Zu An's expression changed slightly. Almost every one of these men in black had a fourth-grade cultivation level. What does fourth-grade mean? They could be the top leader of a small county.

In other words, each of these men in black is roughly as strong as him, or even stronger, on paper, considering he has just broken through to the fourth rank.

Sang Qian brought only his trusted men this time, not the incompetent bastards from the river defense battalion; otherwise, they would probably have been wiped out in the very first encounter.

Even so, they were still no match for the high level of skill and ruthlessness of these men in black.

Seeing his men fall one after another, Sang Qian roared in fury: "You traitor, prepare to die!"

As he drew his longsword, flames erupted from its blade, transforming it into a flaming greatsword nearly forty meters long, which he then swept across the surrounding men in black.

The men in black were terrified and hurriedly tried to dodge. Some of them were unable to dodge in time and were cleaved in two by his flaming longsword. The flames continued to burn, rising up from their blades. The men in black, with only half their bodies remaining, were still somewhat conscious and screamed in agony as they were burned, as if they were in hell on earth.

Zu An stared in disbelief. It really was a 40-meter-long sword! If he knew how he had dealt with Zheng Dan, he would probably use that 40-meter-long sword to cut me. I don't know if I'll be able to escape in time.

However, on the other hand, he and Zheng Dan are really not a good match. Zheng Dan is of the water element, while he is a fire elementalist. The two are destined to be incompatible.

Qin Wanru, who was standing next to her, also spoke up: "Although these men in black are quite skilled, Sang Qian is clearly far superior to them. The difference between the fourth and fifth ranks cannot be bridged by this numerical advantage. Moreover, Sang Qian is also an outstanding figure among the fifth ranks."

"Don't worry, the man in black is definitely more than that." Zu An said decisively, thinking of Qiu Honglei's mysterious nature.

As soon as he finished speaking, a lantern suddenly rose in the distance. The lantern was small and emitted a faint, bright yellow light.

But as soon as he appeared, he exuded an immense pressure.

Sang Qian suddenly felt as if he were in a swamp, and the air around him seemed to have become viscous. A movement that was usually very easy now required several times more effort.

His previously incredibly swift and powerful fiery blade strikes slowed down, becoming almost like slow motion.

As a duchess, Qin Wanru immediately realized: "This lantern must be a magic weapon with the effect of immobilizing people. I wonder who possesses such a magical weapon."

Zu An hurriedly asked, "Immobilize? Wouldn't that make you invincible? You could just use this magic weapon to immobilize the enemy and then finish them off with a single strike."

Qin Wanru shook her head: "It's not that easy. It depends on the difference in cultivation levels between the two sides. People with lower cultivation levels, like you, will probably not be able to move a single finger when they are covered by this light."

Zuan looked annoyed. "Just get to the point. Why are you deliberately putting me down?"

"As for those with higher cultivation levels, their movements will only be slowed down to a certain extent," Qin Wanru added. "Of course, for those with even higher cultivation levels, this lantern is mostly useless."

Zuan asked curiously, "What if it were like you?"

Qin Wanru blushed: "..."

Can't this guy even have a proper conversation?

"It should have an impact on me," Qin Wanru snorted.

Qin Wanru's anger level increased by 233!

Zuan curled his lip, "Are all women this petty?"

However, his gaze quickly fell on the lantern. Why did it look so familiar?

At this moment, another man in black jumped out from the side and punched the slowing flames of the greatsword.

The bluestone slabs on the street shattered, and countless clods of earth surged out, forming a giant fist of earth that slammed directly into the flaming greatsword. Sparks flew everywhere, and the flaming greatsword was blasted apart.

"Earth-type cultivator, rank five." Qin Wanru was somewhat surprised.

"Is this person even stronger than Sang Qian?" Zu An asked.

Qin Wanru shook her head: "That's not the case. It's mainly because Sang Qian's movements were slowed down by the lantern, and he focused most of his energy on fighting it."

Zuan's gaze was drawn to another figure. A beautiful woman slowly emerged from the shadows of the street. Although she was shrouded in black, she could not hide her graceful figure.

"These breasts look kind of familiar," Zu An muttered to himself, though he wasn't entirely sure. If it were Pei Mianman's breasts, he could tell on the spot, but this one was a different story.

Sang Qian could tell that neither of the two people who came out were easy to deal with, especially the woman with the lantern, who gave off a particularly intimidating aura. His expression changed, and he hurriedly told his men, "Quickly take the salt permit away!"

Zuan couldn't help but sigh, "This Sang Qian isn't a coward after all; he didn't abandon his men to cover his retreat."

Qin Wanru snorted: "Anyone who can cultivate to this level at such a young age is a prodigy."

Seeing the soldiers pushing the salt carts out, the earth-elemental cultivator shouted and pounced on them: "It's not that easy!"

He pressed his hand on the ground, and the ground rose up like waves, rushing towards the group of people led by Yan Yin.

Sang Qian leaped forward, blocking the undulating waves, and slashed down with his sword. With a loud boom, dirt flew everywhere, and the undulating ground calmed down once more.

Without hesitation, he charged straight at the earth-elemental cultivator, and the two quickly engaged in battle.

At this moment, another group of men in black hurriedly chased after the salt cart.

Sang Qian couldn't care less about them and could only tell his men to fend for themselves.

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