Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

"Hahaha! As expected of a genius who can refine First-Grade Advanced Pills at such a young age. Your Perception Power is truly extraordinary!"

A coarse laugh echoed.

Figures shot out from the pitch-black woods.

There were at least a hundred of them!

Each of them wielded a weapon that glinted with a cold light. Their icy eyes were fixed on Jiang Chen, like a pack of hungry wolves staring down their prey.

This was a pack of bloodthirsty thugs!

SWOOSH—

The crowd parted automatically, forming a path.

Three figures emerged from the back of the group. The man on the left was dressed in black, and his pupils were vertical slits, like those of a venomous snake. His eyes glinted with a sinister, cold light as he sized Jiang Chen up and down, as if inspecting prey.

The man in the middle wore a blood-red cloak and had short, practical red hair. He was middle-aged, his eyes narrowed into a faint, unreadable smile.

As for the person on the right...

Jiang Chen’s pupils contracted slightly. "Xiong He?" he asked.

"Heh heh, Lord Jiang Chen, what a good memory you have. To think you still remember this humble one!" Xiong He said, a vicious sneer twisting his face.

The pack of bloodthirsty thugs around him erupted in raucous laughter.

Evil Qi surged from every one of them, as if they were surrounded by countless vengeful spirits.

Every one of them had at least a dozen innocent lives on their hands!

Jiang Chen’s sharp brows twitched. His voice was low as he asked, "Xiong He, what’s the meaning of this?"

"The meaning of this?"

Xiong He scoffed, his face twisting into an utterly cold sneer. "Did you think," he said in a strange, mocking tone, "that my young master’s one billion silver is so easy to take?"

"So, Xiong Yingjie sent you here to rob and kill me," Jiang Chen sneered, his voice laced with fury. "Heh, the great disciple of Master Yu Dan loses to me in Pill Fighting and proves to be such a sore loser that he sends his lackeys to ambush me? Truly an eye-opening experience. It seems that after I leave the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers, I’ll have to spread the tale of his ’glorious’ deeds!"

Xiong He bared a set of stark white teeth, sneering endlessly. "Idiot. You actually think you’re leaving the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers?"

"And why not?" Jiang Chen glanced dismissively at the hundred-odd men surrounding Xiong He. "You think you can keep me here with this pack of stray cats and dogs?"

At his words, the hundred-plus vicious thugs instantly radiated a chilling killing intent.

Like a pack of enraged wolves, they glared at Jiang Chen, their eyes wide and fixed on him.

Xiong He roared with laughter, his sneer incessant. "Jiang Chen, you’re really courting death! These are experts from Blood Wolf Village. And these two especially," he gestured, "are the fourth-in-command, Mad Wolf, and the third-in-command, Fire Wolf. They are both masters at the Peak of the True Martial Realm Sixth Stage. With the three of us working together, do you really think you’ll leave the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers alive?"

Mad Wolf was the expert on the left, the one with eyes like a venomous snake.

Fire Wolf, wrapped in his blood-red cloak, snorted. Two jets of hot air puffed from his nostrils. "Xiong He," he said impatiently, "we don’t have time to dilly-dally with you. We just got word that someone has found the Vampire Witch’s whereabouts. Once we’re done with this brat, we need to rush to meet up with the Village Chief!"

"The Third-in-command is right! Then let’s join forces and slaughter this brat!" Xiong He nodded eagerly.

The Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers was a lawless land, a place of constant slaughter and bloodshed, utterly chaotic.

The experts here were all hardened fugitives who had grown up on the brink of life and death, men who lived by the blade.

Even at the same cultivation level, their combat prowess was far greater than that of Martial Artists who trained in comfort. And these two were the cream of the crop among those very desperadoes!

Naturally, Xiong He didn’t dare to get on their bad side.

"Join forces? Are you kidding me?"

Mad Wolf’s eyes bulged, his face contorted in an exaggerated expression. He jabbed a finger at Jiang Chen and bellowed, "This kid hasn’t even hit puberty! Even if he started his cultivation in his mother’s womb, he’d be a fresh True Martial Realm at best. You want us to team up against a brat like him? If word of this gets out, our peers in the Hundred Beasts Mountains and Rivers will laugh their teeth out!"

"Fourth-in-command, you can’t let your guard down! This kid is bizarre. My second brother was forced back by a single sword strike from him..." Xiong He said urgently.

Before he could finish, Mad Wolf waved a dismissive hand, his face thick with contempt. "Who the hell is your second brother? Just some weakling who used pills to boost his cultivation. And you dare compare him to me, Mad Wolf? To me, this kid is a one-hit kill. He can’t take a single blow. Open your eyes and watch closely!"

As he spoke, Mad Wolf swaggered toward Jiang Chen, shaking his head cockily.

He kept glancing back at the hundred-plus experts from Blood Wolf Village, shouting, "Brothers, your old man is about to make his move! Tell me, who’s gonna win this fight?"

"The Fourth-in-command is invincible and all-conquering!" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Fourth-in-command... go easy on him! Don’t be like last time and tear the guy in half with one move. The rest of us didn’t even get a chance to warm up!"

"That kid’s got such smooth skin. Fourth-in-command, why don’t you try to capture him alive? We brothers have been feeling an itch lately... can’t find any broads, so this pretty boy will have to do!"

The crowd of desperadoes from Blood Wolf Village began to hoot and holler.

Every one of them wore an expression of relaxed bloodlust; they were all certain of Jiang Chen’s defeat.

A worried expression crossed Xiong He’s face.

Fire Wolf laughed. "Xiong He, don’t you worry. My fourth brother didn’t get the name Mad Wolf for nothing. That’s a fearsome reputation forged in battle after battle, built from the blood of his enemies. With him on the case, that kid is dead for sure!"

"Let’s hope so," Xiong He said, forcing a smile as he glanced at the supremely confident Fire Wolf and his men.

He couldn’t help but recall that day at the Alchemy Master Guild in Yulan Mansion.

Jiang Chen had forced back Xiong Li, a True Martial Realm Sixth Stage expert, with just a single sword strike...

’Is this Mad Wolf really Jiang Chen’s match?’

「Meanwhile...」

Mad Wolf now stood before Jiang Chen. A sneer played on his lips and his chin was tilted high. "Kid," he said coolly, "someone hired Blood Wolf Village to kill you. It’s your unlucky day, running into me, the fourth-in-command, Mad Wolf. So, tell me, how do you want to die? Should I do the honors and rip you in half, or will you do it yourself?"

"You’re that sure you can kill me?" Jiang Chen retorted with a sneer, sitting tall on his horse.

He had heard the conversation between Mad Wolf and Xiong He perfectly clearly.

He knew that in Mad Wolf’s eyes, he was nothing more than an inexperienced weakling.

Mad Wolf waved his hand impatiently. "Killing you will only take a moment. But, I enjoy watching my prey die in despair. So, I’ll give you a chance. You can have the first move!"

"Let me go first? Are you sure?" Jiang Chen asked, a strange look on his face.

"Enough nonsense. Go!" Mad Wolf snorted, brimming with confidence. "Try to kill me with your strongest attack. The moment you realize that even your best shot can’t hurt me will be the moment of your deepest despair. And killing you then... that will be the most satisfying for me!"

"Alright. Since you insist on me going first, then I won’t hold back!"

Jiang Chen nodded.

Suddenly...

A golden Sword Aura erupted from his hand. It moved with unbelievable speed, flashing past Mad Wolf’s neck in an instant.

The confident smile remained on Mad Wolf’s face. He opened his mouth to speak. "Good. Your one move is over. Now it’s my t—gurgle... gurgle... Th-this... how is this possible..."

Mad Wolf was still speaking confidently when thick, viscous blood began to gush from his mouth.

His features froze in an instant.

A thin, red line spread across his neck. His head slid off and tumbled to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Seeing Mad Wolf’s head separated from his body, the hundred-plus Blood Wolf Village experts, who had just been jeering with utmost confidence, were all struck dumb, utterly horrified...