In a short period of time, Li Taixing had placed hundreds of barrels of explosives throughout Dulong Village. After meticulously setting them up, he teleported from spot to spot, igniting each one in succession.
Whenever he felt his energy depleting, he devoured Spirit Stones to replenish his strength and continued without hesitation.
"Boom!"
The sound of the first explosion echoed across the mountain, followed by the second, third, and fourth. One after another, the barrels ignited in rapid succession until thick smoke engulfed the entire mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, Gouzi stared in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.
"What's happening?"
"Is Mr. Li alright?" Gouzi asked himself, anxiety building as he watched the chaos unfold. His concern for Li Taixing's safety weighed heavily on him, but he dared not rush up the mountain, choosing instead to wait nervously below.
The bandits, however, were in the worst position. Never in their wildest dreams did they imagine that the explosives, planted by their own people, would be their demise.
Li Taixing looked at the aftermath of his work, feeling a sense of satisfaction. But he couldn't help thinking that the explosions were a bit too noisy.
Most of the bandits had perished in the explosions, leaving only a few survivors clinging to life. Donning a mask to shield himself from the smoke and stench, Li Taixing pulled out the Qingyue Sword from his dimensional space bag.
This was the reason he raided the bandits' treasury immediately after arriving—he needed a weapon.
Without hesitation, Li Taixing moved swiftly, dealing with the remaining bandits.
"Seven Injuries Fist!"
"Boom!"
One of the bandits exploded on the spot, dying instantly.
Li Taixing was momentarily stunned. 'Is my Seven Injuries Fist really this terrifying?'
The surviving bandits, witnessing this, were struck with fear. It didn't take long for them to realize who had caused the destruction.
"Ah! I'll kill you!" one of them screamed.
"Tai Chi Sword Art!"
"Swish!"
"Thud!"
The villain collapsed to the ground, dead before he even realized what had happened.
Seeing Li Taixing release Sword Qi, the remaining bandits panicked.
"This guy's a cultivator!"
"Run! An immortal cultivator is here!" they screamed, scattering in all directions. But Li Taixing simply teleported ahead of them, cutting them down with another wave of Sword Qi.
One bandit attempted to sneak up on him, but Li Taixing disappeared, only to reappear behind him. He drove his sword through the man's chest, killing him instantly. As he withdrew his blade, the body crumpled to the ground.
"Psychokinesis."
Li Taixing sensed another bandit hiding nearby. As he prepared to move, he noticed a large rock hanging precariously above the man's head. With a simple thought, he manipulated the rock using his Psychokinesis, sending it crashing down.
The bandit looked up just in time to let out a scream.
"Ah!"
"Boom!"
The rock smashed him to pulp, blood splattering everywhere.
Unbeknownst to Li Taixing, the man he had just killed was the leader of the bandits.
Dulong Village had three main masters. The first had been crushed to death, and the second was killed in the explosions. Only the third remained, having avoided the chaos because he had been stationed at the back of the village, closer to the prisoners.
When the third master saw the devastation before him, his entire body trembled in fear.
"God's punishment... Is this God's punishment?" he muttered, unable to comprehend the level of destruction. His men, now reduced to just over a dozen, gathered around him.
"Third Master, what should we do?" one of the remaining bandits asked, desperation creeping into his voice.
"I... I don't know," the third master stammered.
He had always been considered the shrewdest of the bandit leaders, but now, even he was at a loss. Seeing his fear, the other bandits began to lose hope.
Li Taixing approached them slowly, the Qingyue Sword dripping with blood in his hand. The third master, noticing the approach, nervously swallowed and asked, "Who... who are you?"
Li Taixing glanced at the man, noting his tall and thin frame, his face long and narrow like a horse.
"Who am I?" Li Taixing smirked. "Just call me Too Much Money!"
Before the third master could react, Li Taixing vanished.
"Tai Chi Sword Art!"
A wave of Sword Qi erupted, cutting down all the remaining bandits, including the third master, in one fell swoop. Their screams filled the air before they collapsed, dead on the spot.
With the bandits taken care of, Li Taixing turned his attention to the cave where the villagers were imprisoned.
Inside the cave, the villagers huddled together in fear. The explosions had already terrified them, and now they trembled, believing the end of the world had come.
Li Taixing approached the iron gate of the cave, swinging his sword down with precision. The door lock shattered with a loud crack, and the gate swung open.
"Alright, you're safe now. Let's head down the mountain," he said.
Realizing that Li Taixing had come to rescue them, the villagers began to express their gratitude.
"Thank you, thank you, young master!"
"Thank you, Young Master Qian!"
Some of them had overheard Li Taixing's earlier introduction and believed his name to be "Too Much Money."
The corner of Li Taixing's mouth twitched. He had used the name to trick the bandits, but it seemed the villagers had fallen for it as well.
Once everyone was out of the cave, Li Taixing asked, "Is everyone accounted for?"
"Yes," they replied.
Glancing at the group, he noticed they were all young and strong. "Alright then, let's go down the mountain."
"Yes, Mr. Qian!" they eagerly agreed.
However, as they reached the gate of the village, the villagers suddenly froze, backing away in fear. Ahead, a group of bandits stood blocking their path.
These bandits had been stationed elsewhere on the mountain and had just returned, drawn by the chaos.
"Damn it, these peasants are trying to escape. Kill them!" one of the bandits roared.
The villagers screamed in terror.
Li Taixing sighed and shook his head. "It's just a few bandits. Why are you so scared?"
With a flash, he teleported in front of the villagers. The bandits, charging with their weapons, froze upon seeing him.
"Tai Chi Sword Art!"
Before they could react, a wave of Sword Qi sliced through them, beheading them all on the spot.
"Let's go," Li Taixing said, his figure vanishing once more.
With Li Taixing secretly protecting them, the villagers hurried down the mountain.
Along the way, whenever a bandit appeared, Li Taixing dealt with them instantly, earning the villagers' admiration.
At the foot of the mountain, they finally reached safety. Gouzi helped Li Taixing locate Tang Caidie's father and the other captured villagers from Xianghua Village. Together, they began their journey back to safety.