"So they've made their move?" Su Hao, inside the carriage, let out a cold chuckle.
He could clearly sense the whistling arrow and Su Neng's interception. Using his consciousness perception, Su Hao could clearly detect everything within a 10-meter radius, making it seem as if he had witnessed Su Yuan blocking the arrow with his own eyes.
"This consciousness perception must be an ability only Celestial Realm experts possess," Su Hao thought to himself.
[Mission 1]: The host has left Fu City. No need for disguise. It's time to demonstrate your formidable strength. Kill three ordinary bandits for a reward of 20 check-in points. Kill one Earth Realm warrior for a reward of 2 Bronze Draw Cards.
[Mission 2]: The bandits have attacked the host. This is absolutely intolerable. Annihilate this bandit group for a reward of 1000 check-in points and 1 Silver Draw Card.
"Indeed, it's time to show them how terrifying I can be!" Su Hao, already filled with fighting spirit, felt his battle intent surge even more with the system's missions.
Perhaps today, he wouldn't need his father Su Ming to intervene. He could handle everyone in the forest himself.
"Haha, you managed to split my arrow? Impressive, but you'll still die!" Xiao Hu, the second-in-command of the Qingyu Stronghold, charged down the hillside with his men after his arrow was deflected, surrounding Su Hao's carriage.
Carrying a long saber, he approached Su Hao's carriage and shouted loudly, "Third Young Master Su, come out! I need to borrow your head!"
"How arrogant!" Su Hao, sitting inside, lifted the curtain and stepped out.
"Young Master, be careful! This is Xiao Hu, the second-in-command of the Qingyu Stronghold. He's at the fifth level of the Earth Realm. We must be cautious!" Su Yuan and Su Neng immediately gathered around Su Hao, guarding against Xiao Hu.
Although they knew the master had a backup plan, they couldn't risk Su Hao's safety due to their own mistakes.
"Qingyu Stronghold, Xiao Hu. You know who I am yet dare to come kill me. Aren't you afraid my Su family will raze your Qingyu Stronghold to the ground?" Su Hao calmly looked at the murderous Xiao Hu.
"The Su family? Of course I'm afraid. But who would know it was us who killed you? Besides, we're not the only ones after your life. Friends, since you're here, why don't you come out?" Xiao Hu called out to where Pan Ta and Lu Yi from the Blood Demon Cult were hiding.
"Let's go out," seeing this, the two didn't bother hiding anymore. They swiftly descended, leaping down from the mountainside to Su Hao's carriage.
As they landed, they removed their black cloaks, revealing dark red robes with a blood character embroidered on the sleeves.
"Blood Demon Cult!" Xiao Hu's face darkened upon seeing their attire.
"Xiao Hu, we'll be taking Su Hao's head. You don't mind, do you?" Lu Yi looked at Xiao Hu and said gravely.
"Of course not. Third Young Master Su's body parts are yours to take. I only want his life!" Xiao Hu said with a laugh.
His orders were just to ensure Su Hao's death, so he was even happier with the Blood Demon Cult's involvement.
"Blood Demon Cult? I was planning to deal with you later, but since you're here, you might as well all stay put!" When Su Hao saw the two were from the Blood Demon Cult, a cold aura erupted from him, and his blood began to boil.
The Blood Demon Cult's Lan Yue had ambushed Su Hao, not only killing Su Ping but also severely injuring Gu Xi'er. His grudge against the Blood Demon Cult ran deep.
At this moment, not far away, Su Ming and a few others watched the appearance of the Qingyu Stronghold and Blood Demon Cult members, a flash of killing intent passing through his eyes.
"Master, shall I move in and slaughter them all?" A stern-faced middle-aged man beside him said coldly.
"No need," Su Ming waved his hand.
"But the Third Young Master is there. I fear for his safety!" The stern man's body trembled as he spoke gravely.
"Shen Chong, you should know Hao'er's personality well. If he were afraid, he'd be inside the carriage now. But he's walked out on his own, his blood surging. It seems he wants to handle this himself. Let's watch for now. Perhaps Hao'er will surprise us," Su Ming said, his eyes gleaming with an odd light as he looked at Su Hao.
"Understood!" Hearing the family head's words, Shen Chong's face also showed surprise as he turned his gaze to Su Hao in the valley.
"Keep us here? Does the Su family have experts protecting you?" Hearing Su Hao's words, Lu Yi's face changed as he asked sternly.
Beside him, Pan Ta immediately scanned the surroundings alertly, while Xiao Hu and the bandits also tensed up.
The Su family's recent purge of Fu City had been ruthlessly efficient, giving them ample reason to be nervous.
"Already nervous?" Su Hao let out a cold laugh seeing everyone suddenly on edge.
"Don't bother looking. There's no one else here."
"Hm?" Hearing Su Hao's cold laugh, everyone's expressions changed dramatically.
"Seeking death! I'll chop you up!" A saber-wielding bandit next to Xiao Hu, who had been frightened earlier thinking the Su family had reinforcements, started cursing upon hearing Su Hao say there was no one else. He charged at Su Hao with his saber, and as he moved, the other startled bandits also began to roar and attack.
Dozens of bandits rushed at Su Hao, seemingly intent on hacking him to pieces in a flurry of blades.
Su Neng and Su Wu immediately drew their swords to defend.
Although they were puzzled why their backup hadn't intervened, they were confident they could handle these ordinary bandits with their skills.
But just then, Su Hao acted before them. With a low shout, he activated the Golden Bell Shield throughout his body, then transformed into a blur, charging towards the dozens of bandits.
"Let me warm up a bit. You two watch the carriage!" Su Hao's voice rang in Su Yuan and Su Neng's ears.
"This...!" They watched Su Hao shoot forward, exchanging a shocked glance.
"Charging in? I'll cut you down!" A bandit swung his saber at the approaching Su Hao.
Su Hao's lips curled into a fierce, cruel smile as he swiftly struck at the incoming blade.
Clang! The bandit's long saber collided with Su Hao's palm, producing a metallic sound. Then, Su Hao's hand gripped the blade, and with a sudden twist, the saber instantly twisted into a spiral.
"How... how is this possible?" The bandit stared at his mangled weapon in disbelief, but Su Hao didn't give him time to process. In a flash, he slapped his palm against the bandit's head.
Splat! The bandit's head exploded like a watermelon under Su Hao's palm.
After smashing one bandit's head, Su Hao felt his entire body surge with energy, as if releasing all his recent pent-up frustrations. He grabbed another nearby bandit, crushing his chest with a palm strike, then charged like a hungry wolf towards the remaining bandits.
These bandits, mostly at the fifth level of the Human Realm, couldn't penetrate Su Hao's defenses with their sabers.
In just a few minutes, Su Hao had slaughtered all but a few of the dozens of bandits. The survivors were now trying to flee in terror.
"Run? You think you can escape?" Su Hao's entire body was now aflame with battle fervor, and he wasn't about to let anyone get away.