Pressing Them

Although Su Qing was lecherous, he hadn't forgotten what mattered. After seven days of arduous travel, he finally reached Nine Lions City.

"Old Huang, why do the Martial Artists in Nine Lions City seem so weak to me? What's going on?"

Su Qing had arrived without making a fuss. Instead, he planned to look around first.

"There's a reason for that, Young Master. It seems some fellow called Old Man Snow Mountain took all the Martial Artists in Nine Lions City to the front lines!"

"Oh? We have such a loyal and righteous soul in Lanzhou?"

"Not at all. That fellow only did it to secure the resources he needed to advance. He traded the lives of more than ten thousand Martial Artists for a True Condensation Martial Art!"

Old Huang said scornfully. As a Samadhi Realm Martial Artist, he had every right to look down on Old Man Snow Mountain.

Su Qing, however, was a little curious about Old Man Snow Mountain. He decided that if they ever met, he would try to recruit him. After all, he was a capable man. He'd stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and Su Qing liked that kind of style!

"Still, this might cause a little trouble for our plans!"

Old Huang was startled. He immediately thought of a possibility.

"Exactly. The Black Dragon Mountain Range is vast, and there's no way the few of us can find a Great Demon in a short time. That's where these people come in!"

Su Qing gave a wicked smile, not caring in the slightest about the Martial Artists' lives.

Searching deep in the Black Dragon Mountain Range for a Great Demon would take a great deal of bloodshed. After all, Demonic Beasts and humankind were enemies.

To Demonic Beasts, ordinary Martial Artists were delicious prey too!

Old Huang thought it was a little cruel, but he said nothing. Instead, he admired the Young Master all the more.

As a member of the royal family, you couldn't make a stand in the world without a ruthless heart!

"In that case, allow this old man to lend the Young Master a hand!"

As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with Old Li beside him. The two of them soared into the air, their Samadhi Realm auras surging out. Their powerful True Essence locked onto every Martial Artist in Nine Lions City.

"Martial Artists of Nine Lions City, heed my command! Starting today, every one of you will enter the Black Dragon Mountain Range to search for a Great Demon. Anyone who refuses will die!"

As he spoke, a giant hand formed from True Essence slammed into a building. The magnificent structure and everyone inside were instantly reduced to rubble.

The brutality chilled everyone to the bone.

Seeing that resistance was futile, a Viscera Refiner cautiously asked, "May I ask, my lord, what reward we'll receive?"

Indeed, if you wanted people to work for you, you had to offer a reward. That seemed only natural. But Old Li's eyes gleamed coldly.

"A reward? The greatest reward is your life! Is that enough?"

As he spoke, he crushed the Viscera Refiner in his hand.

Everyone else immediately fell silent.

They knew their opponents were overbearing, but they hadn't expected them to be so cruel.

Still, might made right. Though they were unwilling, no one dared resist.

The two Samadhi Realm Martial Artists exchanged a glance and nodded in satisfaction.

Landing back on the ground, they asked smugly, "Is the Young Master satisfied?"

Su Qing clapped his hands. "The two of you acted swiftly and decisively. This young master is very satisfied. Don't worry, once we find the Great Demon Core, I'll have Father reward you both!"

The two men heard this and smiled with satisfaction. Hadn't that been what they'd risked their lives for?

Afterward, under pressure from Su Qing and his men, more than a hundred thousand Low-level Martial Artists entered the Black Dragon Mountain Range with trepidation.

On the very first day, more than a thousand Martial Artists were killed by Demonic Beasts.

And the farther they went, the higher the death toll climbed!

After all, the strongest among them were only Viscera Refiners. Against Demonic Beasts, they could only wait to die!

But Su Qing clearly didn't care. To him, as long as he achieved his goal, it didn't matter how many people died.

The death toll kept rising. Seeing that Su Qing and his men had no regard for their lives, some of the lowest-ranking Martial Artists began plotting.

If venturing deeper into the mountains was so dangerous, they might as well run. And they absolutely couldn't flee back to Nine Lions City. Their only choice was to find some hidden place beyond the city and eke out an existence like the bandits there!

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Once Martial Artists made up their minds, they acted quickly.

Sure enough, on the third day, several thousand people took advantage of the rugged terrain and fled.

After that, more and more people ran away.

Su Qing had brought fewer than twenty men. Even if they were all powerful by the standards of the local Martial Artists, there was no way they could keep watch over more than a hundred thousand people!

The Martial Artists' flight seemed unstoppable.

Even Su Qing flew into a rage when he heard the news.

He smashed even his favorite Jade Thumb Ring to pieces.

"Bastards! How dare those lowly commoners do this?"

"Dying for this young master should be the greatest honor of their lives! And they're running away? They're courting death!"

"But do they really think they can get away with it? Heh. This young master won't let them have their way!"

"Men! Search every remote mountain on the outskirts, one by one. The moment you find any fleeing Martial Artists, kill them on the spot! I want to see whether the Demonic Beasts are deadlier, or this young master's blade!"

His personal guards received the order and immediately set to work.

As for the two retainers, Su Qing couldn't bear to let them leave his side. After all, they were his guarantee of survival.

But even his personal guards were enough to carry out his orders. They were all Innate Experts, after all. Dealing with a few Qi-Blood Martial Artists was simplicity itself!

Shen Fan knew nothing of the chaos outside, and neither did the people of Black Wind Stockade. Like a group of recluses, they lived in peace.

But today, that quiet was shattered once more when several battered Martial Artists knocked on the stockade's gate.

No matter how well hidden a stockade was, someone would still stumble upon it by chance.

These Martial Artists were just such people.

Su Qing's personal guards had been hunting them down. They had barely escaped with their lives, then lost their way among the mountains and could only wander aimlessly.

But just when they'd lost all hope, they came upon a stockade.

And so Black Wind Stockade became their last hope.

Standing atop the gate, Liu Yunfeng watched the group with a furrowed brow. For some reason, she suddenly felt uneasy, as if something terrible was about to happen to him.

"My lord, open the gate! We're willing to become your men and serve at your command. Please take us in!"

The strongest among them were only Bone Forgers. Liu Yunfeng thought it over, then decided to let them in. Black Wind Stockade had taken in Martial Artists before.

But just as Liu Yunfeng ordered the gates opened, two personal guards of the Prince's Mansion appeared.

One of them immediately unleashed True Qi and slaughtered several of the fleeing Martial Artists.

Their blood splashed across the guards' faces, lending them a few more traces of baleful menace.

"Heh. What a surprise! We've stumbled onto a bonus today. A stockade, no less. Looks like we've found plenty of people to replenish our ranks!"

"Exactly. Maybe if we take this stockade, the Young Master will reward us!"

The two chatted as if no one else were there. In their eyes, these country bumpkins hidden away in a place like this couldn't possibly be their match.

The other side seemed to have an Innate Expert, but as personal guards of the Prince's Mansion, how could their cultivation techniques be inferior to those of Martial Artists from some backwater place?

Liu Yunfeng looked at the two men, her sense of foreboding growing stronger. She made a hand signal to Black Dog beside her and went to meet them.

Black Dog understood and slipped away. He had to find Shen Fan.

"Heroes, may I ask what brings you here? Our Black Wind Stockade has never offended either of you, has it?"

"Hahaha! Heroes? We're heroes now? Third Brother, looks like you'll have to be quick later. Don't let this lovely lady feel any pain!"

"Understood, Brother Ji!"

As soon as they spoke, the two lunged forward. In their eyes, all they had to do was kill Liu Yunfeng, who was probably the stockade chief, and taking control of the place would be easy!

"Damn it! How can you be so rude?"

Though she was fuming, Liu Yunfeng still charged forward.