Chapter 787: New Ownership

"Damn it, I never thought someone as unknown as you would appear in Changle Commandery. If I'm not mistaken, you must be A Yang, who suddenly burst onto the scene at the martial arts arena a few days ago, right?"

Xu Yang genuinely hadn't expected his name to spread so easily within the commandery city. He hadn't done anything truly astonishing, merely made a show at the martial arts arena, yet his name had already become so well-known.

"That's right, I'm A Yang. In other words, I'm the new owner of these three strongholds."

Hearing Xu Yang's arrogant tone, the bandit leader naturally couldn't comply. However, no matter how much force he exerted, his body wouldn't budge an inch, remaining stiffly upright on horseback.

Xu Yang suddenly sprang into the air and, in front of two thousand bandits, stomped on the bandit leader's head. A powerful force erupted from his foot, crushing all the bandit leader's bones to dust. The leader didn't even have a chance to scream in pain, being utterly pulverized by Xu Yang.

"No! My God, what did I just see? What kind of person is this young man to possess such terrifying explosive power!"

Not only were the second and third bandit leaders completely dumbfounded, but the thousands of fierce bandits in the entire group had never witnessed such an incredible sight.

"Good heavens, we've truly met a living deity today! I've roamed this Hidden Mist Forest for so many years and never seen such terrifying strength. How could someone like this appear in Changle Commandery?"

"Stop with the damned nonsense! This is a matter of life and death for us. We don't have the energy to figure out who this guy is. Retreat immediately, or we might really end up dead here!"

The second bandit leader immediately made a judgment after seeing the first leader fall under Xu Yang's feet without any resistance. The Xu Yang before them was simply beyond their ability to contend with. Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, "running away is the best policy" was indeed the optimal strategy.

However, the second leader never dreamed that their fate was sealed the moment they decided to oppose Xu Yang's power. Escaping was already impossible.

In truth, the second bandit leader's calculation was easy to understand: if the first leader died, the next leader would naturally be him. If he died now, he would lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly, or it'll be too late!" the second bandit leader shrieked hysterically. Soon, however, he caught the attention of the keen Xu Yang.

Xu Yang moved swiftly, transforming into a streak of light, and without warning, he darted in front of the second leader's mount. He suddenly unleashed a fist the size of a sandbag, instantly pulverizing the giant elephant beneath the second leader.

A large elephant weighs several tons, yet under Xu Yang's single punch, it completely disintegrated into a bloody mist on the ground. Even more astonishingly, though his mount was utterly destroyed, the second leader found himself completely unharmed, as if his ride had simply vanished beneath him!

It was only after he felt his feet firmly touch the ground that the second leader finally understood: this wasn't a sensation or an illusion; it was a real event. When his trembling body lifted his eyes to meet Xu Yang's icy gaze, the second leader finally realized that he was probably doomed today.

"Your Excellency! Let's talk this over. Whatever your demands, just name them. As long as I can do it, I will fulfill them!"

Though the second bandit leader looked cowardly, he was at least a pragmatic fellow. Xu Yang didn't strike him down immediately but instead looked at him with a benevolent expression and patted his shoulder.

"What I want is very simple: starting today, your band of bandits will be incorporated under my command and work for me."

"There are several benefits for you in doing this. First, you will remain the second leader of the bandit group. Not only will you save your life and maintain your status, but your bandit brothers under your command will still obey you. More importantly, you will gain a powerful backer: me."

"And from today onwards, you are not to lay a single hand on any territory under my jurisdiction. As for you leading your brothers to rob others, that has nothing to do with me."

"Of course, there is a price for me to do this: besides you, all other leaders of the entire bandit group must die."

As expected, after Xu Yang spoke these words, the second leader was truly tempted. He genuinely feared Xu Yang's terrifying power. If he defied Xu Yang, the second leader knew he would be instantly crushed.

"Very well, in your presence, I have no right to choose. If I resist your command, I won't even have a hope of living. In fact, I have no second option. I agree to your terms."

As soon as the second leader finished speaking, he threw down his weapon and turned to shout at the thousands of bandits behind him. All the bandits and the fighters currently clashing with the Enforcement Hall immediately stopped their actions.

"Listen up, everyone from the stronghold! From today onwards, A Yang is our leader. No one is to disobey his commands, or I will personally cut off their head."

The bandits had already witnessed Xu Yang's methods and naturally dared not say anything more, surrendering within minutes. Xu Yang chose not to wipe out all these bandits because, after interacting with them, he realized they possessed a unique role that others could not replace.

"Excellent, I'm very pleased with your practical approach. First, follow me to complete this escort mission, then we will return to your stronghold. I will re-collect and redistribute the goods you previously plundered. From today, your band of bandits will all be incorporated into the power of the Sacred Flame Divine Sect, to be unified and deployed by the Five Great Heavenly Kings."

As Xu Yang spoke, he introduced the internal system of the Sacred Flame Divine Sect and the identities of the Five Great Heavenly Kings to the second leader one by one.

"Haha, don't worry, Sect Master! From today onwards, we wandering bandits finally have a stable home. Everyone, rest assured, from now on, without your permission and command, we will absolutely not raid any merchant caravan on our own!"

Xu Yang nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, let's continue! We will personally escort this caravan."

And so, what could be called the most peculiar escort team in the history of Yingzhou Continent was officially born. Because the main escort members of this team were a group of bandits!