Chapter 355: Doing a Good Deed

Zu An's expression also changed slightly. Almost every one of these men in black was a Fourth-Grade cultivator. Fourth-Grade cultivators were powerful enough to become chief officials of small counties.

In other words, the stated strength of each of these men in black was comparable to his own, or even higher, given that he had only just broken through to Fourth Grade.

Sang Qian had brought out his trusted confidants this time, not the good-for-nothings from the River Defense Camp; otherwise, they would probably have been completely wiped out at the first encounter.

Even so, they still couldn't withstand the powerful and ruthless attacks of these highly skilled men in black.

Watching his subordinates fall one after another, Sang Qian was enraged. "Die, villains!" he roared.

As he drew his long saber, fierce flames ignited along its blade, transforming it into a fiery great saber nearly forty meters long, which he swept towards the surrounding men in black.

The men in black were horrified and scrambled to dodge. Some who were too slow were directly cut in half by his fiery saber. The flames did not extinguish but continued to burn upwards from their wounds. The men in black, left with only half their bodies, still had some consciousness, screaming in agony as they burned, creating a scene like a living hell.

Zu An watched, dumbfounded. "That really is a 40-meter great saber!" he thought. "If he knew what I did with Zheng Dan, that 40-meter great saber would probably come for me. I wonder if I'd even have time to run."

On a side note, he and Zheng Dan truly weren't a match. Zheng Dan was water-attributed, and he played with fire. They were destined to clash like fire and water.

Qin Wanru, standing nearby, also spoke. "Although these men in black are skilled, Sang Qian is clearly far superior to them. The gap between Fourth-Grade and Fifth-Grade cannot be overcome by a mere numerical advantage. Moreover, Sang Qian is an outstanding practitioner even among Fifth-Grade cultivators."

"Don't worry, the men in black definitely have more than just this strength," Zu An said with certainty, thinking of Qiu Honglei's mysterious nature.

No sooner had he spoken than a small lantern suddenly rose in the distance, emitting a faint, bright yellow glow.

Yet, as soon as it appeared, a tremendous pressure emanated from it.

Sang Qian immediately felt as if he were in a swamp. The surrounding air seemed to become viscous. An action that would normally be effortless now required several times the effort.

His previously swift and fierce fiery saber attack slowed, becoming as if in slow motion.

Qin Wanru, being a duchess, reacted quickly. "This lantern must be a magical artifact with a paralyzing effect," she said. "I wonder who possesses such a miraculous weapon."

Zu An quickly asked, "Paralysis? Wouldn't that make one invincible? You could just freeze the enemy with this artifact and then finish them off with a single strike."

Qin Wanru shook her head. "It's not that simple. It depends on the cultivation gap between the two sides. Someone with low cultivation, like you, would probably be unable to move a single finger if enveloped by this light."

Zu An looked glum. "Can't you just state the facts without deliberately putting me down?" he thought.

"As for those with higher cultivation, their movements would only be slowed to a certain extent," Qin Wanru added. "Of course, for cultivators of even higher grades, this lantern would likely be useless."

Zu An asked curiously, "What if it shone on you?"

Qin Wanru's face flushed.

"Can this guy ever have a normal conversation?" she thought.

"It should affect me," Qin Wanru huffed.

[Rage value from Qin Wanru +233!]

Zu An pursed his lips. "Are all women this petty?" he wondered.

However, his gaze quickly turned to the lantern. "Why does it look so familiar?" he wondered.

At that moment, another man in black leaped out from the side, directly punching the slowed fiery great saber.

The bluestone slabs on the street shattered instantly, and a mass of earth surged out, forming a massive earth fist. It struck the fiery great saber, sending sparks flying everywhere, and the saber formed of flames was directly dispersed.

"An earth-elementalist cultivator, Fifth-Grade," Qin Wanru remarked with some surprise.

"Is this person stronger than Sang Qian?" Zu An asked.

Qin Wanru shook her head. "Not necessarily. It's mainly because Sang Qian's movements were slowed by the lantern, and most of his energy was focused on resisting it."

At this moment, Zu An's gaze was drawn to another figure. A graceful figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the street. Although she was entirely clad in black, it couldn't conceal her exquisite physique.

"Her chest looks a bit familiar," Zu An murmured to himself. However, he wasn't entirely sure. If it were Pei Mianman's chest, he could have confirmed it instantly, but this one wasn't as certain.

Sang Qian saw that neither of the two figures who had appeared were easy to deal with. Especially the woman holding the lantern, who exuded a formidable aura. His expression changed, and he quickly told his subordinates, "Quickly, take the salt permits away!"

Zu An couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "This Sang Qian isn't a coward after all. He didn't abandon his subordinates to cover his retreat."

Qin Wanru huffed. "Anyone who can cultivate to this realm at such a young age is a favored child of heaven."

Seeing the soldiers pushing the cart with the salt permits away, the earth-elementalist cultivator roared and lunged forward. "It won't be that easy!"

With a press of his hand on the ground, the entire ground arched up like a wave, surging towards the group with the salt permits.

Sang Qian leaped, directly blocking the undulating wave. He slashed his saber downward, and with a loud bang, dirt splattered, and the disturbed ground settled once more.

Immediately afterward, he rushed without hesitation toward the earth-elementalist cultivator. The two quickly engaged in battle.

Meanwhile, another group of men in black quickly pursued the salt permit carriage.

Sang Qian couldn't spare a thought for them; he could only hope his subordinates would fend for themselves.

He focused all his attention and attacked the earth-elementalist cultivator. There was also a formidable expert nearby whose true strength was unknown, so he had to quickly deal with his current opponent to have any chance.

His cultivation was clearly higher than his opponent's, and he quickly put the man in a perilous situation.

"Junior Sister, what are you doing?!" The earth-elementalist cultivator, both alarmed and enraged, urgently cried out.

The woman holding the lantern smiled faintly. "Brother, please hold on for a moment. I'll take care of those other two little mice first."

With that, she tapped her toes, and flew directly towards where Zu An and Qin Wanru were hiding.

"You go after the salt permits!" Qin Wanru's heart jumped in surprise. She immediately slapped Zu An's shoulder, a gentle force propelling him, throwing him towards the direction the salt permit carriage had disappeared.

"Be careful!" Zu An called back as he turned, while gazing at the graceful figure holding the lantern.

Although the person had deliberately altered her voice, he had already recognized her identity. Who else could it be but Qiu Honglei from the Divine Immortal Residence?

He had always known this woman kept her true abilities hidden, but he never expected her cultivation to be this high.

By this time, Qin Wanru was already engaged in battle with her opponent.

"Oh?" Qiu Honglei clearly hadn't expected a Sixth-Grade expert to be hiding here. She almost suffered a major loss the moment they exchanged blows.

Fortunately, the lantern in her hand was no ordinary item; it affected Qin Wanru's movements to some extent, allowing her to turn the tide.

Seeing that Qin Wanru still held a slight advantage, Zu An finally breathed a sigh of relief. "She's a Sixth-Grade cultivator, what am I worrying about?" he thought.

So, he directly pursued the carriage in the direction it had departed.

Faint sounds of fighting reached his ears, and soon he saw Sang Qian's subordinates engaged in a fierce battle with the mysterious men in black.

The carriage containing the salt permit boxes had been left to the side.

Everyone knew that whoever could defeat the opposing group would naturally obtain the salt permits. Therefore, guarding the salt permits was a complete waste of manpower. At this point in the battle, no one dared to waste even a tiny bit of strength.

Zu An gasped several times. "These guys are fighting truly intensely, with blood and flesh flying everywhere. Huh, whose hand just fell off?" he thought.

He directly summoned the Great Wind, appearing almost instantly beside the carriage.

But he wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, he cleared his throat slightly. "Everyone, you've all worked so hard!"

Both sides, locked in fierce combat, paused briefly, looking at the fellow who had appeared on the carriage, not understanding where he had come from.

"I see you're all fighting tooth and nail over the contents of this carriage," Zu An said. "I'm usually soft-hearted and dislike seeing rivers of blood, so I've decided to do a good deed and take these things away, to prevent you all from fighting to the death." He smiled faintly, then directly slapped the horse's rump, and the carriage began to gallop wildly.

The River Defense Camp members: "..."

The mysterious men in black: "..."

[Rage value from River Defense Camp members +66, +66, +66...]

[Rage value from men in black +99, +99, +99...]