The man from the Beast-Splitting Tribe lay on the ground, black blood flowing from his seven orifices.
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "He's a true hero, unyielding to the death. Nashan, did he say anything?"
Nashan said somewhat awkwardly, "Boss, he only said—'We will never let you go'—before suddenly spitting blood from his mouth and nose. I don't understand how this guy killed himself."
Suddenly, the Zhutou shouted, "Look, everyone!"
The corpse lying on the ground began to swell, as if a large air cylinder was inflating it. Hong Qian knew something was wrong. He didn't have time to tell the people surrounding him to get out of the way. He opened his mouth and spat out the Gold-Shattering Sword, but he was still a step too late.
"Bang!"
A muffled explosion rang out, the corpse burst open, and streams of black sewage gushed out.
Nashan reacted quickly, grabbing Zhutou beside him and flipping himself over. Paben also grabbed one person in each hand and leaped backward. Li Qiang instinctively waved a red light in front of him to block, but Tudun was too late to dodge. He had just raised his hand to cover his face when he was hit by the black water.
Several guards who were watching the commotion were also hit. One of them was the worst off, his head and face sprayed with black water. He groaned and collapsed to the ground, bloodied and mangled, before he could even cry out. He died on the spot. The others, though not as badly hit, were in unbearable pain and jumped and screamed wildly.
The Tudun screamed in agony. Although only a stream of black liquid sprayed onto his arm, he could no longer endure it. His face turned deathly pale, and large drops of sweat slid down his face. In less than ten seconds, the white bone of his arm was exposed.
Li Qiang raised his hand, and a flash of silver light appeared. Tudun's arm fell to the ground. Tudun cried out and fell backward. Li Qiang quickly leaped to his side, raised his hand, and fed him a Cold Marrow Scale, a holy medicine for detoxification.
Li Qiang commanded, " Hong Qian, quickly cut off the poisoned parts of them, hurry!" Hong Qian responded and flew up with his Gold-Shattering Sword. Before anyone could see clearly, in a flash of golden light, he had already cut off the poison from those people's bodies.
Li Qiang took out another Cold Marrow Scale and said, "Dissolve it in water and give each of them a little to drink."
Tudun stared in despair at his arm on the ground, now completely reduced to bone. He knew that if Li Qiang hadn't acted decisively, he would surely be a pile of bones, dead by now. The Cold Marrow Scale truly lived up to its reputation as a miraculous elixir; after Tudun ingested it, the poison was immediately neutralized, and the wound stopped bleeding and quickly scabbed over.
As he regained some consciousness, he burst into tears. Losing an arm meant he could no longer work in a caravan; no caravan would hire a cripple.
Zhutou broke out in a cold sweat. He grabbed Nashan and thanked him repeatedly. He then called a few of his brothers to help the Tudun to the side to rest.
The Ban Dong chieftain said, "What potent poison! This person must be from the Beast-Splitting Tribe; only they would use such a strange substance." He glanced at Li Qiang, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart: with the help of experts like Li Qiang, the chances of surviving and leaving the Heavenly Road Grassland were still quite high.
He bowed respectfully once more and said, "Senior..." He didn't know how to say it properly.
Li Qiang understood what he meant and smiled, "Let's do our best! I'm not entirely confident either; there are too many unknowns. Let's fight our way out together."
Ban Dong breathed a sigh of relief. He had just witnessed the strength of Li Qiang and his men. With Li Qiang's promise, crossing the Heavenly Road Grassland was much more likely. He immediately issued an order to summon all the squad leaders to pay their respects to Li Qiang, demanding that everyone, including himself, obey Li Qiang's command.
Li Qiang firmly declined, only agreeing to assist the caravan. At this moment, he had another worry in his heart: he had fought with the people of Heavenly Halberd Peak outside the town, and they would definitely not let it go. Once they found him, they would inevitably implicate the caravan.
Ban Dong had no choice. He dared not force Li Qiang, so he changed the order to: under any circumstances, everyone must obey Li Qiang's orders. As for whether Li Qiang was willing to give the order, that was up to him.
As dusk settled, Ban Dong rearranged the group and hurried over to see Li Qiang. He said with a wry smile, "We can't reach the campsite ahead. If we continue, it will be difficult to assess the situation after dark. If we camp here, it's also quite dangerous. Senior, what do you think we should do?"
Li Qiang scratched his head and asked Hong Qian, " Hong Qian, do you think it's better to continue or stop?" He wasn't sure either.
Hong Qian stated bluntly, "Neither is good! Each has its advantages and disadvantages."
Li Qiang glanced at the sky, knowing he couldn't delay any longer, and asked directly, "Which do you prefer? To go or to stay?"
Hong Qian originally wanted to explain his thoughts in detail, but seeing his uncle pressing him for an answer, he could only reply, "Stop moving and quickly set up camp."
Li Qiang then asked Ban Dong, "What's your opinion?"
Ban Dong said, "I also think setting up camp here is the best course of action, but..."
Li Qiang interrupted him and ordered the squad leaders to split up and question all the experienced people in the caravan. There was only one question: should the caravan stay or leave? This was a matter of life and death, and soon the answers were collected. More than 80 percent of the caravan members said they should set up camp on the spot.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Commander-in-Chief, I don't need to say anything more, the answer is already clear, let's get moving."
In fact, Li Qiang used a modern method, namely a public opinion poll. He himself was unsure of the pros and cons of continuing versus stopping; he lacked experience in this area. However, he knew that most of the caravan members had traversed the Heavenly Road Grassland and were experienced. Letting them make their own choice was the right one. Although Li Qiang did not explicitly state his opinion, Ban Dong admired him greatly and hurriedly ordered his men to set up camp.
Everyone sprang into action, quickly clearing a space and lighting a bonfire. All the carts gathered around it, and a trench was dug around it, with spikes stuck in it and torches placed along the edges. After a flurry of activity, it was completely dark.
Ban Dong had animal hides laid out on the ground and invited Li Qiang to rest. Li Qiang saw Kazhu crouching to one side, holding his head, so he went over, patted his shoulder, and asked, " Kazhu, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
Kazhu looked up at him blankly, his eyes filled with despair. The red glow of the campfire distorted his chubby face. He recognized Li Qiang and replied in a hoarse voice, "My only friend is dead. He did it to save me. All the goods are gone too. Sigh... what are we going to do now?"
Li Qiang recalled the middle-aged man he had first met. He sighed and comforted him, " Kazhu, as long as you survive, everything can start anew. Come here, go sit over there and rest for a bit."
Kazhu was surprised that Li Qiang would come to comfort him, and he immediately felt a little better. He nodded silently, stood up, and followed Li Qiang with unsteady steps.
A shallow pit was dug in the center of the camp, and a campfire was burning brightly. Li Qiang invited everyone to sit down. Ban Dong, Hong Qian, Nashan, Paben, Wan Gong, and Kazhu all sat around the fire. Li Qiang also specially asked someone to call Zhutou and Choujiao over. Ban Dong ordered someone to bring some animal meat, Nashan shouted with delight at the sight of it. He had been starving for a long time, and without saying a word, he cut off a piece of meat and started roasting it himself. The others, however, had no appetite at all.
No one spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Zhutou finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Brother, there's something I've been wondering about. Can I ask you?" He still habitually addressed Li Qiang as "Brother."
Li Qiang laughed and said, " Zhutou, just ask if you have any questions."
Zhutou asked, "Who exactly are you people? How come you're so powerful?"
His question caught the attention of both Ban Dong and Wan Gong, especially Wan Gong, who had long had the same question in mind. He had witnessed Li Qiang's power many times and knew how formidable he was, but he had never felt comfortable inquiring about their identities.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Actually, we're nothing special. We're just a group of wanderers, much like you, making every place our home, haha." His laughter was tinged with bitterness.
Everyone was stunned, not expecting Li Qiang to answer like that. None of these people could understand Li Qiang's feelings, including Hong Qian and the others.
The Choujiao were behaving themselves now, not daring to take off their boots to dry their feet, but just rubbing them vigorously through the boots. Zhutou glared at him, startling him so much that he quickly withdrew his hand and said, "I didn't... Hey, Zhutou, when does our squad go on patrol?"
Zhutou said, "It won't be until the second half of the night. Go to sleep first, you'll need to rest well to have energy."
Li Qiang pondered for a moment, then remembered an important question and asked, "If you were the Beast-Splitting Tribe, and this attack failed, would you give up?"
Nashan swallowed a mouthful of meat and said, "If it were me, I definitely wouldn't let it go. If once wasn't enough, I'd try twice. Hehe, but with the boss here, they have no chance." He didn't forget to give Li Qiang a compliment as well.
Everyone remained silent, watching the campfire crackle and pop. After a long while, Chief Ban Dong sighed, "I truly don't understand why the Beast-Splitting Tribe would attack our caravan. Alas! To be enemies with the Beast-Splitting Tribe on the Heavenly Road Grassland is a perilous situation."
Hong Qian suddenly said, "I don't think the Beast-Splitting Tribe will wait until tomorrow; they might make their move tonight."
Li Qiang nodded and said, "That's what I think too. They'll make their move tonight, and it seems like someone is pulling the strings behind the Beast-Splitting Tribe's operation."
Wan Gong exclaimed in surprise, "Is someone pulling the strings behind the scenes? Who's so powerful?"
Ban Dong couldn't sit still any longer and said, "I'll go make preparations, let everyone get ready for battle..."
Li Qiang stopped him, saying, "Don't rush, they won't come now. If they do, it will be late at night. Everyone should take the time to rest. There's no need to send out patrols. With me here, they won't be able to launch a sneak attack."
Hong Qian said, "That's right. As long as we hold this defensive perimeter, we can leave the outside to me and my martial uncle."
Nashan let out a burp and said, "Don't make a fuss. With the boss around, everything will be fine." He looked completely satisfied.
Paben said, "With me and Old Na inside the defensive perimeter, there shouldn't be any problems."
The campsite quickly quieted down. Ban Dong only assigned a few men to patrol the night, not because he distrusted Li Qiang, but because it was a habit he had developed over the years. The camp was filled with the sounds of snoring, occasionally punctuated by the low groans of the wounded. Strange cries from unknown wild animals could be heard in the distance. A gust of wind blew, sending Mars flying from the campfire. Li Qiang and Hong Qian were not asleep; they sat cross-legged by the fire. Nashan and Paben were also diligently cultivating. Zhutou and Choujiao had already returned to their respective squads.
Li Qiang whispered, " Hong Qian, if we get separated, we'll meet up in the Ladu Kingdom..."
Hong Qian looked at Li Qiang strangely and chuckled softly, "Uncle-Master, hehe, you didn't sneak away by yourself, did you?"
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "I have a bad feeling, but I can't quite put my finger on why. Better safe than sorry."
Hong Qian said dismissively, "With the strength of the Beast-Splitting Tribe, they can't threaten us. It's their bad luck to have messed with us. Uncle-Master, there's nothing to worry about."
Ever since setting foot on the Western Continent, Li Qiang had vaguely sensed many ominous signs. He couldn't figure out the relationship between the Wild Plains, the Buddha Sect, the Cultivation Realm, and Heavenly Halberd Peak. The Spirit Masters, the Overwhelming Annihilation Devil Wand, the cultivators of Heavenly Halberd Peak, and the Beast-Splitting Tribe from the Heavenly Road Grassland he encountered along the way were all so strange and mysterious. What major event had occurred in the Wild Plains? What exactly was that Blessing Bailing? He pondered it over and over but still couldn't understand, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, " The Western Continent is truly a mysterious and turbulent place."
Li Qiang focused his mind on his nascent Nascent Soul and began cultivating. He dared not concentrate too much, slowly pushing the Microcosm outside the Nascent Soul while simultaneously diverting a wisp of his Divine Sense to take in the movements within a ten-mile radius—a skill only attainable at the Leaving the Body Realm Soul stage. The Nascent Soul had completely solidified into a physical form, and the Purple Flame Heart beneath its feet, combined with the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire, possessed even greater power. The purple light emanating from the Purple Flame Heart enveloped the Nascent Soul like a curtain of light. The colorful Microcosm had also grown considerably larger than before, absorbing and releasing energy at an extremely rapid pace. The Fire Essence was also contributing to the process, constantly spitting out brilliant little stars from its small mouth.
The Fire Essence was no longer on the Nascent Soul's shoulder; it had attached itself to the Purple Flame Heart Purple Flame Heart, directly absorbing the energy of the Brilliant Swift Heavenly Fire from within. Since the Fire Essence was too small, the amount of Heavenly Fire energy it absorbed was limited; the excess energy was then channeled into Li Qiang's Nascent Soul. Through the Fire Essence's transformation, the original domineering substances in the Heavenly Fire were removed, and the remaining extremely pure fire energy was continuously sent into the Nascent Soul. The benefits the Fire Essence brought to Li Qiang were immense; it was as if he had two Nascent Soul cultivating simultaneously.
There are people in the Cultivation Realm who cultivate a second Nascent Soul, but someone like Li Qiang who unintentionally gained one is probably one of a kind.
With a thought, Li Qiang and Hong Qian opened their eyes almost simultaneously, exchanging a smile. Hong Qian said, "Uncle-Master, the Beast-Splitting Tribe has arrived."
Li Qiang nodded and said, "There are many monsters, they're everywhere."
The two men stood up simultaneously in perfect unison and shouted, "Hey! Everyone get up! The monster is coming! Prepare your weapons!"
Chaos erupted at the campsite. Li Qiang and Hong Qian shouted simultaneously, their voices no less deafening than thunder.
Nashan and Paben jumped up in surprise. Nashan muttered, "Boss, you don't need to shout so loudly, you're scaring people half to death. Old Pa, another big fight is about to start, huh? There's nothing else to do with the boss, just fight for fun."
Paben smiled wryly, "Isn't this what you like best? Sigh! I'm still not used to fighting and killing."
Nashan laughed and put his arm around his shoulder, saying, " Old Pa, you've changed a lot. Hehe, I still remember how pathetic you were when you first arrived at Black Prison. You couldn't even speak properly. If it weren't for me Old Na, protecting you, you would definitely be finished."
Paben punched him in the chest, laughing and cursing, "Look after me my ass! You have no idea how many prisoners wanted to skin you alive and drink your blood back then. If it weren't for Master coming to the Black Prison... hmph..."
Nashan chuckled and said, "My judgment of Old Na is never wrong. Hehe, as soon as the boss arrived, I knew there was hope. I admire myself for my sharp eyes back then." He started boasting again.
The Ban Dong chieftain rushed over and asked, "What have you found? We didn't see any monsters coming." He had questioned the sentries, but there was no movement outside.
Li Qiang said calmly, "They'll arrive soon, and in large quantities. Nashan, distribute these to everyone and teach them how to use them."
Suddenly, a bunch of small red oval balls appeared on the animal hide. Nashan exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Haha! Bombs! This is awesome, haha, this thing is great!"
Ban Dong was startled. He recognized the bomb; such high-end items were extremely expensive in the Western Continent and were definitely not something ordinary caravans could afford.
Li Qiang then took out dozens of Spine-Piercing Spear used by the army and some energy crystals, saying, "Find someone who knows how to use them to take them. Nashan and Paben, you two use these." Two Rainbow Cone Cannon appeared.
Nashan was overjoyed, grabbed the Rainbow Cone Cannon and shouted, "The spoils of war from South Mouth Pass! Haha, I almost forgot about it!"
Zhutou arrived with his gang and happened to see them. Choujiao gasped, "Good heavens! Zhutou, so you're a weapons merchant! You have so many good things. I wonder how much the commander will spend to buy them."
Ban Dong was still surprised by the sudden appearance of the weapons when Choujiao's words reminded him. He hurriedly asked, "Senior, how much does this cost...? We..." He thought to himself that these weapons were very valuable in the Western Continent. If Li Qiang asked for an exorbitant price, he really didn't know if he could afford them.
Li Qiang waved his hand and said, "It's free! I don't want a penny, just use it as you like."
The Laitou muttered to himself, "Good heavens, that's really extravagant... Ouch, why did Zhutou hit me?"
Zhutou cursed, "Watch your mouth! You're asking for a beating! Next time I'll call you stinky-mouthed!"
The Laitou didn't dare to talk back and quickly hid to the side.
Hong Qian said, "It would be best to form a 'Spine-Piercing Spear' squad specifically for support and surprise attacks; this would be more effective than using them in a dispersed manner."
Ban Dong, being an experienced man, nodded and said, " Zhutou, you organize things. Gather everyone who knows how to use the Spine-Piercing Spear, five people per group, and hurry! The monster is approaching."
Zhutou was extremely excited. Everyone in the Western Continent knew the power of the Spine-Piercing Spear, and the power of a squad made from them was unimaginable.
Kazhu suddenly said, "I can use Spine-Piercing Spear, give me one!"
Li Qiang pulled a Black Prison Spear from his bracelet and said, "This one is for you. Use it carefully."
Kazhu hugged the Black Prison Spear tightly, determined to go all out and vent his anger.
After a flurry of activity, the people in the camp were finally ready, and everyone stood at attention.
The sky was beginning to lighten, and a rumbling sound could be faintly heard in the distance. Gradually, the earth began to tremble, and the screams and roars of monsters became clearly audible.
Five people stood in the center of the camp. Nashan carried a Rainbow Cone Cannon as thick as a bowl and paced back and forth. He was eager to test the power of the Rainbow Cone Cannon and did not care about the danger that was about to come. With his boss around, he didn't care about anything.
Li Qiang and Hong Qian also appeared relaxed, showing no signs of tension.
Paben was resting with his eyes closed, leaning on his Rainbow Cone Cannon.
Although Ban Dong was nervous inside, he maintained his composure on the surface.
Wan Gong and Zhutou were together, each holding Spine-Piercing Spear. Their guard squad was the only one in the caravan that felt slightly better; their Spine-Piercing Spear could be used for long-range attacks, eliminating the need for close combat and thus reducing the danger considerably.
Li Qiang gracefully flew onto the roof of a large truck and looked into the distance. The sky was overcast and visibility was low, but this had little impact on a master like Li Qiang. He could see billowing dust in the distance, waist-high wild grass swaying in the wind, and countless tiny black dots circling in the sky. Li Qiang knew that they must be flying bluebirds.
The grass in front of us suddenly began to ripple. It wasn't a natural ripple; it was obvious at a glance that something was moving rapidly beneath the grass.
Li Qiang was secretly surprised because the range of the fluctuations was so large that he couldn't figure out what it was for a moment.
Li Qiang shouted, "I'll go take a look!" He put on his Billowing Essence Battle Armor and Radiant Sun Ring, and then flew out.
Flying to where the wild grass rippled, Li Qiang peered close to the ground and felt a chill run down his spine. The grass was teeming with fiery red insects, each about the size of a palm, moving incredibly fast. He bent down, scooped one up, and flew back. The strange red insect gripped Li Qiang's finger tightly with its pair of sharp teeth, emitting an unbearable squeaking sound. As its teeth writhed, drops of clear, yellowish fluid oozed out.
Li Qiang landed in the center of the camp, held up the strange insect in his hand, and asked, " Ban Dong, what is this thing?"
Ban Dong's face changed drastically upon seeing this, and he cried out in alarm, " Fire-Splitting Insect! Oh my god! Fire-Splitting Insect! This is it..."
Li Qiang squeezed hard, and with a crisp "crack," the Fire-Splitting Insect shattered into a puddle of mush. He said, "What's so special about that?"
Ban Dong said in a trembling voice, " The Fire-Splitting Insect rank third in the Heavenly Road Grassland, after the Earthfire Beast and the Xipilinglong. Their venom is extremely potent, and they appear in tens of thousands at a time. Nothing can stop them. Alas! It's over." He could no longer maintain his composure.
Li Qiang nodded and said, " Hong Qian, it seems we can't let these things get close. We'll just have to go through the trouble."
Hong Qian laughed and said, "These insects are mainly powerful because of their large numbers; if there were fewer, they wouldn't be a threat. Alright! Let's wipe them out first!"
Ban Dong found it hard to believe, but at this point, he could only rely on Li Qiang and the others.
A war between humans and insects is about to break out.