Under the scorching midday sun, the valleys of the Grand Canyon blazed like a vast furnace. Riding at the forefront, Liu Hongwu led ten Blood-Clad Guards, scouting the terrain ahead. Meanwhile, Ye Tian stayed vigilant at the center of the convoy, his gaze coldly sweeping across the forested mountainsides, a stern look on his face.
"This is an ideal place for an ambush. If there are indeed bandits, they're likely just ahead. Everyone, stay alert and cautious!" Ye Tian warned his guards.
"Brother Ye, will we be safe?" Lord Wang edged closer to Ye Tian, his face tense, knowing that staying close to this renowned warrior might be his best chance for safety.
"Hmm?" Ye Tian looked at him, frowning. "Brother Wang, if bandits do appear, I'll be at the forefront to strike them down. You'd best not stay by my side... Old Zhang! Take a few guards to protect Lord Wang!" he ordered.
Old Zhang nodded, positioning guards on either side of Lord Wang. With the fierce presence of the Blood-Clad Guards around him, Lord Wang seemed to relax a little, though his eyes still darted around, warily surveying their surroundings.
Ye Tian ignored him and continued observing the terrain carefully, assessing the path ahead. As he suspected, even before they entered the Grand Canyon, a gang of bandits had already gotten wind of their approach and were waiting in ambush.
"Chief!"
"Chief!"
A wiry, weasel-faced man came dashing toward a makeshift tent, shouting as he ran. Two burly guards standing outside, chests bare, burst into laughter at the sight.
"Watch it, or you'll trip and eat dirt!" they taunted him.
"Quit laughing! Start prepping—the fat sheep's here!" he snapped, hurrying into the tent to deliver his report.
"Finally!" A booming laugh erupted from within the tent, followed by a one-armed man with a large blade slung over his shoulder stepping out.
"Chief!"
"Chief!"
Nearly ten thousand bandits in the valley raised their heads, looking up with fanatical eyes at the one-armed man. Surveying the fierce sun above and the men surrounding him, he barked out, "Brothers, the fat sheep are here. Get ready!"
"Damn, sweltering out here all day. If we don't score big this time, I'll raze a few nearby towns," he growled, standing atop a boulder and casting a cold glare down the canyon.
"Chief, our scouts report that there are over a hundred Blood-Clad Guards escorting the convoy. We need to be careful," warned a middle-aged man with a cunning look, fanning himself.
"Hey, fan me too! It's hot as hell out here!" The one-armed man slapped him, grumbling as he cast a disdainful look. "Blood-Clad Guards? Only a hundred? That means just a centurion, maybe a level three or four warrior. And I'm level five—am I supposed to be scared? Besides, I've got ten thousand men; if they spit all at once, they'll drown 'em."
The advisor quickly began fanning him with exaggerated vigor, bowing and scraping.
...
When they were halfway through the canyon, Ye Tian called Liu Hongwu and her team back to guard both sides of the convoy, advancing cautiously.
"Ye Tian, there's an ambush up ahead," Liu Hongwu whispered, her face serious. With so many bandits, keeping the ambush hidden was near impossible, and one or two of them had been noticed by the warrior-grade Liu Hongwu.
"Yes, I sensed as much. These bandits are no small threat. Knowing we have Blood-Clad Guards and still choosing to ambush us means they either outnumber us significantly or have a skilled leader among them," Ye Tian replied in a low voice.
"Skilled leader?" Liu Hongwu scoffed. "No real expert would stoop to being a bandit. They're just relying on numbers."
"Still, we mustn't be careless. We're outnumbered, and if thousands of bandits attack, even if we hold our own, the convoy will be vulnerable," Ye Tian replied coldly.
"Thousands? Really?" Liu Hongwu's eyes widened.
"Yes." Ye Tian glanced at the dense forest around them, a trace of worry flickering across his face. "In mountains like these, hiding a few thousand is no problem at all."
"So what should we do?" Liu Hongwu asked, her voice betraying a hint of concern. The idea of thousands of bandits charging was enough to give even her pause.
"What should we do?"
Ye Tian's eyes flashed with a steely glint as he replied with a cold smile, "We cut through them!"
Liu Hongwu was momentarily taken aback.
At that moment—
Whoosh!
A firework burst in the sky, signaling the ambush. From the surrounding forests, a flood of bandits began pouring down toward the canyon.
"Fireworks in this world too?" Ye Tian murmured, surprised, glancing up at the display. He hadn't expected to see something so familiar here.
"This mountain is mine, this tree I planted! If you wish to pass, hand over your toll!" A booming laugh resounded from above, shaking the air as the bandits flooded down from the trees, numbering around ten thousand.
"Pfft!" Ye Tian let out a derisive snort at the cliché line, muttering, "Can they be any less original?"
"Charge!"
"Attack!"
The bandits surged forward, clashing with the Blood-Clad Guards, but outnumbered by nearly a hundred to one, the guards were hard-pressed to hold their ground. Still, their tight formation held, cutting through the bandits like a sharp blade.
"Fools, ignore the guards! Go for the convoy!" barked the one-armed leader, his booming voice reaching Ye Tian's ears.
The bandits quickly shifted, several thousand breaking off to attack the convoy.
"Ah!"
"Brother Ye, what do we do?"
"Master, save us!"
Panic erupted in the convoy, and even Lord Wang edged closer to Ye Tian, his face stricken with fear.
"Hyah!" Ye Tian spurred his horse forward, fixing his gaze on the one-armed bandit leader, and charged directly toward him.
As Ye Tian advanced, thousands of bandits rushed to intercept him.
The disparity in numbers was overwhelming, but the outcome was astonishing.
With a single swing of his blade, Ye Tian unleashed thirteen blades of light, intertwining into a deadly net that instantly felled scores of bandits. The remaining bandits halted, fearfully watching the "Reaper" charging toward them on his black warhorse.
"A level-six warrior! Charge, men! If we kill the centurion, the convoy is ours!" the one-armed leader shouted, his initial shock giving way to command, urging the bandits forward again.
"Heh, a level-six warrior? I'll bury you under a pile of corpses!" the one-armed leader sneered, watching Ye Tian cut down his men, his eyes cold.
At that moment, Ye Tian seemed to sense the leader's gaze and cast a deadly glare in his direction, causing the leader to flinch.
But Ye Tian quickly turned his focus back, watching as thousands more bandits recklessly charged forward.
"Attack!" With a chilling gaze, Ye Tian raised his blood-stained blade high, spurring his horse into the thick of the battle, his voice booming with lethal resolve, a force against all odds.
"Blood Shadow Thirteen Slashes!" Ye Tian roared, his eyes blazing as he unleashed his deadly sword technique, shrouding the approaching bandits in a fierce aura.
Boom!
Like a thunderous roar, Ye Tian's voice erupted in the sky.
Immediately, an astonishing scene unfolded.
Every bandit within ten thousand meters of Ye Tian felt their weapons tremble violently, one by one slipping from their grasp and soaring into the heavens, swirling above Ye Tian's head.
"This—" The one-armed giant, observing from the rear, was utterly stunned, his eyes fixed in disbelief.
The other bandits were similarly mesmerized, gazing upwards at the countless weapons suspended in the air.
Beneath this myriad of weapons, Ye Tian appeared as a reaper emerging from the depths of hell, his blood-soaked blade radiating a brilliance as fierce as the sun.
"Kill!" Ye Tian uttered coldly, directing his blood blade at the advancing bandits, his eyes ignited with a chilling intent to kill.
Swish, swish, swish!
In an instant, the multitude of weapons hovering above Ye Tian descended like a torrential rain upon the bandits.
"Ah..."
"Monsters!"
"Spare my life!"
The bandits were instantly decimated, each body pierced by the weapons, their cries of agony echoing incessantly.
The remaining bandits and the one-armed giant were paralyzed with fear, their faces drained of color and legs trembling.
In that fleeting moment, over three thousand bandits had perished, their lifeless forms littering the canyon floor, blood flowing like a river.
"Damn it, when did a sixth-level martial artist become so powerful? Am I seeing ghosts?" The one-armed giant bitterly licked his lips and then let out a desperate roar, fleeing into the distance.
Seeing their leader retreat, the dazed bandits followed suit, scattering in all directions.
"Trying to escape?" Ye Tian chuckled coldly, dismounting and stepping on the heads of the fleeing bandits as he surged toward the one-armed giant.
"Celestial Hand—today, let me witness the power of the profound martial technique!" Ye Tian bellowed, thrusting his palm forward. Instantly, his inner energy surged like a tempest, coalescing in the air into a colossal white hand, the size of a small mountain, descending to crush the fleeing one-armed giant.
"Ah..." The one-armed giant couldn't help but look up, nearly fainting from terror.