CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: SHAURYA GIVES CHOICE TO BANDITS?

The scene opened on a massive, wild valley. Towering cliffs surrounded it, while monstrous beasts soared through the skies above. Their wings cast shadows over the dense forest below, where danger lurked in every crevice.

Amid this foreboding landscape, Shaurya and his disciples walked with bold confidence—undaunted, unshaken, and completely unafraid. Each one of them radiated strength and composure as they marched deeper into the Demonic Beast Valley.

Wang Tian surveyed the terrain with a smug smirk. "So this is the Demonic Beast Valley? Tch. Doesn’t look that dangerous."

Shaurya raised an eyebrow and replied calmly, "We’ve only just entered. It’s natural that the weaker beasts would be at the entrance. They probably sensed our aura and went into hiding."

Xiao Rui, walking with both hands behind his head, looked completely at ease. "So all that fear about this place was pointless, huh?"

Shaurya nodded. "You were afraid of this valley back then because you were weak. But things have changed."

Cracking his knuckles with a grin, Lee Bie added, "Yeah, we’re way too strong now. We’ll beat the hell out of those beasts."

Shaurya glanced at his disciples with a side-eye, noting the overwhelming confidence in their expressions. A radiant smile curved his lips.

Together, they continued forward, heading deeper into the valley with unshaken confidence.

---

Scene Shift:

A ragged group of men lounged in exhaustion. Their clothes were torn, their faces streaked with dirt, and their eyes half-lidded from fatigue. Among them, seated atop a boulder, was their leader—a hulking, gorilla-like man with a scar running across his left eye. A massive battle axe rested beside him.

A tattered red flag fluttered nearby, bearing a crude symbol:

Iron Mountain Bandits.

These were the very men Shaurya had come to find.

Suddenly, a sharp-featured man with spiky blue hair dashed in, panting. He bowed quickly before the leader.

"Master Jing Fan!"

Jing Fan slowly opened his eyes. "What is it?"

The man—Meow Mao—pointed behind him. "I... I saw a group. A big one. They’re headed this way—and from their appearance, they look rich."

Jing Fan stood, eyes narrowing. "Tell me exactly what you saw."

Meow Mao inhaled deeply, organizing his thoughts. "A large group. All young. Probably disciples from a sect. But their clothes... definitely not ordinary. Very expensive-looking. Among them, two stood out—a man and a woman. They looked different from others."

"Powerful?" Jing Fan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Meow Mao frowned, thinking. "I’m not sure about their strength... but their presence wasn’t normal. The woman—beautiful beyond words. Like a fairy descended from the heavens. And the man leading them? He outshines everyone. Even that so-called handsome guy from the Royal Capital would pale in comparison."

Jing Fan looked genuinely surprised. "Is that so?" He grinned. "So what if they look good? Doesn’t mean they’re strong."

A red-haired subordinate with spiked hair muttered, "Most of the time... it does."

A heavy silence fell.

Jing Fan coughed. "Ahem, don’t lose your morale. It doesn’t matter how good they look. They’re still kids to us. We’ll rob them blind. And after that, drinks are on me!"

The bandits’ eyes lit up. Flames of greed and determination surged within them.

"YEAH, WE WILL!"

---

Scene Shift:

Someone’s foot slammed into the ground with style and swagger—it was none other than Shaurya, wearing his iconic black sunglasses, smiling as always.

Infront of him, A towering, muscle-bound rabbit led a pack of smaller but equally bulky rabbit beasts, also some dogs with horns in their head orange colour, trembled from his overwhelming aura and instantly scattered.

Lin Shu, walking beside him, commented, "We’re almost in the deeper part of the valley, and still no powerful beast has shown up."

"Not even a warm-up," Luo Chen added with a lazy yawn.

Shaurya nodded thoughtfully. "This valley is huge. Who knows from where the danger might come?"

Just as he finished that sentence, the earth shook.

From below, a monstrous centipede erupted—a Poisonous Flame Centipede, enormous and horrifying.

Shaurya’s eyes widened. "That’s... unexpected."

Without hesitation, Wang Tian and Luo Chen drew their swords and charged.

Xiao Rui whistled. "You were right, Master. Beasts do show up unexpectedly."

Together, Wang Tian and Luo Chen rushed towards that Centipede.

The Centipede Screeched it’s poisonous flame-tipped mandibles thrashing.

The Centipede attacked with its flame. They both intercepted the strike with Crimson Barrier.

"Then executed a flawless pincer attack—Wang Tian from the right, Luo Chen from the left. With a synchronized X-slash, through its armour carapace they cut the monster cleanly."

The giant beast shrieked and collapsed to ground. Erupting dust. Shakes the ground slightly.

Returning to the group, Luo Chen complimented, "Your moves were sharp as always, bro."

"You’ve improved a lot too," Wang Tian replied with a grin. They bumped fists.

Muo Qian speaks while blushing. "Wang Tian you are looking hot as hell while fighting."

Su Quan who is also blushing. "Luo Chen you are amazing."

Shaurya chuckled. "See? Exactly what I said!"

Lin Shu looked at him. "You are just lucky that the beast comes just when you finished your sentence."

Shaurya coughed. "What do you mean, lucky?"

Lin Shu rolled her eyes. "It’s like... you don’t look that smart to predict it."

Shaurya frowned. "But I am Smart. My prediction is always right!"

But before anyone could reply, a large number of bandits suddenly surrounded them.

Everyone froze.

Xiao Rui muttered, "Master... you really predicted very accurately."

Lin Shu sighs. "Can’t you predict something good."

Shaurya in his own thoughts checked his tounge. " I am not black tounged. So I really predicted...? Hahahaha, i know i am damn smart "

The bandits laughed heartily. From behind them, Meow Mao stepped forward, smirking.

"Surrender, and we’ll let you live."

The disciples glanced at one another, puzzled but calm.

Then a towering figure stepped through the crowd.

Jing Fan, with his massive axe in hand.

He pointed it directly at Shaurya. "Judging by your appearance, you must be their leader. Hand over your belongings."

Suddenly, laughter burst from the sect members.

All bandits confused.

Wang Tian stepped forward. "If you’ve got guts, then try it."

Xiao Rui and Lee Bie joined him.

"Yeah!" Lee Bie cracked his neck. "Finally, a real battle!"

Jing Fan sighed. "I didn’t want to kill kids, but... you’re leaving me no choice."

Luo Chen steps forward with a cocky grin. "Oh! Like you can kill us."

"They all locked eyes in a silent clash of will."

Just then, Shaurya’s eyes flicked to the torn red banner.

His expression changed.

Iron Mountain Bandits.

His eyes widened slightly. He raised a hand.

"Stop," he said calmly.

His disciples blinked, startled.

Shaurya stepped forward. "No need to kill them."

He points his finger towards Jing Fan.

"You. I’ll give you two options."

The bandits tensed. Jing Fan’s brows furrowed.

Shaurya continued, voice firm and fearless.

"One: get killed by me. Two: join my sect."

Silence.

Jaws dropped. Even the bandits were stunned.

The system popped up, flustered:

"Host... so this was your scheming plan?"

Shaurya stuck his tongue out playfully and winked.

---

To be continued...