In the midnight, the robbers finally made their move. They crept through the forest and approached the edge of the caravan's camp. But as they emerged from the shadows, they were met with a puzzling sight, the caravan's people had seemingly vanished, leaving only the carriages arranged in a defensive circle.
"Boss, did they know we were here?" asked the second bandit leader, his voice laced with confusion.
The bandit leader frowned, deep in thought. "It's unlikely. We were so far away, and we were careful not to make any noise. There's no way they could've spotted us."
"Besides," he added with a smirk, "if they had, do you think they would've stayed put like this?"
The second bandit leader considered this and nodded. "True, but then why are they arranged like this?"
"They're probably just being cautious, preparing in case someone tries to ambush them," the bandit leader reasoned.
"But boss," the third bandit leader chimed in, "should we still attack?"
"Of course," the bandit leader replied, his eyes gleaming with greed. "We're already here. We're not leaving empty-handed."
He quickly divided the bandits into two groups. "Second brother, take your men and attack from the front. Third brother, you and your group flank them from behind. I'll wait for the right moment to strike."
"Yes, boss!" the two bandit leaders responded in unison.
As they moved to carry out the plan, the bandit leader turned to the man in black standing behind him. "My lord, if things go south, I'll need your assistance."
The man in black nodded curtly. "Understood."
With that, the second and third bandit leaders led their men into the attack, moving in from both sides of the camp.
Inside the circle of carriages, Li Taixing, who had sensed the approaching danger, calmly alerted the others. "They're here."
The people of the caravan, already tense, gripped their weapons tightly. They had been hiding to avoid detection, but now they knew the moment of truth had arrived.
Li Taixing addressed the captain of the guards. "You and your men handle the group attacking from behind. I'll take care of the ones at the front. Once I'm done, I'll assist you."
The captain nodded, no longer daring to slack off. He signaled to his guards, and as the robbers approached, they sprang into action.
"Release the arrows!" he commanded.
A volley of arrows flew through the air, striking the advancing bandits. Screams of pain echoed as the robbers were hit.
"Charge!" yelled the third bandit leader, slicing through the air to deflect the arrows as he urged his men forward.
Meanwhile, at the front of the caravan, Li Taixing stood atop a carriage, watching as over a hundred robbers charged towards him. With a wave of his hand, more than a hundred Flying Swords materialized around him, hovering in the air like a swarm of deadly wasps.
His Spirit Power was immense, like an endless ocean, and controlling these swords was effortless for him.
The second bandit leader's eyes widened in terror. "There's a cultivator among them! Run!"
But it was too late. With a single command from Li Taixing, the Flying Swords shot forward like a tempest. The Qingyue Sword, a top-grade spiritual weapon, led the assault.
"No! Please!" The robbers tried to flee, but the Flying Swords cut them down mercilessly. Within moments, more than half of them were either dead or dying, their blood soaking the earth.
The bandit leader, watching from a distance, was horrified. He hadn't expected such a powerful immortal cultivator to be with the caravan. Desperately, he turned to the man in black.
"My lord, if you don't act now, we're all done for!"
The man in black hesitated for a moment. He had been watching Li Taixing closely and felt that something was off. While the old man was certainly strong, the man in black sensed that he might not be as invincible as he seemed.
"Perhaps this old man isn't as powerful as I thought," he mused. With newfound confidence, he flew towards Li Taixing, sword in hand, ready to challenge him.
When he got close, he demanded, "Who are you?"
Li Taixing, ignoring the question, continued to direct his Flying Swords at the remaining robbers.
"Answer me, or die!" the man in black roared, thrusting his sword at Li Taixing with lightning speed. Li Taixing barely managed to dodge the attack, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
The man in black smirked. "So, you're not as strong as you let on."
But even as he taunted, something about Li Taixing's calm demeanor unsettled him. He noticed that despite Li Taixing's apparent struggle, the old man seemed strangely unconcerned.
"Why are you smiling?" the man in black demanded, a sense of dread creeping into his heart.
It was then that he realized his mistake. Surrounding him were hundreds of Qingyue Swords, all poised to strike. The man in black's eyes widened in disbelief.
"So many high-grade spiritual tools? You were luring me in all along!"
But before he could react, Li Taixing unleashed the swords.
"Go," he commanded.
The Qingyue Swords converged on the man in black, who fought back with all his might, striking down sword after sword. But there were too many, and they attacked from every angle.
"Ah!" The man in black screamed as the first sword pierced his side, followed quickly by another, and another. In mere moments, his body was riddled with swords, turning him into a human pincushion.
"Retreat!" the bandit leader screamed, terror-stricken by the sight of the man in black being slaughtered so easily.
The second bandit leader, still alive but badly wounded, shouted to the third leader, "Run! We can't fight this guy!"
The third bandit leader, realizing the hopelessness of their situation, ordered his men to flee.
Li Taixing watched them go, making no move to pursue. It wasn't that he didn't want to chase them down; he simply didn't have the energy to do so. He had expended a great deal of his Spirit Power in the battle, and for now, his priority was to protect the caravan and ensure the remaining robbers posed no further threat.
The night was far from over, but for the caravan, the worst of the danger had passed.