Flash of Saber Light, Head Falls

Lin Changkong, Hong Ye, and Zhou Yue rode their horses together.

It didn't take long before he grasped some of the tricks to riding, and could completely keep up with Zhou Yue and Hong Ye's speed.

The three of them, chatting and laughing, felt a sense of galloping horses and enjoying the world's prosperity.

After half a day's travel, the outline of Black Dragon Town's city walls appeared in their sight.

"I heard the leader of the Flood Dragon Gang is named Zhao Heilong, and he's already at the Qi Gathering Eighth Level. Today might be a tough fight, so don't let your guard down. Caution is key," Hong Ye instructed before they entered Black Water Town.

Zhou Yue chuckled, "What are you afraid of? You handle the Qi Gathering Eighth Level, and leave the rest to my junior brother and me. I'm at Qi Gathering Seventh Level, and my junior brother is also at Qi Gathering Fifth Level. If we join forces, it'll definitely be fine. My Falling Leaf Sword Technique has reached great mastery, today is the perfect time to show off."

Zhou Yue was quite excited, clearly eager to showcase her skills and prove her strength.

"Speaking of which, the only one who's relatively weaker among us is Junior Brother Lin. But don't worry, Junior Brother, your senior sister will definitely protect you," Zhou Yue looked at Lin Changkong again, patting him on the shoulder with the air of an older sister looking after a younger brother.

"If we encounter anyone at Qi Gathering Fifth Level or above later, just stand behind me. Don't be scared, Senior Sister will protect you!" Zhou Yue patted her chest a few times, exuding confidence like a big sister.

Lin Changkong smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister."

"It's nothing. We're all fellow disciples, and we'll need to look out for each other in the future. It's only natural. Don't worry, I'll definitely protect you." Zhou Yue was full of confidence and seemed eager to get going.

Lin Changkong suddenly thought of a question and asked, "Senior Sister, I have a question. Black Water Town is supposed to be within the Heavenly Fire Sect's protective range, so why do these gangs dare to act? Aren't they afraid of retaliation from the Heavenly Fire Sect?"

Hong Ye replied, "There are mainly two reasons. First, these gangs are often not permanent residents; they strike and then move on, making them difficult to apprehend. Second, some gangs aren't just simple gangs; they have support from other sects behind them. They'll have the gangs do things that are difficult to do openly."

Lin Changkong suddenly understood, realizing there were such underlying connections.

Hong Ye added, "Take our Eastern Wasteland, for example. There are hundreds of sects, big and small, in the entire Eastern Wasteland, and the Heavenly Fire Sect is just one of them. In fact, it's only considered mid-tier in the whole Eastern Wasteland. The Heavenly Fire Sect is located in the Cloud Sky Mountain Range, which stretches for thousands of miles. There's another sect called the Mystic Moon Sect, which is Heavenly Fire Sect's biggest rival. Although they maintain outwardly friendly relations and even seem quite cordial, they've been locked in a silent struggle for many years. The Mystic Moon Sect, in particular, is constantly making small moves. If their strengths weren't relatively equal, they would have already started a war."

Lin Changkong nodded, gaining a new understanding of this region.

I really need to find some time to catch up on the knowledge of this world, at least get a general understanding, Lin Changkong thought to himself.

As they were talking, they arrived at the entrance of Black Water Town. Strangely, there should have been guards on duty, but there was no one there at the moment. Hong Ye looked puzzled, then pushed open the city gate, and the three of them rode in.

Upon entering the town, both sides of the gates were shut tight. The streets were desolate, with not a soul in sight. Various items were scattered about haphazardly, creating a scene of utter chaos.

The expressions of the three people darkened slightly. Hong Ye said, "This is bad. The Flood Dragon Gang is probably raiding again. The people here have either been taken hostage or slaughtered. Let's find someone quickly!"

After entering the city gate, there was only one street extending inwards. Therefore, the three didn't need to split up and galloped forward on their horses.

Soon, they reached the end of the street, where a crossroads appeared. Cries and roars could be heard from one direction. Hearing the sounds, the three immediately charged towards the source of the noise.

At this moment, in the town square, crowds of residents were surrounded by a group of ruffians armed with weapons. They were all trembling, huddled in the center of the square. The leader of the ruffians, a burly man, looked at the trapped residents with a ferocious and twisted sneer. He sat on a chair that had been brought over, exuding arrogance.

"Damn it, a bunch of peasants!"

"Keeping them is useless. Might as well kill a few to draw some blood and liven things up, hahahaha..." The burly man laughed, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally pointing at a man. "Him! Drag him out and chop him!"

Several other ruffians immediately stepped forward, dragged the man out of the crowd, and with a swift stroke, severed his head. Blood sprayed into the sky, and the headless corpse fell to the ground.

"My husband! My husband!" A woman beside him tightly hugged an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, watching the scene with utter despair. The girl, curled up in the woman's arms, trembled uncontrollably, not daring to look.

"Ah hahahahaha..." The ruffian leader threw his head back and burst into laughter, clearly pleased with the scene before him. In fact, he had already looted all the money from these people. The reason he had gathered them here was, as he had said, simply to kill a few people to entertain himself.

He enjoyed watching people get hacked to death, enjoyed seeing their despair, especially when he was the one who drove them to despair.

It gave him a perverse sense of superiority, as if he could control the life and death of others, as if he were a god looking down from above.

"What are you crying about? He's just a piece of trash, what's there to cry about?"

After laughing, he looked at the woman wailing and shouted.

The woman, having lost her man, was terrified and dared not make a sound, only sobbing quietly.

But the leader of the thugs frowned and said, "Damn it, women are always so dramatic! Go, cut her tongue out."

Another thug stepped forward, pried open the woman's mouth, and gouged out her tongue with a knife, throwing it on the ground. Blood flowed from the woman's mouth, splashing all over the girl in her arms, immediately drawing another round of laughter from the onlookers.

"Mom, Mom!"

The girl in her arms looked up at the blood-covered woman, crying uncontrollably.

The thug leader looked at the girl, his eyes lighting up as he licked his lips.

"Damn it, I didn't expect this little girl to be so damn good-looking. I like these little virgins. Bring her here, I want to enjoy myself right now, hahahahaha..."

The thugs stepped forward and grabbed the girl, dragging her away. The woman, without her tongue, could only make muffled sounds, holding onto her daughter and refusing to let go.

"You ungrateful bitch, cut off her hands for me."

The thug leader gave the order, intending to chop off her hands.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves echoed. Lin Changkong, Hong Ye, and Zhou Yue arrived, their eyes immediately falling upon the scene before them.

A surge of hot blood rushed to their heads. Hong Ye and Zhou Yue cried out almost simultaneously, "Stop! You beasts, let go..."

"Bang!"

Before the two could finish speaking, Lin Changkong, who had been silent until then, leaped from his horse, drawing the Crimson Flame Saber in mid-air.

A flash of fiery red blade light, and a head flew through the air, blood spraying towards the sky.