"May I ask why the three of you are invading my Maple City?"
The words hung in the air.
All three stared, dumbfounded.
Our fault?!
Tie Wu was the first to lose patience. His eyes bore into Xiao Jietian as he demanded in a deep voice, "Hall Master Xiao, what do you mean by this?"
Old Yin Bone's gloomy gaze sharpened. "Hall Master Xiao, I think you're mistaken. Our three factions occupied Maple City long ago. You only arrived recently. If anyone is invading, it's you."
The beautiful woman beside him said nothing, but her eyes flickered thoughtfully.
Xiao Jietian's expression didn't change.
"Han Feng and all his forces were killed by my Boundless Heavenly Hall." His voice was calm, unhurried. "Maple City is therefore our spoils of war. You three..." He paused. "...are attempting to seize it."
His aura erupted.
It slammed down on them like a mountain.
"Dou... Dou Zong!"
All three crumpled under the pressure. They couldn't stand straight. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads.
Then, just as suddenly, the pressure vanished.
They slumped to the ground, gasping.
"Do you still think I'm mistaken?"
Xiao Jietian's slight smile, in their eyes, looked demonic.
"A misunderstanding!" Old Yin Bone scrambled upright, his body slightly hunched, a dry laugh escaping his lips. "Maple City naturally belongs to Boundless Heavenly Hall! We merely... merely saw that you hadn't yet taken control, so we helped manage it temporarily. To prevent instability, you understand."
"Hehe, yes!" The beautiful woman quickly followed suit, covering her mouth with a delicate laugh as she bowed. Her voice dripped with honey. "Exactly, Hall Master Xiao. All a misunderstanding! I will definitely come to your door to apologize personally, and then... you may do as you please~!"
Tie Wu, though appearing hot-tempered, wasn't stupid. He spoke rapidly.
"Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, and we've managed the city for you—no merit, but effort, right? Can we leave? Don't worry, we won't take so much as a single blade of grass from Maple City!"
Take anything? Impossible. Their storage rings had already been confiscated. They had only the clothes on their backs.
"Yes, yes, yes!" The beautiful woman pressed on, not forgetting to adjust her posture, letting a 'slippery shoulder' slip. "Hall Master Xiao, you are handsome and dashing, immensely powerful, awe-inspiring! A great man like you won't hold a grudge against us lesser mortals, will you? Please just let us go. Like a fart."
"There's no rush." Xiao Jietian regarded them calmly. "I came here to discuss something with you."
"Speak, Hall Master Xiao! We're all ears!"
The beautiful woman began closing the distance, her voice saccharine.
She didn't get far.
A shockwave sent her flying.
A seductive figure materialized beside Xiao Jietian. Cold eyes stared down at Su Mei.
Medusa.
Su Mei's body stiffened under that gaze. All three felt their scalps go numb.
Four Dou Zongs?!
In the Black-Corner Region, where Dou Zongs are rarely seen—four of them have appeared in such a short time?!
Xiao Jietian took Medusa's hand and guided her to sit beside him.
She glanced at him, then obeyed. With outsiders present, she would give him face.
"Now." Xiao Jietian's tone was pleasant, conversational. "Let's continue. I came to invite you to join my Boundless Heavenly Hall."
A pause.
"Of course, if you don't wish to join..." Another pause. "I won't lay a hand on you."
He emphasized the last word heavily.
I won't.
Medusa, who knew him well, understood immediately. Her eyes filled with murderous intent.
These three had talent. And they spoke so nicely.
She wasn't a bad person either.
The three felt the terrifying aura emanating from Xiao Jietian—like a blade suspended over their heads.
They looked at his smiling face. They felt the pressure in the air.
Smiling tiger.
They swallowed hard. Their eyes met.
Tie Wu, who hadn't grasped Xiao Jietian's implication, opened his mouth.
"If we don't join... will you really let us go...?"
Two voices cut him off.
"Greetings, Hall Master!" x2
He turned, dazed.
Old Yin Bone and Su Mei were already kneeling on one knee, their heads bowed respectfully.
Tie Wu stared at them, question marks practically visible above his head.
They ignored him completely.
Seeing his teammates surrender without a fight, Tie Wu moved.
He didn't just kneel.
He slid into position and kowtowed.
"Greetings, Hall Master!"
Xiao Jietian observed the three clowns.
As expected. The trio who made the final investment in the Black-Corner Region.
"From now on, you will be a subordinate force of Boundless Heavenly Hall. Designated personnel will liaise with you. You will hold the rank of elder." He paused. "Benefits will be explained later."
Whether their submission was genuine or superficial didn't matter. Once they experienced Boundless Heavenly Hall's power and benefits, true allegiance would follow.
He flicked his wrist.
Four jade bottles flew toward them. Two landed before Tie Wu.
Then Xiao Jietian rose and left, Medusa beside him.
The three watched them go.
Only when the door closed did their bodies finally relax. They slumped to the floor, gasping.
Tie Wu turned to his companions, utterly confused.
"Didn't he say if we didn't want to, he'd let us go? Why did you two—"
"Are you genuinely stupid or just pretending?" Su Mei picked up the jade bottle before her, staring at him in disbelief. "You were even more dramatic than us!"
"I saw you two kneeling!" Tie Wu protested. "If I'd remained standing, wouldn't I have been asking for death?"
He had no shame about his actions. In the Black-Corner Region, face was the cheapest commodity compared to survival.
Old Yin Bone cradled his own jade bottle, his voice dry.
"The Hall Master said he would let us go. He didn't say others would. If we'd refused, the moment we walked out of Maple City would have been our last. Didn't you see that Dou Zong beside him? She was ready to kill us like chickens."
Tie Wu replayed the scene in his mind.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
Thank goodness I knelt quickly.
He looked at the two jade bottles in his hands, then at their single bottles each.
Knelt once, got two. They only got one.
Not a loss.
He weighed the bottles. They felt like pills.
"What do you think is inside?" He glanced at the others. "It's not something to control us, is it?"