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Black-Corner Region, Maple City.
Ever since Han Feng's death, this place had been without a master, falling into chaos.
As the former base of the Sixth-Rank Alchemist Han Feng, its geographical location was naturally excellent. It was adjacent to the vast mountain range, allowing it to receive various medicinal ingredients, monster cores, and other materials with unique effects directly from the deep mountains.
Many rogue cultivators would bring their harvests from the mountains to sell here, and merchants from all over would gather, bringing all sorts of goods.
The prosperous trade brought endless vitality and energy to the city. Even without its master, everything in the city continued to operate, though it was slightly chaotic.
Maple City's daily tax revenue was a considerable sum, enough to make all the major forces in the Black-Corner Region envious.
Upon hearing the news of Han Feng's demise, forces both large and small immediately dispatched their people to the city. The major forces sought to seize control of the city, while the smaller ones hoped to gain a foothold and claim a piece of the pie suitable for their appetite.
Two young men hurried through the streets, turning into a winding, complex alleyway at a corner.
One young man wore white, exuding the refined air of a scholar, while the other wore clothes so dark blue they were almost black. They were Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
After recovering from their injuries at Jia Nan Academy, they came to the Black-Corner Region together to make their way.
Upon hearing about the situation in Maple City, they resolutely decided to throw themselves into this vortex, embracing a mentality of 'succeed or die trying,' honing themselves between life and death.
The chaos in Maple City caused all forces to start recruiting and replenishing their ranks. Some would also hire mercenaries, outsourcing less important tasks to conserve their own strength.
Relying on their past experience, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li reassembled a group of people here, forming a small mercenary group of only about ten members.
They accepted a mission from a mid-sized force, the Lion Fang Gate, to help guard a peripheral stronghold. However, this stronghold was attacked by a hostile force, and all the other members of their mercenary group were killed, leaving only the two of them to escape.
At this moment, they were fleeing.
Chasing them were a Dou Grandmaster and three Dou Master, formidable enemies for the two, who only possessed Dou Master strength.
Just then, shouts of battle erupted, and a group of people suddenly rushed out from one side, attacking their pursuers.
Among this group were three Dou Grandmaster and five Dou Master, clearly well-prepared… They recognized the leader as a Hall Master from the Lion Fang Gate, the mid-sized force that had hired them.
"Hall Master Wu? Damn it, they used us as bait," Xiao Li reacted immediately, a gloomy expression on his face.
Although he didn't have much affection for his assembled comrades, and he was somewhat mentally prepared for the untrustworthiness and deceit of these Black-Corner Region forces, he still felt extremely angry at being betrayed.
After dealing with his target, Hall Master Wu looked at Xiao Ding and Xiao Li with cold eyes, a grotesque smile appearing on his withered, tree bark-like face:
"Commander Xiao, you failed to complete our commission and lost the stronghold."
Xiao Li could barely suppress the anger in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Hall Master Wu, you previously said this was an unimportant place. Why did the 'Wolf Gang' send such a powerful force to attack it?"
"The stronghold wasn't very important, perhaps it was the things inside that attracted them," Hall Master Wu's smile was sinister.
He paused, then continued, "In any case, since you accepted our money, you must do the job well for me.
"Your dereliction of duty caused us serious losses. Next, we will go reclaim the stronghold… you must come along too. If you perform well, I won't hold you accountable."
Are they going to use us as cannon fodder after using us as bait? Xiao Ding's face was ashen as he spoke:
"I am willing to return the commission we received as an apology. We also have to handle compensation for the families of the fallen mercenaries, so we won't participate in the subsequent matters."
Hall Master Wu sneered, "This isn't just a simple matter of returning the commission… There was a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill in the stronghold, made by Master Yan Xiao… This is a Rank 4 medicinal pill that has a chance to raise a Dou Spirit by one star.
"You failed to guard the stronghold and caused this loss! Tell me, what should be done?"
As he spoke, the people around him closed in, subtly adopting a posture that suggested they would act if they didn't receive a satisfactory answer.
The Gate Master of the Lion Fang Gate had indeed purchased a Three-Pattern Azure Spirit Pill at an auction in Black Mark City a few months ago, but the pill had long since been used up; the news released was merely a false one.
He didn't care if his opponent fell for it; it would be best if they did, but it wasn't a big problem if they didn't, as the ones guarding the stronghold were hired mercenaries anyway.
Even if the opponent was more skilled and took the bait while his side couldn't react in time, the loss would only be a team of mercenaries.
Perhaps the leader of the Wolf Gang was blinded by greed, or perhaps he didn't care about the lives of his subordinates… He really did send people to attack this stronghold.
The Lion Fang Gate was well-prepared. After Hall Master Wu perceived that the force dispatched by the opponent was within his controllable range, he made a decisive move and launched an attack, encircling and killing the few people who were chasing Xiao Ding and Xiao Li.
The Lion Fang Gate also cared about its reputation. While using hired mercenaries as bait was not an uncommon tactic, it would still have some impact.
Therefore, Hall Master Wu had no intention of letting Xiao Ding and Xiao Li leave alive; he merely wanted to extract their final value… As long as all the hired mercenaries were wiped out, no rumors would spread naturally.
It might not be easy to force an escape now, so they could only agree for now and then see if there was an opportunity to escape during the chaos… With this thought, Xiao Ding's eyes flickered, and he nodded, saying, "Alright."
The smile on Hall Master Wu's face deepened, then quickly solidified. He, his subordinates' bodies, and the space in which their bodies existed suddenly distorted, like a swirling abstract painting.
They were forcibly kneaded into a bloody, indistinguishable mess, falling to the ground.
Spatial strangulation! A technique only usable by a Dou Venerate expert!
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li looked at this scene, which somewhat surpassed their understanding, with horror in their eyes, and couldn't help but retreat a few steps.
A middle-aged man with slightly thick eyebrows walked out of the distorted space, looking at the two whose faces now showed more signs of hardship, and said gently, "Ding'er, Li'er, you've suffered…"
"Father… Father?" Xiao Ding and Xiao Li stared at Xiao Zhan, their expressions filled with undisguised shock.
That scene just now, was it created by their father?
They exchanged glances, both seeing confusion and bewilderment in each other's eyes.
Wasn't Father just an ordinary Dou Grandmaster?
"What, are you not happy to see your father?" Xiao Zhan smiled.
"Father, is it really you?" Xiao Li's voice held a mix of doubt and excitement.
"It's me, no doubt about it." Xiao Zhan smiled and nodded. He glanced at the corpses on the ground, then continued, "You must have many questions in your hearts. Come back to the family with me first; I will tell you everything in detail once we return."
A dark rift appeared behind Xiao Zhan. The Elder, with a look of astonishment, still doubting if he was dreaming, led Xiao Yu and others out. He said to Xiao Zhan, "Patriarch, I'm ready here."
"Then let's go back." Xiao Zhan casually tore open the void and constructed a spatial tunnel leading to the Xiao Family's ancestral land in the Monster Mountain Range.
The gazes of Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, Xiao Yu, Xiao Ning, and Xiao Mei met in the air, all revealing a hint of bewilderment.
Was the Xiao Family they knew the real Xiao Family? Had there been a slight deviation?
In the boundless void, profound darkness enveloped everything. Within the darkness, silver lines and richly colored blocks occasionally flashed by.
Xiao Zhan was at the very front, Xiao Ding, Xiao Yu, and the others were in the middle, and finally, the Xiao Family's Elder.
It didn't take much time for them to cross a vast distance, traveling from the Black-Corner Region to the Monster Mountain Range in the Jia Ma Empire.
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