Soon, several figures approached Li Qiang.
"It's Senior Brother Li, are you also going to the Monster Beast Forest to kill monsters?"
"Yes, junior brother. What about the five of you?"
It turned out these people were also disciples of Xiayang Peak, all at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage.
They were just one step away from breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
"Senior brother, we are planning to go to the Monster Beast Forest to kill Blood Spiders."
"Blood Spiders? Those are monsters comparable to late-stage Foundation Establishment experts. Can the five of you handle them?"
"We were a bit worried at first, but since we happened to run into Senior Brother Li, our chances of success have increased considerably," a disciple wearing a robe with "Xiayang Peak" emblazoned on it said.
"Shall we go together?"
Li Qiang was naturally willing. These people were not as strong as him, so the main spoils would still be his.
However, he had to maintain a certain demeanor.
"We came precisely to invite Senior Brother Li to join us."
"In that case, I'll gratefully accept," Li Qiang said with a hearty laugh.
"It's just..." a disciple looked troubled, glancing at Xu Jiao standing beside Li Qiang.
"No matter. Junior Sister Xu is one of us," Li Qiang said, putting his arm around Xu Jiao's shoulder.
"Senior Brother Li is indeed formidable!" the others exclaimed, giving him thumbs up.
Xu Jiao shyly buried her head in Li Qiang's chest.
"Haha, let's go..." Li Qiang laughed heartily, feeling incredibly pleased.
As they spoke, the seven of them headed towards the entrance of the nearby Monster Beast Forest.
Just then, a black iron ball, about the size of an egg, flew from behind them.
"Careful!" Suddenly, a disciple turned and saw the flying iron ball. He quickly drew his sword and slashed at it.
*Bang!*
The sword struck the iron ball, only to trigger an explosion.
The iron ball instantly shattered, and thick smoke quickly spread, engulfing an area of ten meters.
"Damn it, who is it? Which underhanded scoundrel is using such despicable tactics from behind?" curses came from the smoke.
"If you have the guts, come out and fight me honorably. What kind of hero ambushes from the shadows?"
But their shouts were met with silence.
No matter how much Li Qiang and the others yelled, they received no response.
*Bang! Ah!*
Two sounds rang out almost simultaneously. A disciple who was cautiously dodging fell to the ground, unconscious.
Everyone rushed towards the source of the scream.
Li Qiang, however, sent a palm strike in that direction.
*Ah!*
Li Qiang's terrifying palm strike hit a disciple who had gone to investigate.
Seeing this, Zhang Ergou, hidden in the shadows, chuckled but did not stop his assault.
He swung his bludgeon towards the back of another disciple's head.
"Who? Who is it? Come out!" Li Qiang shouted.
He sent another palm strike towards the spot where the disciple had just fallen.
"Senior Brother Li, you..." a disciple, spitting blood, looked at Li Qiang, who was right in front of him, with disbelief.
He collapsed before he could finish speaking.
After that, Zhang Ergou employed diversions, causing Li Qiang to knock down several of his own men with his own attacks.
"Hmph! Li Qiang, I didn't kill you last time, and instead of being grateful, you dared to scheme against me," Zhang Ergou thought viciously.
"Today, I'll see who can save you."
Within the black mist, Zhang Ergou felt no discomfort, watching Li Qiang and the other two flail about like headless flies.
Zhang Ergou let out a sinister grin and quietly crept behind Xu Jiao.
*Crack!*
With a hard blow from his club, Xu Jiao fell to the ground.
"Junior Sister Xu? What's wrong?" Li Qiang asked upon hearing the sound.
But he received no response.
"Li Qiang, you never expected this, did you! You have a day like this!" a sinister voice echoed.
"Who? Who's playing tricks and hiding? Come out!" Li Qiang shrieked, wildly striking at his surroundings.
"Heh heh, it seems you're still as brainless as ever!" the sinister voice sneered again.
Li Qiang frantically looked around but saw nothing.
"In your next life, remember to be a good person!" the sinister voice sounded again, and a black club descended from the air.
It landed squarely on the back of Li Qiang's head.
*Thump!*
Li Qiang fell to the ground, unconscious.
After thoroughly searching the unconscious disciples and taking all their valuables, Zhang Ergou stripped Li Qiang and the others completely naked.
Of course, he didn't touch Xu Jiao's clothes.
He then piled them on top of each other, making it look as if they were engaged in some unspeakable act.
Having finished, Zhang Ergou quietly left the area.
Throughout the day, he had knocked out no less than eighty to a hundred disciples of the Misty Sect, one after another.
He had also robbed them of their belongings, making a considerable profit.
At night, the disciples knocked unconscious by Zhang Ergou gradually awoke. Seeing their valuables gone, they erupted in curses.
When some of them found the written message left beside them, their anger intensified.
"Xiayang Peak has gone too far! We must report this to our Master!"
It wasn't just one person. Disciples from the other three main peaks who had been ambushed gathered together, recounting their respective experiences.
It was clear that Xiayang Peak was behind all of this.
The disciples from Xiayang Peak who had been knocked out were in an even worse predicament. Not only were they robbed, but shortly after waking up, they were beaten severely by disciples from the other three main peaks who had suffered similar fates.
Truly, they were in a desperate situation with no one to turn to.
"Who? Who is maliciously slandering the reputation of my Xiayang Peak?" Xia Yang Sanren roared, looking at the bruised and battered disciples kneeling before him.
What angered him even more were the few disciples who were brought back completely naked.
Among them was Li Qiang, a disciple he favored.
Looking at their peculiar positions, Xia Yang Sanren felt his own purity compromised.
However, no one could provide him with an answer.
"Investigate! You must find out who is tarnishing the name of our Xiayang Peak!" Xia Yang Sanren commanded sternly, his face grim.
"Senior Brother Xia Yang, what are you investigating? Regarding the events at the valley entrance of the Monster Beast Forest today, don't you owe us three peaks an explanation?"
Just as Xia Yang Sanren was about to erupt in anger again, a steady voice entered the main hall.
"Senior Brother, Junior Brothers Qiuyang and Dongyang, why are you here?"
Xia Yang Sanren looked at the three people at the entrance of the hall, slightly taken aback.
"Senior Brother Xia Yang, you're feigning ignorance, aren't you? You know very well why we're here," said Dongyang Sanren, who was furious about what had happened today.
When the disciples who returned from the Monster Beast Forest told him about their experiences, he had come to find Xia Yang Sanren to demand an explanation without a second thought.
Unexpectedly, he had encountered Chunyang Sanren and Qiuyang Sanren, who were also on their way to see Xia Yang Sanren.
After consulting with each other, they realized they had come for the same reason.
Thus, they had stormed towards the main hall of Xiayang Peak, seething with anger.