Ming Zhi Tian's pair of cold iron gauntlets struck the bandit leader, sending the Qi Cultivation fifth-layer cultivator flying to the ground.
Ming Zhi Tian didn't give him a chance to react, quickly using his artifact to flip the floor, flinging the bandit leader back before him.
Ming Zhi Tian punched out again! His fists landed on the bandit leader's chest, forcing a mouthful of blood from him.
Immediately after, Ming Zhi Tian held the bandit leader hostage. The other bandits, seeing this, became nervous: "Boss!... Boss!..."
The bandit leader saw Ming Zhi Tian's intent: "Esteemed Daoist friend..."
Ming Zhi Tian glared at him: "Are we familiar?"
The bandit leader noticed he was only at the first layer of Qi Cultivation, but he had to lower his tone: "Little brother, you came to our Cliff Mountain Stronghold for wealth. Many scoundrels before wanted my head, but they all returned empty-handed. You are different, resourceful and cunning. I admire you. How about this, I'll pay you ten times the reward for the mission you accepted?"
Ming Zhi Tian shook his head. The bandit leader gritted his teeth: "Twenty times! How about that?"
Ming Zhi Tian punched him in the stomach, causing him to wince in pain.
Ming Zhi Tian looked at him playfully: "Does that feel good? Tell them to put down their swords!"
The bandit leader, enduring the pain, looked at his men: "Put... put them down!"
"Oh, oh, oh..."
"Clang, clang..."
Weapons clattered to the ground. Ming Zhi Tian kicked the bandit leader away, unleashed his artifact manipulation technique, levitating all the weapons. Then, he slit the throats of everyone present.
The bandit leader drew his saber to block! "You killed my brothers, I'll take your life!"
Ming Zhi Tian summoned a greenish cold light, empowering his fists. He then separated his punches! One fist shattered the saber tip, while the other struck the bandit leader's jaw, sending him flying and smashing through a table.
The bandit leader looked at him incredulously: "How... how is this possible! You're clearly only a first-layer Qi Cultivator."
Ming Zhi Tian shook his head: "There are many more possibilities you haven't experienced. Tell that to King Yama. Attack!"
Bake bit into his thigh from behind. Ming Zhi Tian ended the life of the fifth-layer Qi Cultivation bandit leader with a single punch.
The bandit guards at the main entrance rushed in. Seeing that their boss, second-in-command, and third-in-command were all dead, they immediately fled in disarray.
The art of war states, "Do not pursue a cornered enemy." Ming Zhi Tian was only concerned with completing his mission and did not give chase.
After resting here for a night, with the table filled with delicacies, Bake jumped up and joined him for the meal. Good food and a comfortable stay allowed for peace of mind.
The next day, Ming Zhi Tian confiscated a brown storage bag from the bandit leader. Upon opening it, he found a vast space, large enough to hold ten large villas, along with many treasures: elementary immortal cultivation manuals, swords and weapons, and fifty thousand Divine Martial Coins.
This was Ming Zhi Tian's first encounter with such a magical bag. He stuck his head inside, but felt a suffocating sensation and quickly pulled back.
"It seems this storage bag cannot hold living creatures."
Searching the other bandits, he found them to be poor, with only a few hundred Divine Martial Coins in total. It appeared the bandit leader had been hoarding all the wealth.
Suddenly, he heard a cry for help. Ming Zhi Tian arrived at the scene and looked. Guess who it was?
"Xiao Linglong!" Ming Zhi Tian chuckled.
Hearing the sounds of fighting outside, Xiao Linglong thought she had found a savior, but it turned out to be a harbinger of death!
Xiao Linglong lowered her head, pretending not to recognize him: "Who... who are you? Is this a place you can come? Leave before I get angry."
Seeing her bound tightly, it was clearly the commotion Bake had indicated outside Cliff Mountain.
Ming Zhi Tian squatted down and looked at her: "Yo, isn't this Xiao Linglong? You've fallen on hard times!"
Xiao Linglong opened one eye, then the other, confirming she wasn't dreaming. She then begged: "Wuwuwu... Brother, brother... spare me. I was forced by life, there was no other way. Or, I'll return your money. That's right, I'll return your money. Is it five hundred? Untie me, and I'll pay you back."