Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

The Black Tiger Gang was, in essence, a band of roving bandits that plagued the borders of the Great Hong Dynasty.

They frequently engaged in robbery and plunder, their favorite activity being the interception of merchant caravans to steal their cargo as they crossed the border.

This was especially true for goods shipped by merchant guilds. No matter how heavily armed the escort, the caravans could rarely escape the gang's avaricious eyes, and a vicious battle would inevitably ensue.

Strictly speaking, the Black Tiger Gang was an external power, not native to the Great Hong Dynasty. They only lingered on the dynasty's borders for extended periods to plunder the goods from caravans.

Rumor had it that the Black Tiger Gang was connected to the Black Tiger Tribe of the Dark Triangle Zone. The gang's chief had supposedly been exiled by the tribe's king for committing a grave error.

And it was for this very reason that he led his men to plunder supplies at the Great Hong Dynasty's border year after year, offering the spoils to the Black Tiger Tribe as a sign of atonement.

The Great Hong Dynasty found itself rather helpless against this band of marauders.

After all, the Black Tiger Gang operated outside the dynasty's jurisdiction, making them difficult for the imperial court to manage. Even when experts were dispatched to eliminate them, the gang would catch wind of the operation and flee far away, sometimes even crossing into the borders of other dynasties to continue their illicit trade.

This highly mobile, nomadic band of brigands was a constant headache for the court.

Of course, the most significant reason was that the Black Tiger Gang had the Black Tiger Tribe as its backer!

They were a major power with an illustrious reputation in the Dark Triangle Zone! Even the royal family of the Great Hong Dynasty was utterly unwilling to make an enemy of the Black Tiger Tribe.

It was because dealing with the Black Tiger Gang was met with such heavy resistance that the marauders could still operate on the borders of the Great Hong Dynasty today.

It was no wonder, then, that upon seeing Chen Lie—an Elder of the Black Tiger Gang with a dreadful reputation—Elder Yu Xiaoran of the Songyin Sword Mansion was so wary.

Behind Yu Xiaoran, his disciples also wore shocked expressions. Only the twin sisters, Chuyu and Chuxue, remained impassive.

"Relax, Yu Xiaoran. I didn't come here looking for you."

Chen Lie gave Yu Xiaoran a cool glance before looking away.

"My men had taken this place, but you drove them out. Is that what happened?"

Under the watchful eyes of all present, Chen Lie stared at Ye Chen's trio with frigid eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice.

Ye Chen continued to rest with his eyes closed, not even deigning to acknowledge him.

The spirit maiden simply stared out the window at the ceaseless curtain of rain, her expression distant, as if lost in thought.

Only Song Yubing replied, her gaze icy, "So what if we did?"

The trio's brazenly contemptuous attitude immediately infuriated the members of the Black Tiger Gang.

Not far away, Yu Xiaoran and his group also looked on in shock.

"That kid is unbelievably arrogant! Doesn't he fear death?" The two youths shook their heads. They could still muster some pity for a peerless beauty like the spirit maiden, but as for Ye Chen, they couldn't care less.

Chen Lie's eyes narrowed. His gaze swept over the spirit maiden, filled with stunned admiration, before finally settling on Ye Chen.

"You've got some nerve, kid," he said coolly.

Li Kuang immediately chimed in from the side, "Sir, please deal with this brat. As for the two women... after you've had a taste, Sir, leaving them for the rest of us to enjoy would be quite a treat."

At his words, the men of the Black Tiger Gang erupted in jeering laughter.

The vile, lecherous expressions on their faces made Song Yubing sick with disgust.

"Chen Lie, this is the territory of the Great Hong Dynasty! It's not a place for you to run wild!"

As an Elder of the Songyin Sword Mansion, Yu Xiaoran was brimming with righteous integrity. He naturally couldn't stand by and watch these bandits brazenly bully others within the Great Hong Dynasty.

"Oh?"

"Thinking of sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong?"

Chen Lie's eyes turned sinister. "Let me be clear," he said. "I'm here on important business and don't want any complications. If you choose to stand aside, I can pretend I never saw you."

"But if you insist on interfering, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

As he spoke, a biting chill emanated from him, and the temperature inside the temple seemed to drop several degrees.

Behind Yu Xiaoran, the faces of his disciples paled, intimidated by Chen Lie's powerful aura.

Behind Chen Lie, the experts of the Black Tiger Gang glared over menacingly. The terrifying pressure was so intense it felt hard to breathe.

Yu Xiaoran took a deep breath. His gaze sharpened, and he suddenly addressed Ye Chen. "Friend, what say we join forces and eradicate these bandits?"

"Yu Xiaoran, you're courting death!"

Chen Lie's eyes narrowed.

'I can't believe it. I gave him a way out, but Yu Xiaoran still insists on getting involved!'

The expressions of the Black Tiger Gang experts grew cold and dangerous.

"Master..."

His disciples exchanged glances and couldn't help but smile wryly.

They knew their master all too well.

With Yu Xiaoran's overflowing sense of justice, he would never stand idly by while bandits harmed innocent people. He would always intervene, just as he was doing now, even at the risk of injury.

And this time, Ye Chen finally opened his eyes.

But he didn't look at Chen Lie. Instead, he glanced at Yu Xiaoran and shook his head, saying coolly, "That won't be necessary. With your level of cultivation, your involvement would be useless."

He wasn't wrong. Chen Lie was an expert at the Seventh Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm. If Yu Xiaoran insisted on interfering, he would only be throwing his life away for nothing.

The disparity in their strength was too vast. A Cultivator at the Third Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm could not even withstand the aftershocks of a battle involving a Seventh Layer expert.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaoran's face alternated between pale and flushed.

'I can't believe it. I made a good-faith offer to join forces against a dangerous man like Chen Lie, and this boy completely dismisses it!'

'He even said I'm too weak to get involved in a fight of this caliber!'

'I am an Elder of the Songyin Sword Mansion, respected everywhere in Xu Province. And now, here in Lei Province—a place considered a cut below Xu Province—some junior dares to call my strength insignificant?'

'This is outrageous!'

Yu Xiaoran was both humiliated and embarrassed, but years of maintaining his composure kept him from stooping to argue with a junior.

"Master, the man's a complete megalomaniac!" the blue-robed youth sneered. "Since he has a death wish and insists on grandstanding at a time like this, let's just watch him die. Why did we even bother trying to help?"

The blue-robed youth sneered, and the other disciples nodded in agreement.

Yu Xiaoran's expression was grim. Beside them, Chen Lie clapped his hands and roared with laughter, while behind him, mocking smirks flashed across the faces of the Black Tiger Gang experts.