Johanna and Mariano were shielded in the middle, after all, one was the employer and the other a passenger.
The other three Highgod were all Five-Star Fiend, so they were naturally not afraid of these Highgod who had become outlaws. However, since they had not yet traveled halfway, they chose to focus on defense and try their best to protect the Midgod traveling with them.
"Hey you over there, hand over all your Interspatial Ring and Divine Artifact, and we'll consider letting you go." The bandits who had surrounded them shouted with Divine Power, their voices carrying far and wide.
Johanna's side remained silent.
Sometimes, silence is also a form of firmness, which made the robbers hesitant to make any rash moves.
After waiting for about five minutes, the opponent finally made a move. The Midgod began to form ranks, preparing for a ranged attack.
Johanna breathed a sigh of relief, "It seems they don't know who I am."
Johanna had remained silent for a long time, not revealing her identity, wanting to gauge the other party's reaction. Now it seemed that the other party was simply trying to rob her and disrupt trade routes, not targeting Johanna; otherwise, they would have attacked immediately.
The bandits, outnumbered and outmatched, immediately deployed their Midgod in a ranged attack formation to maximize their advantage.
One of the Five-Star Fiend Water Element -type Divine Artifact in the group held a staff-shaped artifact and unleashed a water curtain in front of him.
The ranged attacks of over three hundred Midgod struck the water curtain, creating ripples. But unexpectedly, the shield did not engage in a traditional head-on collision.
Aside from a few fire-attribute attacks that were completely neutralized at the beginning, most of the other attacks were deflected within the water curtain and flew to the side. Even after all the attacks had broken free of the water curtain and flown in all directions, the water curtain remained unchanged, clearly indicating that it hadn't consumed much Divine Power.
This is a high-end application of the "Profound Mystery of Roundness" of Water Element!
Jason glanced at Beirut, Five-Star Fiend. She was said to be Johanna's friend, and being invited here meant she was indeed quite powerful.
Five-Star Fiend skilled in support is a very valuable talent! Jason estimates that once she reaches the strength of Six-Star Fiend, she will be able to unleash a technique similar to Linley's "Blackstone Space" from the original story.
The bandits opposite realized they had met their match and immediately ceased their attacks.
To Jason and his men's surprise, the more than three hundred bandits withdrew in an orderly fashion.
"Are we just going to stop playing like this?" someone in the team said in surprise.
Johanna wasn't surprised at all. "Such a large group of bandits suddenly appearing here clearly indicates they have a specific target. They've determined we're not their target, so naturally they won't confront us head-on."
And so, Jason, who was originally prepared for a fierce battle, ended up back in the Metallic Airship in a daze.
With Johanna's help, the people around introduced their own abilities to each other.
Of course, no one would reveal their most secret skills, but given the difficulty of this mission, everyone shared their expertise.
"My name is Jason, Midgod both lightning and death, specializing in close-quarters combat and soul attacks." Jason briefly introduced his strength.
Given that this team was composed of elite troops, Johanna devised a defense plan: twenty-six Midgod and the Water Element Highgod Beirut would form a team to fight the enemy; Johanna and two other Highgod would be responsible for flanking support.
As for Mariano, as a passenger, he was naturally free to act as he pleased.
"Brothers, I have a feeling this mission won't be easy," a Midgod- Fiend said through divine sense.
"I knew this before I came. Given the current situation around Bone Dragon Prefecture, you're likely to run into trouble no matter what mission you take on," another Fiend said calmly. "By the way, brother, you're from the city defense force of Falling Rain City, right? I've seen you before."
"I was pulled in directly by Miss Johanna. I owed her a favor before, so I took a day off to do a mission." The Midgod sitting on the edge shrugged, adding, "Many of us here are acquaintances."
Jason was oblivious to this, after all, his age of less than a thousand years was too short among Midgod, and he knew absolutely no one around him.
At this moment, a handsome man with a goatee said, "Gentlemen, in my opinion, this mission won't be too difficult."
Everyone's attention turned to them.
The man seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, adjusting his collar before speaking, "Miss Johanna is merely scouting the route this time; the itinerary is kept secret from those of us in the group, and the value of the goods she carries is unknown. I estimate that even the hostile forces around Skyfall City are unaware of this caravan's existence."
Everyone nodded in agreement, indicating that what the other person said made sense.
Upon hearing this, the man with the goatee continued, "So, our journey to Skyfall City shouldn't be dangerous. The real danger lies in their retaliation on the return trip, and the second caravan afterwards."
After a moment of silence, another person spoke up, "But there's still one uncertainty: Lord Mariano."
Among Fiend, Six-Star and Seven Star Fiend are top-tier experts. Other Fiend will respectfully address them as "My Lord" upon first meeting. However, although four-star and Five-Star Fiend are Highgod, the difference in strength between them is not so great that they are insurmountable. Many Midgod Fiend can reach this level once they break through to the Highgod, so Midgod Fiend only address them as "Your Excellency".
"The Saint Clan, to which the Lord of the Northbone Prefecture belongs, this Lord Mariano is likely on the Lord's orders to go to Skyfall City." The little goatee nodded. "However, I feel that his itinerary is probably kept secret, so there shouldn't be any major problems before he arrives in Skyfall City."
Jason couldn't get a word in edgewise during this debate conducted through divine sense, but fortunately, the little goatee's conclusion was correct, and there were indeed no major crises along the way.
Of course, there were bandits, but they were all ordinary robbers. Most of them ran away as soon as they saw a few Highgod or Fiend. Only one bandit group thought they were stronger, but they were mostly killed by the caravan members.
The caravan was forced to stop by a group of bandits when they approached the Skyfall City area.
"It seems these bandits are under orders to cut off trade with Skyfall City. Everyone be careful," Johanna transmitted telepathically.
"Gentlemen, our Kettle Mouth City in the north is currently facing a shortage of supplies. We hope you can take your goods there to do business. Prices are negotiable!" the leader on the other side shouted directly.
Johanna's caravan was not on the purpose of making money, but rather to open up new opportunities and establish stable channels, so she would not change her destination casually.
"Only two Highgod?" Johanna muttered, then replied, "Sorry, we're going to Skyfall City to see a friend, not to be merchants. Goodbye!"
After saying that, he returned to the Metallic Airship.
Even after the Metallic Airship took off again, the two Highgod and their thirty-odd bandits simply watched silently, showing no intention of giving chase.
"Sigh, going back to the city will be troublesome." Jason didn't know how Johanna viewed these bandits, but he knew the saying, "A dog that bites doesn't bark."
There may be a large organization behind this gang of robbers.
After the bandit blockade, things calmed down considerably. Several groups of bandits encountered the airship on the road, but upon seeing it, they turned around and left without even trying to stop it.
This made the entire caravan nervous.
So, in the seventh year, everyone finally saw the Skyfall City, built at the foot of the mountain, hidden beneath a giant waterfall thousands of meters high, and surrounded by rainbows.