Stealing on Heaven's Behalf [Seeking Follow-ups]

Gao Teng did not waste any more breath, heading straight downstairs toward the mountain behind the school.

The mountain behind the school was covered in a lush, dense forest that few people visited, and it was where Zhou Xing and his gang often bullied timid and cowardly students.

"Gao Teng, you aren't serious, are you? How could you possibly be a match for Zhou Xing and his crew? They'll kick you around like a ball!"

"Do you actually want to get beaten up by them and then go complain to the teachers?"

"I advise you not to do this. Their grades are so good that the school will, at most, give them a verbal warning. In the end, you'll have taken a brutal beating for nothing and will only face even harsher retaliation from them."

"Just listen to me and give them the money. Don't go looking for trouble."

"Hey! I'm talking to you, why aren't you listening?"

Zhu Hong chattered incessantly along the way.

Gao Teng knew these words were meant for his own good, but he was no longer the person he used to be; he would no longer be pushed around by others.

Three or four minutes later, he arrived at the mountain behind the school.

Zhu Hong stopped in his tracks at the foot of the mountain, his heart filled with trepidation as he said, "I... I won't go in with you. I'm afraid Zhou Xing and his gang will give me trouble again. You absolutely must not go against them. Just do as they say and everything will be fine."

Gao Teng cast a sidelong glance at Zhu Hong before walking into the forest with his head held high and a confident stride.

Watching his back, Zhu Hong couldn't help but frown.

He realized that Gao Teng was different from before; the man was exceptionally confident and possessed great courage.

The Gao Teng of the past had clearly been timid and even more cowardly than himself, so how could he have suddenly changed into a completely different person?

Zhu Hong's expression shifted several times, but in the end, he lacked the courage to follow and began to pace at the foot of the mountain.

On the other side, shortly after Gao Teng entered the mountain, he saw Zhou Xing and his group waiting for him.

These few people were squatting on the ground, smoking in silence.

Seeing him arrive, Zhou Xing immediately threw away his cigarette butt and stood up.

"What now?"

Gao Teng looked down at Zhou Xing with a condescending air and mocked, "Didn't that beating earlier satisfy you? Do you want another thrashing?"

Zhou Xing's face twisted instantly, and his temples throbbed violently.

He had lost to Gao Teng before, not only because his own strength had dipped, but because Gao Teng had truly become stronger.

How could the Gao Teng of the past have possessed such strength?

This was too bizarre!

The only reason he could think of was that Gao Teng might have discovered the remains of an ancient martial artist's cave dwelling.

It was only by obtaining a large number of medicinal pills from that dwelling that Gao Teng could have become this powerful!

Ancient cave dwellings were opportunities deliberately left behind by top-tier martial artists of the past, intended for the juniors who received such favors to feel gratitude and, in turn, protect their descendants.

However, these dwellings had long since been thoroughly explored; how could Gao Teng have obtained such an opportunity?

They had to get to the bottom of this and snatch this opportunity from Gao Teng's hands!

"No words?"

Seeing that Zhou Xing and the others remained silent, Gao Teng couldn't be bothered to mock them further. He lunged forward, leaped into the air, and slammed his knee fiercely into one of them.

The man had never expected Gao Teng's speed to reach such a level, nor did he expect Gao Teng to strike first. With his chest wide open, he was sent flying like a broken sack, the sound of shattering bones exploding in the air.

The next second, Gao Teng landed. Without a moment's hesitation, he whipped his arm like a steel lash toward the next person, creating a sharp, shrill whistle.

"Bang!"

With the dull thud of flesh colliding, the student who took the hit lost several teeth instantly and went flying sideways.

Only then did Zhou Xing and the others snap out of their stupor, each of them unleashing the Basic Eighteen Fist Forms to attack Gao Teng.

Gao Teng parried every move with ease.

This group were all second-level martial artists; although some had a slightly higher cultivation of true energy than him, their physical strength was far inferior.

He traded injury for injury, breaking their bones and snapping their limbs until, before long, they were lying on the ground screaming in agony.

"Cough."

Gao Teng covered his mouth and coughed up a bit of blood.

He had also sustained significant injuries in this fight; his left ribcage was fractured, his internal organs were twisting in pain, and his entire body was covered in bruises—every inch of him ached with a piercing intensity.

Gao Teng shook the blood off his hand; these minor injuries were not worth worrying about. As long as he stole the physical strength from Zhou Xing, he would recover to his original state immediately.

He didn't rush to act, instead glancing at the unconscious Zhou Xing before sweeping his gaze over the others.

"I haven't even used my full strength, so why have you all fallen? Aren't you going to get up and spar with me some more?"

The group had no energy to respond to these words, still wailing on the ground.

Gao Teng's strikes had been too heavy; some had severe fractures with their arms twisted into grotesque shapes.

Others had collapsed ribcages, each breath accompanied by blood foam as they lay on the ground, gasping for their final breaths.

Someone's nasal bone shattered, blood streaming uncontrollably as they curled into a ball, clutching their face in agony.

Looking around, everyone was in a wretched state.

"Stop screaming, or I'll beat you to death!"

However, there was no way they could heed Gao Teng's threat; the physical pain made it impossible to control themselves, and their screams grew louder by the second.

Gao Teng snorted in anger and stomped his foot onto Zhou Xing's arm.

"Snap!"

The clear sound of a bone breaking rang out, and Zhou Xing jolted awake, bolting upright.

The next second, his eyes rolled back from the excruciating pain, and he passed out cold.

"..."

The sight of Zhou Xing's miserable state silenced the others instantly; they didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

They looked at Gao Teng with faces full of terror, fearing they would be next.

Gao Teng wore a look of disdain. "Weren't you all very good at bullying people? Didn't you think you were so capable before?"

"We won't do it again, I won't do it again."

As one person begged for mercy with a tearful voice, the others followed suit, admitting their faults one after another.

"A bunch of spineless cowards who bully the weak!"

Gao Teng spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground and said coldly, "List every single student you extorted, and pay back every cent you took from them. Do you hear me clearly?"

Everyone wore a bitter expression; the money they had extorted was long gone, so how could they pay it back?

Gao Teng only had to glance at their expressions to guess their thoughts. "If the money is spent, go take out a loan. If you can't get a loan, go sell yourselves. I'm giving you ten days. If you don't pay the money back, just wait for me to finish you off!"

Everyone remained silent, their expressions filled with misery.

"Are your ears stuffed with donkey fur? Can't you hear me? Shout 'yes'!"

"...Yes."

"Are you dying? Louder!"

"YES!!!"

Enduring their pain, the group shouted at the top of their lungs.

Only then was Gao Teng satisfied. He waved his hand to let them leave, ordering them to pay back Zhu Hong's money first.

This served as a reminder to the others, who hurriedly took out their phones to transfer money to Gao Teng.

They didn't know exactly how much they had extorted from Gao Teng, but they figured transferring a little extra couldn't be wrong.

With over a hundred thousand yuan in hand, Gao Teng watched them help each other limp away, while simultaneously initiating a theft from the unconscious Zhou Xing.

[You have gained 0.07 points of physical strength]
[You have gained 0.12 points of mental strength]
[You have gained 0.10 points of mental strength]
[You have gained 65 points of cultivation]
[You have gained...]