Eternal life begins with saving my clan

[Happy New Year Fam]

******

Standing in the distance was a small town with a throng of people entering it. At the town gate were five guards responsible for maintaining order and collecting the entrance fee.

Among the throng of people entering the town were five young individuals. Each of them carried their weapon, mostly swords. Their gaze was calm as they looked at the throng of people without any change in their expression.

This was Xuefeng town, one of the towns under the jurisdiction of Baiyun City. Xuefeng town was not anything spectacular. However, being the only town that connected the five neighboring towns, it became the hub for commerce.

Entering the town, the five young people looked at the bustling town for a couple of seconds before they took a particular direction and headed toward it.

Shortly, they arrived in front of the most famous restaurant in the town and entered. Quickly, a waitress walked toward them, flashing them a bright smile.

"Welcome esteemed guests, what would you like to order?" Her voice was sweet and calm.

"Serve us your best dishes," Zimo said casually as his eyes roamed the bustling first floor for an empty table.

Instantly, the waitress's eyes brightened, and her smile deepened. "Alright. I'll get it immediately."

Zimo led his team to a free table by the window. Taking their seats, the group didn't utter any words. Apart from Zimo, the four young people, though calm, had gazes flickering with nervousness.

This was their first mission after coming back from their travels. Apart from that, after their mini-tournament in the clan and joining Zimo for training.

It was then they realized what a monster Zimo was. His training left them in pain for days, and they wished to quit, but it was then they realized quitting was not even an option.

From dawn till night, they were under intense training. They trained mostly without using their Qi, going back to their primal being.

After each intensive training, they would have to spar with Zimo four to one. Though it was a spar, it was a complete beating.

Holding a long cane, Zimo would beat them blue-black until they couldn't stand, sprawling unconsciously on the ground.

Their misery was a known course in the clan, and many of the younger generation thanked their luck for not being selected. Gossip and rumors spread among them, labeling Zimo as sadistic.

Still, the elders didn't even bat an eye at them and continued as if nothing was going on in the clan. But as time passed, the four began to feel the change in their strength and battle awareness.

Their understanding of their technique was deeper, and two of them even had a breakthrough, thus making the four at the peak of the Qi Refinement realm.

Looking at their forceful calmness, Zimo chuckled and shook his head. In the distance, he saw three waiters coming their way.

The waiter stopped at their table, carrying a mouth-washing dish. In a couple of seconds, their table was filled with so many delicacies.

Everyone on the first floor turned their attention to them with eyes shining with jealousy. They knew how costly those dishes were, but none of them could afford it.

Still, they weren't foolish enough to cause a problem. They only looked at Zimo and his team for a couple of seconds before they returned their attention to their food and discussion.

Just as Zimo and the four were having their fill, they heard something that caught their attention.

"Do you hear the Blood Skull attack once again?"

A group of four men discussed in a loud voice. On their table were many empty jars of wine, and they ordered another round.

Those on the first floor didn't seem to care about their discussion. Everyone from the Xuefeng town knew of the Blood Skull bandit.

They were one of the notorious bandits in the region, infamous in the region, and many merchants had become their victims.

The neighboring towns had tried many strategies to wipe out the Blood Skull bandit, but every attempt failed miserably. After trying many times, the various town heads turned a blind eye to their atrocities.

What should they do?

Should they continue to send their men to die in the hope of catching the Blood Skull bandit? Besides, it was not only the Blood Skull bandit that was disturbing them.

There were still two other bandits that ran rampant in the region.

With the death toll reaching a thousand, the various town heads came to a conclusion. The Blood Skull and the two other bandits were vermin they could never eradicate.

However, since the various town heads stopped trying to eradicate the bandits' group, their actions became unruly and wild. Thousands of people died at their hands every week.

The three major paths in the region turned into a death zone. Many merchants that traversed the death road had to employ hundreds of mercenaries to guard their goods.

Still, their safety was not guaranteed.

With the rampant killing of the Blood Skull bandits, it became a topic of discussion for the people. At first, people were horrified by their insane liking, but as time passed.

They began to accustom to them since they were helpless against such terrifying bandits.

"How many people did they kill this time?" One of the men asked with a loud belch.

"Not much… Just seven hundred."

"Wow! That was the least they killed this month," another drunk man added.

Meanwhile, Zimo looked at the faces of the four sitting before him and grinned. "What are you still doing?" He dropped his chopsticks and added. "We got some exercise to do."

Quickly, the four dropped their chopsticks and got up. Zimo walked toward four drunk men and asked.

"Sir, can you tell me when this happened?"

"Get the fuck off!" One of the drunkards bellowed, waving his hand.

"Boy, do you need some beating." Another drunkard questioned, trying to get on his feet.

He stumbled on his feet with his mouth reeking of alcohol. He burped and took a battle stance with trembling legs.

Everyone on the first floor looked at the unfolding scene with a fascinating expression on their faces as they waited to see how Zimo and his group were going to escape from the four famous drunkards.

However, just as everyone was wondering how Zimo and his men were going to handle the situation, a gust of wind swept through the floor before a resounding sound echoed outside the restaurant.

What just happened?!

Two of the drunkards had disappeared from their spot. It was when their miserable scream came from outside they realized what just happened.

Huh!

Everyone sucked in a cold breath, and a pensive apprehension appeared on their faces. The chatter on the first floor disappeared immediately.

The waiters stopped in their tracks with shock and fear on their faces. Everyone realized the five youngsters were not as simple as they thought.

Even though none of them could see through their cultivation, they knew they were not weak. As for the two drunkards, they sobered up instantly.

"W-What do you ask?" One of them asked with a trembling voice.

"Tell us about the attack of the Blood Skull Bandits," Zimo questioned and folded his arm on his chest.

Quickly, the man turned into a chatterbox, talking without stopping. It was when Zimo had enough that he stopped him.

He looked at the waitress and gave her one spirit stone. Looking at the shiny spirit stone in her hand, she opened her mouth wide, not knowing how to react.

She had heard of the famous stone used for cultivation, but this was the first time she saw it and held it. Besides, it was not only her that was stupefied.

Zimo didn't care about their reaction since he had long led his group out of the restaurant. Shortly, they arrived outside the town.

"How long do you think will take us to reach the Purple Mist Mountain?" Zimo asked no one in particular.

"With our top speed, four hours," Cao Liu responded respectfully.

In the tournament, she was the second person that won ten straight matches.

Zimo didn't look at her and responded casually. "Two hours."

Whoosh!

With that, he disappeared from his spot, leaving the four in a daze. What did he mean by two hours?

They stared at each other not believing what they just heard.

How is that even possible?!

They wanted to complain and voice their dissatisfaction, but when they remembered Zimo had long gone, their expressions turned solemn.

Whoosh!

The thin young man among the four used his movement skill to the limit and chased after Zimo. Quickly, the others realized what was going on and followed after him.

One hour later, Zimo appeared on the Purple Mist mountain with a calm expression on his face. He looked at the endless mountain range with a fascinating expression.

He stood with both hands behind his back as if he came for sightseeing. After another hour, a gust of wind flashed behind his back, and a thin young man appeared.

He fell to the ground, gasping for air. Shortly, others arrived, sweating like bullets.

For a good ten minutes, they were trying to catch their breath. They pushed themselves to the limit, expending every bit of Qi in their bodies.

Zimo turned to them and said calmly. "You are late by a couple of minutes, but I will ignore it."

When they heard this, the four breathed a sigh of relief. That was their best; anything more, and they would probably die of exhaustion.

After thirty minutes of resting, Zimo led them deep into the Purple Mist mountain.

Unbeknownst to them, a man hidden in the shadows observed their movements before disappearing.