A Moral Vacuum

Five hundred Gold Coins? At those words, Nalan Yanran's expression instantly darkened.

She was not an Alchemist with money to burn who spent it as though it meant nothing, nor was her family a royal house that owned an entire empire. As a result, Nalan Yanran was actually the one among the four who had the clearest sense of what Gold Coins were worth.

"What do you think, Mr. Gu He?" Yun Congxin asked with a smile as he watched the show from afar.

Gu He thought for a moment before saying, "Since those are the rules of the Black-Corner Region, we should accept them as newcomers. Five hundred Gold Coins isn't much. We might as well pay..."

An honest man through and through—and an Alchemist through and through!

Yun Congxin marveled inwardly, then said, "What you said isn't exactly wrong, Mr. Gu He, but it doesn't suit this land."

"The Black-Corner Region... every last scoundrel here would devour a man without spitting out his bones. They're the sort who would never steal when they could rob instead... being a law-abiding person here is no different from being a juicy piece of meat dangling before someone else's mouth..."

"Is it really that bad? That middle-aged man seemed pretty decent to me. He even gave Yanran and the others a warning..."

A warning? That was a trap!

Yun Congxin smiled and decided to set Gu He up. "Mr. Gu He, how about a wager?"

Seeing how certain Yun Congxin was, Gu He grew interested too. "Sure. What shall we bet on?"

"We'll bet on whether these bandits will let them go even after they pay," Yun Congxin said with a smile. "Insatiable greed is carved into the very bones of the people here."

"All right." Glancing at Xiao Yu, who was smiling with her lips pressed together, Yun Congxin said, "If I win, I hope you'll follow my lead throughout this trip to the Black-Corner Region, Mr. Gu He. If I lose... I've heard there's an auction in Black Seal City soon. Auctions in the Black-Corner Region always have fine things from every corner of the world. Pick any one item there, and I'll secure it for you. How does that sound?"

"That sounds excellent."

"Let's just pay. We've only just arrived, so we shouldn't clash with them." Even with the Ice Silk Silkworm Mask on, Nalan Yanran's expression was so ugly that anyone could tell. Seeing this, Yao Ye hurried to soothe her. "Don't forget Sect Master Yun's instructions. If we cause a scene, we won't be able to complete our mission."

"Here are five hundred Gold Coins. Open the gate!" Yao Ye shouted, taking a bag of Gold Coins from her Storage Ring and tossing it over.

The middle-aged man atop the wall was clearly somewhat surprised. He caught the bag and spent a long while counting before calling out mockingly, "Open the gate!"

The settlement's wooden gates slowly opened a crack, just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Xiao Yan noticed the bloodstains mottling them. He raised his guard, quietly setting the Dou Qi within his body into motion.

"Hehehe, boy, let me teach you the most important rule of the Black-Corner Region."

The four had barely entered the tribe's settlement when the heavy gates slammed shut behind them.

Looking at the mercenaries and bandits surrounding them with all manner of weapons in hand, Xiao Yan sneered and took the Heavy Xuan Ruler off his back.

The middle-aged man on the gate tower gave a strange laugh and shouted, "In the Black-Corner Region, you should never look like a greenhorn, and you should never look rich! Both mistakes are fatal—enough to get you killed seven or eight times over, boy."

"But you're in luck. I'm in a good mood today, so I've decided to let you off."

"Hand over everything valuable you have and leave these three girls behind. Then you can get lost!"

The middle-aged man paid Xiao Yan no mind at all. Turning back, he called to the other bastards, "See them clearly? These three are top quality! Line up later. Once I've had my fun..."

Before he could finish, his scalp suddenly prickled. He hurriedly turned back, just in time to see the Purple Cloud Wings spread behind Xiao Yan as he soared into the air.

Xiao Yan gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler in both hands, green flames covering its length. Without even a moment's windup, he launched a ferocious attack!

Bang!

With a single strike of the ruler, the middle-aged man who had been shouting so arrogantly a moment earlier died on the spot, burned by the green flames until not even ashes remained.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm not in a very good mood today. Be more careful in your next life..."

Looking at the mercenaries whose lecherous grins had frozen on their faces, Xiao Yan barked coldly, "What are you staring at? You have three breaths. Leave, or die!"

The mercenaries scattered in a rush, but the middle-aged man's subordinates remained, their expressions shifting repeatedly as they hesitated, unwilling to leave.

"Hehehe, little fellow, how does it feel to experience the rules of the Black-Corner Region firsthand?" Yao Lao chuckled wickedly. "Still, that fool wasn't wrong. Keeping your wealth hidden really is one of the iron laws here. This place is full of desperadoes. Give them the slightest opening, and they'll devise every possible way to attack and rob you. The nuisance alone could drive you to death."

"Don't worry, Teacher. I'm no softhearted idiot." Xiao Yan swooped down, wielding the Heavy Xuan Ruler as he charged at the armed bandits who were still hesitating.

To establish his might, he had to strike with sufficiently ruthless, thunderous force!

In the distance, the moment Gu He saw the Green Lotus Core Flame shining like a beacon, he knew he had lost.

He smiled bitterly. "Why are the people here like this...?"

Yun Congxin smiled and said, "That's precisely why the great empires haven't banded together to wipe this region out... the Dou Qi Continent has no shortage of scum who sink beneath every conceivable limit. Clearing them out is no easy task, and no faction is willing to put real effort into hunting them down, because it's dangerous and there's no profit in it. So if there's a lawless region that gathers all that scum together, it's a good thing for everyone."

"The Black-Corner Region is exactly that sort of place. As the rubbish dump of the Dou Qi Continent, normal people here are harder to find than three-legged toads..."

"You're devoted to refining medicine, Mr. Gu He, so it's perfectly understandable that you don't know much about this place." Yun Congxin smiled. "Then, about our wager..."

Gu He gave a bitter smile. "I truly do know too little about this place. I made the wager, and I accept my loss. Sorry for the trouble, Sect Master Yun, but I'll be relying on you during our time here."

"Not at all, not at all." As Yun Congxin spoke, he looked into the distance. "Oh, they've started fighting..."

This tribe's settlement was hardly large. Yun Congxin had already scouted it before sending them to buy a map, and the strongest person inside was merely a Dou Ling. Never mind all four of them—even Xiao Yan alone could handle it.

So he was not worried in the slightest and continued enjoying the show.

"Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!"

The energy of heaven and earth suddenly surged. Almost tangible pale-red energy seeped out around Xiao Yan, spinning wildly about him before finally gathering in its entirety upon the Heavy Xuan Ruler.

An enormous green arc of ruler light cut across the sky. Even from far away, the violent energy contained within it was palpable. This was a Dou Technique driven by the very heavens and earth!

An Earth Tier Dou Technique!

Boom!

Yun Congxin rubbed his chin as he watched Xiao Yan demolish half the tribe's wall with a single strike of his ruler. He clicked his tongue. "Tsk, making such a huge scene... will they still be able to get that map...?"