But that was the window of opportunity the other bandits had been waiting for, as they disregarded the safety of the bald guy and swung their sword and saber at the vital parts of Shen Yuan's body.
Both aimed for his heart and neck. Shen Yuan swung his sword back to deflect the enemy's sword and slammed his palm into the saber's side with the help of Wind Breaker Palm to push it away. He jumped back as he regained his balance.
The bald man spoke through gritted teeth, "Attack this little brat. He is just some sheltered clan bastard."
Shen Yuan felt his anger rising, but it was not directed at the bandits or even at Li Yu, who had betrayed him.
It was directed at himself, at his weakness—that he couldn't even finish off his opponent, even with the opportunity presented in front of him.
His eyes darkened as he looked at Baldy. He gripped his sword tightly and decided to fight again. He decided to go for the swordsman on the other side since it would be easier to deal with his swordsmanship. After all, Shen Yuan was better at wielding swords than mere criminals.
He swung his sword at the blind spot of the swordsman, but the other saber user interfered and blocked the strike. "Tsk!" Shen Yuan pulled his sword back and punched the saber wielder in the gut by using Mountain Smashing Fist.
"Gah!" The saber wielder broke out in cold sweat as he took six steps back and felt pain in his guts. But the other guys didn't stop to ask about his well-being and instead went to attack Shen Yuan.
The scar-faced Baldy swung his saber with full strength, but this time, Shen Yuan used his palm to rotate the trajectory of the blade as it swung to the right, completely missing him.
He slashed again, and this time, the bald man's left shoulder was struck.
But Shen Yuan still couldn't deliver the decisive blow. Just then, Han Ming's voice sounded from a distance, "Aughh." His left hand was cleanly sliced off by Li Yu, while he clutched it as it bled heavily.
Shen Yuan didn't expect Han Ming to get injured so soon, but it made sense, as Han Ming was already exhausted from surviving the arrows and had been injured by them.
Shen Yuan sprinted towards him, while the other saber wielder tried to stop him. Shen Yuan utilized Flowing Water slash with his sword without even looking and sent the saber wielder reeling back three steps.
Shen Yuan reached Han Ming's position and saw that Li Yu was cautiously watching him. After all, he had survived against a whole group of cultivators alone for so long and there were even formation users in that bunch.
Shen Yuan didn't bother to look at her further. Instead, he looked at Han Ming and asked, "How are you now? Can you still fight?"
Han Ming nodded resolutely while still sweating due to pain, "Don't worry, Brother Yuan, this little injury can't stop me."
Shen Yuan nodded back. "Good, we will leave this place alive."
'I should have asked for a way to contact Mom or my sisters,' he thought to himself regretfully.
But since he couldn't do anything about it, he didn't dwell on it and turned to face Li Yu. Just as he turned around, an arrow flew from a corner of the spacious area.
Shen Yuan didn't notice it at first, and when he did, it was already too late.
"BROTHER YUAN!!" Han Ming screamed as he jumped in front of the arrow to stop it. The arrow penetrated deep into Han Ming's body, rupturing his organs from the impact.
Shen Yuan's eyes widened in shock as he hurriedly went forward to catch Han Ming's body.
Han Ming collapsed into Shen Yuan's arms, blood running down his body as the arrow nearly penetrated through to the other side. He wasn't able to live for even a second, as his heart had been ruptured by the shock.
Shen Yuan sat there in shock, looking down at Han Ming. Just then, footsteps sounded as a lean, middle-aged man with a bow and arrows approached. "Tsk, you are quite the lucky fellow, aren't ya? You survived my arrow even when you weren't paying attention." The middle-aged man's voice was filled with contempt as he looked at Shen Yuan.
"You did good work bringing these two here, little Li Yu. These two look like they came from wealthy sects." He then looked at Li Yu with approval as he finished speaking.
She nodded and smiled lightly. "Thanks for your praise, Father." She kept her sentence short and didn't speak further, coldly looking toward Shen Yuan while ignoring the now-dead Han Ming.
Shen Yuan stood frozen on the spot, staring blankly at Han Ming's lifeless body. A tremor started deep within his existence, a sharp pain shot through his chest as he felt his vision blur for a second.
The air around him grew heavy and oppressive. The ground beneath his feet ruptured due to the sheer wild and untamed power released from his body. The criminals knees trembled in his presence, making them break out in cold sweat. Their eyes widened in terror as they felt their knees bending due to the sheer oppressive might of Shen Yuan
The seal he had placed on himself came undone due to his unstable emotions.
The high-level swordsman's eyes filled with terror as he spoke, "This pressure is comparable to Leader Li's, right? Even though he is in the middle level of the Inner Sea realm, this brat can match his pressure."
The others gulped audibly as they stepped back and gathered together with Leader Li, who had a solemn expression on his face. But to not show weakness, he spoke, "No need to worry about him, he doesn't have any killing aura. He is a greenhorn who has never killed anyone before."
He reassured himself and his underlings. He was feeling the pressure; he knew the upcoming fight wouldn't be easy. 'Li Yu, oh Li Yu, where did you find this little monster?'
He didn't say anything outwardly as they all silently watched Shen Yuan rise. His face clouded with darkness as he felt only rage—not toward anyone else, but toward himself, for his foolish decision to place that seal on himself.
He gripped his sword tightly as he swore to himself as his gaze became cold and resolute, "I won't ever hesitate. No matter who stands against me, they will die, no matter the cost. I won't lose another person close to me."
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines as they saw the abyssal look in his eyes. Shen Yuan felt his bloodline resonating within him, making his blood boil.
He finally found something with which his bloodline resonated: Hunger, a boundless hunger to devour everything and stand above all. To surpass everything so far that no other being could stand tall in front of him.