Each one of them felt their mouths go dry.
Too much!
Truly too much!
So much that Wan Zhenshan and the others' expressions changed, their brows tightly furrowed.
"Could the chieftain be joking with us?" Wan Zhenshan took a light breath, forcing a faint smile.
Lin Yuan and the other man also frowned at Li Daoqiang, puzzled, and even signaled him with their eyes.
"I never joke. I said one hundred fifty-two thousand taels, and that's the amount—not a single tael less, not a single tael more." Li Daoqiang's face remained unchanged from start to finish, each word spoken clearly and precisely.
Now, everyone was certain that Li Daoqiang (their own chieftain) was serious.
Wan Zhenshan and the others' faces grew even uglier, their gazes turning cold as they glared at Li Daoqiang.
Lin Yuan and the other man's expressions also darkened. If the situation weren't so inappropriate, they would have spoken up themselves.
What was Li Daoqiang trying to do?
This was practically forcing the major forces of Jingzhou into a fight to the death with him.
Had he lost his mind?
After the initial shock, most of the Black Dragon Village members grew excited.
One hundred fifty-two thousand taels!
What a fortune that was!
Their eyes reddened as they looked at Wan Zhenshan and the others.
"Chief Li, are twenty-some people worth that much? Are you mocking us?" Yuan Tongchuan suppressed his anger, speaking coldly.
If not for caution, he would have called them mere underlings.
"If they had been killed or wounded when we of the Black Dragon Village provoked an enemy, then no, they wouldn't be worth it—after all, in a martial world fight, if you're outmatched, you deserve to die.
But since you came to our doorstep and killed or injured them, they are worth it." Li Daoqiang said unhurriedly, yet with exceptional force.
Wan Zhenshan and the others could barely hold back.
No matter how cautious they were, they couldn't agree to this.
Lin Yuan and the other man could no longer restrain themselves and sent a telepathic message to Li Daoqiang.
'Chieftain, know when to stop. The major forces of Jingzhou City will never agree.'
'Chieftain, don't invite more trouble.'
Li Daoqiang glanced at them, a hint of a smile curling at his lips as he replied telepathically, 'No need to worry, you two. Just watch.'
The calm yet forceful tone only made Lin Yuan and the other man frown deeper.
Suddenly, they felt as if something had slipped beyond their expectations and control.
The Li Daoqiang before them seemed different somehow.
"Chief Li, is there truly no room for negotiation? We're all in the Jingzhou area, bound to cross paths. Going too far isn't wise, is it? The major forces of Jingzhou City don't take kindly to excess." Wan Zhenshan completely dropped his smile, speaking seriously.
"Are you threatening me?" Li Daoqiang looked at Wan Zhenshan with interest.
"I wouldn't dare, but I'm just stating the truth." Wan Zhenshan's tone also hardened.
No matter what, there was no way they could agree to such a sum.
The major forces of Jingzhou City would never accept it either.
Three innate masters were formidable, but if pushed too far, there were ways to deal with them.
Yuan Tongchuan and Wang Zhen also hardened their expressions, making it clear—this price was impossible.
"Hahaha!" Li Daoqiang burst into loud laughter.
But his voice grew colder. "Fine, fine, fine. Truly arrogant, aren't you? Breaking into my stronghold, killing my brothers, and still daring to threaten me. Do you think I'm too merciful, that you can bully me?"
Wan Zhenshan and the others were both angry and frustrated. They admitted they had been a bit arrogant at first, but they had since changed their attitude, showing plenty of respect.
Now, who was the arrogant one?
The Black Dragon Village had robbed the major forces of Jingzhou City countless times—if anyone was arrogant, it was them!
Lin Yuan and the other man were also frantic. Had Li Daoqiang truly lost his mind?
If this continued, even their master wouldn't be able to manipulate things behind the scenes.
'Chieftain!'
'Chieftain!'
Helpless, they kept sending telepathic messages, but Li Daoqiang ignored them, leaving them fuming with dark faces.
"Enough." At that moment, Yuan Tongchuan, who had exchanged glances with the others, spoke up.
His voice was heavy. "Chieftain, since that's the case, we'll have to spar with you. Regardless of the outcome, we'll leave immediately. As for today's grievances, we'll settle them another day."
Even in their anger, as seasoned veterans, they wouldn't fight to the death.
A spar to show their strength and intimidate would suffice.
As for how to deal with the Black Dragon Village, that wasn't just their problem—it was a matter for all the forces of Jingzhou City. They wouldn't bear it alone.
Li Daoqiang sneered coldly, each word deliberate. "You come to my Black Dragon Village to cause trouble, and you think you can just leave?"
"What does Chief Li mean? Do you intend to keep us here? We're not pushovers either." Wang Zhen couldn't help but rage.
They felt they had backed down repeatedly, giving plenty of face. Did he really think they were afraid?
"Then let me show you whether you're pushovers or not." Li Daoqiang snorted coldly.
The next moment, a formidable aura erupted from him.
It grew stronger at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, the air around him seemed to solidify, and those nearby felt as if they were caught in a gale, stumbling back in terror.
Within mere breaths, the aura had become like a mountain, or like an ancient beast awakening.
Faint sounds of dragon roars and elephant trumpets echoed.
Lin Yuan, the other man, Wan Zhenshan, and the others' expressions changed drastically.
The tangible pressure on their bodies, combined with the immense shock in their hearts, threw them into chaos.
This aura—how was it possible?
Before they could dwell on their shock, Li Daoqiang moved.
He took a large step forward, golden light enveloping him, faint afterimages trailing behind.
Though he had no exceptional lightness skill, his immense physical strength and inner energy made his speed terrifyingly fast in the eyes of Wan Zhenshan and the others.
They had no time to dodge as a massive palm struck toward them.
Golden light surged like a tidal wave, overwhelming and crushing, as if it would shatter their bodies.
Wan Zhenshan and the others' faces turned even more horrified. Without a word, they forced their inner energy to resist.
"Boom!"
"Pfft!"
With a thunderous crash, all thirteen were sent flying backward, spitting blood, and slammed hard into the ground.
Instantly, most were severely injured, and the rest were far from unscathed.
The three innate masters at the front had several bones broken. They stared at Li Daoqiang as if they had seen a ghost, disbelief in their eyes.
"You, you—"
Not just them, but Lin Yuan, the other man, and even the Black Dragon Village members felt as if they had seen a ghost.
Those were three lofty innate masters!
And their chieftain had swatted them like dead dogs with a single slap!
It felt like a dream!
Especially the higher-ups of the Black Dragon Village, whose throats went dry.
They looked at the towering figure with awe.
"The chieftain is mighty!"
Suddenly, Li Si shouted loudly.
Immediately, hundreds joined in a thunderous roar, the sound waves surging.
Lin Yuan and the other man swallowed hard, still not fully processing it.
This...
It was as if a lump was stuck in their chests, leaving them speechless.
After a few breaths, Li Daoqiang raised a hand to silence the crowd.
He looked coldly at the thirteen on the ground, a hint of disdain in his voice. "With such little skill, you dared to cause trouble at my Black Dragon Village? Who gave you the nerve?"
Wan Zhenshan and the others had no words to defend themselves, inwardly cursing the intelligence gatherers to death.
Fear filled their hearts. Wan Zhenshan spoke with difficulty, "The chieftain's might is divine. We failed to recognize your greatness and offended you. Please, chieftain, show mercy and spare our lives. The one hundred fifty-two thousand taels will be delivered immediately."
Yuan Tongchuan and the others quickly nodded in agreement.
With such terrifying strength and their lives in his hands, they had no choice but to accept this debt.
And they had to make the major forces of Jingzhou City pay together. With this kind of power, those forces wouldn't dare oppose it.
Such was the difference strength made.
"The one hundred fifty-two thousand taels is what you owe. But now that you're in my hands, do you think you can walk away without repaying the grace of being spared?" Li Daoqiang said coldly.
Wan Zhenshan and the others immediately understood. Over the past month, the story of Chief Li's "grace of sparing lives" had spread throughout Jingzhou City.
"Please speak, chieftain." Yuan Tongchuan forced a smile.
"You all know I value trust and fair deals. The grace of sparing a life has its price, set by rank and level.
For the Eight Extraordinary Meridians realm, it's two thousand taels. For the innate realm—you three are weak among innates, so I won't cheat you. Ten thousand taels each. That totals fifty thousand taels."
Li Daoqiang spoke slowly. Wan Zhenshan and the others breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they could afford that.
"But—"
Those two words made them tense up again.
"This is the standard price. However, you came to my doorstep with intent to kill me, which is an exceptionally severe offense.
So it's triple the price, meaning one hundred fifty thousand taels." Li Daoqiang said without room for negotiation.
Wan Zhenshan and the others grimaced. One hundred fifty thousand taels!
Another one hundred fifty thousand taels!
But they had no right to refuse, so they could only nod bitterly in agreement.
At this, Li Daoqiang's expression finally softened a bit. The Black Dragon Village members were ecstatic.
So much money!
It wasn't theirs, but it belonged to their chieftain, and that was enough to excite them.
Having such a powerful chieftain gave them a sense of security.
"Good. Add the one hundred fifty-two thousand taels for my fallen brothers, and that's three hundred two thousand taels total. Bring me writing materials. You three will write down everything clearly. I want the money by tomorrow morning. If I don't see it, don't blame me for being harsh.
Not just your lives—I'll personally pay a visit to Jingzhou City." Li Daoqiang said with implication.
Wan Zhenshan and the others, hearing this, were somewhat relieved. This made it more likely that the major forces of Jingzhou City would pay up.
They didn't dare delay and quickly began writing.
After they finished, Li Daoqiang looked it over, quite satisfied.
These three knew how to persuade the Jingzhou City forces to cough up the money.
He sealed the letters, scanned the ten Eight Extraordinary Meridians realm cultivators, and picked the two with the lightest injuries.
...