Chapter 3: Confrontation (Part 1)

The bandits in the camp formed a battle formation, though it was rather messy. The opposing group wasn’t much better, also scattered and disorganized. Yet both sides had a fierce demeanor.
Yadlan and Eson led a group of more combat-ready bandits at the front, all looking tense. The enemy numbers were huge, constantly pouring out of the dense forest, quickly outnumbering those in the camp.
Guo Shier stood up, slowly folding away his fur mat before shuffling forward to the front line. Aizek followed him. To them, though the formation was sizable, it wasn’t something to be taken seriously. Not counting Aizek, Guo Shier had seen far too many large-scale battles.
Reaching Yadlan, Guo Shier asked with a smile, “Why aren’t they attacking?”
Yadlan replied anxiously, “I don’t know. They just surrounded us… Good heavens, how can there be so many of them?”
Guo Shier said, “It seems their leader will be here soon. Let’s not rush to attack.”
Yadlan had no desire to fight at all. In her mind, if the enemy wanted to conquer them, she had no objection—being a bandit under Guo Shier was the same as being one in their ranks. Eson and the others shared this view; dying in battle was definitely not an option for them.
Aizek lazily glanced at the enemy before quickly losing interest. In his eyes, if they attacked, they were seeking death.
On the other side of the stream, another group of bandits emerged—about a few hundred—completely surrounding Guo Shier’s group.
Guo Shier sighed in frustration, “This location… really isn’t great.”
Wusi couldn’t help but smile bitterly. This place was only suitable as a temporary camp, not a proper defensive site. He didn’t argue; it was indeed just a staging ground for raiding the Karabaza Trail before retreating from here.
A moment later, the opposing group parted, and a small team stepped forward. Leading them was a tall white man, over two meters tall with broad shoulders, exuding a fierce aura. Guo Shier narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the murderous intent from this guy—clearly, he had killed countless people.
The few men accompanying the giant were also formidable. One of them was short, shaped like a toad with a triangular body, a huge belly, and a massive steel hammer in hand. His face was covered in fleshy protrusions, his eyes fierce as he stared intently at Aizek.

Another good-looking guy, but his gaze was fixed on Yadelan. He looked as if he might drool at any moment, his expression extremely lecherous.
Guo Shier said indifferently, “The good show is about to begin.” He signaled Ethan to step forward to talk and understand the situation first, though he was also prepared for a fight.
Ethan forced himself to speak, “Who are you? Why have you surrounded us?”
Ezek muttered, “This is so lacking in confidence. Too weak… That’s such a weak question…”
The leader among them said, “Dulong Boai.”
The toad-like man said, “Dajike.”
The good-looking guy laughed mischievously, “Poison Fang Xiao Dajike.”
Ethan, Yadelan, and the others all changed expressions, especially at the mention of Poison Fang Xiao Dajike, which shocked them even more. Guo Shier asked quietly, “Is he very famous?”
Yadelan’s face turned pale as she said softly, “Poison Fang Xiao Dajike… is a man who commits every kind of evil.” She was extremely uneasy, as Poison Fang Xiao Dajike loved to torment women, especially beautiful ones. By now, she had completely given up the idea of surrendering.
Dulong Boai held a giant steel spear in his hand, which looked terrifying—over a meter long from tip to tail, with a half-meter-long handle and a chain at the end. It was a deadly weapon suitable for both close and long-range combat. He sneered coldly, “If you surrender, I might spare your lives. But if you dare resist… there will be no mercy!”
Poison Fang Xiao Dajike sneered, “This girl is nice. She’s mine now.”
Yadelan’s whole body covered in goosebumps as she felt a wave of chill, her eyes filled with utter disgust. Once, Ezek had tried to harass her, and she had stabbed him fiercely—even though Ezek was many times stronger than her. She said, “Xiao Dajike, you’re just an animal!” Her hands clenched tightly around her sword, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Dajike laughed harshly and said, “No need to doubt it. My brother has always been an animal.”
A lecherous smile appeared on Poison Fang Xiao Dajike’s pale face as he said nonchalantly, “I like it. Beauty, in a moment, I’ll let you taste what it’s like to be an animal.”
Dulong Boai said calmly, “I’ll give you a chance. If anyone among you can withstand my three thrusts, I’ll let them go.”
Ethan glanced at Guo Shier, gritted his teeth, and said, “I’ll do it!”
Guo Shier also wanted to see how the locals fought, so he didn’t stop him. He merely said, “Ethan, be careful.”

Eisen stepped forward carrying his large axe; his strength was quite considerable. “Come on!” he roared, swinging his axe and charging forward.
Dulong Boai sneered as he thrust his giant spear forward—it resembled a howling dragon’s head as it was hurled with force. Eisen’s arms swelled suddenly, his meridians bulged, muscles tensed, and his axe emitted a faint glow before slashing down at the spear with a deafening crack.
Clang!
Eisen felt as though he had struck an steel wall; an unimaginable recoil force hit him, leaving him breathless. He couldn’t counteract that force and staggered backward repeatedly.
Dulong Boai said, “Not bad. You managed to block my spear… One more!” He lunged forward, drawing a semicircle with his spear, and roared, “Die!”
Whoosh…
The spear let out a piercing whistle. Despair flashed in Eisen’s eyes—he never realized the gap between them was so vast; he simply couldn’t block it. He threw his axe aside and dodged to the side. With a loud clang, the axe was sent flying by the spear.
Dulong Boai said, “You blocked the second spear. Now let’s see if you can block the third!” He rushed forward at incredible speed. Eisen had nowhere to hide and could only draw the dagger at his waist just in time. The spear came down from above, and he closed his eyes in despair.
Guo Shier shook his head and sent out a purple virtual talisman chain, which instantly wrapped around the spear. He said indifferently, “Damn you…”
The spear was trapped by the purple chain, and instantly, its massive force dissipated. Even worse, pulled by the chain, the spear traced a semicircle in the air before crashing down. Dulong Boai had used all his strength, but he was horrified to find he couldn’t move the spear even slightly, watching helplessly as it headed straight for him.
With Guo Shier’s curse, Dulong Boai was sent flying by the spear. Amid the loud crash, his body cracked loudly—his arms were broken, his sternum collapsed significantly, and a gush of blood sprayed out. He didn’t even cry out before collapsing to the ground, convulsing. He wasn’t unconscious yet, managing to lift one hand to point at Guo Shier, uttering incoherent words. He never expected Guo Shier to be so powerful, nor had he seen such bizarre tactics before.

Yadelan rushed forward abruptly. She swung her two-handed greatsword and slashed fiercely at Viper Little Jike. This was a perfect opportunity, as both Big Jike and Viper Little Jike were too shocked to react—they never expected Durong Boai to lose, and so quickly at that. While they were stunned, Yadelan’s greatsword came down in a swift strike.

Ezek couldn’t help but cheer—this woman was ruthless and had seized the moment perfectly.

By the time Viper Little Jike regained his senses, the greatsword was already close to his neck. Terrified, his eyes turned green. He flipped his wrist, drawing a curved short blade less than two feet long to block it desperately. In such a short time, he had no chance to withstand the relentless slashes of the greatsword. With a crisp sound, his short blade was shattered and flung away. In that brief instant, he managed to buy himself a sliver of hope before collapsing to the ground.

The greatsword swept over his head, slicing off a large piece of scalp. The pain made him scream loudly, as blood flowed like a waterfall. He rolled around, shouting, “Save me! Save me!”

Big Jike swung his hammer to block, knowing that if he failed again, Little Jike would be finished. Boom! The impact forced Yadelan to retreat several steps.

Then Viper Little Jike screamed, “I’ll tear you apart…” He grabbed a short blade from the ground—the same kind of weapon resembling fangs—and charged at Yadelan.

Clang! Clang! Clang…

Yadelan was clearly weaker than Viper Little Jike. She frantically swung her greatsword to block his serpentine short blade. Viper Little Jike was nearly insane—he couldn’t believe a woman could slice off such a large piece of his scalp. His face was covered in blood, his expression monstrous as he gritted his teeth, determined to capture Yadelan. He didn’t want to kill her; he wanted to capture her alive and torture her thoroughly.

Eisen picked up the axe from the ground, drenched in cold sweat. If Guo Shier hadn’t intervened in time, he would have died. With a roar, he swung the axe at the charging Big Jike.

A crowd gathered around Durong Boai. Some frantically tried to give him medicine, but he kept spitting out blood. Guo Shier’s strike had been devastating—the massive mace weighed hundreds of pounds. If not for Durong Boai’s extraordinary strength, it would have killed him instantly. Yet even that blow had taken a huge toll on his life. Managing to catch his breath, he spat out in hatred, “Kill… kill… kill them all!”

A shrill horn sounded, and chaos ensued as countless bandits rushed forward with their weapons.

Guo Shieru shouted, “Ezekiel! You take care of those behind, I’ll deal with those in front!” He didn’t want all his men to die—it had taken so much effort to gather this many people, and it would be a shame to lose them. By now, he could no longer stop.

Ezekiel grinned viciously and said, “Don’t worry! Leave it to me!” He leaped up suddenly, drawing a streak of magical light through the air as he reached the other side of the stream. The stream wasn’t very wide, about dozens of meters across, and the water was so shallow it posed no obstacle at all.

Around five or six hundred people emerged from the woods on the other side. Ezekiel plunged into the crowd like a tyrannosaurus charging into a flock of sheep, instantly causing a mist of blood to rise. Without using any weapons, he used just his bare hands, and screams of pain soon filled the air. In the blink of an eye, he killed dozens of people.

Guo Shieru also charged forward. He too didn’t use any weapons—with a single punch, he sent Dajike’s steel hammer flying and kicked him aside. Then he turned to attack Poison Fang Xiao Dajike, ignoring the dagger aimed at his chest. With one hand, he grabbed the man’s neck, lifted him high, and then thrust him hard onto the ground.