Chen Tianci was on the verge of tears.

With his Cultivation, after roaming the Human Race’s territory for so many years, he had never truly been afraid of anyone.

He had only lived in obscurity because he didn’t want to get into conflicts.

But Shen Lang was the one person who truly terrified him, making him want to stay as far away as possible.

Whether it was a battle of wits or a battle of strength, he didn’t have the slightest bit of confidence he could win against Shen Lang.

Even the two most precious treasures he had found since entering the Human Race’s territory—the Thousand-leaf Fruit and the Water Spirit Pearl—had fallen into Shen Lang’s hands in the blink of an eye.

This bastard Shen Lang was his fated nemesis!

"Sweep... what sweep? You must have misheard. I said I rarely come to Songdu Peak and just wanted to get closer to my martial brothers here," Chen Tianci said, his eyes darting around as he backed away.

Shen Lang chuckled. "Then stop backing away. Why don’t you come over here and ’get closer’ to me first? I’m your martial junior now, you know."

"N-No, that’s okay. I’ve been eating too much lately, my blood pressure is a little high, I can’t get too excited... Junior Brother Shen Lang, just let me go, please? I admit defeat, alright? It was Liu Hai who wanted to find you, not me! You have to understand that!" Chen Tianci wailed.

Behind him, Liu Hai and the others were all dumbfounded.

’So after all this, they actually knew each other?’

’Was Chen Tianci just scared by the name "Shen Lang"?’

’Damn, I don’t get it, but I have a bad feeling about this...’

Just then, Shen Lang spoke again in a leisurely tone, "Songdu Peak is a very open Outer Sect mountain peak. We welcome any senior or junior brother to come and challenge us. Brother Tianci, choose for yourself. Are you prepared for a one-on-one fight, or a group beatdown?"

"A one-on... what does that entail? And a group beatdown? In any case, you can beat me to death, but I’m not fighting you one-on-one." Chen Tianci shook his head like a rattle-drum.

Shen Lang chuckled lightly. "A one-on-one means you take on our whole group. As for a group beatdown, that’s naturally our group beating up just you. As you can see, all these martial brothers here are full of vigor from their training and are just looking for someone to test their results on."

Chen Tianci turned to look. Among the densely packed crowd were many at the Fourth and Fifth Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm. And that guy sitting next to Shen Lang with that incredibly punchable smile was even more unfathomable!

Even if Shen Lang didn’t make a move, if all these people attacked, he, Chen Tianci, wouldn’t be able to handle it even if he had three heads and six arms.

"Can’t I choose neither? We’re all on the same side, aren’t we? Peace is paramount, peace is paramount!" Chen Tianci laughed obsequiously, his small eyes narrowing into thin slits.

"Bastard, you think you can fight when you want and not fight when you want? What do you take Songdu Peak for!" Hua Zheng stood there, radiating righteousness, and shouted coldly.

Shen Jianfeng took two steps to stand beside him and said in a clear voice, "What do you take Songdu Peak for? A place you can come and go as you please? You can go, fine, but leave something behind!"

"..."

Chen Tianci was taken aback. ’Where did these two idiots come from? What is this nonsense about leaving something behind?’

’Don’t tell me they want me to leave an arm or a leg?’

While he was still dazed, Shen Jianfeng shot him a look of profound disappointment and whispered, "Idiot, if you want my cousin to let you go, then leave some Spirit Stones! Or Spirit Grass and Elixir Pills would work too!"

Chen Tianci almost fainted.

’What kind of people are these, trying to extort me?’

’This is intolerable... but I still have to tolerate it!’

"Then... then how much?" Chen Tianci was so full of regret his guts were turning green.

’Every time I run into Shen Lang, I have bad luck and have to bleed for it. It’s really become a curse!’

’Did the heavens send him just to mess with me?’

At that moment, a single sentence from Shen Lang made Chen Tianci feel so grateful he could cry, his mood instantly improving. "Hey, Cousin Jianfeng, how could we do something like that? We’re all martial brothers. This sort of thing is unacceptable..."

"Yes, yes, yes, Junior Brother Shen Lang is right. We’re all from the same sect!" Chen Tianci said, repeatedly wiping away his sweat.

But who would have known that Shen Lang would then change his tune? "However, Brother Tianci, it was wrong of you to come charging up Songdu Peak and injure our people."

"This... this..." Chen Tianci started sweating again.

"How about this," Shen Lang said, sounding a bit troubled. "It was still wrong of you to hit people. Since you injured them, Brother Tianci, you and your men should just pay for some medical expenses. We can still be good friends after this."

"Of course, of course... So, how much are the medical expenses?" Chen Tianci asked cautiously.

Liu Hai, who was behind him, tried to speak, but Chen Tianci kicked him back.

"Let me calculate... compensation for physical injury, compensation for emotional distress... how about two hundred Low Grade Spirit Stones per person?" Shen Lang said very politely.

Liu Hai finally couldn’t take it anymore. "Two hundred? You might as well just rob us!"

SWOOSH!

A two-foot-long piece of wood suddenly shot up from the table in front of Shen Lang, fast as lightning, and instantly slammed into Liu Hai’s forehead.

Liu Hai clutched his forehead with both hands, his eyes rolled back, and he fell backward.

Chu Qingcheng frowned slightly and said, "Xiaolang, how many times have I told you? Don’t just knock out people like this with a single blow. You need to differentiate."

"Mmm, mmm, mmm!" The few men who had followed Liu Hai nodded their heads furiously, like chickens pecking at rice.

Chu Qingcheng added, "Some of them you can hit a few more times."

"..." Liu Hai’s lackeys were dumbfounded.

Just then, Chen Tianci seemed to have made up his mind. ’Two hundred it is. Damn it, I only injured four or five people anyway. That’s just a thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. I’ll just make Liu Hai pay for it.’

Thinking this, Chen Tianci nodded firmly. "Fine. We’ll do as you say. Two hundred per person."

Shen Lang clapped his hands and smiled. "Brother Tianci is truly Brother Tianci, as straightforward and generous as ever. Alright, Senior Brother Hua Zheng, bring all the injured up. Cousin Jianfeng, please count how many there are in total."

Hua Zheng and Shen Jianfeng acknowledged the order and rushed noisily behind Chen Tianci.

Chen Tianci turned around and looked, only to become so enraged that three Buddhas were born and five Buddhas ascended to heaven!

He saw the Songdu Peak disciples behind them, weeping and wailing as they carried up a large group of "injured" people. A quick count revealed there were probably no fewer than forty of them!

"Shen Lang, you’ve gone too far! I injured five people at most! The others all ran away! Where did all these injured people come from?!" Chen Tianci roared.

Hearing Chen Tianci’s roar, Shen Lang’s smile vanished, and he rose to his feet.

He slowly walked out onto the surface of the lake before speaking. "I’m a very reasonable person. Since you came here to sweep Songdu Peak, saying such things now is meaningless."

"If Songdu Peak’s fists weren’t harder than yours, the outcome would have been far more miserable than what you’re facing now."

"If you admit that Songdu Peak’s fists are harder than yours and you concede defeat, then do as you just promised. Or, fight me, and defeat me."

The surrounding crowd, which had been enjoying the show, immediately grew excited.

Shen Lang rarely made a move, but when he did, it was always spectacular!

But Chen Tianci, on the other hand, didn’t think so.

In his eyes, Shen Lang’s true strength was completely unfathomable.

Back at Qingfeng Stronghold, Shen Lang had, with a few quick moves, effortlessly taken down four powerful White Rainbow Sect experts at the Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven.

According to Chen Tianci’s own estimates, if he revealed his full strength, he could at best defeat a single expert at the Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven.

And even if he did win, it would be an incredibly difficult victory.

If he had to face four experts at the Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven, he wouldn’t last very long at all.

And the deadliest part was, even then, he could sense that Shen Lang was still hiding most of his strength!

’If I fight someone like that, he’d probably dismantle every bone in my body!’

’That guy either doesn’t act, or he’s absolutely ruthless when he does.’

’The White Rainbow Sect people were beaten so miserably that day. If I go up there, my fate will be no better than theirs.’

’If I end up seriously injured, who knows how many Spirit Stones I’d have to spend on Elixir Pills for healing...’

With that thought, Chen Tianci’s face was a mask of misery. He yanked Liu Hai up from the ground, snatched the Sumeru Ring from his hand, and yelled, "I’m scared of you, alright! I’ll pay!"

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the other men.

Those guys’ expressions were no better than his. Seeing the situation, they all tremblingly took out their Spirit Stones.

Half an hour ago, this group had arrived full of menacing momentum, ready to sweep Songdu Peak...

Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, they would be bankrupt...

Such is the unpredictability of the world.

The entire group was sick with regret.

If only they had known, they would have asked about Songdu Peak first.

If only they had known, they should have realized something was wrong when they first arrived and saw the situation...

Just then, a calm yet majestic voice rang out. "What are you all doing? Why are so many people lying on the ground?"

Everyone turned to look and was stunned!

The Sect Leader, Su Wenxuan, had actually come to Songdu Peak in person!

All eyes turned to Shen Lang on the surface of the lake.

Shen Lang was also taken aback, surprised to find several familiar faces among the group behind the Sect Leader!

The woman from the hot spring...

And the White Rainbow Sect disciples he had beaten up at Qingfeng Stronghold—Zhang Cheng and Mu Feng...