Inside Yun Ming, Sky Support Space.
After a heaven-shattering explosion and a violent tremor that rocked the Sky Support Space, the Spatial Barrier, already riddled with cracks, gained even more fissures. Fortunately, Yun Ming had chopped down enough of the tree to create some buffer room within the space, making it less strained. Otherwise, he truly didn't know if the space could have withstood the shockwaves of the impact!
After weathering the first wave of the Golden Tree's frantic counterattack, Yun Ming hurriedly began to coax the "child." He used his Spiritual Power to transmit images of the Dead Realm to the Golden Tree while simultaneously explaining the logic behind his actions.
"The space was too small before, and you were too big to fit. Now it's possible; I can take you to that place."
The Golden Tree was not, after all, a true human child. Under Yun Ming's matter-of-fact explanation, the logic-driven Golden Tree sensed that Yun Ming, this human tool for moving trees, was indeed acting out of genuine intent based on his task. It ceased its rampage and slowly retracted its divine abilities.
This allowed Yun Ming and his three Soul Spirits to breathe a sigh of relief; the internal turmoil had finally been quelled.
Perhaps it was the nature of a Life Core, or perhaps it felt the living conditions of its temporary little nest were too poor, but once the Golden Tree stopped its rampage, it began to take root in the space. Wherever its roots spread, ripples of gold drifted by, and in no time at all, they smoothed over the cracks within the Sky Support Space. This was the reason why the outside world could see Yun Ming's body glowing with golden light.
Watching the tree accept reality and even begin to stabilize the space, Yun Ming cooperated with all his might. Once the space was stabilized, it would be time for him to deal with those guests outside.
It wasn't just the Breaking Clan watching Yun Ming; the Treasure Snatching Coalition was also there. Now that they saw signs of Yun Ming's Awakening, their offensive grew even more ferocious.
Eight, seven, six. The Breaking Clan suffered rapid casualties, and fewer and fewer clansmen remained standing. Yang Wutian and Yang Hong watched with burning anxiety.
Just as another member of the Breaking Clan was about to fall to the enemy, a change finally occurred on Yun Ming's side.
The brilliant golden light shrouding Yun Ming began to retract, and a familiar fluctuation of Soul Power reappeared, its intensity rising rapidly.
Dai Bingjun stepped back, the tip of a spear passing just centimeters from his throat. Having narrowly dodged a horizontal sweep from Yang Wutian's spear yet again, he noticed the signs of Yun Ming's Awakening and his expression turned even uglier.
His side of the battlefield was only capable of taking a beating, and on the other side, the Breaking Clan still had a Soul Saint holding on desperately. Dai Bingjun felt the situation was lost and didn't want to fight anymore. But the current state of the battle was not something he could control; Yang Wutian had gone berserk, and another spear strike with the Power to Break Mountains and Rivers came crashing down.
Dai Bingjun had no choice but to parry with all his might.
On the other battlefield, after two more members of the Breaking Clan fell, the defensive line was breached, and the Treasure Snatching Coalition finally made contact with the branches of the Golden Tree. Feeling the rich vitality emanating from the branches, they were ecstatic, but this excitement did not last long. Before they could even collect their spoils, an indifferent voice rang in everyone's ears.
"How lively! Why don't I keep you company and play for a while?"
As the words fell, a terrifying pressure descended. In that moment, everyone recalled the great terror from before.
"Thud."
Amidst a series of intimate contacts between flesh and the ground, the Treasure Snatching Coalition returned to the embrace of Mother Earth. Dai Bingjun struggled with all his might, but he could not change the predetermined fate.
The last trace of golden light dissipated, and Yun Ming appeared before everyone. Looking at the crowd kneeling on the ground once more, Yun Ming spoke.
"It seems you don't possess the slightest strength to contend with me. To still be able to strike after all this, you're quite brave!"
Outplayed, everyone felt their hearts turn to ash. Fearing that Yun Ming might start a massacre, someone hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Young Master Yun's divine abilities are peerless. We were momentarily blinded by greed for treasure and committed the sacrilege of attacking you. We beg for your punishment; we are willing to pay any price, if only you would spare our lives."
As they spoke, they kept kowtowing.
With someone taking the lead to beg, the others followed suit in a flurry.
"We beg Young Master Yun to spare us!"
"We are willing to pay any price, just to keep our lives."
"..."
At this life-or-death juncture, they made all sorts of promises and conditions, desperate only to survive. However, Yun Ming did not reply immediately. He first sensed the condition of his clansmen, fed pills to those who were severely injured alongside Yang Hong to save their lives, and performed emergency treatment. Only after finishing did he raise his eyes to look at the others waiting for their final fate.
Yun Ming said in a deep voice.
"You are very lucky. My clansmen are unharmed, otherwise, someone would certainly have paid an equal price today."
"I don't particularly like killing, and I don't want to today, so you can rest assured—your lives still belong to you."
Hearing this, the greatest worry in everyone's hearts vanished, and they couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief. But Yun Ming's next sentence made them anxious again.
Yun Ming continued.
"However, while the death penalty can be avoided, the living penalty is inescapable. You must still pay the price for your failure."
Someone in the crowd asked cautiously.
"Then, may I ask what Young Master Yun wants?"
They were all very nervous at this moment. Although this "hush money" was inevitable, they still wanted to pay as little as possible if they could.
Regarding this question, Yun Ming thought for a moment and said.
"I heard some of your offers earlier. To be honest, they were quite sincere, but it's too messy and I don't want to deal with it, so let's keep it simple."
"I don't care how much each of your families contributes; just pay a total of One Hundred Million Gold Soul Coins for this failure."
Hearing Yun Ming's asking price, the faces of the people from Silver River City turned pale with fright. A small goal of "One Hundred Million Gold Soul Coins"—even for a major hub like Silver River City with top-tier wealth-generating capabilities, coming up with this sum would leave them severely wounded. If they paid this money, their families would likely have to live in austerity for the next decade.
A family representative who had once met Yun Ming at the apothecary said cautiously.
"Young... Young Master Yun, isn't this sum too much? Could you perhaps lower it a little?"
As he spoke, he used his right thumb and index finger to gesture a tiny amount.
To this person's question, Yun Ming revealed a smile and said to Yang Wutian.
"Clan Leader, what do you think?"
Yang Wutian revealed a cold, sharp smile on his face.
"Of course you can. For every ten million less, everyone present will have one limb removed. You can reduce it by a maximum of forty million. Why don't you all discuss exactly how many ten millions you want to cut?"
Hiss--
Everyone couldn't help but gasp. With an exchange rate like that, how could they possibly afford to play along? Not to mention their own reluctance, even if they were willing to sacrifice for the Clan, if they really made the trade, they would be returning to the city as cripples. They wouldn't have the face to show themselves in public.
Yun Ming watched their expressions shift like performers in a Sichuan opera and chuckled.
"Since your Clan Leader has already spoken, then that's how it will be. Are you all still going to trade?"
The man who had asked the question earlier was sweating profusely and hurriedly replied.
"N-no, no need. This... this price is quite fair."
Seeing that this person was forcing himself to spout nonsense, Yun Ming nodded and said.
"In that case, let's settle it this way! Each family will send a representative back to the Clan to fetch the money."
The people from Silver River City felt as if their hearts were being sliced by knives, but they had no choice but to select their own "money-delivery boys." Once the personnel were chosen, they...
Yun Ming released those individuals, allowing them to return to the Clan to gather the funds, while keeping the others detained.
After dealing with this group, Yun Ming shifted his gaze to Dai Bingjun and said helplessly.
"Your Majesty the Prince, we have only met twice, and every time we meet, it isn't very pleasant. I find that quite strange!"
"Do you have some sort of dissatisfaction with me?"
When Dai Bingjun heard Yun Ming's words, a storm raged within his heart. Dissatisfaction! Of course, he was extremely dissatisfied with Yun Ming! But now that he was under someone else's roof, he didn't dare show even a hint of it, so he feigned innocence.
"Of course not, Young Master Yun is overthinking it."
Seeing him act this way, Yun Ming sighed.
"Is that so? That's a pity. I had originally thought that if you said 'yes,' I would respect you as a man and not hit you! Now, it's a shame!"
As he spoke, Yun Ming's figure transformed into a white blur. In the blink of an eye, he arrived beside Dai Bingjun. His leg whipped out like a lash, whistling through the air as it slammed directly into Dai Bingjun's waist and abdomen, kicking him flying fifty or sixty meters away.
Before the onlookers could even react, Dai Bingjun had already smashed through seven large trees and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise. This time, it wasn't Yun Ming suppressing him; he had truly been sent to the brink of death by that single kick.
Bang--
The flying man surnamed Dai didn't stop until he slammed into the eighth tree with a thunderous crash, bending the trunk to an extreme arc. Only then did he barely manage to stop flying. It was only at this moment that the people from Silver River City regained their senses, realizing that the current Prince was being brutally beaten in front of hundreds of people.
The Copper Hammer Soul Saint screamed.
"Your Highness!!"
The genuine emotion in his tone made it clear to anyone listening that this man was fiercely loyal. Unfortunately, his Highness currently had neither the heart nor the strength to respond to him.
Pfft--
Dai Bingjun landed and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organs. He struggled to lift his head to look at Yun Ming, his eyes filled with confusion. First, he hadn't expected Yun Ming to actually dare to touch him. Second, everyone was causing trouble, so why was he receiving such "special treatment"?
Yun Ming seemed to see through his question and said casually.
"I told you before I left: if you dared to pull any more tricks, I wouldn't be polite. Clearly, you didn't remember."
"You..."
Dai Bingjun was about to speak, but after uttering only a single word, another large mouthful of blood surged from his mouth. Darkness swallowed his vision, and he fell into a coma.
Seeing that the man was struggling to speak, Yun Ming didn't bother with him anymore and turned directly to the Copper Hammer Soul Saint from earlier.
"Your master is unable to communicate right now, so you, as his subordinate, will have to do it for him!"
"The others already paid their ransom, and your Prince must pay as well."
"His price is six Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones."
The Copper Hammer Soul Saint felt his scalp tingle. Although the actual market price of these soul bones didn't reach such an astronomical figure, these were soul bones! They were strategic reserve assets, completely incomparable to Gold Soul Coins. However, he didn't dare to haggle. Six soul bones, combined with the previous warning—even without asking, he knew what the condition for a price reduction would be. He could only say in a low voice.
"I will convey your words to His Majesty."
Yun Ming smiled slightly, waved his hand to remove his suppression, and said casually.
"Good. As for your master, you can take him back directly. I don't want to look at him."
The Copper Hammer Soul Saint was somewhat surprised. Was he really that trusting? Wasn't he afraid they wouldn't honor the debt?! But he only dared to think these things; it was best to be able to take the person away. He hurried to Dai Bingjun's side and discovered that his ribs were all broken, his left arm bone was shattered, and his jawbone, leg bones, and other parts had suffered various degrees of damage.
Such injuries were shocking. The Copper Hammer Soul Saint improvised on the spot, splinting the bones and performing emergency treatment. Once finished, he hoisted Dai Bingjun up and prepared to flee. As for the rest of their trusted subordinates, he couldn't care less—let them be!
Yun Ming watched from the sidelines without saying a word, only speaking up when the Copper Hammer Soul Saint was about to run.
"Remember, I am only giving you one month. If I do not see the items at the Breaking Clan after one month, I don't mind taking a trip to Star Luo City. But what happens then, I cannot say. You should tell your Emperor to consider this carefully."
Hearing this blatant threat, the Copper Hammer Soul Saint felt a chill in his heart. He was certain that Yun Ming was completely lawless; imperial power meant nothing in his eyes. This made his pace as he left even faster. Such a thorny problem was best left for His Majesty to judge!
With Dai Bingjun gone, Yun Ming turned his gaze back to the others from Silver River City. This time, when they were looked at by him, everyone straightened their backs and knelt in a standard, respectful posture, their heartache vanishing. Compared to the face of the highest power on the continent, the money they were about to pay didn't seem so hard to accept anymore.
Seeing that everyone was silent as cicadas in winter, Yun Ming didn't care and said to Yang Wutian.
"Fifth Grand Uncle, you should take the clansmen back to the city for treatment first! You can leave the rest to me."
Yang Wutian didn't stand on ceremony and said directly.
"Alright, then we shall leave first."
As long as Yun Ming was conscious, everything would be fine; there was no need to worry.
As Yang Wutian led the clansmen away, Yun Ming began to handle other matters. He first processed the nine Golden Tree branches. The method was simple: he wrote a note with instructions for subsequent handling, then used his spatial ability to remotely teleport the branches to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. He couldn't teleport the massive main body of the Golden Tree, but he could manage the branches, which were over ten zhang long.
After finishing this, Yun Ming sat cross-legged on the ground and began to circulate his Soul Core to alleviate the massive consumption of Soul Power within his body.
From the moment he began processing the Golden Tree until now, the drain on his Soul Power had never ceased. The Sky Support True Body, the Soul Guidance Array, the stabilization of the space within his body, and the long-distance teleportation of the Golden Tree branches were all major drains on his energy. Furthermore, the first three items consumed his Soul Power without a moment's pause and had to be maintained until the Golden Tree was released from his internal space. If not for his powerful Soul Core and the bit of Soul Power assistance provided by the Golden Tree entering his body, he would likely have perished by now.
Seeing Yun Ming meditating, the others breathed a sigh of relief, and the Wanfu Forest, which had been noisy for quite some time, finally returned to tranquility.
It was not until two hours later, when the people sent to fetch the money returned, that Yun Ming opened his eyes once again.
Looking at the mountain of Gold Soul Coin chests piled up before him, Yun Ming's expression remained unchanged. It was a lot of money, but he felt nothing, as such worldly possessions were now completely useless to him. He had only demanded the money to teach these people a lesson.
The Ye Clan leader from before spoke up, addressing Yun Ming.
"Young Master Yun, the money has been gathered. Is this acceptable to you?"
Yun Ming glanced over, confirmed that the amount was roughly correct, nodded, and released his suppression.
"Pleasure doing business!"
After the people from Silver River City replied with expressions of forced smiles and hidden tears, they departed from this place of sorrow.
After Yun Ming spent some time teleporting these items back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he also embarked on his journey home.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader