Volcanic Age

Ultimately, they had no choice but to stop their banditry and retreat to their abodes. What was fortunate was that they had some loot saved up, so they weren\'t particularly worried about running out.

The eighteen bandit lords were dissatisfied that they had to open their warehouses and hand out their own assets, but they had no other choice since they wouldn\'t be able to feed their subordinates otherwise. If they didn\'t, it could lead to a riot.

"Let\'s just wait a year…"

While that was their reasoning, it didn\'t take long for them to realize how complacent they had been. The exploration of the treasury lasted for two whole years, which meant that they had consumed a considerable amount of wealth and food.

"Urgh…"

They hadn\'t become poor enough to be pushed to the brink of starvation; it was just that the depleting wealth irritated them. The Eighteen Bandit Gangs returned to their banditry as soon as the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley retreated, and because they had been inactive for two whole years, their banditry became much more aggressive than before.

"Kahahah!"

"Boys, sweep them out!"

"Kill the men and take the women!"

They went rampant to relieve their pent-up frustration, violent urges, and sadistic tendencies. Sometimes, they even killed those who paid their tolls.

"Do you even know how much money has been spent on you?"

"You can be a little excessive, so go pillage more as soon as possible!"

The eighteen bandit lords whipped their subordinates to refill the wealth in their warehouses, which had decreased considerably.

*

Rattle.

A carriage could be seen going down the road, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

It was none other than the convoy of the Gold Will Merchants.

"Haaah," Zhou Xuchuan yawned on top of the carriage roof.

Despite the rough shaking of the carriage, he looked as comfortable as he would have been on a bed. He even slept for a little while.

The other escorts stole glances at him while riding their horses.

"We were told he\'s an expert, and indeed he seems to be."

Ordinary people couldn\'t stay lying down on top of a carriage without falling, even with good reflexes. However, staying like that for hours on end with such ease was simply impossible.

"Despite his appearance, he\'s a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, isn\'t he?"

Even disciples of the Mount Hua Sect would be looked down on if they were young. However, people\'s opinions changed when those immature children came out to the world as young men and women. It was common knowledge that the majority of large sects sent their disciples out into the world when they reached a certain level. By this time, they would be experts from the perspective of smaller sects, and also Third and Second-Class cultivators.

"What was the great lord\'s name again?"

"You fool. He\'s Lord Zhou Xuchuan."

"I think I\'ve heard that name before…"

He was once the reason for the Mount Hua Sect\'s and the Zhuge Family\'s wrath, but it had been six years since then. Following the major incident with the Three-Eyed Godly Thief\'s Treasury that occurred right after, hardly anyone remembered Zhou Xuchuan anymore. The only ones that did were the people that were directly involved.

"I know that a disciple of one of the ten major organizations is amazing, but I don\'t get why the Head Merchant told us to treat him with extreme courtesy," muttered an escort at the very back, his head tilted in confusion.

"The Head Merchant has interacted with Mount Hua since the company\'s founding, hasn\'t he? I\'m sure that young man is backed by him, or is the disciple of someone close to him," replied one of the merchants.

"Still, he told us to follow that young man no matter what… isn\'t that strange?"

"Doesn\'t the Head Merchant fawn over… ehem, I mean, treat people with extreme courtesy when he has something to gain from of them? I\'m sure it\'s just that."

The merchant hurriedly changed his words midway, glancing around to ensure no one overheard.

"We\'ll reach Sichuan soon anyway, so—"

"Halt!"

The merchant\'s words were cut off abruptly.

Neigh!

The horses at the front came to a stop, causing the three other carriages behind them to halt as well.

"I\'ll go see what is happening," said the escort, trying to go off on his horse.

"Gold Will Combatants, stand your ground and do not take your eyes off the goods!" instructed an unfamiliar voice. However, they all knew that it was the voice they had to follow.

Zhou Xuchuan, who had climbed down from the carriage roof, narrowed his eyes as he scanned the surroundings. There were large trees all around, and the small animals that constantly bothered them were nowhere to be seen.

Only then did the Gold Will Combatants realize that something was off and adjust their stances.

"HAHAHAHA!" Laughter echoed through the woods.

The laughter itself didn\'t sound malicious. Instead, it had a hearty tone.

"We were about to attack. Good job realizing it just in time!"

Black silhouettes emerged from the woods.

"Whoa!" exclaimed the merchant at the front in surprise.

The other merchants behind also held their breaths in surprise. Vicious-looking men encircled the convoy of carriages that stopped in the middle of the road, all holding weapons like swords and axes.

What caught everyone\'s attention was their green attire, or more specifically, the word "Forest" on them.

"Forest bandits!" The Gold Will Combatants all drew their swords.

"I\'ll give you a chance to identify yourself!"

"Zhou Xuchuan."

"Such an arrogant attitude for someone so young. You must be from the Ten Major Organizations or the Five Great Families. Which one are you from?!"

"Mount Hua."

Zhou Xuchuan raised his arm to reveal the plum blossom design on his sleeve.

"A swordsman of Mount Hua! Heh, not a bad opponent. Is there anyone else who will identify themselves?"

The bandit looked around, but no one responded.

"You\'re the only one willing to come forward?" he asked again, flabbergasted.

"I alone am enough to face all of you," Zhou Xuchuan said, acting like an arrogant young master of a prestigious sect.

"Hahahah!"

"Hahaha!"

The bandits surrounding them started laughing, clearly sneering at his attitude.

"You must be First-Class, considering you\'re a disciple of Mount Hua, but do you truly believe that you can handle all these men by yourself?" the bandit chuckled, raising his left hand. When he did, more bandits emerged from the woods.

There seemed to be thirty to forty of them at a glance, which was double the number of people in the convoy.

"Wh-why are there so many?" The Gold Will Combatants felt uneasy.

"Do not panic. They\'re clearly trying to bluff. Most of them are Third-Class at best," Zhou Xuchuan said, trying to calm the others.

"You lunatic!" the bandit laughed at the absurdity. "You think you can win against us while protecting those fat pigs behind you?"

He pointed at the merchants sitting in the driver\'s seat in the carriage.

"Hieek!" The merchants paled, afraid at the thought that they would die here.

"You talk too much. From my experience, you\'re just some random bandit that\'s plot device, but not particularly strong."

Zhou Xuchuan rotated his neck once, producing a satisfying crack.

"What kind of nonsense have you been spouting for a wh…"

"Here it goes."

Bending his legs slightly to gather strength, Zhou Xuchuan\'s qi surged from below his navel, enveloping his entire legs.

"Everyone, stand your ground and—"

Crack!

His feet sank into the ground, causing fissures to form around him. An immense amount of qi started spreading out. Thenm he straightened his body and lunged forward.

Gasp!

The bandit, heartily chattering away until a few moments ago, was startled. Zhou Xuchuan had disappeared and reappeared in front of him in an instant.

"What the he…"

"Hell am I? An expert, duh!"

Zhou Xuchuan made a terrible joke as he swung his sword. A horizontal flash of light flickered in the air before vanishing.

"Urgh!"

The bandit clutched his neck, his eyes wide in shock. He tried to utter a curse, but he was unable to. The moment he tried to gesture to his subordinates to attack, blood spurted from his neck before he collapsed.

They fell into a stunned silence, needing a moment to process the sudden turn of events.

"Stand your ground," Zhou Xuchuan said once again.

"From the looks of it, most are Third-Class with a few Second-Classes in between, huh."

He spun his wrist, adjusting his grip on the sword.

"There\'s about thirty-five or six in total…"

He imbued his internal qi into the sword. Due to the sheer amount of it, a bluish aura could be seen with the naked eye. It was sword qi.

"A-an expert?" One of the bandits panicked at the sight.

Only those of the Peak Realm and above were called experts, and sword qi was something that a cultivator could form upon reaching Peak Realm.

"Fifteen minutes."

Zhou Xuchuan\'s body blurred, and when he appeared again, a bandit screamed while clutching at the hole in his chest.

"Argh!"

"D-dammit!"

"He may be an expert, but he\'s alone!"

Only then did the bandits collect themselves. They started shouting—almost screaming— as they gripped their weapons with semi-dazed expressions.

"Get him!"

"Kill him!"

"Cut him down!"

There was no one to give orders, which meant that they had no formation as they rushed forward to attack.

Five nearby bandits charged at Zhou Xuchuan. He could tell that they were low level from their footsteps alone.

"Die!"

With a heavy, air-splitting swing, a bandit with a messy beard wielding a glaive aimed at Zhou Xuchuan. Although there was considerable power behind his attack, that was all it amounted to.

Zhou Xuchuan went past the bandit with the glaive and swung his sword.

"Urgh!"

The sensation of cutting down human flesh and bone could be felt in his hands, making him recall the battlefields that he was on before going back in time.

"You!"

The other four attacked from the front as well, lacking any semblance of strategy. Zhou Xuchuan\'s movements were smooth as if he was sliding on ice, breezing past the gaps between the bandits coming at him from the front.

He didn\'t simply just go past them though, and had swung his sword when he did, just that it was too fast for the bandits to follow.

"Urgh."

"Ack!"

Psh!

The sword left wounds, blood mists spraying as the four attackers fell without being able to attack properly.

"Watch out, Lord Zhou!" warned one of the Gold Will Combatants.

"It\'s too late!"

Whoosh!

An ax left the hands of a bandit. The double-bladed ax spun in the air as it flew toward the back of Zhou Xuchuan\'s head.