Chapter 406: Encountering Fellow Travelers

After Ye Liuyun and his group left the city, they didn't rush to launch the Flying Boat.

Everyone looked at Ye Liuyun, and he sent a Transmission Voice to them: "Business has arrived! There's a tail behind us; let's take a walk first, just as a warm‑up!"

Lei Ming and the others smiled and continued forward, laughing and joking.

Su Miaoyin was also amused by their behavior and temporarily forgot her worries.

"You guys are even darker than bandits," she said, then linked arms with Wu Qingcheng and strolled away with the group.

Less than half an hour later, their Divine Sense detected that they were surrounded by a group of bandits.

"Ah, we've met fellow travelers! Hope they aren't too poor!" Lei Ming shouted.

His single remark made everyone laugh; they all halted, waiting for the bandits to close in.

The bandits also knew that once they entered the range of Divine Sense detection, they would be discovered. Yet this group seemed unafraid, smiling as they waited for them to approach.

The bandit leader, Hu Shuntian, was at the Heavenly Gang Second Rank realm and was now wavering. He probed, "I am Hu Shuntian, the bandit chief here. Are you the ones who robbed the City Lord's Residence?"

"Correct, we did it! The Treasure Vault of the City Lord's Residence holds plenty of good stuff—just the premium Crystal Stones amount to hundreds of millions! There are also many pills and weapons…"

Lei Ming seized the conversation and kept introducing things endlessly. Ye Liuyun and the others laughed inwardly, while Hu Shuntian was left bewildered.

"What does that mean? Don't you believe we're bandits?"

Their bandit gang had been operating in this area for a long time and was quite notorious. The chief, relying on his high realm, had never taken City Lord Kang Yongzhi seriously.

Today, a spy inside the city reported that a Heavenly Gang Second Rank Elder sent to explore the Secret Realm had died, and another Heavenly Gang Second Rank Elder from the residence had been dispatched elsewhere.

He saw an opportunity. Within the City Lord's Residence, only those two Heavenly Gang Second Rank strongmen held the highest realms. If they were absent, no one could stop him.

He was about to scout the City Lord's Residence and then find chances to eliminate them one by one, but didn't expect Ye Liuyun's group to wipe them out in one go.

Moreover, he noticed that Ye Liuyun's party had no background, low realms, and a few beautiful women. So he decided to take a risk and rob them, since they held an advantage in numbers and realms.

"Big brother, stop chatting with them and act directly!"

Beside Hu Shuntian stood a middle‑aged man with a small beard, at the Heavenly Gang First Rank realm. After stepping out, he kept staring back and forth at the women, his eyes almost unable to keep up.

He only thought of quickly eliminating the surplus and taking the beauties back to his hideout for fun. He didn't care at all about Ye Liuyun's group's expressions, having long cast danger aside.

Before Hu Shuntian could respond, Lei Ming grew dissatisfied. She pinched her waist and complained, "You little‑bearded one, how rude—didn't you see Auntie me speaking?"

The small‑bearded man sneered, "It's tiring to stand and talk here; go with us back, lying down and talking is far more comfortable!"

Lei Ming didn't grasp his meaning, but seeing his lewd grin, she knew his intent was foul. "Hmph! Disgusting creature, I'll eliminate you first so you won't cause trouble later…"

Anyway, she had no mood to tease the bandits further, so she manifested her true form and lunged at the small‑bearded man. Bai Hu charged at another Heavenly Gang First Rank bandit, while Wu Qingcheng and Yu Er sparred again, barely holding a standstill with a Heavenly Gang First Rank strongman; the others also sprang into action.

Ye Liuyun directly pulled the bandit chief Hu Shuntian's Soul into the Thunder Fire Domain. Though the bandits weren't weak, he feared the women might suffer any mishap and wanted to finish off Hu Shuntian as soon as possible.

Before killing him, Ye Liuyun performed a Soul Search, gleaning information from his Sea of Consciousness to familiarize himself with the situation, then eradicated him. Afterwards, he stepped in to aid Wu Qingcheng and Yu Er, cleaving the Heavenly Gang First Rank Martial Cultivator in two with a single slash.

Lei Ming also flattened that lewd small‑bearded man into a meat patty before stopping. Bai Hu's opponent was pierced through by Bai Hu's bone spear, feeling icy to the core. Shi Yuan swung his club, sweeping away the surrounding bandits.

The remaining bandits were not spared either; Ye Liuyun's group killed them all cleanly before stopping. Against such bandits, they never hold back.

"Let's go, we'll clear the bandits' lair and their Treasure Vault; there are plenty of good things inside!"

After clearing the Storage Rings on site, Ye Liuyun led everyone straight toward the bandits' lair.

While walking, he also sorted through the information in Hu Shuntian's Sea of Consciousness.

This domain belongs to the Golden Peng Dynasty. The dynasty's founder originally rode a Golden Peng to seize this land. It is said that members of the royal family possess Golden Peng bloodlines.

The dynasty has existed for millennia, with deep, robust strength far beyond that of the minor Five Domains dynasties. On this Central Continent, it is a renowned major power; many sects here would not dare to clash head‑on with the Golden Peng royal house.

If the Golden Peng Dynasty intervened, it could easily eliminate the Dark Night Demon Hall of the Five Domains. Yet Ye Liuyun knows that the Golden Peng Dynasty has long had no ties with the Five Domains and would never commit massive manpower and resources for them.

Within Hu Shuntian's Sea of Consciousness lay another piece of information: the legacy of a notorious bandit. His real name had long been forgotten; only his nickname, Du Long, remained.

It is said Du Long was hunted down for robbing the Golden Peng royal family. Yet after his death, his cultivation techniques, wealth, and other items never surfaced, leading many to speculate that the Golden Peng Dynasty never obtained those relics.

Now, it is rumored that a nearby mountain range hides Du Long's hideout before his death, likely containing the treasures he once plundered.

However, Du Long not only had a high realm but also excelled in poisons and traps. Exploring his tomb could be risky; a misstep might cost one's life. Hu Shuntian hesitated for exactly this reason.

Now that Ye Liuyun has obtained this information, and it lies on their path, he must detour to investigate.

He originally planned to clear the bandits' Treasure Vault with the group and then head to Du Long's tomb. But, unexpectedly, like a praying mantis catching a cicada while a yellow bird watches from behind, when Ye Liuyun's party emerged from the vault, they encountered a Heavenly Gang Fifth Rank elder waiting outside the lair.

"I have followed you from Jiangbei County to here; finally my effort was not in vain. You little brats, obediently hand over all your valuables, and I'll leave you a whole corpse!"

The elder clearly was in good spirits, a smile on his face, showing no hint of murderous intent.

"I recall your aura; you're from Jiangbei County, right? You've followed us here solely to rob us while keeping it hidden, correct?"

Ye Liuyun remembered that before entering Jiangbei County, he sensed several masters' auras within, one of which was strikingly similar to the aura the elder now displayed.