Chapter 9: Black Wind Stronghold Mobilizes!

The World of the Scroll, Black Wind Stronghold.

Today, the Black Wind Stronghold was different from usual; the entire stronghold was in the midst of gathering its forces.

Thousands of people had already assembled at the main gate of the Black Wind Stronghold, and more were arriving in a steady stream.

On a hill overlooking the stronghold gate, He Sandao stood silently, gripping his long saber. Beside him stood another person.

This was a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Brother He, does that Chen Feng truly possess the immortal’s method of artifact refining?"

The middle-aged man was named Jiang Xiao. He was an elder of the Jiang family in the nearby Liuyang Town and also an Xiantian expert—a helper brought in by He Sandao.

After making numerous inquiries, He Sandao had confirmed that there was no martial arts clan by the name of Chen in the entire Yue Kingdom.

That Chen Feng was clearly just bluffing.

According to his conjecture, Chen Feng was likely not an Xiantian expert at all, but had used some other means to kill Wu Xiong.

It was highly probable that it had something to do with that immortal’s artifact refining method, which was why he had gathered his men today to wipe out the Xingfeng Sect.

To be safe, he had called upon Jiang Xiao.

With two Xiantian experts present, even if Chen Feng were truly at the Xiantian realm, there would be absolutely no way for him to survive.

He Sandao smiled slightly.

"Once we arrive at the Xingfeng Sect, Brother Jiang will naturally know. Why would I deceive you?"

He Sandao knew that Chen Feng was not at the Xingfeng Sect.

But he didn't care. He would simply capture everyone in the Xingfeng Sect and wait for Chen Feng to return.

If he didn't return in a day, he would kill ten people.

He would continue until everyone in the Xingfeng Sect was dead; surely, there would be someone Chen Feng cared about among them.

Even if Chen Feng never returned, it didn't matter.

Killing everyone in the Xingfeng Sect would count as avenging his second brother, and it would serve to intimidate the smaller sects in the surrounding area.

"Good. If there truly is an immortal’s artifact refining method, Brother He only needs to provide me with a rubbing of it. From now on, my Jiang family will forever be an ally to the Black Wind Stronghold."

A smile appeared on Jiang Xiao's face. Immortal methods were incredibly precious throughout the entire Yue Kingdom.

Regardless of what kind of immortal method it was, even if it couldn't be cultivated, selling it to others would fetch a sky-high price, enough to trigger a bloody storm.

"Is this matter kept secret?" He Sandao asked.

"Rest assured, only I know about this. I haven't even mentioned it to anyone in my family." Jiang Xiao understood He Sandao's concerns.

If they obtained the immortal’s artifact refining method and the news leaked, it would very likely alarm the royal family of the Yue Kingdom.

That would be troublesome.

Seeing that the forces were mostly assembled, He Sandao shouted to the crowd of bandits

"Brothers, our Black Wind Stronghold has been established for decades, and in the Hengduan Mountains, almost no one dares to provoke us."

"But just a few days ago, your Second Master died at the hands of a villain. This is a display of contempt for our Black Wind Stronghold! If we do not avenge this, how will the surrounding powers view us!"

He Sandao's words were immediately met with a response from the bandits

"Avenge the Second Master!"

"Wipe out the Xingfeng Sect!"

The shouting was deafening, and He Sandao looked satisfied.

The reason he had mobilized so many people was to be prepared for any eventuality.

He had walked the path of the underworld for many years, and his success relied on caution.

Even if Chen Feng did not come from a martial arts clan, he was no ordinary person; he had to go all out.

"Move out!"

He Sandao shouted.

The crowd of bandits marched in a grand, imposing manner toward the Xingfeng Sect.

The Hengduan Mountains were not large, and after only half an hour of travel, they arrived at the Xingfeng Sect.

The Xingfeng Sect was built between three mines, surrounded by mining pits on all four sides.

The entrance to the mine was guarded by only a single Houtian Third-Stage martial artist.

When he saw the massive army of bandits approaching from afar, the martial artist was so terrified that he scrambled toward the Xingfeng Sect headquarters.

"It’s bad! The Black Wind Stronghold is here!"

The martial artist's cry immediately drew the attention of the Xingfeng Sect's martial artists.

Many of them ran to the entrance of the mine.

The total number of martial artists in the Xingfeng Sect now added up to only thirty-some people.

Because mining had stopped for the past two days, the mortal miners had all gone home.

Only these martial artists remained to stand guard.

Upon seeing the sea of bandits gathered at the mine entrance, the Xingfeng Sect's martial artists were filled with terror.

With so many bandits, most of whom were martial artists themselves, there was no way they could hold them off.

At this moment, Steward Sun stepped out from the crowd. With Chen Feng absent, he was the one in charge of the Xingfeng Sect.

"Steward Sun, what should we do now? The Black Wind Stronghold bandits are attacking."

"Where is the Sect Master? He is an Xiantian expert; he could surely repel them."

"Steward Sun, hurry and notify the Sect Master!"

The martial artists asked Steward Sun anxiously, one after another.

They couldn't run even if they wanted to, as the entire Xingfeng Sect had been surrounded by the bandits. They could only pin their hopes on Chen Feng.

Steward Sun’s face was deathly pale; this situation was completely beyond his expectations.

In his view, Chen Feng was not only an Xiantian expert but also a disciple of some great family; the Black Wind Stronghold wouldn't dare to attack them even if they had ten times the courage.

"There must be a misunderstanding!"

Steward Sun immediately ran forward to face the group of bandits. Although his legs were weak with fear, he forced himself to stand tall.

"I wonder if Chief He is present?" Steward Sun asked, trembling.

Steward Sun had spent decades in the area; although he was merely a mortal, he was well-informed about the situation of the Black Wind Stronghold.

He Sandao walked out, surrounded by a group of men.

Seeing He Sandao, Steward Sun immediately greeted him with a smile

"Chief He, why have you brought your men here? Our Sect Master is not—"

However, before Steward Sun could finish his sentence, He Sandao punched him directly.

The fist, coated in *gangqi*, instantly shattered Steward Sun's head.

Brains and blood splattered across the ground.

"Capture all these people for me!" He Sandao waved his hand.

He couldn't be bothered to waste words with Steward Sun.

The man was nothing more than a mortal, no different from an ant in his eyes.

The crowd of bandits then charged into the Xingfeng Sect.

The martial artists inside the Xingfeng Sect offered almost no resistance, all choosing to surrender.

Facing thousands of bandits and an Xiantian expert like He Sandao, who would dare to fight back?

They had joined the Xingfeng Sect to get paid for their work; there was no way they would actually risk their lives.

In less than a moment, the entire Xingfeng Sect was under control.

The bandits began to search the premises.

He Sandao and Jiang Xiao waited on the spot.

Jiang Xiao remarked

"Brother He, is this truly Chen Feng's power? It seems a bit too weak."

Jiang Xiao was somewhat surprised. He had expected it to be tricky, but he hadn't thought the people of the Xingfeng Sect would be this weak—not even a single Houtian Fifth-Stage expert among them.

"This Xingfeng Sect was only established three months ago, so it's not strange that they lack manpower. The only tricky part is Chen Feng himself; this person has the strength to kill a Houtian Ninth-Stage expert, so we must not be careless."

He Sandao reminded him, fearing that Jiang Xiao might become complacent.

Just then, a bandit hurried over

"Chief, there is a situation over there..."

He Sandao and Jiang Xiao followed the bandit to an abandoned mine shaft.

They saw a conveyor belt circling the entrance of the abandoned mine, leading directly into the interior.

Although the conveyor belt had been shut down and stopped, this product of modern industrialization still shocked the bandits.

The bandits gathered around the conveyor belt, looking at it with curiosity, wondering what kind of object it was.

Only when they saw He Sandao approaching did the bandits disperse.

Jiang Xiao’s eyes lit up when he saw the conveyor belt, and he immediately stepped forward to examine it.

"What is this? Its construction is truly peculiar."

Jiang Xiao considered himself a man of experience, but he had never seen such a thing before.