Chen Fan remained still, watching the receding army with growing astonishment.
Though only a thousand strong, they had projected the might of a million.
Above the army, a saber materialized.
It was a great saber formed from blood and qi, cleaving forward with an unstoppable momentum.
BOOM!
The two forces collided.
The colossal blood-and-qi saber, hundreds of feet in size, seemed bathed in a sea of thunder as it descended.
"Ah..."
"Who are these people? Don't kill me..."
"No, I was just here to watch..."
"Damn it, are you demons?"
"..."
Pleading, curses, and shouts of fear rose and fell in a cacophony.
Boiling flames obscured Chen Fan's sight.
A sky-shattering battle had erupted.
The distant roars sounded like war gods beating their drums.
Five minutes later, the rumbling slowly faded, and the burning flames and the blood-and-qi saber dispersed.
Chen Fan flew over.
On the battlefield lay thousands of corpses.
The Qin Family Army, at the cost of not a single life, had effortlessly slaughtered nearly five thousand men.
These ragged, beggar-like veterans stood amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, as austere as stone carvings.
Those who were wounded let their blood drip freely.
"Clap clap clap."
Chen Fan's hands seemed to move of their own accord, bursting into applause.
It was too shocking.
This was a truly battle-hardened army.
Compared to these veterans, the Crusades were utterly pathetic.
His applause was the greatest encouragement for the Qin Family Army.
"A thousand men forming an army, invincible."
This was Chen Fan's heartfelt sentiment, with no exaggeration.
"Enough,"
Hong Si finally spoke, "Those who are injured, heal yourselves. The rest of you, temporarily stabilize your internal injuries. We will have a good rest when the opportunity arises later."
"Yes."
...
The Qin Family Army rested for half an hour, and Chen Fan waited patiently.
Finally, the convoy set off, heading for Wenlan City.
Chen Fan found the guards sent by Lan Kuang.
The Lan Ting family guards were nearly scared out of their wits by the oppressive aura of Chongxiao when they saw the Qin Family Army.
"It's alright."
Chen Fan waved his hands repeatedly, "Go and get more carts, enough to transport a thousand people. We're returning to Wenlan City."
"Yes."
The guards dared not delay and immediately went to find vehicles.
They were now a mixture of fear and excitement.
Fear stemmed from the heavy, killing aura emanating from these people.
Excitement arose from glimpsing a glimmer of hope...
With such an army, Wenlan City would no longer have to rely solely on the City Lord to hold the line.
The capital for conquering the world had arrived.
...
Two days.
A convoy of vehicles returned to Wenlan City.
There was still no news from Old Demon, indicating that the Fire Demon had not yet been found.
Other factions had also failed to find him.
On the way back to the city, Chen Fan asked Hong Si if he knew the whereabouts of the Fire Demon.
"We don't know."
Hong Si explained, "We scattered after we came out, and besides, we couldn't keep up with the Fire Demon..."
"Then why do other factions keep trying to capture you, saying you know the Fire Demon's trail?" This information came from Lan Kuang.
"We don't know."
Hong Si spoke truthfully, "We genuinely don't know the Fire Demon's whereabouts. However, we have been in contact with the Fire Demon for hundreds of years. If we spread out, even if the Fire Demon is hidden, we can still find traces of him."
"Mm."
Chen Fan nodded, not immediately ordering them to disperse.
The Qin Family Army needed rest.
As for the four men who followed Old Demon, they would have to endure some hardship for now.
These thousand men needed a good rest.
...
The vehicles entered Wenlan City as if no one else was present.
The streets of Wenlan City were wide enough for six vehicles to travel side-by-side, but only five rows of vehicles were moving, with one row completely empty.
Until the convoy reached this empty lane, proceeding directly towards the Commissioner's residence.
Before the Oriental Manor, which covered nearly ten mu, the Qin Family Army disembarked.
Lan Kuang had already received word, and the manor was prepared with ample food and wine. Many servants stood by, ready to attend to the Qin Family Army.
"Disembark."
Hong Si's voice was loud and clear.
A thousand men quickly alighted and entered the manor.
The first thing that caught their eyes were over a thousand large wooden tubs, filled with a pale green water.
Lan Kuang stepped forward to explain, "Treasures have been added to the water; it is beneficial for the body."
Hong Si nodded, "Bath time."
"Yes."
How long had it been since these men had taken a bath?
Heh, no one remembered.
Although their energy could expel impurities, their bodies weren't dirty, yet they longed for the sensation of a hot bath.
No one felt awkward. They all stripped naked and jumped into the wooden tubs.
For a moment, the comfortable moans made the adjacent maids blush.
The Qin Family Army consisted only of men.
After bathing, they changed into clean clothes.
Next came the abundance of delicacies and wines spread across the manor.
Chen Fan smiled, "Eat to your heart's content. Eat as much as you want, just don't overstuff yourselves."
"Hahaha, Long live the City Lord."
"Haven't eaten in five hundred years, I'm starving..."
"It smells so good, I've decided, I won't leave the table until I'm stuffed..."
"..."
Cheers erupted.
Hong Si no longer intervened, letting his brothers revel.
Sitting at the dining tables, everyone ate with gusto, stuffing themselves.
The maids continuously served dishes as they weaved through the crowd.
At this moment, the Qin Family Army's eyes were only on the delicacies; they paid no attention to the beauties.
Of course, no one had any improper thoughts.
In the Qin Family Army, other matters were trivial, but anyone who dared to harass a woman would not be saved even by the King of Qin; this was an ironclad rule.
This meal lasted from morning until night.