It had been a week since the merchant guild departed from Dongping City, and the city had returned to tranquility.


    However, inside the Celestial Heavenly Store, things were different. Thepetition had be more intense since the Feng nsmen joined the adventurer guild.


    The Feng Patriarch stayed true to his word, sending hundreds of his nsmen to join the adventurer guild, both old and young.


    The Feng nsmen formed teams of twenty men each, taking on missions with strong momentum.


    In just a day, they hadpleted all the missions posted on the board, shocking the nowzy adventurers.


    In five days, five of the Feng nsmen had received superior cultivation techniques and bought the Desert Boiling Compass.


    But instead of their momentum waning, it increased.


    With this, the now-rxed adventurer teams were back on their feet, struggling topete with the Feng nsmen''s terrifying pressure.


    Outside the Boiling Desert, five hundred horse riders rushed into the desert, showing no fear of the boiling sands.


    The riders were fully armed in leather armor, their bodies emanating a strong killing intent.


    "Don''t stop. To Dongping City!" Luoyang shouted, pointing his saber in the direction of the city.


    With such a force, a cloud of dust rose to the sky as the horses raced toward Dongping City.


    At the center of the Boiling Desert, a team of adventurers was running at full speed, their faces marred with fear.


    "Quick! The magma is rising!" Their captain, a middle-aged man, shouted.


    The team of five did not dare dy and rushed forward with all their strength. Halfway through their escape, they were osted by the five hundred horsemen.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Why are you running?" Luoyang asked, frowning.


    Feeling the strong killing intent from Luoyang and his men, the adventurer team captain swallowed the lump in his throat and answered truthfully.


    "The Boiling Magma ising, and we''re trying to outrun it."


    Luoyang was skeptical. How could these weak mortals know when the magma would erupt?


    "How do you know?" he asked.


    "With this," the captain replied, showing a smallpass in his palm.


    Intrigued, Luoyangmanded, "Let me see."


    The adventurer captain frowned, ncing at the savage horsemen and then at his terrified team. With a heavy sigh, he handed over thepass.


    Luoyang examined the Desert Boiling Compass and was fascinated by its design. Thepass had two arrows: one pointing toward the rising magma, the other toward safety.


    "What a magical device," Luoyang praised, his eyes filled with greed. "How many of these do you have?"


    "We only have this one, but if you need one, you can get it in the city," replied the adventurer captain.


    "So you mean these magical devices are sold in your city…"


    "Yes… as long as you join the adventurer guild, you can buy one."


    Luoyang didn''t hear the rest of the sentence and waved his hand dismissively.


    "Kill them!"


    What?!


    The adventurer team was stunned and confused. Why would he kill them when they had done nothing to offend him?


    Before they could react, ten horsemen charged toward them, weapons ready for the kill.


    "Formation!" the captain shouted.


    Left with no choice, the adventurers could only defend themselves. The battle was short, but the adventurers managed to take down four horsemen before they were finally killed.


    "When did these mortals be this strong?" Luoyang frowned in confusion, but the sound of the boiling magma jolted him out of his thoughts.


    "Let''s go!" hemanded, kicking his horse into a gallop toward Dongping City.


    Previously, he was only looking for the whereabouts of his men, but that could wait.


    With this magical device, if he took over the city, it would be his source of ie, and he wouldn''t have to fear the Big Boss.


    And when he was strong enough, he could free himself from the bondage of the Crimson Shadow Bandits.


    After all, he was an expert martial artist.


    With such strength, what did he have to fear?


    Ten minutester, they emerged from the boiling desert and saw the city in the distance, their faces full of savage smiles.


    "Kill everyone," Luoyangmanded ruthlessly.


    As a vice leader of the infamous bandits, the lives of mortals meant nothing to him. Killing thousands of humans was a daily activity for the bandits.


    With evil smiles, the bandits increased their speed, their des gleaming, thirsting for blood.


    Bang! Bang! Bang!


    Ahhh! Ahhh!


    Screams filled the air as those returning to the city were ughtered by the Crimson Shadow Bandits.


    "Run!" someone screamed, seeing the terrifying horsemen.


    But how could they outrun the riders?


    Standing on the city wall, the guards stationed at the gate watched the horrifying carnage and trembled.


    "Report to the city lord quickly! We''re under attack!" the guard captain shouted, sweat dripping from his forehead.


    "Close the gate!" hemanded.


    Instantly, the guards rushed to close the city gates. Pedestrians near the gate scrambled away, their hearts pounding heavily.


    When was thest time they had been under attack?


    They couldn''t remember.


    Luoyang looked at the closed city gate, sneered, and charged forward. When he was a few meters away, he swung his saber in an arc.


    A blinding saber light appeared in the sky, moving at terrifying speed toward the gate. Standing on the city wall, the guard captain and his men felt their hearts leap into their throats.


    "What kind of power is this?!" they all screamed inwardly.


    Boom!


    The massive gate was split into pieces, crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust.


    "Tell your city lord to appear before me right now," Luoyang demanded arrogantly.


    With such a show of strength, he didn''t believe the mortals wouldn''t rush to grovel at his feet. Contrary to his expectations, the city lord had already rushed to the Celestial Heavenly Store to inform them of the attack.


    "Sir, may I see the store owner?" the city lord asked, his voice trembling.


    When Luoyang attacked, the city lord felt the terrifying power of the saber strike and was scared senseless. If he had faced such a strike himself, he wouldn''t have known how he died.


    His only hope rested on the mysterious store.


    Deng Kun looked at the terrified city lord and responded, "You can leave. The store is aware of the attack."


    His voice was serene as if discussing something trivial.


    "Huh?" The city lord eximed, unsure how to react.


    "Is the store going to defend the city?"


    "What do you think?" Deng Kun asked with a light smile.


    This was the city where His Majesty resided. How dare some stray dogs attack the city? If they weren''t seeking death, what else could they possibly be after?