Chapter 21: Fleeing in Panic

Upon hearing Chu Xiaotian's admission, the bandit leader's face instantly turned ugly, clouded with uncertainty. The other ordinary bandits were pale, completely lacking the will to fight.

"Lords of the Divine Sword Academy, you must save us; we are just ordinary merchants."

"That's right, if you, Lord of the Divine Sword Academy, can save us, you may choose any treasure from our caravan!" The people of the caravan said, filled with excitement and hope.

"Are your words true?" Chu Xiaotian was inwardly pleased. He had been pondering how to acquire the caravan's goods, and now they were being offered to him.

"Indeed, if you, Lord of the Divine Sword Academy, can save us, you may choose any treasure from our caravan; it would be forming a good bond," said a middle-aged man, stepping forward respectfully as the obvious leader of the caravan.

"Alright, just give me the treasure inside that box, and I'll save you," Chu Xiaotian nodded, pointing to the largest box.

"No way," the bandit leader immediately objected after Chu Xiaotian spoke, startling the caravan leader.

"Not possible?" Chu Xiaotian's face turned unsightly. Was this a trick? They had just said he could choose any treasure.

"Lord, it's not that I'm unwilling to give it to you, but that treasure is needed by Lord Zhou's family, and we can't make that decision," the caravan leader quickly explained, fearing to provoke Chu Xiaotian and suffer a loss.

"I know there's a wooden box inside. I don't need the treasure in the box, just the one next to it," Chu Xiaotian said coldly.

If they still refused, he naturally wouldn't help. He could simply wait for the bandits to kill the merchants and then kill the bandits to take what he needed.

"Really?" The caravan leader looked at Chu Xiaotian in disbelief.

"Do I need to lie to you?" Chu Xiaotian replied coldly.

"Okay, as long as you don't need the wooden box, you can choose anything else," said the caravan leader, and Chu Xiaotian nodded in satisfaction.

"So, you're determined to oppose us?" the bandit leader asked coldly, seeing the agreement between Chu Xiaotian and the caravan leader.

"I take people's money to ward off their disasters," Chu Xiaotian said calmly, unfazed by the bandit leader's cold and murderous gaze.

"Kill him," the bandit leader ordered his men, but no one moved, clearly fearing Chu Xiaotian's identity, making the leader's face turn even uglier.

"Hmph." The bandit leader snorted and jumped down from his horse, intending to take action himself.

"You're asking for this. You will become the first martial academy student I, Ma Si, have killed," Ma Si said, his eyes flashing coldly, his face filled with murderous intent.

"Is the leader really going to attack a martial academy student?"

"Has he gone mad? Risking his life for a treasure?" Everyone, whether from the bandit group or the caravan, watched Ma Si in shock. The martial academy was a symbol of absolute power.

Chu Xiaotian, so young yet possessing the power of the Lingyuan realm, must have a high status in the Divine Sword Academy. If Chu Xiaotian were killed, the Divine Sword Academy would surely be enraged, not just against Ma Si, but the entire bandit group.

"He's gone mad, completely mad! From today, I quit the Evil Wolf Bandit Group," said the other members of the bandit group in fear, turning to leave. They were unwilling to offend the Divine Sword Academy or the martial academy's power.

"Stop!" Ma Si shouted as he saw his men leaving, his face darkening to the extreme.

"Very well, very well, extremely well. After I deal with this, all of you will die," Ma Si said viciously, not expecting his own men to betray him.

"Although you are from the Divine Sword Academy, if everyone dies, no one will know I killed you," Ma Si said coldly.

"Explosive Ball!" As Ma Si spoke, a violent fireball appeared in his hand, burning the air with crackling sounds.

"A yellow-grade martial skill?!" The caravan members paled, realizing Ma Si was serious about killing them all.

"Get lost!" Chu Xiaotian drew his sword, its cold light flashing, the sword singing, and the air bursting. The sword light engulfed the flames, its residual power reaching Ma Si.

"Slash!" A sound of flesh tearing, and a cut appeared on Ma Si, bleeding profusely.

"Drip, drip..." Blood dripped from the tip of Chu Xiaotian's sword onto the ground, his eyes filled with intense killing intent.

"Ah!" Ma Si screamed

in pain, cold sweat pouring out, his eyes filled with deep fear. He couldn't even block a single sword strike?

"You wanted my life?" Chu Xiaotian said with a cold laugh, swinging his sword again, fast as the wind, in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, my arm!" Ma Si couldn't avoid the swift sword strike and was injured by the sword qi, his entire arm flying off, screaming in agony.

"I don't want the treasure anymore, please spare my life," Ma Si pleaded in utter fear.

"How can words spoken be taken back? Since you intended to take my life, your life is now mine," Chu Xiaotian said emotionlessly, smiling.

He understood that in this world, it was the survival of the fittest. If Ma Si had been stronger than him, he would have taken Chu Xiaotian's life without hesitation, and begging would have been useless.

"Clang!" Another sword strike, the sound of the sword ringing, Ma Si's pupils dilated as his head separated from his body.

"My things, give them to me." Having easily dealt with Ma Si, Chu Xiaotian turned to the caravan leader.

"Of course, Lord," the caravan leader, now sweating profusely and extremely frightened by Chu Xiaotian's strength, immediately took out the treasure from the box, apart from the small wooden box, and handed it over to Chu Xiaotian.

Chu Xiaotian was very satisfied with the black fragment he received. He then swiftly left the area, riding the wind.

"Phew!" Watching Chu Xiaotian leave, the caravan people finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted off their shoulders.

"Who would have thought he didn't want that item."