Chapter 19: An Unexpected Encounter, A Half-Step Innate Martial Artist

Upon entering the chaotic caravan, Li Dao did not forget his mission while harvesting attributes.

He reached a wagon and killed the guards protecting it with a single strike of his blade.

【Enemy killed. Attributes gained: 0.21】
【Enemy killed. Attributes gained: 0.20】
【Enemy killed. Attributes gained: 0.23】

Ignoring the system prompts, he lifted the trunk at the back of the wagon. Inside, he found a neat stack of arrows that emitted a faint, woody scent—they had clearly been crafted only recently.

"Over here." Seeing Captain Liu leading his men, Li Dao raised his hand to signal him.

Hearing the call, Captain Liu and his men quickly moved over and caught sight of the fresh arrows.

"You have your men destroy the arrows; I will provide cover," Li Dao said bluntly.

"Understood." Captain Liu nodded and immediately ordered his men to prepare.

When the men of the Tamu Tribe saw that someone was attempting to sabotage the arrows, a group of them rushed over to stop the effort. Seeing this, Li Dao showed no mercy and decisively engaged them with his blade. Within a few breaths, the reinforcements were scattered, their lives transformed into attributes on his interface.

Just then, a figure charged out from the ranks of the Tamu Tribe. The man was burly, bare-chested, and wielded dual battle-axes. He fought his way through, and none of the Great Qian soldiers could withstand him. Seemingly identifying Li Dao as the most formidable among the Great Qian troops, he leveled his axes at him and shouted, "Thief, cease your arrogance!"

No sooner had he spoken than he swung his dual axes toward Li Dao’s face.

"Nine-Five-Two-Seven, watch out!" Captain Liu cried out upon seeing this. The newcomer looked incredibly ferocious; he feared he wouldn't be able to withstand even one blow from such an opponent.

Li Dao had originally thought it unlikely that such a large caravan would be protected by only one Innate realm martial artist, suspecting that there were likely several Post-natal realm experts embedded in the ranks. It seemed one had just revealed himself.

Watching the incoming axes, Li Dao felt no fear. He raised his blade to meet the attack. The brawny man, seeing this youth attempt to block his dual axes with only one hand, felt belittled, yet he also sneered in disdain. If he wanted to be arrogant, he would let the boy feel the true weight of his terrifying strength.

"Go to hell!" The axes descended with the force of a mountain, slamming into the black iron saber in Li Dao’s hand.

*Bang!*

The blade and the axes collided. However, a shocking scene unfolded: Li Dao, using only one hand and one blade, successfully blocked the two-meter-tall giant.

Captain Liu was stunned. He remembered that not long ago, Li Dao could only barely manage against a Post-natal Fifth-grade North Barbarian leader. How much time had passed since then? To think he could now easily handle a Post-natal expert no weaker than that leader with one hand—could his progress really be this rapid? What’s more, he could tell that Li Dao hadn't even used his internal energy, relying entirely on raw physical strength.

*Impossible!*

The burly man stared in disbelief as his axes were held back by a youth a head shorter than him.

Li Dao smiled faintly at the giant. "Your accuracy is fine, but your strength is lacking."

"You..." Before the giant could finish, he felt a massive surge of power coming from the axes. Li Dao gave a flick of his wrist, and the giant, losing his grip, saw his dual axes sent flying into the air.

"Nameless Strike!" Li Dao’s black iron saber thrust upward, instantly piercing the giant’s throat.

【Enemy killed. Attributes gained: 1.08】

The next second, the giant collapsed to the ground.

***

After regaining his composure, Captain Liu couldn't help but give Li Dao a thumbs-up. Li Dao nodded and turned his focus to the remaining enemies.

Meanwhile, as the main forces clashed, Wei Yun was engaged in a duel with the Innate realm martial artist of the Tamu Tribe not far away. Truly, an Innate expert was deserving of the name. Where the two fought, internal energy surged, keeping others from drawing near.

"People of the Great Qian Dynasty, how dare you ambush a transport of the Tamu Tribe! Are you not afraid of the war that will ignite between us North Barbarians and your Great Qian?" the Tamu Innate expert bellowed in a rage as he saw the hundred thousand arrows being destroyed.

"War?" Wei Yun gave a cold laugh. "Don't tell me you don't know what this batch of arrows is intended for. Furthermore, this so-called war between the North Barbarians and Great Qian is a lie; it is a war between Great Qian and your Tamu Tribe. Not all North Barbarian tribes are willing to oppose the Great Qian."

"You..." The man was struck dumb, and he could only vent his fury on Wei Yun, his attacks becoming faster and more ferocious. However, Wei Yun was no pushover. Since the mission was only to destroy the arrows and not to slaughter these men, he had no need to fight to the death; he only needed to stall this Innate expert. He fought and retreated, leaving the Tamu expert feeling stifled and humiliated.

"Argh!" The Tamu Innate expert, in a fit of rage, suddenly stopped his attack and turned to the ranks of the Fiery Fire Tribe. "People of the Fiery Fire Tribe, are you just going to watch? Remember what your tribal king said—if these arrows are lost, your tribe will bear part of the responsibility!"

Hearing this, Wei Yun’s expression shifted; he sensed that the situation was taking a turn for the worse. Then, a man stepped out from the Fiery Fire Tribe. When Wei Yun saw him, he frowned. "An Innate expert?" But he quickly shook his head; the man's Innate aura was completely unstable.

*Could this be... a half-step Innate martial artist?*

A "half-step Innate" was a term for those whose cultivation became unstable while breaking through from the Post-natal First-grade. If they continued, they would likely fail, and failing would make any future breakthrough nearly impossible. Thus, some used methods to pause the process, accumulating more power to wait for another chance. These individuals were stronger than a Post-natal First-grade expert and possessed some of the power of an Innate warrior, making them a force to be reckoned with.

"Tashan, I never thought I’d see the day you’d beg for help," the half-step Innate expert said with a faint smile toward the Tamu Innate expert.

Tashan’s eyes burned with anger. "Lie Xin, are you going to help or not?"

"I will, of course," Lie Xin replied with a smirk. "But the price the Tamu Tribe promised our Fiery Fire Tribe must be doubled."

"Doubled?" Tashan’s expression turned ugly. "Why don't you just rob us!"

"Robbery? Is it as fast as extortion?"

"..." Seeing his tribe falling into a disadvantage, Tashan had no choice but to agree. "I accept. Get to it!"

"Rest assured." Lie Xin turned to his men. "Sons of the Fiery Fire Tribe, show these Tamu people what a true warrior looks like!"

"Ho!" The men of the Fiery Fire Tribe roared and charged to support the Tamu Tribe.

"What about you, Lie Xin?" Tashan asked.

Lie Xin glanced at Wei Yun. "I’m only a half-step Innate; I can't take on a true Innate expert. You keep him busy, and I'll deal with these Great Qian rats first." He turned and headed toward the Great Qian forces, ignoring Tashan's sour look.

The Great Qian soldiers immediately moved to intercept him. Lie Xin sneered, swinging his long staff casually. Several Great Qian soldiers were sent flying, their bodies scorched black where the staff made contact, wailing in agony.

Wei Yun’s expression darkened. He wouldn't have been worried if it were just ordinary Fiery Fire tribesmen, but the presence of a half-step Innate expert was a crushing blow. Most importantly, such a leader could boost the enemy's morale while shattering his own soldiers', turning the battlefield against them.

"Hahaha, getting a taste of what I felt earlier, are you?" Tashan laughed coldly. "Don't worry, I won't let you pass unless you kill me."

*Kill Tashan?* Wei Yun didn't even consider it. Unless there was a massive disparity in skill, duels between equals rarely ended quickly.

*Retreat?* The thought crossed his mind. If he retreated now, he would fail the mission, but he could at least save some of his men. If he stayed, all of them might die here—perhaps even he himself, if Tashan and the half-step Innate expert teamed up.

However, just as he hesitated, a massive commotion broke out in the nearby Great Qian ranks. Wei Yun and Tashan looked over instinctively and saw that Lie Xin had encountered a rival.

"Big lug, die!" Lie Xin swung his staff at the small giant facing him.

The small giant was none other than Xu Hu.

"Kill!" Xu Hu roared, his hands shaped like tiger claws as he swiped at the incoming staff. The collision of claws and staff created a thunderous sound. The staff was deflected by Xu Hu’s immense strength, but Xu Hu didn't fare well; the staff was scorching hot, as if wrapped in flames, leaving severe burns on his palms.

Lie Xin felt the power behind the blow and looked surprised. "Innate supernatural strength?" But he soon sneered. *So what if he has natural strength? Without reaching the Innate realm, it’s useless.* He gripped his staff and moved to finish Xu Hu.

At that moment, a nimble figure blocked his path and threw something at him. "Eat this, you old fool!"

*A hidden weapon?* Lie Xin scoffed and flicked his staff, striking the object. The next second, it shattered, and a cloud of smoke billowed out. Nearby Fiery Fire tribesmen who inhaled the smoke suddenly had their eyes turn bloodshot, and they began hacking at everything around them in a mindless frenzy.

*Poison!* Lie Xin immediately held his breath. When he looked up, he saw the big man being led away toward the distance.

"Trying to run?" Lie Xin gave chase. *Daring to toy with me? No one leaves here alive today.*

"Don't look away; your chance is gone," Tashan said, launching an attack on Wei Yun.

Originally, Wei Yun had been planning to retreat and abandon the mission, but seeing Xu Hu had inexplicably brought a certain person to mind. He felt that perhaps that person could lend a hand. It sounded absurd, but he felt an inexplicable urge to hold on just a little longer.

Watching Tashan charge toward him, Wei Yun took a deep breath. He would wait a while longer. Perhaps a miracle would happen.