Qian Ye stood still, but around him, it was as if mountains were collapsing and seas were roaring. His origin power surged and retracted, creating a vortex that deflected the incoming bullets and origin power blasts. Only a few more powerful origin power blasts managed to pierce through the vortex, only to be deflected by the armor on Qian Ye’s body.
How could those servants and guards have high-level origin guns? Those level one or two origin guns posed no threat to Qian Ye.
Xue San Ye raised his eyebrows, grasped his long spear, let out a roar, and thrust towards Qian Ye!
At this moment, a shack nearby exploded, and a figure rushed out, wielding twin blades and slashing fiercely at Xue San Ye’s spear, deflecting his powerful strike. The figure was also repelled by Xue San Ye’s rebounding origin power, flying backward.
Xue San Ye’s face darkened, and he shouted, “Xue Ding! What are you doing?”
The person who had come to block him was Xue Ding. This sudden change caught Qian Ye off guard. The past was long gone, and now that Qian Ye and the Wolf King had publicly severed ties, Xue Ding daring to stand up at this time meant he was aligning against the Wolf King.
Xue Ding coldly replied, “I can’t stand this life anymore. Third Uncle, if you go back now, we can still be family. Otherwise, we can only meet on the battlefield.”
Xue San Ye let out a long laugh, saying, “Just you? You’re still too green!”
Xue San Ye’s origin power cultivation had reached level sixteen, ranking among the top three in the entire Xue residence. Xue Ding was no match for him. With a laugh, Xue San Ye’s spear emitted a dazzling light, thrusting towards Xue Wu with the force of a mountain collapsing into the sea!
In a split second, Xue Ding braced his twin blades against the spear, but was sent flying backward, crashing through several rows of shacks. However, he straightened his waist and leaped back up, immediately charging towards Xue San Ye again.
A murderous intent flashed across Xue San Ye’s face, and the origin power on his spear intensified. He held nothing back.
Just then, the sound of the ocean waves filled the square. Xue San Ye felt his body grow heavy, finding it difficult to move. He was shocked; if he, a seasoned warrior, was struggling, how could others endure?
He looked around and saw that the servants and guards on the square had all fallen, only a dozen or so skilled fighters still standing.
Xue San Ye was alarmed: What kind of domain was this, so overbearing?
He turned to look at Qian Ye, who now held a dark longsword. The sword pointed horizontally, and with a sweep, a sword energy shot out, instantly cutting the remaining dozen in half at the waist.
“No!!” Xue San Ye roared, his eyes bloodshot. These people, nominally from three families, were actually his loyal subordinates and the foundation for his plans. Qian Ye’s single strike had destroyed most of his lifelong ambitions.
Ignoring Xue San Ye’s anguish, Qian Ye stepped forward, his Eastern Peak sword blazing with carmine flames, cleaving down with the force of a mountain collapsing into the sea!
Trapped in the domain, Xue San Ye had no place to hide. He bellowed, gripped his spear with both hands, and raised it above his head, trying to block Qian Ye’s sword!
With a light slicing sound, the Eastern Peak fell. Xue San Ye’s spear split into two, and a line of blood appeared on his forehead. Unbelieving, he fell backward, eyes wide.
By then, Xue Ding’s charge had reached its halfway point, but was stopped by Qian Ye’s domain, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud, looking rather disheveled.
Xue Wu, who had been watching, sighed and turned to leave. Qian Ye’s sword strike was too fast and fierce; even if he wanted to save Xue San Ye, he was powerless. Regardless, Xue San Ye was one of the top fighters of the Xue family, and his death would severely weaken them.
Xue Ding struggled to his feet, approached Xue San Ye’s corpse, and crouched down to examine it. The more he looked, the more horrified he became.
Xue San Ye’s spear was no ordinary weapon, and he himself was highly cultivated. Even with the element of surprise, being cut down by Qian Ye’s sword was shocking.
“Xue Ding, he is your third uncle. Why did you stand with me?”
Xue Ding shook his head, saying, “He was always trying to curry favor with the Wolf King, aiming to use him to ascend to the position of the patriarch. If that failed, he would split the family and start anew. With him, the Xue family would always be bound to the Wolf King, and disaster would eventually follow.”
Qian Ye nodded, asking, “What do you plan to do now?”
Xue Ding countered, “I heard you raided the Wolf King’s convoy recently. What about the goods? How do you plan to deal with them?”
“I just established a mercenary group in Nanqing City. The goods are useful, so I’ll keep them for myself.”
Xue Ding said, “It seems the news is true. You’ve set up a base, planning to confront the Wolf King head-on. But what if the Wolf King himself comes after you?”
Qian Ye replied calmly, “Even if he does, I have ways to deal with him.”
“That’s good.” Xue Ding exhaled, looking at Qian Ye with a complex expression. “You’ve become so much stronger. It’s only been such a short time. I remember when I could still fight you, but now I can’t even withstand a single blow.”
Qian Ye just smiled and asked, “What do you plan to do now?”
Xue Ding said, “Most of the Xue family doesn’t want to side with the Wolf King, but they are forced to. I want to go back to the family and see if I can convince more people to resist. If not, I’ll join your mercenary group in Nanqing City.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for your word.”
As Qian Ye turned to leave, he saw Xue Wu walking out from an alley ahead.
“You want to fight?”
Xue Wu shook his head, saying, “No, I just want to ask you to leave Guanlan City as soon as possible.”
Qian Ye smiled, “Trying to drive me away?”
Xue Wu said, “Not to drive you away, but to give Guanlan City some time. I think, after today, many families will know what to do. At least next time, they will remain neutral. But this needs time and persuasion.”
Xue Ding interjected, “Just kill those who side with the Wolf King. Why complicate things?”
Xue Wu sighed, “Under the Wolf King’s rule, the strength of the various families has gradually declined. Now, Guanlan City looks full of families, but most are just empty shells, easily toppled. Even if we overthrow the Wolf King, there’s still the Spider Emperor and the Mask. We humans must rely on our own strength to protect ourselves. I just hope we can minimize the killings. We don’t have many strong warriors left.”
Qian Ye patted Xue Wu’s shoulder, saying, “You’ve convinced me. I’ll leave tonight. But I hope the next time I come, I won’t be welcomed in the same way.”
In the ancient totem fortress, the Wolf King, having been in seclusion for days, reappeared in the main hall. As he sat on his throne, he frowned slightly and shifted uncomfortably. This new throne, perhaps hastily made, was not as comfortable as the old one.
All the important figures of the tribe and army were present. The Wolf King asked, “Anything important these days?”
The wolf men below looked at each other, none daring to step forward. Finally, the newly appointed high priest was pushed forward. He slowly presented a thick document to the Wolf King and stood silently.
The document was thick, and the Wolf King, flipping through it, saw long lists of goods. Impatiently, he frowned, “What is this?”
The high priest said, “This is a list of losses from several merchant companies. They are requesting compensation.”
“Compensation!? They dare to ask me for compensation?” The Wolf King flew into a rage, tearing the document to shreds and throwing the pieces at the wolf men, roaring, “These greedy humans have gone mad! Are you mad too? Such demands are reported to me?”
The wolf men remained silent. Finally, the new high priest, mustering his courage, said, “Chief, their demands… may not be unreasonable.”
Regardless, the Wolf King had to show some respect to the new high priest. Suppressing his anger, he asked, “Why do you say that?”
The high priest said, “According to the rules in the Neutral Zone, mercenaries protecting convoys must compensate the owners if the convoy is robbed.”
“Are we subject to these rules too?” the Wolf King asked.
“In fact, the merchants pay us more than other mercenary groups.”
The Wolf King understood the high priest’s implication, and after a moment of silence, asked, “Do we have to compensate?”
The high priest hesitated, “We don’t have to, but then, fewer merchants might choose us in the future.”
The Wolf King snorted, coldly saying, “On my territory, who dares to choose anyone else!”
“Right! That’s the way it should be!”
“Kill those disobedient human fools!”
The wolf generals roared, all bloodthirsty and aggressive, despising humans, especially those running merchant companies. Compensation to humans was naturally distasteful to them.
However, the high priest and other tribal priests, shamans, and some wolf men who had managed local affairs remained silent, deep in thought.
The Wolf King raised his hand, silencing the generals, and asked the high priest, “Do you see a problem with this?”
The high priest slowly replied, “If we do this, the merchants will leave. If human cities become too desolate, Zhang Buzhou might blame you. Additionally, our income will be affected.”
“What should we do then?” the Wolf King frowned.
“The best course of action now is to eliminate Qian Ye’s mercenary group in Nanqing City. Only he dared to compete with us, and only he dared to rob our convoys.”
“He established a mercenary group in Nanqing City?” The Wolf King, having just ended his cultivation, was unaware of this.
“Yes. Qian Ye took control of all the mercenaries in Nanqing City overnight and formed a new group called Dark Flame. They were the ones who raided our convoy last time.”
“What is Ji Rui, that waste, doing? How could he not know about such a big thing?”
The high priest said, “Apparently, Ji Rui did not show up that night and did not interfere with the formation and expansion of Dark Flame afterward.”
The Wolf King’s face turned cold, and he gritted his teeth, “Is this waste determined to oppose me?”
“Maybe he is powerless to intervene.”
The high priest’s words made the Wolf King ponder. Below, a wolf general shouted, “Chief, why hesitate? Go to Nanqing City, destroy that mercenary group, and take over Nanqing City while you’re at it!”
“Shut up!!” The Wolf King, suddenly enraged, swung his hand, and the chatty wolf general was flung out of the hall with a single swipe.
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