Origin Paradise!

The original group of over a hundred people has now dwindled to just twenty riders who have made it to the front of the convoy.

Deputy General Du Chang was astonished by the power of the strange hidden weapon, and the military advisor hurriedly ordered the soldiers to form a battle formation to repel the enemy.

Jiang He flicked the reins, and his internal energy level gave him the necessary control to ride the horse. As he squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, the warhorse trotted out repeatedly, and its speed increased rapidly.

The scenery in my line of sight rushed past.

A handsome middle-aged man rushed towards them from the opposite direction, brandishing a cold, sharp longsword. His movements were as fast as a phantom, and his sword strikes were swift and fierce. With a sharp hiss, the blade crackled with dazzling arcs of electricity, like a rainbow streaking across the sky, as it pierced straight at the enemy's face.

The One-Word Lightning Sword combines speed and ferocity. Its lightning strikes are breathtaking, and even if it doesn't result in an instant kill, the brief stun is enough to take the enemy's life.

Iron light burst forth from Jiang He's palm, and a silver-white spear suddenly appeared. He swung the Long Hatred Spear and slashed horizontally without any fancy moves.

boom!

The gun barrel struck the sword blade, instantly crushing it.

Yinglang's expression changed drastically. The enemy's attack speed was even faster than his own. The unimaginable force caused his right hand to completely lose sensation. His sword was broken, and the electric shock contained in the One-Word Lightning Sword had no effect whatsoever. What was even more frustrating was that the momentum of the spear had not diminished in the slightest. Compared to this, the fact that the opponent might be a player seemed insignificant.

In the critical moment, a clean and smooth breastplate appeared on the chest of the handsome middle-aged man. This rare item was his trump card for defense.

Two warhorses passed each other at high speed.

The spear struck the breastplate, shattering the armor and gems. The crisp sound of the mirror breaking echoed as the spear completely cleaved the chest of the handsome middle-aged man. Half of the mangled corpse flew out, while the other half continued forward with the warhorse.

In the battle formation of the convoy, the thirty-odd guards on iron cavalry fell silent, each man being torn to pieces with a single spear thrust; the enemy's deaths were far too gruesome.

"Wind and Cloud Palm!"

Seeing his elder brother dead, the scarred man was filled with rage. His body surged with power, and he leaped off his horse, unleashing a palm strike the size of a millstone, a palm print of true energy, towards his enemy.

The Wind and Cloud Palm is the ultimate technique of the Wind and Cloud Mountain, a first-class martial arts sect. It is created by compressing the true energy in the body and then unleashing it. Its power is extraordinary. To learn this superior martial art, one must comprehend the Ming Jin technique, which can unify the strength of the whole body. Often, only a handful of people in a generation of Wind and Cloud Mountain can master it. Its drawback is that it consumes too much energy and cannot be used repeatedly.

The Wind and Cloud Palm strike seemed to stir up the wind and clouds, with gusts of wind pressing down on the ground. The scarred man leaped down from mid-air with imposing momentum.

In response, Jiang He simply thrust his spear straight at her.

A surging, crimson light emanated from the tip of the spear, like a dragon rising from the ground. Without the aid of skill or technique, this energy alone was filled with terrifying corrosive power.

The rainbow light struck the palm print of the Wind and Clouds, instantly corroding away the powerful true energy. The dragon pierced through the scarred man's shoulder, and flesh and bone spread at an eerie speed. In the end, the arm turned into dark blood that spilled out, creating countless dents on the ground and filling the air with white smoke.

Jiang He rushed over and knocked the scarred man, who was seriously injured after landing, unconscious. He first fed him three vitality potions, and then took advantage of the dust to grab him and put him into his inventory.

Two martial arts masters were killed and injured.

Jiang He charged into the enemy ranks, his spear shattering armor and obliterating bodies. The already ferocious spear force, amplified by the armor-shattering power, meant utter destruction to flesh and blood upon impact.

More than a dozen men were killed in action. The rest turned around and fled for their lives. However, some of the scattered cavalrymen regrouped and charged the convoy formation, each one acting like a madman.

Jiang He wiped the bits of flesh splattered on his helmet and fixed his gaze on the young man who was riding away on horseback. The man had initially been riding alongside two other experts, so he was definitely not an ordinary cavalryman.

A black arrow flew out and landed a few meters away from the youth. Although it failed to hit its target, the shockwave overturned the horse, and the youth hurriedly got up and could only flee on foot.

Jiang He turned his horse around and gave chase.

A few minutes later, the young man gave up the idea of ​​continuing his run. His speed was far inferior to that of a warhorse. Sensing the approaching enemy, a ruthless thought rose in his heart. He turned around and unleashed his signature move, the Soul-Chasing Rope.

A long rope wrapped around the waist. This black rope was thin and full of strands. It suddenly spread out in mid-air. Once the move was made, it was like laying down a fishing net, leaving no way to avoid it. The rope strands were tough. Once caught, a sudden pull could cut a person into countless pieces.

As the net attacked, Jiang He continued to advance, summoning his initial energy armor and layering it under his outer iron armor.

Upon successfully trapping the enemy, the young man was overjoyed. He unleashed his powerful martial arts technique, pulling with both hands. The extraordinary black rope immediately cleaved through the enemy's iron armor, but it was as if it had encountered a mountain, unable to penetrate any further.

Pieces of the iron armor fell off its back and sides. This rope technique was extremely insidious. Jiang He grabbed the black rope with his backhand and pulled back with the immense force of a thousand pounds. The young man swayed and flew into the air.

Warhorses trampled past, and spears thrust out.

Jiang He blew the guy's head off with a single shot.

At the same time, a foot suddenly emerged from the pattern of execution on his back, descending from his clothes to his shoulder and then emerging from his sleeve, like a dagger hidden in the heel of his hand.

Jiang He dismounted, placed his palm against the chest of the headless young man's corpse, and pierced the flesh with his toes to quickly draw blood from the heart.

[Bloodbath Progress Bar: 12% → 15%]

[Common-grade Blood Poison: Deals 15% additional poison damage]

Bloodletting is complete.

Jiang He thought for a moment, then released the scarred man again, used the black rope to bind him tightly, and stuffed him back in.

Chapter 110 Blood Poison Progress

The night was as dark as ink, deep and quiet. A lone moon hung high in the sky, casting its cool moonlight, which quietly covered the Jianchi Mountains in the distance.

Jiang He rode back to the caravan location.

The military advisor was directing his soldiers to collect the bodies for unified cremation. The enemy's subsequent attack resulted in the deaths of two of their own soldiers and injuries to many others. The princess's convoy was also attacked. The military advisor had already sent messengers to inform the counties along the route, requesting that county soldiers be dispatched to escort them.

Deputy General Du Chang came to report.

"My lord, the deceased came from all walks of life. Some were subordinates of the notorious bandit Black Mountain Tiger from Yizhou, while others were members of tribes from the northern barbarians beyond the Great Wall. The leader was Lu Chengshi, the One-Word Lightning Sword, a strong mid-level martial artist who once made quite a name for himself in the capital..."

Jiang He listened patiently to the report. Every winter, the Northern Barbarians would organize a large force to march south. Judging from the prelude to their arrival, this year's scale was probably unprecedented. His main mission was to ensure that Daming Prefecture would not fall. Anyone who associated with the Northern Barbarians was going against him.

"...As for that disciple of Fengyun Mountain, I don't know him, but since he has mastered the Fengyun Palm, he is definitely one of the best among mid-grade martial artists," Du Chang judged.

"Have you told Granny Nine Poisons about this?" Jiang He asked.

"She said she would stay overnight in one of the surrounding villages and wait for news from the county government tomorrow before making a decision," Du Chang said.

Jiang He nodded, dismounted, and headed towards the military enlistment area, while simultaneously organizing the known intelligence.

This world has a supernatural system, divided into martial artists and qi cultivators, with three levels: upper, middle, and lower, corresponding to the three levels of ordinary, elite, and peak in the Bronze Age. Six grandmasters are beyond the reach of the world.

Superior martial artists are also known as grandmasters, capable of establishing their own sects. Each one can suppress hundreds or thousands of armored soldiers. They not only possess powerful secret techniques, but half of them also have the ability to control internal force at the level of hidden strength. They can injure people even by plucking flowers or leaves.

A mid-level martial artist can often dominate a region and easily defeat seventy or eighty well-trained armored soldiers.

The lowest level of martial arts practitioners fall into this category. To practice martial arts, one needs aptitude, the ability to sense the heavens and earth, and the ability to generate a trace of true essence within the body before one can begin.

As for the Qi cultivators of Kyushu and the shamans of the Northern Barbarians, they are more specialized types. They are adept at dealing with ghosts and monsters, but when fighting against martial artists, they are often killed by opponents of higher levels. However, once Qi cultivators combine with military formations, they can gather the blood and energy of the battle formation to create temporary Dao soldiers, thereby unleashing even greater power.

A century ago, after the Five Dou Dao Sect merged with the imperial court, it accelerated the end of the chaotic era in which "whoever had the strongest army and the most powerful horses ruled," and many regional warlord groups composed of military men were successively wiped out.

A low-grade Qi cultivator, in conjunction with a formation of fifty elite soldiers, can successfully surround and kill a mid-grade martial artist.

Jiang He arrived at the pile of corpses.

“These guys are incredibly audacious. I’ll take care of the burning. You go find Du Chang and quickly find a place to rest for the night.”

Suppressing his curiosity, Canjun instructed, "Lord, the corpse must be burned thoroughly, otherwise it will easily attract unclean things. Although the mountain guardians of Jianchi Mountain specialize in catching ghosts, they are still far away and will definitely not be able to come to help in time if something happens."

"understood."

He took his leave after enlisting in the army.

Jiang He took over transporting the corpse, and the soldiers were filled with fear and trepidation.

"Lord..."

"Leave everything to me, you all go and rest."

"How can we possibly do this!"

Jiang He kicked the group away several times, not wanting to waste any more words.

Spider legs extending from the cuff pierced the corpse's heart; because the death was recent, the blood from the heart remained viable.

[Bloodbath Progress Bar: 15% → 15.5%]

[Common-grade Blood Poison: Deals 15.5% additional poison damage]

“An ordinary soldier provides 0.5 progress points, while a mid-grade martial artist provides 3 points. The difference is quite significant.”

Jiang He glanced at the dozens of corpses on the ground. He should have changed the way that one-word lightning sword died, but the other party's aura was quite intimidating at the time, and he didn't want to cause any trouble by being too arrogant.

……

Two hours later, the scouts returned and found a village fifteen miles to the northeast of the area.

The convoy then set off.

Along the way, Jiang He chatted with his deputy, Du Chang.

In fact, the caravan originally had more than just the thirty-odd guards present. When they left the capital, the Five Dou Dao Sect sent dozens of disciples to accompany them, but they all left midway to intercept the top expert, Long Cheng, who was returning to the Northern Barbarians from the Nine Provinces.

Bei Manlongcheng, widely recognized as the second best in the world, is virtually unbeatable below the Grandmaster level. At only forty years old, he is in his prime. He once killed a high-ranking martial artist from Jiangnan with three punches and then calmly escaped from the encirclement of many martial arts masters.

He was the chief disciple of the Great Master of the Northern Barbarians—a Tantric Zen master—and also the Right Wise King of the Northern Barbarians, possessing top-notch power, martial prowess, and background.

The Tantric Zen master secretly traveled south, crossing the Nine Provinces to meet the great demon in the Ten Thousand Mountains further south. Longcheng escorted him by car, and then he returned alone, deliberately exposing his tracks as he traveled north, waiting for experts from all sides to challenge him. Now, more than ten grandmasters have been defeated by him, and two have died in battle.

Undoubtedly, this is an insult to the martial arts world of Kyushu.

Upon receiving the news, the chief disciple of the Daoist sect, who was originally escorting the princess back to Daming Prefecture, immediately led his followers to intercept her. The current situation is unclear, and all the major sects are watching and waiting.

Through casual conversation, Jiang He roughly learned about the situation in Daming Prefecture: the Anbei King who controlled the army, the Yan family, the representative of the aristocratic group, and the Daming Sect, a martial arts alliance. The latter two combined were only on par with the Anbei King. However, the Yan family had an undeniable advantage: the current Grand Secretary was surnamed Yan and had been in the position for thirty years, making him a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor.

“My lord, once we arrive in Daming Prefecture, we must proceed with caution. Both the Prince’s Mansion and the Yan family are extremely domineering. The Yan family controls the Hangming Canal. Without a token issued by the Waterways Administration, merchants from the south are not allowed to disembark. This token must be exchanged for real gold and silver. Since the princess is not traveling by water, I don’t think the relationship between the Prince’s Mansion and the Yan family is very good. The waters run deep.”

Deputy General Du Chang shook his head and sighed. Taking up a post in Daming Prefecture was no easy task. There were relatives and friends from all sides, so it might not be as easy as being in the capital. Moreover, it happened to be the once-every-twenty-years Sword Tournament, with martial arts practitioners everywhere. There was no telling if an unexpected disaster would strike.

"If there's no conflict, then keep your distance."

Jiang He shifted her attention to her progress bar.

[Bloodbath Progress Bar: 38%]

[Common-grade Blood Poison: Deals 38% additional poison damage]

Jiang He was quite satisfied with the growth of the Blood Poison. When it was promoted to the Rare level, the previous extra damage would be transformed into a qualitative change in the base damage of the new level. This Blood Poison could be integrated with energy to enhance the power of attacks and work in conjunction with Corrosion.

As the group continued their journey, a village came into view under the cover of night. The earthen walls surrounding the village were dilapidated and could not withstand attacks from ordinary wild animals, but the surrounding fields were very neat and appeared to have been unaffected.

The sentry on patrol stood at the village entrance to greet them, accompanied by the village head and several young men and women.

The curtains of the carriage window were lifted, revealing a face veiled in white gauze. The woman's eyes were gentle, and she spoke softly:

"Grandma Jiu, Lord, I smell a demon. Let's find out what's going on first. If the village head is colluding with the demon and oppressing the villagers, you can stand by and help him out."

Jiang He raised an eyebrow. The other party's meaning was not hard to understand. First, demons were not well-liked. Second, if demons colluded to do evil, she would go on a killing spree. As the direct disciple of the Five Dou Dao leader, her strength would not be too bad.

Chapter 111 The White Snake Fairy

The night is as cold as water.

Granny Jiudu got out of the carriage and personally inquired with the old village head, having complete faith in her young lady's judgment.

Jiang He watched from horseback. The village head was a role similar to a village chief, a grassroots administrator in the Great Qian Dynasty, usually a respected elder in the village.

"It seems that you are all from out of town. Our White Snake Village is located near the end of the mountain range. There are deep mountains just a few miles behind the village, where wild beasts and monsters often come out. So we usually worship the White Snake Fairy to protect us. The White Snake Fairy only likes to eat field mice. Fortunately, there are often rat plagues in the surrounding villages, so the worship is not too difficult."

At this point, the old man smiled. This group of people, riding horses and wearing armor, must be of extraordinary origin. Since they didn't say, he didn't want to ask. The village was located on a main road, and people from the north and south often stopped there. He would just send them away tomorrow morning.

"May I stay the night?" Granny Nine Poisons asked.

"Of course." The old man's eyes twitched slightly, as if he would leave if he refused.

Among the young men beside him, a burly man wearing a short jacket and a knife at his waist looked exceptionally strong. Although it was late autumn and the weather was getting colder, he seemed completely oblivious, his energy and blood at their peak.

"Then thank you in advance." Granny Nine Poisons took out a ginseng, which was of slightly inferior quality to the previous one.

"I'll take you in, but don't disturb the villagers, or my knife won't discriminate," the burly man said in a deep voice.

One had a white face, the other a red face; Granny Nine Poisons had traveled the martial world for many years and was used to this.

As the caravan entered the village, the man led everyone directly to the open space in the center, where hundreds of people had already gathered around a campfire. Rows of horse-drawn carts loaded with goods were on display, all of them tea and silk from the south.

"My name is Xu Yingwu, a merchant from Jiangnan. I am honored to meet you all."

A well-to-do middle-aged man dressed in silk rose and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Elder of the Great Ming Sect." Granny Nine Poisons returned the greeting, and then asked, "Why don't you take the Hangming Canal? The bandit Black Mountain Tiger of Yizhou specializes in robbing merchants passing through the territory."

Xu Yingwu chuckled and said, "It's alright. I usually do good deeds, so I always have some good luck."

Granny Nine Poisons understood that the checkpoints set up by the Yan family on the canal were indeed not cheap. Merchants have always taken risks for profit, but Black Mountain Tiger was not someone to be trifled with. Even if he was not among the top ten in the world, he was still a genuine top-grade martial artist.

The convoy lit a campfire, and the soldiers took turns removing their armor and resting. Granny Jiudu secretly went for a walk around the village and returned to the convoy to whisper with the princess. The villagers were all alive and there were no signs of a murder. The village head's words were somewhat credible.

By the campfire, Jiang He took out his camel hump bag, which was filled with well water. His armor had been mostly damaged in the previous battle, so he took off his helmet and drank some water.

Across the campfire, the military advisor and deputy general Du Chang looked at each other, both noticing the other's surprise.