Chapter 76: Joining Forces Against the Innate Expert

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In no time, a group of men, brimming with murderous intent, charged out of the stockade. A bare-chested, one-eyed man looked at He Yong and demanded, “What happened?”

It was evident that He Yong was deeply afraid of this man. He thought to himself that with over a dozen brothers lost, the leader was likely to kill him outright. The Death Reapers had always abided by the rule of never provoking those with powerful backgrounds or great strength, and, coupled with their easily defensible position, they had managed to roam free until now. This time, with only himself returning, He Yong’s legs trembled uncontrollably at the thought of the leader’s methods.

“Leader, it’s not my fault! That man was pretending to be weak—they took down our brothers in just a few rounds. He even said he came to exterminate us, the Death Reapers.” Cold sweat poured down He Yong’s face.

The leader of the Death Reapers glanced at Lu Han and Sha Wei standing before him.

“Bang!”

He kicked He Yong, sending him flying.

“Useless! Getting wiped out by two brats and still daring to run back here for help?” the leader snorted in disgust.

In a distant, concealed grove, the old man reappeared, quietly observing the unfolding events before him.

“How could the leader of the Death Reapers be only at the Postnatal realm? I’m curious to see how these two youngsters will handle this,” the old man muttered to himself.

The leader was fuming. Earlier, when the guards at the gate had reported intruders, he’d expected formidable enemies. But now, seeing only two brash youths, he thought, “Probably just some inexperienced hotheads from a family trying to make a name for themselves.”

One look at Lu Han’s attire made it clear he was no ordinary commoner. As for Sha Wei, the leader likely assumed he was Lu Han’s follower.

After sending He Yong flying, the leader stared coldly at Lu Han and Sha Wei.

“So you two are the ones who said you’d wipe out the Death Reapers?” He found this laughable. Never in their long history had two mere youngsters dared storm their stronghold.

It wasn’t as if no heroes of justice had ever come for the Death Reapers before. But the bandits always fled at the first sign of trouble, hiding in the familiar mountains for a few days until the threat passed, then returning to rule as before.

“Your Death Reapers are infamous—not only do you occupy these mountains, but you’ve also descended countless times to slaughter villages. Today, I, Sha Wei, will put an end to you!” Sha Wei declared in his deep, booming voice.

“Haha…”

“This kid must be crazy.”

“Just the two of them?”

“Where did these reckless fools come from?”

Mocking laughter erupted from the Death Reapers all around.

“Let’s see you try!” Sha Wei clenched his fists, his aura surging to the ninth level of the Postnatal realm.

“So that’s your trump card?” the leader said, eyeing Sha Wei’s display. “To reach such a level at your age truly marks you as a genius. But I, the One-Eyed Dragon, specialize in snuffing out geniuses. Let me teach you a lesson: showing off gets you killed. Consider your lives the tuition fee! Kill them!” he ordered.

At his command, dozens of men drew their long blades and charged at Lu Han and Sha Wei.

Sha Wei met them head-on, raising his fists without flinching.

With a metallic ring, Lu Han drew his Azurefall Sword, unwilling to let Sha Wei fight alone.

The One-Eyed Dragon did not move, instead watching the scene with cold, predatory eyes.

Bodies blurred across the battlefield.

Sha Wei’s fist struck the nearest enemy, sending the man flying backward, blood gushing from his mouth.

Lu Han’s sword danced in a radiant arc.

Like a bolt of white lightning, it pierced through another foe. The man, still clutching his blade and charging forward, froze. Looking down, he saw blood spurting from his chest. Whatever words he tried to utter died in his throat as he collapsed into endless darkness.

The leader’s pupils narrowed at the sight—one killed, another grievously wounded in an instant.

“Whoever kills them gets ten thousand gold coins and first pick of the captured girls!” he announced.

Just now, Lu Han and Sha Wei had revealed extraordinary strength. Fear flickered among the Death Reapers, but at the promise of such rewards, they charged forward with renewed ferocity. Why had they become bandits in the first place? For money, of course. Not long ago, after wiping out a village, they’d dragged the surviving women and girls back to the stockade—the leader always claimed the first pick. Now, he was offering them as prizes.

“Brothers, no matter how strong they are, it’s only two of them! Attack together!” someone shouted.

Lu Han activated the Heavenly Robe technique, a faint protective veil forming around him. Sha Wei, too, gathered his inner strength.

With a sudden burst, Lu Han’s sword flashed with icy light.

“Shattering Star Palm!”

In a split second, before the bandit could react, Lu Han struck a fatal blow, killing him instantly.

Leaping up, Lu Han swept his sword in a wide arc.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Azurefall Sword clashed with several blades, its chilling aura sending a shiver through the hands of those who dared meet it. One bandit of the sixth Postnatal level was hurled aside by the force.

The others were shaken. In that brief clash, their hands went numb from the sword’s cold, barely able to hold on to their weapons.

On Sha Wei’s side, none dared face him head-on. With each punch, someone was left battered or broken.

Within mere moments, the Death Reapers suffered heavy losses.

From afar, the old man stroked his beard and nodded approvingly.

“Not bad at all. But trouble’s coming soon,” he murmured. “Are young people nowadays so strong at the Postnatal realm?” One-Eyed Dragon clenched his fists.

“All of you, fall back. Useless cowards,” he barked.

A bloodthirsty, savage expression twisted his face.

“I’ll admit, you two are indeed geniuses. But your greatest mistake was coming to Death Reaper Mountain, and even worse, crossing me, One-Eyed Dragon! This ends now!”

With that, he unleashed his aura—Primal energy swirling about him.

“An Innate realm cultivator? And at the second level, no less!” Lu Han and Sha Wei exchanged glances.

According to what He Yong said earlier, their leader was only at the peak of Postnatal ninth level, not yet having stepped into the Innate realm. Clearly, He Yong had been scheming against them from the start.

“So what if you’re at the Innate realm? I’ve even faced off against a Mystic Lord’s strike and survived! My master always said: a true warrior advances bravely, invincible!” Lu Han did not retreat—instead, he brandished the Azurefall Sword and charged forward.

He knew escape was now impossible—with so many enemies surrounding them, and an Innate realm master blocking the way, their only choice was to fight with everything they had.

Within the ring, Old Ling had remained silent, feeling the situation outside. He muttered, “Let’s see where your limits lie, boy.”

He glanced toward the distant forest, where the mysterious elder still watched from the shadows.

“Haha! Brother Lu, to fight by your side—Sha Wei would die without regrets!” Sha Wei’s laughter shook the air. He was not one to abandon a friend. Planting his feet, he too charged at One-Eyed Dragon, the ground cracking beneath his step—a terrifying display of force!

The Death Reapers nearby thought the two must be mad. No matter how strong, how could a Postnatal realm cultivator stand against the Innate? What’s more, Lu Han appeared to be only at the eighth level of the Postnatal realm.

They exchanged uneasy glances.

One-Eyed Dragon was infuriated by their audacity. In the past, any Postnatal realm fighter would cower and flee at the sight of him—but these two fools dared to charge straight at him.

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