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

That night, more than thirty martial artists rode on the backs of more than ten Daoist crocodile armored guards.

These Crocodile Armor Guards are all the Waterborne Daoist soldiers contracted by the warriors of this large army. They were urgently transferred from Qingyang Prefecture after learning that the target of the cleanup was Qinghe County. Previously, they had been transported here by servants over long distances.

After all, the Crocodile Armor Guards had difficulty moving around along the way.

More than ten people were crammed onto the backs of six third-rate Taoist soldiers, the Azure Carp of Cangyan, gripping their rock-like scales tightly.

The original nest in Qinghe County was the Cangyan Qingli, a third-rate Taoist priest, although it disappeared a few years ago.

Before that, some of the martial artists in the county town had also formed contracts with the original lord, and that was all that could be found.

The team started from Qingshuihe in the county town and headed along the river towards Bawangtan.

Not long after leaving the county town, leading the way was the third leader of Bawangtan, who sat on a crocodile-armored guard. Accompanying him were Liu Yun and Chen Hai, the captain of the Chen family.

Their mission was to escort the third leader, ensure the route was correct, and scout ahead to check road conditions and avoid dangers.

The distance from the county town to Bawangtan is about 60 li (approximately 30 kilometers), and according to the plan, we should arrive in the early morning.

This is the time when the bandits are most tired and their sentries are more likely to be lax, making it a better time for a surprise attack.

The group traveled downstream, and along the way they could hear the roars of monsters in the distance, the sounds of water and wind mingling together.

To avoid areas frequented by monsters, the team constantly adjusted their direction and moved forward slowly.

Along the way, they encountered two third-rate demonic beasts blocking their path. The warriors dismounted from their crocodile-armored guards, and several of the guards rushed to attack, quickly killing the beasts.

Two of the crocodile armored guards were injured during the process, but their injuries were not serious and they were still able to ride, so the journey was not delayed.

As they approached Bawang Beach, all the martial artists went into the water, grabbed the crocodile-armored guards with both hands, and let these Taoist soldiers swim slowly forward in the water, leading everyone forward.

Because everyone was underwater and under the cover of darkness, the sentry posts did not notice anything unusual.

Only after reaching the land of Bawangtan did everyone truly breathe a sigh of relief.

Bawangtan is actually a small island, named after a mudflat that must be crossed before reaching the island.

A group of giant salamanders inhabits this mudflat. They are a third-rate monster, amphibious, with each group consisting of about fifty to sixty individuals, and they are very powerful in combat.

To avoid disturbing them, the group followed the third leader around the mudflats and landed on the island from the other side, entering a relatively open area.

The terrain here is flat and there are no dense trees to block the view, making it easy to carry out subsequent operations.

At this moment, some of the bandits finally spotted the group.

Warning drumbeats and shouts came from all directions, disturbing the once quiet village. Flames began to appear on the nearby village walls, and several rockets were launched outwards.

Two second-rate martial arts captains from the Chen family charged towards the village first, followed closely by the other martial arts warriors.

The rockets fired from the stockade wall landed among the crowd, but most of the people present were third-rate martial artists who were not afraid of the arrows and continued to steadily advance.

The stockade wall was only two zhang high. Captain Chen Hai used the wooden wall as leverage to leap onto the wall and began fighting with the bandits guarding it.

Against ordinary river bandits, a second-rate martial artist could kill one instantly and clear a large area on the wall in the blink of an eye.

Other martial artists climbed up one after another, quickly engaged the bandits in the stronghold, and advanced towards the center of the stronghold, where the chief, Meng Lang, resided.

The residences of the second, fourth, and fifth leaders are also nearby.

The third leader, who had been leading the way, was killed by Liu Yun as soon as he arrived on the island, without suffering any pain. This could be considered as fulfilling his purpose of leading the way.

Most of the bandits in the village were resting when they were awakened by the sound of drums and fighting.

Meng Lang sat up in bed when a bandit leader rushed into the room with an urgent report: "Boss, something terrible has happened! The brothers defending Bawang Beach are beating drums to warn us; it seems someone has attacked the island!"

Meng Lang frowned and said, "Bawang Beach, how did they get in? Why didn't the sentries warn us beforehand? They only found out when they got to the island. These useless people, they'll be in for a beating later."

"What are you waiting for? Send a few men to the port to prepare the ship, just in case it turns out to be a tough opponent, so we have a backup plan." After saying that, he walked out of the room.

There were already more than thirty people gathered at the entrance, including the second, fourth, and fifth leaders, three third-rate martial artists.

"Let's go, I want to see who dares to mess with us," Meng Lang said in a deep voice.

"It must be those Blackwater Village bandits! Damn it, we'll make them pay this time!" the other bandits shouted in agreement.

They never expected it to be government troops. The boats in Qinghe County had either been destroyed or stolen by them before, so it was impossible for government troops to launch an attack.

Otherwise, they would never have slept so soundly; they would have abandoned the village and fled just like they had during the previous sieges.

The group rushed toward the gate following the sounds of battle, encountering scattered bandits along the way. Several leaders killed them on the spot, forcing the fleeing soldiers to turn back and block the enemy.

From the defeated soldiers, Meng Lang learned that there were only fifty or sixty people coming, but they were exceptionally brave and the guards in front could not stop them.

Meng Lang glanced at the more than 500 bandits who had gathered around him, but he was not afraid and continued to lead the team forward.

Upon reaching the village, the fourth leader, a burly man, led the charge, shouting, "Brothers, charge! Kill them all! Everyone will be rewarded!" The bandits swarmed forward.

However, the bandits were killed one after another as soon as they made contact.

Most of them were unarmored, and the warriors attacked in formation, capable of killing with a single blow.

Meng Lang, who was standing at the back, and the second-in-command exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking at the same time.

"They are all martial artists, not from Blackwater Village. Blackwater Village doesn't have this many martial artists, and martial artists usually value their lives. Water bandits wouldn't gather so many martial artists for a surprise attack. It must be government troops."

The same thought flashed through their minds almost simultaneously.

In this short period of time, more than a hundred bandits have been killed.

The remaining men, seeing their own casualties and then looking at the opposing warriors who had only suffered minor injuries to a dozen or so people, finally realized the disparity between the two sides and gradually dared not charge forward any further.

However, bandits continued to pour in from all directions, their numbers constantly increasing, and the situation began to turn against the warriors.

At this moment, tiny sparks of light slowly appeared on the water in front of the mudflats, and the army finally arrived by cargo ship.

The warriors saw it, and so did the bandits.

Panic gripped the pirates, and they began to flee in disarray, some rushing toward the harbor, others venturing deeper into the island.

Meng Lang, who was behind, also turned around and fled towards the port, intending to leave by boat, thinking that as long as there is life, there is hope.

The warriors broke through the scattered bandits blocking their path. Liu Yun caught sight of Meng Lang and his group fleeing and immediately shouted, "Chase them! Meng Lang is among them!"

He, along with Captain Chen Hai and a dozen or so third-rate martial artists, immediately gave chase.

They killed off bandits who blocked their way and soon arrived at the port.

The ships in the port had already started moving, and Meng Lang was about to board one.

Without hesitation, the warriors leaped forward between the other ships, quickly approaching the target vessel.

Finally, before Meng Lang's ship left the port, they jumped aboard.

Meng Lang and his second-in-command led more than a dozen men to meet them and engaged in a fierce battle with the martial artist.

Meng Lang, wielding a water-splitting fork, engaged in a fierce battle with Captain Chen Hai, who was holding a broadsword. However, due to the cramped space on the ship and his unstable footing, Chen Hai could only parry for the time being and was unable to launch a full-scale attack.

Seeing this, Liu Yun immediately stepped forward to provide support, displaying the sword techniques taught by Liu Zhenghua. Her swordplay was swift and precise, disrupting Meng Lang's offensive.

On the other side, a dozen or so third-rate martial artists faced off against the second-in-command and the dozen or so bandits he brought with him.

Although the number of river bandits was considerable, their fighting strength was far inferior, and they quickly suffered heavy casualties.

After being slashed, the second-in-command jumped into the water and escaped in the chaos.

Under the combined attack of Liu Yun and Chen Hai, Meng Lang gradually fell into a disadvantageous position, his movements became sluggish, and he was eventually killed by the group.