Chapter 172: Black Dragon Bandit Group
The Ironback Gray Wolf let out a mournful howl before its body slammed heavily into the ground, bouncing like a ball and rolling far before finally lying still. Beneath it, a large pool of blood slowly spread.
Even though it was a Spirit Xuan Beast, a single full-force strike from him had instantly killed it, showcasing the overwhelming dominance and terror of the heavy sword. Yun Che sheathed the greatsword back onto his back, glanced at Mu Xiaoling, whose face had turned pale, but didn't even look at the corpse of the Ironback Gray Wolf. Following the direction he had been heading, he walked north.
It took a long while before Mu Xiaoling finally snapped out of her immense shock and awe. Staring at Yun Che’s increasingly distant back, she spoke in a trembling voice, "Th... thank you."
From another direction, Sun Zhou, who had already fled a great distance, stopped in his tracks. The scene before him left him frozen in place, utterly stunned, unable to believe that the terrifying Ironback Gray Wolf had been killed in a single strike by a youth who was only at the fourth level of the True Xuan Realm.
Could it be that this wasn’t actually an Ironback Gray Wolf at all, but just a True Xuan Beast that looked very similar? Otherwise, why would it appear in the territory of True Xuan Beasts, and be killed in one blow by someone only at the fourth level of True Xuan? Thinking this, Sun Zhou felt a pang of regret. Looking at Mu Xiaoling, who had just gotten up from the ground, he gritted his teeth and quickly ran back. From a distance, he shouted loudly, "Junior Sister Mu, are you alright? Were you hurt?"
As Sun Zhou ran back, Mu Xiaoling’s eyes no longer held the admiration she once had for him, only deep disappointment. She violently shoved away Sun Zhou’s outstretched hand and said angrily, "Senior Brother Sun, you have chilled me to the bone. Not only did you not take me with you when you fled, but you even pushed me toward the Ironback Gray Wolf! You... you’re simply not human! All these years, I have misjudged you!"
"Junior Sister, you misunderstand! You completely misunderstand!" Sun Zhou said with a face full of grievance. "We’ve been fellow disciples for so many years. You know my character well, don’t you? I would rather die myself than let a single hair on your head be harmed. When I pushed you back then, it wasn’t to shove you toward the Ironback Gray Wolf—it was to push you away and then lure the Ironback Gray Wolf to chase after me alone! I was prepared to sacrifice my own life to save you, Junior Sister, and yet you still misunderstand me like this..."
Mu Xiaoling sneered. "Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? Keep your lies for the ghosts!"
Sun Zhou immediately raised two fingers, furrowed his brows, and said with extreme solemnity, "I swear to the ancestors of the Sun family: if my words just now contained even half a falsehood, may I be struck by lightning from heaven and die a miserable death!"
This venomous oath from Sun Zhou caused Mu Xiaoling’s resolve to waver. Thinking back to his earlier actions and words, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
Even though she didn’t fully believe him, this at least brought her some comfort. Besides, the other two senior brothers were still unconscious on the ground, their lives hanging in the balance. For now, Sun Zhou was the only one she could rely on. Thus, her expression softened slightly, and she said, "Fine, I’ll take your word for now. Let’s first check on Senior Brother Ding and Senior Brother Han’s condition..."
Before she finished speaking, from the dark forest behind them, a series of footsteps could be heard approaching from afar.
"Hmm, that was definitely the cry of an Ironback Gray Wolf. It should be just ahead."
"We don’t dare enter the Spirit Xuan Beast zone, so picking off lone Spirit Xuan Beasts that wander into the True Xuan Beast zone is the safest and most satisfying, hahahaha."
"Huh? Why has the Ironback Gray Wolf gone silent? Did it run off?"
As the voices drew nearer, a group of twelve people came into their sight. The leader appeared to be in his forties, wielding a broadsword, and his aura blazed openly at the first level of the Spirit Profound Realm. The person behind him was about the same age, dressed in animal hide, with profound power also at the first level of Spirit Profound. The ten people behind them had profound power ranging from the fifth to the tenth level of True Xuan. Embroidered on the shoulders of all twelve was a black dragon pattern.
At the periphery of the Death Wasteland, this was a fairly formidable team.
In the Death Wasteland, encountering any outsider demanded immediate vigilance. Mu Xiaoling and Sun Zhou, who had just barely calmed their nerves, instantly went on guard. But when they clearly saw the pattern on their shoulders, terror surged across their faces—deeper than the fear they had felt when they saw the Ironback Gray Wolf.
"Bl... Black Dragon Bandit Group!"
"Quick... we need to leave now!"
Just as Sun Zhou and Mu Xiaoling prepared to flee, a sinister shout rang out from behind them: "You two—stop right there!"
Hearing this voice, their bodies stiffened. Instead of stopping, they ran even faster. They hadn’t come to the Death Wasteland many times, but the infamy of the Black Dragon Bandit Group was like thunder in their ears. This bandit group wasn’t large, but every member was a master, and they were ruthless to the extreme—after plundering, they always silenced everyone, leaving almost no survivors alive.
"Damn it! These two brats think they can run?!"
The leading middle-aged man grinned, stomped his foot, and exploded with Profound Force, lunging forward like a massive bird. In an instant, he leaped over the heads of Sun Zhou and Mu Xiaoling, landing heavily in front of them, blocking their path.
The other bandits quickly encircled them, laughing lewdly. "Oho, not bad. There’s a little girl—pretty nice-looking too."
"Don’t kill her. After we take the goods, we’ll have some fun."
The lewd and flirtatious remarks made Mu Xiaoling’s face turn deathly pale. She knew that today, she was in grave danger.
"The name’s One-Eyed Dragon," the leading middle-aged man said, taking off the eyepatch covering his left eye to reveal a hideously empty socket. Pointing at his own eye socket, he said fiercely, "Girl, if you want to live, obediently strip off everything you’re wearing, then kneel down and lick this old man’s shoes until I’m satisfied. If you make me happy, maybe I’ll consider breaking both your legs and leaving you alive!"
"If you don’t want to? Then I’ll break your legs anyway, and then I’ll..."
Before he finished his sentence, the One-Eyed Dragon suddenly paused. He had just spotted Yun Che walking slowly to the side, and his gaze immediately locked onto the Overlord Giant Sword on Yun Che’s back. A greedy light flashed in his eyes.
The Overlord Giant Sword, over three meters long and one meter wide, radiated a pitch-black, heavy luster even from a distance. That kind of aura was unmistakable—it was clearly a high-grade profound sword.
In the Death Wasteland, the greatest harvests weren’t gold or silver, but high-grade profound weapons and profound artifacts. As soon as he saw the imposing Overlord Giant Sword, One-Eyed Dragon immediately took notice. A profound sword of that size would fetch a sky-high price even sold as scrap metal. And if it could be used, its power would definitely be extraordinary.
"Boy, come over here!" the One-Eyed Dragon roared at Yun Che.
Yun Che stopped in his tracks, turned around, and asked calmly, "Are you talking to me?"
"Nonsense! Who else would I be talking to?!" One-Eyed Dragon glared at him ferociously. "Take that big sword off your back and let me play with it! If you’re smart, I might spare your dog life. If you’re not... hehe, the blood flowing through this Death Wasteland usually dries up pretty quickly."
"Boss One-Eyed really does have his eye on that sword."
"Heh heh, a sword that big has to weigh at least two or three hundred jin at the very least."
"Two or three hundred jin? Come on, this kid’s skin is fair and tender, and his Profound Force is only at the early True Xuan stage. If it really weighed two or three hundred jin, could he just carry it around like that? I think that sword just looks big on the outside, but inside it’s hollow at best. It probably weighs around a hundred jin at most—maybe even less than a hundred. Carrying it around is just for show."
"You want to play with my sword?" Hearing One-Eyed Dragon’s words, Yun Che gave a very eerie smile. He reached behind his back, pulled out the Overlord Giant Sword, and without much visible effort, casually tossed it toward One-Eyed Dragon. "Since you want to play, then play with it. But make sure you... catch~it~well~"
Yun Che’s throw was light and effortless, as if he were casually tossing a small pebble. Under Yun Che’s toss, the Overlord Giant Sword "lightly" flew toward One-Eyed Dragon.
"Smart move!" One-Eyed Dragon laughed loudly, stepping forward eagerly, reaching out his hand to grab the incoming heavy sword...
(Have you ever seen such a standard 3999-character chapter?)