Chapter 293: Chapter 291: Are You Scared?
Zuo Feng thought he was going to die, that he would never get his revenge in this life.
He would die filled with resentment and regret, unwilling to accept his fate.
But in that split second between life and death, he saw a youth appear, looking like a Celestial God.
With just a gentle pull of his hand, he had snatched him back from the clutches of death.
Then, Zuo Feng tilted his head back to look at the youth’s profile.
Amid the swirling dust and surrounding bandits, he stood tall and proud, his Killing Intent chilling.
There were more than twenty Fierce Bandits, most of them at the Minor Grandmaster or Grandmaster Realm. Only one leader had reached the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
A single, sweeping glance from Jiang Jichen’s eyes, brimming with Killing Intent, was all it took to assess the situation.
Now that Jiang Jichen had achieved Perfect Dao Platform Foundation Establishment, he could discern the cultivation strength of anyone below the Spirit Infant Realm with a mere flicker of his Divine Thought. Not even Secret Techniques could hide it from him.
Even if Jiang Jichen suppressed his cultivation to the Grandmaster Realm of the Innate Tenth Layer, killing these bandits would be as easy as flipping his hand.
After all, back when he was at the Innate Tenth Realm, he’d already lost count of how many geniuses from Noble Families and Sects he had killed, all of whom were at the Foundation Establishment Perfection Realm.
And now, after his transformation and ascension to the Perfect Dao Platform Foundation Establishment Middle Realm, even with his cultivation suppressed, he was only... stronger than before!
The bandit at the Grandmaster Realm swung his saber and missed. The boy who was about to be cut down had been saved by a youth who appeared out of nowhere. This filled him with rage and humiliation.
In the suburbs of Yunshui City, only the Earth Bandit Gang had ever run rampant. No one had ever dared to save someone from their blades.
"Brat, you’re still wet behind the ears, and you dare stick your nose in our business? Do you have any idea where you are, or who we are?"
However, these Fierce Bandits were no fools. They didn’t rush to attack, wanting to first feel him out and see if he had any powerful backing.
But judging by Jiang Jichen’s appearance—travel-worn, with tattered clothes and no powerful guards—he couldn’t possibly be from a Great Family or Sect. He looked more like a down-on-his-luck Loose Cultivator.
A thought occurred to Jiang Jichen, and he suppressed the urge to begin a massacre. Instead, he asked with feigned innocence, "What is this place? And who are you people?"
This was exactly what he wanted to know, so he simply followed the Grandmaster-level bandit’s line of questioning.
Seeing Jiang Jichen’s clueless expression, the bandits concluded he was a greenhorn on his first trip away from home, with no experience in the world. They burst into laughter, and one of them jeered, "We’re the Earth Bandit Gang, from the lands five hundred li outside Yunshui City! We kill so many people our name alone can stop a baby from crying. We drink human blood and eat human flesh! So, little boy, let me ask you: are you scared?"
"Are you scared?"
The whole group of bandits roared in unison, their voices thundering across the plains.
Some other Cultivators passing through the area watched the scene from a distance, their faces pale. They didn’t dare to get any closer.
In fact, many of these Cultivators had already witnessed the Earth Bandit Gang slaughtering the group of travelers on their way to Yunshui City. But not a single person dared to intervene, much less help. They simply stood and watched from afar.
Many among them had even reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Realm or Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Realm, but they still didn’t dare to get involved.
This was because the Earth Bandits’ lair was only a few dozen li away. Their Gang Leader was a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Perfection Realm, and he had twelve Protectors at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Realm under his command.
The ones here were merely grunts.
"That kid must be on his first trip away from home. So young and reckless, completely unaware of the dangers of the world!"
"To reach the Innate Tenth Realm at his age makes him a rare genius. It’s a shame he’s about to perish!"
"Sigh, we Independent Cultivators have to endure what we can. How could we dare to be the nail that sticks out? This kid is just too young."
...
The Cultivators watching from a distance sighed. They knew all too well how powerful, terrifying, cruel, and merciless the Earth Bandit Gang was. They killed for sport.
There was no way Jiang Jichen and the little boy would survive; their only fate was a gruesome death at the hands of the bandits.
But Jiang Jichen remained perfectly calm. From the bandits’ words, he had already obtained the information he wanted.
This place was five hundred li from Yunshui City, territory of the Heavenly Sword Alliance.
These people were local bandits who lived by murder and robbery. Their crimes were numerous. They deserved to be killed.
Jiang Jichen had made his decision.
The Earth Bandit Gang thugs had expected their war cry to scare the meddling brat so badly he’d piss himself and run for the hills.
But the youth was perfectly calm. His eyes were bright, and there was something eerily familiar about his gaze.
An instant later, they realized what it was: the look of a predator spotting its prey.
It was the same look they had in their own eyes when they went out robbing. No wonder it was so familiar.
But what did it mean that he was looking at *them* that way?
Was he seeing them as prey?
As something to be hunted?
What’s more, he looked so confident, so relaxed—as if they weren’t even worth his notice.
"This..."
Jiang Jichen’s expression was so obvious, how could the bandits fail to see it?
Just moments ago, they had been laughing boisterously, their presence overwhelming. Now, their faces were as dark as storm clouds.
The bandit leader was the first to explode with rage. "Damn it! This brat dares to mock us! Kill him! Tonight, we’ll drink his blood and eat his flesh! Show him that the Earth Bandit Gang’s words are no empty threat!"
The Earth Bandit Gang members knew that many people were watching. They had just lost face, and in a big way.
Therefore, only the most bloody, cruel, and depraved methods could restore their honor and prevent the Earth Bandit Gang’s fearsome reputation from being diminished.
"I’ll cleave him in two!"
The Grandmaster-level bandit raised his great saber again, intending to cleave Jiang Jichen in half.
Blade Qi surged from the weapon as the Blade Aura, shimmering like a bolt of white silk, tore through the air and descended upon him.
But Jiang Jichen simply flicked a finger at the descending saber!
CLANG!
The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the air.
Then, the silk-like Blade Aura disintegrated. The extraordinary Treasure Saber itself... shattered into a million pieces, scattering across the ground!
The entire area fell silent as everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the scene.
It was unbelievable, impossible to accept!
’How is this possible?’
With a casual flick of a finger, he had shattered a Grandmaster’s Treasure Saber, leaving the bandit clutching nothing but the hilt.
But that wasn’t all!
The Grandmaster’s body convulsed as if struck by lightning, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.
SPLAT!
The next moment, his body exploded into a shower of gore, splattering across the faces of the surrounding bandits.
Then, Jiang Jichen’s voice rang out. "Since you’ve told me everything I wanted to know, you can all die now."
His voice was gentle, without a hint of killing aura, but to everyone’s ears, it was like the voice of a Demon echoing in their hearts, planting a seed of terror that grew endlessly.
’Who is he?’
’Why is he so terrifying?’
Only now did such thoughts finally dawn in their minds.
Looking at this demonic youth, their eyes held nothing but terror.
"You dare kill my men so close to the Earth Bandit Gang’s headquarters? Our experts will be here any minute! You... you’re dead meat!"
Although the bandit leader was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, facing this youth who seemed to be at the Innate Tenth Realm, he was... terrified!
His will to fight was completely gone. All he could do was invoke the name of the Earth Bandit Gang, hoping to intimidate his opponent while he called for reinforcements.
But Jiang Jichen just smiled gently. "Why trouble them to come here? I’ll pay them a personal visit myself in a little while."
As he spoke, Jiang Jichen casually flicked his fingers. Streaks of golden Finger Light shot out, piercing the air like a rain of arrows.
PFFT! PFFT!
The sound of flesh being pierced again and again echoed under the silent sky—a harsh, grating noise that set one’s teeth on edge.
Then, screams of despair and terror echoed between heaven and earth, traveling far, far into the distance...
