Hengshan Dao, Guyun Mountain Range.
A merchant caravan had formed a tight ring, standing off against a group of bandits. The air was thick with tension.
"Master Lian, what do you mean by this?"
"Every time the Wantong Merchant Guild passes through Guyun Mountain, we've never once shortchanged the offering we pay your Guyun Twelve Villages!"
A middle-aged man in a golden robe gripped a spiked mace. His face was grim, and he radiated an imposing air.
Guyun Mountain was the route to Moyun Prefecture in the north. Its terrain was treacherous, and its mountains stretched on without end. Many violent criminals had gathered in the Guyun Mountain Range to make their living through robbery.
The Guyun Twelve Villages were the strongest force here.
Fortunately, these bandits understood that draining the pond would leave no fish. As long as passing merchant guilds paid their share, they could travel in peace.
But today, no one knew what had gotten into the Guyun Twelve Villages. At the slightest disagreement, they had started killing. Caught completely off guard, the Wantong Merchant Guild had nearly fallen apart.
Jiang Yuntong was furious. If he hadn't been weaker than his opponent, he would have already smashed every bandit's skull with his spiked mace.
"Brother Jiang, this time it's true that my Guyun Twelve Villages are in the wrong. But I can only blame your bad luck."
A giant of a man, over ten feet tall, stood bare-armed. A door-sized greatsword rested carelessly on the ground beside him. Its edge was dark red, and it reeked of blood.
"This time, an envoy from the Kunlun Divine Palace has arrived. The Guyun Mountain Range has to pay double the blood tax. I can't sacrifice my brothers' lives, so I'll have to borrow your heads instead."
Blood tax? At