Chapter 270: Forcing Good People to Become Bandits

“You’ve got enough courage and strength, and you’re the only one who truly understands just how good my cooking skills are… Tell me what reward you want—anything I, Cheng Bao, can do, I’ll definitely arrange it as a gift for you, the second boss!”
Cheng Bao stared intently at Lin Dong. Though his gaze remained fierce, it had clearly lessened in intensity.
Lin Dong smiled bitterly. “How about forcing you to commit suicide?”
Cheng Bao was stunned for a moment before roaring, “Are you tired of living?”
“It seems not!” Lin Dong glanced coldly at Chang Tai, who was finally standing steadily despite trembling, and asked loudly, “How long can you hold on?”
Chang Tai let his arms hang limp, but his gaze swept coldly over the bandits’ faces as he said gravely, “Until none of them are left!”
“If that’s the case, don’t blame me if you die at the hands of other bandits.”
Lin Dong twisted his neck and spread his arms simultaneously. Two brand-new, shiny benches appeared quietly.
“Be careful, Shopkeeper Lin. His body can rebound force in an instant—never engage him in close combat,” Chang Tai warned.
Lin Dong nodded. Having learned from past mistakes, fighting head-on with Cheng Bao would be foolish.
“It seems you won’t accept defeat until you see death. Lose an arm to learn your lesson. Remember, bandits have their own rules. Even as the second boss, the authority of the leader remains unquestionable!”
The fleshy muscles on Cheng Bao’s face trembled violently as he raised his sword high and charged forward.
Lin Dong met him head-on. Less than three meters away, he suddenly tilted to the right, his body bending like a straight line to dodge Cheng Bao.
Turning around, he raised his arms, and the two benches flew out—one after the other—aimed at Cheng Bao’s back of the head.
Cheng Bao spun around quickly, raising his sword high above his head before slashing downward.
A gust of wind, as fierce and domineering as Cheng Bao’s aura, rushed toward the benches with a roar.
As the sword shattered the benches like a giant axe, sending wood chips flying, Lin Dong’s eyes flashed. His blue robe fluttered wildly in the wind.
Whoosh…
Just as Cheng Bao was about to recover and counter with his sword against the second bench, the hilt in his hand seemed to defy his control. The blade instead swung downward toward his groin.
Thud!
A sound like clashing swords echoed through the hall. Cheng Bao abruptly raised his head to look at Lin Dong. “Can you control the sword in my hand?”
Lin Dong took a breath. Cheng Bao’s groin wasn’t a vital area. Moreover, the sword hadn’t rebounded at all in his hands.

“Good kid, I underestimated you. You actually possess such a bizarre spiritual skill, and your speed far exceeds my expectations.” Cheng Bao sneered, “I won’t go all out against you—seems you won’t be convinced otherwise.”
Lin Dong frowned slightly. The throat, heart, and groin weren’t vital points.
The rest could only be the crown of the head, temples, forehead, eyes, dantian…
“No need to think. There’s not a single vital point on my body, not even my open eyes. Killing me is simple…” Cheng Bao slung his greatsword over his shoulder and grinned viciously, “Your strength is so great that I can’t resist it!”
Lin Dong remained silent. If there really were no vital points, the only option was to find a way to trap the opponent.
Across from him, Cheng Bao casually tossed his greatsword aside and stretched out his right hand. A gleaming golden sword appeared in his palm.
This golden sword was three meters long, with a thick hilt and a cold blade. Two giant dragons coiled around both sides of the sword.
Domineering and bloodthirsty! It struck at one’s vision instantly.
“Watch well!”
Cheng Bao suddenly swung his arm. The golden sword rose with a fierce wind howl, then slashed sharply at Lin Dong’s left arm.
A thunderous sound erupted as the golden sword descended, and a golden wind blade shot out like a bolt from the blue.
Lin Dong was shocked and instinctively dodged to the side.
Boom…
This slash roared like thunder, shaking the heavens and earth. In an instant, a trench over ten meters long and half a meter wide appeared across the entire hall.
Beside the trench, Lin Dong’s heart pounded like a drum.
This sword speed was several times, even dozens of times faster than before.
Its power was a hundred or even a thousand times greater.
“How about that? Convinced now?” Cheng Bao slung the golden sword over his shoulder, its menace even greater than before.
“I used only 70% of my strength on this slash, fearing you might dodge in the wrong direction and get split in two. Be a good second chief for me. With your spiritual skill, the two of us together can turn the world into a sea of blood!”
Lin Dong smiled bitterly. Today was a huge setback. He hadn’t found the chef, was forced to become a bandit, and couldn’t even defeat his opponent.
What couldn’t this sword cut?
With such a speed, if it really only used 70% of its strength, even the Ethereal Step might not be able to avoid it completely.
He had thought that with the Sky Commanding Art and the Ethereal Step, and his strength at the third level of the Mental State phase, he could easily defeat over 90% of those at the fourth level. As for the remaining 10%, if he couldn’t defeat them, he could still escape easily.
Who would have thought he’d encounter someone even stronger?

With Cheng Bao’s bizarre Iron Vajra Armor and the golden sword in his hand—either a ninth-tier or eighth-tier spiritual weapon—along with his Mental Phase Level 4 strength, he was more than enough to defeat an opponent at Mental Phase Level 6. No wonder he could escape even under the siege of Tianwei Pavilion; with just a sword and sufficient spiritual energy, he feared no one. Even those at Mental Phase Level 7 or 8, or even stronger fighters, could still have a chance to escape if their spiritual techniques emphasized agility and versatility rather than strength.

“How about it? Have you made up your mind?” Cheng Bao asked impatiently.

Lin Dong focused his mind, his gaze toward Cheng Bao growing increasingly fierce. “Cut off one of my arms first!”

“Good, you’ve got guts!”

Cheng Bao gave a thumbs-up. The next moment, the golden sword on his shoulder appeared in his hand like a dexterous fruit knife. Wind blades, swift as gusts tearing through waves and accompanied by thunderous roars, shot out instantly, sealing off all of Lin Dong’s escape routes in all directions.

Lin Dong kicked his legs rapidly to retreat, but the wind blades pursued closely, their countless serrated edges slicing at his face, chest, and legs.

Bang!

After knocking over four dining tables in a row, Lin Dong’s shoulders hit the wall, forcing him to stop. The approaching wind blades made him break into a cold sweat.

“Again!”

Cheng Bao roared. His body moved like a cannonball, his arms spinning like wind wheels. A dazzling golden light surged throughout the hall as a golden sword net descended upon Lin Dong. It grew larger and larger until it covered the entire wall.

With nowhere to retreat, no way up or down, the sword net rushed toward him…

Lin Dong closed his eyes tightly. His mind spread out like countless fine roots in all directions. His body moved slowly through the sword net like duckweed.

No one could see Lin Dong’s movements. At this moment, he was like a shadow or an illusion; even with Cheng Bao’s sharp eyes, he couldn’t discern his path.

The sound of slicing continued, and dozens of deep cuts appeared silently on the wall.

Lin Dong suddenly opened his eyes and stared at Cheng Bao. “Good kid. I even tried to control my strength. Who would have thought you could dodge through the gaps by adjusting the sequence of my attacks?” Cheng Bao raised his golden sword and laughed loudly. “Great! Again! This time I won’t hold back—expect death!”

Lin Dong exhaled heavily and closed his eyes once more.

In his tranquil mind, a figure flickered in and out of sight.

Spiritual energy flowed through his meridians along the pathways of the Air Control Realm, then surged in the direction of the figure.

Cheng Bao raised his golden sword, ready to strike, when it seemed as if invisible hands suddenly grabbed his legs and pulled them upward with force.

His body flipped upside down. Cheng Bao roared angrily as the tip of his golden sword lifted slightly off the floor, allowing him to turn over effortlessly. Lin Dong frowned slightly. The next moment, before Cheng Bao’s legs could touch the ground, he pushed the golden sword controlling him sharply backward. The heavy back of the sword rushed toward Cheng Bao. Cheng Bao pressed down on his wrist, and the golden blade instantly stopped in place—no amount of rapid loss of spiritual energy from Lin Dong could move it even an inch. Taking a deep breath, Lin Dong stopped his futile attempt to control it. Since mastering all the mantras of the Air Control realm in the backyard, the spiritual energy he spent controlling enemies’ weapons was now less than one-tenth of what it used to be. Yet Cheng Bao was already one realm higher, and his strength was unmatched among warriors at the same level. Trying to control Cheng Bao’s body or his golden sword was nothing but delusion. Lin Dong glanced at the eight wooden pillars and walls in the hall, then looked up at the ceiling beams. At this point, the only option seemed to be for the entire restaurant to collapse. Only then, if he could hold back the falling debris above himself and Chang Tai and Ling Zhengyang, might he have a chance to escape in the chaos. Controlling such a large scale of destruction must be extremely difficult. Fate is in the hands of heaven! Lin Dong took a deep breath as spiritual energy surged wildly within his dantian. His mental focus expanded infinitely. “Still not giving up?” Cheng Bao stepped forward slowly, raising his golden sword above his head. The moment spiritual energy spilled out of his dantian, the fleshy muscles on his face trembled violently. Cheng Bao frowned and said, “Your spiritual technique can actually cause others to lose their spiritual energy!” Lin Dong frowned slightly, not understanding what he meant. When controlling Cheng Bao and his sword, his own spiritual energy drained quickly, and similarly, Cheng Bao’s energy also depleted during resistance. But Cheng Bao should have known this already. Was this a trick to capture him? Just as Lin Dong was about to act, a cold voice came from the staircase. “You only realize it now—it’s a bit late.” Two men in their forties, dressed in black combat attire, stepped down slowly. “Feng Yu, Feng Zhu!” Cheng Bao’s expression changed abruptly, his fierce gaze fixed on Lai Jianshen, the restaurant owner nearby. “Did you betray me?” Lai Jianshen stepped back in panic, shouting angrily, “It’s been seven years! I’ve finally gotten used to being a restaurant owner. You just show up in Qiufeng City and even kill the prefect! You really aren’t afraid, but which of those who followed you has ever left alive?” Lin Dong was stunned. The prefect? Wasn’t that Fu Tongshan?

Fu Tongshan, who once held the highest positions in the court and wielded immense power for decades as the Grand Tutor, was actually killed by Cheng Bao? How is that possible?
“Leader!” His men stared in shock at Lai Jianshen, unable to believe their eyes and ears.
Cheng Bao advanced menacingly toward Lai Jianshen, “But I, Cheng Bao, have never let anyone escape while my brothers are still alive.”
“Don’t come closer! You’ve already taken the sixth-level Spirit-Death Pill; its effects have taken hold. The more spiritual energy you use, the faster it drains.” Lai Jianshen staggered back.
Cheng Bao laughed maniacally, his laughter like the howls of wolves and tigers. The golden sword in his hand suddenly turned into a streak of gold light, splitting Lai Jianshen in two.
Blood splattered five steps away.