Sovereign of the Three Realms

Jiang Chen’s expression didn’t change even after he’d heard Lin Yanyu’s message. Lin Yanyu transmitted again, “The first two things I’ve told you are absolutely true. I don’t have any hard evidence for the third, but based on my own observations, I am almost certain that it’s true. You can see for yourself later, Daoist Huang, but please don’t say that I’m the one who told you this, or not even having ten lives can save me.”

Lin Yanyu smiled wryly and cupped his hands towards Jiang Chen’s direction. Only then did he carefully walk away. Jiang Chen frowned, but didn’t look at Lin Yanyu’s departing back. Considering how cautious Lin Yanyu was, it must have taken him a great deal of courage to reveal this information. Jiang Chen sighed inwardly. Everyone has their own way of living. This Lin Yanyu may seem petty and low, but he has his own principles. The spirit stones I gave him was what the Eight Treasures Antidote was truly worth, but not only did he refuse to accept them, he even give me a bit of intel in return. He’s an interesting fellow alright.

To be honest, he was very impressed with Lin Yanyu. Lin Yanyu might not live an unrestrained life—one might even say that the way he lived his life was perhaps a little too cautious—but that didn’t mean that he was a person who lacked principles. He refused to take advantage of others even when he was in dire straits. There were many top-rated experts in this world, but Jiang Chen dared say that many of them didn’t possess a moral character like his. He didn’t need the Eight Treasures Antidote. Both he and Huang’er had refined the Thundercloud Cicada’s bloodline and were thus impervious to poison. There was no poisonous fog or miasma that could hurt them. On the other hand, the information Lin Yanyu provided was of great value to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen had figured out the first piece of information Lin Yanyu had provided him with through his own observations. The place he had chosen was a place that no one wanted, even if an expert were to give it up. Jiang Chen had also figured out the second piece through his own observations. There were definitely some experts far stronger than the Ghost Cave Five hiding somewhere around in the area. The third piece he had been given, however, was especially important.

If there really was a secret alliance as Lin Yanyu had claimed, Jiang Chen needed to think through his plan of action thoroughly. Normally, an alliance like this was in no way reliable. Jiang Chen himself had no plans of allying with anyone in the area. However, an alliance like this meant that there clear-cut rules and a set profit distribution system. Bluntly speaking, a small number of experts wanted to claim the pie all to themselves and kick everyone else away from the dining table.

Jiang Chen didn’t want to be outcasted by the alliance. He liked the idea that an alliance like this might be stirring up trouble for him in the dark even less. That was why he needed to know more about the alliance. If he couldn’t destroy the alliance, he would have to become a part of it. It wasn’t like Jiang Chen needed their help, but it wasn’t part of his plan to be ostracized like a fool either. While he was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a yell nearby, “Move on, scram!”

Jiang Chen frowned and looked towards the source of the voice. Lin Yanyu’s figure appeared before Jiang Chen’s eyes once more. He was biting his lip softly and stared stubbornly at the brawny man trying to chase him away. “If you’ve taken the pill, then you have to pay for it, friend. It’s not like you lack the two hundred thousand spirit stones. If you don’t want to do so, then you have to return my pill.” The person he was talking to was a bulky man. There were also a few cultivators surrounding Lin Yanyu and cackling at him. These cultivators seemed even stronger than the Ghost Cave Five. The place they claimed was also closer to the entrance.

“I’m giving you face and helping your fame by accepting your pill, fool! If it’s really as good as you claim, then I’ll consider paying you for your troubles after we make it out of the desolate wildlands. Who knows if you’re just lying to make some quick money if I pay you now? Don’t you think so too, brothers?”

For a split second, the brawny man made the act of claiming another’s possessions without providing the necessary compensation seem reasonable. However, this wasn’t Lin Yanyu’s first day in the jianghu. How could he not know that these men were trying to take his pills without paying? Their so-called delayed payment was complete bullshit. If they weren’t willing to pay him now, would they really be willing to pay him after coming out of the desolate wildlands?

“Friend, I’m doing business on a shoestring, and this is the first time we’re meeting. There is no way I’m letting you buy on credit like this. If you aren’t willing to pay me, then please return my pills now.” Lin Yanyu’s tone might have been a little fearful, but he still summoned the courage to protect what was his.

“Are you scramming or not?” The brawny man’s eyes abruptly darkened as he glared maliciously at Lin Yanyu. “Or maybe you’d like to see if I can slap you to death with one move?”

Lin Yanyu’s eyes were bloodshot, and a bit of hesitation crept up into his face. In the end though, he shook his head and said, “Give me back my pills and I’ll leave immediately.”

The brawny man laughed savagely, “You asked for it!”

No one here was unfamiliar with the law of the jungle in the world of wandering cultivators. That Lin Yanyu tried to market his pills to a group like the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain was suicidal to say the least. Money? It would already be considered a great feat if he managed to escape with his life. The Ghost Cave Five might appear oppressive and ferocious, but that was all on the surface. The evil deeds the Ghost Cave Five had committed didn’t even amount to one tenth of what the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain had done.

The Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain was a famous brigand group that operated all throughout the human domain. They were ruthless and merciless bastards who specifically targeted lone, wandering cultivators. If they were in a good mood, they might kill off their victims immediately, but if they were in a bad mood, they would torture their prey endlessly until they gasped for their last breaths. The fate of women was even worse than that of their male counterparts. Female cultivators who fell into the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain’s hands were better off dead than alive. They went on top of their prey in turns and used every kind of disgusting tricks they could think of to torture their prey. The captured female cultivators were often tortured to death before the group eliminated their victims. That was why the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain was infamous in the world of wandering cultivators.

Unfortunately for everyone else, the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain was both tricky and strong. They had managed to escape several organized hunts and remained free despite numerous wandering cultivators’ attempts to hunt them down. In fact, the wandering cultivators who had participated in the hunts were later the victims of revenge, either vanishing without a trace or dying horrible deaths.

Compared to them, the Ghost Cave Five were a bunch of brats who had just learned how to walk. The brawny man Lin Yanyu was facing was the third oldest group member. He was the kind of guy who caused trouble even when none came to him, so he couldn’t think of any reason to turn down a fat lamb who had walked right up to his doorstep like Lin Yanyu had.

Lin Yanyu’s expression changed when he saw the man approaching him. The man was obviously stronger than him, and he had no idea what he could do to protect himself. He put a pair of gloves on his hands immediately and said, “Don’t come any closer. My gloves are filled with all sorts of poison. You’ll die if I touch you even once!”

The brawny man laughed, “Trying to scare me, eh? Even if I assume that the poison on your gloves is real, do you really think you can touch me before I crush you like an ant?”

Jiang Chen frowned at the scene and spoke up, “That’s enough.”

Everyone was watching the spectacle unfold quietly and didn’t lift a hand to help Lin Yanyu, because offending the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain was a foolish thing to do. Therefore, Jiang Chen’s voice came as a surprise to many people. The brawny man abruptly glared at Jiang Chen after a brief moment of surprise. “And who are you talking to?”

Jiang Chen sneered, “I see you have a big head on your shoulders, but your brain must be pretty small.”

“Are you trying to interfere with my business and stand up for justice, boy?” The brawny man suddenly cackled and whistled frivolously, “Hey brothers, someone is trying to stand up for justice over here! What a trip!”

The other five cultivators of the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain looked over with unfriendly looks on their faces. A white-haired old man, who was clearly the boss of the group, walked slowly over to their side while holding a walking cane made of a strange type of metal. “It might be better to keep your mouth shut, friend.”

Jiang Chen answered in annoyance, “Who’s your friend?”

The white-haired old man looked surprised by this. The Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain was quite infamous in the human domain, so who on earth was this guy to talk in such a way with the alpha wolf of this pack? The wolves behind the old man hooted in anger, “Got tired of living eh, you bastard!”

“Kill him, boss!”

“Even a blind fellow should have a pair of ears. Haven’t you heard of the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain?”

Their yells coupled with the clanging of their weapons built up quite a bit of momentum. It was obvious that Jiang Chen’s thrashing of the Ghost Cave Five didn’t intimidate the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain much at all. The old man commanded quite a bit of respect in the group. He only needed to make a single hand gesture to silence all of them. Even so, they all continued to stare at Jiang Chen with evil eyes that were filled with malice and devoid of any trace of humanity. They looked like a pack of wolves that was waiting for their king’s permission to charge so that they could savagely maul their enemies and deal the fatal blow.

“Do you really think that you have the right to call the shots here just because you took out the Ghost Cave Five?” The white-haired old man sneered. The Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain were no idiots. They had all seen how Jiang Chen had destroyed the Ghost Cave Five. To be entirely honest, the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain thought nothing of the Ghost Cave Five at all. The young man who had destroyed them, however, would require a little more probing before they could decide whether to attack. They weren’t afraid of fighting, but they weren’t the only two groups that existed in the area. Only the heavens knew exactly how many experts had established themselves in the surroundings. The Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain had come to this place with great ambitions, so although they weren’t afraid of trouble, they weren’t willing to reveal too many of their trump cards either.

Jiang Chen smiled slightly and cast Lin Yanyu a glance. “I don’t care if you use that act on someone else, but this person here is my friend. Are you trying to slap my face by harming him in front me?”

“Friend?” The old man chuckled oddly. “If I remember correctly, you guys have only just met each other. Don’t you think it’s a stretch to claim that you’re friends already?”

“Haven’t you heard of the saying, familiarity at first sight?” Jiang Chen’s smile was as calm as ever.

The old man’s expression froze for a second. Finally, he nodded, “Alright, if he’s really your friend then we’ll give you some face. We’ll pay him back after we return.”

Jiang Chen broke into involuntary laughter. “Anyone who makes this type of trade is expected to pay immediately. After all, the customer can claim all kinds of nonsense to avoid paying if the transaction isn’t carried out immediately. Plus, who knows if you’ll come out alive from the desolate wildlands? Also, the Eight Treasures Antidote is the real thing. I’ve verified its effectiveness myself. If you dare doubt the pill’s effect, then you are doubting my insight. Do you really expect me to tolerate such insolence?”

Jiang Chen purposely threw his weight around like a true troublemaker to the point that he appeared even more tyrannical than the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain. Off to the side, the Ghost Cave Five was stunned by the sight. They were clutching their faces and butts while feeling a great deal of shock and regret. This young man was someone who dared to provoke even the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain. They were fools to taunt someone like him. The beating they had suffered was completely justified!