Comprehending Myriad Techniques as Woodcutter

When Huang Zifeng saw that Xie Yuan had been surrounded by the bandits, he squeezed his eyes shut, his face contorting in pain.

However, as the team leader, he was decisive. He made a snap judgment and ordered:

"Go! We’re leaving now!"

The other three stared with wide eyes. Lin Zhen’s voice trembled.

"But Junior Brother Zhang..."

"Go! There’s no time! We have to leave. Have you forgotten what we were told before we set out?"

Huang Zifeng’s voice turned severe. The other three shuddered, forced themselves not to look back, and broke into a desperate sprint.

The bandits were momentarily delayed, allowing the disciples to create some distance, but they quickly sent several groups in pursuit.

The four of them fled for a long time. Seeing the bandits closing in again, they were desperately trying to think of a plan when Pei Yu pulled a round, black ball from his chest and threw it behind him.

BOOM! The sound was like a clap of thunder right next to their ears, making the Sword Sect disciples flinch.

They looked back to see a massive fireball erupt behind them, with black smoke slowly rising. The lead bandits had been reduced to mangled corpses on the ground, and the rest, startled, reined in their horses.

More importantly, the horses and camels panicked at the deafening explosion. They bucked and scattered, refusing to obey their riders, and were quickly left behind by the four fleeing disciples.

Huang Zifeng asked in surprise:

"What was that...?"

"A top-grade Thunder Bomb from Jiangnan’s Thunderclap Hall. I have one left. If they catch up again, I can use it."

Pei Yu patted his chest, which made the other three’s eyelids twitch as they subconsciously edged away from him.

Jiangnan’s Thunderclap Hall was a sect that specialized in making all sorts of explosive hidden weapons, and the Thunder Bomb was their signature product. The device could injure even Martial Artists, yet could also be used by ordinary people. It had always sold for an astronomical price; only someone with Pei Yu’s wealth could afford to carry them around.

Lin Zhen bit her red lip and hesitated.

"Why didn’t you... earlier?"

"It all happened too fast. I meant to use it, but there was no time... I also gave one to Junior Brother Zhang. I don’t know if he’ll be able to use it."

Pei Yu’s expression darkened. Although he had barely exchanged two sentences with that earnest junior brother, they were still from the same sect. Leaving together but not returning together weighed heavily on his heart.

The other three were surprised to hear that Pei Yu had also given Xie Yuan a hidden weapon for self-defense. They hadn’t expected him to be so warm-hearted beneath his cold exterior.

It was just a pity that it didn’t seem to have helped in the end.

The group ran head-down for half a day. When they finally reached the top of a sand dune and saw that the bandits were no longer in pursuit, they finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

They were now near Gourd Mouth Pass, so they were likely safe. A wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over the four of them, and they collapsed onto the sand, gasping for breath.

After a series of battles and such a long run, they had all overexerted themselves.

The four sat in silence for a moment before Lin Cheng suddenly spoke.

"I’m going back to save Junior Brother Zhang."

Huang Zifeng’s face darkened slightly, and he slowly shook his head.

"I’m afraid Junior Brother Zhang is already..."

Although Zhang Shan had said at the end that revealing his identity could save his life, that was just a best-case scenario. It was more likely he had already been hacked to pieces.

"No, he had a point. The bandits captured him, but that doesn’t mean they’d kill him right away."

Lin Cheng shook his head.

"I’m going to save him. I need to see him, dead or alive."

Huang Zifeng’s brow furrowed slightly.

"There are so many of them. How could you possibly save him?"

"Though a thousand or ten thousand stand against me, I will go."

Lin Cheng’s expression was resolute.

Lin Zhen and Pei Yu struggled to their feet and also nodded firmly.

Huang Zifeng threw cold water on their enthusiasm.

"Your will is strong, but will can’t kill people. There are over a hundred bandits in the Fengsha Collection. Even if you all had the strength of the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm, you would have to think twice, let alone a few at the External Training level."

"So... are you saying we shouldn’t save him?"

Lin Zhen asked, her voice trembling. Pei Yu also wore a look of indignation.

"Of course we’re going to save him."

Huang Zifeng’s voice was decisive and his words were blunt.

"But I’ll be going alone.

"The trial is now over. You all head back for reinforcements immediately. Otherwise, you’ll just be holding me back."

’The dead weight is finally gone.’

Xie Yuan, surrounded by the bandits with his hands raised high, thought to himself.

Several of the leaders sat on their horses, looking down on him as one of them roared:

"Run! Go on, run! You think you can outrun my horse?"

"State your name and where you’re from! How dare you cause trouble for our caravan? I’m gonna drag you behind a horse and let you bake in the sun for three days and three nights!"

Xie Yuan tried to lift his head, but—THUMP—someone leaped off their horse and stomped on his back.

Although it didn’t hurt at all, he still let out a muffled grunt and said sullenly:

"Reporting! My name is Zhang Shan!"

"Zhang San? And I suppose I’m Li Si!"

The man cursed viciously and struck Xie Yuan with his horsewhip.

"Behave yourself! Don’t think I don’t know your little tricks. Where are you from?"

"My good man, my name really is Zhang Shan. I’m a disciple of the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect."

Xie Yuan inwardly pursed his lips. ’This guy’s accent is a mess. He can’t even pronounce his words right.’

"The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect?"

The surrounding bandits were startled. They exchanged glances, and one snorted.

"Just because you say you are, that makes it true? I could say I’m from the Xuanzhen Sect!"

Despite his words, his tone had clearly softened.

The Cloud Mountain Sword Sect was not far from the West Desert, and its disciples often traveled here.

Although Lu the Third was an overlord of the West Desert who controlled an Oasis City and its surrounding water sources with over a thousand bandits under his command, he never directly clashed with the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect and didn’t dare to openly harm its disciples.

He might have looked coarse and boorish, but he was actually incredibly shrewd and adept at judging situations and seizing opportunities. Otherwise, he never would have risen from a common bandit to his current position.

This was especially true after the Cloud Mountain Sword Sect’s Autumn Equinox Sword Discussion with the Sword Storage Pavilion. Li Xingtuo had risen to sixth place on the Flying Dragon List, and his name now thundered throughout the Western Regions. Lu the Third had repeatedly warned his men to stay far away from Sword Sect disciples. If they provoked the Sword Sect, and a few elders or even Li Xingtuo himself showed up, not even a thousand bandits would be enough to save his head.