Starting a New Chapter (II)

Liu Pang grinned as his men advanced to attack Yu Ze simultaneously. Seeing him in pain gave Liu Pang confidence that victory was already in his hands. He even began to imagine how much money he would make from selling those weapons.

However, the grin on his face vanished as Liu Pang realized he was celebrating victory too early.

Just as his men were about to reach their target, Yu Ze suddenly disappeared from sight. Everyone was shocked and looked at each other, wondering what was really happening. Only a few minutes ago, they had seen Yu Ze writhing in pain on the ground, and now, there was nothing but thin air in front of them.

"Where did he go? Did you see him?" asked one gangster.

"I didn't," replied another.

Of course, this situation made Liu Pang bite his lip, and what he feared happened.

"Ha ha ha. Did you think the cheap poison would work on me? You are idiots."

Yu Ze's voice echoed between the wind and the rustling leaves. It made everyone on edge, looking up and searching for the source of the sound among the trees.

One of the Mountain Tiger Gang members nudged Liu Pang. With worry written all over his face, he said that the Sorrow Moon Poison seemed ineffective.

Liu Pang remained silent. He also hadn't expected that the poison, which had caused thousands of cultivators to lose their dignity and even their lives, would not work on Yu Ze.

"Boss, what should we do now?" whispered the worried subordinate.

Biting his lip in frustration, Liu Pang realized the situation was not going according to plan. He had to do something before his men's courage faded. Taking a deep breath, Liu Pang shouted at the top of his lungs, provoking Yu Ze to show himself.

Of course, Liu Pang knew the vast difference in their strengths. He had no intention of fighting to the death against Yu Ze. By acting tough, at least his men would have a bit of courage to fight. It wasn't like he was going to fight alongside them. He just wanted to use them as human shields, buying time for him to escape.

"Senior! Come out! Don't be a coward! After pretending to be poisoned, you hide and scare us! Stop messing with us. The Mountain Tiger Gang will teach you a lesson!"

Liu Pang broke into a cold sweat as he uttered those words, but it managed to motivate a bit of courage in his men.

Soon after, mocking laughter echoed in the night sky.

"Oh my, Liu Pang. You never fail to entertain me. Look who came with thirty men to attack me."

Yu Ze's laughter came from everywhere. It terrified everyone. One of them even wet himself.

Swallowing hard, the boss of the Mountain Tiger Gang mustered the courage to provoke Yu Ze once again. He wanted to make his men fight Yu Ze immediately so he could flee.

"Enough talk. If you're a man, show yourself now and face us!" shouted Liu Pang. As he said this, his tongue accidentally got bitten because his jaws wouldn't stop trembling.

"Alright, as you wish."

Suddenly, one of the gang members screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground with foam in his mouth. Everyone panicked, especially Liu Pang. They hadn't seen the attack coming at all.

Soon after, other gang members experienced the same fate. No sound. No sight. They suddenly dropped to the ground like falling leaves. Their eyes couldn't catch what was happening.

Liu Pang sank into fear, watching his men fall one by one, his heart began to pound like a drum.

BUMP! BUMP! BUMP!

It wasn't what he had expected. 

"Damn it, what the hell is going on!" shouted Liu Pang, biting his lip.

The situation worsened. Not many of his men could still stand. Knowing his chance to escape was diminishing, Liu Pang threw away his weapon, leaving his men without a second thought.

Just as Liu Pang turned his body, a stone struck the back of his neck. Its force was so strong that the big guy toppled over. As he lay face down on the ground, his body couldn't move.

And then, Liu Pang saw feet in front of him.

"Where do you think you're going, Liu Pang? I know the vile schemes of people like you. You wanted to use your men to buy time, didn't you? Don't think you can escape."

Naturally, Liu Pang begged for his life. After what he had tried to do to Yu Ze, the shadow of death loomed before his eyes. Liu Pang pleaded for mercy, crying profusely. His heart beat so hard that the entire forest could probably hear it. But Yu Ze paid him no mind.

"What's the name of your gang? Mountain Tiger Gang, huh? More like Kitten Gang," Yu Ze mocked. "Look at yourself now. You're crying, begging for your life. Your men were right, you're just a coward."

"Please, Senior. Spare me! I'm just a fool blinded by greed. I'll do anything as long as you spare my life," Liu Pang pleaded.

Instead of feeling pity, Yu Ze scoffed at him. "Now you call me 'Senior' again, huh? What a big loser."

Even though the insults pierced his pride, Liu Pang continued to beg for mercy. Unorthodox cultivators were not like orthodox ones, who upheld human dignity. They were the opposite. They would do anything to survive. They didn't care if they had to kiss feet or become the biggest coward as long as their lives were spared. They believed as long as they were alive, everything could change. But if they died, that was the end.

Sticking out his tongue, Liu Pang tried to lick Yu Ze's shoes. But Yu Ze dodged him and instead kicked his face. "You're really pathetic. Doing that in front of your men. You've completely lost your dignity, huh?"

"Yes, Senior. I'll do anything as long as you spare my life."

Yu Ze was silent for a moment. He then sighed. "Alright, I'll spare you. But you must serve me."

Naturally, this made Liu Pang smile broadly. His tears turned into relief. "Thank you, Senior! Thank you! I will never forget your kindness."

Yu Ze helped Liu Pang get to his feet. He even dusted off Liu Pang's clothes. "Thank you, Senior!" Liu Pang clasped his hands together and bowed. "I swear on my mother's name, I will serve you for the rest of my life and never betray you."

"Good, good." Yu Ze nodded while patting the big guy's shoulder.

At a glance, it seemed like a story with a happy ending, where the main character spares his enemy's life and they become friends. But that was not the case here.

"Now, it's time for me to send you off," Yu Ze continued.

Liu Pang furrowed his brows. "Send me off? Where to?"

A wicked grin spread across Yu Ze's face. A terrifying, devilish look emanated from his eyes. "Of course, to hell. You'll serve me from there," he said.

BUMP! BUMP! BUMP!

The big guy was scared to death, his heart beating so fast. He couldn't even stand, his legs trembling in fear. "Please, Senior..."

But Yu Ze had already made up his mind. He took a stance as if he were about to launch an extraordinary attack. "Liu Pang, be grateful. I'm not a jerk. That's why I'll send you to hell with my sect's technique."

Yu Ze pulled one of his hands back. Taking a deep breath, he gathered qi in his hand. "First Technique of the Black Dragon Sect—Dragon's Touch!"

THUD!

A tremendous wave of energy destroyed everything. Trees shattered, stones turned to dust, and the earth flipped. Within 500 meters ahead, everything was leveled. Nothing could be seen in the destruction. However, the deadly attack didn't hit Liu Pang. Yu Ze deliberately diverted his strike at the last moment.

"That was—" Liu Pang dropped his jaw, unable to believe what he saw.

"Your eyes are truly a gift from the gods. You can even recognize our sect's technique."

Hearing this, Liu Pang's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed. "The Black Dragon Sect has returned." Those were the last words Liu Pang uttered before he breathed his last.

"I only intended to scare him. Who would have thought he'd die of shock."

Yu Ze then strode away, leaving the remains of the gangsters behind. Of course, he knew that they were still alive and pretending to be dead, their gasping breaths clearly audible. Yu Ze deliberately let them live. He wanted them to spread rumors across the continent that the Black Dragon Sect had returned.