Chapter 788

Chapter 788: Sweeping Away the Bandits (Part 1)

Sacred Ancestor Path.

A group of hundreds moved cautiously through the long tunnel, armed with knives and bows, the sound of their vehicles echoing softly.

“We’re at the Sky Ladder!”

Leading the group, Lu Qi stepped out of the tunnel first. He gazed at the winding path ahead and let out a deep roar.

As an experienced guide, he had led merchant caravans back and forth on this route dozens of times.

Yet each time they approached this Sky Ladder, he felt an overwhelming sense of unease.

For centuries, the Sacred Ancestor Path had continued to expand, resulting in countless branches and side paths.

The underground world was not just dirt and rock; it contained numerous dark rivers, underground caves, sinkholes, and even subterranean canyons!

In the process of opening the Sacred Ancestor Path, they would always encounter these dark rivers and caves—some could be navigated around, while others had to be forced through.

The Sky Ladder ahead was one such obstacle.

This winding ladder stretched for miles, the road narrow and rugged, making it quite difficult to traverse.

The most crucial part was that if the caravan encountered an attack on the Sky Ladder, they would find themselves in an impossible situation, with the possibility of total annihilation.

Lu Qi’s caravan was heading to Chibi City, and recently, bandit activities had increased in the surrounding areas. It was said that some merchant groups had been attacked, suffering severe losses.

In Lu Qi’s opinion, they shouldn’t enter dangerous areas until the bandits were eliminated.

However, his employer stubbornly insisted on delivering this shipment.

Lu Qi knew that without substantial profit, his employer wouldn’t take such a risk.

Yet he had no choice; having signed a contract, he had to obey the arrangements, even risking danger for this trip.

For safety, before reaching the Sky Ladder, he had asked the caravan leader to send two hunters ahead as scouts to scout the path.

If they sensed danger, they could provide timely warnings.

Due to the difficult terrain, the group was strung out, and Lu Qi worried that the carts at the back wouldn’t keep up, so he slowed their pace.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a powerful sense of unease.

Lu Qi instinctively widened his eyes and saw dark shadows appearing ahead, he couldn’t tell when they had emerged.

There was danger!

As the guide opened his mouth to shout, a feathered arrow suddenly flew through the air and pierced his head instantly.

Thud!

Lu Qi fell backward to the ground.

Before his consciousness plunged into darkness, he felt immense confusion—where had the scouts gone?

More arrows followed closely behind.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

“Bandits, bandits are coming!”

Panic erupted among the caravan on the Sky Ladder. Some cried out in anguish as they were struck by arrows, while others terrified retreated to dodge. Meanwhile, some roared and charged forward, trying to fight back against the attackers.

One of the martial artists moved with remarkable agility, deftly dodging the arrows that flew towards him and swiftly closing in on the attackers with his long sword in hand.

However, from among the bandits blocking the caravan, a muscular man surged forward, brandishing his battle axe to intercept the martial artist.

In the blink of an eye, the two clashed several times, their weapons flashing in a fierce exchange.

Yet, it was evident that there was a significant disparity in their strength. Within just a few moves, the muscular man shattered the martial artist’s long sword and then brought his blade down, beheading him.

He reached out and seized the bloody head, roaring at the resisting caravan, “We seek valuables, not lives! Those who surrender will be spared, but those who resist shall be shown no mercy!”

The muscular man’s voice thundered, causing rocks and dust to tumble from the surrounding cliffs.

At the same time, figures clad in black and armed with crossbows emerged behind him, significantly amplifying his intimidating presence.

The caravan members exchanged uneasy glances, and many of them dropped their weapons, their will to resist crumbling.

It wasn’t that they were weak; it was simply that the bandit leader was too formidable. The head he held was that of the caravan leader, who was also the strongest martial artist among them.

In just a few moves, the bandit leader had decapitated him, leaving the rest with no hope of fighting back!

Moreover, though the bandits were few in number, each one was an elite fighter, fully armed and ready for battle. If a fight broke out, the caravan would undoubtedly lose.

What would happen if the bandits suffered casualties and were driven to fury? Who would survive?

Faced with such a grim prospect, the leaderless caravan guards dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground.

“You’ve made the wise choice!”

The muscular man tossed aside the head and laughed heartily, “Boys, it’s time to feast!”

“Yes!”

The bandits roared in unison.

They stepped forward, kicking the guards’ discarded weapons off the Sky Ladder, and ordered the caravan’s cart drivers to regroup. Then, they began to plunder the travelers who had been following the caravan.

These travelers had joined the caravan for safety, but now that the caravan was doomed, they too were at the mercy of the ruthless bandits, who forcibly seized their valuables.

Some resisted out of anger, only to be cut down by a flurry of blades.

With such bloody examples before them, the remaining travelers grew even more fearful of resisting.

“Hahaha!”

Suddenly, a bandit cackled, “Boss, look what I found—a lovely lady!”

This bandit had just smashed open a carriage and dragged out a delicate woman as if she were a helpless chick.

“Help!”

The woman, tears streaming down her face, struggled desperately.

In the next moment, a young man crawled out of the carriage, shouting in anguish, “Let her go…”

Crack!

The bandit swung his blade, severing the young man’s head.

The woman’s eyes widened in horror, and she fainted on the spot.

The bandit grinned and carried her over to the muscular man, saying, “Boss, she’s all yours!”

The muscular man chuckled, “You’ve got a good eye.”

He callously grabbed the unconscious woman and tossed her onto a nearby rock, then began to undo his pants.

He was about to commit an unspeakable act in full view of everyone!

The caravan travelers witnessing this scene turned their heads away, unable to bear the sight or pretending not to see.

Whoosh!

Just as the despicable act was about to unfold, an arrow shot through the air like a bolt of lightning.

Its target was the muscular man!

The bandit leader, even in his lustful state, retained enough awareness to sense the danger. He instinctively dodged.

Thud!

The arrow struck his right shoulder, piercing straight through and leaving a gaping wound the size of a fist.

Bright red blood gushed out.

“Ah!”

The bandit leader let out a agonized scream, but before he could react further, a second arrow followed, piercing his throat!

His scream was abruptly cut off, leaving the surrounding bandits in stunned silence.

“Enemy attack!”

One bandit managed to shout, his voice desperate, “Quick, we need to—”

Thud!

An arrow pierced his skull, entering through his left eye and exiting in a spray of blood mist from the back of his head!

The bandits were thrown into chaos.

Terrified, they scattered in all directions, seeking refuge behind the carts, just as the travelers had done moments before!