"Fellow Daoist Li, are you all right?"
Although they had witnessed the entire attack and knew Li Chen had not suffered so much as a scratch, the steward elders and the Creation Sect's special envoy still made a show of asking after him.
Li Chen smiled faintly and said calmly, "I'm afraid you've witnessed an embarrassing scene. Guangyun has seen plenty of turmoil lately, allowing these petty villains to disturb our honored guests. Fortunately, no innocent bystanders were hurt."
Naturally, everyone assured him it was no trouble.
Not long afterward, Li Chen excused himself and returned to the Inner Valley beneath the peak to interrogate the wounded captives.
The two Rogue Cultivators were utterly stunned. They had never imagined that, with their abilities, they would fail to last even two exchanges against Li Chen.
The chaotic scene and the surprise attack had played a part, but a defeat was a defeat. The fact that their skills were inferior was enough to leave them dejected, though they had originally thought a newly appointed Peak Master was nothing special.
Only now did they realize that the Black Market's bounty really was not so easy to claim.
Compared with the master of an entire peak, penniless Wilderness Rogue Cultivators like them were as far apart as clouds above and mud below.
They did not know whether the masters of other Spirit Peaks possessed such abilities, but this Peak Master Li had clearly far exceeded their expectations.
"Spare us, Peak Master Li! We were merely tempted by the bounty and came to test you. Please consider how hard we've struggled to cultivate and spare our worthless lives!"
Both bowed deeply and begged for mercy.
They still retained enough of a cultivator's pride not to drop to their knees on the spot, but they had