With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Although the melee lasted only a short time, some bandits, seeing that things were not going well, took advantage of the chaos to mount their horses and rush towards the city gate, intending to escape.

However, when these four hundred or so quick-thinking bandits swarmed to the city gate, they found that their way had already been firmly blocked by eight figures—the eight second-rate Taoist soldiers, Qingfeng Riders, who were all under the command of four second-rate true disciples.

By the light of the fire at the city gate, the bandits were able to see what they looked like.

They largely maintain the form of "man riding a horse," but they are not two independent individuals. Instead, they are tightly bound together by some force, transforming into a coordinated and unified battle body.

Its upper body is human, slender and agile, covered with fine bluish-gray scales that gleam with a cold, hard luster in the firelight; its lower body is horse-shaped, with sturdy hooves, smooth waist and back lines, and seamlessly integrated with the human body, as if it were born "human and horse as one".

The horse's head has a distinct outline, with short horns on its forehead, and a chilling aura seems to emanate from its breath; its arms and forelimbs merge into powerful "arms and legs", with half-foot-long sharp blades extending from its wrists and hooves, as thin as cicada wings yet gleaming coldly.

It has a pair of bat-shaped blue wings on its back. The wing membranes are semi-transparent with veins like a net. When it unfolds, it sends out gusts of wind, making this "human-horse combined" Taoist soldier agile and swift when running or taking off.

Eight Qingfeng cavalrymen stood in a fan shape, their blue wings slightly folded, their sharp blades pointing diagonally at the ground, resembling eight blue battle puppets glued together, completely blocking the bandits' path.

"Charge! There are only eight Taoist soldiers. The way out is just ahead!" The bandits did not hesitate for long.

In their view, the mere eight Dao soldiers were nothing to fear; the large number of martial artists behind them were the real killers. Only by passing through this barrier could they have any chance of survival.

And reality did indeed turn out just as they had imagined.

Now that they were close to the city wall, the road inside the fortified village became straight, and the horses were finally able to unleash their power and charge forward at full speed.

The eight Qingfeng cavalrymen stood firm like reefs in the sea, enduring wave after wave of bandits' attacks, but were gradually forced to the city gate.

In the end, the bandits, with their superior numbers, managed to break through the blockade.

Seeing that the city gates were open, the bandits ceased their fighting and moved straight ahead, refusing to engage the Qingfeng cavalry.

Although the Qingfeng cavalry killed over a hundred men during the interception, the remaining bandits still fled towards the outskirts of the fortress in droves.

However, these people were so focused on escaping that they forgot the true strength of the Green Edge Cavalry.

Their greatest strength is not attacking strongholds, but chasing and killing them.

Their human-horse integrated physique, coupled with the pair of bat-shaped blue wings on their backs, makes them incredibly fast; as Taoist soldiers, their endurance is even more astonishing, so they are often used as scouts or pursuers in the army.

Once the bandits escaped from the fortified village, everyone scattered and fled. Without their leader, discipline vanished, and everyone only cared about saving their own lives.

At this moment, eight Green-Falcon Riders sped off like arrows, their mournful cries echoing across the wilderness.

At this point, the battle inside the fortified village was essentially over.

The third-rate bandits have been wiped out by the people of Wubao and the inner disciples of the Sword Sect, and everyone has been injured to varying degrees.

Seeing no hope of escape, the last five third-rate martial artists fought back desperately, causing a lot of trouble for everyone.

Two second-rate bandits are dead. Two of the unnamed bandit leaders were killed by two true disciples of the sword sect and two sword-winged mantises.

The Lone Wolf, who had been causing trouble in Xiang County for six years, finally died under the blade of his old rival, Guard Sun, with the help of a true disciple of the Sword Sect.

Unlike the members of the Qingyuan Sword Sect, the bandits had no Taoist soldiers to help them.

Although the bandit leader may have been a shamanic martial artist and had likely contracted with a Taoist soldier, he may have been afraid that the soldier would expose his identity, or perhaps he hadn't anticipated being ambushed, so he didn't bring any soldiers with him and was alone.

As for why the three second-rate bandits didn't have contracted Dao soldiers, they were just bandits supported by the Northern Xiongnu, and at most they would only be given some spiritual plants and pills.

The Northern Xiongnu wouldn't give contracts to bandits, even to their own people.

Therefore, only the bandit leader remained at the scene, who was suspected to be a top-tier martial artist from the shamanistic sect.

He was already at his last gasp; his hat was knocked off, revealing a face completely different from that of the Northern Han people.

As expected, they were Northern Xiongnu, likely left behind during the Northern Xiongnu invasion six years ago, responsible for creating chaos in Gongchang Prefecture.

Four second-rate disciples, a sword-winged mantis, and Liu Zhenghua, a first-rate disciple, had already surrounded him.

Another sword-winged mantis had one wing cut off during the previous attack and was forced to retreat, but Liu Zhenghua took the opportunity to stab it in the right shoulder. At this moment, it was unsteady on its feet and was breathing heavily.

But he was, after all, a first-rate expert. His inherent ferocity and experience remained, and he was still like a wounded lone wolf, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

Liu Zhenghua was the first to launch an attack.

His figure moved like smoke, his white robes fluttering in the strong wind, and his long sword kept thrusting out, the tip of the sword emitting a cold light.

Instead of engaging in brute force, he used speed to overcome slowness, his sword path unpredictable, like a drizzle passing through a forest, specifically targeting the Northern Xiongnu warrior's right shoulder and ribs where it was inconvenient to wield a knife, forcing him to constantly dodge and deplete his remaining strength.

The four second-rate disciples were arranged in a fan shape, with two attacking from the front and left and right, and two supporting and covering from the rear. Their moves were precise and their teamwork was excellent.

Instead of launching a direct attack, they used their formation to compress the Northern Xiongnu warriors' space, sometimes using their swords to parry their attacks, and sometimes delivering a series of sharp thrusts, keeping the enemy busy.

The true disciples' swordsmanship all inherits the essence of the Qingyuan Sword School. Their swordsmanship is clean and crisp, not seeking to kill in one move, but only to block the retreat and the opportunity to counterattack.

The intact sword-winged mantis moved swiftly along the ground, its bluish-gray body darting forward, its blade-like arms aimed straight for vital organs in each surprise attack.

It would sometimes leap up and slash with a single wing, and sometimes sweep across the ground, forcing the Northern Xiongnu warriors to stumble and unable to fully cope with the swordplay of Liu Zhenghua and his disciples.

The Northern Xiongnu warrior roared several times, attempting to break through with his powerful and sweeping sword strikes, but Liu Zhenghua's sword always managed to block his path first. The disciples' formation was like a chain, leaving him no room to breathe.

The sudden attack by the sword-winged mantis made him even more uneasy. Blood kept seeping from the wound on his right shoulder with each violent movement, and his hand holding the knife gradually trembled.

Finally, Liu Zhenghua spotted an opening. The Northern Xiongnu warrior, while dodging the mantis's sweeping attack, slightly turned to the side, exposing his right shoulder.

He moved with his sword, and in a flash he was close, the tip of his sword like lightning, piercing deep into the old wound.

The Northern Xiongnu warrior tried to parry with his sword, but due to insufficient strength, his sword strike was a beat too slow, and with a "whoosh," the blade pierced through his shoulder.

At the same instant, two disciples of the true lineage arrived with their swords simultaneously, blocking his lower body and retreat from the left and right, their blades slicing through his hamstrings and waist; the sword-winged mantis also pounced, its blade-like arms slashing towards his neck.

The Northern Xiongnu warrior's eyes flashed with shock, anger, and resentment, but it was too late to turn the tide. He collapsed to his knees, blood gushing out like a fountain.

This top-tier martial artist, who had been lurking in the Northern Han for six years, was finally beheaded, along with three bandit groups supported by the Northern Xiongnu, and remained in Linjiawu.

The crowd stared at the corpses of bandits scattered on the ground, the air thick with the stench of blood and the scorching smell of burning torches.

As the embers flickered, they reflected blood-stained faces and scattered weapons, turning the battlefield a dark red.

A brief silence enveloped the fortified village, leaving only the intermittent groans of the wounded, as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

Torches crackled and popped all around, occasionally bursting into sparks, the soft sounds particularly clear in the still night.

Everyone stood holding their breath, their eyes sweeping over the corpses and flames. This battle had finally been won.