Marshall Morgan's heart skipped a beat. He held his breath and listened carefully.
"Haha, of course! I spent a lot of effort to get hold of one of the Sand Snake Bandits' chief's concubines. It was only from that seductive woman that I learned about this secret path. If it weren't for you being my best friend, I wouldn't have brought you here."
Another voice rose.
It was clear from the sound that both were young men.
"I knew it! Big Brother Pike, you're so handsome and charming. No woman can resist your allure." The earlier voice fawned over.
"Haha!" Big Brother Pike seemed very pleased, and continued: "There's a cave here. Let's rest a bit before the Family Head and they clash with the Sand Snake Bandits. Then, we'll secretly sneak into the Sand Snake Bandits' lair. All those treasures from their chief will be ours."
Saying this, the two young men, about seventeen or eighteen, walked into the cave.
As soon as they entered the cave, they spotted Marshall Morgan.
"Marshall Morgan, is that you? Why are you here?"
One of the young men, with a black mole on his face, exclaimed.
"You're from the Lawson Family." Marshall Morgan was also surprised for a moment.
He recognized these two young men. They were from Penny Lawson's family, the young members of the Lawson Family.
One was named Pike Lawson, quite handsome, and the one with the black mole was named Flynn Lawson.
"Marshall Morgan, did you hear everything we just said?" Pike Lawson glared at Marshall Morgan with a somber expression.
Marshall Morgan replied, "I heard it, more or less."
"Marshall Morgan, since you heard it, blame your bad luck then."
Murderous intent flickered in Pike Lawson's eyes as he spoke.
"You want to kill me?" Marshall Morgan's face darkened.
"Marshall Morgan, remember to be smarter in your next life. A useless person shouldn't run around blindly. Otherwise, you'll easily bring misfortune upon yourself." Pike Lawson's voice was icy, laced with disdain.
"Big Brother Pike, there's no need for you to act. I'll kill him." Flynn Lawson took a step forward, not considering Marshall Morgan a threat at all.
Even though they noticed the corpse of a tiger in the cave, they didn't think it was killed by Marshall Morgan. They assumed it was slain by other fierce beasts or a Demonic Beast.
What was Marshall Morgan's level, after all? They had no idea?
Pike Lawson nodded and said, "Hmm, make it quick. Deal with this trash, and let's have a rest."
"Don't worry, Big Brother Pike. One move will suffice." Flynn Lawson sneered as he reached out with a claw toward Marshall Morgan's throat.
Flynn Lawson, at the mid-stage Meridian Passage level, had opened five meridians. This strike had at least five hundred pounds of force. If it hit, Marshall Morgan wouldn't die but would be seriously injured.
"Since you want to kill me, I'll have to kill you first."
Marshall Morgan whispered softly, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes, his body moved, and he threw a punch.
Flame Dragon Fist!
This punch, delayed in launch but rapid in execution, directly slammed into Flynn Lawson's chest.
Boom!
Flynn Lawson resembled a sack being flung out, smashing heavily against the cave wall, blood spurting from his mouth, and then there was no breath left.
Flynn Lawson was killed in one punch by Marshall Morgan.
"You... you killed Flynn Lawson? How is that possible?"
Beside him, Pike Lawson's eyes widened in disbelief, screaming, "Weren't you a useless guy? You could actually kill Flynn Lawson?"
"Useless? Haha, then let this 'useless guy' send you on your way, shall I?"
Marshall Morgan sneered coldly.
"Send me on my way? Ridiculous! I've already opened eight meridians. You think you can kill me? You think I'm Flynn Lawson? Die!"
Soon, Pike Lawson calmed down, drew his longsword, and thrust it toward Marshall Morgan.
However, Pike Lawson was only an ordinary Martial Artist. His Martial Technique was unrefined, and his skill even poorer, nowhere near a match for Marshall Morgan.
A single flash of the Dragon and Snake Step, and he avoided Pike Lawson's sword light, delivering a punch to Pike Lawson's stomach.
Pike Lawson screamed in agony and was sent flying, landing on the ground, vomiting copious amounts of blood.
But Pike Lawson's cultivation was stronger. He was only heavily injured and not dead.
"You're such garbage, and you call me useless?"
Marshall Morgan walked toward Pike Lawson, an intense murderous aura emanating from him.
"No, don't kill me." Pike Lawson was scared out of his wits, begging repeatedly.
He could never have imagined that Marshall Morgan was so powerful.
"How do I get to the Sand Snake Bandits' lair? Speak up."
Marshall Morgan asked.
Originally, Marshall Morgan could have killed Pike Lawson with one punch. The only reason he didn't was because of the Sand Snake Bandits' lair.
The Sand Snake Bandits were a group of robbers active near the Demon Beast Peaks, committing arson, murder, and looting without restraint.
But due to the complex terrain in the forest, they've never been eradicated.
Over the years, who knows how much treasure the Sand Snake Bandits have amassed? If Marshall Morgan could obtain it, wouldn't he have enough money to buy a Dragon Tiger Pill?
"You want to know the secret path to the Sand Snake Bandits' lair, I can tell you, but you must spare my life."
Pike Lawson's eyes flickered as he spoke.
At the same time, in his heart, he yelled furiously. Once he got back, he vowed to seek revenge on Marshall Morgan madly, not just Marshall Morgan, but even his mother would meet a cruel fate.
"Now you have no right to negotiate with me. If you don't speak, I'll kill you right now." Marshall Morgan's voice was icy, his gaze filled with murderous intent as he fixed it on Pike Lawson.
Pike Lawson felt a chill in his heart and said, "Fine, I'll tell, I'll tell..."
Immediately, Pike Lawson revealed the secret path to the Sand Snake Bandits' lair.
"Can I leave now?" Pike Lawson asked after speaking.
Marshall Morgan sneered, "Leave? Let you go so you can come back and take revenge on me?"
With that said, he struck Pike Lawson's chest with a punch, killing him.
In these turbulent years, Marshall Morgan had gained a deep understanding of this world.
In the Martial World, it's the law of the jungle. Sometimes, if you don't kill others, they will surely kill you.
Thus, Marshall Morgan wouldn't show mercy to his enemies, for once he did, his own life would be at risk.
Afterward, Marshall Morgan began searching the bodies of Pike and Flynn Lawson.
These two guys were quite poor indeed. The silver notes on them amounted to less than fifty taels altogether.
However, Marshall Morgan did find a secret manual on Pike Lawson's body.
"One-Word Electric Sword," an unranked swordsmanship manual, although not high in level, was just what Marshall Morgan needed.
Right now, besides Flame Dragon Fist, Marshall Morgan had no other attack techniques. It was just the right time to learn a sword technique.
He stored the secret manual, silver notes, and Silver Bell Grass all into the Supreme Divine Temple, then left this cave, heading in the direction Pike Lawson mentioned toward the Sand Snake Bandits' lair.
The Sand Snake Bandits' lair was located over thirty miles away, on a mountain peak.
This mountain peak was surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, so steep even a Demonic Ape couldn't cross. The only access was a narrow path leading up the front.
It took Marshall Morgan two full hours to reach the vicinity of this peak.
Along the way, he had several close encounters with Demonic Beasts, making it quite thrilling.
Demonic Beasts, powerful and fierce, are divided into nine levels, each level having nine realms. As for a Martial Artist, starting from the Warrior Realm, each stage is also divided into nine realms.
Therefore, even the weakest Level 1 First Realm Demonic Beast equates to a Warrior First Realm Martial Artist, not something Marshall Morgan could handle at this moment.
Marshall Morgan lay in wait nearby. According to Pike Lawson, today Ford Lawson, the Family Head, would lead skilled members of the Lawson Family to attack the Sand Snake Bandits.
Of course, Ford Lawson wasn't that altruistic, wanting to eliminate evil for the people. His aim was also the treasure hoarded by the Sand Snake Bandits over the years through their looting.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before over a hundred figures appeared in the mountain forest, rushing quickly toward the Sand Snake Bandits' lair.
"Enemy attack!" A loud shout echoed from the mountain peak.
What followed was the intense sound of battle cries.
"It's time." Marshall Morgan moved, employing the Dragon and Snake Step to weave through the mountain forest.
Quickly, he reached the rear of the Sand Snake Bandits' lair, where there was a hidden path leading up the mountain peak.
This path was a retreat left by the Sand Snake Bandits for themselves. In case one day they couldn't withstand an enemy assault, they could retreat from here.