Kneel

Broadsword Gang headquarters hall.

Gang leader Yan Dao shot to his feet when he heard his subordinate's report.

"What did you say?"

"Gang Leader, Hall Master Pu was killed by the Black Tiger Gang's leader. His body is outside. Li Mazi of the Black Tiger Gang also said we should prepare a hundred thousand taels of gold, or else..."

Before he could finish, another gang member rushed in.

"Report, Gang Leader! The guards at the gate were cut down by Li Mazi. He chopped off their heads with a single slash."

Bang!

Yan Dao flew into a rage and slammed his palm onto the table, instantly shattering it to pieces.

"The Black Tiger Gang deserves death!"

As he spoke, he prepared to go out and kill Li Mazi, then charge into the Black Tiger Gang and slaughter every last one of them.

"Please quell your anger, Gang Leader!" Deputy Gang Leader Huang Mang stopped Yan Dao. "The Black Tiger Gang's current leader is called Zhang Yu. On his first day in Boundless City, he punched internal-force expert Qian Yong to death. According to the information we investigated, he once punched a transformed-force expert to death."

Yan Dao was at the half-step transformed-force level.

"That's only a rumor!" Yan Dao roared. "They've bullied us right at our doorstep. If we don't strike back, how will we survive in Boundless City in the future?"

After thinking for a moment, Huang Mang said, "Gang Leader, I'll go out and take a look. Wait here for the moment. Also, notify the Ghost Alliance about this immediately."

Remembering the rumor that Zhang Yu had killed a transformed-force martial artist, Yan Dao felt some fear as well. He took the offered way out and sat back down.

A moment later, Huang Mang, the Broadsword Gang's deputy leader, came out.

"Li Mazi, you dared to kill a guard of the Broadsword Gang. You're courting death." Huang Mang wore a vicious expression, but he did not attack at once.

When Li Mazi saw Huang Mang, he was actually afraid too. But when he spotted the hulking dark figure among the crowd behind him, his heart settled.

Niu Mancang, Senior Brother of Deputy Hall Master Wen. Pu Kuang had been killed by him in a single move; even his blade had been crushed in his grasp.

He was practically a murderous beast.

Huang Mang was at the same level as Pu Kuang, both at the peak of internal force.

"Huang Mang, call your gang leader out. You aren't worthy of speaking to me." Li Mazi held grudges. He threw Pu Kuang's words from the Black Tiger Gang headquarters right back at Huang Mang.

"Li Mazi, you're courting death!" Huang Mang flew into a rage.

"Huang Mang, you're the one courting death!" Li Mazi was even more arrogant than Huang Mang.

"Fine, fine, fine! I'll chop you to pieces and feed you to the dogs." Huang Mang was completely enraged by Li Mazi. His body moved, and he threw a punch at Li Mazi.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed before Li Mazi. A towering black man over two meters tall blocked the way.

Bang!

Huang Mang's fist struck Niu Mancang in the chest, but Niu Mancang's body did not move in the slightest.

Huang Mang hurriedly looked up. Niu Mancang gave him an honest, simple smile. "You're done hitting me. Now it's my turn."

Whoosh...

A palm as large as a cushion swung toward Huang Mang's head.

Huang Mang cried out in alarm and instantly jerked his head aside like lightning.

Smack!

Crack!

Aaaah...

His reaction saved his life. Niu Mancang's slap missed his head and struck his shoulder instead.

In an instant, the bones in Huang Mang's right shoulder shattered and his tendons snapped. The entire right side of his body went limp. It was not only his shoulder bones that had broken—the immense force instantly pulped his right lung as well.

Li Mazi poked his head out from behind Niu Mancang. "Huang Mang, what did I just say? You're the one who deserves death."

"Tsk, tsk. You were given a chance to live, but you didn't seize it. How about now? You're about to die, aren't you?" Li Mazi swaggered over to Huang Mang and flaunted himself in every way.

Huang Mang, with only one breath left, stared at Li Mazi. He nearly choked out that final breath as well.

Thud, thud, thud...

In the Broadsword Gang's rear courtyard, a panicked gang member came sprinting over.

"Gang Leader, this is bad! Deputy Gang Leader Huang was killed by a single palm strike!"

"What?" Yan Dao's face changed drastically. "What exactly happened? Tell me in detail."

The gang member explained everything in detail.

Deputy Gang Leader Huang had punched the hulking black man, but the man had not been harmed at all. Then, with a backhanded palm strike, he had killed Deputy Gang Leader Huang.

"This... this..." Yan Dao stood frozen on the spot after hearing it.

"Gang Leader, this is bad! Li Mazi has brought the hulking black man inside. The Black Tiger Gang leader Zhang Yu is following behind them as well!" Another gang member ran over in panic to deliver the report.

Punching a transformed-force martial artist to death.

The rumors about Zhang Yu flashed through Yan Dao's mind.

He no longer dared to dismiss them as rumors. He believed they had to be true. He knew Huang Mang's strength very well, yet Huang Mang had been slapped to death by the other man's disciple. The master had to be even stronger. Killing a transformed-force martial artist was perfectly reasonable.

What should I do? Run first. Go find the Ghost Alliance. Right now, only the Ghost Alliance might be able to save my life.

He regretted it terribly now. Why had he let Pu Kuang go looking for trouble with the Black Tiger Gang?

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Aaaah...

Unfortunately, before he could flee, Zhang Yu and his men had already blocked him inside the rear courtyard hall.

Every Broadsword Gang member who tried to stop them had been beaten to death by Niu Mancang. He was practically a humanoid beast. Blades and arrows could hardly harm him, while anyone struck by his fists or palms was either dead or badly wounded.

They crushed everything in their path, unstoppable.

The more Zhang Yu watched Niu Mancang, the more satisfied he became.

Zhang Yu strode into the Broadsword Gang hall and swept his gaze over everyone.

Several Broadsword Gang members trembled in fright. Gang Leader Yan Dao remained fairly composed. Forcing himself to stay calm, he clasped his hands toward Zhang Yu. "Gang Leader Zhang..."

Before he could finish, Li Mazi suddenly stepped forward and cut him off. "Yan Dao, what kind of dogshit are you? Kneel when you speak to our gang leader."

Yan Dao's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. His gaze nearly killed Li Mazi.

"Gang Leader, please sit!" Li Mazi dusted off the chair at the seat of honor, then invited Zhang Yu to take it.

He was feeling unbelievably good today.

Zhang Yu walked over and sat down in the Broadsword Gang's tiger-skin chair. This had originally been Yan Dao's seat.

"Yan Dao, why aren't you kneeling yet?" After Zhang Yu was seated, Li Mazi turned and barked at Yan Dao.

He wanted to borrow the tiger's might to frighten others, because it felt damn good.

Yan Dao drew his blade halfway, only to see Niu Mancang take a step toward him.

Bang!

With just one step, the entire hall trembled. A ferocious aura rushed at him head-on, and the crushing pressure made it difficult for him even to breathe.

What the hell kind of monster is this? Yan Dao cursed inwardly, then slowly slid his blade back into its sheath.

Seeing Yan Dao put his blade away, Li Mazi became even more overbearing. "Yan Dao, kneel already. Do you want to die?"

"Gang Leader Zhang, I knew nothing about Pu Kuang going to the Black Tiger Gang." Ignoring Li Mazi, Yan Dao clasped his hands toward Zhang Yu.

Zhang Yu did not have the slightest favorable impression of gangs. The previous owner of this body and his entire family had been driven to death by the Wild Wolf Gang.

Now that they could not win, they claimed ignorance. Was there really such a good deal in the world?

Zhang Yu looked at Yan Dao and said two words blandly. "Kneel."

Yan Dao had not expected that even after lowering himself, Zhang Yu would still demand that he kneel.

This was going too far.

Anger rose in his heart, but it was only anger. He glanced at the hulking black man, Niu Mancang, and in the end, dropped to one knee. This was his final shred of stubborn pride.