Showdown Begins

Calm down. 

Right now, the first thing to do is to rescue the disciples and deal with these ruthless robbers.

Wang Jun, with a smile hiding his anger and hatred , approached the end of the hall. Ten robbers were blocking the doorway.

"It looks like these are Black Mountain's top members," Wang Jun thought to himself.

As he entered the hall, he immediately felt the icy stares of eight warriors, all of them clearly ready for a fight.

"These folks, they must be from at least ten different martial clans!" Wang Jun thought with a smile.

"Hey, kid," a man with long hair and fair skin, lounging in a chair, chuckled, "You've got some nerve, coming to take on our entire gang."

The bearded middle-aged man next to him raised an eyebrow and said, "If it weren't for the boss's orders, I'd have already taken your head off and used it as a football!"

Wang Jun simply smiled and replied, "I've come here personally to negotiate with Montenegro, and yet, the boss sent these little hounds to welcome me. Is this how you treat your guests?"

"You little..." The eight martial artists in the hall were fuming with anger, their eyes filled with a strong urge to take down Wang Jun.

"Hahaha!" 

At that moment, Hong Liang burst into laughter.

A robust middle-aged man entered through a side door and took a seat on a tiger leather chair. He said, "Jun's head has come to visit me, and it will bring prosperity to my Black Mountain stronghold."

"Master!" 

Twenty-eight martial artists showed deep respect.

Wang Jun, keeping his calm smile, noticed a subtle energy aura around the middle-aged man. He thought to himself, 

"This man must be a Foundation establishment cultivator." 

While this warrior might only be in the second realm of the Starfall Continent, they were far superior to those at the Meridian opening stage cultivator.

Wang Jun's memory told him that facing a Foundation establishment cultivator was akin to dealing with ten twelfth-stage Meridian opening cultivator . With advanced martial arts, they could pack a powerful punch.

Feeling the pressure, Wang Jun said, "Let's not waste time. I've come to this Stronghold solely to retrieve my disciples."

Wu Dazheng raised a finger and chuckled, "I don't make mistakes. I value each head at two hundred, and once you hand over the money, you can take them all."

"Two hundred?" Wang Jun raised an eyebrow. "That's a bit steep." He only had three hundred, which would barely cover two heads.

Zhou Tian asserted, "Zhou is considering previous head's reputation. The starting price for others is at least two hundred and twenty."

"Oh?" 

Wang Jun chuckled and asked, "So, the big boss knows me, huh?"

Zhou Tianba leaned back in his seat, reminiscing, "We crossed paths once at red light area; we can be considered old acquaintances."

Wang Jun couldn't help but smirk inwardly. It seemed that this guy, Zhou Tianba, also had a fondness for Wang Fengmen and frequented similar establishments.

"I see," Wang Jun replied with a grin, "Since we're old 'kiln' friends, how about a little discount for Jun here?"

The eight chiefs sneered at Wang Jun's attempt to bargain.

Zhou Tianba was assertive, "Jun is in charge; how much of a discount are you thinking?"

Wang Jun thought to himself, "Let's try this: I'll offer two hundred, and in return, the big boss releases all my disciples." He hoped that money could resolve the issue. His plan was to secure his disciples' safety first and then deal with these bandits later.

"Haha!"

"One hundred or two? Is this guy joking?" Laughter erupted from some of the henchmen.

Zhou Tianba's expression grew darker. "Wang Jun, your offer lacks sincerity."

Wang Jun shrugged helplessly and replied, "Our modest sect treasury can only manage to provide two hundred for all heads for redemption. I hope the big boss also considers our acquaintance as 'kiln' friends."

"Acquaintance?" Zhou Tianba nodded, "Indeed."

Without delay, two robbers emerged from a side door, forcing a young man forward.

Wang Jun's smile disappeared when he recognized the battered young man as one of his disciples from Azure Sun City. The poor disciple appeared disheveled, clearly a victim of severe abuse.

"Master..." The young man spotted Wang Jun, his eyes filled with hope amidst despair. He weakly pleaded, "Save me... save me..."

With a thud, the young man was thrown in front of a tiger leather chair.

Zhou Tianba callously placed his foot on the teenager's head and chuckled, "Wang is in charge. By killing him today, it's like one less head to redeem. You won't need to pay extra ransom."

Wang Jun couldn't stand by any longer. His hands clenched into fists, and anger surged within him. As the leader of the sect, he couldn't bear to watch his disciples being humiliated.

"Don't... don't kill me..." The teenager seemed to sense the looming specter of death and pleaded in a panic, "I don't want to die, please don't kill me... I'm willing to join Black mountain gang! I'll work like an ox and a horse for you, just please, don't kill me... don't kill me!"

"Hahaha!"

"This boy sure knows how to plead!"

"Quick, look, he wet himself; he must be terrified!"

The eight henchmen laughed heartlessly.

"he has no dignity at all"

Wang Jun's anger continued to rise. He couldn't believe the kind of disciple he had recruited.

"Crash!"

Zhou Tianba drew the long knife hanging from the chair and swiftly beheaded the terrified teenager. He grinned at Wang Jun, "Wang is in charge, since he's so afraid of death, I'll take care of it for you. Any objections?"

"Ding!"

"Sect members: 99/100."

A chime rang out, indicating the reduction in sect members to 99 out of 100. Wang Jun paid no heed and raised his gaze to meet Zhou Tianba's, his eyes filled with chilling coldness. "I do have an objection!"

This statement carried an undercurrent of anger. Despite the disappointment he felt towards his disciple's fear of death, he believed that only he, as the sect leader, had the right to handle such matters. Outsiders had no authority to decide the fate of his disciples.

"Hey, it seems like this guy's getting angry."

"Big Boss should be thankful for someone cleaning up a cowardly disciple, shouldn't he?"

The eight underlings sneered, not taking Wang Jun seriously.

Wang Jun's smile had disappeared, and they were starting to realize he meant business.

Zhou Tianba's eyes flickered with a hint of coldness, but he sheathed his long knife and smiled, "Wang Jun, what's your decision?"

Wang Jun's tone was icy as he declared, "I, as the master who brought these disciples here, am the only one authorized to pass judgment. Whether it's fear of death or any major transgressions, only I have the right to handle them. No one else is entitled to intervene."

"Hahaha!"

"Does this guy really think he's in charge?"

"A ninth-rate school can't compare to our Black Mountain Stronghold. It's quite audacious to speak boldly in front of the boss!"

Zhou Tianba leaned back, his hands steepled, chin resting on his palm, and asked, "So, Wang, do you have any other business here?"

Wang Jun chuckled, "Just some small matters, you and your underlings are a bit too ugly to look at."

Zhou Tianba's composure faded, his eyes turning icy.

Seeing this, the eight henchmen suddenly realized that their boss was furious.

"Boy!" 

One of the men slammed his arm on the armrest and shouted angrily, "Our boss is part of the Jianghu community, and he's giving you, this worthless leader, some respect. Don't overestimate yourself!"

With a swift motion, Wang Jun drew his Ice Shard sword and pointed it at the underling chest.