Start with a red name

The "Poison Scorpion Gang" is one of the few bandit groups that Geng Xuan has encountered so far that is not so pragmatic.

To put it more politely, this gang, which uses "drugs" as its name and is composed of former bandits, truly embodies the spirit of "loyalty" and is incredibly tough.

For this reason, only about 40% of the newcomers from the "Poison Scorpion Gang" were ultimately successfully recruited into the "Black Wind Gang".

Of the remaining 60%, half died in direct combat or were too badly wounded and were finished off after the battle.

The other half are feigned surrenders, but in their hearts they either have no sense of belonging to the "Black Wind Gang" or they are heroes who "endure hardship and bide their time" and are waiting for an opportunity to bite back.

In terms of subjective likes and dislikes, Geng Xuan felt more favorably toward these people.

But in practice, he dealt with all of these people without any mercy.

Those below the Marrow Refinement level are not worth mentioning, but more than half of those above the Marrow Refinement level died because of this.

This includes the Poison Scorpion Captain, whose cultivation level surpasses that of Song Mingzhu, Hu Yuan, Zhang Kai, and others, and who is only one step away from the perfect first realm, and who has a distinctive scorpion braid.

Because of the "Poison Scorpion Gang's" toughness, even with Geng Xuan's covert protection and the elimination of the most threatening targets in advance, the Black Wind Gang still paid a price of more than two hundred lives in order to devour the entire "Poison Scorpion Gang".

Of these, more than 150 died directly in battle.

The other sixty-odd lives were lost either from serious injuries or from poisoning within two or three hours after the battle ended.

The bandits of the "Poison Scorpion Gang" are all quite skilled in using poison, hidden weapons, and other strange and unusual poisons, which even the poisoners themselves do not know how to counteract.

For these reasons, in terms of scale alone, the number of Black Wind Gang members did not increase much as they moved in and out of the headquarters of the "Poison Scorpion Gang".

The number of people increased from around nine hundred to nearly one thousand one hundred.

Among them are dozens of wounded who have temporarily lost their fighting ability due to serious injuries or disabilities.

The total number of deaths on both sides reached 829, which brought Geng Xuan 29,015 points of good luck and 850 points of bad luck.

Considering that this small number of people would be needed to take over the entire "Fish Scale Dock", Geng Xuan also bestowed more good fortune upon them compared to the time of "White Crane Beach".

Firstly, these tangible benefits will boost morale and inspire confidence.

Secondly, it was also to enhance the strength of the personnel at hand before the operation against "Fish Scale Dock" began.

After completely wiping out the "Scorpion Gang," the Black Wind Gang, with nearly 1,100 members, left their base and headed towards "Fish Scale Dock." It was already around 4 PM.

After re-entering "Fish Scale Dock", Iron Wolf instructed the other members to split into different bandit teams and integrate into the group.

On the other hand, he continued his unfinished mission, secretly nibbling away at the bandit gang that had spies from the Dark Night Division lurking in the shadows.

While waiting for night to fall, they continued to increase the number of "cards" in their hand.

This seemingly calm and normal situation, but actually rife with undercurrents, continued until after nine o'clock in the evening.

The once quiet "Fish Scale Dock" suddenly became as if cold water had been poured into hot oil, and the noise and commotion instantly surged to a boiling point.

The changes came quickly and went even faster.

This fire, which resembled a raging inferno, quickly died out in less than an hour.

Two hours later, Geng Xuan had basically completed the first full reorganization of the first force he had assembled in Youzhou.

"We have 3645 people, who are organized into 350 squads, 70 companies, and 7 brigades."

The number of people was slightly different from that of "Baihetan", but the number of teams formed was the same.

However, if we really look into it, the number of bandits in "Fish Scale Dock" is nearly a thousand more than that in "White Crane Beach". If we also include the "Poison Scorpion Gang", there are about two thousand more.

The number of people ultimately absorbed into the "Black Wind Gang" was almost the same as that of the "White Crane Beach," which only meant that the number of people who died in "Fish Scale Dock" far exceeded that of "White Crane Beach."

Besides the 829 people who died in the "Poisonous Scorpion Gang," a total of 2305 people died in "Fish Scale Dock," from the first bite to the complete consumption.

This brought Geng Xuan an additional 63,085 points of good luck and 2530 points of bad luck.

On the one hand, perhaps because they are closer to the "Death Desert" and the more treacherous natural environment, the bandits here are generally less concerned about life and death.

On the other hand, the "snowball effect" requires a smooth, continuous process, with no pauses in between.

Every pause causes the accumulated momentum to fall back to its initial state, and to get it rolling again, a greater price must be paid.

However, although the cost was much higher than that of Baihetan, this "snowball" finally rolled out as expected.

Even if the price is too high, it doesn't matter; it's all meat that's already rotten in the pot.

Because so many people died, in order to encourage the living to look up and see further, Geng Xuan was quite generous in bestowing blessings.

Especially the new members who "self-transform" the fastest.

One of them, Fu Yunfeng, who was in the late stage of Marrow Refinement, even broke through to the peak of Marrow Refinement and became Tie Lang's right-hand man.

Iron Wolf, who received special attention, further advanced his cultivation beyond the peak of Marrow Refining, reaching the Perfection of Skin Refining.

At this moment, helping him to reach a higher level is firstly to ensure his control over this newly formed team.

Secondly, Geng Xuan confirmed that he is now more trustworthy than ever before.

Iron Wolf, who helped him take down his superior, had completely dashed his hopes of jumping ship and returning to Dong Guan's command.

……

Geng Xuan took the large bag of cooked food and water handed to him by Tie Lang, slung the package tightly over his back, and carried a limp, boneless human body in his hand.

The person he was holding was the only one who hadn't become "one of us" during "Operation Fish Scale Dock" but had managed to survive.

Yang Qian, the director of the Dark Night Division.

At Geng Xuan's request, Tie Lang didn't even spend a moment trying to "persuade" him.

"You should understand the next step, right?"

Iron Wolf nodded emphatically and said:

"After tidying up this place, I will lead everyone to set off eastward to 'Baimagang' within an hour."

Geng Xuan nodded.

Now that Iron Wolf has basically and completely understood his "sand bandit strategy", he no longer needs to explain it to him.

"I'm leaving."

……

Saying goodbye to Iron Wolf, leaving "Fish Scale Dock".

As Geng Xuan carried Yang Qian, the head of the Dark Night Division, eastward, the night remained as dark as ink.

A new day has quietly arrived.

During the journey, Geng Xuan took a break once.

Replenish food and water, and swallow Jingyuan Pills.

Then, quickly enter the "Heaven and Earth Stance" cultivation state.

As the medicinal power of the Essence Pill rapidly spreads throughout the body, the earth's energy diffuses from the feet outwards, allowing for a quick recovery from the enormous physical and mental exertion.

Beside him, Yang Qian, who was thrown to the ground and could do nothing except move his eyes, could only stare at the powerful enemy who had suddenly appeared in front of him with inexplicable emotions.

—This formidable enemy is not Yang Qian, but Dong Guan.

Although he still has many unanswered questions.

However, based solely on what he had witnessed and heard while accompanying this person throughout the day, coupled with the height, vision, and keen information sensitivity afforded by his dual identities as the Second Realm Perfection Master and the Dark Night Chief, he possessed exceptional insight and a keen understanding of information.

That was enough to convince him that this person was a formidable and potentially deadly enemy to Dong Guan.

To put it in a more mystical way, this could very well be the mandate of heaven descended upon the Nine Provinces, the greatest calamity that Dong Guan faces in his attempt to break through the shackles of the Xuan and You Provinces and seize control of the Nine Provinces!
Just as those who have reached the Five Realms of Perfection must overcome the greatest hurdle to break through to the Innate Realm, the biggest hurdle is facing their own "mental tribulation." The being before him, seemingly springing from a crack in a rock, is Dong Guan's "external tribulation."

This thought made all his ideas become a mess, and he himself didn't even know what he was thinking.

Knowing that the Dark Night Chief was undergoing a "spiritual transformation," Geng Xuan stopped Tie Lang from using any means against him and did not take the opportunity to communicate with him, but simply kept him by his side.

Doing these things at this time may very well have the opposite effect of what they expect.

At this moment, Geng Xuan had no time to care about what this person was thinking.

Before entering the "Heaven and Earth Stance" state, he thought it would be a normal, restorative cultivation session.

He even had time to spare while practicing the "Heaven and Earth Stance" to focus some of his attention on the "Heart-Shaking Roar," hoping that this skill could be further improved and reach perfection as soon as possible.

But soon, he focused all his distracting thoughts on the "Heaven and Earth Stake" itself.

When I first comprehended this method, that unique sense of "heaven, earth, and man" naturally came to mind.

They even went a step further.

In the desolate wilderness of Youzhou in the dead of night, Geng Xuan felt his body merge with the earth through the connection of his feet.

One's own thoughts and ideas merged with the ink-stained night sky, becoming one with it.

Yang Qian, who was staring intently at Geng Xuan, only saw the person who was so close to him suddenly disappear in a daze, turning into an empty human-shaped statue standing there.

Let's leave aside the turmoil in the mind of this Dark Night Chief.

About an hour later, when Geng Xuan emerged from this state and briefly checked his current condition, a pleased smile appeared on his face.

Before this cultivation, he was at the second stage of perfect refinement, having achieved 100% in skin refinement, 100% in flesh refinement, 98% in blood refinement, 97% in bone refinement, and 96% in marrow refinement.

Now, his cultivation has quietly advanced another step, breaking through from the second realm to the third realm.

The physical condition has also been "updated" to:

[Skin refined to 100%, flesh refined to 100%, blood refined to 100%, bones refined to 98%, marrow refined to 97%]

Among them, the success rate of Blood Refinement increased from 98% to 100%, a rise of 0.2%.

And it's the last, and also the most difficult, 0.2%.

Both bone refining and marrow refining have increased by 0.1%.

All of this is because of the "Heaven and Earth Stance," which he created entirely on his own, allowing him to progress from beginner to intermediate level.

It didn't use up any of my good fortune; it was a breakthrough that came naturally.

Because this is a completely new cultivation method created by him, with no previous methods to follow.

Compared to other cultivation methods, the progress is much slower, and it cannot be accelerated with good fortune.

However, the results were still satisfactory to Geng Xuan.

—In comparison, the self-created finger technique, "Tempered Jade Sky-Supporting Finger," also has two earlier techniques, "Tempered Jade Golden Finger" and "Overlord Sky-Supporting Finger," which can be used as references.

Moreover, although the convenience of accelerated good fortune is gone, the special mental state associated with the "Heaven and Earth Stake" remains.

This allows him to always be in a wondrous state of mind with exceptional comprehension whenever he practices this technique.

It is even no less effective than the "Enlightenment of the Overlord".

This special state of "harmony between man and nature" or more accurately, "harmony between heaven, earth, and man" allowed him to progress much faster than when practicing a normal cultivation technique, even without the help of good fortune.

Each practice session brings new insights and gains.

With his cultivation technique breakthrough and realm advancement, Geng Xuan was in high spirits.

When he took Yang Qian on the road again, he found that the speed had increased again.

Every time his feet stomped on the ground, it felt as if the earth was actively giving him its strength.

This allows him to achieve better results with less effort.

"Even while carrying a grown person, the speed reached the level that I could only achieve when I was traveling alone."

If I were traveling alone now, wouldn't my speed have to reach 200 kilometers per hour?!

In addition to the increase in speed, the improvement in endurance is even more significant.

……

After this rest and regrouping, Geng Xuan crossed Youzhou without taking any further breaks along the way.

By this time, it was already broad daylight.

After entering Xuanzhou territory from the north of Xuanqinghai, Geng Xuan passed through "Wild Wolf Gorge" again. Unlike last time, he did not pass by without entering. Instead, he carried Yang Qian and rushed straight into it.

Upon seeing him return, Cao Ao, who was strolling around the market with his men "pretending to be normal," was instantly overjoyed.

He rushed up to greet him immediately and was about to report on the various changes that had taken place in "Wild Wolf Gorge" in recent days.

Geng Xuan raised his hand to stop him and led him to Song Mingzhu and the others.

Everyone was overjoyed at his return.

Every day he was away was extremely agonizing for Song Mingzhu and the others.

On the one hand, the Black Wind Gang, which was held together entirely by Geng Xuan's own efforts, was one step closer to disintegration with each day he disappeared.

On the other hand, with each passing day, the appearance of the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry also drew closer.

This dual torment, both internal and external, was an almost suffocating pressure for all the high-ranking members of the Black Wind Gang.

Today is the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. The appearance of the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry is getting closer and closer, as is the time when these high-ranking officials will completely collapse.

Geng Xuan's timely return brought a long sigh of relief to all the senior executives.

"Commander, who is he?"

As Song Mingzhu asked the question, everyone's attention finally turned to another person, Yang Qian, who was being held in Geng Xuan's arms.

Geng Xuan introduced, "This is Yang Qian, the director of the Dark Night Division."

As he spoke, he handed the person in his hand to Song Mingzhu.

Upon hearing the man's identity, Song Mingzhu was still in shock when she saw Geng Xuan hand the man to her.

He instinctively felt a sense of wariness, as if he had seen a venomous snake approaching him and had subconsciously taken a step back.

Seeing this, Geng Xuan reassured him, "Don't worry, he's just a toothless tiger now, he won't bite... Take it."

Under his "comfort," Song Mingzhu still gritted his teeth and picked the person up.

"Commander, in the days since you left, there have been more and more..."

Song Mingzhu was about to give a report on the events of the past few days, but Geng Xuan raised his hand to stop him, saying:
"No rush, I can report back when I come back next time."

Hearing him say this, everyone present was taken aback. Song Mingzhu quickly asked:
Are you leaving?

Geng Xuan nodded and continued to reassure her:

"Don't worry, it won't be long this time. We'll be back in a day at most."

"You don't need to worry about the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry. Everything is under my control. You just need to prepare for battle."

Although those present were still not entirely at ease, after listening to his explanation and seeing the Dark Night Chief, now a prisoner with no power to resist, they forcibly suppressed their unease and nodded slightly. (End of Chapter)