Even a commoner would fly into a rage after being spoken to like that, let alone the most powerful gang in the city. Underground factions often conducted their businesses without any concern for the law. Compared to the legitimate factions, they were more likely to go to extreme lengths to achieve their goals. Establishing a good public image was not one of their concerns. When it came to solving issues, almost anything was permitted. Legality wasnât an issue and neither was public perception.
Long Xiaoxuanâs words caused a huge uproar within the Heavensfall Society. Armed fighters began to appear in droves.
âWhich bastard dares raise a huge fuss on our doorstep?!â The Society was incredibly offended after realized a kid that had barely just weaned had insulted them. They were the undisputed tyrants of Frostmoon City. Not many dared cause strife in front of them. However, that wasnât the case today. This was the height of capital offense!
Long Xiaoxuanâs expression sank when he heard the word âbastardâ. He was pure-blooded true dragon! His blood didnât contain even the tiniest bit of impurity! He had an extreme distaste of the word. A cold glimmer appeared in his eyes as he pounced at the man whoâd spoken.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Long Xiaoxuan gifted him eight consecutive slaps on both sides of his cheeks. The man was beaten into a swollen pig before he could even scream in agony.
âY-you! How dare you beat our men in front of our gates?â The Society members were dumbfounded.
Jiang Chen made his way to the front. âGet me the person in charge,â he commanded nonchalantly. Long Xiaoxuan was attracting a lot of hostility. Jiang Chen didnât stop the dragon, but this didnât mean he was fine with a complete fall out with the society.
Long Xiaoxuan was dejected. âIâve yet to finish taking out my anger!â
âBrother Long, itâs better to practice some restraint as weâre here for business. Weâll need you at your full strength if things turn sour. You should rest for now.â
The Heavensfall Society guards realized that these two young men were of no ordinary background when they heard the relaxed banter. One of them had already left to notify a supervisor. Before long, an even larger group appeared from the base.
An old man with yellow eyebrows was walking at the very front of the group. He seemed extremely furious and was emanating incredible amounts of murderous aura. He was very offended to hear that his man had been beaten up. There were a few others behind him that bore a great amount of presence. They were obviously the senior executives of the Society. The old man stepped to the front and sized up Jiang Chen and Long Xiaoxuan with a ferocious glare.
âYou did this?â he asked coldly while staring at them both.
Jiang Chen responded blandly. âAnd who are you?â
âHmph! How dare you cause trouble within our grounds when you donât even know who our great elder is? You must be tired of living!â
âThatâs right! How dare you beat up our men? Elder Ke, you need only say the word and weâll immediately slaughter them!â
The yellow-browed elder made a dismissive gesture to shut them up.
âYoung men, name yourselves so that we may know if we can afford to offend you.â Elder Keâs tone was sinister. They were obviously ready to resort to violence if they were any further offended.
âElder Ke, my brother over there may have offended you, but the Heavensfall Society isnât without fault either. Weâre here to talk business. Elder Ke, would you rather make money or enemies? Is there a need to continue meaningless fights?â
âHah! What business?â Elder Ke guffawed with angry laughter. âThe Heavensfall Society has done business with plenty of people, but this is the first time weâve ever seen someone with a gall big enough to beat up our member within our doorstep! Donât try to change the topic! What business is there to speak of when this matter is yet settled?â
âWhatâs done is done. What else do you want?â Long Xiaoxuan shrugged in a dismissive manner while smiling at Elder Ke mockingly. This enraged the gang even further.
Elder Ke laughed coldly. âTruly, you are a hero amongst youth. Color me impressed. If this is how you want to do it, then we shall return your hostility in kind.â
Jiang Chen frowned. âElder Ke, do you really wish to escalate this matter?â
âBrat, even a thousand tongues will not save you from this. Iâll skin you alive today!â Elder Ke was a man who meant his words.
The senior executives behind him immediately surrounded Jiang Chen and Long Xiaoxuan. Almost everyone present had made a move. Their overall cultivation level wasnât half bad. The weakest among them was at the ninth level sage realm. Many were half step emperors, but there were also a few initial level emperors. Elder Ke however, was a high level emperor.
This wasnât the complete roster of the gangâs senior executives as their gang leaders had yet to appear. They were only an underground gang, but their strength was already enough to rival many great sects. Long Xiaoxuan didnât panic. Instead, he was elated when he saw what was happening. He was roaring for a fight!
âBrother Long, do you really yearn for a fight that much?â Jiang Chen was speechless.
Long Xiaoxuan chuckled light-heartedly. âItâs none of your business. You should look to yourself before you talk about others.â
Emperor Peerless had been watching from afar, so he knew that he could no longer remain a bystander. He knew that nobody would be a threat to Jiang Chen and Long Xiaoxuan as long as Elder Ke was restrained. Society members had surrounded them, and Elder Ke was showing signs of joining in. With a flicker of his form, he stared down at Elder Ke.
âThey may fight, but you must remain where you are.â The emperor didnât stop them as he was rather admiring of Long Xiaoxuanâs style.
It was obvious that this was extortion. The gang might not even hand over the prisoner after receiving the ransom. If that was the case, they might as well talk with their fists. If Jiang Chen won the fight, they might even get to take the prisoner away without spending a single spirit stone.
Elder Ke had only just realized that Emperor Peerless was one of Jiang Chenâs accomplices. He was incredibly surprised when he looked at the direction where the emperor came from. It was Liu Zhen! The elder had a rough impression of who the short man was, whereas, he didnât immediately recognize Emperor Peerless because the latter wasnât as renowned as the other great emperors due to his wandering nature.
âHalt!â Elder Ke immediately yelled after noticing Liu Zhen.
Jiang Chen smiled mockingly. He was certain that Elder Ke had been shocked by the emperorâs presence. However, Emperor Peerless hadnât flared his great emperor aura just now. Elder Ke mustâve told his troops to stand down for a different reason. The expression within his eyes wasnât that of fear, but of discovery.
But Emperor Peerless didnât point out this fact. It didnât matter what Elder Ke was up to. His tricks wouldnât work on the emperor.
Elder Ke pondered for a moment before flashing a sly smile. âWere all of you hired by that short man over there?â
The emperor snorted coldly. He couldnât be bothered to answer.
âSo what if we were?â Jiang Chen replied
Elder Ke laughed slyly. âDoes that mean youâre here to redeem that short manâs partner?â
Long Xiaoxuan yelled dejectedly. âHey! Are we still fighting or not? Why are you so wishy-washy?â
This infuriated the Heavensfall Society greatly, but they had no choice but to swallow their fury as theyâd been told to stand down. Their eyes were full of hostility as they glared at Long Xiaoxuan.
âHave you brought the 500 million saint spirit stones?â Elder Ke asked directly.
Jiang Chen signaled at Liu Zhen. The latter immediately ran to him.
âIâll leave you in charge of the negotiation. Heâs Elder Ke of the Heavensfall Society. Donât worry, just do what you need to do and donât be intimidated by him.â Jiang Chen advised.
Liu Zhenâs heart was racing, but he somehow managed to suppress his emotions. He knew that this was his only chance. Thereâd be no second chances if he failed to rescue his brother today.
âElder Ke, Iâve prepared the 500 million you wanted. However, I want to see him first.â Liu Zhen wasnât dumb after all.
âYouâll see him after you hand over the money. Iâll be frank, your friend is currently confined within our deepest prisons. Your promise alone isnât enough for us to let him out.â Elder Ke had his bottom line as well.
Liu Zhen was in a dilemma. He looked at Jiang Chen for help. The latter nodded. âGive it to him.â
Liu Zhenâs hands trembled when he took out 500 million saint spirit stones. He hesitated a moment before handing them over to Elder Ke.
Jiang Chen noted the look of surprise on Elder Keâs face. He immediately warned. âElder Ke, Youâve already received the saint spirit stones. Weâd better clear things up now so that there wonât be any room for contention. Youâd best make sure that these stones are genuine, and that the numbers are correct.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Heâd gained a lot of experience in dealing with these underground gangs after the incident with Third Master Jing. Jiang Chen might have seen through Elder Keâs plan, but the latter wasnât depressed. âThereâs no problem with the saint spirit stones. Wait here for a moment, Iâll send my men to the deep prisons to get him. A word of warning, I canât guarantee that heâs still alive after a stint there.â
Liu Zhen immediately turned aghast. Jiang Chen also furrowed his brows. âElder Ke, do you take me for a fool? Deep prisons? From what I know, the Heavensfall Society is only an underground gang. Can you even represent Frostmoon City? What rights to do you have to build a prison?â
Elder Ke flashed a crafty smile that didnât reach his eyes. âFriend, this is where youâre wrong. Which clan or sect doesnât have its own hidden prison?â
Jiang Chen was just about respond but the emperor suddenly patted him on the shoulder. âLetâs wait and see for now.â
Jiang Chen was extremely furious, but since the emperor had already spoken, he had no choice but to swallow his anger for now.