Chapter 173: Black Dragon Bandits

The Iron-backed Azure Wolf let out a final howl, its body slamming heavily to the ground. It tumbled a long distance like a ball before collapsing, utterly still. Beneath it, a large pool of blood slowly spread.

Even a Spirit Profound Beast could be instantly killed by his full-force blow, demonstrating the domineering power of the heavy sword. Yun Che returned the heavy sword to his back, glanced at Mu Xiaoling, whose face was pale, but didn't spare a look at the wolf's corpse. He continued northward in the direction he had been heading.

After a long while, Mu Xiaoling finally awoke from her immense fright and shock. Watching Yun Che's receding figure, she said with a trembling voice, "Th-thank you."

In another direction, Sun Zhou, who had fled a considerable distance, stopped, stunned by the recent scene. He couldn't believe that the terrifying Iron-backed Azure Wolf had been instantly killed by a young man who was only at the fourth level of the True Profound Realm.

Could it be that this wasn't an Iron-backed Azure Wolf at all, but just a True Profound Beast that resembled one? Otherwise, why would it appear in True Profound Beast territory and be instantly killed by someone only at True Profound Level Four? Thinking this, Sun Zhou was filled with regret. Seeing Mu Xiaoling stand up from the ground, he gritted his teeth and quickly ran back, shouting from a distance, "Junior Sister Mu, are you alright? Were you hurt?"

Watching Sun Zhou run back, the adoration in Mu Xiaoling's eyes was gone, replaced only by deep disappointment. She abruptly pushed away Sun Zhou's outstretched hand and angrily said, "Senior Brother Sun, you've truly disheartened me. It's one thing that you didn't take me with you when you ran, but you actually pushed me towards the Iron-backed Azure Wolf! You... you're practically inhuman! I've been completely wrong about you all these years!"

"Junior Sister, you've misunderstood, you've completely misunderstood me!" Sun Zhou said, looking wronged. "We've been fellow disciples for so many years, don't you know what kind of person your senior brother is? Even if I died, I would never let a single hair on your head be harmed. When I pushed you just now, I wasn't pushing you towards the Iron-backed Azure Wolf. I was pushing you away to attract the Iron-backed Azure Wolf to chase me alone! I was prepared to use my own life to save you, and yet you still misunderstand me like this..."

Mu Xiaoling scoffed, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child? Go tell those lies to a ghost!"

Sun Zhou immediately raised two fingers, his brows furrowed, and declared solemnly, "I swear to my ancestors of the Sun Family that if there is a single false word in what I just said, may I, Sun Zhou, be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Sun Zhou's venomous oath instantly made Mu Xiaoling's heart waver. Considering Sun Zhou's previous actions, what he said didn't seem entirely impossible.

Thinking this, although she didn't fully believe him, her heart was somewhat comforted. Furthermore, with their other two senior brothers unconscious on the ground, their lives unknown, she could only rely on Sun Zhou now. Her expression softened, and she said, "Alright, I'll believe you for now. Let's go check on Senior Brother Ding and Senior Brother Han first..."

No sooner had she spoken than a series of approaching footsteps suddenly echoed from the Black Wood Forest behind them.

"Hmm, that was definitely the roar of an Iron-backed Azure Wolf, it must be up ahead."

"It's risky to enter the Spirit Profound Beast zone, but picking off isolated Spirit Profound Beasts that stray into the True Profound Beast zone is the safest and most enjoyable way. Hahahaha."

"Hm? Why has the Iron-backed Azure Wolf's sound stopped? Did it run far away?"

As the voices drew nearer, a team of twelve people appeared in their sight. The leader looked about forty years old, wielding a large saber, openly radiating an aura of Spirit Profound Realm Level One. The person behind him was of similar age, dressed in animal skins, their profound energy also at Spirit Profound Realm Level One. The profound energy of the ten people behind them ranged from True Profound Realm Level Five to Ten. All twelve had a black dragon emblem embroidered on their shoulders.

In the outer reaches of the Death Wilds, this was a formidable team.

In the Death Wilds, encountering any outsiders immediately called for heightened vigilance. Mu Xiaoling and Sun Zhou, who had just calmed down, instantly became alert. When they recognized the emblem on their shoulders, their faces simultaneously showed fear... a fear even deeper than when they saw the Iron-backed Azure Wolf.

"De-Dragon Bandits!"

"Quick... let's go!"

Just as Sun Zhou and Mu Xiaoling were about to quickly leave, a chilling shout came from behind them: "You two, stop right there!"

Hearing the voice, their bodies stiffened. Instead of stopping, they ran forward even faster. They hadn't been to the Death Wilds many times, but the notorious reputation of the Black Dragon Bandit Group was infamous. This bandit group was small in number, but every member was a master, and they were incredibly ruthless. After stealing goods, they always committed murder to silence witnesses, almost never leaving survivors.

"Damn it, these two brats are trying to run!"

The leading middle-aged man grinned, stomped his foot, and erupted with profound energy. He flew out like a large bird, leaping over Sun Zhou and Mu Xiaoling's heads, landing in front of them, and then swung his saber directly at them.

"Senior Brother, let's fight him!"

Mu Xiaoling raised her sword, gritting her teeth as she met the bandit leader's long saber. But True Profound Realm Level One was no match for Spirit Profound Realm Level One. In a single clash, she was sent flying backward, doing a somersault, and landed on the ground, unable to stand for a long time. Sun Zhou desperately parried a few blows but was also knocked to the ground by a fierce saber strike, his long sword flying far away.

"Oh! True Profound Level Nine, not bad, you could even be considered a young genius. What a pity, hehe..." The bandit leader approached with his saber, laughing maniacally.

"Black Dragon leader is mighty, Black Dragon leader is mighty!" The subordinates behind him cheered.

"Oh, they even have spatial rings. Looks like I didn't waste my energy. Hand over all your spatial rings and everything valuable you have. I might consider leaving you with intact corpses. Otherwise, hehe, I have many ways to make you regret coming into this world."

Having just escaped the clutches of the Iron-backed Azure Wolf, and now facing the even more terrifying Black Dragon Bandit Group, Mu Xiaoling was filled with despair. Sun Zhou struggled to sit up beside her. She initially thought he was going to fight back, but instead, she saw him plop down on his knees before Black Dragon, frantically placing his ring at Black Dragon's feet. He kowtowed repeatedly, desperately begging for mercy, "Gr-Grandpa Black Dragon, your esteemed name is like thunder in my ears. All... all my belongings are here. A total of six thousand Yellow Profound Coins, nineteen Minor Return Profound Pills, and thirty-eight True Profound Beast Profound Cores, all to respectfully offer to you, Grandpa. Please spare my life, I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

"Hahahahaha... what a spineless wretch." White Dragon, the deputy leader, and the ten other members behind him all laughed scornfully.

"Senior Brother Sun, you... you..." Mu Xiaoling's face turned white with anger, completely disappointed and heartbroken by the senior brother she used to admire.

Hearing Mu Xiaoling's voice, Sun Zhou seemed to awaken from a dream. He then pulled her arm, looking eagerly at Black Dragon, "Yes... yes! Grandpa, this is my junior sister, Mu Xiaoling. She's quite pretty, and she's still a virgin. I offer her to you too, Grandpa, please enjoy her... Please, Grandpa, in return for my respect, spare my lowly life. I will forever be grateful and never forget this kindness."

"You... you... you beast, you animal! You're practically inhuman... you..." Mu Xiaoling trembled all over. Her vocabulary was so insufficient that she couldn't find any words to curse this scoundrel who had revealed his true colors. Her face was ashen, and her heart was filled with sorrow.

"Hahahahaha!" Black Dragon burst into laughter. "I've seen many spineless wretches, but one as contemptible as you... tsk tsk, truly rare. However, your offering isn't sincere at all. This girl was caught by me, and my brothers will naturally enjoy her later; she's not something you're giving me. Are you trying to offer me my own spoils of war? Do you take me for an idiot? Useless trash, why should I spare your life? Go beg for mercy from the King of Hell!"

With that, Black Dragon stepped forward, about to bring his saber down on Sun Zhou's neck.

"Grandpa! Wait... wait! Wait!" Seeing the raised saber, Sun Zhou was so scared he nearly wet himself. He desperately kowtowed and pleaded, "I have a big deal here! A truly big deal! If you gentlemen complete this one job, you'll earn more than in a year... no, three years! As long as you agree to spare my life, I'll immediately tell you about this big deal."

"Oh?" Black Dragon lowered his saber and narrowed his eyes at him. "A big deal? Tell me about it. If it's truly big enough, hehe, sparing your dog life isn't impossible. After all, killing a wretch like you would just dirty my hands."

"Th-thank you, Grandpa." Despite Black Dragon's insulting words, Sun Zhou breathed a huge sigh of relief. He then pointed north, "There... look at that person! I saw it clearly just now, that person is wearing a purple spatial ring on their hand. Purple, absolutely true, my junior sister and I both saw it clearly. And that person is not only alone, but their profound energy is only at the True Profound Realm Level Four."

The area was relatively open, and Yun Che wasn't walking fast. Following the direction Sun Zhou pointed, they could still clearly see Yun Che's receding figure.

Given Sun Zhou's groveling expression, he definitely wouldn't dare to deceive them. Black Dragon's eyes shifted, and he suddenly waved his hand, "Take those two and chase!"

Yun Che walked slowly, contemplating how to perfectly execute his training path. Amidst his thoughts, Jasmine's gloating voice echoed in his mind, "Looks like a group of people specifically came here to die."

Yun Che paused, sighing unhappily. *Sigh*, is it easy to travel all this way for training, only to be delayed by such trash?

As he inwardly sighed, disordered footsteps sounded behind him. Soon, he was surrounded by over a dozen people. Behind them, he also saw the restrained Sun Zhou and Mu Xiaoling.

"Yes, it's him! It's this person!" Sun Zhou pointed at him, shouting excitedly, as if he had seen a ray of hope for survival.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Mu Xiaoling's face was streaked with tears, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Yun Che. She had just been saved by him, and now she had dragged him into the hands of the Black Dragon Bandit Group...

"Leader, look at his left hand! It really is a purple spatial ring!"

"We're rich! We're rich! After this job, we'll have enough to enjoy ourselves for over half a year! Hahahaha!"

Seeing the purple glow on Yun Che's left hand, all the Black Dragon Bandit Group members became excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline. One of them, a man with a large sword on his back and a black eye patch, stepped forward and said to Black Dragon, "Leader, this kid is young, and his profound energy is only True Profound Level Four. You don't need to bother yourself, let me, your humble subordinate, take him down!"

"One-Eyed Dragon, I think you're eyeing the sword on his back, aren't you?" Black Dragon grinned.

One-Eyed Dragon chuckled, "This kid's sword is actually bigger than mine, and he's so brazenly carrying it on his back. Tsk tsk, someone with a purple ring, their sword must be extraordinary too. My big saber has been sharpened for years, killed so many people, it's long been dull. It's time for a change, hehe... If I don't make him obediently kneel and call me grandpa, and even hand over his underwear, I'll walk backward from now on!"

Amidst the laughter, One-Eyed Dragon strode rapidly in front of Yun Che. He swung the large sword on his shoulder, plunging it deeply into the ground in front of him. He smiled sinisterly, "Little brat, of all places to play, you dare to come to your grandpas' territory. Do you want grandpa to be polite with you, or not polite?"

Yun Che nodded his chin and leisurely said, "How can you be polite, and how can you not be polite?"

"It's very simple. As long as you're obedient, your grandpas will naturally be polite. If you're not obedient, hehe..." His gaze fell on the heavy sword on Yun Che's back. "If you want grandpa to be polite with you, first throw that sword on your back over to grandpa to play with. If grandpa has fun, maybe I'll leave you your underwear, hahahaha!"

The Black Dragon Bandit Group burst into raucous laughter.

"That One-Eyed Dragon, he really is after that sword."

"Tsk tsk, that big thing must weigh at least two or three hundred jin."

"Two or three hundred jin? Come on, this kid has tender skin and flesh, and his profound energy is only early True Profound. If it really weighed two or three hundred jin, could he carry it like that all the time? I think that sword just looks big; it's probably a hollow shell, at most a hundred or so jin, maybe even less than a hundred jin. Carrying it on his back is just for show."

"You want to play with my sword?" Hearing One-Eyed Dragon's words, Yun Che smiled very strangely. He reached back and pulled the Overlord's Colossal Sword from his back. Without much effort, he casually tossed it towards One-Eyed Dragon, "Since you want to play, then here, have a go. But you'd better catch it!"

Yun Che's motion of throwing the sword was light and effortless, as simple and casual as tossing a small stone. Under Yun Che's throw, the Overlord's Colossal Sword "lightly" flew towards One-Eyed Dragon.

"You're sensible!" One-Eyed Dragon laughed loudly, impatiently stepping forward and reaching out to grab the incoming heavy sword...