Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Seeing the five men staring at him with dumbfounded looks, Ning Xuan felt rather embarrassed. "Sorry, I was just so thirsty," he said, returning the waterskin along with a bag of Divine Crystals. "Consider this payment for your trouble."

The five men exchanged glances, the same thought echoing in all their minds: Rich and foolish! He must be from a major clan. He’s definitely got plenty of treasures on him!

It was at this moment they noticed the Storage Rings on each of the young man’s hands. The corners of their mouths twitched, and they couldn’t help but wonder how this guy had managed to arrive here safely.

"Excuse me, is this Skywolf Mountain? Is Skywolf Fort up there?"

The moment Ning Xuan asked, the five men nodded in unison.

"That’s great! Can you take me to see your Fort Master? I need to get to Chi Ming Imperial City. As long as you can get me there, name your price!"

His tone was the spitting image of a landlord’s naive son.

"May I ask where the young master resides? And what business do you have in the Imperial City?" the man in the center immediately asked.

But Ning Xuan instantly became guarded. "I can’t tell you that. You just need to take me to see the Fort Master. Don’t worry, I’ll make it well worth your while."

With that, Ning Xuan tossed over another bag of Divine Crystals.

"This is the down payment. There’s more where that came from."

The five men exchanged glances, communicating via voice transmission.

"What do you guys think? How much of what this kid is saying can we believe?"

"I scanned him when I handed over the waterskin. He’s definitely just a Martial Artist! So I think he’s probably telling the truth."

"Damn it! The higher-ups must already know this guy has entered the mountain, otherwise..."

"Don’t do anything stupid! Boss, what’s the call?"

"What’s the call? Of course, we send him up! What are you lot thinking?! Don’t forget the rules of our Skywolf Fort!"

At these words, a chill went down the other four men’s spines. Although their status in Skywolf Fort wasn’t high, they still weren’t allowed to act recklessly.

Having reached an agreement, the other four men quickly vanished. They were lookouts returning to their posts. The last man was left to lead Ning Xuan up the mountain.

Along the way, he tried to probe Ning Xuan for information. Ning Xuan answered every question, yet by the time they reached the summit and stood before the gates of Skywolf Fort, the man suddenly realized he hadn’t actually learned a single thing. On the contrary, it was he who had said too much, disclosing things he should and should not have. For instance, he revealed that Skywolf Fort did indeed have a Teleportation Array, but it hadn’t been used in a very long time. If his superiors found out he’d said even that one sentence, he would be a dead man.

At this moment, he met Ning Xuan’s faint, knowing smile and was terrified. He immediately tried to return all the Divine Crystals Ning Xuan had given him.

Ning Xuan just kept looking at him with that same expression.

Left with no other choice, the man was forced to offer up his own savings. After three such transactions, seeing that Ning Xuan still had no intention of stopping, he was on the verge of tears. "Young... Young Master, I really have nothing left. Please show mercy and spare my life." He clasped his hands, begging continuously.

"Fine. Thanks for the guidance," Ning Xuan said. "I’ll walk the rest of the way myself. You should go back and reunite with your four brothers."

With that, Ning Xuan walked straight ahead.

The man’s face, however, turned ashen. If he went back, those four would demand their share of the Divine Crystals. Could he tell the truth? Absolutely not. That left only one path for him.

Damn it! We treated him like an idiot, but we were the real idiots all along! He was filled with utter regret.

He glanced in the direction the youth had gone, then immediately scrambled down the mountain as fast as he could. He had to find an excuse and run, or he wouldn’t even know how he died.

「On the other side.」

Ning Xuan had already appeared on a spacious plaza where two men stood opposite him. One was a Lanyi scholar, and the other was a rugged, burly man.

"You must be the Fort Master of Skywolf Fort! Truly wise and valiant, with an extraordinary presence," Ning Xuan said, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the burly man.

The Lanyi scholar at his side gave a slight smirk.

Ning Xuan immediately knew he was in trouble. Sure enough, BANG! Without another word, the burly man slapped out with his palm, causing the very space around it to fracture. If not for Ning Xuan’s quick reflexes, half his face would have been gone.

"You son of a bitch, trying to drive a wedge between me and my big brother! You deserve to die!" the burly man’s voice thundered.

Ning Xuan was somewhat dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected this guy to have a brain.

"That wasn’t my intention. Forget it, I’m not good at flattery anyway. Let’s not beat around the bush. I want to borrow your Teleportation Array."

"Teleportation Array? Hahaha, our Skywolf Fort doesn’t have a Teleportation Array! We only put out that rumor because we’ve been tight on funds and couldn’t squeeze a drop more out of the city. Naturally, the goal was to get our hands on the treasures carried by despicable smugglers like you!" the burly man said with surprising honesty.

After all, he had just tested the boy and confirmed he was really just a Martial Artist. In that case, why bother with pleasantries?

"I know you’re telling the truth about that, but it’s also true that Skywolf Fort has a Teleportation Array. The brother who brought me up the mountain told me so himself."

Hearing this, the burly man’s eyes bulged. He shot a look at the Lanyi scholar beside him. After the scholar nodded, he vanished in an instant.

"Servants always want to believe their faction is stronger than it is. I can understand them exaggerating," the burly man said, still trying to explain it away.

Ning Xuan cut straight to the point. "I’m just a Martial Artist, and you’re afraid of me? You shouldn’t call yourselves Skywolf Fort. ’Turtle Fort’ would be more fitting."

His words were a devastating blow.

The burly man was stunned for a moment, then a vicious sneer spread across his face.

"You’ve actually reminded me! You’re just a Martial Artist, so why should we bother hiding anything? I’ll be honest, we do have a Teleportation Array! But you are not worthy of using it! As for your treasures, they belong to us now!"

As his voice fell, he shot his hand out to grab Ning Xuan, unleashing a Dao Confinement, an ability only a Cultivator could possess. He had expected an easy capture.

To his surprise, his hand grasped at nothing. The youth had already vanished from right in front of him.

He whipped his head around to see a figure leaping across the rooftops, disappearing in an instant. He was furious. With a roar, he took to the air and gave chase.

His roar was like a signal, and the entire Skywolf Fort, like a slumbering wolf pack, stirred to life.

The burly man had expected the kid to find a place to hide. Instead, he spotted him perched atop the highest building in Skywolf Fort. What shocked him even more was that the boy was brazenly shouting:

"Where is the Fort Master of Skywolf Fort?! Get out here and face me!"

The Cultivators who had been about to attack the boy all froze, looking up at Ning Xuan in utter disbelief.

Where did this guy come from?! Is he insane?! A mere Martial Artist, daring to demand that their Fort Master "get out here"?! Damn it! This is beyond outrageous!