Eternal life begins with saving my clan

At the border of the Soaring Cloud Region, in the hideout of the Crimson Shadow Bandits:

The bandits were laughing and smiling, reveling in the spoils of their last attack. A group of merchants had attempted to escape their siege but were captured.

Among them was one of the richest merchants in the region, carrying immense wealth.

In the largest tent, a scholarly man sat on a makeshift throne, three beautiful women serving him.

"Has the merchant agreed to our demands?" he asked, his gaze fixed on one of his deputies.

"Yes, boss. They've agreed. We plan to release his youngest son tomorrow," Wan Ming responded respectfully.

"Boss, what should we do about the Celestial Heavenly Store?" another deputy, Tao Long, asked cautiously.

Instantly, the tent fell silent as everyone turned their attention to the scholarly man.

He was the mastermind behind the rapid rise of the Crimson Shadow Bandits.

However, the case of the store was complex and required careful planning.

Despite their bravado, they knew deep down that the Celestial Heavenly Store was not to be underestimated.

The memory of the one hundred thousand imperial soldiers annihilated by the store's forces was still fresh in their minds.

"We'll wait for the Necoris to fulfill their part, and then we'll disappear from the Soaring Cloud Region," the scholarly man said slowly.

Hearing this, the deputies heaved sighs of relief.

The past few days had been nerve-wracking for all of them.

Who knew when the store might retaliate?

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a blinding light appeared outside the tent.

"What was that?!" one of the deputies asked, frowning.

A deep scowl formed on the scholarly man's face. "Something's wrong," he muttered, pushing the three women aside.

Instantly, tension filled the tent as everyone gripped their weapons.

Splash!

At the tent's entrance, crimson liquid mixed with organs and intestines splattered onto the ground.

Shocked, everyone inside the tent held their breath, their hearts pounding furiously.

No one dared to move.

A few minutes later, a man dressed in an ordinary gray Daoist robe stepped into the tent, holding a long sword.

As he entered, the scholarly man and his deputies instinctively took several steps back, fear gripping their hearts like a vice.

"Are you scared?" Deng Kun asked casually.

The deputies trembled, sweat dripping from their foreheads. They could intimidate the weak, but in front of an expert like Deng Kun, they were no better than headless chickens.

"Who told you to target the Soaring Cloud Region?" Deng Kun asked coldly.

No one answered, but their eyes shifted toward the scholarly man.

Not surprised, Deng Kun swung his sword.

Whoosh!

In an instant, two heads separated from their bodies, rolling several feet away.

Thud!

The deputies' bodies collapsed, lifeless, not even understanding how they died.

Seeing this, the scholarly man was paralyzed with terror.

Previously, he believed that only a handful of individuals in the kingdom could defeat him. Now, he realized how wrong he had been.

He was nothing more than an ant.

Without hesitation, he revealed the truth. "The king ordered us to do it!"

"Thanks for your cooperation," Deng Kun said with a smile, raising his sword.

"P-Please…" the scholarly man pleaded for his life.

Unfortunately, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

Whoosh!

A blinding light flashed in the tent, and the scholarly man, along with his remaining deputies, fell to the ground, their heads severed from their bodies.

As for the three women, Deng Kun didn't spare them a glance as he left the tent.

Outside, bodies were scattered everywhere, the air reeked of blood, and streams of crimson stained the ground.

That day marked the end of the infamous Crimson Shadow Bandits.

Jadefall City

Inside the City Lord's mansion, the City Lord paced back and forth, beads of sweat dripping from his brow.

Ever since he saw the bold red notification on his Spirit Comms, he knew the Celestial Heavenly Store would retaliate.

He couldn't fathom how the store had discovered his funding of The Resistance and his role in spreading chaos.

He had been discreet in his actions, yet the store had still found out.

As he racked his brain for a solution, a man dressed in a gray Daoist robe entered the hall.

Seeing the man, the City Lord frowned and shouted,

"Who are you, and how dare you enter without announcing yourself?!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"My apologies. I'm Mao Hai from the Celestial Heavenly Store," Mao Hai said with a grin.

Hearing he was from the store, the City Lord stumbled back, his face etched with fear.

"H-How…"

Whoosh!

Mao Hai disappeared and reappeared before the City Lord, grabbing his head.

He lifted him effortlessly, staring at him with disdain.

"How dare you plot against the store?"

The City Lord trembled, attempting to plead for his life, but before he could utter another word, his head exploded.

Throwing the lifeless body aside, Mao Hai departed the hall as though he had done nothing out of the ordinary.

Thunder Mist Region – Starlight City

Inside the grand hall of a massive mansion, two men discussed solemnly.

"What should we do?" a bald man asked, looking at the middle-aged man seated at the head of the table.

"Relax. That message was just an empty threat. There's no way they know we're sponsoring The Resistance," Patriarch Tao replied confidently.

As the wealthiest clan in the entire Thunder Mist Region, the Tao Clan controlled more than half the regional market.

Even city lords feared offending them.

To Patriarch Tao, the threat from the Celestial Heavenly Store was inconsequential.

The bald man, a leader of a vassal clan, sighed in relief upon seeing Patriarch Tao's confident smile.

He didn't want his clan to perish because of his greed.

Suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended upon the Tao Clan mansion.

Before anyone could react, a massive palm strike appeared in the sky and slammed into the mansion.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Boom!

The horrifying strike flattened the Tao Clan mansion to rubble, sparing no one.

"How dare you ants plot against the store?!" a voice echoed across Starlight City, sending waves of fear rippling through everyone.