"ARGH..."

Ma the Third shrieked incessantly. His mouth was a bloody pulp, his entire jaw smashed to mincemeat.

It all happened so fast!

In the blink of an eye, Ma the Third, who had been so insufferably arrogant just a moment ago, was reduced to this wretched state.

The crowd gasped, sucking in cold breaths of air.

"Damn, Ma the Third is an expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Stage! How did that kid take him down in the blink of an eye?"

"Hahaha, the Wild Wolf Brothers really messed with the wrong person this time!"

"Hmph, I say that kid is a dead man! Who in Dilong Town doesn’t know that the Wild Wolf Brothers’ leader, One-Eyed Dragon, is the brother-in-law of the second-in-command of Blood Wolf Village? Offending the Wild Wolf Brothers is the same as making an enemy of Blood Wolf Village!"

GASP...

Hearing that the Wild Wolf Brothers’ backer was actually Blood Wolf Village, everyone’s faces filled with shock and fear.

In the vast Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers, merchant caravans traveled year-round, trading goods related to Demon Beasts. Naturally, many bandit groups sprang up. Blood Wolf Village was one of the ten most powerful.

Their Village Chief, Blood Wolf, was said to be a terrifying existence at the True Martial Realm Eighth Stage!

"Third..."

One-Eyed Dragon shot to his feet and flipped the table. A CLATTER of plates, food, and the table itself flew toward Jiang Chen.

It flew with a series of WHOOSHES.

Jiang Chen swept a cold glance at him and snorted. With a loud BOOM, the table, plates, and everything else exploded into a cloud of splinters and dust.

"Kid, let Ma the Third go, or this day next year will be the anniversary of your death!" the weasel-faced Du the Second said grimly, tossing two gleaming daggers in his hands.

His cultivation had reached the True Martial Realm First Stage.

A True Essence Light flickered around his body. The surrounding tables and chairs CREAKED wherever it passed.

Wielding a heavy hammer, One-Eyed Dragon strode menacingly toward Jiang Chen. With his cultivation at the True Martial Realm Second Stage, he was a force to be reckoned with in Dilong Town. "Kid, you dare touch one of my brothers? You must be tired of living. I’ll give you two options. One: hand over all your treasures and kill yourself. I’ll let you have a clean corpse. Two: resist to the bitter end, and I’ll personally smash you to death with this hammer! Make your choice!"

"Uh..."

Jiang Chen paused, then said with a deadpan expression, "I’m dead either way, aren’t I? Is there a third option?"

"Hmph! Offend the Wild Wolf Brothers and death is your only path! Enough talk, decide now!" One-Eyed Dragon said.

Du the Second sneered. "I’d advise you to kill yourself. If our leader has to act, you’ll be begging to live but unable to, begging to die but denied even that!"

"I was thinking of letting you all go," Jiang Chen said slowly with a soft sigh. "But since you’re so determined to die, I suppose I have no choice but to oblige you."

"Fuck! You’re the one courting death!"

"Reckless fool!"

The faces of One-Eyed Dragon and Du the Second darkened.

The two exchanged a look, each seeing the cold killing intent in the other’s eyes.

SWISH— SWISH—

The two attacked simultaneously.

One, wielding a heavy hammer like a Demon Lord of Mayhem, brought it crashing down toward Jiang Chen’s head. "Hammer Shocking Mountains!"

The single blow seemed to have the power to split mountains and shatter stone!

With a cold glare and killing intent surging, Du the Second flicked his Battle Blade through the air. "Rising Waves Without Wind!"

ROAR...

A swath of blue light appeared out of thin air, the individual blade strikes converging into an ocean of light that surged toward Jiang Chen, threatening to slice him to pieces!

Faced with their simultaneous, murderous killing blows, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Chen’s eyes. Still seated imposingly on the bench, he abruptly lifted his right hand—the one holding the chopsticks pierced through Ma the Third’s palm. Gripping the man’s hand bones, he hoisted him high and swung his entire body like a great log, smashing it toward One-Eyed Dragon and Du the Second.

THUD! THUD!

With two dull thuds, Ma the Third absorbed the full force of their attacks. He was blasted into three pieces before he could even scream.

Immediately after, the two chopsticks in Jiang Chen’s hand shot out like projectiles.

One chopstick pierced Du the Second through the heart. His eyes bulged as he died instantly.

One-Eyed Dragon, at the True Martial Realm Second Stage, thought, ’Not good!’ He dodged hastily but the chopstick still pierced his shoulder. The immense force sent him flying backward into a pillar in the middle of the hall. The chopstick pinned him firmly to the wooden pillar like an iron nail, leaving him dangling in mid-air.

GASP!

"So fast! I didn’t even see him move!"

"That kid’s cultivation is terrifying... He must be at least at the True Martial Realm Third Stage. The Wild Wolf Brothers sure are unlucky to have run into such an Evil Star!"

A series of gasps rippled through the crowd.

A chill crept into One-Eyed Dragon’s heart, followed by a sliver of regret. ’If I had known he was this terrifyingly strong, I never would have picked a fight with him over two damn Demon Beasts. But it’s too late for regrets now!’

The searing pain in his shoulder was a constant reminder that his life was in Jiang Chen’s hands. Gritting his teeth against the agony, he looked at Jiang Chen and said, "L-little... little brother... I was blind today and failed to recognize your greatness. I’ve offended you. My two brothers are dead. I apologize. How about we call it even? We can go our separate ways and this will be over."

Relying on his backing from Blood Wolf Village, One-Eyed Dragon had always been a man who feared nothing.

But now, he had no choice but to lower his head in submission.

The surrounding crowd was left dumbfounded, but they also felt a secret thrill of satisfaction.

Only Jiang Chen remained unmoved. "An apology to clear the slate?" he said lightly. "You wish."

One-Eyed Dragon’s face stiffened. "Then what is it you want, little brother?" he said in a low voice. "Name your terms."

"I told you," Jiang Chen said coolly. "You were looking for death, so I’m obliging you."

Somehow, another pair of chopsticks had appeared in his hand. He toyed with them gently, sending a chill down the spines of all who watched.

One-Eyed Dragon’s eyes widened as he roared, "Little brother, my brother-in-law is the second-in-command of Blood Wolf Village! If you kill me, you’ll be making an enemy of the entire Village! You’d better think this through!"

"Blood Wolf Village?"

Jiang Chen paused.

Seeing this reaction, One-Eyed Dragon thought Jiang Chen was intimidated by Blood Wolf Village. He immediately pressed, "That’s right! Blood Wolf Village, one of the Ten Great Forces in the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers! My brother-in-law is the second-in-command. If you make an enemy of Blood Wolf Village, you won’t have a place to stand in this entire region. But... if you let me go, I promise to let this all go. I can even introduce you to my brother-in-law! With your strength, you could easily become a Commander in the village, maybe even a minor chief! It’d be no problem at all!"

"Are you finished?" Jiang Chen asked, picking at his ear impatiently. "If so, I’ll be sending you on your way."

’Recommending me to Blood Wolf Village to be a bandit? What a ridiculous idea.’

When One-Eyed Dragon saw that Jiang Chen’s killing intent hadn’t lessened in the slightest, he felt a wave of despair. His heart pounded with anxiety as he watched Jiang Chen raise the chopsticks again.

Just as he was sinking into despair, a flash of Spiritual Light went through One-Eyed Dragon’s mind. He hurriedly cried out, "Wait, wait! I... I have news about the Vampire Witch! I’ll give it to you, just please, spare my life!"

Jiang Chen paused. "The Vampire Witch?"

He suddenly noticed something...

When One-Eyed Dragon mentioned the Vampire Witch, every expert in the inn revealed a complex expression, a mixture of greed and fear.

Jiang Chen’s curiosity grew. ’What exactly is this Vampire Witch? What could make so many of these ruthless thugs show such undisguised greed?’

While he hesitated, Jiang Chen took the letter from One-Eyed Dragon. As he opened it and read, his expression changed drastically, revealing an unconcealable look of shock...