The speed increased as they headed toward Six-Finger Manor.
Along the way, they saw more and more martial artists from the jianghu rushing in the same direction.
Half a day later, Li Daoqiang received the latest news.
At Six-Finger Manor, with a large number of martial artists gathering, various conflicts had already erupted.
At every moment, countless martial artists were locked in deadly combat.
Many had begun to die.
This was only natural. Without the involvement of prestigious sects, the mass of martial artists was nothing but a scattered mess.
Countless grudges and grievances existed among them, and settling them upon meeting was only to be expected.
Under the current circumstances, those influential and imposing sects had yet to show themselves.
After all, this was ultimately driven by greed for the Demon Qin.
The Demon Qin itself had not even appeared, and its very name suggested it was not a righteous artifact, resembling instead something from the demonic path.
How could those sects, so protective of their reputations and status, easily step into such a mess?
At most, some of their underlings had joined in.
Just as Li Daoqiang had thought, many powerful figures had not revealed themselves.
Only a few of their subordinates had shown traces around Six-Finger Manor.
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that those powerful figures had already arrived but were simply lying low.
Li Daoqiang himself leaned toward the idea that they had not yet come. Regardless of whether they had designs on the Demon Qin, it had not truly manifested, and those experts would not act lightly.
He asked himself honestly: if he hadn't known certain things and hadn't come seeking other opportunities, he too would have stayed put, waiting for news.
People like Zhu Yuyan were ultimately rare exceptions.
And even she was only acting because she valued the Demon Qin so highly and was determined to obtain it.
Two more days passed, and Li Daoqiang and his two companions arrived near Six-Finger Manor on Immortal Peak.
Martial artists were everywhere here.
No fewer than tens of thousands, and their numbers were still growing.
All sorts of discussions, battles, and searches were underway.
They searched for any traces left by Six-Finger Manor, and also for any sign of Six-Finger Master.
Indeed, Six-Finger Master had long since vanished. Those who first arrived at the manor had found no trace of him.
It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.
Li Daoqiang and his group quietly settled into a farmhouse near Immortal Peak, arranged in advance by men sent ahead.
When night fell, Li Daoqiang ordered Blood Saber Old Ancestor and Lü Lin to rest and recover, while he set out alone.
His so-called "action" was simply to get a clear picture of the current situation.
And also to see if there were any suitable targets.
Under the cover of night, Six-Finger Manor was not peaceful, but the darkness provided a natural shield, concealing much.
Li Daoqiang perfectly suppressed his aura, relying on the keen perception of his innate war god nature to move through the wilderness and towns.
Before long, he detected a Grandmaster-level expert. He did not approach, lest he alert the man, but simply memorized his aura.
Then he continued.
One, two, three...
One by one, hidden Grandmasters were discovered by Li Daoqiang.
Of course, he wasn't just searching for Grandmasters; he was also looking for suitable targets.
A few hours later, Li Daoqiang returned to the farmhouse with three unconscious figures.
"Chief!"
Blood Saber Old Ancestor and Lü Lin were immediately startled awake. After bowing, they looked curiously at the three unconscious forms.
Li Daoqiang casually dropped them to the ground and said calmly, "Wake them up and see if they're willing to join our Black Dragon Stronghold.
If not, make them pay—forty thousand taels each.
If they can't pay within two hours, they must join the Black Dragon Stronghold."
Hearing this, Blood Saber Old Ancestor and Lü Lin found it somewhat odd.
Wasn't this just forcing them to join?
Lü Lin, in particular, felt conflicted.
This was his first time engaging in such blatant banditry, and he couldn't help but feel repulsed and resistant.
Li Daoqiang seemed utterly indifferent to their feelings, simply sitting there watching.
Blood Saber Old Ancestor began to act, while Lü Lin glanced at Li Daoqiang, wanting to say something but hesitating.
After all, the man before him was the infamous great bandit of the jianghu.
"Poison Black Sword Li Ping, Ruthless Hand Wang Huo, Thunder Poison Fire Xue Baizhi—Chief, I know these three. I'll make sure they join our Black Dragon Stronghold."
Blood Saber Old Ancestor searched the three thoroughly, even finding their most carefully hidden valuables, and smiled with confidence.
The items he found included nearly ten thousand taels in banknotes and some other small trinkets.
Li Daoqiang nodded inwardly. When he had knocked them out, he had done a quick search, but given his current status, he wouldn't stoop to searching every inch of their bodies.
Blood Saber Old Ancestor, being an old hand, handled things to his satisfaction.
As for Lü Lin, he still needed tempering.
Then, Li Daoqiang's thoughts turned to what he had discovered that night.
He had found eight Grandmasters in total.
That was no small number, and some were top-tier experts.
There were surely more he hadn't yet detected.
He pondered for a moment, then shifted his focus to his gains.
These three figures were his harvest.
But reaping rewards wasn't simple. He couldn't just knock out every Xiantian expert he found and force them to join the Black Dragon Stronghold.
If he did, the stronghold would soon become the common enemy of the martial world, besieged by righteous factions.
Rules had to be followed at all times.
Even for someone like him.
First, the target couldn't be a righteous figure. It was best if they were from the demonic path or morally ambiguous.
Second, they should be lone wolves, unaffiliated with any faction.
That way, even if he forced them to join, it wouldn't provoke public outrage.
Thus, he had spent several hours selecting just these three, and even then, with the help of the Black Dragon Stronghold's intelligence network.
Of course, he wasn't in a hurry. With so many martial artists around, there were bound to be plenty of suitable candidates. He could take his time.
If possible, he would have preferred to knock out a Grandmaster and force them to join.
But now wasn't the time. Knocking out a Grandmaster would cause too much commotion, and finding a suitable one was difficult.
More importantly, he lacked the deterrent power over Grandmasters.
Even if they agreed, they would have plenty of chances to escape later, or even stab him in the back. They wouldn't fear his so-called killing intent.
Xiantian experts were different. Li Daoqiang was confident they wouldn't dare to flee, and couldn't even if they tried.
So, he had to settle for Xiantian.
But that was fine. Xiantian experts were easier to handle. If quality was lacking, quantity would make up for it.
Take the present case, for example. The three men, now awake, looked at Li Daoqiang with fear, not daring to resist.
When Blood Saber Old Ancestor told them they had to produce forty thousand taels each within two hours, they dared not show anger, let alone speak out.
One of them immediately spoke up: "Li Ping is willing to join the Black Dragon Stronghold. I beg the Chief to accept me."
Li Daoqiang gave him a second look. A clever one.
"I accept you. Blood Saber, teach him the rules later."
"Yes."
"Thank you, Chief. Your subordinate greets the Chief."
Two voices rang out together.
Then, whether genuinely willing or not, the other two also requested to join.
Li Daoqiang agreed to each, and Blood Saber taught them the rules. Twenty-four thousand bandit points were secured.
By now, Lü Lin's earlier discomfort had faded, replaced by a smile.
It was simple: he had heard of these three's reputations. Coming from an escort agency, he knew they were all from the demonic path.
In his eyes, bringing them into the Black Dragon Stronghold was almost an act of justice.
He had no objections.
In fact, he felt a thrill of excitement. If he could gather all the villains and demons of the jianghu into the stronghold and make them follow the rules, what a feat that would be!
Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
Leaving Lü Lin to his fantasies, Li Daoqiang ordered the Black Dragon Stronghold's intelligence network to continue searching for suitable candidates.
He himself conserved his energy.
During the day, there were too many people to act. He would continue at night.
While Li Daoqiang was busy reaping his gains, the area around Six-Finger Manor grew increasingly turbulent and restless.
Everyone seemed to be waiting, though none knew for what.
But the atmosphere grew more volatile, ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
In a manor dozens of miles from Six-Finger Manor, in a room, a figure radiating coldness was playing the qin.
As if recalling something unpleasant, her ten slender fingers moved faster and faster, the music growing more intense, even discordant and jarring.
After a few breaths, the music reached a peak and then abruptly stopped.
The woman pressed both hands heavily on the strings, her breathing ragged.
Her cold eyes were filled with killing intent.
"Miss."
At that moment, a hunchbacked man entered, calling out with concern.
"I'm fine. Found them?"
She took a deep breath, slowly calming her turbulent emotions, and spoke in a low voice.
"Only traces of Ghost Saint and Han Xun. Dongfang Bai and He Qinghua are nowhere to be found." The hunchbacked man shook his head, a hint of guilt in his voice.
The woman frowned slightly, hesitation flickering in her eyes.
The hunchbacked man paused, then said gravely, "Miss, I still think we should release a fake Demon Qin and let them destroy each other.
If we give the fake Demon Qin to Ghost Saint, given the current situation, he will surely die.
Dongfang Bai and He Qinghua might even reveal themselves."
"No." The woman refused without a second thought, her voice icy with killing intent. "I must do it myself. The revenge of my family—I will take it with my own hands."
The hunchbacked man sighed, full of worry but helpless.
He had advised her countless times to no avail.
Taking revenge with her own hands had become an obsession for the past sixteen years.
But considering the current situation, he gritted his teeth and persisted: "Miss, we've been planning for years. Around Six-Finger Manor, we've already detected six Grandmasters.
There must be more in hiding. They're all after the Demon Qin. If you act, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Qi Fu, don't persuade me anymore. My mind is made up. Please search again for traces of Dongfang Bai and He Qinghua. Two days from now, no matter what, I will act." The woman wasn't angry; there was even a hint of warmth in her expression, but her refusal was firm.
(Thank you for your support.)
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