From a distance, the meandering mountain peaks curved and bent like dragons traversing the skies. Mountainous paths of varying sizes existed between cliffs, lined with luscious trees and forests. From time to time, the melody of birds chirping would ring in the air. Indeed, this was a picturesque scenery.
Within one of the mountain paths, a group of figures gradually appeared.
"Senior Brother, why are we not using the sect’s ark for this expedition? We’ve been out for so many days that my feet are blistering!" Within this group of people clad in blue robes, a young girl was grumbling to a man walking in front of her.
"Junior Sister, crossing mountains and seas is also a form of training. Along our way here, you’ve increased your cultivation base by a level, and all our Junior Brothers have benefitted from this experience as well. Even though using the ark would be convenient, would we still have such encounters had we used the ark?’ The man who was leading the pack was suave and elegant, with a sharp v-shaped face. On that stern face was an air of haughtiness.
The young lady nodded in agreement at her Senior Brother’s words. "Senior Brother, the Fiery h.e.l.l seems like a treacherous place. Would we be in any danger? And also, I’ve heard rumors that the mysterious beast has appeared once more. Would we b.u.mp into it?"
Lei Yifeng stopped his footsteps. "Junior Sister, we aren’t here to play in this expedition. The Fiery h.e.l.l is a training ground. Even right where we are now, we cannot afford to even let our guards down now and be careless."
Regarding this Junior Sister, Lei Yifeng was somewhat helpless. Even though she had entered the sect not too long ago, she had an extremely high potential. Within a short span of 8 years, she had already climbed to be a pericelestial middle-level warrior. But what frustrated Lei Yifeng was her character. If she could endure all the training given, with her potential, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to hit full cultivation of pericelestial as well.
"Got it. But then again, with Senior Brother here, how could there be any dangers for us? Furthermore, the scenery here is so beautiful! How could this place be dangerous!" Xing Yueyu stuck out her tongue and said cheekily. Senior Brother only knew how to be serious all day and night, not even cute in the slightest manner.
"The more beautiful a place, the more dangerous it is. You must remember this in your heart, junior sister." Lei Yifeng shook his head.
He did not know if it were the right decision to bring this Junior Sister along for the expedition this time around. Even though their purpose here was to train up these Junior Brothers, the main motive was actually to check out the situation of the Fiery h.e.l.l.
The vicinity of the Fiery h.e.l.l was expanding over time, burning more area as time went by. Furthermore, the temperature was steadily increasing as well. They had to check out just what was going on.
"Chey! I refuse to believe it. How could such a beautiful place be dangerous? In MY opinion, Senior Brother, you, are just making a mountain out of a molehill. You need to know how to enjoy life!" Xing Yueyu said mischievously.
The surrounding disciples chuckled. Towards this cute little Junior Sister, they have taken quite a liking as well.
But their Senior Brother’s serious expression did keep them on their toes as well.
"Young girl, what your Senior Brother said is right. The more beautiful a place is, the more you should be wary of it." Just then, a gentle voice came from the distance. Everyone was startled.
Lei Yifeng turned around cautiously as well. Xing Yueyu was rooted on her spot at first, but moved to stand beside her Senior Brother.
"Who is it? Come out!" Lei Yifeng said sternly.
Lin Fan stepped out with his hands behind his back. Following closely behind him were the fourteen Sand Bandits.
"Now, calm down, ladies and gentlemen. I mean no harm. This is just a small robbery." Lin Fan’s face was extremely calm, bringing about a pleasant smile. This was going to be decent robbery.
In the past two weeks, Lin Fan had lost his carriage.
When they were pa.s.sing by a danger ground in the middle of their journey, they met with a stampede of beasts by chance. As these beasts ran towards them, it felt like there was an earthquake.
Lin Fan was initially excited by the scene. If he killed all of these beasts in one swoop, that would be a sh*t ton of experience points!
But when Lin Fan spotted a few beasts of lesser celestial cultivation bases within the beasts, he changed his mind immediately.
Hiding along with Sha Dulong and the other bandits, he could only watch helplessly as the carriage they did not manage to hide in time got drowned within the stampede of beasts.
Therefore, Lin Fan, who was enjoying his journey in comfort, could only rely on his legs to travel along with Sha Dulong and the rest of the bandits.
And just like that, ten days had pa.s.sed, and they had exhausted all their provisions. They could only rely on hunting beasts for food daily. What a terrible life that was!
Now that they were approaching the Fiery h.e.l.l, Lin Fan had intended to just briefly check out the location indicated in the ‘Seven Saints Treasure Map’ before heading to a nearby town to replenish their stocks. But at that very moment, Sha Miexiong, who was casually strolling outside, hurried over, reporting that he had found a group of people.
Initially resigned to life, Lin Fan was revitalized the moment he heard this. If he did not grab this piece of meat that had dropped right before his mouth, there would be no other chance for this golden opportunity!
Ever since Sha Dulong and the bandits had followed Lin Fan, the thoughts of robbing anyone had entirely vanished from their minds.
But when Lin Fan gathered them to have them prepare for one, they were nevertheless excited.
"Senior Brother, are these what do they call them, bandits? Don’t they know who we are?" Xing Yueyu was not in the least bit nervous as she let out an excited smile.
But Lei Yifeng continued surveying them warily.
Sha Dulong and the other bandits were of pericelestial cultivation base. Therefore, they naturally let out a strong aura. This, Lei Yifeng could sense. But if this were the only thing, he wouldn’t be so worried. What he was concerned about was Lin Fan. This man did not give off any sort of aura at all. Silent and deadly.
"Who are you guys?" Lei Yifeng held back his Junior Sister and asked.
Looking at this bunch of disciples, Lin Fan was also pondering in his heart. By the looks of it, they looked pretty wealthy. They should have plenty of resources available on their rich selves.
But as a celebrity of Glory Sect, Lin Fan would not do anything underhanded such as killing people and looting their dead bodies. However, everyone had their times of needs. Now, seeking some help while one was in dire straits wouldn’t be too much now, would it?
"Who we are isn’t important. What’s important is that you guys, please stand still and cause no fuss. I’m only here to rob you. I don’t want to take your lives."
Lin Fan had three rules for robbing.
No killing. No raping. Only robbing of wealth.
"Insolent! We’re the disciples of Daozhong Sect. You dare to rob us?" A disciple shouted from within their midst.
This was the first time they had encountered something like this. If they were to head back and let their Senior Brothers know that they had been robbed while on an expedition, wouldn’t they be the laughing stock of the sect?
"Haven"t you heard what our honorable sir had said? Stop creating a fuss and leave your valuables!" Sha Miexiong had been a bandit for a long time. Thus, he was at his happiest when he was conducting a robbery. Now that he had followed a strong man and was still able to go back to his old trade, he was naturally overwhelmed with joy.
This was the way a true robbery should go, full of intimidation and fearsomeness. He had to be so intimidating that the other party would not even dare to resist.
"Senior Brother, what are we even doing wasting time with them? Let’s just kill them." A disciple whispered.
Lei Yifeng was hesitating in his heart, unable to make a decision. The man before him gave off a really dangerous feeling.
"HAHA! Lei Yifeng! To think that you guys from Daozhong Sect would be robbed one day!" Just then, the leaves of a tree nearby ruffled as a sharp, high pitched feminine voice came from within.
A man who was clad in white, with long, wavy hair, was standing on top of his long sword. That handsome face coupled with his arrogant expression made him look like a top sword master, causing anyone who looked at him to feel ashamed of themselves.
"Liu Linfeng." Looking at who it was, Lei Yifeng’s expression changed, somewhat displeased.
"Well, these bandits seem to have quite a decent cultivation base. But they’re still nothing much. Let me send them to the Heavens with my sword then." Liu Linfeng laughed coldly and sharply. With the flick of his finger, the long sword beneath his feet flew up into the skies, danced in a circle before sheathing itself back onto the scabbard on his back.
His clothing was white as snow, and he landed without a single sound. Indeed, he gave off the very air of a pseudo-man.
Lin Fan sized this guy up, nodding his head repeatedly.
Not bad.
He could train this man with a good lesson.