Jiang Lin felt a slight stir in his heart and asked, "Unsettled? Do you mean monsters, or..."
"Both are possible," Old Buck lowered his voice. "There's been a lot of friction between the northern kingdoms lately, and the borders aren't stable. Deserters and fugitives sometimes drift onto the trade routes. Of course, the real trouble comes from the things that crawl out of the forests... Let's hope our luck holds."
"Yes, hopefully there are no accidents." Jiang Lin nodded and resumed his breathing technique.
After resting for about half an hour, the horn sounded again, and the convoy set off.
The first day passed in a monotonous rhythm of travel and quiet vigilance.
By evening, the convoy camped in a valley with a water source.
People expertly unloaded goods, fed the livestock, pitched simple tents, and lit bonfires.
The wilderness at night was even colder and quieter than outside Linfeng City, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional cough from a watchman.
Jiang Lin lit a small bonfire by his spot to keep warm while heating a small pot of water.
He had bought a constant-temperature tent, but since he spent his nights cultivating, he hadn't prepared a sleeping bag.
With his physical attributes, drinking cold water was no problem, but hot water was simply more comfortable.
He took out the map to confirm the route again.
From Linfeng City to Iron Rock Town, the border town of the Frost Kingdom, it would take about six days at the caravan's pace.
Word was that there were no civilian long-distance teleportation arrays there; he would have to use other means of transport for two days to reach the first decent city.
Once there, he could inquire about routes and transport further north, or even to the Northern Ice Field.
"It's a long road..." Jiang Lin put his things away and glanced at Little Black, who was curled up in the blankets with only its nose and whiskers showing, before closing his eyes again.
Over the next two days, the journey followed a similar pattern.
The terrain began to rise slowly, plains giving way to rolling hills, and the road became more rugged.
The sky remained overcast, but fortunately, it did not rain or snow.
The caravan's vigilance increased noticeably. Scouts reported more frequently, and the brows of Old Man Rekton and the guard leaders furrowed deeper.
On the afternoon of the third day, the atmosphere of the entire convoy turned heavy when two massive mountains appeared ahead, looking as if they had been split by a giant axe to reveal dark red rock.
"We've reached Ash Pass," Old Buck whispered to Jiang Lin, pointing ahead. "This place is creepy just looking at it."
Jiang Lin looked up.
The pass was narrow, only wide enough for three or four wagons abreast.
On both sides were towering, jagged dark red rock walls that looked like they had cooled after burning. They were devoid of vegetation.
Visible swirls of dusty, chaotic air currents spiraled through the pass, making a strange "woo-woo" sound—the turbulence mentioned in the records.
These turbulent currents didn't just affect visibility; they were said to carry chaotic magic essence that interfered with spells and certain magic gear.
Old Man Rekton ordered the convoy to tighten up and increase the distance between wagons. All guards drew their blades or notched arrows, and the scouts doubled their efforts. Even the yaks seemed to sense the unease, becoming restless.
The convoy slowly entered the pass.
The light dimmed instantly. The towering walls cast massive shadows, and the sound of the wind was amplified and distorted in the narrow channel, turning into eerie wails and shrieks. Dust kicked up by the turbulence lashed against wagon covers and faces, making visibility very poor.
Jiang Lin also increased his vigilance, scanning his surroundings.
But for a while, it seemed the pressure was just from the environment.
The convoy safely made it through about two-thirds of the pass.
Just as Old Man Rekton's yak at the front was about to leave the shadows and a hint of daylight appeared ahead...
"Swoosh! Swoosh swoosh!"
The sharp sound of air being pierced suddenly came from above and to the side!
"Ambush! Left cliff! Shields up!" Old Man Rekton's roar was like a thunderclap, instantly drowning out the wind.
Almost simultaneously, dozens of arrows glinting with cold light shot out from hidden alcoves in the middle of the left cliff!
The arrows were powerful, aimed directly at the wagons in the middle of the convoy carrying valuable goods and the surrounding guards!
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Most of the arrows were blocked by iron-clad wooden shields raised in time, but several groans and screams rang out as people were hit.
"It's raiders! Form a circle! Protect the cargo!" Old Man Rekton's voice remained steady, commanding with authority.
The caravan guards reacted quickly, closing in on the attacked wagons and linking shields to form a simple defensive perimeter.
The drivers struggled to control the startled yaks to prevent total chaos.
Jiang Lin's spare wagon was toward the rear and wasn't a primary target, but a couple of stray arrows flew his way.
They were aimed straight at him.
Feeling somewhat speechless, he didn't even stand up. He pointed his right hand like a sword, and with a flash of pure white holy light at his fingertip, he precisely shattered the incoming arrows in mid-air.
"Eh?" Old Buck and a few nearby caravan members stared in a daze.
Seeing that the first volley of arrows had limited effect, the attackers on the cliffs let out strange cries. Then, over a dozen dark figures descended from the cliffs like apes, using ropes and rocky protrusions!
They wore tattered leather armor in a grayish-white color that matched the rocks. They held scimitars and hand axes, their faces covered with dirty cloth, leaving only fierce eyes visible.
"It's the Ash Bandits! Kill these bastards!" a caravan guard roared, charging forward with a spear.
Hand-to-hand combat erupted. The sounds of clashing flesh, ringing metal, roars, and screams filled the bottom of the narrow pass.
The bandits weren't many, but they were exceptionally fierce. Using their familiarity with the terrain and a desperate momentum, they fought the well-trained caravan guards to a standstill.
Jiang Lin remained seated on the edge of the wagon, his golden eyes calmly scanning the battlefield.
The 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】 clearly reflected every bandit's movement, power flow, and even their next intentions.
They were too weak, mostly at the 2nd or 3rd-rank.
Only a few elites seemed to have 4th-rank combat power, and they stayed in the back to command their men.
Of course, the caravan side wasn't much better.
Though they had more professional training, their position was highly disadvantaged.
In the chaos, the entire caravan was falling into the underdog position.
Meanwhile, Jiang Lin noticed three bandits, covered by their comrades, trying to bypass the main fight and pounce on a wagon loaded with sealed wooden barrels—likely one of the caravan's core cargoes.
Old Man Rekton was tied down by two brawny bandit leaders who looked like 4th-rank combatants and couldn't break away.
A gap appeared in the defensive circle.
If the enemy seized this chance, this shipment might actually be lost here.
Jiang Lin sighed and finally moved.
There was no blinding light or grand spectacle.
His figure vanished from the wagon like wind merging into the turbulence, appearing between the three bandits and the target wagon in the next instant.
The three bandits felt a blur before their eyes as a golden-haired youth suddenly blocked their path.
Though surprised by his speed, they weren't easy targets and reacted quickly.
They grinned maliciously and swung their blades with vicious, rapid movements, clearly experienced veterans of killing and looting.
"Watch out!!" Old Buck, who had noticed Jiang Lin's move, shouted a warning.
He hadn't expected this incredibly handsome youth to step in now. He was only 2nd-rank, wasn't he?
The weakest guards in the caravan were 2nd-rank and above, and they could only manage one-on-one against these suicidal bandits, let alone one-against-three like Jiang Lin was doing.
However, Jiang Lin's expression was calm. He simply stepped forward, turned his body, and threw a punch.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three muffled sounds echoed almost simultaneously.
In the next moment, a scene that made everyone's pupils dilate with shock occurred.
Under Jiang Lin's plain, unadorned punch, the bodies of the three bandits were directly pierced by the shockwave of his fist!!
A mist of sprayed blood spread from their chests to their backs, looking like butterfly wings unfolding behind them.
The three bandits stared with wide eyes. They couldn't fathom how their bodies were pierced so easily.
Even less could they imagine that a random young man from the caravan could kill them all so effortlessly.
A moment later, intense pain, suffocation, and a lack of oxygen hit them. They felt a sharp pain in their faces before losing consciousness entirely.
To the others, the scene was even more terrifying.
After piercing their chests with a single punch each as if they were children, Jiang Lin delivered a flying kick that exploded their heads, finishing them off.
Jiang Lin didn't stop there. He pushed off the ground and charged into the fray between the bandits and the guards.
His figure flickered through the chaotic crowd like a ghost. Every pause was accompanied by a dull impact and the crisp sound of shattering bones.
His movements were without flair—just simple straight punches, side kicks, and elbow strikes—but every hit landed precisely on a vital spot: the chest, the neck, or the back of the head.
Holy light flashed briefly on his knuckles and toes. It wasn't used for flashy destruction but was instead extremely condensed to enhance his destructive power and silently purify any splashing blood.
"Squelch!"
"Crack!"
The dull thuds and bone-cracking sounds continued.
A bandit trying to sneak up on a guard was struck in the temple by Jiang Lin's backhand. His head twisted at a grotesque angle, and he slumped down without a sound.
Another burly bandit wielding twin axes charged with a howl. Jiang Lin stepped past the axe blades and delivered a plain front kick to the man's abdomen. The bandit flew back as if hit by a battering ram, slamming into the cliff wall. By the time he slid down, blood was pouring from his mouth and nose; he was dead.
The battle happened too fast and was too one-sided.
In just a few seconds, seven or eight fierce bandits were dead. Their deaths were clean and efficient, with hardly any struggle.
The remaining bandits finally realized something was wrong. Their assault faltered as they looked in horror at the golden figure moving through the crowd as if no one were there.
Jiang Lin charged through the chaos like a heavy truck on a highway.
The bandits were like speed bumps; they were sent flying with missing heads or broken bodies by his plain, serious punches and kicks.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" a 4th-rank bandit leader hiding in a cliff alcove screamed, his voice distorted by fear.
But it was too late.
Jiang Lin's gaze locked onto the leader.
He pushed off the ground, shooting forward like an arrow from a bow, swatting away a bandit in his path.
The part of the bandit he hit exploded, and the rest of the body spun like a top hit by a massive force, crashing into his comrades and causing further chaos.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Lin was in front of the leader.
The leader's pupils shrank. He roared and swung his blade, which was coated in a dim magic light.
Jiang Lin didn't dodge. His left fingers curved like a hook. Through the 【Chronowalker's Evil Eye】, he perfectly predicted the enemy's trajectory, precisely catching the man's wrist and giving it a sharp twist and pull.
With a "crack," the wrist bone snapped, and the scimitar fell.
Compared to a 4th-rank fighter like Teacher Groot, this man's combat skills were like a child's compared to an adult's. He had no real form, relying mostly on desperate, life-for-life strikes.
Against an inexperienced opponent, he might have held the upper hand. But against someone like Jiang Lin, a cheat-like existence who could see a second into the future, he was hopelessly outmatched.
Even with the power of a 4th-rank, he couldn't even display half of his potential strength in Jiang Lin's eyes.
Then, Jiang Lin pointed his right fingers like a sword. A speck of solid eight-colored sword qi swirled at the tip as he thrust it toward the man's brow with the speed of lightning.
This was the eight-colored sword qi from before its evolution. Jiang Lin didn't want to reveal the 【Eight Extremities Holy Sword】, so he used this old skill to finish the job.
"No—!"
The leader only had time for a short, sharp scream. The moment the fingertip touched his skin, the holy light entered silently.
The leader's body stiffened. The light in his eyes faded instantly, and thin lines of blood seeped from his seven orifices. He slumped down, lifeless.
The remaining bandits completely broke. They let out a cry and scrambled up the cliffs they had come from, abandoning their comrades and any potential loot. They only wanted to escape this sudden god of death.
"After them!"
Old Man Rekton finally broke free from the two 4th-rank bandits he had been fighting—those two had already fled the moment they saw things going south.
He let out a roar and led several guards in pursuit, leaving behind a few more corpses.
In the end, only a handful of bandits managed to escape by using their knowledge of the terrain, disappearing into the rocks above the pass.
The battle ended unexpectedly fast.
The bottom of the pass grew quiet again, save for heavy breathing, the groans of the wounded, and the restless snorting of the yaks.
The smell of blood filled the dry air, mixing with the scent of dust.
Everyone still standing—guards, drivers, and support staff like Old Buck—stared blankly at Jiang Lin, who stood amidst the bandit corpses.
The youth's golden hair fluttered slightly in the wind blowing through the pass. His fine constant-temperature suit was pristine, without a single speck of blood.
His expression was calm, his golden eyes like a deep, placid pool. It was as if the brief and bloody slaughter just now had nothing to do with him.
Then, he spoke indifferently. "Sigh, these bandits are much weaker than I imagined..."
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