This was a group of bandits lurking in the mountains and forests, making a living through robbery. They always picked on the weak.
A Star River Realm Martial God traveling alone was simply the perfect target.
Whoosh!
A figure shot into the sky and blocked Fan Lang's path. He was tall and powerfully built, his entire body gleaming with metal, like an iron statue.
The "iron man" grinned, exposing a mouthful of sharp teeth. He chuckled. "Kid, this is our territory. If you want to pass through here, you'll have to pay a toll."
Fan Lang stopped in midair, the Sword Qi Wings behind him slowly folding shut. Every feather was formed of sword qi and gave off a hissing sound. He looked calmly at the man opposite him and said, "Is this the legendary 'This road was built by me, this tree was planted by me'?"
"Haha, that's exactly what it means. You've got some sense, kid. Since you know the rules, hand over your money."
"How much?"
"Look at all my brothers. There are so many people here, so you'll pay by the head. One hundred thousand Cosmic Coins per person." The iron man named an outrageous price and pointed around him.
Many more bandit accomplices flew up from the surrounding airspace, while even more stood on the ground. Altogether, there were several hundred of them.
One hundred thousand Cosmic Coins per head—this toll was absurdly high. It was far beyond mere extortion.
The iron man making the demand had only shouted out a random figure anyway. It was like a cat toying with a mouse it had caught.
Fan Lang swept his gaze around, utterly unruffled. He had seen formations ten times larger than this. In his eyes, these bandits were merely a pack of petty thieves.