Chapter 187 - 184: Daluo Sect Treasure
CLANG! PING PANG CLANG!
SHLICK! SHLICK!
Under the moonlight, the battle raged on at the entrance to Lantian Village. The bandits suffered heavy casualties, and many of them turned and fled into the distance.
Within a few breaths, Ye Xing caught up to the Triangular Mountain Great Village Chief, and the fierce battle resumed.
The Triangular Mountain Great Village Chief was no longer a match for Ye Xing and could only desperately defend against his onslaught.
SWOOSH! CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword in Ye Xing’s hand flashed with cyan light, creating a blur of afterimages. His Sword Skill was not just fast, but ferocious. One moment, he would thrust toward the Great Village Chief’s heart; the next, he would slash at his throat.
The Great Village Chief’s forehead was slick with cold sweat as he was forced back again and again. After a dozen exchanges, he already had three sword wounds on his body.
The intense battle consumed a tremendous amount of True Essence Power. Even with his Martial Arts Fifth Realm cultivation, the Village Chief’s True Essence was nearly depleted. Ye Xing, however, only grew more valiant. The Thunder Heart Spring Wood in his body provided a ceaseless supply of Energy, making his Sword Techniques even more powerful.
They clashed for another thirty-odd rounds. All around them, the sounds of fighting and screaming slowly died down. The Triangular Mountain bandits were either dead or had fled, with almost none remaining.
The Triangular Mountain Great Village Chief himself was a spent force.
’Time to end this,’ Ye Xing thought, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. His Sword Techniques suddenly shifted. The Cyan Blade Treasure Sword became a streak of cyan lightning and, with a SHLICK, pierced straight into the Great Village Chief’s chest, shredding his heart. A few drops of blood spattered outward.
THUD. The Great Village Chief’s body fell stiffly to the ground. The defiant look in his eyes instantly faded, leaving no trace of life.
In truth, Ye Xing could have finished off the Great Village Chief in under twenty moves if he had wanted to. The only reason he hadn’t rushed to kill him was to hone his own Sword Skill. As the leader of a bandit stronghold who had plundered the region for years, the Great Village Chief had incredibly rich combat experience, not to mention a Cultivation at the Martial Arts Fifth Realm. He was the perfect whetstone for the current Ye Xing, the ideal sparring partner. By fighting the Great Village Chief, Ye Xing’s own combat experience had improved significantly.
Combat experience, after all, is a crucial factor in a person’s true strength. A Martial Artist with combat experience versus one without is like the difference between a Demon Beast from the wilds of the Demon Beast Mountain Range and one raised in captivity at the Beast Taming Pavilion. Even if their Cultivation is at the same level, their practical combat abilities—their real fighting power—are worlds apart. The Demon Beasts of the Demon Beast Mountain Range live by the law of the jungle, where only the fittest survive. Weaker Demon Beasts are devoured by stronger ones; it is a brutal existence. The struggles among them are fierce, keeping them in a constant, high-stakes state of combat. This makes the Demon Beasts from the mountain range incredibly strong and exceptionally ferocious fighters.
In contrast, the combat ability of a Demon Beast raised at the Beast Taming Pavilion is far inferior. Although the Pavilion puts its Demon Beasts through some combat training, it is only training, not a true life-or-death battle. If you were to pit two Demon Beasts of the same Cultivation level against each other in the Beast Fighting Arena—one from the Demon Beast Mountain Range and one from the Beast Taming Pavilion—the one raised in captivity would undoubtedly be the one to die. Such is the advantage of rich combat experience.
The battle with the Great Village Chief had steadily improved Ye Xing’s own combat experience. Throughout their fight, Ye Xing had been observing and analyzing the bandit’s fighting style, absorbing its strengths. After hundreds of exchanges, he had learned just about everything he could. There was no longer any need to continue the fight, so he simply ended the bandit leader’s life.
Under the moonlight, the night wind whistled, carrying the pungent stench of blood into the distance.
The entrance to Lantian Village was littered with the corpses of bandits. Severed limbs were strewn across the ground, which was stained red with blood.
"Reporting to the Gang Leader! Aside from a few who escaped and those we’ve taken captive, the rest of the bandits have been completely wiped out!" Ma Feng, the Left Guardian of the Great River Gang, came before Ye Xing and reported with a bow.
Ma Feng was also covered in blood. Though in his sixties, he was still as sharp as ever, having fought with incredible valor just moments before. After receiving the Internal Cultivation Methods from Ye Xing, he had dedicated himself to his Cultivation. Just a few days prior, he had finally broken through from the Peak of the Martial Arts Fourth Realm into the Martial Arts Fifth Realm, and his strength had increased tremendously.
"Good. Immediately interrogate those captured bandits for the location of the Triangular Mountain stronghold. We might as well see this through to the end and raze their base. The Great River Gang could use the extra funds," Ye Xing said in a low voice.
"As you command, sir!" Ma Feng said with a bow.
Under the Great River Gang’s interrogation, the captured bandits quickly confessed.
And so, a large contingent from the Great River Gang immediately set off, making their way toward Triangular Mountain in a great procession.
The Triangular Mountain bandits were considered a sizable force in the vicinity of Green River Town, but they were still no match for the Great River Gang.
Having lost two consecutive waves of men, their elite forces were all but gone. Not only was their Third Village Chief dead, but their Great Village Chief had also fallen. All that remained was the Second Village Chief, whose Cultivation was at the Martial Arts Fourth Realm, and about a hundred of the old, weak, and infirm left to guard the stronghold.
Ye Xing led the Great River Gang and breached the Triangular Mountain stronghold almost effortlessly. They immediately began to plunder the stronghold for money and treasures.
While the Great River Gang had eliminated the Triangular Mountain bandits without much effort, they had still suffered some minor casualties. Ye Xing was not one to run a losing operation. Most of the funds from looting the stronghold would be perfect to use as compensation for his men.
The plundering of the Triangular Mountain stronghold was in full swing. Treasure chests and piles of Gold Coins were hauled out from a hidden chamber.
It had to be said, these Triangular Mountain bandits had accumulated a surprising amount of wealth from their plundering. By one estimate, there were at least four to five thousand Gold Coins.
"Gang Leader, I found the Treasure Map! There really was one! It was hidden incredibly well. Took me a good while to find it." Ma Feng’s face was flushed with excitement as he hurried out of the hidden chamber, handing a yellowed piece of parchment to Ye Xing.
Ye Xing wasn’t surprised that the Triangular Mountain bandits had a Treasure Map. They plundered far and wide, accumulating all sorts of antiques and strange items.
However, the parchment was only a fragment, just one part of a complete map.
"Hm." Ye Xing’s gaze sharpened. He took the Treasure Map from Ma Feng and spread it open. In addition to the markings indicating locations, there were three large words written on it: Daluo Sect Treasure!
The edge of the word "Treasure" was cut off, suggesting there were more words or a pattern that followed.