Myriad Beast Sect territory, Black Tiger City.
This was a great city near the Myriad Beast Sect's core region. True to its name, it was black through and through. At the city gates, a group of cultivators in dharma robes lounged against the spirit-lit barrier, openly extorting and fleecing travelers.
The scar-faced captain, Zhao Da, was calculating in his heart. The Myriad Beast Sect had clashed with the Chu Tian Division several times along the border, and he had heard they suffered worse losses each time.
The big shots above had been wearing black faces every day. Recently, several well-connected families in the city had been secretly selling off their assets. Even the demons that were usually so arrogant no longer dared show their faces much, since the Chu Tian Division crossed the border every few days to purge them.
Just then.
A small merchant caravan approached. Five or six flying carriages pulled by earth beasts rolled forward, led by a dark-skinned middle-aged man who stepped up with a fawning smile. "Sir, these are goods from the Zhang Family in the city. Please, make an exception..."
Scarface Captain Zhao Da had his men inspect the cargo. Seeing medicinal herbs, beast hides, and ores, he weighed the money pouch the man slipped him. It held more than ten thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones.
"Just this?" Scarface Captain Zhao Da sneered, tossing the money to a subordinate. "You think you're feeding beggars?"
"It's a small business, and these belong to the Zhang Family..." The dark-skinned man went pale, but before he could finish, he was cut off.
"Zhang Family? What family do I care about... Small business, you say?" Scarface Captain Zhao Da barked, ordering his men to seize the goods. "These herbs are the wrong color. They may be tainted with evil