Volcanic Age

The next day.

The gangho, already in an uproar over the recovery of the Prajna Divine Art, was stirred once again.

The fall of the Great Tiger Stockade, one of the Nine Forest Gangs, was the cause of this commotion.

Those who had been trapped in the Great Tiger Stockade were treated the night before, and all of them were taken down the mountain. Moreover, a warrior of the Gold Will Sword Sect had gone to the imperial government's office and reported to the official about the subjugation of the Great Tiger Stockade.

With a little greasing of the wheels through handing over some valuables, as soon as the sun rose, the imperial government's troops made their move.

While a large-scale suppression would have limited their movements, taking down a surrendered Forest Stockade was a different story.

On the contrary, they were actually eager for the opportunity to earn merits.

"Great Tiger Stockade, where have I heard that name…"

"No, just what sort of mountain shanty have these guys lived in?"

"Hey, hey, all bandits are just like that. After all, aren't they just parasites feeding on the blood of the people?"

"That parasite you're talking about, the Great Tiger Stockade Boss, the Mountain Blood Tiger, is one of the One Hundred Experts under Heaven and the younger brother of the Stockade Boss of the Red Forest. Above all, the Great Tiger Stockade is a group of bastards who kidnap people and use them as food for tigers."

"Gasp!"

"With the Mount Hua Sect, the Tang Family, and the Gold Will Sword Sect all coming forward to wipe them out, I can relax and rest easy."

"It's not for nothing that they're called the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Ancient Families!"

Not only the martial artists, but even the commoners showed interest.

It was only natural for the commoners to be happy that the bandits who had been harassing them had disappeared.

The common people praised the punitive force.

"Have you heard who was in the punitive force?"

"Of course I did. Wasn't it the Plum Blossom Order Sword Zhou Xuchuan, the Poison Phoenix Tang Hui, the Chivalrous Plum Sword Zhang Hong, the Jade Plum Flower Zhang Xuen, and the Second Gale of the Ten Gale Swordsmen Chu Lian?"

While the overall strength of the punitive force was impressive, the five key members were so famous that the others were overshadowed.

"There really is no place that Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan doesn't get involved."

"That must mean he has a great sense of justice. He's truly a Great Hero, a Great Hero!"

Not even a day had passed, but as soon as morning came, rumors spread like wildfire.

They say that words could travel a thousand miles even without legs. By lunchtime, the rumors had already reached other regions.

While some had wanted to seize the treasures that had been distributed among the kidnapped people after hearing about Zhou Xuchuan's decision regarding the spoils, that was firmly out of the question due to the intervention of the imperial government.

If things had gone normally, the troops and officials might have confiscated the money, claiming it belonged to the nation. However, when they heard that there were still treasures in the Great Tiger Stockade, the troops left the commoners alone. Moreover, the rumors had spread so quickly that it became difficult to seize the treasure anyway, meaning there was no reason to go through the trouble.

Meanwhile, as news of the punitive force and the fall of the Great Tiger Stockade stirred a storm across the world, the Eighteen Stockades of the Red Forest were also in an uproar.

The Green Dragon Palace.

It was large for a bandit's den.

Its magnificent gate, reminiscent of a castle's main gate, was a massive wooden structure. While it may have been made of wood, it was so thick that it seemed impossible to open it forcefully from the outside without a siege weapon.

The outer wall connected to the gate surrounded the stockade, wide enough to prevent intrusion. With a height of at least three zhang, it resembled an impenetrable fortress.

The watchtower installed in all directions allowed them to monitor enemies approaching from over a li away, with eagle-eyed guards taking turns working twelve shifts.

"The Great Tiger Stockade has fallen? What sort of insanity are you talking about?!"

In the deepest part of the stockade, where not even sunlight could penetrate, was a room that seemed as bright as day from the sheer amount of expensive Luminous Night Pearls installed on the walls. Soft silks, thick enough to reach one's ankles, served as rugs, while the head of a stuffed beast was hung on the wall.

Amidst the opulence were luxury goods that only the strong or powerful could even dare to desire, adding to the room's ambiance.

However, what caught people's eyes weren't the expensive items or even the beauty whose clothes somehow made her seem practically naked.

It was a man with a sharp jawline typical of a manly man, with a thick beard like a lion's mane, and a fierce aura that naturally made one feel intimidated.

His thick, sharply angled eyebrows only heightened his already fearsome demeanor.

"Stockade Boss! It was that bastard, Zhou Xuchuan. The Plum Blossom Order Sword not only mobilized the Gold Will Sword Sect, but also the Mount Hua Sect and the Tang Family!"

The Stockade Boss of the Red Forest, Meng Gang. He was the ruler of the coalition of the Nine Forest Gangs and the Nine Water Gangs.

"What?"

Meng Gang finally came to his senses and listened.

"There's no way I wouldn't have heard if those two forces made a move, just what happened? Keep talking."

"Mount Hua Sect and the Tang Family didn't head the subjugation."

"Then?"

"That bastard Zhou Xuchuan used his personal connections."

The punitive force had less than a hundred members. Due to its small size, its movements were quiet and swift, making it difficult to detect.

Most importantly, the Eighteen Stockades of the Red Forest underestimated the punitive force. They ignored its existence without a second thought.

Moreover, the Stockades were focused on dealing with the Gold Will Merchants, meaning their forces were considerably depleted. Given that they were letting their guard down, it was no surprise they fell when they were at their weakest.

"No, still, even with that considered, this is ridiculous. Most of them were just brats, how could they fall to them in less than a day?" Meng Gang laughed in disbelief.

"Gua, what was that bastard doing to get beaten so easily? Was he having sex with a tiger or something?"

His words were extremely eloquent, as if he wanted to remind everyone that he was a bandit.

"He lost to Zhou Xuchuan," The underboss of the Green Dragon Stockade answered.

"Tsk tsk. It's obvious that he was beaten because he underestimated the brat for being a kid."

"According to rumors from the villagers, he was killed in a single blow…"

"What would those who've never even cultivated know? Maybe they exaggerated the rumor to scare you."

Meng Gang didn't shed a single tear even after his younger brother whom he had shared wine with had died. On the contrary, he cursed him for being foolish.

Even if there might have been some semblance of loyalty among the Forest Stockades, it meant nothing to Meng Gang. Loyalty to other bandits? Laughable and embarrassing to mention.

If it wasn't for his subordinates sitting in front of him, he would have even laughed heartily.

"What a pity. I really liked his tributes."

Meng Gang licked his lips regretfully.

"Should we send some brats down to the Great Tiger Stockade?" the underboss asked cautiously, gauging the stockade boss' mood.

Meng Gang looked regretful about the treasures of the Great Tiger Stockade.

"The imperial government's troops should already be making their move, and even if we were to make a move now, it would already be too late. Just leave it alone for now. More importantly, where is that great punitive force?"

"They say that they left the Great Tiger Stockade this morning. However, they seem to be moving towards… us, the Green Dragon Stockade."

"Huh?"

Meng Gang had a bewildered expression on his face. The underboss had a similar reaction.

It would be a grave mistake to consider the Green Dragon Stockade as just another stockade. The amount of money it had spent on its defenses and security was incomparable to the other stockades.

In addition, the stockade was located in rugged terrain, making it the perfect place to fend off a siege.

One of the reasons the imperial government troops and the murim forces had hesitated to attack the Green Dragon Stockade was because of this impenetrable fortress.

Most importantly, as expected of the stockade of the Stockade Boss of the Eighteen Stockades of the Red Forest, the Green Dragon Stockade was full of experts.

The Stockade Boss alone was one of the strongest experts of the murim.

So, it was absurd to think that less than a hundred people were coming to subjugate the Green Dragon Stockade.

"What should we do?"

"Hmph!"

Meng Gang scratched his beard and mused.

Just what the hell could they be planning?

Unless they were crazy, there was no way that they would try to attack the Green Dragon Stockade with so few people.

Yes, the stockade had sent out most of their forces to raid the Gold Will Merchants, but they still had more than enough strength to handle a hundred people.

It hadn't even been a day since the fall of the Great Tiger Stockade, so it was too early to make a decision on what to do.

Things could get annoying if the brats are just bait and a distraction. We should wait and see before we make any hasty moves.

The punitive force that set off from the Great Tiger Stockade headed south to the Green Dragon Stockade.

While they were able to recover all of their stamina and qi by taking proper rest throughout their journey, their speed was consequently slower.

If they had marched non-stop, they could have reached their destination in just a day or two. However, maintaining that pace was impossible, so it took them four days to arrive.

To be clear, they didn't actually go all the way to the Green Dragon Stockade. Instead, they stopped about half an hour to an hour away and set up camp.

"I just can't tell what in the world they're thinking," Meng Gang muttered as he looked over at their camp from the watchtower.

It had been two days since the punitive force arrived, but they had made no moves, let alone attacked.

Since he didn't know what they were thinking, Meng Gang couldn't move rashly.

Although the punitive force itself wasn't a threat, he suspected that it might be a trap.

"Stockade Boss!"

It had been two days since the punitive force arrived, but they had made no moves, let alone attacked.

"What's going on?"

Meng Gang leapt off the watchtower as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

While the tower was about four zhang high, he didn't care whatsoever.

Boom!

It felt like a boulder the size of a house had fallen instead of a person landing.

"We've received a report from the scouts. They've found a group of over two hundred people half a day's distance to the south."

"Of course there's another group!"

Meng Gang's eyes blazed with energy, feeling relieved as his pent-up frustration was released.

"Did you confirm their affiliation?"

"Judging from their auras and their footsteps, they're definitely martial artists.[1] However, it's hard to tell where they came from."

"Tsk. There's nothing we can do about that."

Though he didn't know who they were, since they were targeting the Green Dragon Stockade, Meng Gang assumed that they were at most First Class martial artists.

No matter how fortified the Green Dragon Stockade was said to be against thieves, it still had its limits. If the Righteous Faction had deliberately only sent its elites, it would have been difficult for the scouts to even approach.

Well, I can guess what they're up to at least.

Two hundred troops wasn't a large force. It was simply too few to deal with the entirety of the Eighteen Stockades of the Red Forest.

His mind raced, almost emitting heat from how fast it was working.

They must be trying to kill me and cause internal strife, aiming for the self-destruction of the Red Forest!

Meng Gang's eyes widened.

"Their camp in front is a decoy!"

Common sense was telling them that less than a hundred people wouldn't have dared to charge through the main gate.

"They must have planned something, using an elite force to approach from behind while their main forces drew our attention, but it was all in vain. I anticipated this and positioned scouts to ensure we'd be aware of their approach!"

Meng Gang sneered sinisterly, then turned around and lowered his voice so those outside couldn't hear him as he issued an order.

"Move our forces to the back gate, but keep yourselves lowered so they can't see you from the outside. Things might become difficult if they notice you and run away. I'll personally cut off the heads of any of you who mess up."

"What about the main gate?"

"Leave about twenty people behind. Unless they bring cavalry, they won't be able to break through the main gate."

"Yes, understood!" the underboss replied, his voice filled with respect.

As expected of the Stockade Boss. He's incomparable to the other leaders we've had so far. He's not only impossibly strong, but he's also wise and skilled in strategy!

Meng Gang himself was a key reason why the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley found it difficult to attack the Eighteen Stockades of the Red Forest.

The reason that the bandits and thieves, who only knew how to fight and take a beating were able to improve their skills was solely due to the Stockade Boss.

Before Meng Gang, the Red Forest had merely lived day to day. However, after he became their leader, they found the luxury of planning for tomorrow.

However, that luxury was only meant to last for a moment.

When the group Meng Gang assumed to be the elite force arrived at the back gate, he appeared as if he had been waiting for them and laughed loudly.

"Ahahaha! You bastards must have thought I didn't know what you were planning…"

BOOM-!

A loud noise shook the heavens and the earth.

When he turned to see what was happening, he was greeted by the sight of black smoke rising from the front gate.

"Puahaha! I, the genius of mechanisms, Zhuge Shengji, have arrived!"

1. It's a belief that martial artists walk differently, which is why they can walk on water and even on air. ☜

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