The God of the Human Realm!

Chapter 63 Unrivaled, A Stunning Shot (4k)

Mingzhou was a transit point for goods between the north and south.

The area is crisscrossed by waterways, which connect in all directions.

Wealthy merchants flocked to the area, goods piled up like mountains, and cargo ships sailed day and night, which also fostered wave after wave of river bandits.

For example, the two bandit groups, One-Eyed Owl and Skinny Monkey, which Hong Yuan once killed, were only of medium to low strength. They only dared to plunder small fleets and merchant ships sailing alone with weak guards.

The Hunjianglong Society was a truly notorious bandit group, infamous throughout Mingzhou, striking fear into the hearts of many merchant caravans.

The River Dragon Society usually only operates in the river section where Yunji Prefecture and Linjiang Prefecture meet, plundering and raiding. This time, they are like a group of sharks that have smelled blood, moving at the first sign of trouble.

Dozens of fast boats swiftly rushed out, splitting to the left and right, and surrounded the awning boat where Hong Yuan was.

Each speedboat was manned by five or six burly bandits, each exuding a murderous aura and making strange noises, holding various weapons in their hands.

Some carried water-splitting spikes, steel knives, and spiked clubs, while others carried fishing nets, hard bows, long and short forks, grappling hooks, and poisoned darts...

As soon as the dozens of speedboats separated, a dozen or so large red centipedes suddenly darted out from the middle, seemingly leaping on the water's surface and surging forward.

These are red-painted centipede boats, named for their rows of oars on both sides that resemble a centipede.

Compared to ordinary fast boats, these centipede boats were longer and wider, with nearly twenty pirates on each boat. A few of them rowed quickly, while the rest brandished their weapons, shouting and yelling, creating a terrifying scene.

These bandits were armed with more uniform and sophisticated weapons, some carrying broadswords and spears, while a few wore leather armor that was smooth all over.

The core is a centipede-shaped ship.

Zhu Gui, nicknamed "River Dragon," stood at the bow of the boat, a broadsword tucked at his waist. He looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with strong arms and a square face, and even a somewhat honest appearance. However, his eyes were fierce and greedy, fixed on the awning boat.

"After this job, we brothers can enjoy a carefree life for several years."

Zhu Gui grinned maliciously, then said with some dissatisfaction, "It's a pity that this windfall still has to be shared with that stinking snake of the Black Dragon Gang and those people like Master Zhou. Otherwise, we could have enjoyed ourselves for much longer... Hmph! My brothers risk their lives, and they can get benefits just by talking. If they weren't still of some use, I, Zhu, would really like to chop them up with a knife."

To be able to roam freely across rivers and carry out precise plundering, the intelligence and information from the shore are indispensable.

In fact, there were more than a hundred bandit groups of all sizes in Mingzhou, and no one knew how many of them were originally from powerful families or noble families who were hired to do dirty work.

The fact that the Hunjianglong Society was able to accurately ambush Hong Yuan this time was also thanks in no small part to the spies on the shore.

Of course, there is another key factor: Hong Yuan himself did not take much care in concealing his whereabouts.

"Master Zhu, I must congratulate you this time."

Beside Zhu Gui, a man dressed as an accountant, holding an abacus, chuckled and said, "We can save on the 'vegetable snake' portion. We just received news that the 'vegetable snake' has become a dead snake!"

"Oh? Who killed him? That stinky snake's martial arts skills are just average, but he's incredibly slippery. Killing him won't be easy." Zhu Gui's eyes lit up, and he grinned.

The man who looked like an accountant was Zhu Gui's deputy and strategist. He was in charge of the finances of the Hunjianglong Society, devising strategies, and contacting various information channels. He was nicknamed "Iron Abacus" Sun Laoqi.

Sun Laoqi pointed to the awning boat and said with a grin, "This is the man who killed that cauliflower snake. Not only that, but the Black Dragon Gang is almost entirely wiped out."

Zhu Gui laughed heartily, feeling extremely pleased: "Well done! That stinking snake deserves to die even better! This guy surnamed Hong not only gave me 100,000 taels of silver, but also helped me get rid of someone who would share the profits. Just for that reason alone, I have to give him a quick death."

Old Master Sun's expression turned serious as he said, "Master Zhu, we still need to be careful. This man surnamed Hong is a troublesome figure. Even though the rumors of him taking on hundreds single-handedly are an exaggeration, quite a few famous figures have died at his hands recently..."

“If we were on the shore, I would have to be more careful, Master Zhu…” A sinister smile appeared on Zhu Gui’s lips: “But he’s courting death. Now that he’s on this river, even if he’s a master of subtlety, whether he can survive depends on whether I’m in a good mood.”

His words carried an air of unbridled arrogance.

But then he suddenly frowned: "Something's not right. It's been so long, why is there still no movement from inside that awning boat? Could it be that the information was wrong, or that they secretly slipped away?"

His expression changed instantly. He suddenly curled his fingers and put them to his lips. The next moment, a sharp and piercing whistle rang out, echoing across the entire river.

Upon hearing the whistle, from the nearly ten fast boats that were surrounding the covered boat, grappling hooks shot up with a whooshing sound and landed on the boat's canopy. Then, a series of thuds and cracking sounds rang out as the grappling hooks pierced the canopy, accompanied by a collective roar!
The pirates on each boat exerted their strength, and in an instant, the boat canopies were torn to shreds with a loud 'whoosh,' and amidst the flying pieces of wood, the pirates turned their gaze inward.

The ship was completely empty; there was no one in sight.
"What about people?"

"Nobody's here? Damn it, the news is fake."

As the bandits were cursing and swearing, someone suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

careful? Be careful about what?
On a speedboat, five or six bandits were puzzled, when they suddenly felt a strong gust of wind, not from the front, back, left, or right, but from above their heads.

A streak of silver light cascaded down, accompanied by the whistling sound of the wind.

The first two or three bandits were immediately engulfed by the silver light, their flesh and blood flying everywhere, their bodies shattered.

The silver light, still carrying its momentum, crashed to the ground with a deafening boom. The fast boat broke in two, the two halves lifting up together. The remaining pirates were thrown towards the middle, crashing into each other. Amidst the cracking of bones, half of the boat flipped over.

Hong Yuan landed on the overturned 'bottom of the boat,' where large splashes of blood-red water surged beneath his feet.

The deadly throat-locking gun, weighing dozens of kilograms, was wielded with far more force than a thousand pounds; a single strike could destroy a boat and kill its inhabitants.

After leaving the Wuding Sword Sect that day, Hong Yuan deliberately showed himself, attracting several groups of martial artists to surround and kill him. After killing and injuring many people, he finally left Qingping County.

Over the next few days, he challenged famous gangs and renowned masters to battles, while occasionally revealing his whereabouts to attract experts.

However, they no longer had the good fortune they had with the Wuding Sword Sect. The people they encountered next were only one or two skilled fighters at the level of "controlling the sword at will," who were somewhat worth watching.

As for power techniques like 'Flowing Clouds Without Fixed Force', don't even think about it.

However, the series of battles over the past few days were not without gains; at least he was able to incorporate the sword techniques of the Wuding Sword Sect into his own spear techniques.

Hong Yuan named this spear technique the "Unpredictable Spear Technique," which can be considered as affirming its origin.

Currently, the influence of the Wuding Sword Sect is still quite strong in this spear technique. As he absorbs more essence from various martial arts and integrates it into the spear technique, it will gradually transform into a martial art that truly belongs to him.

Exclamations erupted, and the bandits howled. Hong Yuan stomped his foot and transformed into a blur as he soared through the air.

Dozens of speedboats crowded the lake, all close together, none exceeding Hong Yuan's crossing limit. With a swift movement, he suddenly leaped onto another speedboat.

With a sharp "swoosh," a silver light pierced the sky, suddenly splitting into several cold stars. The six bandits still maintained their shouting and ferocious expressions, their foreheads already pierced.

Whoosh!
Hong Yuan's figure flickered, and he was already on another ship. Instantly, several more dead bodies appeared. Then, his figure merged with the silver spear, and with a flash of silver light, he was already out again.

Immediately afterwards, screams erupted, one after another, as the bandits collapsed to the ground like scarecrows, either falling onto the boat or into the water.

In just a few breaths, five or six boats of people had died. The remaining bandits, who had only seen shadows flash by as fast as ghosts, were all terrified, their faces pale, and they screamed in panic.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"

"Let's do it together!"

"Use underwater mines to blow him up!"

Hong Yuan's unbelievable speed of killing terrified every bandit who saw him, and they all shouted and yelled in a jumbled mess.

With a sizzling sound, several earthenware jars were thrown out. Hong Yuan didn't even glance at them, his figure flashing with incredible speed as he killed one bandit after another, followed by a series of loud bangs. The jars either landed on the boat or exploded in mid-air, sending up fragments of ceramic mixed with sand and metal, accompanied by heart-wrenching screams.

Hong Yuan was not harmed in the slightest, but many river bandits were accidentally injured.

Sa!
Hong Yuan stopped killing the ordinary river bandits, took a step forward, and used the connected fast boats as springboards to quickly approach the dozen or so centipede boats.

"How can he be so strong?"

Zhu Gui's face changed drastically, his eyes widened, and he gripped the steel knife tightly in his hand.

He had just given the order with his whistle, and in less than ten breaths, at least one-fifth of the dozens of speedboats had been lost.

Zhu Gui, the leader of the group, looked terrified, and the other bandits on the centipede boat became even more agitated.

They were usually fierce and competitive, each thinking they were ruthless, which made them the most elite group under Zhu Gui. But now, they were all terrified and only thought about running away.

Is this something they can handle?

Zhu Gui, fearing that Hong Yuan would escape, cut off the river with an iron chain, preventing the bandits from crossing quickly. The only thing that made them feel slightly relieved was that the nearest fast boat was only about ten feet away from the centipede boat.

Whoops!

Hong Yuan moved like the wind, creating a swift and fierce whirlwind, holding the deadly throat-locking gun horizontally in front of his chest.

As they ran and leaped, landing on the fast boats, they didn't even need to actually fight; the sheer force of their movements sent the bandits in their way flying.

With his strength, let alone these river bandits, even a master of "freedom of movement" wouldn't be able to withstand a single collision.

Arriving at the last fast boat, Hong Yuan leaped forward, his spear slashing down with a sharp 'bang'.

With a burst of force, the small boat shattered into four or five pieces in an instant, and the pirates on board all fell overboard.

Hong Yuan landed on a large wooden plank, and with the force of his fall from the sky, the plank shot towards Zhu Gui like a surfer or an arrow.

Zhu Gui felt a blur before his eyes, and the vicious man was already within three zhang of him. His heart pounded, and suddenly a flash of light appeared as the man leaped up.

Zhu Gui, after all, was a seasoned outlaw. Faced with a life-or-death crisis, his ferocity was unleashed, and he roared, "Die!"

His eyes widened, his body erupted with power, and he suddenly swung his broadsword.

A point of silver light arrived first, striking the blade with perfect precision.

Without the slightest pause, amidst the powerful clang of metal clashing, the broadsword suddenly shattered into countless fragments.

The silver spear flew out of Hong Yuan's hand, piercing through Zhu Gui's chest and then exiting through his back.

Hong Yuan was faster than the gun. In a flash, he was behind Zhu Gui. Without turning his head, he grabbed the gun.

With a 'thud,' Sun Qi knelt down on the deck, his head pounding against the floor: 'Spare me, Master Hong, spare me...'

Amidst the falling debris, Hong Yuan raised his hand and flicked his finger, sending a shard shooting out and embedding itself between Sun Laoqi's eyebrows.

The latter's eyes bulged, and he fell straight down, a cylindrical object rolling out of his sleeve with a 'gurgle'.

Hong Yuan remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over the centipede-shaped ships around him. With a flick of his spear, a sharp gust of wind arose.

After a short while, Hong Yuan landed on the chain that spanned the river, watching the fast boats and centipede boats fleeing in all directions.

Panic screams rang out all around, accompanied by the continuous splashing sounds of people falling into the water. Some had accidentally fallen in in their panic, while others had jumped in to escape out of sheer terror.

The Mixed-River Dragon Society has several hundred members. It's not that easy for Hong Yuan to kill them all by himself.
Even the elite bandits on the centipede ship were killed, with less than half of them killed.

Of course, if Hong Yuan really wanted to disregard everything and expend a lot of effort to kill them all, it wouldn't be impossible for him not to kill them all. Even those who jumped into the water and didn't drown from the raging waves would not escape his pursuit.

There's no need for that.

He stood on the iron chain and walked slowly to the shore, where he placed his spear in the water to wash it on a flat blue stone.

Behind him, a well-trodden road separated the dense reeds on both sides.

As the river wind swept through, the reeds rustled, and amidst the chaotic noise, a face with a thick beard emerged from the reeds on the left.

His face was full of hesitation, and his eyes were filled with fear and anxiety, but in the end he gritted his teeth, held the bow in his hand, and suddenly drew the bow and nocked an arrow.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, for the wind suddenly picked up, and amidst the whooshing sound, the arrow shot out, piercing through the air and falling swiftly toward the target's back.

Once the man had fired the arrow, he was certain it would hit its mark, and a look of surprise unconsciously appeared on his face.

Immediately, his pupils widened, and he saw that the arrow was about to hit the man, but the man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, and with a backhand grab, he easily caught the arrow that was shooting towards him.

scoff!

The man suddenly threw the arrow again, and it shot back at an even faster speed than before, piercing the burly man's throat in an instant, much to the man's disbelief.

As the excruciating pain surged, I saw a silver snake twirling wildly, swiftly plunging into the reeds, followed by screams of agony.

A few breaths later, a gust of wind accompanied by a flash of silver light appeared. With a 'whoosh' sound, it was as if a smooth wind blade had cut through, severing the reeds within a radius of about ten feet in half, leaving a smooth and neat cut.

Hong Yuan stepped out of the reeds, the stench of blood filling the air behind him; there were already more than twenty corpses in the reeds.

Hong Yuan glanced at the reeds to his right, then turned and strode along the path.

A good quarter of an hour or two passed before a dozen or so figures stumbled out from the reeds on the right, all of them pale-faced and trembling.

They slowly walked to the left. A middle-aged man in brocade robes looked at the dead, bearded man and sighed: "This is Old Master Wang of the Golden Saber Sect. He was about to retire, but he has a troublesome son who spends too much money, so he has to come here to earn this money. Fortunately... he no longer has to worry about his son."

"Most of the Golden Saber Sect's elites have died here, and it's hard to say whether they can even survive."

Some people shook their heads.

The group looked at the rows of dead bodies, their brows twitching uncontrollably, a deep sense of lingering fear washing over them: "This man is practically a demon! The Golden Saber Sect is nothing compared to him, but the Mixed-River Dragon Society, with so many members, couldn't even hold him off for a moment. Mixed-River Dragon Zhu Gui is also a master of 'freedom of movement,' yet he couldn't even block a single spear thrust... This..."

Who could have predicted this?

"This 100,000 taels of silver is not something ordinary people can earn. Let those masters of the Subtle Realm earn it. We'll just enjoy the show."

A swordsman dressed in gray with graying temples said with a wry smile, "I was really afraid that some of you might not be able to resist making a move. If you had, we would all be lying here in the wind."

He took a few steps, his palm touching the flat, broken reeds, his eyes wide with shock: "Graceful as a startled swan, lithe as a swimming dragon, I've often heard people mention this phrase before, but I never understood its meaning until I saw this spear today. Only now do I know what 'startled swan' and 'swimming dragon' truly mean..."

"Truly a figure like a dragon..."

"That was truly a stunning shot!"

(End of this chapter)