Chapter 201: Chapter 189: Crisis of the Mercenary Corps (Part 2)

"Flying? An Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse?"

Seeing the figure flying toward them, everyone in the room stared, their pupils constricting in unison.

The ability to fly could only mean one thing: the man was an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse!

’Hmm? Is that Huo Gang? The death of a mere Liu Chengze shouldn’t be enough to involve him. Why would he come here?’

Nie Yun’s brow furrowed as he got a clear look at the old man’s face.

Huo Gang was none other than the patriarch of the Huo Family, the strongest expert of one of the Imperial Capital’s three major families.

’In my past life, I personally slaughtered the three major families and the Divine Wind Empire’s Imperial Family. I killed him myself, so of course I recognize him. But logically, a man like that—an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse with a revered status—should be in secluded Cultivation deep within his family’s estate. For him to come to a small Mercenary Corps...’

’Even if Liu Jifei was one of his former subordinates, he shouldn’t have enough clout to make Huo Gang personally come here and pressure the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps!’

’Could it be... the Essence Energy!’

’Liu Jifei is Liu Chengze’s brother, so he must have known about the Essence Energy that Liu Chengze had spent countless years accumulating!’

’Essence Energy is valuable even to Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses. That’s probably the only thing that could lure an old fox like him into making a move!’

’Still... Nie Yun found one thing strange. How was Liu Jifei so certain that the Essence Energy was in the hands of the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps?’

"Tie Yan greets you, Senior. Might I ask who you are...?"

His heart dropped as he asked hesitantly.

As the patriarch of the Huo Family, an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse like Huo Gang rarely made public appearances, so Tie Yan didn’t recognize him.

"Insolent! How dare you not kneel before Lord Huo Gang? Instead, you ask a barrage of questions? Tie Yan, you have some nerve!"

Another cold snort rang out as a second man walked in from outside the hall.

The man looked to be in his forties, with a fair, clean-shaven face that bore some resemblance to Wei Chen. The moment he stepped through the door, his eyes landed on Tie Yan, and a faint sneer played on his lips.

It was Wei Tian, captain of the Luoyong Mercenary Corps and Wei Chen’s father.

"Huo Gang, patriarch of the Huo Family?" The color drained from Tie Yan’s face.

’Huo Gang is an Ultimate Venerable Peak Powerhouse! What is he doing here?’

’Don’t Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses typically ignore worldly affairs to focus on ascending to the Celestial Dao? So why is one here?’

’I’m at the Peak of Qi Sect. With my daughter’s Black Cloud Leopard, I could probably defeat Wei Tian and Liu Jifei. But against an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse... he could kill me in a single move. I wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back!’

"Liu Chengze was one of the top three Alchemy Masters in the Empire. His murder is a great loss to the entire Empire. Yet a small Mercenary Corps dares to obstruct the Empire’s investigation? Do you really think that having a Peak of Qi Sect Demon Beast means you can run rampant and do as you please?"

Huo Gang descended from the air with a cold snort. He turned and took the main seat in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like an emperor surveying his subjects.

"Lord... it’s not that we refuse to cooperate. It’s just that our Treasure Vault... it is not a place we can simply show to outsiders!"

Though furious, Tie Yan knew that when you’re under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head. He could only lower his gaze and explain.

It was like a mob of men demanding to see your wife’s body, and you could neither fight back nor even curse them. The sheer frustration was suffocating.

"Not convenient? More like you have a guilty conscience!" Liu Jifei interjected. "Hmph! My brother spent over twenty years practicing Alchemy to refine a great deal of Essence Energy. A single inhalation can extend one’s life by five years! You stole it from him, and now you’re too scared to let us inspect your Treasure Vault because you’re afraid we’ll find it!"

"Essence Energy? So that’s what this is about. You’re trying to steal our Mercenary Corps’ Essence Energy! If you’re looking for an excuse to condemn someone, you’ll always find one!"

Now that they had laid their cards on the table, Tie Yan finally understood. His fists clenched, knuckles cracking, and he roared in fury.

Nie Yun was taken aback by Tie Yan’s reaction. "The Mercenary Corps’ Essence Energy? What’s this about?" he couldn’t help but whisper to Tie Lan.

"Some time ago, our Mercenary Corps found a hidden treasure during a mission," Tie Lan explained quietly. "We obtained some Essence Energy from it..."

"Who else knows you have the Essence Energy?" Nie Yun asked.

"I’m not sure. We fought the Luoyong Mercenary Corps over it at the time, so I assume Wei Tian knows..." Tie Lan said after a moment of thought.

’Wei Tian knows? So that’s how it is...’

Hearing this, Nie Yun finally understood, and the pieces of the puzzle clicked into place.

’When one reaches the Ultimate Venerable Level, their physical body and the form of their True Qi undergo a transformation. Their lifespan increases, but they don’t become immortal. At most, they can live for about two hundred years.’

’Cultivators with decent talent usually don’t reach the Ultimate Venerable Level until they’re around one hundred. To die just a century later would be a bitter pill to swallow. This is what makes Essence Energy so important.’

’A single inhalation can grant five extra years of life—though the effect doesn’t stack. Even so, five years is an incredible boon for an Ultimate Venerable Peak Powerhouse. In that time, they might be able to break through their Chains and extend their lifespan once more!’

’The Luoyong Mercenary Corps and the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps were already rivals. Since Wei Tian failed to get the Essence Energy, he was naturally consumed by greed. He must have found some way to contact Huo Gang. Meanwhile, Liu Jifei had just arrived in the Imperial Capital over his brother’s death...’

’The two of them put their heads together and instantly found a pretext, reaching an agreement!’

’Liu Jifei definitely has no idea who really killed Liu Chengze. After all, I never leave a trace when I kill someone!’

’His brother had Essence Energy, and the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps also had it. It was the perfect opportunity to pin the blame on them. This would give Huo Gang a legitimate excuse to seize it, and Liu Jifei himself would get a handsome reward.’

These thoughts flashed through Nie Yun’s mind, and a smile touched his lips.

In truth, while Nie Yun’s deductions weren’t entirely accurate, they were very close to the mark.

Huo Gang had indeed come for the Essence Energy.

"Open your Treasure Vault," Huo Gang said, cutting everyone off. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an authority that permitted no defiance. "If there is no Essence Energy inside, I won’t make things difficult for you. I will let Liu Jifei continue his investigation. But if there is... hmph! I will not show any mercy!"

"Just because we have Essence Energy, it means we killed Liu Chengze? What kind of logic is that?"

Meng Quan, the young prodigy who had argued with Nie Yun earlier, was a defiant spirit. Hearing this outrageous claim, he couldn’t help but shout.

’It’s not like Liu Chengze was the only one who had Essence Energy! How does possessing it prove we killed him? It’s completely illogical!’

"What kind of logic?" Huo Gang’s eyes narrowed. "I *am* the logic. My word *is* the logic!"

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, shooting out and striking Meng Quan squarely in the chest.

THUD!

Meng Quan was only at the Early-Stage Armor Realm; how could he possibly withstand an attack from an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse? He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, his spine slamming hard against the wall. His sternum fractured, and his face turned deathly white.

The gap between the Armor Realm and the Ultimate Venerable Peak was simply too vast. The two couldn’t even be compared.

"Meng Quan..."

Seeing one of their own grievously wounded by a mere glare for asking a simple, fair question, every member of the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps felt a profound sense of humiliation welling up from deep within.

But what good was humiliation?

The chasm in power between them and an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse was too vast. He could crush them all with a single finger, without breaking a sweat. Otherwise, he never would have uttered such words as "My word is the logic"!

Tyrannical and arrogant!

By now, everyone understood. Mentioning Liu Chengze was just a pretext; what they truly wanted was the Mercenary Corps’ Essence Energy!

"Heh heh." Wei Tian chuckled with glee, relishing the sight of his old rival’s predicament. "Captain Tie Yan, I heard that not only was Master Liu Chengze’s Essence Energy stolen, but many of his other treasures were plundered as well. I suggest you just hand them over obediently!"

"That’s right," Liu Jifei chimed in, his tone blunt from his military background. "Everything my brother accumulated over the years was stolen, a loss amounting to tens of millions of taels of silver. If you hand it over now, the Empire might just overlook your crime. But if we have to find it ourselves, then as of today, the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps will cease to exist in the Divine Wind Empire!"

’Your brother gets killed, and you demand that *we* hand over our possessions? If I actually lead you to the Treasure Vault, you’ll probably just claim anything valuable you see is yours and haul it away!’

Robbery!

This was blatant, outright robbery!

"Lord Huo Gang, we can allow you into the Mercenary Corps’ Treasure Vault. But how will you determine which treasures belonged to Liu Chengze, and which were already ours? Could you perhaps provide a list of the stolen items before you conduct your search?"

Tie Yan suppressed the inferno of rage in his heart, cupped his fists, and looked toward Huo Gang.

Hearing Tie Yan’s words, everyone in the room couldn’t help but silently praise his quick thinking.

As expected of the founder of the Iron Rock Mercenary Corps. He was a wily old veteran, and with a single question, he had seized upon the crux of the matter.

’That’s right. You claim many of Liu Chengze’s belongings were stolen, so you should have a list. If an item is on the list, you can take it. If not, it belongs to our Mercenary Corps!’

’It was a humiliating compromise, but it was the best outcome they could hope for.’

It was like the earlier analogy: if a man insists your wife is his and claims she has a specific birthmark, demanding to strip her to check. Fine, you can check. But first, tell me where this mark is. If we check and find nothing, then I’m sorry, but she’s *my* wife.

But if you refuse to describe the mark and just demand to strip her naked, grope her, and even have your way with her before deciding... what do you take me for? There has to be a limit to how much you can bully someone!

"A list?" Huo Gang sneered, rising from his seat. "Are you implying that I would covet the possessions of a pathetic little Mercenary Corps?"

A tidal wave of pressure exploded from his body, pressing down on the hall and making it hard for everyone to breathe.

"We wouldn’t dare!"

Tie Yan said through clenched teeth, struggling to withstand the crushing pressure.

"’Wouldn’t dare? I’d say you’re quite bold!" Wei Tian shouted. "It is your honor that Lord Huo Gang is even willing to inspect your Treasure Vault, yet you have the gall to ask him for a list? Are you tired of living? Now hurry up and lead the way!"

"You..."

Tie Yan trembled with rage, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles cracked. Blood rushed to his head.

’How many years has it been?’ he thought. ’Ever since I reached the Peak of Qi Sect, I thought I stood at the apex of the Empire, that I’d never have to suffer such indignity again. But now, in the face of absolute power, I see how laughable that notion was!’

’They won’t give a list. They’ll take what they want and frame me however they please, all because he’s an Ultimate Venerable!’

’The strongest powerhouse of the Qi Sea!’

"Hurry up! Be a good little dog and lead the way. Hand over all the treasures you stole, and we might spare your lives. Otherwise, all of you will die here today. Not one will be left alive...!"

Liu Jifei cackled, his face twisting into a ferocious sneer. He no longer bothered to hide his intentions.

But before he could finish, a girl’s clear voice, tinged with a hint of a question, cut through the tension in the hall.

"Aren’t you going to make a move?"

(To be continued.)