The convoy slowed down.
Li Qiang turned his head and looked back. He saw that the small merchants at the back of the group were desperately resisting Saber-Toothed Hao's attack. Many of the people who had fallen behind Black-Tipped Mount had been torn to pieces by Saber-Toothed Hao. The screams of agony could be heard in waves, mixed with Saber-Toothed Hao's roars and the sound of weapons striking each other.
Those who followed closely behind the caravan fared slightly better, as they had the help of rear guards and were not in immediate danger.
Li Qiang casually fired two arrows, knocking down two saber- Saber-Toothed Hao pounced on him. He shouted, " Hong Qian and Wan Gong, follow the main force! Paben and Nashan, come with me!" He then steered his Black-Tipped Mount out of the ranks.
Zhutou Tou shouted, "Brother! Danger! Come back quickly!" He frantically swung his sickle.
Hong Qian replied, "Alright! Martial Uncle, you go! I'll stay here!" He fired a series of arrows, taking down several saber-toothed Saber-Toothed Hao that pounced on him.
Nashan carried a large cleaver in his right hand and Light-Reversing Sword in his left, while Paben carried a long spear. The two followed closely behind Li Qiang.
Li Qiang didn't charge straight back, as that would disrupt the entire formation. He first rushed to the outer edge of the formation. The Saber-Toothed Hao, unaware that a menacing force had arrived, saw the delicious meal before them and seven or eight of Saber-Toothed Hao swarmed forward.
Nashan shouted, "Good! Go!"
His large cleaver was extremely heavy, and with one strike, he cleaved off the long snout of a Saber-Toothed Hao. At the same time, the Light-Reversing Sword in his left hand suddenly thrust out, and a burst of blue light flashed, splitting a Saber-Toothed Hao charging towards Li Qiang in two. Blood gushed out immediately, falling like petals scattered by a celestial maiden.
Paben's spear was equally formidable, unleashing countless spear shadows. A Saber-Toothed Hao that lunged at him was riddled with holes and sent flying far away.
Li Qiang's heavy bow was even more formidable. He channeled his True Essence Power into the arrows, and each arrow pierced through the head. If Saber-Toothed Hao was hit by even one arrow, he would die instantly.
In the blink of an eye, the convoy had already passed them. Li Qiang and his two companions were like a sharp axe, slicing a large gash in the wild beasts on the right side of the convoy.
The three of them were incredibly powerful; no one could escape Saber-Toothed Hao once they got close. In a short while, the area around the three of them was filled with Saber-Toothed Hao's corpses.
The large group of Saber-Toothed Hao charged from the left front, while the number of Saber-Toothed Hao on the right side was not large, only about a hundred or so, so the pressure on the right side of the convoy was relatively lighter.
The number of casualties in the caravan continued to rise, and once Black-Tipped Mount was overtaken by Saber-Toothed Hao, there was almost no chance of survival.
A short while later, Li Qiang and his two companions rushed to the back of the convoy. Li Qiang shouted, "Save as many as we can. You two look after each other and don't get separated. I'm going to the back."
Nashan stopped beside the first group of people, wielding his Light-Reversing Sword to cut down several Saber-Toothed Hao in succession, while Paben brandished his spear to disperse the gathered Saber-Toothed Hao. The two displayed great power.
Li Qiang shouted and sped away. The small merchants who fell behind the group desperately huddled together in groups, fighting back against the waves of attacks from Saber-Toothed Hao. Each group had a large or small number of people, ranging from a hundred or so to fifty or sixty. The roars and sounds of fighting were terrifying.
Li Qiang charged straight ahead without stopping, determined to rescue the last person.
Fatty Kazhu was right at the very back. Because he was so fat, his Black-Tipped Mount was thin and small and couldn't run fast, so he fell behind. He only had one Spine-Piercing Spear, and it was a rather poor one, which had to be replaced with a crystal after firing it more than ten times.
The group around him was dwindling, with people screaming as they were dragged away by the Saber-Toothed Hao. The number of people quickly decreased from over a hundred to a few dozen, then a dozen... One of the Saber-Toothed Hao was drooling, its mouth wide open, Kazhu could even clearly see the sharp teeth inside. He quickly pressed the tip of his Spine-Piercing Spear against its mouth and pressed the activation button.
Saber-Toothed Hao's massive jaws snapped down, and a series of cracking sounds rang out. Only then did Kazhu realize that the Spine-Piercing Spear had run out of crystal energy. It was too late to replace it; the Spine-Piercing Spear had already been bitten in half by Saber-Toothed Hao.
Kazhu, his face covered in sweat, let out a long, desperate roar, his voice filled with grief, indignation, and resentment.
Just as Saber-Toothed Hao opened his mouth to bite down again, a series of loud popping sounds rang out, and Li Qiang arrived.
An arrow pierced the Saber-Toothed Hao's head from the side, sending it flying to the side. Only then did Kazhu realize that her whole body was trembling and that she was soaked in sweat.
Li Qiang hadn't expected Saber-Toothed Hao to be so powerful, and secretly regretted not preparing earlier.
He fired arrows continuously, using the Continuous Arrow Technique he had learned in Hou Pijing 'Sacred King's Residence. After all, he possessed superb cultivation skills, so he didn't need to exert any effort when using the heavy bow.
He drew five long arrows at once, and no one could see his movements clearly. They only heard a series of popping sounds from the bowstring, and arrows flew out of the heavy bow. Then they heard the strange cry of Saber-Toothed Hao when he was hit by an arrow.
Li Qiang shouted, "Everyone charge forward! Don't panic! Hold your ground!" He glanced around and spotted Kazhu, then called out, " Kazhu! You take command! Push forward as far as you can!" As he spoke, Li Qiang did not stop; his arrows continued to fire continuously.
Kazhu's spirits lifted, and he roared, "Charge!"
The people suddenly rallied and rushed forward recklessly, knowing that stopping meant certain death. Li Qiang's heavy bow was practically a death warrant; once Saber-Toothed Hao was targeted, he had no chance of survival.
People rushed forward in droves, and even Saber-Toothed Hao was stunned, hesitating for a moment.
Li Qiang wanted to buy this much time. He skillfully maneuvered the Black-Tipped Mount, galloping back and forth on the outskirts of the crowd, his heavy bow never stopping.
Just as everyone was celebrating their reunion with another group, the heavy bow in Li Qiang's hands finally gave way, and with a snap, the bow broke and the string snapped.
He actually managed to snap the heavy bow in two.
Everyone had been watching Li Qiang closely, knowing that his only hope of survival lay in the heavy bow in his hand. When the bow snapped, almost everyone gasped in shock.
Li Qiang knew he could no longer hide it. He let out a long roar, and the Star-Absorbing Sword suddenly shot out. He decided to go all out and fight.
When Kazhu saw Li Qiang's heavy bow break, she felt her heart stop beating. Just as she was about to say "It's over," she suddenly saw him leap into the air, his body bursting with dazzling silver light. His roar was deafening. In an instant, the silver light fell from the sky like a meteor, and countless pieces of flesh and blood scattered with it.
With just one strike, the Star-Absorbing Sword killed more than a dozen Saber-Toothed Hao.
Kazhu trembled with excitement, repeatedly thinking, "Finally, there's hope!"
Hong Qian saw the flash of silver light behind the convoy and knew that his martial uncle had finally intervened. In fact, they were already struggling, with thousands of Saber-Toothed Hao charging at the same time, and more than half of the soldiers on the Silver-Tipped Steed in front dead or wounded. They simply couldn't break through.
Zhutou's eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Brothers! No matter what, we can't fall behind! Conserve your strength and take turns going forward to hold them off! If we can't hold on today, none of us will survive! Give it your all!" His voice was hoarse from shouting.
Li Qiang let out a long roar, donned the Billowing Essence Battle Armor, and rushed rapidly through the air towards the place where the Saber-Toothed Hao were most concentrated.
The entire caravan saw Li Qiang's appearance, Zhutou Tou and his gang were especially surprised. Choujiao stammered, "It's... it's... Brother!"
Hong Qian smiled slightly and said, "That's right! He finally couldn't hold back and made his move. Hehe, consider yourself lucky." He also let out a long roar, spitting out the Dusty Firmament and Shattered Gold swords, and leaped into the air.
Once the flying sword is unleashed, these Saber-Toothed Hao have no way to stop it.
Li Qiang shouted, " Hong Qian, you protect the caravan, I'll go ahead!" He realized that these Saber-Toothed Hao were being controlled by someone, because even monsters would be afraid when faced with a strong enemy, but after they killed so many Saber-Toothed Hao, the monsters still charged forward one after another, which could only mean that someone was controlling them.
Li Qiang dared not release the Fire Essence, because the vast grassland was covered with countless weeds and tangled branches, and once it caught fire, the blaze would be impossible to extinguish.
Hong Qian flew back and forth above the caravan several times, shouting, "Stop immediately and set up camp! Don't move any further!"
The convoy stopped immediately.
After witnessing the strength of Li Qiang and Hong Qian, everyone in the caravan was completely convinced of their abilities.
Hong Qian ordered them to use large carts to create a circular defensive perimeter, surrounding the wounded in the middle.
At this moment, Saber-Toothed Hao had stopped attacking and was running back and forth not far away, seemingly unwilling to leave. Hong Qian also sensed something was wrong. He slowly landed in the circle and loudly proclaimed, "Who is the leader here? Please come forward."
A burly man clad in the armor of the Tanbang Continent called out loudly, "I am the Ban Dong Chieftain, thank you for your help, brother!" He strode over. The Ban Dong Chieftain was a man of considerable experience; he knew in his heart that he was incredibly lucky this time, as his caravan had unexpectedly hidden two such experts.
Actually, he had come on a whim to transport the goods this time. If he turned back halfway, the losses would be too great. So he wanted to take a gamble. Who knew that he would be surrounded by so many Saber-Toothed Hao as soon as he entered the Heavenly Road Grassland? He regretted it very much. Only when Li Qiang and the others took action did he feel relieved and know that the caravan was saved.
Li Qiang flew forward quickly, surveying the grassland below. Herds of Saber-Toothed Hao galloped back and forth across the grassland, interspersed with other strange creatures. Finding no one, Li Qiang flew to the other side of the grassland.
Soon, he spotted a small group of people standing in the grass not far away, surrounded by Saber-Toothed Hao and some strange wild beasts.
Li Qiang flew into the sky and shouted, "Hey! Why are you letting your beasts hurt people?"
The group seemed a bit flustered, and their attire reminded Li Qiang of the Beast-Splitting Tribe warriors he had seen at the Grand Alliance.
Suddenly, one of the men in the group blew a sharp whistle, and a large flock of strange birds burst into flight from the bushes. After circling several times in the air, they screamed and charged toward Li Qiang.
It was a strange, bluish-green bird, over half a meter long, and incredibly fast; Li Qiang felt the sky darken. Hundreds of these birds charged down simultaneously, creating a truly astonishing spectacle.
This strange blue bird was extremely powerful, and Li Qiang was caught off guard and was hit hard several times. Enraged, he raised his hand and unleashed a Purple Flame Giant Palm. The huge palm shadow flew out of his hand, and at the same time, the Star-Absorbing Sword, like a giant silver whip, flew in circles and swept towards the strange blue bird.
The Purple Flame Giant Palm suddenly exploded, with a deafening thunderclap, as countless purple flames shot into the bluebird's body, instantly scattering feathers everywhere.
The Star-Absorbing Sword transformed into a giant whip, scattering outwards, its dazzling silver light instantly shattering all the surrounding bluebirds.
Blood, flesh, bone fragments, and feathers rained down from the sky like a torrential downpour, terrifying those standing below. The surviving bluebirds, no matter how much the people below urged them on, dared not approach Li Qiang again, circling and crying mournfully in the distance.
Li Qiang landed gracefully in front of the group, his gaze sweeping over them like a sharp blade, and said in a deep voice, "Why did you unleash your beasts to harm people?"
The group was terrified, but they had come prepared. Although they were very scared, they remained relatively calm. The burly man at the head of the group shouted, "This is our territory. What we do is none of your business! Shoot!" Before he finished speaking, long, black, eight-legged worms flew out from the hands of the group.
Li Qiang didn't see what it was clearly. He rapidly spun the Star-Absorbing Sword around himself, but to his surprise, these foot-long insects shattered at the slightest touch, and the black mist they transformed into clung to the Star-Absorbing Sword like thick glue.
Li Qiang was taken aback; this thing seemed to be able to corrupt flying swords. The Star-Absorbing Sword dimmed.
The group's faces lit up with joy, and someone shouted, "He's done for! He's done for!"
Li Qiang said coldly, "I'll ask you one more time, who ordered you to do this? Hmph! You won't shed tears until you see the coffin, go!" He flicked out a Heavenly Fire Purple Flower, which flew into the black mist. A loud "hissing" sound was heard, and a strong stench spread with the wind. The Star-Absorbing Sword immediately shone brightly.
Li Qiang knew that these people couldn't withstand a full-force attack from the Star-Absorbing Sword, and he had no intention of killing them.
The burly man at the head of the group was stunned. He roared, "Let's go!" Suddenly, thick smoke billowed from the bodies of those men.
Li Qiang knew something was wrong, Star-Absorbing Sword suddenly shot out. A flash of silver light appeared, and the leading burly man cried out in pain as one of his hands was severed. A plume of smoke rose from his severed hand.
Apart from the one-armed giant, everyone else had vanished without a trace, even the severed arm had disappeared. Li Qiang cursed, "Damn it! They really got away fast!"
Looking at the burly man rolling and howling on the ground, Li Qiang thought, "At least I caught one. Strange, the Beast-Splitting Tribe actually has such a sophisticated teleportation technique; they disappeared in the blink of an eye. If it weren't for my sword being fast, this guy would definitely have escaped too. The Western Continent is really chaotic."
He had an even bigger question in his mind: Why would these Beast-Splitting Tribe people do this? This was their base of operations. Weren't they isolating themselves by doing this? Were they forced into it? Li Qiang fell into deep thought.
The surrounding Saber-Toothed Hao, having lost their commander, quickly fled into the depths of the grasslands, and the crisis was temporarily averted.
Zhu Tou's Zhutou surrounded Nashan, Paben, and Wan Gong, so excited they didn't know what to do.
Zhutou asked, "Brother Na, who exactly are you people? You're all incredibly powerful, especially Brother Li. Haha, I've never seen anyone like you in my entire life."
Nashan, feeling incredibly smug, chuckled and said, "Our boss is no ordinary person, hehe, isn't he amazing?"
Choujiao cried out with a long face, "I'm doomed! I'm really in trouble now, I'm definitely doomed!"
The Laitou asked curiously, " Choujiao, what's gone? Let me see... Hey! Your Choujiao are still there, they weren't bitten off by the Saber-Toothed Hao, haha, they can continue to stink now."
The Choujiao punched him hard in anger, saying, "Hey! You still have the nerve to joke around? That night I... I was roasting my feet next to that guy, he must have been really angry..."
Nashan burst into laughter. "Haha, hahaha, Choujiao! I admire you. Did the boss scold you?"
Choujiao shook her head repeatedly and said, "No, he didn't say a word. Sigh! I thought he was too scared to say anything. If I had known he was so shrewd, I wouldn't have dared to roast my feet near him, no matter how itchy they were. Now I'm doomed."
Paben chuckled from the side, " Choujiao? My master wouldn't be angry about that, don't worry."
Hong Qian led the Ban Dong chieftain over, Zhutou hurriedly stepped forward to bow. The Ban Dong chieftain, beaming, patted him on the shoulder and said, " Zhutou, so it's the guest you brought along. Hehe, you saved our entire caravan! Hmm, I'm planning to let you lead a couple more squads. Are you interested?"
Zhutou was overjoyed. He exclaimed, "Thank you for your appreciation, Commander!" The brothers around him were also beaming with delight. Zhutou's increased power meant increased benefits for his men. From now on, whenever they went out on missions, they would all get a share of any work that Zhutou's team took on.
The Ban Dong chieftain looked around anxiously and asked in a low voice, "Brother, why hasn't the senior returned yet?"
Hong Qian smiled slightly and said, "My martial uncle went to check and should be back soon. You should hurry up and deal with the matter; it seems the caravan has suffered quite a few casualties."
The Ban Dong, Ban Dong, nodded and sighed, "I've traveled the Heavenly Road Grassland so many times, and I've never seen so many Saber-Toothed Hao before. Alas! And these are just ordinary monsters. If we encountered truly powerful monsters and they gathered together to attack like this, it would be a certain death, and we wouldn't be able to traverse the Heavenly Road Grassland anymore."
The caravan members did not suffer heavy casualties; the smaller merchants were the ones who suffered the most.
The guards in large caravans are very strong. Through long-term cooperation, they have developed a tacit understanding with each other. If a companion is in trouble, those nearby will never stand idly by; they will risk their lives to save them. Because of this, the caravan will not suffer too many casualties in the short term when attacked, but this is also unacceptable in the long run.
Small merchants were different; they were like a heap of loose sand, most of them barely able to take care of themselves. When the monster attacked, they were picked off one by one, resulting in much greater casualties.
Kazhu sat on the ground, stunned, still unable to recover. His Mottled-Tipped Steed, the one he used to carry his goods, had been dragged away by the Saber-Toothed Hao, carrying all the cargo. His own Black-Tipped Mount had also been bitten and was on the verge of death. There were many other small merchants around him weeping, filled with fear and anxiety for their lost loved ones and goods, and for their uncertain future.
Li Qiang carried the Beast-Splitting Tribe back to the caravan, casually tossing him to the ground. He said, " Nashan, drag him aside and ask him why he attacked the caravan."
When Nashan, Zhutou, and their group saw Li Qiang come down, they immediately surrounded him. Upon hearing this, they were all surprised: it turned out that Saber-Toothed Hao's attack was actually directed by someone.
Nashan exclaimed, "Boss, I'll serve you! Haha, what a guy!"
Li Qiang added, " Nashan, don't kill him. He's from the Beast-Splitting Tribe."
As soon as these words were spoken, chaos erupted, and everyone began to discuss them. Regardless of the reason, the Beast-Splitting Tribe had done such a thing, indicating that this trip to the Heavenly Road Grassland was indeed fraught with danger.
Nashan grabbed the burly man by the hair and dragged him aside. The man groaned and regained consciousness. He had just lost an arm due to the pain from Li Qiang's severed arm, but Nashan's tug had brought him back to life.
He opened his eyes and saw angry stares all around him. Knowing something was wrong, he stretched out his remaining arm, pulled a yellow crystal rod from his waist, and roared, "If we're going to die, we'll die together!" He then slammed the rod into the ground.
Paben had been keeping a close eye on the man. When he saw the man pull out the crystal rod, he knew something was wrong and kicked the man's wrist. The force of the kick was extraordinary. There was a "crack" sound, and the man cried out, "Ugh!" His head lolled to the side and he passed out again. His entire arm was shattered.
Nashan was furious and yelled, "Brothers, strip this bastard naked!"
He picked up the crystal rod from the ground and immediately recognized it as the one they had used in the Black Prison, used to blast rocks. This thing was extremely dangerous; it would explode if pressed. Whenever it was needed, the prisoners had to draw lots to decide who would use it, and basically, whoever used it would die. Nashan knew that if Paben hadn't been quick, he would have been seriously injured, if not killed. He felt both angry and afraid.
Hong Qian accompanied the Ban Dong chief to Li Qiang. The Ban Dong Ban Dong bowed respectfully and said, "Senior, I truly don't know how to thank you enough."
Li Qiang hurriedly returned the greeting, laughing, "Hehe, Brother Ban, don't be so polite. We're also part of the caravan. Hong Qian, go check on Nashan. Make sure he doesn't kill the prisoners. There's still a lot we need to understand. If the leads go cold, things will get difficult." Hong Qian nodded and went over.
The Ban Dong chieftain asked, "Senior, who did you capture?"
Li Qiang said, "It seems to be the Beast-Splitting Tribe. They're using monsters to attack us, but I don't know why."
Ban Dong frowned slightly and said softly, "If they really are from the Beast-Splitting Tribe, we're in big trouble."
Li Qiang noticed that Ban Tong wasn't making a fuss; he remained calm and composed. Li Qiang couldn't help but admire him, thinking that Ban Dong was someone who had seen it all.
A commotion erupted, Laitou ran over, shouting, " The Beast-Splitting Tribe members committed suicide!"