"What?" Sun Jingjing looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you going to do now?"

Su Yang turned to look at the bandit that was trembling on the ground and spoke with a cold expression on his handsome face: "Bandit hunting."

"..."

Sun Jingjing was speechless. "Why are you going this far? The Junior Disciples are safe and our recuse mission is a great success — there's no need for you to do all of that. We should return to the Profound Blossom Sect as soon as possible right now!"

Su Yang shook his head and spoke, "Indeed, such actions may not be necessary. However, after watching these guys for some time, they have convinced me that the world would be better off without them."

He then turned to look at the bandit and continued, "You can either lead me to your hideout and I spare your life, or I can kill you right now and find it myself — not that it'll make that much of a difference."

"I-I will guide you!"

The bandit did not hesitate to betray his fellow bandits to save his own life.

"There you have it. I will be leaving first," said Su Yang as he followed the bandit.

"W-Wait! Can I come—"

Before Sun Jingjing could even finish speaking, Su Yang stopped her and said, "You should stay here and explain to them the situation at the Profound Blossom Sect. I should return by the time you are done."

Although she still wanted to follow him, Sun Jingjing remained with the Junior Disciples.

After Su Yang was gone from their sight, Sun Jingjing explained everything to them.

From the Million Snakes Sect's invasion to the current state of the Profound Blossom Sect, Sun Jingjing told them.

"No… No way… so the bandits had spoken the truth, after all?"

The sect elders trembled upon learning the truth. If Su Yang did not arrive to save them, then the bandits would've turned them into products and slaves, and nobody would've come to save them.

"W-Who is that handsome young man just now? How come I do not recognize someone as powerful as him?"

One of the sect elders asked.

"That's…"

"That's senior apprentice-brother Su! He has helped me once before, and he is also a very kind person!"

Before Sun Jingjing could even answer, one of the Junior Disciples stepped forward and said.

Sun Jingjing looked at the little girl before her.

Qi Yue, that was this little girl's name, and she was one of Su Yang's earliest customers.

"It appears that you know about him more than me." Sun Jingjing said with a smile.

"I… I wouldn't say that…" Qi Yue blushed for some reason.

"Umm… what should we do now?"

One of the sect elders asked.

"If you want, you can start returning to the Profound Blossom Sect. I will be waiting here for Su Yang to return," said Sun Jingjing.

"I… I will also wait for senior apprentice-brother Su! I still have to thank him for saving us!"

Qi Yue said.

The sect elders exchanged glances before nodding at each other.

"We will also wait for his return."

"Then it's settled."

-

-

-

Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountain ranges, Su Yang casually followed the bandit to his hideout.

After navigating around countless trees and hundreds of booby traps created by the bandits to prevent intruders, they finally arrived at this seemingly ordinary cave.

"We are here, sir."

The bandit said as he stopped walking.

"A concealment formation, huh?"

Although weak and sloppy, Su Yang can sense a concealment formation around this place.

"Sir… I have betrayed my own comrades by showing you the way to our hideout… Please have mercy…"

The bandit kowtowed on the ground and begged him while crying his eyes out.

However, Su Yang did not even glance at the bandit before swinging the sword in his grasp, killing the bandit instantly by decapitation.

After killing the bandit, Su Yang calmly walked towards the cave entrance, acting as if everything was normal.

Inside the bandits' hideout was dim and damp, and it strongly reeks of blood and alcohol.

Su Yang walked for a few minutes in this long tunnel before reaching a door.

"Who the hell are you?"

There was a guard at the entrance, and he immediately raised his weapons upon seeing Su Yang's unfamiliar figure.

Seeing this bandit guard, Su Yang did not stop walking and continued approaching the entrance.

"I asked you a question! Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?! Do you have any idea where—"

Once Su Yang reached a certain distance from the bandit, he flicked his arm, causing the sword in his grasp to disappear for an instant before reappearing.

In that instant, the bandit guarding the door was killed, and his blood dyed the metal entrance door.

With another arm flick, Su Yang sliced the metal door into many pieces, before he casually walked into the real bandits' hideout.

Su Yang's loud and forceful entry immediately alerted the bandits inside.

"There's been an intrusion! Everybody stop what you are doing and kill the intruder!"

Hundreds of bandits quickly swarmed Su Yang's location.

Upon seeing the bandits, Su Yang smiled, as he was hoping for such a situation.

"A bunch of savages that know no elegance..."

Su Yang raised his sword and pointed it at the bandits.

"Even if trashes like you suddenly disappear forever, nobody in this world would care… In fact, I am willing to bet that people would celebrate instead!"

"Whose brat is this? Did he hit his head or something?"

"To think there would be a day where we, the Red Mountain Bandits, would be invaded by a mere child… a single person, no less... Hahahahah… this is too funny..."

The bandits no longer felt a sense of urgency and began laughing wildly once they realized that it was only a single child that had invaded them.

"Laugh all you want now because the next few moments will be your last."

The bandits immediately stopped laughing and glared at Su Yang with narrowed eyes, their aura filled with bloodlust.

"Don't kill him. I want him captured alive," said one bandit.

"Are we going to torture him?"

"Obviously."

"We should start with his face," said another bandit.

Hearing these bandits spend their last few moments discussing a future that will never exist, Su Yang merely shook his head.

A few seconds later, without any warnings, Su Yang activated Nine Astral Steps, declaring the start of a bloodbath.