Unrivaled Martial Emperor

Looking at the red distress signal emitted by the jade plaque, Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.

"Someone's calling for help."

Swish.

Without any delay, he identified the direction and darted forward.

Although the True Martial Academy disciples who entered the core area were elites among elites, those from other factions were no pushovers.

And beyond them lurked rogue cultivators, the Blood Heavenly Demon Sect, and prodigies from foreign continents, none known for their mercy.

......

In a valley:

Spanning a vast distance, the valley was flanked by towering peaks that soared ten thousand feet tall.

The wind howled fiercely, hurling massive blades of air that sliced through the sky.

At the entrance, over a hundred cultivators had gathered, rogues and elite disciples from all major forces.

However, they all looked panicked and terrified.

"Ten Vicious Bandits, it's you! You purposely spread fake news to lure us here, damn it!"

Outside the valley, ten black-robed figures enveloped in blood-colored nefarious qi stood in a row, blocking the entrance.

These ten people were the Ten Vicious Bandits, infamous on the Tianwu Continent. Rumors said that they were ten orphans who survived a brutal environment by relying on each other.

By chance, they inherited a powerful legacy and stepped into the world of martial arts. They cooperated seamlessly, easily fighting those above their levels.

Although none of the Ten Vicious Bandits had stepped into the Legendary realm, they all had mastered eighty to ninety law threads and were very powerful. When they joined forces, they could fight even a Lesser Legendary realm expert.

"Heh, heh, that's right. Otherwise, how could we lure you people here and catch you all in one fell swoop?"

The bandit king of the Ten Vicious Bandits was a vicious man with a scar over his left eye. His nefarious qi was the heaviest, and his cultivation was also the highest, having mastered ninety law threads.

They had entered the core area with the mindset of making a fortune.

With so many elite disciples from major factions venturing in, each carrying valuable resources, the bandits saw a golden opportunity. If they could rob them all, they'd walk away rich.

Thus, not long after entering the core area, the ten regrouped and found this Heavenly Wind Valley.

The heavenly wind in the valley could threaten even Lesser Legendary realm experts, making it the perfect trap.

They spread news that there was Heavenly Heart Fluid inside the Heavenly Wind Valley.

As expected, wave after wave of cultivators came rushing in.

With this, they fell right into their trap.

After these people entered the Heavenly Wind Valley, the Ten Vicious Bandits emerged from hiding and blocked the only exit, turning the valley into a deathtrap.

"Damn it, Ten Vicious Bandits, how dare you! Do you know who we are?" A quasi-Legendary male wearing the uniform of the Fire Reverence Cult tried to intimidate them with his status.

"Hahahaha, trying to threaten us with your status?" The Ten Vicious Bandits immediately laughed out loud upon hearing this. The bandit king said in disdain, "It's not like we haven't killed disciples of the Fire Reverence Cult before. How ridiculous to try and use your status to threaten us. Since you're so eager to die, I'll send you to hell first."

The bandit king attacked as soon as his voice fell.

Raising his arm, he manifested a palm overflowing with nefarious qi and grabbed out, seemingly to crush the Fire Reverence Cult disciple.

The Fire Reverence Cult disciple's expression changed. Blazing flames immediately erupted from him, and he executed the Fire Cloud Heaven Crumbling Hand, sweeping out like a large hand of flames.

"Fire Cloud Heaven Crumbling Hand!"

Boom, tch!

However, the bandit king instantly destroyed the Fire Reverence Cult disciple's Fire Cloud Heaven Crumbling Hand, unable to resist in the slightest.

The difference between the two was too great.

This Fire Reverence Cult disciple was a newbie quasi-Legendary realm expert. In terms of their mastery of law, there was a difference of forty threads. They were simply on different levels.

Moreover, any of the ten bandits would be too much for him.

"Ah!"

Following a miserable scream, the bandit king crushed the Fire Reverence Cult disciple into a mist of blood.

The others' faces were filled with shock and horror.

This Fire Reverence Cult disciple had been one of their strongest, yet he couldn't withstand a single blow from the bandit king.

A tall and sturdy man with sharp eyebrows and spirited eyes said, "Ten Vicious Bandits, you set this trap for our treasures, didn't you? If you let us go, we'll hand everything over."

This person was Jia Yuanji, an elite of the True Martial Academy.

There were two other True Martial Academy disciples with him, Gao Xuan and Li Hong.

Jia Yuanji was in the quasi-Legendary realm, while Gao Xuan and Li Hong were close to that level. Suffice it to say, they weren't weak.

They had thought that they could raise their strength to the next level if they obtained the Heavenly Heart Fluid; unexpectedly, they fell into a trap.

More than a hundred people were trapped with them, with close to twenty of them being quasi-Legendary realm experts. Some of them had even mastered seventy-some threads of law. Despite their numerical superiority, they knew full well that even twice their number wouldn't be enough against the Ten Vicious Bandits.

The bandit king laughed coldly and said, "Hahahaha, we want your belongings and... your lives. The moment you stepped into Heavenly Wind Valley, your fates were sealed. Everything you have now belongs to us, including your lives. Got it?"

Jia Yuanji and the others' expressions changed again.

Even surrendering their treasures wouldn't spare them. The bandits intended to kill every last one.

Jia Yuanji said in a deep voice, "Everyone, we have no other way. Our only option is to fight them to the death. Advancing means death, but so does retreating. At the very least, we still have a slight chance at survival if we fight them."

The heavenly wind behind them could threaten Lesser Legendary realm experts and was more dangerous than the Ten Vicious Bandits. Their deaths were certain if they forced their way in.

If they fought the bandits, perhaps they could take advantage of the chaos and escape.

As long as someone escaped and spread word of this incident, the experts of the various sects would seek revenge on the Ten Vicious Bandits and eradicate them.

A quasi-Legendary realm expert of the Blade Saint Mountain concurred, "Brother Jia has a point. Now, our only option is to fight them. If someone manages to escape, remember to spread word of this matter."

"Alright, let's fight!"

"Yes, fight them to the death!"

Immediately, the crowd's gazes turned ruthless.

"Hahahaha, fight us? You losers want to fight us? How laughable."

The Ten Vicious Bandits were nonchalant when they saw that Jia Yuanji and the others were going to fight them.

A crafty-looking guy at the bandit king's side said, "Boss, there's no time to lose. Let's slaughter these fat sheep and move on. We can set another trap elsewhere. These people are elites, so some of them probably carry communication tokens. Their reinforcements could already be on the way."

The bandit king nodded. His nefarious qi erupted violently, and he raised his arm.

"Kill!"