Thump… thump… thump…
Intensive hoofbeats continuously echoed from the messy dirt road.
Along with it was the clang of wheels rubbing against the ground.
"We've already covered half the distance. Push harder for another three li and then rest for the time it takes an incense stick to burn."
A deep voice sounded from the front. The one who spoke was Song Haitao, the captain of the Second Squad. The other person beside him was Wu Fengtian, the newly appointed captain of the Third Squad.
Besides them, the rest were members of their second and Third Squads, plus accompanying personnel, totaling around one hundred and eighty people.
They were also fully armed, carrying bows, crossbows, and weapons.
Song Haitao rode a red-brown swift horse, a large saber on his back, his gaze constantly sweeping the surroundings, his eyes full of vigilance.
They were responsible for escorting the second transport team. Although it appeared on the surface that only two Forging Tendons Early Stage Martial Artists were leading the team, this was not the case.
This transport team was escorting the main supplies this time: hundreds of rare medicinal herbs and raw Materials, over a thousand jin of high-grade common beast Materials, and other goods needed in the County Town.
These items were essential supplies for Zhenshan Tower's shops and businesses in the County Town, and they were transported every half month.
Due to the robbery incident a few days ago, there had been a delay of several days. Now, the shops in the County Town were short on supplies. If the goods weren't delivered soon, they would almost come to a standstill. The loss in profit was a minor matter; the truly important issue was the impact on Zhenshan Tower's reputation and credibility.
After a short while, the convoy finally stopped for a brief rest.
Song Haitao dismounted and approached a carriage in the center of the team, speaking softly towards the inside.
"Tang Zhu, I've sent some people ahead to scout. There's nothing unusual. It seems splitting the convoy was effective this time."
"Very good, but you must not be careless. Be careful, rest for a while, and then set off immediately. We can't relax until we reach the County Town."
A powerful and authoritative voice came from within the team.
"Understood."
Song Haitao softly responded and returned to the front of the team. After a brief rest, he mounted his horse and urged everyone to continue on their way.
Soon, the long convoy started moving again.
In the covered carriage in the middle, there were no goods, only a tall figure sitting cross-legged. Besides him was a large gold-threaded ring saber stuck in the center of the carriage.
The tall figure was none other than Zhao Fang, the main Tang Zhu of the Hunting Beast Hall.
Rumors in the streets said that he was severely injured in a Spirit Beast encirclement operation, his martial arts greatly regressed, and he had been unable to recover, his strength reduced to almost one-tenth of its original.
However, few people knew that his injuries had completely recovered several months ago, and he had even broken through and improved his martial arts further on his original foundation.
Originally, his strength was among the top in the County Town's experts, even surpassing Yan Feng. With this recent improvement, he was confident that within Lin'an County, under the Blood Transportation Realm, he had no opponent.
Furthermore, in addition to cultivating Zhenshan Tower's strongest martial art, Nine Bulls Two Tigers Saber, he also possessed a family heirloom movement technique and was granted Zhenshan Tower's unique explosive secret technique. In terms of one-on-one strength within Zhenshan Tower, he was the strongest person apart from Ouyang Shan.
He also frequently sparred with Ouyang Shan and was very clear about the strength of Blood Transportation Warriors. Therefore, he was confident that if they really encountered the Black Wind Bandits this time, as long as Black Bear had not entered the Blood Transportation Realm, he could directly eliminate the Black Wind Bandits.
Even in the worst-case scenario, if Black Bear entered the Blood Transportation Realm, he was confident that with a full-strength outburst, he could still escape against a Martial Artist who had just entered the Blood Transportation Realm.
"It's better not to encounter them. Everything will wait until the 楼主 deals with the troubles in the County Town. Then these Black Wind Bandits are just like chickens and dogs..."
Zhao Fang shook his head slightly, exhaled, and then closed his eyes again, held his breath, and entered cultivation. He wanted to keep himself in the best state at all times to cope with potential crises.
Just as the convoy had set off not long ago, it suddenly started raining lightly in the sky.
Song Haitao frowned, wiped away a few drops of water that fell on his face, and shook his head, looking at the clear sky above.
"How can it rain in this kind of weather?"
He muttered in confusion.
His cheeks and hands, wet with raindrops, suddenly felt a slight stinging sensation.
"This is..."
Seeing his fingers, which had become red and swollen at some point, he immediately realized something and his face changed, immediately shouting loudly.
"Enemy attack!! The rainwater is poisonous, immediately take cover and swallow the antidote!!"
He reacted quickly, immediately dismounting and pulling a tarpaulin from the back of the carriage to cover his head. At the same time, he skillfully took out a porcelain bottle from his clothes, poured out a handful of pills, and put them in his mouth.
Despite his swift reaction, he felt the initial stinging sensation on his cheeks and fingers had turned into a burning pain.
He looked up at the sky through the tarpaulin and saw a few large goose-like black birds circling overhead. Focusing his vision, he saw that these geese had punctured leather bags tied to their legs, and thin streams of water were falling from the sky.
Ah…
The escort personnel in the convoy were wailing at this moment. Their reaction was not as quick as Song Haitao's. At this moment, twenty to thirty people were constantly scratching their bodies and rolling on the ground.
The remaining people were lucky to have escaped, but it was only temporary, because at this moment, strange cries had already sounded from the bushes on both sides, and as time passed, they were getting closer and closer. It was clear that many people were rushing towards them.
"Prepare for battle, first shoot down those few beasts in the sky!!"
Song Haitao endured the pain on his face and commanded loudly. As he spoke, his hands didn't stop. He took out a long bow from his back, strung an arrow, and shot three arrows with a whoosh. Two arrows hit their targets, shooting down two strange birds.
Wu Fengtian beside him also reacted, drawing his bow and arrow and shooting at the strange birds circling in the sky.
The hunters were skilled archers. In just a few breaths, the strange birds circling in the sky were all shot down.
However, at this moment, the sounds from outside the bushes on both sides were getting closer and closer. Before the people arrived, dense whistling arrows were already shooting towards them.
Just one wave took the lives of more than a dozen hunters, while the transport team also reacted quickly, drawing bows and nocking arrows, shooting into the bushes.
Immediately, cries of pain came from the bushes, but soon a figure rushed out from the bushes like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, plunging into the transport team.
With a few thudding sounds, three hunters were killed on the spot.
At the same time, the formation that the hunters had just set up was broken through.
"Hahaha… a bunch of fools, do you think your tricks can fool your grandpa?"
The figure's movements were swift, and he let out a wild laugh.
In just a blink of an eye, two more hunters were killed under his palm.
"Seeking death!!"
Seeing this scene, Song Haitao's eyes were about to split.
He threw down his bow and arrow, drew his steel saber, and leaped up, the large saber slashing down fiercely towards the opponent from above.
However, the figure had no intention of dodging, but instead sneered and raised his hand to punch out.
Clang!
A sound of metal clashing exploded from the center of the two, but Song Haitao retreated several steps.
His hand holding the steel saber trembled, his tiger's mouth split open, and streams of fresh blood flowed out.
It was clear that in the previous exchange, he was at a clear disadvantage. His full-force downward slash, using leverage, had still resulted in a loss.
"Forging Tendons Late Stage!"
Song Haitao uttered a few words, his face looking a little ugly.
"Did Zhenshan Tower only send you two pieces of trash? It seems this damn Zhenshan Tower really has no one left."
The figure was a one-eyed strong man, stout in build, looking at Song Haitao and the captain of the Third Squad with disdain. He wore black gloves on his large hands, which were crossed, making grinding sounds.
However, before he could finish speaking, the one-eyed strong man's face changed. As if sensing something, he suddenly turned around and threw a punch backward.
Behind him was a sharp whistling sound, and a series of tinkling bells rang out.
The one-eyed strong man turned his head and only saw a tall figure holding a gold-threaded ring saber hacking down fiercely at him from above. His posture and movements were identical to Song Haitao's just now, but this saber strike at this moment made him feel a chill down his spine.
Clang!
Similarly, a sound of metal clashing exploded, but this time the one-eyed strong man was directly sent flying backward.
At the same time, streams of bright red blood were scattered on the ground.
"Nine Bulls Two Tigers Saber, you are Zhao Fang!!"
The one-eyed strong man immediately stopped, his face showing surprise as he looked at Zhao Fang, who had suddenly appeared before him. He quickly guessed the other party's identity.
"Your injury!?"
Thinking of the rumors about the other party, he couldn't help but speak.
"You are the Black Wind Bandits, are you Black Bear?"
Zhao Fang also looked at the other party and slowly spoke.
"It seems the information about you was all false." The one-eyed strong man did not answer the other party's meaning but spoke to himself. At this moment, one of his gloves had been cut open. If he hadn't released the force in time, one of his hands would have been directly cut off by the other party.
"No matter who you are, I'll cripple you first."
Zhao Fang looked at the people fighting in chaos around him and understood that this was not the time to talk. He shook the gold-threaded ring saber in his hand and moved forward, intending to take down the opponent.
The one-eyed strong man knew he was no match, so he immediately retreated violently. At the same time, he fumbled at his waist and fired a signal flare, striking it fiercely. A pillar of red smoke shot into the sky.
"Seeking death!"
Seeing this scene, Zhao Fang's eyes turned cold, and his speed instantly increased by two points. The large saber swept horizontally towards the strong man's waist, intending to split him in two.
The one-eyed strong man raised his hand in a hurry to block when he saw this. Although he blocked the opponent's attack, he was completely entangled and unable to escape, only able to fight and retreat.
However, his strength was ultimately inferior to the other party's. In just a few breaths, he had already sustained another saber wound, and it was on his thigh, making his movements even slower.
Finally, after enduring another attack from the opponent, his other intact glove was also directly shattered.
The gold-threaded ring saber clanged and went straight for the strong man's neck, about to decapitate him with one strike.
However, before the saber strike fell, Zhao Fang's heart was filled with alarm. He felt the hairs on his body stand on end, and a sense of life-and-death crisis came from his left side.
Without thinking, he drew his saber and slashed fiercely to the left.
However, what surprised him was that his powerful and heavy saber strike had no effect at all, as if it had sunk into a mire.
While surprised, Zhao Fang turned his head to look beside him.
At some point, another person had appeared beside him.
It was a tall, thin man who looked about forty years old with prominent cheekbones. He wore old light armor and was looking at him with a half-smile. What was even more shocking was that his gold-threaded ring saber was being held by the other party, and with just a bare hand.
"Who are you!?"
Zhao Fang was horrified and immediately mobilized his full strength, trying to pull out the ring saber, but there was no reaction at all.
"Blood Transportation Warrior!!"
These four big words immediately popped into his mind, as if he had thought of something.
"You are Black Bear!!?"
He knew all the Blood Transportation Warriors in Lin'an County, and there was definitely not this one in front of him. Then the other party's identity could only be the leader of the Black Wind Bandits.
"You know me, tsk tsk, not bad, but it's a pity only you came..."
A smile appeared on Black Bear's face.
"Secret Technique: Devouring Ox Transformation!"
At this moment, Zhao Fang directly activated the secret technique. His entire body's blood and qi surged and boiled, and his strength immediately increased by several percent.
He wanted to take advantage of this gap to suddenly draw his saber and catch the other party off guard.
However, to his despair, the large saber only trembled in the other party's hand and still could not be pulled out.
"How can this be!?"
Zhao Fang's face showed an expression of disbelief.
"You're not just entering Blood Transportation, you're Blood Transportation Late Stage..."
He cried out in horror, let go of the saber hilt without thinking, turned around, and rushed towards the forest on one side.
He had only one thought in his mind: he must take this news back and inform the old 楼主.
However, before he could finish speaking, he had just turned around and taken two steps when he felt a chill on his neck.
He felt his vision sway, and in a daze, he only saw a somewhat familiar headless corpse fall to the ground. Then, his vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
"Tang Zhu!"
Song Haitao, who was watching from not far away, couldn't help but cry out in alarm.
However, Black Bear had already reached his side and shattered his head with a palm. Wu Fengtian on the other side also met the same end.
With the high-end combat power eliminated, it wasn't long before the group of hunters and escort personnel were completely slaughtered.
"Take everything back."
Black Bear looked at the goods in the carriage, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Soon, Black Wind Bandits drove the carriages away to one side.
"I didn't expect this guy to be so deeply hidden. Fortunately, Brother, you came in time, otherwise I would have been finished. My pair of 烏絲手套 were cut useless by this guy..."
The one-eyed man held Zhao Fang's head in his hand and spoke with some lingering fear.
"Hmph, Zhenshan Tower only sent out such a bunch of useless people. It really disappoints me. Take this head to Yangping Town for me. I want to see what other trump cards Zhenshan Tower has besides that old guy Ouyang Shan..."
"Yes, Leader."
The one-eyed strong man's face showed an excited smile. He seemed to enjoy doing this kind of thing very much, but he remembered something else and asked another question.
"Leader, Zhenshan Tower sent out a total of 5 convoys this time. According to the information, only this one is the real transport team. How should the other four be dealt with?"
"Not a single one left."
Black Bear spoke lightly, as if he was talking about a trivial matter.
"Okay, I'll inform Third Brother and the others. They've already been watching over there..."
