Chapter 16: Damn You, You Really Deserve to Die

"Get out of the way, all you riff-raff! The Da Jiang Gang is handling things!"

A fierce shout exploded into the night air.

Luo Chen was taken aback, then overjoyed.

Right, right, right!

I am just a bystander!

Shouldering the burlap bag, he eagerly headed for the dark alley nearby.

He retreated while running backward.

His eyes were fixed on the four people, fearing they might attack him at any moment.

Under his gaze, he realized the four people were not together.

Clearly, three cultivators were subtly surrounding the man closest to him.

Due to the darkness and the man's back being turned, Luo Chen couldn't see his facial expression.

However, when the man spoke, Luo Chen could guess his expression.

Because the man he recognized was very familiar.

Wang Yuan!

"Li Zexiong, you know what I do. Are you sure you want to stop me?"

"Stop you? Kill you! Wang Yuan, you're just a scumbag who handles dirty work for the Po Shan Gang. Don't think anyone really fears you!"

"Kill me? With you and these two Fifth Stage Qi Cultivators?"

"Enough, attack!"

With a loud shout, the battle erupted instantly.

And a certain bystander had already retreated to the dark alley.

Luo Chen's heart pounded, his face flushed, and anyone who didn't know better might think he was in the battle.

In reality, it was rare to witness a fight between cultivators, and he was a bit too nervous.

The Da Jiang Gang and the Po Shan Gang, he knew about these two gangs.

The Da He Market was established by the Jade Tripod Sword Sect, and the main management personnel were also strong cultivators from the Jade Tripod Sword Sect.

Various businesses within the market, apart from those of the Jade Tripod Sword Sect, were mainly run by the other five major sects of the Far Eastern Six Realms.

But a large market with over ten thousand scattered cultivators was bound to be extremely complex.

Especially the nearby Eastern Wasteland, with its abundant resources that made people's eyes turn red with envy, even a small portion was enough to make scattered cultivators live comfortably.

So, over the years, the Da He Market had developed three other significant forces.

Leaving aside the external Lian Yun Merchant Alliance.

The Po Shan Gang, which relied on the mountains, attracted most of the scattered cultivators who hunted in the mountains.

They banded together for warmth, formed teams to kill monsters, and even killing other scattered cultivators for their treasures was not out of the question.

And the Da Jiang Gang, which lived off the Lancang River, the benefits brought by the river, in some aspects, were no less than those of the Po Shan Gang.

On the surface, the two gangs seemed to coexist peacefully.

But where there are people, there are conflicts.

Various skirmishes and battles were not uncommon.

This time, Luo Chen witnessed it firsthand.

Of course, through the conflict earlier in the day and the conversation just now, Luo Chen had a rough idea of the truth.

This battle, although rooted in the long-standing animosity between the two gangs, was more related to the magical artifacts Wang Yuan was selling.

As expected, the original owners of those bloodstained magical artifacts were likely members of the Da Jiang Gang, possibly Li Zexiong's relatives or friends.

Hiding in the alley, Luo Chen held his breath.

He wanted to watch the battle outside, but after a moment's thought, he decisively headed down another small path home.

That kind of battle was not something he could participate in.

Watching from the sidelines could easily cost him his life.

"Just a bit sorry for Wang's kindness in lending me the book earlier."

Luo Chen was not an ungrateful person, but with his Third Stage Qi Cultivation, helping would likely just be a hindrance.

So, it was best to run away first!

A few minutes later, Luo Chen slipped into another alley.

If he remembered correctly, after this alley, there was a small forest. After passing through the forest, he would be very close to home.

Just as he was about to hurry, a rustling sound came from behind.

Luo Chen turned his head sharply, saw the figure in the moonlight, and quickly hid in the corner of the alley.

It was one of the two Fifth Stage Qi Cultivators.

He seemed to be searching for something, flying a few meters off the ground while looking around.

The night wind blowing in from outside the alley carried a hint of blood.

"This person is injured!"

"He's breathing heavily, the injury is severe."

"From the way he's searching, it seems Wang has escaped the ambush."

"Truly a man who lives on the edge of a blade, able to severely wound three opponents and escape calmly."

With myriad thoughts in his mind, Luo Chen only hoped the person would leave quickly.

However, things often don't go as planned.

"Damn dog, I told you to get lost, but you actually ran into my hands."

Before the words were even finished.

Whoosh!

In the moonlight, a black shadow darted like lightning.

"Since I can't kill Wang Yuan, you'll have to take the brunt of my anger!"

The black shadow was fast and urgent, leaving Luo Chen no time to react.

He hastily activated the protective shield of his tattered magical robe and barely managed to draw his low-grade magical sword.

Clang!

Sss!

The sword broke, the light shield shattered, and the black shadow instantly entered his body!

Chen Xiao canceled his wind-riding spell and staggered to the ground.

He had a large wound on his shoulder, severely injured, and the blood couldn't be stopped.

Flying to this place, he knew he wasn't in a condition to continue pursuing Wang Yuan.

Fortunately, there was a Third Stage Qi Cultivator hiding nearby. In his severely injured state, this person could pose a threat to his safety.

Thus, the always ruthless Chen Xiao instantly attacked, giving the other no time to react.

And the result was as he expected.

"Even Wang Yuan couldn't defend against my Soul Piercing Nail. You, a mere Third Stage Qi Cultivator, dying to it is worth it."

Pfft!

After saying this, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

This place was not suitable for staying long. He should search for loot and quickly leave.

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, a flame appeared before his eyes.

"Not dead?"

Bang!

He reacted quickly, instantly activating the protective shield on his magical robe.

However, when the flame exploded, another massive fireball came crashing down.

It wasn't just one fireball. Almost simultaneously, a continuous stream of fireballs left him in despair.

"How is this possible!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Too fast, no room for breathing.

Without any pause, twenty consecutive fireballs, like a barrage of cannonballs, came crashing down.

Chen Xiao, a Fifth Stage Qi Cultivator, had only a mid-grade first-stage magical robe.

Its defensive capabilities were decent, but it had already been damaged by Wang Yuan's breakout earlier.

Now, under the sudden attack of twenty fireballs, it couldn't withstand the third one and collapsed instantly.

By the end, the fireballs were no longer hitting a person but a charred corpse.

Luo Chen leaned against the wall, his face pale, and his body trembling.

Man without the intention to harm, tiger with the intention to harm.

He didn't want any conflict, but the other wanted his life!

If the other hadn't been low on mana and in a terrible state.

If he hadn't always been cautious and used his magical sword and robe to block the initial attack.

He would already be dead.

"You deserve to die, you really deserve to die!"

Luo Chen gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up.

In his abdomen, there was a hole about the thickness of a finger.

He could feel something like a nail inside, causing him excruciating pain.

Enduring the pain, Luo Chen walked to the charred corpse.

The other was burned through, his mid-grade magical robe was in tatters, and the luster from earlier was gone.

Using his broken sword to prod, Luo Chen's eyes lit up.

"At least he left some inheritance."

A black storage bag was hidden under the tattered robe.

Just as he picked up the storage bag, before he could be happy, a whistling sound came from the roof.

Looking up, in the moonlight, a tall man with a large sword, holding two heads, swooped down like an eagle.

(End of Chapter)