Once the domain vanished beyond the horizon and he was certain no scouts from other factions were watching, Wei Yuan produced a map. "Time is short, so we won't be heading back to regroup. Right now, the Xu family still has two mines, a medicinal estate, and a small town. Under the Wuyu Clan's control, there are also two caravan encampments, a village, and two bandit strongholds. Let's push ourselves a bit harder, pluck two more outposts, and then rest."
No one had any objections, and the group galloped toward their next target.
With no one around, everyone took off their masks to catch their breath. Riding beside Wei Yuan was Xu Yi, who kept glancing at his horse and stifling snickers.
Wei Yuan felt uncomfortable under her gaze at first, but looking down at his mount, he realized why. A fine drizzle was falling, and the air was thick with mist and dampness. His steed was drenched, as though it had just been hauled out of a river.
The horse had originally been a bright, eye-catching red, so he had painted it gray before departing. Only a few days had passed, yet the dye was already coming off. Now in the rain, it was visibly washing out before their eyes, shifting from gray to white, and from white back to red.
Short of cursing the crooked merchants, Wei Yuan had no recourse. He could only vow that if he ever ran into those paint-peddling swindlers again, he would make them spit out every copper they had cheated out of him. Even so, he knew in his heart he would probably never cross paths with them again.
Xu Yi spoke up again. "Boss, there's another flaw in your bandit disguise."
"What flaw?" Wei Yuan asked with an open mind.
"Bandits live by licking blood off the blade. They're coarse and vile. You talk far too politely, Boss. What kind of bandit doesn't greet someone's ancestors eighteen generations back?"
Wei Yuan frowned. Asking him to spout such foul vulgarities was truly asking a bit too much; he would rather just run someone through with a spear and be done with it.
Xu Yi covered her mouth and giggled, then said, "There is another way. You could simply speak less. The fewer words you say, the more you'll have the bearing of an aloof master."
Wei Yuan nodded at once. "That will do."
The party had not ridden for half an hour when a band of horse bandits suddenly charged out of the woods ahead, blocking their path. The two leaders appeared to be brothers, each brandishing a low-grade artifact as they began shouting curses to provoke a fight.
Looking at the ragtag mob of just over a hundred men—clad in tatters, with several people sharing a single weapon—Wei Yuan felt an ache of pity. Still, such a pathetic crew was perfect for practice, a chance to test Xu Yi's advice.
Wei Yuan spurred his mount forward, his aura chilling and grim. He let out a loud shout: "Me, bandit. Hand over the money!"
Naturally, a fight broke out.
A moment later, gazing at the field of bandit corpses, Wei Yuan seriously pondered where he had gone wrong.
Half a day later, staring at several hundred bandits barring the road, Wei Yuan said helplessly, "Are there really this many horse bandits in the Western Regions?"
This bandit band looked far more formidable. There were a full five hundred of them, fifty of whom were elites brandishing artifacts. Several chiefs rode forth from their formation, shouting challenges.
Wei Yuan was in no mood to listen to their bluster. Stroking his mask, he fell into deep thought. Did his group look that weak? Otherwise, why would bandits target their fellow brigands instead of intercepting caravans? This was twice in a row now.
By then, the other side had finished yelling their challenge. Wei Yuan turned to Wang Yu on his left and asked, "Who are they?"
Wang Yu said, "There are five bands that claim to be the Three Great Bandit Groups of the Western Regions. The ones across from us are the Bloodthirsty Cavalry, one of the five. Their current strength roughly ranks them seventh among all the bandit groups."
"How do you know that in such detail?" Xu Yi asked.
Wang Yu replied, "I heard the townsfolk talking about it while we were resting in the town."
Xu Yi looked astounded. "We only ate a single meal, and weren't you with us the whole time?"
Wang Yu replied impassively, "My Yin Eye hears rather far."
"That..." Xu Yi was at a loss for words. Suddenly remembering something, she said, "You haven't been using it for anything improper, have you?"
"No. If I see things I shouldn't, there is a severe backlash. That is why I do not dare look at or listen to anyone clearly stronger than me."
Xu Yi felt slightly reassured, but the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she grew. It seemed there were only two people in the company clearly stronger than Wang Yu, and she was not one of them.
Meanwhile, Wei Yuan rode forward to meet the challenge. He managed only a single sentence before, as expected, the fighting began once more.
A short while later, only four of the Three Great Bandit Groups of the Western Regions remained. The group originally ranked eighth had no idea that they had just advanced one spot.
Wei Yuan pulled out the map, feeling rather annoyed. "We're just raiding a mine, yet we've run into two bands of bandits! What kind of godforsaken place is this? How are ordinary folk supposed to survive? There are only fifty li left to the mine. Surely we won't run into another group of bandits..."
Before the words had completely left his mouth, the thunder of hooves rumbled in the distance, shaking the earth as a mounted column rounded a hill. The two forces were riding toward each other, meeting directly on a narrow road.
Xu Yi covered her mouth and laughed. "Impressive, Boss! Your words become reality!"
Silence fell around her.
Xu Yi chuckled a couple of times before realizing something was wrong. She glanced to her side and saw Wang Yu's eyes squeezed shut, tears streaming down his cheeks. His face contorted in agony as he gasped, "Careful... an immortal foundation!"
Riders poured endlessly from behind the hill, forming a neat square formation with exceptionally strict military discipline. The two men at the center exuded profound, heavy auras; even Wei Yuan could not see through the depths of their strength.
Since when were horse bandits this elite? Shock finally rippled through Wei Yuan. Back then, even the Northern Liao young master's Snow Eagle Cavalry had been no more formidable than this.
Cursing inwardly, Wei Yuan urged his horse forward and shouted, "Strip or die!"
And so the fight began.
A flash of blade light suddenly flared before Wei Yuan's eyes—a pair of short sabers was already right in his face!
The young man moved like lightning, one blade thrusting at Wei Yuan's throat and the other at his heart, each strike lethal in the extreme. But then a soft gleam of blade light rose; an eight-foot blade intercepted the twin short sabers, dragging the young man off to the side.
With spear in hand, Wei Yuan fixed his eyes on the short-bearded man and charged on horseback!
The short-bearded man first pointed a hand forward, giving his cavalry the command to attack, before leisurely drawing his sword to meet Wei Yuan.
As their horses crossed paths, Wei Yuan let out a thunderous shout. He swung his spear up and brought it crashing down toward the short-bearded man's head!
The short-bearded man had not expected Wei Yuan's strike to be so ferociously violent. Wielding a longsword, he was at an immense disadvantage in weapon reach and heft. With no other choice, he raised his blade to parry, angling the edge slightly to divert the brunt of the force to the side in an instant. Yet the residual power still left his wrist numb, and his mount let out a pained whinny, nearly buckling under the shock.
That single clash left Xu Xinhui shaken to the core. This bandit's physical body was absurdly powerful, practically inhuman, and his Dao power rolled like monstrous waves, pressing down until Xu Xinhui could barely breathe.
For a moment, Xu Xinhui had the uncanny sensation of facing his fated rivals back during the palace grand competition years ago.
In that breath, a spark ignited in his heart, rekindling heroic blood and fervor that had long lain dormant. To encounter an opponent like this in the Western Regions was rare; of course he had to fight with everything he had!
Xu Xinhui's aura transformed, and a blazing sword qi soared straight into the sky!
Watching from afar, Wang Ziyan was startled. It had been years since he had seen his eldest brother burn with such battle intent. Had he encountered a true rival?
Just then, a voice rang in his ear: "You dare let yourself be distracted?"
Wang Ziyan saw the young girl wielding her blade with both hands, unleashing a horizontal slash that rippled like water. As the eight-foot blade swept across, the blade light rolled outward dozens of paces!
From their brief exchange earlier, Wang Ziyan already knew her blade technique was freakishly formidable. He dared not slacken, crossing his short sabers to block.
When the blades collided, a terrifying force surged into his hands, as though struck by the palm of an Immortal Monarch or lashed by the tail of a colossal dragon. He was sent sailing through the air like riding the clouds, swept away by a single stroke from the girl!
On the other side, Xu Xinhui ran two fingers along his blade. Blessed by an immortal sword, the weapon instantly blazed with dazzling radiance, the churning sword qi turning into a tempest that swept across dozens of paces!
With the immortal sword in hand, Xu Xinhui's demeanor changed again, turning fierce and wild. "To force Shaohao into the world with a single strike—you may take pride in that."
Before his words finished, the warhorse beneath him let out a sudden pained shriek. Its hind legs gave out, and it collapsed onto its haunches. Xu Xinhui vaulted into the air, his face darkening thoroughly. No one would be in a good mood after having their momentum ruined like this right when their excitement peaked.
Xu Xinhui was baffled as well. His mount was a prized steed, one in a thousand. How could it be so useless as to collapse directly on the battlefield?
Looking down, Xu Xinhui discovered a massive wound on the horse's flank, missing a huge chunk of flesh and bleeding profusely. No wonder it couldn't stand. He looked back toward Wei Yuan, only to see the variegated horse chewing on something, blood steadily dripping from its mouth.
Xu Xinhui swept his divine sense over it and realized the dripping blood belonged to his own steed. Only then did he understand: when their horses crossed paths earlier, it wasn't just the riders who had clashed—the opponent's horse had taken a vicious bite out of his own mount!
Now that he had noticed, all the horse's disguises were meaningless before a sword cultivator. Sword qi surged in Xu Xinhui's eyes, and he saw right through the beast's true nature: it was a rare demonic horse!
Demonic horses were fierce and notoriously difficult to tame. That the man opposite him could ride one raised Xu Xinhui's estimation of him by several notches.
By now, Xu Xinhui's thousand cavalrymen had split into two wings, bypassing the two leaders to pincer the masked riders from both flanks.
Wei Yuan snorted. Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains manifested, bestowing its blessing upon himself and his horsemen. At the same time, dozens of wisps of azure qi vanished from his sea of consciousness, showering everyone with karmic luck, Feng Tingyu included.
Just as the fifty Heaven-Battling riders were about to be surrounded by enemies outnumbering them twenty to one, they all leaped into the air. Dazzling light erupted from their bodies as a tempest of Dao arts and artifacts crashed down in every direction!
Both Xu Xinhui and Wang Ziyan were stunned. Every single one of these bandits was a Dao Foundation cultivator, and not a single one was weak! These were bandits? Couldn't they just be a squad assembled by the captains of the Nine Armies of Great Tang?
The battle instantly reached a fever pitch.
Bolstered by karmic luck, Feng Tingyu's blade light swept outward dozens of paces, enveloping Wang Ziyan and bashing him until he stumbled left and right. Yes, bashing.
Wang Ziyan felt as though his opponent wasn't wielding a blade at all, but rather a blade-shaped sledgehammer. She swung wildly without rhyme or reason, battering him so mercilessly that he couldn't catch his breath, the impacts shaking even his sea of consciousness.
Xu Xinhui held the upper hand against Wei Yuan. The Immortal Sword Shaohao possessed boundless might, severing Wei Yuan's spear in two after just a few exchanges. Yet as the spear broke, a long jet of flame erupted from the shaft, giving Xu Xinhui a start.
It was only mortal flame, however, so Xu Xinhui was merely briefly surprised.
"Hold on!" Wei Yuan shouted.
Xu Xinhui checked his sword and hovered in midair. "What more do you have to say?"
Wei Yuan said with righteous indignation, "You were clearly a person of talent—why stoop to banditry?"
Xu Xinhui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Aren't you a bandit too?"
Wei Yuan blinked, having momentarily forgotten his new identity.
Still, history books were filled with examples of berating one's opponents, and Wei Yuan was not one to lose a war of words. He pressed on, "You're a sword cultivator, yet you rely merely on the advantage of an artifact. Even if you win, what pride is there in that?"
Xu Xinhui laughed in sheer exasperation. "This is a Dao Foundation I cultivated myself! Am I not even allowed to use it?"
Wei Yuan snorted. "Fine, I won't waste words on you. I'll go borrow an ultimate-grade artifact, and tomorrow we can have a fair fight. Do you dare accept the challenge?"
Xu Xinhui's blood surged at the provocation. Coldly, he said, "Why wouldn't I dare?"
Wei Yuan said, "Good! Tomorrow at noon, on the three-hundred-zhang peak five hundred li to the northwest, I'll be waiting for you at the summit!"
Xu Xinhui recalled the map. The place Wei Yuan mentioned was a full seven hundred li from the domain. He said, "Fine! I will be there on time!"
"Let's go!" Wei Yuan immediately called out to his riders, retreating like the wind without the slightest hesitation.
Wang Ziyan walked over and said, "Could it be a trap?"
"No need to worry. That place is a full seven hundred li from the center of the domain; the domain's power cannot possibly reach that far. As long as it is a fair fight, what do I have to fear?"
Wang Ziyan thought it over and found it reasonable, so he said nothing more.
Neither of them realized that while the Qingming domain currently covered only a hundred and twenty li, the reach of the Shamans' alteration of heaven and earth—which sealed immortal swords—spanned an entire thousand li.
Chapter 173