Chapter 296: Chapter 283: Didn’t Leave Me a Single Spirit Stone

The area wasn’t large. One suspension bridge led up the mountain toward the people of Qingfeng Stronghold, who had been on the verge of despair.

Another suspension bridge led down the mountain—the only escape route.

Some foolish men saw Bone Two run off. Panicked from the chase, they immediately dashed for the suspension bridge leading down the mountain, only for Bone Two to catch up and kick them off the cliff, one by one. After that, no one else dared to set foot on that bridge.

A few other guys ran around in a panic, even managing to cross the suspension bridge to the Qingfeng Stronghold side. The people there caught them and delivered a savage beating. But clearly, they preferred a beating from the people of Qingfeng Stronghold to one from a Bone Demon. After all, a beating from them only made you scream in pain. A hit from a Bone Demon meant a broken arm or a broken leg.

On the other hand, the group that had been knocked out by Nalan Ziyun’s poison smoke was much luckier. Aside from a few unlucky ones who were trampled half to death by Bone One and Bone Two, the rest of them had escaped the ordeal.

Lan Feng, Lin Yi, and their companion were quite cunning. They lay motionless on the bluestone slabs at the edge, playing dead like dogs.

The entire scene was one of absolute carnage!

Nalan Ziyun waved to the bewildered crowd from Qingfeng Stronghold. "What are you all staring at? Get over here and tie all these people up to await my command!"

The people from Qingfeng Stronghold fell silent for a moment, then erupted with a sky-shaking cheer. With a great RUSH, they charged across the suspension bridge and trussed up all the survivors from the three other factions.

The crowd gazed at Shen Lang as if he were a Celestial God, their adoration undeniable.

With such overwhelming power and such decisive methods, the young man had become a veritable god in their eyes.

It was his arrival that had turned the tables.

It was his arrival that allowed them to claim a total victory and escape with their lives!

Amidst the crowd’s fervent gazes, Shen Lang kicked a few pebbles into the pit. "Come on out and chat. If you don’t, I’ll just haul a huge boulder over and bury you alive."

"No, no, no! We’re coming out!" voices pleaded from within the pit. Zhang Cheng stumbled out, supported by two men, with a fourth person trailing behind them.

These four, once so grand and impressive, were now a pathetic sight in their tattered clothes.

Zhang Cheng, in particular, was in unspeakable misery. Both of his feet had been stomped on by Shen Lang, and he still couldn’t stand properly.

The surrounding people from Qingfeng Stronghold recognized Zhang Cheng. They didn’t dare speak up, but their faces were alight with the joy of seeing a bitter enemy get his comeuppance.

Shen Lang glanced coolly at the four and said, "You should thank the seniors from the White Rainbow Sect. Not long ago, they confronted the people from the Holy Light Sect on my behalf, which counts as an indirect favor. It’s only because I remember that favor that I’ve let you live. Otherwise... Hmph hmph!"

Hearing that Shen Lang knew people from the White Rainbow Sect, Zhang Cheng’s heart leaped with joy, and he immediately puffed up with arrogance. "You... It’s good that you know we’re from the White Rainbow Sect. You can’t touch me. If you do, my father won’t let you off! My father is a Steward of Jade Appreciation Peak in the White Rainbow Sect, and he’s the senior brother of the Illusion Mist City Lord. If you dare touch me, you won’t be able to take a single step in Illusion Mist City..."

The other three White Rainbow Sect disciples heard this and knew they were screwed. Just as they were about to salvage the situation, it was too late. Shen Lang backhanded Zhang Cheng, sending one of his teeth flying.

"Fuck me, I’m so scared. I’m just terrified..."

SLAP! Shen Lang followed up with a forehand slap as he spoke, causing Zhang Cheng’s face to swell up comically.

The other three exchanged glances, then quickly bowed their heads, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.

Shen Lang turned his head and asked, "What’s the name of the Illusion Mist City Lord, and what’s his Cultivation level?"

Nalan Ziyun replied in a cold voice, "An Fengrui. He’s from the White Rainbow Sect. His Cultivation is rumored to be at the Xuanwu Realm Third Heaven, and he has countless masters at his command."

"Xuanwu Realm Third Heaven? So strong? Oh, I’m terrified. A figure like that is way out of my league... Why don’t we just run for it now?" Shen Lang said with a laugh.

This time, Zhang Cheng didn’t make another peep. He had been thoroughly beaten into submission.

’Just where did this freak come from?’ Zhang Cheng thought, completely bewildered. ’He wasn’t intimidated by a Xuanwu Realm master like An Fengrui, who has an army of elite warriors, nor by a massive Sect like the White Rainbow Sect. What in the world could possibly make him afraid?’

’Even if his Cultivation is higher than the four of ours, and even if he has two powerful Bone Demons, does he have to be so outrageously arrogant?’

’The White Rainbow Sect is a famous Profound Iron Level Influence in the Purple Chu Country!’

’Someone who doesn’t even care about the White Rainbow Sect must come from a Profound Iron Level Influence at the very least, right?’

’The problem is, among all the Profound Iron Level Influences within a thousand-mile radius, I’ve never heard of a character like him!’

Just as Zhang Cheng was thinking this, he suddenly saw Shen Lang grab his right sleeve, lift it up, and then lightly pat it twice, brushing off the dust.

’What is this Demon trying to do?’ Zhang Cheng felt a sudden, baseless panic.

He then watched as Shen Lang brushed the dirt from his hand, casually plucked the Sumeru Ring from his finger, wiped it twice on Zhang Cheng’s clothes, and slipped it into his own pocket!

"Bastard, you’ve gone too far! Give me back my Sumeru Ring, or else..." Zhang Cheng was not only lecherous but also greedy. Taking his Sumeru Ring was almost more agonizing than killing him.

The anguish made him forget his life was in the other man’s hands, and he began to howl with uncontrollable rage.

Before he could finish, Shen Lang sent a backhand slap flying.

This slap was nothing like the previous two. As it flew, the sharp sound of Breaking the Sky rang out. Zhang Cheng’s entire body was sent flying, and he fell silent—knocked out cold!

The people around stared blankly at all this. No one made a peep, and no one paid any attention to the unlucky Zhang Cheng.

"And yours, my three Senior Brothers?" Shen Lang turned and fixed his gaze on the three White Rainbow Sect disciples.

He called them "Senior Brothers" with such warmth, it was almost enough to make the three of them weep.

’Damn that Zhang Cheng, what a jinx! I just wanted to follow him and get a piece of the action. Now, not only did I get nothing, but I’m about to have my entire fortune extorted from me?’

’This is infuriating! Who the hell is this kid? Doesn’t he know that being so ruthless will create a grudge that can’t be resolved? Dammit, you took my Sumeru Ring, my Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills... I will absolutely never let you off!’

’This kid has definitely done this before. Look how naturally he’s smiling. Anyone who didn’t know better would think my junior brother brought me some snacks to curry favor. Dammit, he’s not even leaving me a single Spirit Stone. He’s so fucking evil...’

As these thoughts ran through their minds, the faces of the three men turned purple with rage.

’Don’t give them up? This guy is ruthless and efficient; he’ll just take them by force. And at his speed, there’s no way the three of us could escape.’

’But if we do... most of the wealth we’ve accumulated our whole lives is in there. Spirit Stones, Elixir Pills, Spiritual Artifacts... how could we possibly be willing to part with it?’

’The only small comfort is that we all left a considerable amount of our belongings back at the Sect. Otherwise, if we were truly robbed of everything, we’d probably find a big rock and bash our own heads in.’

The three of them reluctantly removed the Sumeru Rings from their fingers and handed them to Shen Lang.

Transferring items out of a Sumeru Ring would inevitably cause fluctuations in Spiritual Power. With Shen Lang staring them down, any thoughts they had of secretly moving their belongings were obediently discarded.

"My three Senior Brothers are truly straightforward people. I am deeply impressed. May I ask your names?" Shen Lang’s smile grew even wider as he asked for their names.

The three of them nearly coughed up blood.

’This is so fucking shameless! Other people extort a portion of Spirit Stones, but you? You take the whole Sumeru Ring, leaving no way out for anyone!’

’Fine, leave us no way out, whatever. But you even ask for our names—what, you want to remember them so you can rob us again next time?!’

’How can a person be so evil?’

’How can a person be so insatiably greedy?’

They seemed to have forgotten just how evil and insatiably greedy they themselves were.

Before, they had squeezed every last drop from factions like the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps, Langya Mountain, and Lianyun Stronghold, and that was one thing. But now, following Zhang Cheng to Qingfeng Stronghold, they were even trying to skim some profit from a poor place like this...

But then again, when compared to Shen Lang, it was like a junior witch meeting a Great Witch; they felt utterly inferior.

"Yun Jingchu."

"Le Suixin."

"Mu Feng."

The three White Rainbow Sect disciples replied listlessly, rolling their eyes.

Shen Lang laughed. "My three Senior Brothers are so handsome and suave. Even your names are stylish. Truly, you are all dragons among men. Some other day, I’ll visit the White Rainbow Sect to call on you and deepen our friendship."

"Huh?" Nalan Ziyun sounded displeased. "These sons of bitches nearly killed me and almost wiped out Qingfeng Stronghold, and you’re just going to let them go after taking their things? Bone One, hand me your Bone Saber. I’m going to stab them a couple of times and we’ll see what happens!"

The eyes of Yun Jingchu’s trio went wide, and they were on the verge of tears.

’Dammit, this black-robed youth is already a Demon, but the one next to him is even more vicious! You already took all our stuff, and now you want our lives too!’

’Even the worst sentence is just death. Can’t you show some mercy and let us live?’

The three of them immediately looked at Shen Lang with pitiful eyes.

All the resentment they had just felt toward Shen Lang was thrown to the far corners of the heavens.

After all, Shen Lang had just said he’d visit them at the White Rainbow Sect later. That must mean he was planning to let them live after taking their stuff.

’But this woman next to him is still relentless... In comparison, the black-robed youth is much more reasonable!’

Sure enough...

Shen Lang pushed away the enormous Bone Saber in Nalan Ziyun’s hand and said, "After all, our three Senior Brothers are just followers. They didn’t really do anything that bad..."

"Yes, yes, yes! We’re just followers! We didn’t do anything! It was all that idiot Zhang Cheng..." The three of them latched onto this lifeline, speaking in unison and pushing all the blame onto Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng, who had just regained consciousness, heard this. A mouthful of blood welled up in his throat. GULP. His vision went black, and he almost fainted again.

Shen Lang added, "So if you want to stab someone a couple of times, just stab Zhang Cheng."