Chapter 78

To the east of Nanyun Prefecture was Huaiyang Prefecture.

Between the two prefectures lay a vast mountain forest known as Wuji Ridge.

The peaks of Wuji Ridge were not high, but due to geographical factors, the mountains were filled with mist all year round, leading to an infestation of bandits.

Over the years, one group of bandits after another had taken turns appearing.

Until today, a rogue Xiantian cultivator from who knows where had unified the bandits in Wuji Ridge, gathering nearly a thousand people.

Merchants passing through Wuji Ridge had to offer up half of their profits.

Anyone who paid less was killed to the last man.

Hindered by the deterrence of a Xiantian powerhouse, merchant caravans and escort teams passing through Wuji Ridge all respectfully paid tribute.

The bandits who occupied Wuji Ridge lived very comfortably because of this.

But today, this group of nearly a thousand bandits met their doom.

"Shoo!" "Shoo!" "Shoo!"

Arrows broke through the air with shrill sounds, as if they had eyes, passing through the thick mist and accurately hitting a bandit patrol squad.

"Pfft~"

"Ah!"

"Run!"

"..."

Screams, cries of alarm, and shouts rang out in the mist-filled forest.

The twelve-man squad fell in the blink of an eye, with the remaining two running away in terror with pale faces.

But they only ran a few steps...

"Shoo!" "Shoo!"

Two more sharp wind-breaking sounds rang out.

"Pfft~" "Pfft!"

After the strange sounds, blood sprayed, and the two fleeing bandits collapsed to the ground, falling silent.

[Corpse discovered, do you wish to loot?]

"Yes!"

With twelve cards in hand, Chen Mu held his iron-wrought bow, his figure flickering as he flew over to retrieve the arrows.

Then, with a tap of his toes, he followed the sounds heard in the mountain breeze to the location of the next patrol squad.

As soon as he got close, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow, firing sharp arrows.

"Shoo~ shoo~ shoo~"

"Ah!"

"There's an ambush!"

"..."

After a burst of screams and cries, twelve corpses were left on the ground.

Recovering the still-usable arrows, Chen Mu continued to the next location.

In order to pick up more internal energy cards.

Chen Mu had left the prefecture city yesterday and arrived at the county bordering Wuji Ridge; early this morning, he entered Wuji Ridge to hunt bandits.

His palm space was stockpiled with a large number of arrows and ten iron-wrought bows.

Exterminating bandits and ridding the people of a scourge.

Today, Chen Mu was once again guest-starring as a Jianghu hero!

"Shoo~" "Shoo!" "Shoo~"

The sound of arrows breaking through the air rang out in the forest from time to time.

To the bandits' ears, it was a death knell; hear it and you die, hear it and you die.

One patrol squad after another was the first to die.

At noon, listening to the wind, Chen Mu arrived at a stronghold in the mountains.

This group of bandits occupying Wuji Ridge had four leaders; apart from the head leader who was a rogue Xiantian cultivator, the remaining three were all at the ninth stage of the Houtian realm.

The head leader sat in the central stronghold, while the other three each had their own stronghold, with over a hundred men under each.

The stronghold Chen Mu targeted first was led by the third leader.

The third leader was skilled in a long-handled blade technique; hearing the commotion, he held a large blade and came out of the wooden house, his angry roar shaking the forest.

"You hiding rat, coward, come out and face me!"

Shoo~ shoo~ shoo~

Sharp wind-breaking sounds rang out immediately.

Sharp arrows passed through the thick mist and reached the third leader.

Whoosh~ whoosh~

The third leader swung his large blade, knocking away the arrows.

"Found you..."

Shoo~ shoo~ shoo!

The shrill sounds rang out again, and sharp arrows came flying through the air.

It was still ten arrows, arriving almost simultaneously.

But the direction they were fired from was different, coming straight at the third leader from the side.

Whoosh~ whoosh~

The third leader swung his large blade, knocking away all the arrows again.

Shoo~ shoo~ shoo!

Before the third leader could catch his breath, the third wave of arrows arrived, and the direction they were fired from changed again.

Shoo~ shoo~ shoo!

Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!

From a distance of a hundred meters, Chen Mu moved his figure, now high, now low, firing arrows one after another without stopping.

Moving around the third leader, his speed was so fast that it even formed a rain of arrows.

The third leader swung his large blade to defend.

From initial anger, to astonishment, then to annoyance, then to panic, and finally to impatience.

"Ahhh!"

"Come out! Get out here!"

Pfft~!

The first arrow hit the third leader, piercing his shoulder and spraying blood.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth...

Soon, the third leader stopped swinging his blade and stood stiffly in place, his body covered in arrows, his bloodshot eyes bulging, blood continuously pouring from the corners of his mouth, and he died.

He died with his eyes wide open!

Around him lay the corpses of the other bandits.

The mountain breeze blew, and the smell of blood was pungent.

Chen Mu stopped shooting, threw away the damaged iron-wrought bow, and walked toward the third leader.

[Corpse discovered, do you wish to loot?]

"Yes!"

[Corpse discovered, do you wish to loot?]

"Yes!"

A wave of cards was obtained.

Chen Mu recovered the still-usable arrows, turned, and left to head to the next stronghold.

Several forest wolves quickly rushed into the scene, happily devouring the corpses.

Shoo~ shoo~ shoo~

Outside the stronghold where the second leader was located, the shrill sound of arrows breaking through the air shuttled back and forth, firing from all directions and hitting one fleeing bandit after another.

The second leader was skilled with twin swords, and his light-body technique was also very remarkable; he moved while defending against the arrows.

Clang, clang, clang~

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sounds of wind-breaking and whistling rang out continuously.

Chen Mu moved quickly, firing arrows one by one, but they were all knocked away or dodged by the second leader.

Compared to the third leader, the second leader was clearly smarter.

Dealing with such a smart person, shooting arrows alone was not enough to take him down.

Chen Mu decisively put away the iron-wrought bow, took out a refined steel longsword, and charged forward head-on.

Whoosh!

Swish~

"Clang, clang, clang~"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, accompanied by sparks blooming in the thick mist.

"You finally came out."

The second leader, who had a hideous scar on his face, swung his twin swords and sneered, "I thought..."

Hum~

A vibrating sound suddenly erupted, interrupting the second leader's words.

Chen Mu thrust his longsword out, a vibrating force sweeping through, and was the first to knock the longsword from the second leader's hand.

Then...

"Pfft~!"

The blade pierced straight into the second leader's throat, spraying blood.

"You..."

The second leader stiffened in place, his pupils contracting with an expression of disbelief.

He opened his mouth to say something, but only managed to utter one word before he died.

[Corpse discovered, do you wish to loot?]

"Yes!"

Another large handful of cards was obtained.

Most of the bandits who had turned to banditry in Wuji Ridge were ordinary people without cultivation or internal energy.

But there were also quite a few martial artists.

Chen Mu had successively wiped out two strongholds, killing nearly four hundred people, and had picked up forty internal energy cards, the shortest being for half a month and the longest for six months.

"Enough to break through to Xiantian, right?"

The bandits of Wuji Ridge had gathered nearly a thousand people, and he had killed half of them; the remaining people had already received the news, and there were two leaders left, especially the head leader who was at the Xiantian realm. If he were to run into them, it would be a bit of trouble.

Forty internal energy cards—use them first and see!

Thinking of this.

Chen Mu turned and left, quickly exiting Wuji Ridge, found a remote corner, and broke through to Xiantian!