Ch. 51 - The Thirteen Bandits

"I've killed before," Chu Yang said hesitantly.

On the road from Sunshine Village to Profound Origin City, he had encountered a few ignorant thieves, that had been his first time taking a life.

Strangely, he hadn’t felt nauseated or disgusted. Instead, he had felt a faint curiosity.

The old man continued polishing the saber in his hands, blew lightly on the edge of the blade, and smiled. “In our military camp, killing is a regular thing. You’ll get used to it soon enough.

“As for that young guy earlier, he’s from the Tong Clan, a major clan in Profound Origin City. He’s a bit arrogant. Don’t take it to heart.”

“Why would someone from the Tong Clan be here?” Chu Yang asked, curious.

Logically, clans like the Tong Clan shouldn’t be lacking in cultivation resources. Their power was likely on par with the military camp itself. Why send their young heirs here?

“Our camp may not provide you with an abundance of cultivation resources, nor grant you high status or political clout,” the old man said with a grin, “but if you come here, you’ll definitely learn two things.”

“What things?” Chu Yang asked.

“Bloodlust and courage,” the old man said, his tone shifting. In that moment, an intense aura burst from his body, like a sea of blood surging around him, wrapped in a chilling killing intent.

Chu Yang was stunned. He felt like a lone boat adrift in an endless, raging sea, tiny and helpless.

“That’s why many clan heirs come here, not for cultivation, but to temper themselves,” the old man laughed heartily, stood up, sheathed his saber, and walked off into the wind. “Kid, you’ve got a long road ahead!”

Inside the ring, Elder Mo chuckled. “This place suits you well.”

“I’ll do my best,” Chu Yang nodded and stood up too.

Over the following days, Chu Yang gradually adapted to the life here. The young man named Tong Guan turned out to be the squad’s favorite, kind-hearted, albeit a little arrogant.

The old man who had chatted with Chu Yang was named Wu Sanlang. Rumor had it that he fought like a madman in battle, which is why he had earned that nickname.

Their ten-man squad was led by a Decurion named Feng Bing, a burly man built like a bear who wielded a pair of massive iron hammers and possessed innate brute strength.

One morning, after breakfast, Feng Bing gathered the squad.

“We have a mission,” he said. “It concerns the remnants of the Thirteen Cloudchain Bandits.”

“They were spotted recently near Blackwater Mountain. This time, eliminating them will earn each of you 1,000 merit points.”

“Whoa, that’s a generous reward,” someone nearby said with a grin.

“That’s generous?” Feng Bing scoffed. “If you can retrieve the Azure Cloud Battle Physique, I’ll give you 100,000 merit points.”

“If I had the Azure Cloud Battle Physique, I wouldn’t trade it even for a hundred million points,” the man laughed back.

“All right, get ready, we leave at noon,” Feng Bing ordered.

The squad dispersed. Only Chu Yang remained confused.

Thirteen Cloudchain Bandits? Azure Cloud Battle Physique? What were they talking about?

He found Wu Sanlang to ask. The two had grown close, and Chu Yang often turned to him with questions.

“You’ve heard of the Hundred Battle Physiques’ legend, right?” Wu Sanlang asked with a smile.

Chu Yang nodded.

“The Azure Cloud Battle Physique ranks seventy-second among them,” Wu explained. “Long ago, beneath Blackwater Mountain, there was a village called Cloudchain Village. Thirteen sworn brothers of different surnames lived there.

“One day, they supposedly dug up the Azure Cloud Physique Pearl from beneath a tree at the village entrance.

“The eldest brother fused with the Azure Cloud Battle Physique. As their strength grew, their ambitions turned dark.

“They became bandits in Blackwater Mountain, robbing travelers.”

“And then?” Chu Yang asked, intrigued.

“Eventually, someone posted a mission to exterminate the Thirteen Bandits on the True Martial Sacred Ground’s bounty board,” Wu Sanlang continued. “An elite disciple took on the mission and personally wiped them out.

“The eldest was killed on the spot. The other eleven were also slain. Only the youngest, the thirteenth brother, escaped under the cover of his comrades.”

“So the one we’re hunting now is that thirteenth brother?” Chu Yang asked.

“Most likely. We don’t know how accurate the intel is,” Wu Sanlang shrugged.

“What happened to the Azure Cloud Battle Physique in the end?”

“Why? Interested?” Wu Sanlang gave Chu Yang a look and continued, “Some say the elite disciple from True Martial Sacred Ground took it. Others say the thirteenth brother escaped with the Physique Pearl.

“There are all kinds of rumors. Some even claim the Azure Cloud Battle Physique never existed, it was just an excuse to take down the Thirteen Bandits.”

“No, I was just curious,” Chu Yang said with a smile.

By noon, under the blazing sun, the ten-man Blood Wolf Guard squad set out toward Blackwater Mountain.

Blackwater Mountain lay to the east of Profound Origin City, named after the Blackwater River, famed as the longest river in the Western Region.

Its source lay in the Hundred-Thousand Mountains to the west, and its eastern flow was said to reach beyond the Western Region’s borders into the heart of the Eastern Continent.

Chu Yang had the lowest cultivation level in the team, Seventh Stage of the Spirit Meridian Realm. The others were mostly in the Meridian Forging Realm, and Decurion Feng Bing was even at the peak of the Meridian Forging Realm.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw it wasn’t very tall, but dense forests covered it entirely. As they started climbing, they could already hear the roaring current of the Blackwater River.

“Someone’s been here,” Wu Sanlang said as he pointed to a patch of blood in a roadside bush.

He dipped his fingers in the blood, sniffed it, and said, “This is blood from a Level One demon beast, Swiftcloud Leopard.”

“Let’s move further in,” Feng Bing said after a moment of thought.

They pressed on. Soon, signs of battle appeared.

Several large trees had been snapped, the ground was full of pits and craters, and bloodstains were scattered all over.

“This blood’s still fresh. The fight didn’t end long ago,” Wu Sanlang noted.

“There’s someone over there!” Tong Guan suddenly shouted.

His voice was infused with spiritforce, and arcs of pale blue lightning danced around his feet.

He activated Lightning Step, bounding forward with the speed and sound of a thunderclap, and lunged into a bush, dragging out a man in a red robe.

The man was only at the peak of the Spirit Meridian Realm, but his fists glowed with earthy yellow spiritual energy, and shockingly, he was holding his own against Tong Guan.

Feng Bing waved his hand. All eight members of the squad, except for Chu Yang, rushed the man in unison and subdued him instantly.

“If you can gang up, don’t solo. No point wasting time,” Feng Bing said, seeing Chu Yang’s surprised face. He offered a casual explanation.

Chu Yang nodded quickly.

Then Feng Bing walked up to the captured man, examined him closely, and suddenly, his face changed drastically.

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