The three figures possessed superb lightness skill. They shot forward like powerful arrows, and the instant they touched down, the gathered heroes cried out in alarm:
"The Three Great Villains of the Central Plains!"
The Three Villains strode arrogantly into the arena. The bald, hunched-backed "Old Monster of Hedong," Mo Jian, swept a disdainful gaze over the crowd and laughed loudly.
"We are the Three Great Villains of the Central Plains. Lately, our purses have run dry. We heard the Zoroastrian Sect recently acquired a trove of treasure, so we came to take a look!"
At this moment, "Tyrant of Henan" Huo Bing pointed at Ferocious Deity Yuan Rong and sneered:
"You must be the leader of this rabble. That chest of treasure is ours now!"
Yuan Rong ground his teeth in fury.
"Huo Bing! Our brothers still need to eat!"
Yet panic churned within him. The recent battles had already cost them men, and few remained capable of fighting. Facing the Three Villains, he had little confidence.
Old Monster Mo snorted coldly.
"Eating is easy enough—just add wine and meat!"
The implication was clear: one chest was not enough.
At this point, "Demon of Hebei" Wang Yu pointed at Dharma King Zhao.
"You must be Zhao Ke, Dharma King of the Zoroastrians. Hand over another chest of treasure. If not, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Huo Bing paced back and forth, snarling viciously:
"Each of you hands over a chest, and you might avoid a beating!"
"Ghost-Dread" Wang Yu roared angrily:
"This is outrageous! Brothers—attack!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, both palms thrust forward with ferocious force. Yet Huo Bing did not move at all. Only when Wang Yu closed in did Huo Bing suddenly strike with a single palm.
With no room to evade, Wang Yu was forced to meet it head-on.
Bang!
He was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood with a choking cry.
With just one palm strike, Huo Bing had defeated Ghost-Dread Wang Yu.
The crowd was horrified.
Huo Bing swept his gaze across the stunned bandits and said coldly:
"Is there anyone else who refuses to accept this?"
None dared step forward. A single strike had already cowed the entire group. After all, who would willingly throw their life away? To attack now would be nothing more than an egg striking a stone.
Dharma King Zhao spoke sternly:
"Huo Bing—bullying the weak is no mark of a hero!"
Huo Bing sneered.
"So—you don't accept this?"
Dharma King Zhao replied calmly:
"Indeed, I do not."
In a blur, Huo Bing appeared before him, his sleeve fluttering as he struck with a palm. Zhao Ke was well prepared—he surged his inner power forward. The two exchanged lightning-fast blows, palm against palm, more than twenty strikes in an instant.
Bang!
They sprang apart simultaneously.
Huo Bing nodded.
"Dharma King Zhao has impressive skill."
Zhao Ke clasped his fists.
"You flatter me."
Huo Bing continued:
"Then let it be this way—leave the bandits to us. The Zoroastrians should withdraw."
Zhao Ke answered firmly:
"Your words are mistaken. Today, we met these brothers through martial exchange and found instant camaraderie. Now that they are in peril, how could we abandon them?"
His words rang with righteousness and resolve. The bandits' blood surged with excitement, and they burst into cheers.
Huo Bing's expression darkened.
"The Three Villains of the Central Plains are not so easily provoked!"
Ferocious Deity Yuan Rong nodded with joy.
"Thank you, Dharma King. With our numbers combined, there is no need to fear them."
Demon of Hebei Wang Yu cursed angrily:
"Don't think numbers mean anything! The Three Villains are no empty showpieces!"
His eyes gleamed with killing intent as he lunged forward, his left palm striking toward Yuan Rong like lightning. Yuan Rong dodged left and right, evading two strikes—
—but at that very moment, Li Rui, the Dharma King, swept in diagonally like windborne mist, arriving to rescue him. His palm struck from the side toward Wang Yu.
Wang Yu immediately split his stance and countered with a rapid left palm.
Bang!
The two palms met precisely, and both men retreated.
Wang Yu's eyes flashed coldly.
"You must be Li Rui, Dharma King of the Manichaeans?"
Li Rui replied calmly:
"That is I. The Three Villains may be infamous, but even you cannot simply seize treasure by force."
The Three Villains' evil reputations had long spread throughout the land—they were already enemies of the entire martial world.
Wang Yu snorted.
"Plunder and force—that is the mark of true boldness! So, you plan to join forces today?"
Li Rui answered solemnly:
"Even thieves have their code. You three act with unchecked tyranny. We have no choice but to unite against you."
In the martial world, rules existed—unwritten yet binding. Without rules, chaos would reign.
As the saying goes, the anger of the masses cannot be defied.
The Three Villains were forced to weigh the situation.
Old Monster Mo Jian finally spoke:
"Ferocious Deity—we are of the same trade. I won't block your road to wealth, and you won't block ours. Take your single chest and leave at once."
Yuan Rong's expression hardened. After a moment's thought, he looked at his brothers and said gravely:
"Though we walk the greenwood's path, we know not to take ill-gotten gain, nor to flee when justice demands courage. The two Dharma Kings have shown righteousness—how could we answer with betrayal?"
His words rang with conviction. The crowd nodded in approval and cheered loudly.
Mo Jian's scheme thwarted, rage flared in his eyes.
"Ferocious Deity—don't refuse a kindness only to invite disaster!"
At that moment of drawn blades and rising tension, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Three figures flashed into the arena, their agile movements drawing gasps of admiration.
Li Rui's eyes widened as he exclaimed:
"Hall Master Wu of the Loyalty Hall!"
The Three Villains stiffened.
Wu Tong clasped his hands toward all sides.
"Within the four seas, all men are brothers. What need has a gentleman to lack companions?"
A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he swept the crowd and called out:
"Three Villains of the Central Plains—you have run rampant for too long and stirred the fury of the martial world. With heroes from all paths gathered here today, why not unite in righteousness and carry out Heaven's will?"
The crowd erupted, voices rising as one:
"Unite in righteousness—carry out Heaven's will!""Unite in righteousness—carry out Heaven's will!""Unite in righteousness—carry out Heaven's will!"
An ancient poem says:
Flesh and blood are bound like branches and leaves,Friendships, too, are formed by fate.Within the four seas, all are brothers—Who, then, is a stranger upon the road?