billowing Essence Battle Armor. Clapping his hands, he said, "Come on, Wuya. I'll have a little fun with you barehanded. Let's see who's the warrior." Provocation worked best on someone like Wuya.
Wuya's eyes immediately lit up. He threw down the Sharp Cone Cannon, tore off his shirt, and shouted, "Wuya will fight you! Let's see who's the warrior!"
Wuya was a little taller than Ben. Black spots as large as a bowl's mouth covered his bare torso, and brown hair grew from his head down his back. His round eyes gleamed green in his dark-brown face, like a hungry beast waiting for its chance to strike.
"Come on..." he cried excitedly. Barehanded combat was Wuya's greatest skill. From childhood to adulthood, he had never come off worse in it.
Nashan groaned inwardly and complained to Kankanqi, "What is Boss doing? Fighting a savage like that just isn't worth it."
Kankanqi nodded. "Exactly! One shot would finish him. Isn't spending all this effort just making trouble?" A soldier by background, Kankanqi could least abide this sort of fight to prove who was stronger. What mattered to him was a group's fighting strength.
Paben tugged at Zhao Zhi and asked, "Can Boss win?"
"Stop talking!" Zhao Zhi said impatiently. He was breathing hard with excitement, eager to see how Li Qiang would fight.
Relying on the exceptionally strong defense of the Shadow Dream Armor still within his body, Li Qiang walked up to Wuya. "If you're a man, make your move!"
He could not be bothered to compete in fighting techniques. He only wanted to finish quickly and leave more time to deal with other problems. More and more prisoners were gathering around the Great Open Area, and the situation was growing tense.
Wuya wasted no words either. He crouched back slightly, then suddenly lunged forward with a strange roar and punched Li Qiang in the chest.
Bam!
"Ah!" The prisoners' startled cries erupted. Who in the Black Prison did not know the power of Wuya's fists?
Wuya clutched his hand and staggered backward, screaming. Li Qiang, too, actually retreated three steps, leaving deep footprints in the hard rock. He was inwardly shocked. Wuya's strength was far from ordinary. Had that punch struck an ordinary person, it would certainly have gone straight through his chest. It was tremendous.
Wuya was stunned. The strength in that punch could shatter rock. Even the strongest member of his own tribe could not have taken it as though nothing had happened. He simply did not know what to do.
"Mm! Not bad, not bad. Interesting. My turn to throw a punch, isn't it?"
"We concede..." A group emerged from behind the prisoners.
Of the men leading them, Li Qiang recognized only one: Bala, the boss of the western area.
"Stay out of this! Come on, Wuya will take your punch!" Wuya walked up to Li Qiang with his chest thrust out.
Li Qiang smiled. "Fine. Since you've conceded, we'll forget that punch." He glanced at Wuya and punched toward the ground from a distance. Purple light flashed, followed by a tremendous boom. A basin-sized hole nearly a meter deep appeared in the ground.
Everyone, Wuya included, gaped in stunned disbelief. This was not something an ordinary person's strength could accomplish.
A commotion swept through the prisoners, and the bosses of the various areas trembled all over with fright. A squad of fully armed soldiers was advancing with Spine-Piercing Spears raised, and the man at their head was saluting Li Qiang.
The bosses all wondered how they had acquired so many weapons and sets of equipment. Each secretly rejoiced that they had not started fighting earlier.
"Boss Muzi, we had no choice either. The Black Camp sent orders. If we refused, they wouldn't even need to come down and sweep through us. They could just stop exchanging food with us, and every prisoner in the Black Prison would starve. Ah..." Bala said helplessly.
Li Qiang was about to speak when a clamor suddenly erupted. Prisoners cried, "The Black Camp soldiers are coming down... Run!"
Nanadun said urgently, "Boss, let's retreat. This place is too open. We'll be at a terrible disadvantage in a fight."
Li Qiang gave a long sigh. "Anyone willing to come with us, follow."
Despair filled Bala's face. "Everyone, follow Boss Muzi..."
Having seen the strength of Li Qiang's group, none of these bosses dared abandon this last shred of hope, whether they wished to follow him or not.
"Nashan, take everyone willing to follow us back. Nanadun and Han Jin, command the covering force. Paben, follow the retreating group. Wuya, this suit of armor is yours. Everyone..." Before he could finish, Black Camp soldiers had already rushed out of the passage on the western side of the Great Open Area.
Boom! Boom! "Aah..."
The Black Camp soldiers' explosive projectiles had landed in the crowd. In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and a broad swath of prisoners' corpses covered the ground. The wounded screamed for their fathers and mothers, while the living ran desperately toward the passage entrances. The entire Great Open Area was like hell on earth.
Furious, Li Qiang raised his hand and donned the Billowing Essence Battle Armor. Gripping the Hundred-Blade Spear, he shouted, "Nanadun, cover everyone's retreat..."
Both sides began exchanging fire with their Spine-Piercing Spears. Energy orbs flew everywhere through the Great Open Area. Many prisoners were shot dead before they could reach the entrances. The Black Camp soldiers had not expected organized resistance and suffered considerable casualties as well.
Li Qiang's Billowing Essence Battle Armor went into rapid operation, glimmering with faint golden light. The Spine-Piercing Spears' energy orbs could not harm him in the slightest. Whirling his Hundred-Blade Spear, he flew toward the Black Camp soldiers.
Wei Yuanqing raised his Crystal Origin Bow and fired at the Black Camp soldiers. A streak of red light flew straight out, making a strange "woo-woo" sound like someone weeping. The energy arrow struck a soldier squarely. With a tremendous explosion, it not only blasted him to pieces but knocked down a whole cluster of soldiers nearby. Wei Yuanqing could not help cheering, "What a bow! What an arrow!"
More Black Camp soldiers poured out of the western passage entrance.
Roaring, Li Qiang charged into the mass of soldiers...