On the other side of the mountain ridge, there were also several groups of people hidden among the mountains.

"For the sake of regaining freedom, what does it matter if we offend the Zhou Family? As long as we get the antidote, we'll quickly flee. Hmph, even if the Zhou Family is powerful, can they really find us among the vast sea of people?"

This was the thought on the minds of all the bandit leaders at that moment.

"Boss, according to the information from that mysterious man, this Zhou Family branch are all just kids who haven't fully grown. The strength of their guards is at most around the Fifth Rank, nothing to worry about!"

"Hehe, of all the businesses this old man has done, this is the most thrilling. Hehe, I usually have to nod and bow to the Zhou Family, even their servants dare to push me around. Now, I've finally got the chance!"

Unlike others, this bandit leader was not the least bit afraid of killing people from the Zhou Family, he was extremely excited!

They were directly hidden behind a mound full of withered weeds by the roadside.

Beside the bandit the size of a black bear, a man with triangular eyes whispered repeatedly, "Boss, according to the scout, they'll be here at most in half a stick of incense's time."

"Keep watching!" The bandit leader sneered coldly, "Go ahead and keep an eye out, when they arrive, signal at once."

"Got it." The lean and agile man with triangular eyes swiftly moved to more than ten zhang away, watching the road closely.

"Brother, are there enough of us?" Beside the bandit leader was a handsome young man.

"Relax, Third Brother. According to the intel, the other side has about thirty people! Most of them are immature kids. Even if they have cultivated some martial arts, hehe, they've never killed anyone before, huh, what's there to fear? Besides, it's not just us acting, the entire Panlong Ridge stronghold is moving out. Our one hundred and three brothers, damn it, we'll give them a taste of arrows first, most of them will probably fall, and the remaining dozen or so, we'll gang up on them, wouldn't it be easy to wipe them out? Hmph, if it weren't for wanting to earn some initial credit in front of that mysterious man, I wouldn't have bothered to bring so many brothers." The bandit leader plunged the large machete on his back into the ground, sneering as he spoke.

"Brother, let's be cautious, they are Zhou Family people after all." The handsome young man reminded.

"What are you afraid of? Your brother here, alone, with one knife, can make them cry and call for their moms! Zhou Family people, huh, Zhou Family people, do they have a couple of extra arms?" The bandit leader spat fiercely, cursing under his breath.

After a long while.

"Boss." The man with triangular eyes sneakily came over from not far away, his face full of joy, "The sheep are coming, about a hundred zhang away, a grand convoy, I recognized them from afar."

The bandit leader's eyes lit up, and the surrounding bandits were each extremely excited, yet all remained silent. This band of seasoned bandits were the fiercest in Panlong Ridge, unlike other bandits who rob wealth but spare lives, these were particularly brutal, leaving no survivors at all under their hands. This is why they were so daring, disregarding even the Zhou Family, and were even more excited because their targets were the Zhou Family.

Each one of them stretched out their tongue, licking their lips, eyes emitting a bloodthirsty glow like hungry wolves.

"Brothers," the bandit leader lowered his voice, his face twisted menacingly, "later on, when those sheep get near, wait for my order, then everyone shoot at them fiercely. Preferably, kill over half of them right at the start."

The bandits smiled, their eyes still showing a fierce glow, like a group of beasts ready to attack.

...

Zhu Bufan and his group had no idea there was an ambush ahead; those bandit raiders had already begun pulling out their arrows, ready to attack.

The movements of the bandit raiders were light, and the distance was far, plus Zhu Bufan and his group had relaxed their guard, ordinary people wouldn't hear anything.

"Hmm?" Zheng Changde's ears twitched, glancing at the distant mound.

"Everyone, halt." Zheng Changde frowned, his gaze sharp on the mound. "Get ready, there's an ambush!"

Zheng Changde's low warning made everyone tense up immediately.

...

"Damn it!" The bandit leader noticed this, his face changed slightly, "The prey realized we're here."

"Boss, what do we do?" The man with triangular eyes asked urgently.

"What else can we do?" The bandit leader's expression turned sinister, a hint of madness in his eyes, "We have over a hundred men, should we fear these people? Brothers, listen up! In a moment, charge with me, when the archers get close, shoot fiercely, kill them all."

These bandits were filled with murderous intent, none of them without several human lives on their hands.

...

"Elder, are you sure?" The Guard Captain looked into the distance but found nothing amiss.

"Hmph!" Zheng Changde was polite to Zhu Bufan, but that didn't mean he had a good temper. As the grand elder of the Zhou Family, his status was prestigious, even the Family Head had never questioned him so straightforwardly. Yet a mere Guard Captain dared to speak to him like that, how could he tolerate it?

"Ah!" The Guard Captain realized the implication of his words right after speaking, his face turned deathly pale from fright.

Upon hearing Zheng Changde's dissatisfied snort, the Guard Captain was even more terrified, trembling all over.

"Hmph, these are critical times. When we go back, go to the Punishment Hall and take a hundred lashes from the Thorny Whip!" Zheng Changde grunted.

"Yes!" The Guard Captain was not sad about the hundred lashes but instead looked relieved. At least, this matter was considered settled. "Everyone, defend with all your might, be cautious!" the Guard Captain immediately ordered loudly.

"Elder, who do you think is ambushing us?" Zhu Bufan knew full well of Zheng Changde's abilities and had full trust in his words. "Elder, could it be the mountain bandits here?"

"Hmph, mountain bandits wouldn't have the guts... who else would dare to deal with me... could it be that person?"

...

"Kill!" A ferocious roar came from behind the mound, and a burly, dark-skinned man charged forward first with a large machete. Behind him followed a large group, like a pack of wolves, storming down from the mound.

"Attack!"

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...

Arrows rained down from the sky like a torrential downpour towards everyone.

"Bandits, they really are bandits. Such audacity!" The guards were furious and shocked when they saw the bandits charging out.

All the guards brandished their spears, various lights bursting forth from their bodies.

Once Inner Qi Cultivation reached the Seventh Rank, understanding the Shock Method, aside from refining internal organs and bones, one could use Inner Qi externally to form an invisible protective shield, acting as armor.

So, to see if someone reached the Seventh Rank, one just needed to see if they could manifest a shield.

However, once Inner Qi Cultivation reached the Fifth Rank, one could infuse Inner Qi into a weapon, unleashing sword light or sword light, but to manifest invisible sword Qi or sword energy, one's Inner Qi Cultivation must reach the Ninth Rank, with Qi flowing fully and unobstructed through all acupoints.

Faced with the feathered arrows flying in the sky, the guards snorted coldly; the armor they wore couldn't be pierced by these arrows, plus the sword lights and sword energies surrounding them could turn those feathered arrows to dust.

"No, wait, be careful, it's Breaking Gang Arrows!" Zheng Changde's sharp eyes noticed that many arrows didn't produce any tearing sound, and he loudly warned.

"Ah!" However, the warning came too late, in that instant, two Seventh Rank experts were completely penetrated, pinned to the ground like porcupines.

It was unfortunate for these two Seventh Rank guards; while other Ninth and even Fifth Rank weren't injured, these two Seventh Rank experts lost their lives to these first-class feathered arrows.

The arrows of these feathered arrows were crafted from a very precious material called Attached Stone. This Attached Stone originates from areas dense with Wind Attribute, carrying varying amounts of Wind Element. When made into arrows using special methods, they are as hard as iron but silent, perfect for assassination, and they have a strong breaking effect against the shield, specifically to break Inner Qi protective barriers. Some experts are careless, using their Inner Qi shield directly to block, and they suffer great loss!

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