Qianye remained immobile, but his energy flickered in and out of existence like a crashing tsunami, forming a tornado of origin power that deflected the bullets coming for him. Some of the more powerful origin bullets pierced through the maelstrom but ultimately bounced off Qianye’s combat armor.
How could those guards and mercenaries afford a high-grade origin gun? The grade two firearms they were wielding couldn’t threaten Qianye at all.
Roaring with a fierce expression, Third Master Xue picked up his spear and thrust it toward Qianye!
It was at this time that a shack nearby exploded. A silhouette shot out and slashed at Third Master’s spear with its twin blades, swerving his powerful thrust away. That person was also flung backward from the recoil.
Third Master Xue’s expression sank. “Xue Ding! What are you doing!?”
The one who had rushed over to intercept the attack was Xue Ding. Qianye was somewhat surprised by the sudden development since he had long since forgotten about their little past debacle. Qianye was now opposing the Wolf King publicly, which meant that standing on his side was equal to making an enemy out of the king.
Xue Ding said coldly, “I can no longer bear such days. Third Uncle, go back now, we’re still part of the same family after all. Otherwise, we can only meet in battle.”
Third Master Xue let out a drawn-out laugh. “You? You’re too young for that.”
Third Master Xue was rank sixteen in cultivation and one of the top three experts in the family—Xue Ding was definitely not his match. Soon afterward, his spear lit up with radiance as it stabbed at Xue Ding with the momentum of a landslide!
Caught off-guard, Xue Ding could only block with his two blades and was duly flung away from the impact. He shot through several buildings, but he bounced back up immediately and charged at Third Master Xue.
Killing intent flashed through the man’s expression, and the origin power on his spear increased a fair bit. Apparently, he wasn’t going to hold back this time.
It was at this time that the sound of great waves echoed on the battlefield. Third Master Xue felt his body sinking and almost unable to move. He was greatly astonished—how would the others feel if even he was in such a state?
He glanced about and saw that his guards and servants were strewn across the ground. No one was left standing except a dozen or so experts.
Third Master Xue was greatly alarmed. What kind of domain would be so tyrannical?
He glanced back at Qianye and found a dark blade in his grasp. Following a circular slash, a streak of sword energy shot out and cut through all the standing experts!
“No!!!” Glaring daggers, the man couldn’t help but let out a mad roar. These people were nominally from three different families, but in truth, they were his trusted men and assets. This slash had actually destroyed half of his life’s ambitions.
Qianye wasn’t about to pay attention to Third Master Xue’s emotions, however. He arrived before the man in a single step and slashed down with the might of a toppling mountain!
Third Master Xue was unable to dodge inside the domain. All he could do was raise his spear with both hands, hoping to block Qianye’s sword.
A clear crack rang out as East Peak fell. The slash cut right through the spear and left a red line running down from Third Master Xue’s forehead. Finally, the man collapsed with a shocked expression.
Xue Ding was only halfway through his charge when he was brought to the ground by Qianye’s domain, cutting a sorry figure.
Xue Wu, who had been standing on the side, left with a gentle sigh. Qianye’s sword was too fast, too ruthless. He couldn’t save Third Master Xue even if he had wanted to. The man was still one of the family’s top fighters, after all, and his death would definitely hurt the family.
Xue Ding clambered up and went over to kneel beside Third Master Xue’s corpse. The more he observed, the more shocked he became.
The third master’s spear was no ordinary item and the man himself possessed powerful cultivation. Even though he was caught off-guard and careless, it was still quite astonishing that Qianye could kill him in one slash.
“Xue Ding, he’s your third uncle, why would you stand on my side?”
Xue Ding shook his head. “He’s intent on currying favor with the Wolf King and borrow his power to ascend to the clan lord position. Failing that, he will probably split off and form a family of his own. With him around, the family will be forever bound to the Wolf King and get wiped out sooner or later.”
Qianye nodded. “What are your plans now?”
Xue Ding responded with a question of his own, “I heard you robbed the Wolf King’s goods. What do you plan to do with them?”
“I just formed a mercenary corps in Southern Blue, I plan to use them myself.”
Xue Ding replied, “It seems the news we received is true. You formed a base of your own to confront the Wolf King. What will you do if the Wolf King attacks personally?”
Qianye replied calmly, “I have my ways to deal with him.”
“That’s fine then.” Xue Ding exhaled deeply with a complicated expression. “You’ve become more and more powerful. It’s only been how long? I still remember being able to exchange a few blows with you, now I can’t even take a single hit.”
Qianye only smiled. “What are your plans from now on?”
Xue Ding replied, “Most of the Xue family isn’t willing to stand with the Wolf King, but we have no choice because of the situation. I want to return to the family and see if I can convince them to rebel. If I can’t do that, I’ll come to Southern Blue and join your mercenary corps.”
“That’s not a bad idea, I’ll be waiting for your news.”
Qianye turned about and was just about to leave when he saw Xue Wu walking out of an alleyway.
“What, you want to attack?”
Xue Wu shook his head with a serious expression. “No, I just wanted to ask you to leave Seagaze as soon as possible.”
Qianye smiled. “Driving me away now?”
Xue Wu replied, “I’m not trying to drive you away. I’m asking you to give Seagaze some time. I think most families will know what to do after the incident today. At the very least, they will choose to remain neutral next time, but I’ll need time to convince certain people.”
Xue Ding cut in. “Just kill anyone who’s intent on standing with the Wolf King, why go to so much trouble?”
Xue Wu sighed. “The Wolf King has been in charge for so many years, and all these families have seen their power declining. At this point, most families in Seagaze are just empty husks that will topple over at the slightest touch. Even if we can rebel against the Wolf King, there’s still Mask and the Spider Emperor to be cautious of. At that time, our human race will have to rely on ourselves for protection. I hope we can keep losses to a minimum since we’re already short on experts.”
Qianye patted Xue Wu’s shoulder. “You’ve convinced me, I’ll leave this very evening. However, I hope I won’t receive the same welcoming party next time.”
Back in ancient Totemic Castle, the Wolf King appeared in the main hall after several days of cultivation. He broke into a frown as soon as he sat down at the throne, subconsciously twisting his body slightly in the seat. This chair was newly built and, probably due to the rushed craftsmanship, not as comfortable.
At this point, all the important characters from the tribe and army had arrived. The Wolf King said, “Is there anything important to report today?”
The werewolves below looked at one another but no one dared to step forward. In the end, it was the new shaman who was pushed out. The wolf slowly passed a stack of papers to the Wolf King and stood silently beside him.
The Wolf King flipped through the thick stack of documents and found—to his great impatience—a long list of goods. “What’s this about?”
The shaman replied, “A number of merchants have submitted a compensation claim for their lost goods.”
“Compensation!? They actually dare ask me for compensation!?” The Wolf King tore the list to shreds and threw the remnants at the werewolves below. “These greedy people are crazy, but are you all mad? Why would you need to bring up such a request with me?”
The werewolves all fell silent. In the end, the new shaman braced himself and spoke up, “Great Chief, their request… is actually within reason.”
Regardless of the case, the shaman had to be given a bit of respect. The Wolf King immediately suppressed his anger and asked, “Do explain.”
The great shaman said, “According to the rules of the neutral land, the mercenary escort has to compensate the caravan in the case of a robbery.”
“Does this rule apply to our men as well?” the Wolf King asked.
“In truth, the merchants pay us even more than they do ordinary mercenary corps.”
The Wolf King caught the shaman’s intentions. He said after a moment of silence, “Don’t tell me we have to pay, too?”
The shaman hesitated for a while. “It’s not that we absolutely have to, but less people will be willing to come to us for escort missions in the future.”
The Wolf King snorted. “We’ll see who dares to hire other people in my territory!”
“Yes! That’s true.”
“Kill those disobedient humans!”
The werewolf generals below roared and shouted. They were all blood-thirsty battlemongers who didn’t think highly of the human race, and all of them were positively furious about having to pay up.
But the tribe’s shaman, witchdoctors, and those who had managed their own territory remained silent.
The Wolf King gestured for the generals to calm down and said to the great shaman, “Do you think this will be a problem.”
The great shaman said slowly, “This will only force the merchants to leave faster. Zhang Buzhou might blame you if the human cities start falling into a decline, and it will also affect our income in the long run.”
“Then what should we do?”
“The best method is to destroy Qianye’s mercenary corps in Southern Blue. He’s the only one who dares to rob our caravan and our business.”
“He built a mercenary corps in Southern Blue?” The Wolf King didn’t know about this matter since he was in isolated cultivation.
“Yes, Qianye brought all of the city’s mercenaries together in one night and built a mercenary corps called Dark Flame. They were also the ones who robbed our merchant caravan last time.”
“What is that trash Ji Rui doing? Doesn’t he know about such an important matter?”
The great shaman replied, “Reportedly, Ji Rui never showed up that night and also turned a blind eye to Dark Flame’s subsequent set up and expansion.”
The Wolf King’s face turned cold. “Is this trash intent on turning against me?”
“Perhaps he’s powerless to interfere.”
The great shaman’s words caused the Wolf King to turn silent. A werewolf general below shouted, “Great Chief, what’s there to hesitate about? Let’s go down to Southern Blue and destroy that whatever mercenary corps, also take down Southern Blue in the process!”
“Shut up!!!” The Wolf King struck out from a distance and sent the werewolf flying out of the hall.
