Zhou Yan paid no attention to Ning Shuiqing, leaving her quite puzzled.
"Sit down, little girl, there's no need to be so nervous about these demonic beasts," Zhao Min said.
"It's fine, they'll disappear soon enough," Xiao Zhao also chimed in.
Although Zhou Yan remained still, the martial generals like Zhang Xiu had already moved from their positions.
A sound of fighting erupted, followed by the flashes of energy attacks and screams.
Ten minutes later, the battle ended, and even the scent of blood around them vanished completely.
Ning Shuiqing then realized that the people around them were also very powerful, a fact she had overlooked.
Ning Shuiqing looked at Li Chungang and asked, "You don't look old at all, why do you call yourself an old man?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chungang didn't know whether to laugh or cry and replied, "I'm nearly ninety years old, of course I'm old."
If he were in his original world, Li Chungang would have a head of white hair, but in this world, ninety years old was not considered old at all; it was practically young.
"Ninety years old shouldn't be considered very old. I've seen many strong individuals over two hundred years old marrying teenage girls," Ning Shuiqing said. She then asked Zhou Yan, "You're not sixty or seventy years old, are you?"
"There's something wrong with your eyesight. I'm only nineteen!" Zhou Yan replied.
"Then you're not much older than me either." Ning Shuiqing's bright eyes blinked in surprise, realizing Zhou Yan was only seven years her senior.
"I'm much older, and I have things you don't," Zhou Yan said, uttering another sentence that confused Ning Shuiqing.
"Is your strength truly at the demigod realm?" Ning Shuiqing still found it hard to believe that Li Chungang was a demigod realm expert.
"I've heard that demigod realm experts are reclusive masters who rarely appear in the world. They can destroy heaven and earth with a simple gesture and typically need centuries of cultivation."
"Yet, you are only ninety-odd years old and already a demigod. It's indeed questionable. I've never heard of anyone becoming a demigod so young." Ning Shuiqing voiced her doubts to Li Chungang.
"Heh." Li Chungang chuckled, offering no explanation. Why would he need to explain his strength?
The next day, they continued their journey, but Zhou Yan, looking around, signaled for everyone to stop and said, "A friend from afar, prepare the traps. Come out, your little tricks are child's play."
"Swish, swish, swish!!!"
A group of people appeared around them, some holding bows and arrows, others magic staffs, and even firearms. There were about two hundred of them, clearly hostile.
Three figures descended from the sky, all of them at or above the seventy-seventh heaven, looking fierce and menacing. They spoke to Zhou Yan and his companions:
"We are bandits. We only seek wealth and do not kill. Pay ten million spirit coins per person, and we'll let you pass."
Zhou Yan burst into laughter, rolled up his sleeves, took a few steps forward, and said, "What a coincidence. It seems we're in the same line of work."
"I'm also a reasonable person. Pay ten million spirit coins per person, and I'll let you leave. I only seek wealth, not lives."
The three bandits were stunned by Zhou Yan's words. The chubby one on the left said to the one in the middle, "Boss, this kid is imitating you!"
The skinny one on the right also chimed in, "Boss, they're also bandits. Why don't we recruit them?"
The leader in the middle glared at the skinny one and said, "Can't you use your brain a little!"
"Just because he says he's in the same line of work as us, does that make it true? If he said he was your father, would you call him father?"
"No, no, no. I don't have a son that old. To put it plainly, he's not worthy!" Zhou Yan quickly interjected.
The leader in the middle, with a face full of brutish flesh, slammed his large saber into the ground and roared, "Kid, our 'Explode the Earth Gang' only seeks wealth and doesn't harm people. You'd best be sensible!"
"Explode the Earth Gang!" Zhou Yan's eyes widened in surprise, and he curiously asked, "What's your relationship with the Explode the Sky Gang?"
"How the hell would I know about the Explode the Sky Gang? You kid, are you perhaps from that Explode the Sky Gang? Stop trying to get close to us. If you don't pay, you won't be leaving today!" The leader in the middle glared angrily at Zhou Yan.
"That's more like it. I prefer to be persuaded rather than forced. Come on, let's rely on our own abilities. If you can defeat us, I won't just give you ten million spirit coins per person, I'll give you a billion spirit coins per person!" Zhou Yan declared.
"Boss, this is a rich customer. Our previous offer was too low," the chubby bandit said to the leader.
"Enough nonsense, brothers, attack!" The leader immediately gave the order.
"Yes, Boss!"
The surrounding bandits immediately fired arrows, cast spells, and shot their firearms at Zhou Yan and his group. Their attacks were not weak; each bandit's strength was no lower than the forty-seventh heaven.
This was indeed a formidable group of bandits, no wonder they dared to rob others.
Zhou Yan made no move. These people were not worth his personal intervention.
As a lord, with so many subordinates, he tried to avoid fighting himself unless he couldn't resist the urge to beat someone up.
An Tian and Liuli stood at the forefront.
An Tian unleashed a wave of black energy, forming a black dragon's head, which devoured all the magic spells.
Liuli released an emerald-like flame, forming a fire dragon that incinerated the arrows and bullets.
"Cannon! Second Cannon! Follow me!" The leader raised his weapon and charged at An Tian.
"Yes, Boss." The chubby and skinny bandits also drew their weapons and charged forward.
"Attack!"
Dian Wei, Zhang Xiu, Wen Pin, and ten other generals drew their weapons and stood before Zhou Yan, engaging the surrounding bandits.
The three bandit leaders were quite strong, managing to fight against An Tian and the others.
"Three experts at the ninety-seventh heaven, and they've become bandits." Zhou Yan was greatly surprised upon sensing their strength.
He had underestimated them, thinking they were just ordinary bandits.
After a brief exchange, Tu Pao realized that An Tian and Liuli were too powerful, and the people around them were also very strong. He immediately shouted, "They're tough opponents, brothers, retreat!"
The three acted decisively and threw an object at An Tian.
"Bang!"
Smoke erupted, obscuring their vision. When the smoke cleared, the three had already fled.
"Trying to run? Not so easy." Zhou Yan flashed forward, appearing before the three bandits and using gravity and spatial confinement spells to immobilize them.