by D cat
"How refreshing!"
Su Lang raised the corner of his mouth and sheathed his saber.
"Th-thi-this!"
"My God! He is so powerful!"
"One slash! One slash was all it took him to deal with all the Gold Flame Leopards chasing after us?"
"Moreover, from the spirit energy fluctuations on his body, he seems like an Initial Martial Mortal. Th-this is simply absurd!"
Everyone in the group was so surprised that their eyeballs nearly flew out. The torrential waves in their hearts were about to overturn the heavens and the earth.
While they were still stunned, the Gold Flame Leopard's corpse abruptly disappeared from right in front of their eyes. Once again, they were left speechless.
"Space Ring!"
"He is definitely a privileged young master from some high-rank stronghold!"
The three warriors looked at Su Lang with more respect, like a mortal gazing at an immortal.
"What are you waiting for?"
Su Lang looked at them indifferently. "Why are you still not treating your wounds?"
Su Lang remembered that the group's first reaction after seeing him. They asked him to leave as they didn't want to drag him into this mess. They had more conscience than a lot of people he had met.
Therefore, Su Lang's attitude was a bit gentle towards them.
"Oh! Yes, of course, yes!"
"Thank you for your reminder, Young Master!"
The trio immediately began to treat their wounds.
Before long, everyone was patched up.
Su Lang threw out three sets of clothes. "Look at your ragged clothes. Put them on."
"Thank you for the reward, Young Master!"
The cultivator, who seemed like the group's leader, received the clothes as if they were priceless treasures. After taking a set, he passed the other ones to the group.
"What's your name?"
Su Lang asked calmly, "And are you familiar with the Gold Flame Leopard's territory?"
"Young Master, my name is Lu Zhong. They are Deng Qi and Wang Cheng."
Lu Zhong, who was in the lead, answered respectfully. "We've been experiencing the Gold Flame Leopard territory for the last one year. So, we're very familiar with the Gold Flame Leopard stronghold!"
"Mm... I'm a little tired."
Su Lang smiled slightly. "Can you bring me to the Gold Flame Leopard's territory? I want to rest there."
This was the reason Su Lang saved the three of them.
The Gold Flame Leopard stronghold was a half-open stronghold. Apart from the Ye family cultivators, only cultivators with some experience in the area could enter it.
Su Lang knew that if he was alone, he would definitely be blocked outside.
But with Lu Zhong and the other two leading him, it was different. He could totally swagger into the Gold Flame Leopard stronghold.
CHAPTER 54 - HE HAD SNEAKED INTO THE GOLDEN FLAME LEOPARD STRONGHOLD
"Of course!"
Lu Zhong smiled and nodded. "We're old acquaintances with the cultivators guarding the gate. We can definitely bring you in!"
"That's great!"
With a jovial smile, Su Lang said, "Let's go quickly. You guys can recuperate in the safety of a stronghold."
"Good!"
Lu Zhong and the other two quickly agreed.
Soon, they began moving towards the Gold Flame Leopard's E-grade stronghold under Lu Zhong and the group's lead.
Along the way, the amount of Vicious Beasts they encountered weren't small, but with Su Lang there, every single one of them ended up in his Storage Space.
With his Advanced Martial Mortal attack level, as long as he did not encounter a large group of E-class beasts, he could roam around as if this area was his backyard.
When Lu Zhong's group witnessed his strength, their respect for him increased by leaps and bounds.
About an hour later, Su Lang and the group arrived at the Ye family's E-grade stronghold in the Gold Flame Leopard's E-class territory.
Compared to the F-class stronghold, the area of this E-class stronghold was much smaller. However, the city walls here were much sturdier.
"Li Laoqi, quickly open the door!"
Lu Zhong took out a Gold Flame Leopard fang from his backpack and skillfully threw it into a pile of arrows on the city wall.
"Ouch? Who is it?"
A man with a chicken-crown-like hairdo appeared on the city wall. "Lu Zhong, you brat! Oh, you've brought a new face."
"With the three of us as guarantors, why are you so suspicious?"
Deng Qi frowned and said," It's dangerous outside. Let us in quickly."
"No, strangers can't enter!"
The guard with a freakin' chicken-crown hairdo looked at Su Lang and the group suspiciously. He seemed quite adamant about not letting him in.
"Damn, that hooligan!"
Lu Zhong cursed under his breath, took out a Gold Flame Leopard fang, and threw it to the guard.
"Alright, I'll let him in on your account."
The chicken hair freak weighed the Gold Flame Leopard fang in his hand with satisfaction and then pressed the mechanism to open the city gate.
As soon as Su Lang and the trio entered the stronghold, the heavy gate behind them closed with a bang.
"There are actually so many people inside?"
Initially, Su Lang thought that this stronghold would be filled with strong cultivators, but all he encountered were a few Standard Martial Cultivators.
On the contrary, the people here had general cultivation of the Body Tempering Realm. Very few in the population were at the Martial Mortal Realm.
And these rare few Martial Mortals were in charge of some major operations. They were an indispensable force for the normal functioning of the stronghold.
Moreover, since everyone here feared the harsh environment outside, they rarely left the stronghold. So, they literally only went outside if they had to travel to a different stronghold.
Consequently, most of them got married here and gave birth to their progeny here.
At this time, Lu Zhong respectfully asked, "Young Master, do you want us to find a place for you to stay?"
"No need."
Su Lang waved his hand lightly. "You guys go and recuperate. I will walk around by myself."
"As you wish, Young Master."
Feeling a bit reluctant, Lu Zhong and the other two looked at each other in dismay and then left.
To them, Su Lang was a talented progeny of a top-tier family. In the future, he was bound to become a rich and powerful individual.
Sadly, they were of no use to Su Lang now, so he wouldn't allow them to follow him anymore.
After Lu Zhong and the other two left, Su Lang looked at the tall building at the stronghold's center and smiled like a wolf looking at its prey.
After that, Su Lang found a hotel to stay in.
"Clone perception!"
Sitting on the bed, Su Lang looked at a scene with the eyes of his clone.
The first thing he saw was a green-colored deer crashing to the ground not too far away from the clone.
Soon, Su Lang came to speed and found out that the clone and Yang Shi's group were already at the Green Deer territory.
After killing the Green Deer trying to deliver a surprise attack, the group arrived at the crimson-tinted forest and found a place to wait.
"Gulp... Gulp..."
While they were waiting, Yang Shi was so nervous that he would audibly swallow his saliva from time to time. His face looked as if it was devoid of blood, looking white with fear.
Before long, a call came from outside the forest.
"I am Yang Zhen from the Yang Family. I have been ordered to deliver the ransom. I want to see if the young master is alive and well, so please bring him out."
Outside the forest, Yang Zhen's expression was frigid, and a cold smile hung on his lips. One could even see a trace of malice flash across his eyes.
"No one can extort money from m
y Yang family so easily!" thought Yang Zhen.
Currently, he wasn't the only one here. Hidden around him were the master of the Yang Family, Yang Tianrui; an elder from the Ye Family, Ye Tian; and Ye Zhi. Moreover, the young master of the Ye Family, Ye Lingfeng—an Advanced Martial Mortal was also here with six high-level cultivators protecting him.
Although these people hadn't shown themselves yet, they had concealed their auras and set up an inescapable net around the forest.
As long as they could retrieve Yang Shi safely, the culprit would no longer have any bargaining chips in his hands and would become a fish on the chopping block. Then, they could slaughter him however they wanted.
CHAPTER 55 - ANY TRAPS WOULD BE USELESS
Yang Shi's eyes lit up with excitement when he heard the shout from outside.
"Don't move."
Su Lang ordered his clone to say a few simple words.
"Y-yes!"
This cold warning reminded Yang Shi that his life was still in Su Lang's hands. His body trembled, and his neck shrank down.
Immediately after, under Su Lang's command, the clone unsheathed the longsword and escorted Yang Shi out of the forest. As for the other three, they had no other choice but to follow behind, trembling in fear.
"Young master!"
When Yang Zhen saw Yang Shi coming out alive and well, he revealed a look of glee. At the same time, Yang Tianrui had to give his all just to stop himself from running out.
At the same time, Ye Lingfeng, Ye Tian, and the others hiding in the dark were also surprised.
"It really is the black-robed killer!"
"We finally found him. We will definitely not let him go today!"
"We must capture him and make him beg for death!"
Even though the Ye family members didn't say a single word—the joy, malice, and the venom in their eyes were more apparent than ever.
In the arena.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
Yang Zhen opened his mouth and took two steps forward.
"Stop!"
Su Lang's clone shouted in a low guttural tone. As a show of warning, a paper-thin cut appeared on Yang Shi's neck.
"Don't come over, Uncle Zhen!"
Yang Shi almost peed in fear. His voice was trembling. "W-where? Where are the gold coins? Just give him the ransom and take me away!"
"I have the gold coins here; don't harm the young master!"
Yang Zhen no longer dared to act rashly. He hurriedly took out the 20 Middle-Grade Spiritual Stones and displayed them in front of Su Lang's Clone.
From the eyes of the clone, Su Lang carefully observed the Spiritual Stones. He could see that the stones in front of the clone were indeed purer than Low-Grade Spiritual Stone. Even the spiritual energy that surrounded the stones was much denser. He could not help but reveal a trace of a smile.
"I'll give these Spirit Stones to you, but the prerequisite is that you release the young master!"
Yang Zhen took a deep breath and said, "Understand this, if I can't guarantee the young master's safety, you should also forget the stones."
"I have a way by which both of us can be at ease. You let the young master walk, and when he stands right in between us, I'll throw the Spirit Stones to you."
"Don't worry, my only priority is the young master's safety, so I won't play any tricks. You will definitely get your Spirit Stones like this."
As soon as Su Lang heard Yang Zhen's suggestion, a cruel smile appeared on his lips.
Su Lang wasn't an idiot. He knew that the other party had definitely made some sort of hidden arrangement. Had the Yang family been so gullible and naive, they wouldn't have had what they had.
However, Su Lang wasn't the one trapped here—it was his clone. So, all the plans and traps would end up being useless.
"Alright!"
Su Lang asked his clone to nod and push Yang Shi towards Yang Zhen.
"Uncle Zhen!"
The moment Yang Shi was pushed away by the clone, he ran towards Yang Zhen while crying as if his life depended on it.
Yang Zhen, on the other hand, was looking at the black-robed man. He wasn't planning to attack the clone just yet as he wasn't taking any risks.
In his opinion, this black-robed man would definitely be captured in the end. Then, the Spirit Stones would return to their rightful owners, the Yang family.
Hence, the only moment he was actually worried about was this.
As soon as Yang Shi stood midway between them, Yang Zhen threw the Spiritual Stones towards the clone.
Twenty crystal clear Middle-Grade Spiritual Stones flew in the air before they were collected by the clone within a single blink. As soon as the clone was done collecting the stones, he sent them to Su Lang.
At the same time, Yang Zhen his Yang Shi behind them. His face revealed a cold smile as he said, "Little bastard, so what if you obtained Spiritual Stones?
"Today, the Yang Family and Ye Family will jointly attack you. This day will mark your death day next year!"
As soon as his voice faded, a large number of figures rushed out from the surrounding forest.
"Father!"
"Brother Ye! Uncle Ye!"
"You're all here! Quickly kill that bastard!"
"Hahaha! I want you to torture him first until he begs for death! Drill it into his brain what true pain is!"
When Yang Shi saw all his kin and friends rushing out of the forest, his eyes began tearing up.
God knew how much humiliation, panic, and fear he had experienced in just half a day.
Although he knew that the black-robed man was only Su Lang's subordinate, he overjoyed nevertheless. Right now, just killing an enemy subordinate was enough to fill his craving for revenge.
"Kill him!"
A furious roar was heard.
The roar was issued by a majestic old man with an unfathomable aura. He brandished his sword and rushed towards the clone.
"Clone Dispatch!"
With this command, Su Lang tried to transport his clone to a faraway place from here.
Now, this command worked by gradually fading the clone from head to toe. The clone had to stand still while it was fading away.
All of a sudden!
Whoosh!
A flying dagger shrouded in lightning cut through the sky and instantly pierced through the right leg of the clone.
Boom!
The moment the dagger struck the clone's leg—it exploded.
The clone's clothes were torn apart, and his entire body was charred black. His right leg had disappeared without a trace.
CHAPTER 56 - I WILL REMEMBER WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT TORTURE
'Ding! Clone Dispatch interrupted!"
The moment Su Lang heard the system notification, he ordered his clone to flee into the distance without any hesitation.
Unfortunately, his clone only had one leg now. The Ye family and the Yang family had a total of three top-tier cultivators. Within seconds, they had surrounded Su Lang's clone.
"It's you! How dare you kill my sixth brother?"
"Bastard! How dare you destroy my Ye family's stronghold?"
"Today, I will make you regret ever being born!"
Ye Lingfeng slowly walked towards the clone and said, "Can you feel it? The fear, the regret... the despair!"
As he walked towards the clone, he brandished his sword and slashed it towards the clone's face.
He wanted to break the white mask and add a bright sword scar to the face under the mask.
But right at this moment:
"Instant Cast: Ghost Moon Saber Technique!"
Suddenly, the clone erupted with strength, and a large amount of lightning with crackling thunder surrounded him. Soon, a crackling saber—no! It was a saber with thick lightning dragons coiling around it, which abruptly slashed towards Ye Lingfeng.
This attack was a death sentence... for both of them. An attack like this leaves the opponent with no path of escape.
All of this happened in an i
nstant. In fact, everything happened so quickly that the others couldn't even change their facial expressions.
Ye Lingfeng, on the other hand, was struck with panic as his pupils shrank. He didn't even have the time to think before instinctively defending himself. His life was more precious, so he had to go from offense to defense.
However, he was able to change his response so quickly, so that brings out a question. Did the clone really attach him with all its strength?
Clang! Clang!
The deafening sound of metal clashing could be heard.
Ye Lingfeng's Longsword was blown away by the sheer strength behind the sword. The sword slash continued on, and soon, a terrifying saber scar was carved out on his chest and abdomen!
" Ye Lingfeng !"
Ye Tian's eyes were as wide as saucers. Soon, the other combatants came back to their senses and charged towards the clone.
At this moment, Su Lang's clone had already used up all of his strength and had yet to recuperate, so even dodging a simple attack would be hard for it.
Puah! Puah! Puah!
The very next second, Ye Tian and the others' weapons pierced into the clone's body. The surroundings were filled with the sound of blades piercing flesh.
The furious Yang Tianrui even twisted the blade when it pierced the clone's abdomen. It opened a large hole in the clone's abdomen.
"Son of a bitch! How dare you hurt me!"
"Ling Chi skin that bastard and cut him open! I'll let him taste true agony!"
Ye Lingfeng covered his wound and rushed towards the clone with bloodshot eyes. The Longsword repeatedly stabbed into the clone's body like a storm of blades.
However, he never once targeted a vital point as he wanted to keep Su Lang alive and beg for death. He wanted to torture him for the rest of his life.
Yet, he was bound to fail in this endeavor.
"Hahahaha!"
"Ye Lingfeng, I will remember what you said today!"
Su Lang's clone laughed wildly and shattered its own head with a palm strike.
"Ding! The clone has died. Entering a 24-hour cooldown period!"
"Hiss! Shattering its own head... how exciting!"
In the hotel, Su Lang suddenly shivered and opened his eyes.
Immediately after, his gaze fell on the 20 Middle-Grade Spiritual Stones in his hand.