Chapter 33: Impersonating a Strong One, Intimidating the Bandits

“Strange, why have all these traps been dismantled?”

The sleazy man was filled with doubt; last time he came, the traps had been intact, with no sign of disturbance.

His eyes suddenly sharpened—he thought of one possibility—and sprinted swiftly toward the depths of the tunnel.

Soon, the sleazy man arrived before the underground palace, and what he saw startled him.

The corpse of a dog-headed swordsman lay plainly on the ground.

What shocked the sleazy man even more was that there was not a single trace of struggle—the intruder had slain the dog-headed swordsman with a single strike.

The sleazy man immediately returned and reported what he had seen to his newly appointed leader.

“Bad news, boss—someone got here before us.”

“What? Harris, what did you say?!”

The bearded giant’s eyes blazed with malice; he had long considered the young dragon beneath him as his rightful possession, and would never allow another to take it.

Harris stammered: “When I went down just now, I found all the traps had been dismantled.”

“Realizing someone might have arrived ahead of us, I rushed straight to the entrance of the underground palace.”

“I found the corpse of a dog-headed swordsman there—and most importantly, it was killed in one blow. The intruder is extremely powerful.”

The bearded giant’s murderous gaze didn’t fade—powerful? Ridiculous. Even a dog-headed trash like that could be cut down by my own blade.

Besides, our bandit gang has ruled eight hundred miles of yellow sand through sheer ruthlessness—how can we back down before even laying eyes on the enemy?

“Forget all that—lead the way. I want to see which brat dares steal what belongs to me.”

“Yes.” What could Harris say? He could only lead the bandits into the underground palace.

……

Inside the sacrificial hall, blood flowed like a river, corpses littered the ground.

“Squelch. Squelch.”

Fang Shi sat alone on the altar, eating roasted meat.

This roasted meat came from firewing birds—earlier that morning, Fang Shi had ordered Xiao Xi and the other to hunt them.

He was completely unaffected by the environment, savoring every bite.

Having survived three years in the apocalypse, if he couldn’t handle this much bloodshed, he’d have been reincarnated long ago—never mind gaining a second life.

“Huh?”

His high perception served him again—Fang Shi sensed someone’s arrival in advance and vanished into a corner of the hall with a few flashes.

“Is this a hidden quest? Or a clue left on the stone tablet?”

Fang Shi clearly remembered the abnormality of the temple’s stone tablet.

Sure enough, outsiders arrived not long after.

“Harris, what are you standing there for? Keep moving!”

One of the bandits, seeing Harris frozen in place ahead, urged him on.

“You… don’t you… smell… the blood…?” Harris’s voice trembled.

The bearded giant sniffed: “Of course I do—but someone’s here, so blood is normal. What’s the big deal?”

“No, it’s different—all these dog-headed creatures are dead.”

Hearing this, the entire bandit gang froze, then rushed to the hall’s entrance, leaping over the charred cart.

Before their eyes lay nothing but ruin.

Blood soaked every tile, not a single patch remained clean.

Walking on it, one could feel the slight stickiness of blood clinging to their soles.

“This… how is this possible?” The bearded giant, though a killer of countless men, still had sharp eyes.

Ordinary people might only notice that all the dog-headed corpses bore wounds from identical weapons.

But he could go further—he could discern the killer’s fighting style.

Every style was identical, almost certainly the work of a single hand.

And the wounds matched those on the dog-headed corpses he’d encountered earlier.

This filled the bearded giant with dread.

“No, perhaps it’s the style of an organization—

The same training methods, producing fighters with identical techniques.” The bearded giant tried to reassure himself.

Yet even so, he carefully examined the scene again, seeking to verify his theory.

The more he looked, the more his heart sank—all evidence shattered his hopes.

This was unmistakably the work of one person; no trace of a second could be found.

The bearded giant’s heart pounded—he feared even a group of attackers.

Though dog-headed creatures were weak, mostly civilian miners, at most thirty or forty were combat-trained.

As a species, dog-headed creatures ranked at the bottom of all life forms.

A Level 1 dog-headed warrior could be defeated by even a Level 1 human without combat training.

A Level 5 dog-headed sorcerer could be challenged by an average Level 4 combatant.

The Scorpion Bandits had one Level 5 warrior, one Level 4 warrior, six Level 3 warriors, one Level 3 rogue, twenty-eight Level 1 warriors, and two Level 1 rogues.

Yet even with such strength, fighting here, they’d be wiped out.

After all, dog-headed sorcerers were at least spellcasters—and with cannon fodder, their advantage was overwhelming.

The bearded giant had never planned to fight in the hall—he intended to pick them off one by one, wearing them down before facing the sorcerer.

But now, one person—only one person—had stormed the hall and slaughtered every dog-headed creature in a single strike.

And to prevent escape, they’d blocked the exits with carts.

Such a person—he’d only seen their like among the nobles of the eight hundred miles of yellow sand.

Those Ascended transcendentals, who had undergone life transcendence, were no longer the same species as ordinary mortals.

The bearded giant had already decided to retreat—just as he opened his mouth to order withdrawal, the sound of footsteps splashing through blood echoed.

He turned—and saw, on the left side of the hall, a young man had appeared without warning.

The man had a short, cropped haircut, strikingly handsome, dressed in strange, foreign-style attire, gripping a longsword whose intricate patterns clearly marked it as no ordinary weapon.

Blood spattered his body, yet it did not mar his aura—instead, he resembled a death sentinel from the netherworld, reaping lives.

“Who are you!” One of the Scorpion Bandits drew his blade and roared.

Ignorance breeds fearlessness—and blades are drawn.

“Stop!” The bearded giant rushed forward, blocking the man, then slapped him hard across the face.

This move left some of the bandits bewildered, while others looked relieved.

“Esteemed Lord, I am Pade, leader of the Scorpion Bandits. Please forgive my men’s ignorance.”

The bearded giant bowed deeply before Fang Shi, humbly, his movements practiced—as if he’d done this many times before.

Of course—he had. The Scorpion Bandits had existed for so long in the eight hundred miles of yellow sand that they knew exactly who to provoke and who to avoid.

They had long bowed before the nobles of the eight hundred miles of yellow sand.

Their so-called disregard for life was merely bravado against equals or inferiors—to gain psychological advantage in battle.

It did not mean they had such courage when facing overwhelming power.

Fang Shi sneered: “If I let the man who drew his blade against me go unpunished, what becomes of my authority?”

Pade gritted his teeth, turned to the man who had drawn his blade, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

With his left hand, he gripped the man’s right wrist; with his right hand, he drew his own steel blade.

The man seemed to realize his mistake—his eyes filled with despair, struggling weakly.

But since Pade had stopped him, two veteran bandits behind had already restrained him—he could not resist.

The steel blade fell.

“Aaah!”

The man’s scream had barely escaped his throat when the men behind stuffed a rag into his mouth, to spare the Lord’s ears.

Pade personally picked up the severed hand, held it with both hands, and bowed before Fang Shi: “The criminal has been punished. We beg your mercy, Lord.”

Fang Shi narrowed his eyes, grunted, and nodded in satisfaction.

When he realized a bandit gang had entered, Fang Shi had already devised a plan.

He intended to impersonate an Ascended Stronghold, intimidate the bandits, and use them to dig a passage to the young dragon.

The plan succeeded perfectly—before his rebirth, Fang Shi had been a Second-Stage cultivator, and he perfectly mimicked the aura of an Ascended combatant.

Combined with the corpses of the dog-headed creatures and the bandits’ ignorance of his ambush tactics, his intimidation was complete.

Cutting off the man’s right hand further amplified the intimidation.

Bandits fear danger, not virtue—if Fang Shi showed mercy, they’d push further, haggling over his orders.

“You’re here looking for the young dragon?”

Pade dared not admit it: “No, no—we’re here to eliminate the dog-headed creatures!”

Fang Shi snorted: “Don’t lie to me—my perception is high enough to detect falsehoods instantly.”

Pade forced a smile: “I didn’t know you were here, Lord—I didn’t realize this was your domain. Forgive me, Lord.”

“Heh.”

Fang Shi’s laugh sent chills through everyone present—this ruthless man rivaled the nobles of the eight hundred miles of yellow sand.

When he drew his blade, would they fight… or flee?

As the saying goes: when facing a dragon, you don’t need to outrun the dragon—only your companions.

For a moment, internal currents surged within the Giant Scorpion Bandits, each member harboring secret motives; the cowardly Harris had already been slowly edging toward the passage exit since Fang Shi’s appearance.

“Enough with the flattery—I have a task for you.”

Pade slapped his chest and immediately said, “My lord’s business is my business—I’d die for my lord, wouldn’t you, brothers?”

“Yes!”

Instantly, someone from the Giant Scorpion Bandits began cheering, and under the herd effect, the rest followed, shouting “Yes!”

But Fang Shi trusted not a single one of these bandits; if he ordered them to die, he’d consider it a miracle if they didn’t resist.

Fang Shi pointed at the pale white palace door: “See that door? Right now, dig a passage into it.”

Pade froze—he hadn’t expected it to be this simple, though it would take time.

After all, it was just a passage; a few men would suffice. The space was limited—more people couldn’t even work side by side.

Then Fang Shi added: “Hurry. Work at full strength. Take turns. Exhaust yourselves. Finish before nightfall.”

Pade ventured cautiously: “My lord, must it be so urgent? This is too difficult!”

“No choice—it’s inside that you’ll find the young dragon you want.”

Pade’s eyes widened.