Battle Through the Heavens: Soul Travels Through Clouds and Mountains, Becoming a Winning Artist

Chapter 42 Moral Vacuum

Five hundred gold coins? Upon hearing this, Nalan Yanran's face immediately darkened.

She wasn't a wealthy alchemist who spent money like water, nor was her family royalty who ruled an empire. Therefore, Nalan Yanran was actually the one among the four who had the best understanding of gold coins.

"What do you think, Mr. Guhe?" Yun Congxin asked with a smile from afar, who was watching the show.

Gu He thought for a moment and said, "Since this is the rule of the Black Corner Region, then we're new here. Five hundred gold coins isn't much, so let's just give it to them..."

As expected of an honest man, and as expected of an alchemist!

Yun Congxin sighed inwardly and said, "Mr. Guhe's words are not entirely wrong, but they are not suitable for this land."

"The Black Corner Region, those scoundrels here are all ruthless, they'd rather rob than steal... Being a law-abiding person here is no different from being a piece of meat in someone else's mouth..."

"Is it really that exaggerated? I thought that middle-aged man was quite nice; he even gave Yanran and the others a heads-up..."

A warning? That's a trap!

Yun Congxin smiled, deciding to trick Gu He: "Mr. Gu He, how about we make a bet?"

Seeing Yun Congxin's confident attitude, Guhe became interested: "Alright, what should we bet on?"

"I bet even if they pay up, these bandits won't let them go," Yun Congxin said with a smile. "Greed is ingrained in the bones of the people here."

"Alright." Yun Congxin glanced at Xiao Yu, who was smiling to herself, and said, "If I win, I hope Mr. Guhe will listen to me throughout this trip to the Black Corner Region. If I lose... I heard there's an auction in Black Seal City soon. Auctions in the Black Corner Region always have amazing items from all over the world. Mr. Guhe, please choose one, and I'll get it for you. How about that?"

"That's excellent."

"Let's just hand it over. We've only just arrived here, and it's not good to get into a conflict with them." Even with the Ice Silk Mask on, Nalan Yanran's face was so pale that it was obvious to anyone. Seeing this, Yao Ye quickly comforted her, "Don't forget Sect Master Yun's instructions. If things get out of hand, we won't be able to complete this mission."

"Here are five hundred gold coins, open the gate!" Yao Ye shouted, taking out a bag of gold coins from his storage ring and throwing it over.

The middle-aged man on the city wall was clearly surprised. He took the bag, counted the contents for a long time, and then said sarcastically, "Open the door!"

The wooden gate of the village slowly opened a crack, just enough for one person to pass through.

Xiao Yan noticed the mottled bloodstains on it. He became more alert, and his internal fighting spirit quietly began to circulate.

"Hehehe, kid, let me teach you the most important rule of the Black Corner Region."

As soon as the four entered the tribe, the heavy gate slammed shut.

Seeing the mercenaries and bandits surrounding him with various weapons, Xiao Yan sneered and took off the Xuanzhong Ruler from his back.

The middle-aged man on the city wall let out a strange laugh and shouted, "In the Black Corner Region, don't act like a newbie, and don't act like you're rich! Both of these mistakes are fatal, enough to kill you seven or eight times over."

"But you're in luck, kid. I'm in a good mood today, so I've decided to let you off the hook."

"Hand over all your valuables, leave these three girls behind, and you can get lost!"

The middle-aged man completely disregarded Xiao Yan. He turned to the other thugs and called out, "See? These are three top-tier beauties! Line up later, after I've had my fun..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden tightness gripped his scalp. The middle-aged man quickly turned around and saw Xiao Yan's purple cloud wings unfurl behind him, taking flight high into the air.

Xiao Yan gripped the Xuan Heavy Ruler tightly with both hands, and blue flames covered the ruler. He launched a fierce attack with zero frames!

"Bang!"

Just a foot below, the middle-aged man who had been shouting just moments before died instantly, burned to ashes by the blue flames.

"Unfortunately, I'm not in a good mood today. Maybe I'll be more careful in my next life..."

Seeing the mercenaries' lewd smiles freeze on their faces, Xiao Yan coldly shouted, "What are you looking at? Get out of here in three breaths, or you're dead!"

The mercenaries scattered in a flurry, but the middle-aged man's men hesitated, their expressions shifting several times, before finally leaving.

"Hehehe, little guy, how does it feel to have personally experienced the rules of the Black Corner Region?" Old Yao chuckled wickedly. "But what this fool said is quite right. In the Black Corner Region, not flaunting wealth is indeed one of the ironclad rules. There are plenty of desperados here. Given the slightest opportunity, they will try every means to attack and rob. It's incredibly annoying."

"Don't worry, teacher, I'm not some soft-hearted idiot." Xiao Yan swooped down, wielding the Xuan Heavy Ruler, and charged at the bandits who hesitated, holding their weapons.

To establish authority, one must use ruthless and decisive methods!

When Guhe saw the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame shining brightly like a lamp in the distance, he knew he had lost.

He said with a wry smile, "Why are the people here like this..."

Yun Congxin smiled and said, "This is why the major empires haven't besieged this area... There are plenty of scum who have crossed the line on the Dou Qi Continent. Cleaning up these scum is not easy. No force is willing to really spend a lot of effort to hunt them down because it's both dangerous and unprofitable. So if there is a lawless area that can gather these scum together, it would be a good thing for everyone."

"The Black Corner Region is just like this. As the dumping ground of the Dou Qi Continent, normal people are harder to find here than three-legged toads..."

"Mr. Guhe is engrossed in alchemy, so it's understandable that he's unfamiliar with this place," Yun Congxin said with a smile. "Then what about our bet..."

Gu He gave a wry smile: "I do indeed lack understanding of this place. I'm willing to accept defeat, so I'll have to trouble Sect Master Yun for the next few days."

"Oh, no, no," Yun Congxin said, looking into the distance. "Oh, they're fighting..."

This tribe wasn't large; Yun Congxin had already scouted it out when he sent them to buy the map, and the strongest among them was only a mere Dou Ling. Let alone four people, even if it were just Xiao Yan alone, he could handle it.

So he remained completely unperturbed and continued to watch the show.

"Flames Divide and Devour the Waves!"

The energy of heaven and earth surged suddenly, and a pale red energy, almost tangible, seeped out from around Xiao Yan, swirling wildly around him before finally converging on the Xuan Heavy Ruler.

A massive azure ruler of light burst forth from the sky, and even from a great distance, one could feel the violent energy contained within it—a fighting technique that was being activated by the entire world!

Earth-rank combat skill!

"boom!"

Yun Congxin stroked his chin, watching Xiao Yan destroy half of the tribe's city wall with a single stroke, and clicked his tongue, "Tsk, making such a big fuss, will they even be able to get the map...?"