Supreme Emperor of Mist

"Mountain Splitting Strike!" an attack that's powerful to the point to maim a peak-leveled Flesh Refining Cultivator charged towards the bandit leader.

"Demonic!!! Ugh!" the bandit leader tried to counter Qin Lan's attack, but he soon realized that he stumbled across an iron plate. The strike that seems direct turned up to be a deadly move incorporated with layers of masteries related to the sword.

'What kind of cultivation art he possessed to allow him to contend against a cultivator four minor-levels above him?' the officer of the supply convoy stared blankly at Qin Lan.

Even he had difficulty keeping his jaw closed from these surprises Qin Lan had shown.

The bandit leader soon releases another anguish howl as his bloody Spiritual Energy started to patch up the injuries inflicted by Qin Lan. It was a grotesque sight to behold.

"Haa... Haa..." his sanity also slowly returned due to all the pain. The insanity from using the Demonic Firefist is no longer there after his gaze reverted from a beast into a human.

Weakly, he fell on the ground as the last hint of the spiritual energy dissipates from his body.

"Capture the bandits. Those that still retaliate shall be killed without mercy." Qin Lan ordered. A cheer is soon followed.

The victorious roar can be heard miles away from the eastern convoy. And it was less than two hours from the moment the battle started.

...

...

"Young master, we've hunted some excellent meat today." Lu Yi grins the moment he and Huo Zunjie came to the bonfire place where Qin Lan and the others from the Qin Faction were gathered.

"Ouch!" a pebble hits Lu Yi's forehead the moment he finished his sentence. Seated by Qin Lan's side, the others could only laugh at Lu Yi's foolishness from forgetting what he should be doing.

"Excellent meat your head. You're the one that fired the flare back then, am I correct?" Qin Lan asked. But as he was done with his sentence, another pebble came to Lu Yi's forehead.

"Ouch!" getting hit by the same place twice is undoubtedly more painful than before.

"How come firing the flares ended up becoming a mistake from my side?" Lu Yi asked. At this moment, the five servants in his group turned speechless.

'Senior brother! If you keep asking questions like this, we're going to end up not allowed to have dinner!' they had the urge to scratch their head from listening to Lu Yi's reply.

Looking at the situation, Lu Qing Yun chuckled as she pops out to start explaining everything to this fool.

"Yi, if you're in the group of soldiers that were prepared to face the horde of Raging Flame Bulls, how would you feel if your task were taken away by the others that came in between?" Lu Qing Yun said. Gently, a silk handkerchief is taken out from her sleeve as she wipes his forehead.

"I'll be angry, I think?" Lu Yi tilted his head slightly in reply.

"Who won't, correct? First, your action made a fool out of Expert Yi, who leads the convoy. Secondly, what you did makes the soldier looks like they're incapable of doing their job. Do you think you'll be able to befriend them by sharing the meat you've hunted?" Lu Qing Yun pokes Lu Yi's head after she's done.

Her cuteness mesmerized the others as they're jealous of Lu Yi's foolish luck.

In a side thought, they're wondering if Lu Yi was acting like a fool on purpose to get treated by Lu Qing Yun this way.

"It would be alright if I don't recklessly use what I found from the bandits next time, correct? Then I'll make sure to not repeat the same mistake again." Lu Yi laughed.

'Nooo!!!' the five servants in Lu Yi's group had the feeling of stepping forward and covers Lu Yi's mouth.

"Big brother, less word now. You're going to keep making our young master angry the more you speak." even Huo Zunjie can no longer control himself as he used the Silver Ling Sword to knock Lu Yi's head.

"Just don't run wild next time. And the five of you... I'm sure some of you guys remember the military's discipline and rules when we're moving together. Keep reminding this fool so he won't create the same trouble like today." Huo Zunjie pointed the hilt of his sword at the five servants and said.

"We'll keep this in mind..." they quickly nodded.

"Alright. The five of you, go grab your dinner. As for this guy here..." Huo Zunjie then instructed them to leave. But he's yet to finish.

"Take all the beef out. You'll be taking a fasting pill tonight instead of eating." Huo Zunjie slapped Lu Yi's buttock using the sword.

"Hey!" that slap made Lu Yi jumped in shock.

...

...

"Your highness, we've arrived at the Ten Miles Plain." Huang Ping reported to Sun Wu Jian's camp. As the leading convoy of this punitive force, it was not weird for them to arrive at this designated meeting point due to the differences in soldier's distribution.

Led by Huang Ping, Wang Xun, and three other Half-Step Bone Reconstruction experts, the thousand men convoy are divided into five evenly teams.

They've considered the cream of crops of Sun Wu Jian's soldier as the lowest cultivation in this thousand men is at least an eighth-level cultivator of Flesh Refining Layer.

"Is there any report from the two other convoys following behind us?" Sun Wu Jian asked. It was a stratagem to split his troops into three to ensure that his support and retreat path are secured as they move deeper into the Flame Demon Mountain.

"The Supplies Convoy led by Expert Yi had successfully reached the third milestone. They're attacked by a group of two hundred bandits the moment they are stationed there."

"From their report, I believe that the bandits are also intended to lure a horde of Raging Flame Bulls to attack the convoy but failed." Huang Ping reported what he was told without missing a word in between.

"Is there any casualties in the attack?" Sun Wu Jian asked. With only three thousand troops in his hand, each and every life of his soldiers is crucial for Sun Wu Jian to decide whether to keep moving or retreat.

"Twenty injured, zero death. Expert Yi also praised Alchemist Qin three times for performing excellently when the bandit is attacking." Huang Ping replied.

"Heh..." Sun Wu Jian chuckled the moment the word 'Alchemist Qin' came out from Huang Ping's lips. It made him question if Qin Lan was sent from heaven to assist him as he competes in the race to become a crown prince.

"What about the middle convoy?" Sun Wu Jian asked as he grabbed the meat on the table and gave it a bite.

"This..." Wang Xun hesitates. A gloomy expression appeared on his face as it was his turn to report what was going on with the middle convoy.

"What's wrong?" Sun Wu Jian asked. He understands that the convoy he's in was left untouched because there were a thousand experts here, with the weakest at the eighth-level Flesh Refining.

But if it's based on his calculation, the middle convoy shouldn't face a problem right on the first day. Almost all of his sixth and seventh-level soldiers were positioned in this middle section to provide support when necessary.

"Expert Xie is injured by the bandit's leader. He managed to kill his opponent, but that came with a cost." Wang Xun said.

"What? Expert Xie is one of our six Half-Step Bone experts. Explain in detail." Sun Wu Jian threw the meat back on the plate as he wiped the grease from his hand using a handkerchief.

"Yes, your highness." Wang Xun nodded.

"It seems that all the leading figures of those Hushan Bandits are cultivating a sinister martial art they likely found from the Flame Demon Mountain. From Expert Xie's word, the martial art turned their Spiritual Energy into a corrosive nature in exchange for their lifeforce," said Wang Xun.

"Right now, I'm afraid that Expert Xie's fighting ability is nothing more than an eighth-level Flesh cultivator. His dominant right arm is affected by the corrosive spiritual energy. Expert Shun is trying his best to help as we speak." he added.

"What about the casualties from the battle?" Sun Wu Jian asked.

"The middle convoy is attacked by two groups of bandits. The estimated number is around three hundred of them. We've lost close to a hundred soldiers..." Wang Xun answered.

"Huh..." Sun Wu Jian rubbed his temple as he exhaled a mouthful of air he's been holding.

"Get me the communicating jade slip. I'll have to speak with brother Qin for a while." Sun Wu Jian said.

"Yes, your highness." Huang Ping immediately took the white marble-like jade slip out from his waist and activated it using his Spiritual Energy.

"Expert Yi." Huang Ping said.

"Yes, Commander Huang." Expert Yi immediately answered Huang Ping's call without delay.

"I would have to trouble you to look for Alchemist Qin as his highness wish to speak with him as soon as possible." Huang Ping said.

"Please leave this to this subordinate." Expert Yi left his tent in a hurry using all his strength as a half-step Bone Reconstruction cultivator.

It took him less than a minute to appeared at Qin Lan's camp, where they're busy grilling the meat hunted by Lu Yi today.

"Alchemist Qin." Expert Yi greeted Qin Lan.