C15 Establishing His Position

"Ah Hao, I..."

"Don't say anymore. Just do your duty!"

Jiang Hao's face was ashen as he declared, "Everyone, hold on. I will definitely find a way to resolve the crisis we're facing."

Morale, which had been flagging, surged with Jiang Hao's encouragement.

While speaking, Jiang Hao employed the Wandering Poet's basic skill to boost morale.

The skill, at its maximum level, lifted the spirits from rock bottom to an all-time high.

The group was not only invigorated with fighting spirit but also capable of delivering critical hits.

Jiang Lulu charged to the forefront, blasting several desert bandits away with a single shot.

Axes and machetes flew from all directions.

Jiang Lulu somersaulted through the air, her jumping skill executed flawlessly.

Regrettably, she couldn't evade the relentless onslaught.

The Holy Shield was deployed to fend off the bandit leader's blade wave, making it difficult for Jiang Hao to bolster Jiang Lulu's defenses.

"Get back here!"

At that critical moment, Jiang Hao witnessed a discordant scene unfold before him.

Several desert bandits, unnoticed until now, had broken through and were swiftly dispatched by Jiang Hao's move.

As the desert bandits perished, their bodies vanished, leaving behind a trove of rare resources.

The front-line melee fighters began to scramble for these spoils.

Upon hearing Jiang Hao's stern command, they reluctantly ceased their scramble.

Jiang Hao enunciated each word with gravity, "Listen well, everyone. Our priority is to stay alive. Anyone who disrupts our formation will have to answer to me."

Jiang Hao could command them to keep formation with his authority.

But the sight of abundant resources scattered about stirred up inherent greed.

A lapse in Jiang Hao's vigilance could cause the formation to crumble, presenting the desert bandits with an opening.

"We can't keep on defending like this. If we do, we'll be encircled before long."

Jiang Hao brandished his black magic staff, and a pall of deathly clouds loomed over the desert bandits.

A torrential downpour ensued, driving the lower-level bandits into a frenzy as they turned their sabers on each other.

Amidst the ensuing chaos, Jiang Hao tapped into his Assassin skills, quickening his pace.

Swift as a swallow, he arrived amidst the desert bandits' ranks.

"Brother, what are you planning to do?"

Jiang Lulu called out loudly.

Without looking back, Jiang Hao instructed, "Stay put and engage them using the formation I've outlined."

"I'll go and disrupt their formation!"

Jiang Hao commenced a ferocious assault.

His Assassin skill targeted individuals, but by rapidly switching between skills, Jiang Hao quickly inflicted heavy casualties upon the desert bandits.

Upon Jiang Hao's entry into their midst, the bandit leader swung his massive curved blade in a routine fashion.

The blade wave, carrying the scent of death, closed in on Jiang Hao.

Jiang Hao charged forward with two goals: to scatter their ranks and to lure out the blade wave, which was harmful to both allies and enemies.

As the blade waves skimmed the ground, the desert bandits caught in their path were slain.

Wave after wave left Jiang Hao unscathed, while the surrounding bandits suffered greatly.

The bandit leader alone was responsible for the demise of over a hundred of his own men.

"Flame Strike!"

Seizing the moment, Jiang Hao unleashed a burst of fire.

The seemingly insignificant fireball looked harmless against the bandit leader, yet the power it held was comparable to a mage's ultimate ability.

A dragon of fire descended from the heavens.

The fireball exploded against the bandit leader's chest with a resounding boom, leaving a large, blackened burn mark and a charred scent in the air. His health bar dropped by a tenth.

Having landed a successful blow, Jiang Hao didn't allow the desert bandits any opportunity for retaliation.

Agile as a swallow, he darted around, his large frame becoming the bandit leader's bane.

Jiang Hao was too elusive to be caught in close combat.

With no other option, the bandit leader swung his scimitar wildly.

More reinforcements dropped from the sky, but before they could even strike, they were unwittingly dispatched to the heavens by their leader's indiscriminate slashes.

Hundreds of bandits met their end without a place to rest, and from the Blue Star members erupted a roar of cheers like thunder.

Zhou Yi, having just returned from completing his mission, was visibly taken aback.

He hadn't anticipated Jiang Hao's formidable strength.

He had assumed Jiang Hao's success was due to his self-made weapons and several secret skills.

But now, it was clear that Jiang Hao's capabilities were far beyond their expectations.

"Kill!"

With a fierce cry, Jiang Hao leaped onto the shoulders of the bandit leader.

As if transformed into a swordsman, he executed a swift sword strike at the leader's neck.

A moment later, a small cut appeared on the back of the neck, from which blood began to gush, the wound widening with each passing second.

Jiang Hao landed gracefully, flexing his body before commanding, "Fall."

The bandit leader's body then thunderously collapsed, flattening several desert bandits beneath him.

Silence enveloped the scene.

The desert bandits, now leaderless, scattered like flies without a head, fleeing in panic.

Meanwhile, the Blue Star team members stood agape, their looks of shock tinged with profound admiration.

This battle had solidified Jiang Hao's leadership and confirmed him as the most formidable among them.

"Zhou Yi, do you still dare to oppose my brother?" Jiang Lulu approached Zhou Yi with a stride that brooked no familial loyalty and snapped her fingers.

Coming to his senses, Zhou Yi's face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"I... I never intended to oppose him."

"Nice words. If you didn't want to oppose my brother, why did you repeatedly mock him?" Jiang Lulu pressed. "And when my brother gave you an order, why did you hesitate to act?"

Zhou Yi faltered, at a loss for words.

His pride had evaporated in an instant, especially facing an adversary like Jiang Hao, whom he knew he could not defeat.

Lu Zhiyao was also struggling with her emotions.

Each time Jiang Hao revealed his astonishing talents, her regret deepened.

If only she had been more patient and observant, she might have been the one by Jiang Hao's side, not Jiang Lulu.

"It will be me, Lu Zhiyao, who stands beside you, Jiang Hao. I will make you see that," she vowed silently to herself.

A short while later, the bodies of the bandit leader and his cohorts began to fade away.

Jiang Hao turned and announced, "Gather around, everyone. It's time to claim our spoils of war."

"Long live Jiang Hao! Long live Jiang Hao!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, each person rushing to be the first to grab the various supplies left behind by the desert bandits.

Their backpacks were soon brimming with goods.

They not only replenished their lost items but also gained an abundance of resources.

While the others continued to gather the spoils, Jiang Hao made his way back to Desert Town and revived the unconscious one-horned creature.

Upon learning that Jiang Hao had slain the bandit leader, the expressions of the mayor and the townspeople were beyond ecstatic.