Who gave you permission to travel through time with Earth?

Regardless of their previous intentions, the Xuanwu Guards were now somewhat panicked. The three families—Chiling, Tieling, and Murder Ridge—each had senior figures in charge, and they were no longer at a disadvantage in terms of combat strength.

Moreover, this was their home ground. The mountainous terrain was teeming with poisonous miasma and snakes, and coupled with their overwhelming numerical advantage over the Xuanwu Guards, even the most arrogant martial artists were now feeling somewhat apprehensive.

Aside from Shi Dahu, he was actually the most adorable at times like this, rolling up his sleeves and excitedly rushing towards the valley entrance. The concept of the thrill of battle had been deeply ingrained in him from the moment he was expelled from the school by his teacher.

...or perhaps even before that.

"There is no other way but to break through at the valley entrance and try to get back to the main road we started on."

Fang Jin said decisively, simultaneously severing the one-eyed man's head to draw everyone's attention, before continuing...

"Break through to the depths of Snake Valley. It may seem that the only strong defense is the Killer Ridge, but the environment will be our biggest enemy. We may even be killed by snakes and insects before we even see the Miao women."

"Furthermore, we have no way of Snake Valley. Even if we give up this mission of delivering the Buddha and manage to escape the Miao people's blockade, we will only embark on a dead-end road with no way out and face the pursuit of the three families."

"...But that means we have to face the masters of Chiling and Tieling."

"I don't know who came from Chiling, but since Tieling lost Big Hand Iron Hand Tong at the nunnery, only one elder has been left to guard the area, and he is more troublesome than Iron Hand Tong in this situation."

"Tianluo Umbrella Iron Heart is skilled in using an extremely large iron umbrella. Countless hidden weapons are concealed under the umbrella's ribs and canopy. Before she actually throws it out, no one knows what kind or how many hidden weapons she will use."

Li Qinglian, holding his sword, spoke with an elegant and sophisticated air, but to be honest, his muscular physique really ruined his overall image. In terms of height and muscularity, he even surpassed Shi Dahu.

"But Tieling is very far from here. To get there, we not only need to travel that distance, but we also have to go through Chiling. Elder Su is a human disaster that can't be moved around easily."

"Even if they are truly determined to come, the total number of people in Tieling must be limited. Otherwise, if hundreds of people from Tieling pass through Chiling, it would not be borrowing a route but an invasion, which would be equivalent to directly starting a war with Chief Hu."

"The general is right. We only have one path to take: through Hangu Pass. No matter how dangerous it may be, we must persevere... and we must be quick. The more time we waste, the more passive we become!"

Tao Shan retorted, and at the same time got up and walked out of the cave. There were more and more snakes in the cave, black, white, green and red, and she had even identified several snake venoms that posed a threat to her.

The methods used at Killer Ridge are truly disgusting. Their attacks begin before anyone even sees them, and like a poisoning effect, the attacks intensify over time, with snakes slowly piling up from the depths of the valley.

They could shrink the area of ​​their activities, and with the possibility of the Poison King suddenly appearing from the snake pit to kill people at any time, she had no intention of staying in Blackwater Gang's territory any longer.

As the others followed suit, they all nodded in agreement. In truth, they didn't have much time to think; the key now was to make a quick decision to increase their chances of breaking through...

"call--!"

As they stepped out of the cave, they were met with a wave of intense heat. Looking up in surprise, they discovered that the mountaintop had been set ablaze, emitting thick plumes of black smoke.

The one-eyed dragon was not only venting his satisfaction at the success of his scheme, but also diverting attention and buying time. As soon as Xuanwu Guard appeared, he lit the beacon fire to inform his prey that they had entered the encirclement.

Now, these beacon fires serve no longer just as a notification; they directly indicate their location. The Black Serpent Gang is no longer safe, and this place is now a sitting duck in the sight of the Three Ridges' experts!

"boom--"

Just then, a massive, dark brown shadow swept over the mountains, laughing as it slammed its fist into the beacon fire atop the mountain! The giant rock on the summit exploded with a deafening roar, turning into a rain of stones that engulfed Xuanwu Guard. Everyone quickly moved aside to avoid it!

Shi Dahu excitedly grabbed a protrusion from the rock face, howling as he prepared to fight. But Li Qinglian and Tao Shan's expressions instantly turned grim, and they both exclaimed in unison:

"Chief Hu?!"

"Why would he come in person?!"

Hu Shan has held the position of chief of Chiling Village for over thirty years. His reputation is no longer limited to the level of an elder, but is more about his terrifying combat power, which is exaggerated to the point that he can even kill people across realms.

Hu Shan practiced a method called "Red Talisman Armor," but this was not the name of a weapon. Rather, it was the highest level of hard qigong, and it was through this method that he secured his position as the chieftain.

Even if he doesn't reach the level of a Grandmaster of the Jiazi realm, Hu Shan can transform his true energy into pieces of red talisman armor, which is both offensive and defensive and extremely powerful. No one at the same level can penetrate his red armor.

The only weakness might be that the armor plates are incomplete. Without reaching the age of 60, Hu Shan has no way to condense a complete red talisman armor. At most, he can only cover 70% of his body.

But it was precisely this flaw that created Hu Shan's legend. There were even rumors that his early illness was caused by a grandmaster secretly intervening.

Because if Hu Shan were to accumulate his cultivation to the level of 60 years and create a complete red talisman armor, he would be considered the best in both offense and defense, even among Grandmasters of the same realm, and this claim is quite widespread.

It's no wonder that Li Qinglian and Tao Shan turned pale at the same time. They were already well-known veterans of the martial arts world before they became active, and they never expected that Chief Hu would personally take action.

"Wait...wasn't it said he was too old to suppress his illness? How come he looks even more energetic than the rumors suggested?!"

Hu Shan was very satisfied with the little guy's eyes. He hadn't felt so physically agile in a long time. Chinese medicine and the stove fire had been with him for almost ten years, and he finally got relief yesterday.

But he didn't just want liberation; he wanted to go further, even to the legendary state of complete freedom! Hu Shan's eyes swept over the crowd below, finally settling on Cuicui.

As a senior martial artist, his perception of energy was much more acute than that of ordinary martial artists. The unusual aura emanating from this girl deeply attracted his aged and weary body.

"A wealth of opportunities... Haha! Brother Hu Chuan has really introduced me to a great business opportunity!"

He laughed loudly and bent down, while pieces of red armor, like real metal, were stacked on his arm, swelling his right arm to several times its original size. As he bent down, he slammed heavily into Cui Cui's body!

Hu Shan had no need for this body filled with the scent of rouge. He only needed to smash her to pieces and then pick out the relic he needed from it. The rest were just dregs of rouge!