Sure enough, in the next instant, nearly a hundred figures shot into the sky, landing all around and surrounding the spirit-birds carrying the Pristine Way Sect members.
Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!
A series of harsh, piercing cries came from the mouths of the black demon birds beneath those figures. The birds looked like giant eagles, but each had an ugly fleshy tumor atop its head.
"Those are eagle-owls! They're from Blackhawk Cliff!"
A Pristine Way disciple shouted. He often traveled down the mountain and had heard the legends of Blackhawk Cliff.
"Senior Zheng, what kind of force is Blackhawk Cliff?" asked a female disciple beside him.
The male disciple quickly explained, "Junior Sister Wu, you probably don't know this, but Blackhawk Cliff is a notorious place. It gathers one hundred and eight Blackhawk Bandits, all vicious killers, but every single one is at least late-stage Grandmaster. Their leader, the Blackhawk King, is a late Great Grandmaster, and the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Chiefs are all Great Grandmasters too!"
Hearing this, not only did Junior Sister Wu's face change, but the others also grew visibly anxious. Their side only had twenty-four people, and Elders Wayne and Hu were just early Great Grandmasters, while the enemy might have five Great Grandmasters!
Only Elder Wayne and Elder Hu remained calm—they already knew a Martial Saint was traveling with them.
Among the Blackhawk Bandits, an old man in black robes with a hooked nose and gloomy eyes shouted at Ian Song and the others.
"Are you the Blackhawk King?"
Elder Wang asked in a low voice.
The other laughed arrogantly, "I'm not afraid to tell you—your grandpa here is the Second Chief of the Blackhawk Bandits! Dealing with you small fry doesn't even require the boss to show up!"
"So it was your group that ambushed our previous pill escort convoy?" Elder Wayne pressed.
The Second Chief of the Blackhawk Bandits cackled, "Heh heh, since you're all about to die anyway, I might as well tell you—it was your Second Uncle who did it!"
"And what happened to them?"
The Second Chief sneered, "Naturally, they've all gone to see the King of Hell. But don't worry—your Second Uncle will be sending you to join those losers soon enough!"
"Hahaha!"
Immediately, the other Blackhawk Bandits burst out laughing as well!
"Old Ox, leave one alive!"
Just then, an abrupt voice rang out.
Everyone turned to see that the speaker was an unremarkable-looking young man—none other than Ian Song in disguise.
"Yes!"
Old Ox answered, then stepped forward and unleashed his fist.
Boom!
With a single punch, it was as if a celestial river came crashing down, instantly engulfing more than half the Blackhawk Bandits and shredding their bodies to pieces in a blink.
Seeing this, the remaining Blackhawk Bandits were utterly dumbfounded.
On the Pristine Way side, every disciple looked absolutely shocked. Who was this mysterious middle-aged man? How could he be so powerful?
Only Elder Warren and Elder Hu remained calm—they already knew a Martial Saint was traveling with them.
"Damn it, run!"
The Second Chief snapped back to his senses and shouted, then urged his eagle-owl mount to dive toward the ground.
"Hmph!"
Old Ox let out a cold snort, sounding like thunder.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His fist-force swept across heaven and earth; in an instant, blood splattered through the sky, leaving only the Second Chief alive.
Of course, Old Ox had deliberately left him as the sole survivor.
Surrounded by the exploded bodies of his comrades, the Second Chief was scared out of his wits. He frantically urged his eagle-owl toward the fog-filled valley below. The mist there was thick—any ordinary person would get lost, but he was familiar with the terrain. Only by entering the valley did he have a chance to survive.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Old Ox turned into a streak of light and shot after him, catching up in an instant.
"Die!"
The Second Chief of the Blackhawk Bandits twisted around and slashed with his blade.
Seeing this, Old Ox's eyes filled with disdain. He pointed a finger, and a cracking sound rang out—the Second Chief's spiritual saber shattered into dozens of pieces. At the same time, Old Ox turned his finger into a blade and chopped the Second Chief on the neck, knocking him unconscious. He grabbed the bandit in one hand, then stomped on the eagle-owl's back for leverage, soaring into the sky and landing back on the spirit-bird.
The whole process, from Old Ox making his move to landing back on the spirit-bird, took only two or three breaths.
It was as quick as a rabbit darting and a hawk swooping—most of the disciples hadn’t even reacted before the battle was already over.
"Young master, here’s your captive! And these are the Storage Rings from those bandits!"
Old Ox tossed the unconscious Second Chief at Ian’s feet and presented a handful of Storage Rings.
"Whoa, who is this guy? Someone this powerful is actually his servant?"
Hearing Old Ox call Ian ‘young master,’ everyone except Elders Warren and Hu looked shocked and started guessing at Ian’s true identity.
Ian smiled at the group, then wiped his face, revealing his true appearance.
"Ah!"
"It's the Sect Master!"
When they saw Ian’s true face, all the disciples were stunned, then immediately dropped to one knee in respect.
Ian had only become Sect Master a few months ago, but in the eyes of Pristine Way’s disciples, he was already like a deity. The younger generation especially saw him as their idol.
"No need to be so formal, everyone—get up!"
"Thank you, Sect Master!"
"Elder Wayne, Elder Hu, you two land first—I need to interrogate this Second Chief of the Blackhawk Bandits!"
"Understood!"
The two spirit-birds descended from the sky. Ian carried the unconscious Second Chief aside. Seeing him leave, the disciples began whispering excitedly—they hadn’t expected the Sect Master himself to join this mission.
Ian’s interrogation was simple—he used his Puppet Mastery Divine Art to enslave the Second Chief, making it impossible for him to lie.
After a short while, Ian and Old Ox returned, but the Second Chief was nowhere to be seen.
"Five hundred li northwest—that’s Blackhawk Cliff! We’re heading there!"
Ian gave the order.
The two spirit-birds took off again, flying northwest.
The Blackhawk Bandits lived at Blackhawk Cliff, but few people knew its exact location.
After about half an hour,
the two spirit-birds descended on a small mountain peak.
This seemingly ordinary peak was actually the Blackhawk Bandits’ lair—Blackhawk Cliff!
"Who goes there?"
As Ian’s group landed, several figures rushed out from a cave in the mountain.
Leading them was a middle-aged man radiating murderous intent, his face ugly and fierce—none other than the Blackhawk King, leader of the Blackhawk Bandits.
"Old Ox, kill the others—leave the Blackhawk King alive!"
Ian ignored the Blackhawk King and simply gave Old Ox the order.
"Yes, sir!"
Old Ox answered crisply, then blurred into motion. Moments later, a chorus of screams rang out, and in an instant, everyone around the Blackhawk King was dead.
"Martial Saint!"
The Blackhawk King's eyes narrowed. His body turned into a streak of black light, shooting toward the cave.
The cave was filled with traps, and it also led to the other side of the peak. If the traps could delay this Martial Saint for even a moment, he might have a chance to escape.
Unfortunately, compared to Old Ox’s speed, he was far too slow. With a flicker, Old Ox blocked the cave entrance and unleashed a crushing punch.
"Ah!"
The Blackhawk King let out a strange cry, swinging his spiritual hammer at Old Ox’s fist-force.
Bang!
Without suspense, the Blackhawk King was blasted away. But at that moment, a sly smile flashed in his eyes; twisting midair, he suddenly darted straight toward Ian.