From his vantage point among the trees, Gù Tiānháo watched the final moments of the guards' resistance with calculating eyes. The three remaining defenders had formed a tight triangle before the carriage door, their movements growing increasingly desperate as fatigue and wounds took their toll. The bandits, sensing victory, had become more aggressive, pressing their advantage with cruel efficiency. It was time to act—any further delay would see the guards overwhelmed and the carriage's occupants at the bandits' mercy.
Tiānháo drew a slow, centered breath, aligning his Qi and focusing his intent. The Shadow Steps technique activated with barely a whisper of energy, and he descended the slope in a blur of controlled movement, using trees and rocks as cover until the last possible moment. His target was the trio of 3rd Level bandits who had separated from the main group, currently flanking the embattled guards. They were the most vulnerable and, once eliminated, would create confusion he could exploit.
The first bandit died without ever knowing what struck him. Tiānháo emerged from the shadows directly behind the man, his Bone Shattering Fist—the first movement of the Divergent Fist—driving into the base of the bandit's skull with precision and controlled force. The technique lived up to its name, bone fragments shattering inward as the man crumpled without a sound. Before the body hit the ground, Tiānháo was already moving toward his second target.
This time, he wasn't quite fast enough to maintain complete surprise. The second bandit sensed something and began to turn, eyes widening in alarm as he caught a glimpse of Tiānháo's approaching form. But the warning came too late—Tiānháo's Flash Fist, the second movement of the Divergent Fist, struck the man's chest with devastating speed. The bandit flew backward several paces, his ribcage collapsed inward, dead before he landed in a crumpled heap.
Now the element of surprise was lost. The third bandit in the group shouted a warning, bringing his weapon up in a desperate defensive posture. "Ambush! Behind us!" he cried, but his voice choked off as Tiānháo closed the distance between them with unnatural speed. This time, Tiānháo employed the Wind Palm, the first movement of the Gale Palm technique, striking with an open hand that discharged a concentrated burst of Qi. The force caught the bandit squarely in the throat, crushing his windpipe and sending him staggering backward, clutching futilely at his neck as he suffocated.
The entire sequence had taken less than five seconds, but it had dramatically altered the battlefield dynamics. Three bandits were down, and confusion rippled through the remaining attackers as they registered this unexpected threat. The surviving guards, seizing the moment of distraction, rallied and pressed forward, their blades finding openings in their opponents' suddenly divided attention.
"What the hell?" the scarred leader snarled, whirling to face this new threat. His eyes narrowed as he took in Tiānháo's appearance—a young man, seemingly traveling alone, yet moving with the deadly precision of a trained cultivator. 03 "Kill him!" he barked to his remaining men. "Quickly, before he can—"
He didn't finish the sentence as Tiānháo launched into motion again, this time targeting the nearest of the 4th Level bandits. This opponent was more prepared, meeting Tiānháo's charge with a defensive technique of his own—a crude but effective energy shield that momentarily deflected Tiānháo's Wind Palm. The two exchanged a rapid series of blows, Qi techniques flaring as they tested each other's defenses. Tiānháo found himself impressed despite himself; this bandit had some genuine skill, suggesting formal training at some point in his past.
But skill alone wasn't enough against Tiānháo's superior meridian efficiency and combat experience. Finding an opening in his opponent's guard, Tiānháo feinted with another Wind Palm before abruptly switching to the Induction Fist—the third movement of the Divergent Fist, which he had only partially mastered. The technique lived up to its name, "inducing" the opponent's Qi to flow in a disruptive pattern that momentarily paralyzed the bandit's right arm. In that brief window of vulnerability, Tiānháo's hunting knife found the man's heart with surgical precision.
Four down, five remaining—but now the element of surprise was completely gone, and the remaining bandits had regrouped, surrounding Tiānháo in a loose semicircle. The guards, seeing an opportunity, pressed their own attack against the bandits nearest to them, creating a chaotic melee. Tiānháo found himself facing three opponents simultaneously—two at the 3rd Level and one at the 4th—while the scarred leader and the remaining 4th Level bandit engaged the guards.
"Who the hell are you?" one of the bandits facing Tiānháo demanded, his weapon—a serrated short sword that gleamed with a faint poisonous sheen—held at the ready. "This isn't your fight, traveler. Walk away now, and we might let you live.
"Tiānháo didn't bother responding to the transparent attempt at intimidation. Instead, he assessed his opponents with cold efficiency, noting their stances, weapon choices, and the subtle tells in their Qi fluctuations that might reveal their next moves. The 4th Level cultivator was the primary threat—a lean, scarred woman wielding twin daggers with the fluid grace of a practiced assassin. The two 3rd Level bandits were less concerning individually but could become dangerous if they coordinated their attacks effectively.
They attacked simultaneously, as if responding to some unspoken signal. The woman darted forward, daggers tracing deadly arcs aimed at Tiānháo's vital points, while the two men circled to flank him from either side. It was a well-practiced maneuver, suggesting they had hunted together before. Against an ordinary opponent, even one with some cultivation, it might have been overwhelming.
But Tiānháo was far from ordinary. He activated the Shadow Steps at full power, his form blurring as he moved with supernatural speed. Instead of retreating from the three-pronged attack, he stepped directly toward the female cultivator, entering the space between her daggers' arcs. It was a counter-intuitive move that caught her by surprise—most opponents would try to maintain distance from her blades. In that moment of confusion, Tiānháo struck with the Wind Palm, the concentrated force catching her squarely in the solar plexus.
The woman's eyes widened in shock as the technique bypassed her defensive Qi, driving the air from her lungs and disrupting her energy circulation. She staggered backward, momentarily vulnerable, but Tiānháo had already moved on, knowing the two flanking bandits would be converging on his position. He pivoted sharply, using the momentum of his previous attack to power a spinning kick that caught one of the 3rd Level bandits in the side of the head. The man dropped like a stone, his neck broken by the force of the impact.
Five down, four remaining—but now Tiānháo found himself slightly overextended, and the remaining 3rd Level bandit seized the opportunity. The man's curved blade sliced through the air where Tiānháo's head had been a moment before, missing by mere centimeters as Tiānháo ducked and rolled. Coming up in a defensive stance, Tiānháo felt a sharp sting across his left forearm—the female cultivator had recovered faster than expected and managed to score a glancing hit with one of her daggers.
Blood welled from the shallow cut, but Tiānháo ignored it, focusing instead on the immediate threat. The two bandits pressed their momentary advantage, attacking in tandem with increasing desperation. They had seen half their companions fall in less than a minute and knew their survival now depended on overwhelming this unexpected adversary quickly. Their attacks grew more reckless, sacrificing defense for aggressive speed.
It was exactly the opening Tiānháo had been waiting for. As the male bandit overextended on a thrust, Tiānháo sidestepped and seized the man's wrist, using his own momentum against him. With a sharp twist and application of focused Qi, he dislocated the bandit's elbow, then drove a palm strike to his temple that rendered him unconscious instantly. In the same fluid motion, Tiānháo spun to face the female cultivator, who had launched another attack with her remaining dagger, the other having been lost in the chaotic exchange.
Their eyes met for a brief moment—hers filled with fury and a dawning realization of defeat, his cold and calculating. Then Tiānháo's hunting knife found her throat, ending the confrontation with brutal efficiency. He didn't watch her fall, already turning his attention to the remaining threats—the scarred leader and the last 4th Level bandit, who were still engaged with the guards.
The scene by the carriage had changed dramatically. One more guard had fallen, leaving only two defenders, both wounded and flagging. But they had managed to seriously injure the 4th Level bandit they faced, whose movements had grown sluggish from blood loss. The scarred leader, however, remained dangerous—his greater cultivation base allowing him to dominate his portion of the battlefield with powerful Qi techniques that kept the remaining guard constantly on the defensive.
Tiānháo assessed the situation in an instant and made his decision. The wounded 4th Level bandit was the easier target and eliminating him would allow the guards to focus on supporting Tiānháo against their leader. With that calculation made, Tiānháo activated the Shadow Steps again, crossing the distance to the wounded bandit in a blur of motion. The man sensed the approach and tried to turn, but his injuries had slowed him too much. Tiānháo's Flash Fist caught him squarely in the back, the concentrated force shattering his spine and ending his threat permanently.
Now only the leader remained—the 5th Level cultivator with the scarred face, who had finally taken full notice of Tiānháo's devastating impact on his band. The man's expression twisted with rage as he disengaged from the guard he had been fighting, turning to face this new and clearly more dangerous opponent. "You've made a grave mistake, boy," he snarled, his Qi flaring visibly around him in angry crimson waves. "Do you have any idea who you're interfering with? The Black Fang Brotherhood isn't some petty bandit group—we have connections that reach into places you can't imagine.
"Tiānháo said nothing, taking the moment to center himself and assess his opponent more thoroughly. The man's cultivation was indeed at the 5th Level of Body Refinement, making him technically Tiānháo's superior in raw power. His Qi had a corrupted quality to it, suggesting he practiced some variant of a demonic cultivation technique—not uncommon among bandit leaders who sought power through shortcuts and forbidden methods. Such techniques often offered rapid advancement at the cost of long-term stability and mental balance.
The two remaining guards had regrouped by the carriage door, their weapons at the ready but wisely staying back from what was clearly about to become a confrontation between cultivators beyond their level. From within the carriage came the sound of hushed voices, the occupants apparently realizing that the tide of battle had turned but unsure of their new defender's intentions.
"Last chance to walk away," the scarred leader offered, his tone suggesting he didn't expect Tiānháo to accept. "You've got skill, I'll grant you that. Killed six of my men—that's impressive for someone your age. But you're outmatched here, and we both know it. I'm at the 5th Level, boy, and I've been there for years. You're what, 4th Level? And probably newly advanced, judging by your age.
"Tiānháo remained silent, his expression impassive as he continued to analyze his opponent. The man was trying to intimidate him, yes, but he wasn't entirely wrong. A cultivator who had stabilized at the 5th Level for years would have advantages in experience and technique refinement. This would not be an easy fight, especially after the energy Tiānháo had already expended dealing with the other bandits. But he had advantages of his own—his unusually efficient meridian network, his combat experience against both humans and beasts, and the element of unpredictability that came from techniques his opponent was unlikely to have encountered before.
"Nothing to say?
" the bandit leader taunted, beginning to circle slowly. "Fine. I'll make this quick, then take my time with whatever's in that fancy carriage. Maybe I'll keep you alive long enough to watch—a lesson in what happens to those who interfere with the Black Fang Brotherhood. "Tiānháo finally broke his silence, his voice calm and measured. "You talk too much.
" With that simple statement, he shifted into a combat stance, his Qi gathering in preparation for what was to come. The real battle was about to begin.