With half a game of chess, I vanquish all demons!

The wilderness before dawn was pitch black.

Splash!

Splash!

The cold, continuous night rain lashed against the bare-chested Black Iron Warriors.

At the entrance of the temporary wooden fortress, the Black Iron Warriors stood silently by the roadside, densely packed, like a forest of statues.

Their eyes burned with fire as they stared ahead, their expressions remarkably uniformly greedy.

On the other side of the road, the martial artists in the Remnant Martial Realm stood scattered together, huddling together for warmth, yet clearly separated, and like the Black Iron Warriors, they looked ahead with curious expressions.

Directly opposite the gate of the wooden village, a man with Zhao Yao's face, wearing jade armor, holding a sword at his waist, with neatly tied hair, pure eyes, jade-white skin, and an unusually charming appearance, was walking steadily toward them.

Among the group of martial artists at the Remnant Martial Realm, Wu Jun pulled out a bounty list from his robes, compared it to the jade-armored man, and muttered to himself in bewilderment:

"It's him, it really is Zhao Yao! Isn't he a scholar from the county school, a weak and powerless man? Why is he dressed as a warrior in armor?"

Where is his personal servant? Did he perhaps run away when things went wrong?

Behind the Black Iron Warriors, Li Jia, one of the Black Iron Warriors, looked anxiously at Zhao Yao, his gaze passing over the shoulders of the men in front of him.

Seeing his benefactor heading straight this way, he moved his feet, wanting to step forward and give him a warning.

Beside him, the older Black Iron Warrior stretched out his arm, stopped him, and shook his head at him.

The two sides are too close now; no amount of reminders will be enough.

Besides, everyone just wants to seize the treasure, so there shouldn't be any killings or injuries.

should…

Not far away, a beautiful woman with a round face and prominent canine teeth, hidden in the darkness, watched Zhao Yao approach the gate of the wooden village with expectant eyes, silently thinking to herself:

"Zhao Yao, oh Zhao Yao, let me see what skills you possess that make me instinctively feel I can't keep you here."

Inside a house in the wooden village, a pair of eyes peered through the cracks in the wooden frame, secretly observing the scene at the village's main gate.

Zhou Pengju hid in the wooden house, with a bundle containing a painting of the county magistrate next to him. He was uneasy, feeling that Zhao Yao was doomed, but on the other hand, he thought about Zhao Yao's previous performance that had repeatedly exceeded his expectations and wondered if it was true.

He hoped Zhao Yao would survive, yet he dared not believe he could, while at the same time he worried that he wouldn't. In short, he was torn and conflicted.

Among the Black Iron Warriors, an elderly man with gray hair belonging to the charity hall looked at Zhao Yao as he approached. Upon seeing his appearance, he frowned, recalling ancient paintings he had seen in books, and a sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.

He stared intently at the man in jade armor, trying to reassure himself:

"Looking alike is just a coincidence; there's no need to scare yourself."

At the entrance of the wooden village, the man in jade armor finally approached.

The Black Iron Warriors, wary of each other and suppressing their impulses, swarmed forward, halting the jade-armored man's advance and surrounding him.

"Zhao Yao! You have some nerve, daring to come straight at us!"

"Hand over the treasure, and I'll spare your life!"

"Hurry up."

The man in jade armor stopped in place and scanned the black iron warriors.

He listened to their clamor and saw their greedy expressions, and frowned as he said:

"I am not Zhao Yao, and Zhao Yao does not have the treasure you want."

"Hehe~ What nonsense are you talking about? If you weren't Zhao Yao, how would you know that Zhao Yao doesn't have the treasure we're looking for?"

One of the black iron warriors laughed out loud, immediately exposing the flaw in the jade-armored man's words.

The other Black Iron Warriors remained silent, but they stood in groups of five, keeping a watchful eye on each other.

In their eyes, Zhao Yao, a weak scholar, could easily take away the treasure even if he put on armor and picked up a sword.

The problem is that once the treasure is taken, it will inevitably be snatched away by other bounty hunters.

Other bounty hunters are the ones we really need to be wary of!

The man in jade armor paused for a moment, then, resting his hand on his sword, nodded and said:

"Alright, I'm Zhao Yao. What do you want from me?"

The black-clad warrior, who had exposed the flaw in the jade-armored man's words, looked him up and down, pointing to his jade armor and sword, and said:

"Of course they're your treasures... Hand over your armor and weapons!"

"That's something we can't do."

The man in jade armor shook his head.

"Kid, do you really think this is something you can decide?"

"Rob it!"

"Why waste words with him? Just rob him!"

Someone at the back of the group started to urge them on, and the Black Iron Warriors were stirred up by these words, but they all tensed up, their eyes quickly scanning their companions left and right, becoming increasingly vigilant.

The man in jade armor moved his feet lightly, turned around, and displayed his body to all sides, saying sincerely:

"Gentlemen, behold!"

This armor is connected to my flesh. To remove it, one must cut off my head, tear out my flesh and blood, and remove my bones.

As he spoke, the jade armor slowly became transparent, revealing the workings of the internal organs beneath it to the surrounding crowd.

This bizarre scene shocked everyone into a state of shock.

None of the people present had taken him seriously or been on guard against him before, but now, upon seeing this scene, they were all shaken by its impact.

Then, the man in jade armor displayed the sword, scabbard and all, in all directions, and said sincerely:

"This sword is one with my body, inseparable. To take my jade sword is no different from cutting off my arm or digging out my heart."

I have just been born into this world today, and you gentlemen are like older brothers and sisters who came to this world long ago.

I have no grudge against any of you. Why, out of momentary greed, have you harmed and killed me, an innocent newborn?

When he said this, there was no fear in his expression, and his tone was extremely sincere. Anyone who heard or saw him would believe the truth of his words.

But what does it mean to say "born into the world today"?

Among the bounty hunters, most noticed the strangeness in the jade-armored man's words, and recalling the scene they had just witnessed where the man used armor as skin, they all understood.

This matter and this person are not that simple!

Unbeknownst to them, the scene began to take on a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

The bounty hunters surrounded the man in jade armor, yet remained silent, their expressions shifting.

"Ahem~ I think what he said is true. I came here to seize the treasure, not to kill anyone, let alone an innocent person."

I will not kill innocent people.

Among the Black Iron Warriors, the eldest warrior spoke up at the opportune moment, saying a few words in a loud voice.

After he finished speaking, he turned his head and led his four brothers, including Li Jia, backward.

The departure of the five Black Iron Warriors caused a minor disturbance.

"They've shown it very clearly; the armor is attached to the flesh, so stealing the treasure is tantamount to murder."

Treasure hunting—I convinced myself, it's alright.

Killing people is one thing, but killing these kinds of... well... supernatural beings is another.

They will be punished by God.

Among the group of martial artists in the Remnant Martial Realm, Wu Jun shook his head and walked out without hesitation, quickly following the five Black Iron Warriors.

At the entrance of the wooden village, the bounty hunters were unsettled by Wu Jun's words.

Those with extraordinary abilities will be punished by heaven...