Seven Kills

The Righteous Gang's main hall was located in the Fenghe district, north of Obsidian City. This area had always been a hotbed of chaos and danger, and the most impoverished part of the city.

Every day, brawls broke out on this street, often starting over small amounts of Black Rye Mushroom. These skirmishes would then escalate, dragging in old grudges until the situation became uncontrollable.

The Righteous Gang, which held sway over this street, had no intention of maintaining order. They didn't seem to care about managing anything, allowing the chaos to run rampant, appearing quite content with the state of affairs.

Just as Li Qing, bound tightly with ropes, was being brought before the main hall, he witnessed a short, scrawny youth, covered in blood, kneeling in front of the Righteous Gang's entrance, begging the Heavenly Dragon to take him in.

To Li Qing's surprise, the Heavenly Dragon actually slashed the sinister-looking youth away with a single stroke, sending blood splattering everywhere.

"Hahahaha, if you can survive this, I'll let you join the Righteous Gang," the Heavenly Dragon said, sheathing his blade and roaring with laughter. "If you want to join my Righteous Gang, your life better be damn hard!"

What surprised Li Qing even more was that the sinister youth's eyes showed no trace of resentment. Instead, they were filled with joy and gratitude.

Li Qing couldn't understand this, even after being locked up deep within the Righteous Gang's territory.

Only after his guards had left did the Heavenly Dragon, accompanied by his subordinate Wei Tian, arrive at the prison cell. The first thing they did was untie Li Qing.

"Brother Li, I truly apologize," the Heavenly Dragon said, his tone much more subdued now, no longer putting on airs as the gang leader.

This was because after their earlier confrontation, he was now absolutely certain that the young man before him was no weaker than himself in terms of martial prowess.

To maintain the pretense of being a gang leader now would be utterly ridiculous.

"Gang Leader Heavenly Dragon, you jest. This plan was my idea, so why bring it up?" Li Qing chuckled.

The Heavenly Dragon asked urgently, "Then what should we do next? Should I just find an excuse to hand you over to the Yan Family?"

Li Qing shook his head and replied, "That would seem too deliberate. Since the Yan Family instigated you to attack me, they will surely come looking for me in the next few days. I suspect they'll want to lock me up and force me to forge iron for them for the rest of my life."

"So, for the next step we..."

"We don't need to do anything. We just need to wait for the Yan Family to ask for me themselves."

As he said this, a dangerous curve formed on Li Qing's lips.

"Good! If it really turns out as you say, Brother Li, then the two of us will take the lead and kill one of the Yan Family's enforcers. The other two won't be much of a threat," the Heavenly Dragon said excitedly, as if he could already see himself sweeping through the Yan Family.

However, Li Qing didn't see it that way. He preferred to consider the worst-case scenario for everything; only then could he be truly safe and secure.

"Gang Leader Heavenly Dragon, don't celebrate too early. What I just described is the best-case scenario. What if the two of us fail to kill an Outer Strength expert beforehand, or what if the Yan Family has even more Outer Strength experts?"

"We are, after all, only two people. Fighting three is a disadvantage no matter how you look at it. Can you, Gang Leader Heavenly Dragon, fight two on your own? Or does the Righteous Gang have other Outer Strength experts?"

Hearing Li Qing's question, the Heavenly Dragon burst into laughter, clapping Li Qing on the shoulder. "Hahaha, you can rest assured about that, Brother Li. If I dared to ask you to deal with the Yan Family together, it's because I have my own trump cards!"

Saying this, the Heavenly Dragon's expression suddenly turned mysterious. He then instructed Wei Tian, "Wei Tian, go and summon all the members of the Seven Kill Squad."

"Yes, Gang Leader!" Wei Tian immediately responded.

After Wei Tian left, the Heavenly Dragon spoke with a hint of pride. "The Yan Family has been causing trouble in Obsidian City for so many years, ruining countless lives."

"Brother Li, to be honest, I've been secretly gathering people who have deep-seated grudges against the Yan Family for the past ten years!"

"I've arranged for these people to have 'accidental' deaths, ensuring they wouldn't attract the Yan Family's attention."

"And now these people..."

As the Heavenly Dragon's low voice trailed off, footsteps could soon be heard from outside the prison.

Accompanied by these footsteps, thirteen figures appeared before the prison cells. Upon entering, they saluted in unison, "Greetings, Gang Leader!"

Li Qing scanned their faces, and couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

These thirteen individuals varied in age, the youngest being only about twelve or thirteen, and the oldest nearing thirty.

However, they shared one common trait: a special aura, a numbness to the fear of death. The only belief that sustained them was likely revenge.

The Heavenly Dragon had secretly trained these people into death warriors. They were absolutely obedient to him and willing to sacrifice their lives for him.

From the gaps between their fingers, Li Qing saw thick calluses. They undoubtedly possessed martial skills. Although they hadn't reached the level of Outer Strength experts, they had mastered killing techniques. If they fought to the death, they might be able to take down an Outer Strength expert.

Seeing the look in Li Qing's eyes, the Heavenly Dragon's mood brightened considerably, as if he were showing off the fruits of his labor. "Originally, I only planned to train seven people. But unexpectedly, the Yan Family has become increasingly unrestrained over the years, becoming even more ruthless. The Seven Kill Squad, which was meant to have seven members, has now grown to thirteen."

"So, Brother Li, if you hadn't appeared, these thirteen people might have become twenty or thirty!"

"Now, Brother Li, do you have any more concerns?"

Li Qing nodded and said seriously, "No. Since Gang Leader Heavenly Dragon has revealed such a significant secret, it would be cowardly of me to still have doubts."

"Hahahaha, well said! While we martial artists must act with caution and thoroughness, if we are too timid, what's the point of practicing martial arts!" the Heavenly Dragon laughed heartily.

As his words fell, the Heavenly Dragon waved his hand, dismissing all thirteen members of the Seven Kill Squad.

Li Qing watched their silent departure, his heart finally at ease.

As long as his plan succeeded, with him, the Heavenly Dragon, and these thirteen members of the Seven Kill Squad, they would have a very high chance of leveling the Yan Family.

Even if they failed to kill a Yan Family enforcer beforehand, the situation wouldn't be too dire. And even if the operation failed completely, he was confident he could escape without endangering his life.