But thinking about Ding Chunqiu's actions, it seemed only right to be uneasy. Being planted with the Life-and-Death Talisman was only natural. With that thought, many felt a bit more at ease. Of course, no matter what, no one liked the Life-and-Death Talisman. They just didn’t dare say it. “Yes.” The crowd obediently replied in unison.
Listening to Ding Chunqiu’s increasingly shrill screams, most people’s gazes toward Wu Xingyun grew subtly more hostile. Wu Xingyun naturally sensed it and felt an urge to bite Li Daoqiang. There was no helping it—in terms of strength, even at her peak, she couldn’t beat him, so she had to find another way. That bastard really knew how to shift blame. With her and Ding Chunqiu, he had easily redirected the dissatisfaction and hostility of the Black Dragon Stockade crowd toward the Life-and-Death Talisman.
And she thought deeper. Maybe that bastard wasn’t just shifting blame; he was doing it deliberately. To keep the Carefree Sect from growing too strong within the Black Dragon Stockade. It was easy to imagine—as long as the Life-and-Death Talisman existed, the middle and upper ranks of the stockade would harbor a latent enmity toward the Carefree Sect, never truly aligning with it. More importantly, this was an open scheme, an undeniable fact. She couldn’t refute it and could only bear the consequences.
The more she thought, the angrier she got. Even Ding Chunqiu’s miserable state couldn’t cheer her up. The only thing that made her feel Li Daoqiang hadn’t pushed things to the brink was his claim that even she couldn’t undo the Life-and-Death Talisman he had planted. Otherwise, Wu Xingyun could imagine how the stockade’s upper ranks would covet her. Given the chance, they wouldn’t show her any mercy.
“Hall Master Ding, the punishment of the Life-and-Death Talisman will be added to the stockade’s rules, applied only to brothers at the Innate Realm and above who commit errors, and I will personally administer it,” Li Daoqiang said calmly. “Yes,” Ding Dian replied.
Seeming to have finished speaking, Li Daoqiang finally looked at Ding Chunqiu, whose clothes were torn, his appearance disheveled and pained. With a flick of his finger, he shot a surge of power into Ding Chunqiu’s body. Immediately, Ding Chunqiu’s screams subsided.
This was one of two methods to control the Life-and-Death Talisman. One was to prepare special pills. The other was for the one who planted the talisman to suppress it within the victim using their own power. Wu Xingyun naturally wouldn’t waste her power on the people of the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves, so she always used pills to control them. Li Daoqiang didn’t plan to use the Life-and-Death Talisman on a large scale, and since he didn’t want Wu Xingyun to master the pills, he used his own power to control it.
Ding Chunqiu’s screams stopped completely. He gasped heavily, his face still filled with terror. The next moment, he scrambled to his knees, crawling to Li Daoqiang’s feet, kowtowing repeatedly, and said fearfully, “Chief, I am utterly loyal to you, Chief!” “Alright, alright, I know you’ve been wronged, but you’ve made mistakes before, and you’re loyal to me. So I had to use you as an example for the brothers in the stockade. As long as you behave, the Life-and-Death Talisman won’t act up,” Li Daoqiang said, patting his shoulder reassuringly.
Ding Chunqiu trembled all over. Half from anger, half from fear. Li Daoqiang clearly wouldn’t remove the Life-and-Death Talisman for him. Gritting his teeth inwardly, after a two-second silence, he finally lowered his head and said respectfully, “Yes, I will swear to die for the Chief. I am the Chief’s loyal dog. Anyone who dares to be disloyal to the Chief, I will root them out.”
As he spoke, as if he had come to some realization, a dark aura emanated from Ding Chunqiu. His lowered head, with eyes icy and venomous, glanced at the crowd behind him. Like a poisonous snake, everyone who met his gaze felt a chill.
Duan Yanqing’s heart sank. Ding Chunqiu was likely turning into a mad dog. He was going to drag others down with him. Especially since Li Daoqiang would never trust him—once a handle was caught, the Life-and-Death Talisman would be planted on him. He would need to be even more cautious in the future. Lost in thought, he lowered his eyelids, trying to minimize his presence.
He wasn’t the only one; others had noticed too. Some were unafraid, others frowned. Li Daoqiang glanced at Ding Chunqiu twice, smiled in satisfaction, and said, “Get up. I trust you.” “Yes,” Ding Chunqiu replied, more respectful than ever.
“That’s settled with the Life-and-Death Talisman. Next, the most important thing for the Black Dragon Stockade is to absorb the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves. Everyone will follow orders uniformly,” Li Daoqiang said, his expression turning slightly stern, an imposing aura rising. “Yes.” The crowd replied in unison.
“Good, all of you may withdraw,” Li Daoqiang commanded.
Over seventy people filed out of the assembly hall, forming groups of five, seven, or pairs. Subtly, several core factions could be discerned. Ding Dian led one group, with Lü Tengkong’s family and Di Yun gathered around him. Duan Yanqing led another, with Yue Laosan, Yun Zhonghe, Zhaixingzi, and several evil-path experts. Su Xinghe and the Carefree Sect members formed a group. Wu Xingyun’s Lingjiu Palace followers gathered separately, waiting as she hadn’t come out yet. Blood Saber Ancestor led his disciples and a few evil-path allies. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling stuck together in a pair. And Ding Chunqiu was the only lone figure.
Unsurprisingly, aside from the Lingjiu Palace group and Ding Chunqiu, everyone was discussing the Life-and-Death Talisman. Some looked grim, others merely frowned, and a few were calm. But they didn’t say much, exchanging a few words before tacitly dispersing. This wasn’t the place for discussion.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling walked slowly, communicating telepathically while observing the crowd’s movements. ‘Got a read on them?’ Kou Zhong’s eyes darted. ‘Roughly. Need a bit more time to confirm,’ Xu Ziling said seriously. ‘Same here. Once confirmed, we’ll get close to Hall Master Ding and the others. This Black Dragon Stockade is terrifying enough as it is, and now with the Life-and-Death Talisman appearing, I won’t feel safe until I’ve secured a foothold,’ Kou Zhong said helplessly. ‘Same,’ Xu Ziling nodded solemnly.
Inside the assembly hall, Li Daoqiang glanced calmly outside, taking it all in. He had no particular thoughts about it. It was normal. If his subordinates didn’t band together, that would be shocking. He’d start suspecting they were hiding something from him. This was just natural development.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Wu Xingyun. Her small, tense face, delicate as carved jade, was exceptionally cute. But her real age was considerable, and she was a genuine top-tier expert. So Li Daoqiang had to show some respect and couldn’t tease her casually. Sighing slightly with regret, he smiled and said, “What’s wrong with Granny Tong? Who upset her?”
Wu Xingyun nearly jumped up to slap the bastard before her. You don’t know what’s wrong with me? Shameless enough. Gritting her teeth, her face red with anger, she paused and said in a low voice, “Chief, I need to focus on recovering and teaching Yuyan from now on. I probably won’t be able to cooperate with you at any time.”
In the end, reason prevailed. She didn’t waste words on useless things. Without her strength restored, she had no leverage, so she simply avoided looking at him. Out of sight, out of mind.
“No problem, Granny Tong can arrange things as she sees fit,” Li Daoqiang said magnanimously with a smile. Wu Xingyun didn’t say more, afraid she’d lose control and curse him out. She turned and left the assembly hall.
Li Daoqiang felt a bit regretful. He could tell Wu Xingyun was deliberately avoiding him. Maybe she was truly angry. It would be harder to tease the little loli now. But there was no helping it—what had to be done, had to be done.
The next day, under Li Daoqiang’s orders, a large group of Black Dragon Stockade members headed to Tianshan. They officially began the process of absorbing and integrating the people of the Thirty-Six Islands and Seventy-Two Caves, which would take some time.
Over the following days, Li Daoqiang managed the overall situation while focusing on cultivation. The several master-level martial arts techniques given by Jiumozhi, along with the Tianshan Six Sun Palm and Tianshan Handbreaking Technique, yielded him considerable gains. The Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms showed signs of significant progress.
Five days later, After finishing a minor seclusion, with the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms taking a big step forward, Li Daoqiang was in a good mood. That night, he arrived at Wang Yuyan’s courtyard.
Wang Yuyan looked upset, as if she had been wronged, gazing pitifully at Li Daoqiang. Knowing the reason, Li Daoqiang still asked gently, “What’s wrong? Who bullied my Yuyan?” “Granny Tong… Granny Tong scolded Yuyan again,” Wang Yuyan said in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s, tears falling. Her pitiful look was exceptionally beautiful.
Li Daoqiang suppressed the urge to laugh, pulled her fragrant, soft body into his arms, and comforted her, “Don’t cry. Granny Tong means well for you.” “Yuyan knows. Is Yuyan really useless? Always messing up?” Wang Yuyan looked up at him, even more aggrieved. “Who said that? My Yuyan is the best. Train hard, and you’ll surpass Granny Tong in martial arts, become a top expert, and leave her with nothing to say. She’ll have to bow and call you Sect Leader,” Li Daoqiang encouraged.
Wang Yuyan laughed through her tears, though still a bit unsure, “Can Yuyan do it?” “Definitely. Your husband believes in you,” Li Daoqiang said firmly, his tone resolute. Wang Yuyan bit her lip, gaining a bit of confidence, and nodded heavily, wrinkling her little nose, “Mm, Yuyan will.” “Good girl. Tonight, your husband will make it up to you properly,” Li Daoqiang said, scooping her up horizontally, a flame flickering in his eyes. Wang Yuyan’s face flushed bright red. She let out a soft moan and buried herself in his broad chest, refusing to lift her head.
Li Daoqiang strode toward the inner room. A storm of passion lasted about half an hour. In the end, Wang Yuyan looked at Li Daoqiang with bright, shy eyes, not too tired. That was the benefit of having strength. The once fragile little lamb could now stand her ground against him in a fight.
No need to say more—after just a dozen breaths, the battle resumed. Finally, Wang Yuyan fell asleep with a smile on her lips. Li Daoqiang’s spirit was still high. After a while, his expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Wang Yuyan, who had reached the Master Realm but still lacked alertness, then silently rose, dressed, and vanished from the room.
(Chapter 1, please subscribe, give me some motivation.) ······