The other martial artists were different.
Their purposes were clear, so the moment they arrived, their first thought was to enter the city.
What interested Ling Xiao was that he noticed some people could walk straight in when they reached the gate, while others were stopped by the warriors guarding the entrance and only allowed through after handing over a certain number of spirit stones.
“Isn’t Sin City supposed to be a lawless, ownerless place? Why is someone still collecting an entrance fee?”
Ling Xiao curiously asked a warrior ahead of him.
“Stop asking. Pay if they tell you to pay. Don’t bring trouble on yourself. Sin City has no master, but it runs on the law of the jungle. If you’re weaker than them, you pay protection money.”
The warrior in front lowered his voice and replied.
“Oh, I see. Got it.”
If fists did the talking, then it seemed he didn’t actually need to pay this money.
Once the people in front had entered, Ling Xiao and his two companions followed.
“Halt!”
Four warriors blocking the gate stopped them in their tracks. This made the martial artists who had just entered turn around to watch.
“That guy must be new here. Doesn’t even know the rules.”
“Definitely new. I’ve never seen him anyway.”
“No wonder then. He doesn’t even recognise people from the Black Python Family. He’s basically asking to die.”
The warriors already inside the city suddenly lost their hurry. One by one they folded their arms and settled in to enjoy the show.
Every time a newcomer arrived, there was always some commotion. This time looked promising too.
Ling Xiao sized up the four men blocking the way and discovered that each of them had reached the early Eight Desolate Heaven stage.
That level of cultivation would be considered extremely strong not only on the Heavenly Dragon Continent but even on the Divine Phoenix Continent.
Their clothing and bearing were completely different from the guards of a proper city. They looked more like thugs from some gang.
They wore tight black outfits embroidered with a huge black python, which gave them quite an intimidating appearance.
All four carried smug, arrogant expressions.
Clearly, they had a powerful backer.
“What’s the matter, gentlemen?”
Ling Xiao gave a faint smile and asked.
“Kid, first time here, right? We won’t hold it against you. Ignorance isn’t a crime. But listen carefully now. To enter Sin City, every person must pay one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones or one thousand mid-grade spirit stones.
There are three of you, so either thirty thousand low-grade or three thousand mid-grade. Choose.”
The one who spoke had triangular eyes that glinted faintly red, rather like a snake’s.
His words carried an obvious threat. He didn’t spell out the consequences, but everyone understood what would happen if they didn’t comply.
“You’ve got the wrong people, haven’t you? Sin City is ownerless land. Anyone can come and go freely. By what right do you collect spirit stones?”
Ling Xiao asked with a cheerful smile.
“Because we’re stronger than you. That reason enough? Quit talking nonsense. Hand over the spirit stones or get lost. This isn’t a place for you to throw your weight around!”
Triangular Eyes roared impatiently.
“Oh, I understand. So if I’m stronger than you, I don’t have to pay, right?”
Ling Xiao slapped his forehead as if suddenly enlightened.
“Heh heh, the kid’s pretty quick on the uptake. Since you get it, hurry up and we’ll all save some time. There’s no way you’re stronger than us, and even if you were, remember we belong to the Black Python Family. You can’t afford to offend us.”
Triangular Eyes smirked.
“The Black Python Family?”
Ling Xiao genuinely hadn’t heard of such a family.
“You’ve heard of the King of the Black Market, right? That’s our boss!”
Triangular Eyes declared proudly.
“Tsk tsk, very impressive. King of the Black Market, amazing, amazing. Unfortunately, I just don’t want to pay. I have spirit stones, but I’m not willing to hand them over. What do you think we should do about that?”
Ling Xiao asked, still smiling.
“Refuse to pay and we kill you!”
Triangular Eyes instantly turned vicious.
As members of the Black Python Family, they had been collecting entrance fees here for years. There had been a few cocky ones who refused to pay.
But those people, however cocky, were never their match. They were dealt with easily, without even needing to call on the family’s full power.
The three in front of them now looked very young.
Two of them seemed only sixteen or seventeen.
The other woman was a little older but clearly had no strength at all.
Yet they dared to stand up to them?
“Kill us?”
Ling Xiao’s face suddenly turned ice-cold.
Originally, being asked to pay had merely annoyed him. He hadn’t felt like killing over it.
But now these four actually wanted their lives?
That made him rather unhappy.
“That’s right. Can’t even cough up thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones and you still want to enter? Scram as far away as you can. If you don’t scram, there’s only one path left, death! We’ve got at least nine thousand restless ghosts under our belts, if not ten thousand. You decide.”
Triangular Eyes stared straight at Ling Xiao, his gaze icy as he fully released his chilling aura.
“I don’t want to pay, and I don’t want to leave.”
Ling Xiao gave a casual smile, lifted his foot, and continued walking forward.
“Courting death!”
All four men’s faces darkened with menace. No one had ever dared disrespect them like this.
Even many arrogant experts fell silent the moment they heard the name Black Python Family.
Yet this kid actually wanted to force his way in?
“That newcomer is finished!”
“Hmph, serves him right. Some kid from who-knows-where, can’t read the situation. Knows nothing and dares to challenge the Black Python Family. Pure suicide.”
“Place your bets, people. How’s he going to die?”
“Poisoned to death, probably!”
“Definitely chopped into pieces and fed to beasts. The Black Python Family keeps giant pythons, you know. They need plenty of human flesh.”
“Hahaha, however he dies, it’ll be entertaining. Let’s watch.”
The warriors inside the city watched the confrontation with amused smiles, showing no intention of intervening.
After all, anyone who dared come to Sin City was either extremely strong or a notorious villain. Hardly any good people among them.
Buzz!
Ling Xiao’s aura suddenly exploded, surging to the early Eight Desolate Heaven stage.
Of course, this was not his true cultivation, but dealing with these four, this level was more than enough.
“Whoa! No wonder the kid’s so arrogant. He’s actually an Eight Desolate Heaven cultivator too. Reaching that level so young is impressive.”
“Impressive or not, he’s too arrogant. He’s probably going to die today. What a pity.”
“That’s why I say, when you arrive in an unfamiliar place, it’s best not to act cocky. Otherwise you’ll die without even knowing how.”
The warriors inside the city were shocked by the power Ling Xiao suddenly revealed, but they remained certain he was about to be killed.
Even if you were a genius at Eight Desolate Heaven, facing four opponents of the same level, you had no chance of winning.
The four Black Python Family guards were also slightly startled, then charged at Ling Xiao together.
