“However, speaking of these three major forces, you can forget about the Situ Family. Bloodline families basically prioritize their own clansmen and rarely recruit outsiders. Unless you possess a quite rare and powerful Bloodline, there's little chance of joining them.”
Huang Quan opened his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said indifferently.
“So, you'd best choose either the Tianxiang Sword Sect or the Yuanyang Beast Sect. However, what I recommend the most is the Tianxiang Sword Sect; it's relatively the most lenient of the three forces to enter, otherwise, it wouldn't have the most people.”
“Tianxiang Sword Sect, huh…”
Lin Sheng muttered to himself. The Tianxiang Sword Sect was indeed quite good; in terms of martial arts techniques, its true techniques were quite powerful.
However, relatively speaking, the Yuanyang Beast Sect was more suitable for him.
“What about the Yuanyang Beast Sect? What are the requirements for entry?”
He looked at Huang Quan and asked.
“Ah, the Yuanyang Beast Sect. The difficulty of entry is slightly higher than the Tianxiang Sword Sect, but they're pretty much the same. If you're interested in Spirit Beasts, you can also go to the Yuanyang Beast Sect.”
Huang Quan glanced at Lin Sheng, paused, and then continued?
“However, to learn the true techniques within these two major forces, you must become a true disciple within their sect. One of the conditions for becoming a true disciple is Bloodline Power. Your Bloodline Power is very weak, but fortunately, your comprehension is good, so entering the outer sect shouldn't be a problem. However, becoming a true disciple will be a bit troublesome; it will depend on your personal destiny. In short, you can try your luck at both sects.”
“I understand.”
Lin Sheng nodded, thinking about what Gongsun Shou had said when he saved him.
Although he didn't know why he had become a discarded disciple of the Yuanyang Beast Sect, he had at least stayed there and knew some people within. If he could use this connection for an introduction, entering the Yuanyang Beast Sect would undoubtedly be easier.
Although the Tianxiang Sword Sect sounded good, the Yuanyang Beast Sect, after all, had terrifying existences like demon beasts. If he could establish himself there, he might have a chance to obtain some blood. He thought of the powerful body integration attribute of the Phantom Demon Beast back then.
If he could integrate with a demon beast, his strength would undoubtedly increase dramatically.
Moreover, even if he couldn't get demon beast blood in the short term, Spirit Beast blood would certainly be much easier to obtain. Without thinking, he knew that the number of Spirit Beasts in the Yuanyang Beast Sect was definitely not small.
Therefore, his first choice was undoubtedly the Yuanyang Beast Sect.
Thinking of this, he cupped his hands towards Huang Quan again and sincerely thanked him.
“Thank you, Brother Huang, for clarifying.”
After talking with him, he had a general understanding of the situation in Linjiang Prefecture.
Time flowed slowly, and soon another two days passed.
During these two days, he mostly rested during his free time and practiced the quiet cultivation of the Ape Embryo Skill.
Having traveled for many days, they would sometimes rest in towns they passed through, but they didn't delay too much.
For some unknown reason, Lin Sheng always felt a bad premonition, and as time passed, this premonition gradually intensified. Therefore, they spent most of the day traveling.
The carriage sped along the official road. At this time, the sky was gradually darkening. Just as they were planning to rest nearby, sudden roars of beasts and neighing of horses came from the mountain forest not far away.
“What's that sound? It seems like a lot of people are approaching!?”
Wang Dehai and Lao Zhou, hearing the commotion, looked towards Lin Sheng and Huang Quan behind them.
The two of them seemed to have noticed this long ago, as there was no surprise on their faces.
“We've been traveling for a while, and finally encountered a group of bandits. Otherwise, I would have wondered when the wilderness became so peaceful?”
Huang Quan exhaled a puff of smoke, glanced at Lin Sheng beside him, and showed a smile.
“Having taken the money, it's time to put in some effort, otherwise, I'd feel a bit embarrassed.”
Saying that, Lao Huang slowly got off the carriage and walked forward.
At this moment, figures had already burst out from the bushes a few hundred meters ahead of the carriage.
The leader was a bald, one-eyed burly man, riding a tiger-shaped exotic beast. He exuded a fierce Aura, clearly not an ordinary person.
However, at this moment, the burly man looked at the two carriages ahead, his brows slightly furrowed.
“Is that all there is? Forget it, no matter how small a mosquito is, it's still meat. Kill the people and take the goods.”
“Alright, Leader.”
Immediately, several bandits behind him stepped forward, with sinister smiles on their faces, slapped their horses, and charged towards the carriages.
The one-eyed strong man sat on the tiger's back, watching this scene indifferently.
This group of bandits was entrenched on this official road leading to Linjiang Prefecture City, their purpose being to rob the caravans that came from various County Towns and wanted to go to the Fu City.
These caravans had traveled such a long distance to the Fu City, and almost every one of them carried considerable wealth and goods.
Although there were many experts in these caravans, the strength of this group of bandits was also not comparable to that of ordinary bandits. Except for the Imperial Court caravans or those from the major forces in the Fu City, they basically dared to take on other caravans.
They wouldn't provoke the major forces, but once other small and medium-sized caravans were targeted by them, there was basically no possibility of escape.
Moreover, they wouldn't commit crimes continuously but would rest for a while after a few successful robberies and move to another location.
This official road was so long, and the mountains and forests on both sides were dense. Even if someone wanted to track them, it wasn't easy. Therefore, over the years, even though the Imperial Court had sent anti-bandit teams out several times, they had never been able to wipe them out.
After several such instances, the officials in the nearby County Towns basically became lazy to put in any more effort. As long as they didn't go too far, they basically wouldn't inquire too much.
This further fueled the arrogance of this group of bandits.
As the leader of the bandits, Du Long's cultivation was only at the Forging Tendons Late Stage, but he was far superior to ordinary Forging Tendons Realm Martial Artists. His most brilliant achievement was escaping with his life under the pursuit of a Blood Transportation Warrior from the official government.
He was born with unique bones, far stronger than ordinary people, with rough skin and thick flesh. The second-rate martial art he cultivated was also among the best, so his combat power was considerable.
He also had more than a dozen Forging Tendons Martial Artists under him, five of whom were at the Late Stage.
They had excellent coordination among themselves. Even if they faced a Martial Artist who had just entered the Blood Transportation Realm, they would not be afraid.
The rest of the bandits were at least Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists. The bandit group of a hundred people was quite formidable.
This was the source of their confidence.
“After a few more scores, the money will be enough. Then I'll buy another bottle of Blood Solidifying Pills and try to break through again. This time I have a seventy percent chance of succeeding. By then… Hehehe…”
Du Long's single eye glinted with a smile. Thinking of the bright future after breaking through to the Blood Transportation Realm, his mood couldn't help but improve greatly. However, against the backdrop of his ugly face, this smile appeared quite ferocious.
But the next moment, the smile on his face froze, because the subordinates who had rushed out into his line of sight were falling to the ground like cut wheat, without any ability to resist.
This scene made his brows furrow. He immediately let out a low roar towards the few confidants behind him and drew his large saber from the tiger's back.
“I didn't expect to encounter a tough opponent. Why are you still standing there? Go up together and finish them all.”
“Yes, Leader!!”
The confidants behind him also drew their weapons and charged forward, while Du Long himself heavily slapped the tiger's back with the back of his saber. The fierce tiger beneath him let out a low growl and immediately leaped out.
“Quite a few people. It seems this group of bandits is quite strong.”
Lin Sheng watched the charging bandits from the carriage, muttering to himself.
Although the number of these bandits was not large, they were basically elites. However, there were no Blood Transportation Martial Artists among them, so they posed no threat to them.
However, considering that Huang Quan was old and his vitality was declining, he didn't know how much of his Blood Transportation Realm strength remained.
He was also considering whether to go up and help, and it would be a good opportunity to test the newly Breakthrough Three Corpse Soul Severing Palm.
He saw Huang Quan's figure moving like a ghost. His thin body constantly weaved through the crowd of bandits. In just the blink of an eye, more than a dozen bandits had fallen to the ground, their life and death unknown.
Soon, dozens of bandits lay stiffly on the ground, while Huang Quan, holding his pipe, didn't forget to take a deep puff.
“This speed…”
This was the first time he had seen Huang Quan make a move with his own eyes. This speed was truly somewhat beyond Lin Sheng's expectation.
It was much faster than the Black Bear from back then, and his moves were clean and decisive. Lin Sheng saw clearly that every time he struck, he hit the bandits' vital points.
Every bandit was killed with a single blow, and even the Forging Tendons Realm bandits were no exception.
“Not good! They're tough! Retreat… Retreat first!!”
Du Long, who was about to charge forward, saw his subordinates falling like cut vegetables, batch after batch. His face instantly changed dramatically, and he immediately understood that the unassuming thin old man was terrifyingly strong and not someone they could contend with.
Immediately, he was the first to turn the tiger's head, wanting to rush into the mountain forest. His tiger mount was very fast, especially in the mountain forest, where it could fully utilize its advantage. He was confident that as long as his subordinates could hold them off for a while, he would be able to shake off that powerful old man.
However, unfortunately, his movements were fast, but Huang Quan's movements were even faster. He had already set his sights on this bandit leader.
For these bandits who lived by burning, killing, and looting, he basically wouldn't let them go if he encountered them.
It was impossible to let such a leader escape from his sight.
Huang Quan weaved through the bandits, chasing after Du Long, while the other bandits also understood Huang Quan's strength.
Seeing the opponent leave, they originally wanted to take the opportunity to escape, but after noticing the others on the carriage, they immediately changed their minds.
“Don't worry about that old man, capture the others. I don't believe that old man can still cause any trouble.”
These people were already vicious and lived on the edge of a knife, understanding that the stronger the caravan, the more valuable the goods on the carriage.
Now that Huang Quan had temporarily left, as long as they controlled the others on the carriage, they figured the opponent would be hesitant.
Immediately, they charged towards the carriage like madmen.
Wang Dehai and Lao Zhou immediately drew their weapons. Lao Zhou was alright; after all, he had experience living on the edge in the Hunting Beast Hall. Wang Dehai, however, had a slightly pale face. He had been living a comfortable life in the Slaughterhouse. Although he was a Body Tempering Martial Artist, he didn't have much experience fighting others.
Seeing such a group of bandits, his heart naturally pounded non-stop.
However, before these bandits could get within ten meters of the carriage, the bodies of the few bandits in front stiffened and fell backward onto the ground, a large bloody hole bursting open on their heads.
It could be seen that small broken stones, no bigger than quail eggs, were deeply embedded in the heads of several people.
And this was just the beginning. The next moment, a large number of broken stones shot out, giving these bandits no chance to resist, already embedding themselves in their bodies.
A few Forging Tendons Realm bandits swung their weapons, barely managing to deflect the broken stones attacking them.
The next moment, a figure appeared in front of them. These few individuals were all experts in the Forging Tendons Realm and could be said to have gone through hundreds of battles. Their reactions were extremely fast, and they immediately drew their sabers and slashed towards him.
The flashing saber light hadn't even fallen when it was grasped by a hand. Then, under the horrified eyes of the two high-level bandits, they saw their weapons turn black in the opponent's hand and then soften. Using the word 'soften' might be inappropriate; 'melt' would be more fitting.
“How is this possible!!”
The two bandits holding steel sabers were greatly shocked and instinctively wanted to retreat quickly. However, two hands had gently patted their arms.
The force on the palms was not strong, so they didn't feel anything, but soon, the two realized something was wrong, because a sharp pain was already spreading from their arms.
“Ah!! It's poisonous!!”
The two clutched their arms and fell to the ground. Under the horrified eyes of the surrounding people, they saw their arms instantly turn black and gray, melting at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye, one bandit's entire arm melted away, even the arm bones turning into a pool of black sewage that seeped into the ground, emitting bursts of white smoke. This bandit's face quickly turned black, losing consciousness and all signs of life.
The other bandit gritted his teeth and made a decisive move, immediately tearing off his melting arm.
Thinking he had escaped with his life, he scrambled backward. After only a few steps, his body stiffened and he fell heavily to the ground. His face, which had been pale from excessive blood loss, was already covered with a layer of black and gray, and thin streams of black foul blood flowed from his ears, nose, and mouth. He was clearly deader than dead.
The other bandits around saw this scene, their faces showing fear, and they stopped their forward steps.
Most of them were not afraid of death; after all, they had been living on the edge of a knife and were prepared to lose their lives at any time. But dying in such pain still made their scalps tingle.
However, even though they stopped, Lin Sheng's figure rapidly darted towards them.
Soon, bandit after bandit fell to the ground, rolling in pain, only to become still within a few breaths.
The remaining dozen or so bandits did not hesitate at all, their livers and guts splitting as they scattered and fled. In their eyes, this young man in front of them was more terrifying than that powerful old man from before.
Looking at the fleeing bandits, Lin Sheng threw out a few broken stones, leaving a few lives behind, and didn't bother with the rest. He turned back to the carriage.