The sun shone brightly!
The Lin Clan's convoy had been on the road for two hours.
Lin Yun, Lin Dong, and Lin Xia rode their horses, excitedly leading the way.
It was the first time for all three of them to visit Flame City, and they were full of curiosity and longing for the big city.
Before this, they had only heard stories about Flame City from the adults. Compared to Qingyang Town, Flame City was much more prosperous and lively.
The three of them chatted about Flame City while riding their horses.
Among them, Lin Xia knew the most.
She began to talk eloquently, while Lin Yun and Lin Dong played along.
"I heard from Dad that Flame City is also very chaotic. On average, every month, a force is destroyed, or several rise up. The competition is very fierce."
"Forces like our four major powers in Qingyang Town are simply insignificant in Flame City, not even worth mentioning."
"To gain a foothold in a place like Flame City, you need at least the strength of the Core Formation Realm."
"The three strongest forces in Flame City all have Core Formation Realm experts holding the fort, and not just one."
"Oh, which three forces are they?"
"These three forces are the Flame City Lord's Mansion, the Ten Thousand Gold Commerce Guild, and the Blood Wolf Gang."
"Actually, there's another force not weaker than the three major forces, but that force is relatively mysterious and low-key. I only know its name."
"The Symbol Master Association!"
"What is a Symbol Master?"
"It's a mysterious profession. I heard they can refine artifacts, concoct pills, and draw symbols. They are very powerful. It's said that you can only cultivate it after reaching the Earthly Yuan Realm."
"Symbol Masters have noble status. Any Symbol Master can become a honored guest of those major forces."
"Only places like Flame City have Symbol Masters. We haven't even heard of them in Qingyang Town."
"As expected of Sister Lin Xia, you know so much."
"Hmph, you two shouldn't just focus on cultivation all day. You should also come out and broaden your horizons, see how big the world is."
...
Lin Xia showed off her superiority in front of the two of them.
She was finally able to see her two genius younger brothers looking up to her.
She was in a great mood.
However, just then, the sound of rumbling hooves came, and a group of people appeared ahead. They were holding a black dragon flag, a mighty force of no less than a hundred people.
Not only that, but people also rushed out from the surrounding mountains and forests.
They were charging towards the Lin Clan's caravan.
"Everyone, be careful, bandits are attacking!"
"Not good, it seems to be the Black Dragon Stronghold."
"There are other bandits in the forest, not just the Black Dragon Stronghold."
The Lin Clan's team immediately became noisy.
The Black Dragon Stronghold was the most powerful group of bandits near Qingyang Town, with a notorious reputation. Their two leaders were both Heavenly Yuan Realm experts.
Unexpectedly, they had just set out and encountered such a troublesome enemy.
Just the Black Dragon Stronghold alone was enough for them to handle.
And now, looking at the situation, it seemed that it wasn't just the Black Dragon Stronghold; many other bandits had also set their sights on the Lin Clan as a juicy target.
The temptation of Yang Yuan Stones was too great.
"Everyone, don't panic. Form a defensive formation centered around the caravan."
Lin Xiao immediately gave the order, his Origin Power integrated into his voice, covering the sound of hooves, allowing everyone in the Lin Clan to hear.
Most of the people who came out with him were the Lin Clan's elite personnel. The captains in the Earthly Yuan Realm also knew Lin Xiao's strength and quickly calmed down, organizing the defensive formation according to Lin Xiao's instructions.
"Whoa!"
The people from the Black Dragon Stronghold rushed closer, and the two leaders at the front pulled on their reins.
They were the two leaders of the Black Dragon Stronghold.
Their notorious reputation preceded them. Just by their appearance, many people in the Lin Clan could identify the two.
The person on the left was burly and strong, with a broad back and powerful physique. He was the second-in-command, Wu Sha, known as the Wind Ripping Hand.
The one on the right was slightly thinner, with ordinary features, but his face was covered in crisscrossing knife scars, giving him a fierce look. He was the first-in-command, Yan Kuo.
As the two, along with the bandits from the Black Dragon Stronghold, blocked the road, the bandits from the surrounding mountains and forests also rushed out.
The leaders were also two people. They cupped their hands towards the Black Dragon Stronghold and shouted loudly,
"Haha, Leader Yan, Second Leader Wu, long time no see."
"Flying Leopard Mountain, Chen Sanbao!"
"Fierce Fang Mountain, Xiong Wei!"
Lin Xiao's face was grim. He recognized the two; they were both notorious mountain bandits from the vicinity, and their strength was also at the Heavenly Yuan Realm.
Wu Sha's eyes turned cold. "Heh, your noses are really sharp, like dogs. You actually smelled the scent of meat here too."
"However, you've crossed the line. This is my Black Dragon Stronghold's territory."
Chen Sanbao laughed heartily. "Brother Wu, let's all get rich together. Everyone knows the Lin Clan got a Yang Yuan Stone Mine. We also want a share of the pie."
Xiong Wei chimed in, "Exactly, exactly!"
"You think you can snatch the prey of my Black Dragon Stronghold? You're asking for..."
Just as Wu Sha was about to erupt in anger, Yan Kuo, who was beside him, held him back. "Since they're here, let's follow the old rules. First, intercept the goods, then discuss the distribution."
"That's precisely what I meant!" Chen Sanbao and Xiong Wei immediately agreed.
In just a few words, the three groups of mountain bandits reached an agreement.
They completely disregarded the Lin Clan's attitude, seemingly already treating them as lambs to be slaughtered.
Only then did Yan Kuo look at Lin Xiao and Lin Yun, slowly saying, "We seek wealth, not lives."
"Lin Xiao, if you know what's good for you, leave all the goods behind. Don't force us to act."
Lin Xiao's expression was solemn. He didn't pay attention to Yan Kuo but instead quietly asked Lin Yun, "Three early Heavenly Yuan Realm, one mid-stage. Yan Kuo and Wu Sha can be handled by me. Can you hold off the other two?"
Two? Heh, I'll take all of them... Lin Yun's mouth curved into a smile as he said lightly, "Leave all four to me!"
These were rewards delivered right to his doorstep. He wasn't going to share them with Lin Xiao.
As his strength increased, the difficulty of establishing tasks also increased. Now, only opponents at the Heavenly Yuan Realm could successfully establish tasks.
Task: Kill Yan Kuo. Reward: One bottle of Yang Yuan Pills.
Task: Kill Wu Sha. Reward: One bottle of Fifth-Grade Qi Blood Pills.
Task: Kill Chen Sanbao. Reward: One bottle of Fifth-Grade Origin Qi Pills.
Task: Kill Xiong Wei. Reward: One bottle of Fifth-Grade Returning Spring Pills.
Not bad, the variety of pills is quite rich... Lin Yun looked at the task list in his mind and nodded with satisfaction.
"What did you say?" Lin Xiao thought he had misheard.
However, at this moment, Yan Kuo saw that Lin Xiao had been ignoring him and became furious. He raised his large saber and shouted loudly, "*Kill!*"
The mountain bandits from all directions heard the command and moved, like a pack of bloodthirsty beasts, charging madly towards the Lin Clan's group.
Lin Yun opened the black spear bag behind the horse and took out the Mountain Piercing Spear.
He had prepared this beforehand. To avoid exposing the existence of his Cosmos Sack, he had placed the Mountain Piercing Spear outside in advance. As for the Mountain Piercing Spear itself, it was completely black, and others couldn't see anything extraordinary about it.
"Giddy up!"
Lin Yun kicked the horse's flank, like an ancient general, charging alone into the mountain bandit crowd.
The Mountain Piercing Spear in his hand danced, and the Prairie Fire Spear Technique was unleashed. The spear moved like a dragon, and with a casual thrust, he could impale three to five mountain bandits.
When encountering those charging on horseback, he could even impale both the horse and rider together and send them flying.
Lin Yun's bravery instantly attracted the attention of many.
Lin Yun was unstoppable, and in a moment, he had killed his way to Yan Kuo and Wu Sha.
These two were preparing to attack Lin Xiao together, but they didn't expect Lin Yun, this killing god, to suddenly appear before they had even taken two steps.
"Who are you? When did the Lin Clan get such a young Heavenly Yuan Realm expert?" Yan Kuo frowned.
However, Wu Sha, who was beside him, had already charged forward.
"Kid, a newborn calf doesn't fear tigers. Today, grandpa will teach you how to behave." A cold glint flashed in Wu Sha's eyes, and his Origin Power burst forth. His already large palm rapidly expanded, growing a full circle in the blink of an eye. All of his martial power was concentrated in his hand.
The abundant Origin Power surged rapidly. Then, Wu Sha stomped heavily on the ground. The powerful force directly cracked the ground, and his body, using this force, leaped into the air.
His huge palm grabbed towards Lin Yun on the horse.
"Wind Ripping—"
"Pfft!"
Wu Sha's voice came to an abrupt halt. He had only spoken two-thirds of his sentence when Lin Yun's spear pierced through his throat.
Instant kill!
The current Lin Yun had already mastered the Prairie Fire Spear Technique to near perfection. The power of a casual thrust of his spear was comparable to a Fourth-Grade martial art.
And Wu Sha, a mere early Heavenly Yuan Realm expert, had never even seen a Fourth-Grade martial art. How could he possibly see Lin Yun's spear shadow?
"How is that possible?!"
Yan Kuo was dumbfounded, his eyes reflecting the image of Wu Sha being impaled on the spear in mid-air.
"Whoosh!"
Lin Yun shook the spear shaft, pulling the spear out of Wu Sha's corpse. He turned his gaze towards Yan Kuo, his mouth curving into a smirk, like a major villain. "Your turn!"
He clamped his legs against the horse's belly and charged forward quickly. Yan Kuo hastily drew his saber, but Lin Yun's spear was already upon him, forcing him to block with his saber.
*"Clang!"*
With a silent sound, the saber in front of Yan Kuo snapped directly.
Whoosh... Lin Yun's spear slanted downwards, piercing through Yan Kuo's chest.
Another instant kill!
Under Lin Yun's hand, the Heavenly Yuan Realm Yan Kuo and Wu Sha seemed to be no different from ordinary bandits, both finished with a single spear thrust.
"The second boss is dead... the big boss is dead..."
A group of bandits cried out in alarm. Before they could finish grieving for the second boss, the big boss immediately followed suit.
The bandits, who had just been fierce and menacing, were instantly dumbfounded, unsure of what to do for a moment.
"There are two more."
Lin Yun turned his horse's head and charged towards Chen Sanbao. The bandits in the middle immediately scattered in a panic, not daring to block Lin Yun at all.
"No, don't come over..."
Seeing this, Chen Sanbao shouted in panic.
"My horse, where's my horse?"
He quickly looked for his horse, wanting to escape by riding it.
Since Lin Yun could instantly kill Yan Kuo and Wu Sha, he was definitely no match for him. But as long as he got on his Wind Chasing Horse, his horse was fast enough that Lin Yun wouldn't be able to catch up.
"Giddy up!"
Chen Sanbao finally got on his horse and immediately whipped its rump desperately.
The Wind Chasing Horse was his prized warhorse, extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, it charged out of the crowd and galloped towards the distance.
"You can't catch me, kid. Your horse isn't as fast as mine. Consider me unlucky today. I won't target the Lin Clan again in the future. Stop chasing."
Chen Sanbao whipped his horse while shouting back, speaking the most cowardly words in the toughest tone.
Faster than a horse? Childish. Do you think this is a wuxia world... Lin Yun muttered in his heart, then leaped up, stepping on the horse's head. His body turned into an afterimage and quickly chased after him.
Eight Steps Catching Cicadas could even catch flying cicadas, let alone a horse.
Lin Yun's speed instantly increased. Within a few breaths, he had already caught up to Chen Sanbao.
Whoosh... Lin Yun swept his spear horizontally, breaking the Wind Chasing Horse's four legs. Chen Sanbao rolled onto the ground.
Lin Yun pointed his spear and said lightly, "Your horse is very fast. What's the use of being fast? Can it transform into wings with battle qi? Heh heh, it can't even transform into wings with battle qi, how boring!"
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