Hmph, let’s not talk about the other two for now, but this Ling Xiao’s stuff, we must get our hands on it, and then kill him!
“Quickly send word, tell those three to come to the Demon Fortress Hall to see me at once!”
Having made up his mind, the First Fortress Lord ordered his subordinates to summon Ling Xiao, along with Thousand-Hand Demon General and Fire Wolf Demon General.
Worried that Ling Xiao might escape, he specifically instructed the Third Fortress Lord and Second Fortress Lord to follow behind.
But he was clearly overthinking, as Ling Xiao soon arrived at the hall with Thousand-Hand Demon General and Fire Wolf Demon General in tow.
In the hall, only the First Fortress Lord, the Second Fortress Lord, and the Third Fortress Lord, who had just rushed back, were present, while everyone else had been dismissed.
The Sea Clan, having obtained something valuable, naturally didn’t want humans to share in it, not even their lackeys, the Ninja Clan or the Blue-Eyed Clan, were allowed.
“Greetings to the three Fortress Lords!”
Thousand-Hand Demon General and Fire Wolf Demon General knelt halfway and cupped their hands.
Ling Xiao, however, merely nodded slightly, showing no intention of kneeling.
Seeing this, the Second Fortress Lord was visibly displeased, but the First Fortress Lord stopped him with a glance.
After all, Ling Xiao was about to die soon, so why make a fuss over such a trivial matter?
“You three made it back alive, so you must have gotten quite a haul, hand over your stuff, and you can go rest.”
The First Fortress Lord said indifferently.
“What!”
Thousand-Hand Demon General and Fire Wolf Demon General were both shocked.
In the past, when they obtained items, they only had to hand over a third, not everything like this time.
Ling Xiao, however, gave a cold smirk, he had long anticipated this, with the Sea Clan’s greed, such a move was only natural.
“First Fortress Lord, wasn’t it just a third before?”
Fire Wolf Demon General, being more impulsive, spoke up directly.
Though their haul wasn’t as great as Ling Xiao’s, they had gathered plenty of rare herbs and flowers, and they’d rather die than hand it all over.
“Hmph, out of the hundred-plus people who went out with you three, only you three returned, I haven’t even punished you for that, and now you dare to bargain with me!”
The First Fortress Lord snorted coldly, “Hand it over, and your crimes will be wiped clean, with some rewards to boot, refuse, and there’s only one path, death!”
At this point, his ferocious expression was fully revealed, with no attempt to hide it, his menace plain to see.
Thousand-Hand Demon General and Fire Wolf Demon General turned pale.
They had nearly lost their lives for those herbs, and now the First Fortress Lord wanted to seize everything under some pretext, they simply couldn’t accept it.
But the long-standing fear of the Sea Clan made it impossible for them to face the First Fortress Lord’s wrath head-on.
Just as they were about to comply, a voice rang out.
“Hmph, what a baseless accusation!”
Ling Xiao snorted coldly, “The things we risked our lives for, what reason is there to hand them over to you three Sea Clan? Don’t forget, this is human territory! You’ve already crossed the line!”
Though this was underwater, it was a shallow sea area, still human territory, the Sea Clan’s domain was in the deep sea.
“Nonsense! Because I’m stronger than all of you! If you don’t hand it over, it’s a death sentence!”
The First Fortress Lord bellowed.
“Exactly, a death sentence!”
The Second Fortress Lord echoed.
“What a joke, three measly fish daring to act tough on human turf, do you really think there’s no one left among humans?”
Ling Xiao had just checked, the First Fortress Lord, having clashed fiercely with a Heaven-Human Realm expert from the Sword King Sect, though fully recovered from his injuries, had his cultivation plummet from nine-tenths Half-Step Heavenly Venerate to four-tenths.
This level of power was perfect for him to test his skills, no need for a sealing card.
So he felt no fear toward this guy, besides, he had returned this time to stir trouble with the Sea Clan, not to pay some tax.
Hearing Ling Xiao’s words, the First, Second, and Third Fortress Lords burst into laughter.
They deeply pitied Ling Xiao’s overconfidence.
The First Fortress Lord laughed, “I’ve even killed Heaven-Human Realm experts, let alone a mere Mortal Realm warrior like you! Fine, since you dare defy our Sea Clan, today I’ll show everyone what happens to those who resist us!”
Crack!
As he spoke, he stood abruptly, his chair shattering beneath him.
He was a shark-man, of the same race as the Second Fortress Lord, but his bloodline awakening was far stronger.
Clearly, the massive shark phantom behind him was more vivid, its pressure far greater.
In his rage, streams of water formed around him, looking eerie.
“Ling Xiao! Kneel now, offer up what you’ve got, and I might spare your life, otherwise, you’ll regret it!”
The First Fortress Lord held back not out of fear of Ling Xiao, but because he worried a fight might damage the Martial Soul Fruit, which would be troublesome.
But if Ling Xiao refused to comply, he’d have no choice but to act, even if it meant destroying the Martial Soul Fruit, he couldn’t let Ling Xiao leave.
“Big brother, why waste words on him? Just kill him!”
The Second Fortress Lord shouted.
“You two keep an eye on Thousand-Hand Demon General and Fire Wolf Demon General, and shut up!”
The First Fortress Lord glared at the Second, then fixed his gaze on Ling Xiao, the water swirling around him growing faster, turning from a stream into a rushing river, with signs of growing stronger.
While speaking, he wasn’t wasting time, but secretly gathering power, whether Ling Xiao handed over the items or not, he was definitely going to strike.
“Heh, you might’ve lived a bit longer, maybe even long enough to carry a message to the Yin-Yang Demon King, but it seems you’ve lost that chance, I’ll find someone else for that job.”
Facing the First Fortress Lord’s threat, Ling Xiao suddenly smiled.
“Fine, since you’re courting death, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
Even with the best temper, the First Fortress Lord couldn’t stand Ling Xiao’s provocation, his anger erupted like a volcano, and the water around him turned into a white shark lunging at Ling Xiao, far more powerful than the Second Fortress Lord’s attack.
This strike was fueled by hatred, even a Half-Step Heavenly Venerate at one or two-tenths strength wouldn’t dare take it head-on.
Yet Ling Xiao just watched the attack, showing no intent to counter or draw his sword.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and a tangible wave of destructive will shot out.
Boom!
Those mere gazes shattered the white shark into pieces, even causing cracks to spread across the hall’s walls.
This was a hall protected by special arrays and built with unique materials, yet it cracked just like that, unbelievable.
Those gazes carried three layers of destructive will, their attack power rivaling an Ice Storm.
