Chapter 123: If You Choose to Fight, Then So Will I

No sooner had Wu Tian stepped out of the Heavenly Gate Pass than he was shadowed by a multitude of bounty hunters—mercenary groups, lone adventurers, and solitary wanderers alike.

In the cutthroat world of the Divine Dragon Continent, pillaging and slaughter were common occurrences, and killing in broad daylight was nothing out of the ordinary. Having crossed the threshold of the pass, the city guards no longer concerned themselves with private feuds. Besides, Wu Tian was a wanted man; his death would be of no interest to the authorities.

"Boss, the atmosphere feels wrong," Niu Wuji muttered, shrinking his neck as he glanced at the hundreds of people trailing them. "They’re all after your bounty. What should we do?"

"No one will hurt the young master unless they step over my corpse!" Li Tiedan declared, thumping his chest with unwavering resolve.

"Old Li, I know you’re loyal to the boss, but it seems the young master is stronger than you are."

"Er... then I shall strive to become stronger to protect him! No matter what, I will protect the young master!" Li Tiedan looked a bit awkward but stood his ground, still puffing out his chest.

As the two spoke, the crowd of bounty hunters finally closed in, sealing off Wu Tian’s path.

"Wu Tian, wanted by the New Leaf City with a bounty of ten thousand gold pieces! Your life ends here today. Our Soaring Adventure Group will claim your head and collect the reward!" A group of men stepped forward, pointing their swords at Wu Tian with arrogant smirks.

Wu Tian didn't even spare them a glance, walking right past them.

Seeing Wu Tian ignore him so completely, the leader of the Soaring Adventure Group roared, "Wu Tian, are you deaf? I said I’m taking your life! Are you trying to run?"

Wu Tian stopped, turned around, and looked at the leader calmly. "If you don't want to die, come ahead. I’m in a hurry, but it won’t take long to kill you."

"You brat, you’re too damn arrogant! How dare you look down on our Soaring Adventure Group? Look around you—hundreds of people want your life. Do you really think you can escape?"

"Escape? When did I say I wanted to escape?" Wu Tian picked his ear and asked in return.

"It seems you’ve accepted your fate. In that case, hand over your life!" The leader pulled his sword and charged.

*Thump!*

With a thunderous sound, the leader’s head was slammed heavily into the ground. The man pinning him down wore an emblem of a fierce tiger on his shoulder—the Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Hall.

"Anyone who dares touch Wu Tian dies! That brat is mine!" the Hall Master roared at the crowd.

The fierce members of the Fierce Tiger Hall swarmed in, shoving the others aside. No one dared to resist.

"Look at their emblem—it’s the Fierce Tiger Mercenary Group! They’re a Profound-grade group in the Mercenary Alliance. I can't believe they’re here!" someone whispered.

"The Fierce Tiger Hall is on the verge of being promoted to an Earth-grade group. To think such a high-ranking outfit wants Wu Tian’s head—it’s unbelievable!" another added in shock.

"The Fierce Tiger Hall is powerful, with countless Martial Spirits in their ranks, and their Hall Master, Hu Xiaofeng, is a Martial King. With a figure like that stepping in personally, that kid Wu Tian is finished!"

"Since the Fierce Tiger Hall is involved, this has nothing to do with us small-time groups anymore. Sigh... the bounty was almost ours, but there’s no competing with them."

The crowd murmured, but once the Fierce Tiger Hall took control, no one dared to step forward. Ten thousand gold pieces held little temptation for the truly powerful, and most of those gathered were low-level mercenaries or weak adventure groups who knew better than to challenge the Fierce Tiger Hall.

"Looks like a real heavyweight has arrived," Niu Wuji said, eyeing the emblem. It was the same one they’d seen on the Black Tiger squad.

"That’s Hu Xiaofeng, the Hall Master of the Fierce Tiger Hall. He’s at the Martial King realm," Li Tiedan said, stunned.

"Damn! Even the Hall Master showed up? Getting out of this today won't be easy," Niu Wuji said, his grip tightening on his sword as he prepared for battle.

Hu Xiaofeng tossed the leader of the Soaring Adventure Group aside like trash, stood up, and looked coldly at Wu Tian. "Wu Tian, prepare yourself. I’ll take your head personally. But first, I have a question: my second-in-command pursued you into the Dark Swamp—what happened? Why did he lose contact?"

"You mean that fat guy? Oh, I killed him," Wu Tian replied.

Hu Xiaofeng’s eyes widened, and he roared, "Impossible! My second brother is a first-rank Martial King. There’s no way he died by your hand. You’d better tell the truth, or I’ll kill you and wipe out your entire group!"

"You won't believe me anyway, so what answer do you want?" Wu Tian shrugged helplessly.

"Hmph! Still acting tough when you're at death's door. Since you won't talk, I'll just twist your head off and see for myself." Hu Xiaofeng clenched his fists, sneering.

Suddenly, Li Tiedan appeared behind Hu Xiaofeng, his gauntleted fists smashing toward the Hall Master’s head.

"Die!" Li Tiedan roared.

*Boom!*

Without even looking, Hu Xiaofeng smashed his fist backward. A surge of massive internal energy erupted; Li Tiedan didn't even touch him before he was sent flying, crashing to the ground several yards away.

"So... so strong!" Li Tiedan struggled to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth. A flash of golden light washed over him, healing his wounds and restoring his vitality. "Xiao Hui, thanks for the healing spell."

"You're welcome."

Even though Li Tiedan was now a first-rank Martial Spirit, he was no match for Hu Xiaofeng. It was clear that the Hall Master was truly formidable.

"Young master, this guy is much stronger than that fat man. Be careful," Li Tiedan warned as he returned to Wu Tian’s side.

Wu Tian rolled his neck and smiled. "He’s stronger than the fat man, but I’m stronger than I was back then, too."

When he fought the fat man, Wu Tian had been at level 29 (a ninth-rank Martial Spirit). After completing the 'Mercenary King' side quest, he had leveled up to 30 (a tenth-rank Martial Spirit). Facing a second-rank Martial King like Hu Xiaofeng, Wu Tian, with his instant-kill skills, felt no fear.

"A bunch of trash daring to make a fool of yourselves in front of me? Wu Tian, since you won't talk, I’ll take your life first!" Hu Xiaofeng smiled coldly and began to walk toward Wu Tian, an aura of violence radiating from his body.

"If you want to fight, then let’s fight!"