C132 Ambush

The village chief of Grey Wolf Village witnessed the scene before him and shot Zhang San a lethal glare. Zhang San was utterly useless.

"Chief, what's our next move?" Lee Si asked, his voice tinged with urgency.

"You've lost your grip on the situation. I'm giving you a chance to live—now scram," Ning Qi said, a smirk playing on his lips.

The Grey Wolf Village chief huffed, "We're leaving!" With that, he swept the villagers with a venomous look. "You've betrayed me today; retribution will find you sooner or later!" His usual arrogance meant no one dared meet his eye.

With those parting words, he strode towards the outskirts of the village.

Zhang San and Lee Si, feeling the cold stares of the crowd, grew tense. They knew staying would mean facing the wrath of those they had wronged, so they hurried to catch up with the chief.

In the end, only a handful, seven or eight, followed the old chief out.

Ning Qi waited until they were well out of sight before touching down to the ground. He then led Faang Guhang and the rest into Grey Wolf Village.

"Chief!" Wang Dafu called out first.

The remaining villagers followed suit, bowing to Ning Qi and greeting him, "Chief!"

A pleased smile crossed Ning Qi's face as he nodded. "Relax, everyone. From now on, Faang Guhang will handle the village's affairs and will act as chief in my stead. If you need anything, he's the one to see."

Faang Guhang was taken aback. "Chief!"

"No arguments. You can call on me if you run into trouble," Ning Qi said, giving him a pointed look.

"Okay," Faang Guhang conceded, nodding.

He then hesitated before speaking up, "Chief, Liu Jin won't take this lying down. He's bound to seek vengeance. Shouldn't we go after him and end it?"

"He's sure to seek revenge!" Wang Dafu agreed, nodding emphatically.

"There's no need. He's nothing but an ant; he can't cause any real trouble. If he's foolish enough to come back, it'll be the end of him," Ning Qi dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.

Ning Qi had usurped Liu Jin's role as village chief and banished him. To kill Liu Jin now would go against Ning Qi's own sense of justice.

But if Liu Jin sought his own demise, Ning Qi wouldn't hesitate to oblige.

"Chief, where to now?"

Zhang San scanned their surroundings with a wary eye, on alert for any Demonic Beasts that might ambush them. He turned to Liu Jin with the question.

Liu Jin gave Zhang San a frosty look. Had Zhang San been a Peak Grand Battle Master, he might have been of some use. But as it stood, he was nothing more than a useless fool.

"To Black Wind Village!"

After an arduous trek, Liu Jin and his followers reached the safe confines of Black Wind Village. As they neared the village entrance, boisterous laughter echoed from within.

"Liu Jin, what brings you to Black Wind Village yourself?"

A burly man with a thick beard, flanked by several Battle Spirit subordinates, strode forward. This was the village chief, known as 'Heixiong', a One-Star Battle King. Having once paid tribute to the Devil Dragon King, he had crossed paths with Liu Jin on several occasions.

Liu Jin stepped forward briskly, "It's a long story. My Grey Wolf Village has been taken over!"

Heixiong's face tensed, "Who's taken Grey Wolf Village? Didn't Lord Chi Yan assist you?"

Liu Jin exhaled heavily, "Lord Chi Yan has been slain by the same person!"

"What!"

Heixiong was taken aback. Someone had the audacity to slay a member of the Dragon Clan in the Shanhai Realm?

"What's this man's background? Which tier of Battle King is he?" He pressed for details.

Liu Jin replied, "His origins are unknown to me, but he's merely a Peak Grand Battle Master."

"How could a Peak Grand Battle Master have defeated Lord Chi Yan? Are you jesting, Liu Jin?" Heixiong's irritation was palpable.

"Hear me out. Though he is but a Peak Grand Battle Master, he commands a Fifth-Rank demonic pet, the Purple Lightning Bird! They killed Lord Chi Yan together," Liu Jin asserted gravely.

"A Fifth-Rank Purple Lightning Bird?"

Heixiong's demeanor shifted, suspicion in his gaze as he regarded Liu Jin. "So, you've come to seek an audience with Lord Black Wind?"

Liu Jin gave a slight nod. "With Lord Chi Yan gone, and despite their differences, Lord Black Wind won't ignore this affront. They were kin of the Dragon Clan, both serving under the Devil Dragon King. I'm here to implore Lord Black Wind to take action and avenge this affront by killing the man responsible."

"Liu Jin, you've got it wrong. If it gets out that you just stood by and watched Lord Chi Yan get killed, you'd be in trouble even if Lord Black Wind was the one who did it. Why don't we join forces and ambush him? That way, you'd not only avoid punishment from the Devil Dragon King, but you might even earn a reward!" Heixiong whispered.

A chill ran down Liu Jin's spine as he realized the gravity of the situation. Without Heixiong's warning, he might have been a dead man.

"Heixiong, I owe you one!" Liu Jin grasped Heixiong's hand firmly and gave it a vigorous shake to show his appreciation.

Heixiong chuckled. "Don't mention it. After we take him down, you'll get your chief's seat back. Just make sure to split half of your next tribute to the Devil Dragon King with me."

"Half?" Liu Jin's brow creased slightly. He noticed Heixiong's expectant gaze and, clenching his jaw, he agreed, "You've got a deal!"

Heixiong then rallied the mightiest fighters from Black Wind Village—more than half of them. The group included a One Star Battle King, two Nine Star Battle Spirits, three Eight Star Battle Spirits, and over a hundred Grand Battle Masters. Together with Liu Jin and the others, they set off towards Grey Wolf Village. They stopped two miles out and concealed themselves in the nearby forest.

"Stay put here. Once we draw him out, we'll all jump in and finish him off," Heixiong said with a cold laugh.

Shortly thereafter, a group of seven or eight Grey Wolf Village residents set out to gather fruits and were swiftly knocked out cold upon reaching the area.

Two hours later, a breathless Wang Dafu found Faang Guhang. "Brother Faang, we've got trouble. Old Wang and the others went to pick wild fruits and haven't come back. Do you think a Demonic Beast might have snatched them?"

"That's highly unlikely. The wild fruit picking spots are all within a few miles of Grey Wolf Village. The Demonic Beasts still believe this territory is under the Scarlet Flame Dragon's control—they wouldn't dare cause any trouble here," Faang Guhang replied, setting aside his work with a serious tone.

"What should we do now? It doesn't make sense for Old Wang and the others to be gone this long!"

Wang Dafu voiced his concern anxiously, especially since the group included a woman he was fond of.

"Let's gather a team. I'll go out and check on them myself."

Faang Guhang declared.

Soon after, a group of over thirty strong, young men emerged from Grey Wolf Village. Under Faang Guhang's lead, they set out toward the forest.

"Faang Guhang!"

Liu Jin watched Faang Guhang's departing figure with clenched teeth, his eyes seething with murderous intent.