His hands clenched into fists, a surge of power several times stronger than before flowing through him. The air itself seemed to be crushed—no, not just a feeling; with his current strength, he could actually do it. "Strength to uproot mountains, spirit to overshadow the world." For some reason, Li Daoqiang thought of this phrase. In his past life, it would have been the perfect description of his power now. For a moment, his confidence and boldness grew even more.
Without wasting time, he focused his mind on the Big Bandit System and tapped on the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art again. Then, he frowned—he didn't have enough bandit points. "Five thousand points!" he murmured, his brow furrowing slightly. The number was quite surprising. Of course, once the fifth level of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art was mastered, it would reach the Innate Realm. The Innate Realm and the Houtian Realm were entirely different levels, so he could understand. After a moment's thought, he tapped on the Iron Shirt Art, and two hundred bandit points vanished. Immediately, that mysterious, vast power reappeared. His skin and flesh quivered, as if being hammered, growing tougher bit by bit. After a few breaths, the change ended.
Li Daoqiang raised his arm, pinched his flesh—it was as hard as rock. He nodded in satisfaction. The perfected Iron Shirt Art was indeed effective, more than twice as strong as the great completion stage. The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art cultivated both internal and external, strengthening the body and enhancing defense, combined with the defense-focused Iron Shirt Art. Together, they could withstand fine steel blades, significantly boosting his combat power. The two hundred bandit points were well worth it for him now. Without hesitation, he tapped on the Cicada-Chasing Step. One hundred bandit points disappeared. His consciousness shifted, and internal energy flowed, primarily through the meridians and acupoints in his legs, as if he had practiced it millions of times, so familiar it was instinctual.
In an instant, he rose and practiced in the room, his strides like shooting stars, his mighty physique giving off an unstoppable, torrential momentum. After a while, he stopped, feeling somewhat satisfied. Though it didn't enhance his speed and footwork much, the Cicada-Chasing Step was just an ordinary Houtian Realm martial art; even at perfection, he couldn't expect too much. Looking at the remaining martial art, the Crushing Stone Palm, Li Daoqiang thought for a moment and decided not to upgrade it. The Crushing Stone Palm's grade was strictly lower than the Cicada-Chasing Step. For him now, even at perfection, the effect would be negligible—not worth wasting a hundred bandit points. Though he still had over two thousand bandit points, Li Daoqiang knew he was still poor, very poor, and had to budget carefully.
Having improved his strength, he wasn't in a hurry. Right there in the room where Lin Sanlong and his wife had died, he began examining the martial arts they left behind. There were over a dozen, large and small, including the Cicada-Chasing Step, Crushing Stone Palm, and Iron Shirt Art. Most were of similar grade to the Crushing Stone Palm, with two of higher grade—one internal energy manual and one blade technique. He opened them for a closer look. The internal energy manual didn't interest him much; it was likely what Lin Sanlong himself practiced. But the blade technique caught his interest. Still, he wasn't in a rush to practice it. Checking the time, he calculated again, packed up, and walked out of the courtyard.
An hour later. In the Black Dragon Stronghold, the lights that had mostly gone out flickered back on. Various noises filled the air, eventually converging outside Lin Sanlong's courtyard. When they saw Lin Sanlong and his wife's bodies, and Li Daoqiang standing there with a grim face, exuding a fierce aura, all the noise stopped. Everyone waited, some shocked, some scared, some anxious, some pleased. No one even asked how Lin Sanlong and his wife died—they didn't dare. Even Lin Sanlong's former trusted followers remained silent, more uneasy than ever, not daring to look at Li Daoqiang.
Li Daoqiang observed their reactions without surprise. They were all bandits and outlaws—what loyalty or camaraderie could there be? With Lin Sanlong and his wife dead, naturally no one dared to speak up. That was the way of bandits. The dead were worthless. No matter how glorious in life, once dead, they meant nothing. Soon, over two hundred people had gathered, still silent. Seeing that most had arrived, Li Daoqiang swept his gaze across them; no one met his eyes. Slightly satisfied, he didn't hide the truth and said bluntly, "Brothers, as you can all see, the chieftain and his wife are dead. How did they die? Simple. The chieftain and his wife were jealous of my abilities, afraid I'd take their position. Pity my loyalty was wasted on such despicable men, a waste of a good man's strength."
His voice rose with anger, and he stomped hard. "Boom!" A loud crash followed, shaking the ground for dozens of zhang. The Black Dragon Stronghold members felt the earth tremble beneath their feet. Looking closely, they saw a deep footprint where Li Daoqiang stood, with cracks several zhang long radiating from it—terrifying. Their eyes widened in shock and awe. Even those who had been skeptical now believed. Such terrifying strength must have surpassed the chieftain long ago. If he only killed the chieftain now, it must be because the chieftain betrayed him first. With that thought, even those who felt uneasy calmed down, turning their disdain toward Lin Sanlong.
"The chieftain—no, Lin Sanlong and his wife are despicable, unworthy of being our chieftain!" someone suddenly shouted, face full of contempt and anger. "Right, Lin Sanlong and his wife went too far. They deserved to die." "Yes, I think we should make the second chieftain our new chieftain. His strength is astonishing, and he's righteous—he'll surely lead the Black Dragon Stronghold to greater prosperity." "Exactly, let's pay respects to the new chieftain." "Pay respects to the chieftain." In a few words, voices rose one after another, and all two hundred-plus people bowed, calling him chieftain.
Li Daoqiang watched their performance calmly, inwardly satisfied. Those who spoke up now were naturally the stronghold's leaders. In a den of bandits, those who rose to leadership weren't necessarily smart, but they weren't stupid. Seeing his display of power, they knew what to do. Especially Lin Sanlong's former trusted followers, who were the most eager, their expressions as if they bore a deep, irreconcilable hatred for Lin Sanlong and his wife. Without any pretense of modesty, Li Daoqiang declared loudly, "Good. Thanks to the trust of my brothers, I, Li Daoqiang, will take on the role of chieftain. From now on, I'll lead you all to feast on the best."
"Hail the chieftain!" one person immediately shouted. "Hail the chieftain!" the crowd echoed. After a few rounds of cheers, Li Daoqiang raised his hand, and everyone fell silent. He looked at Lin Sanlong and his wife's bodies, his expression cold and disdainful. "Lin Sanlong and his wife tried to kill me, but they didn't expect my strength. I killed them instead. Such treacherous scum who betray their brothers don't deserve to stay in the Black Dragon Stronghold. Wang Lin, throw their bodies to the wolves in the back mountain."
(Finally signed the contract, delayed a few days.)