Chapter 87 - Deterring the Bandits and the Like
Gu Hai"s face was no different than an earthquake that sent ten thousand or so cultivators into mayhem. It was so tumultuous that even under such a heavy rain, shouts and cries could still be heard everywhere across the Golden Tong.
Earlier, many of cultivators had chosen to stay in the VIP section, but hearing such an uproar, cultivators, one after another, walked out of their warm abodes.
"Senior Brother, come quickly, Gu Hai has been found!"
"Master, quickly come to the Colosseum, it"s Gu Hai!"...
Amid the boisterous tumult, the creaking of doors as they were opened rang out to no end. Almost all the cultivators in the VIP section rushed to the Colosseum, without even asking about the situation.
In the Colosseum, Meng Tai, with Feng Ling in his embrace, stood in a secluded corner, watching the chaos all around, gawking.
If one had to describe this commotion, it could be summarized with one word: an explosion, that was taking place everywhere.
What on earth is going on?
What in the b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l had Gu Hai done to anger them? Why is everyone looking at him with greedy eyes?
Chen Tianshan and Gao Xianzhi, who were well aware of the cause, gave out wry smiles. In contrast, the other three thousand freed convicts were at a loss.
My Lord"s appearance sure is sensational!? Why is everyone who was as quiet as an egg suddenly making so much commotion?
But things had not just stopped with the commotion, many cultivators had strength surging in their bodies as they unsheathed their swords and sabers, with their red eyes focused on Gu Hai.
Meanwhile, many more people came pouring in with no end to them.
"It is Gu Hai for certain!?" Just as a man dressed in red robes, who had just come from the VIP section, wanted to step forward...
"Don"t! Master, hold on!" another person blocked him right away.
"Wait for what? Gu Hai is a Xiantian Stage cultivator, can he escape?" a red-robed man retorted, glaring.
"No, Master, you weren"t here so you don"t know, Gu Hai has just killed a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator! Well, perhaps he isn"t dead yet!"
The red-robed man instantly stopped after taking only a single step as he looked at his apprentice, skeptical. "Have you gone nuts? He is a Xiantian Stage cultivator, how could he possibly kill a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator?"
"I am telling the truth, many people have seen it with their own eyes. If you don"t believe me, you can ask Junior Brother!"...
Many people had surrounded Gu Hai, but at the same time, their eyes had misgivings. Who could blame them, Gu Hai was simply too fierce earlier! Not to mention, the brutality of the former prisoners was still vivid in their minds. If they charged at that bunch of thugs, wouldn"t they be seeking death?
Even if many people had misgivings, many others had still come up to encircle Gu Hai.
The three thousand men, on the other hand, gathered around Gu Hai as fast as possible, their faces laced with hideous expressions as they watched the people swarming over.
Regardless of any malicious intentions that others had, regardless of how mixed up their emotions were now, the loyalty of the three thousand men for Gu Hai had already reached a whole new height. Now, if anyone was detrimental to Gu Hai, he or she would be treated as their own enemies.
Without further ado, their sabers and swords were pointed towards the oncoming cultivators.
Standing at the center of the freed prisoners, Gu Hai"s gaze traveled over the cultivators who were thinking of dealing with him, a sliver of a cold smile creeping up on his lips. It was different from before. He was not the same Gu Hai who had no choice but to escape a couple months back.
"Gu Hai, are the Hundred Years Longevity Peaches still on you?" a cultivator shouted aloud.
Listening to that loud voice, all the cultivators halted their footsteps, waiting for Gu Hai"s answer.
Some of the cultivators, who stood at the forefront, had a complex look on their faces. Looking at the foreboding convicts before them, they were actually hoping that Gu Hai would answer with a "no". They did not want a confrontation, it would be best if they didn"t have a confrontation!
Gu Hai coldly smiled and said, nonetheless, "Hundred Years Longevity Peaches? They are still with me!"
"Huh?" All the cultivators had a change in their expression.
"Do you want them? Come and take them, let"s see if you have that ability!" Gu Hai continued coldly.
While speaking, Gu Hai flipped his hand as he took out a jade box from the storage s.p.a.ce in the token. What was more that he even opened the jade box in front of everyone, showcasing a s.h.i.+ning Saturn Peach before everyone.
Looking at that Saturn Peach, almost everyone forgot to breathe for a moment.
On one hand, they were excited to see the Saturn Peach; on the other hand, they were shocked by Gu Hai"s actions. What does Gu Hai want to do? If you said you had eaten the peach, we might not even have attacked you!?
Gu Hai stared at everyone, his gaze ice-cold. It was not that Gu Hai wanted to show off by revealing the Hundred Years Longevity Peach. After all, Gu Hai was way past that age. He had his own purpose for revealing the Saturn Peach.
"Everyone, let"s attack together! Whoever grabs it, it"s his!"
"Attack!"...
Numerous cultivators charged in Gu Hai"s direction.
Gu Hai"s gaze turned even colder. Nonetheless, Gu Hai stood where he was, completely still. As a matter of fact, he didn"t need to take any action as when the crowd of cultivators charged at him, three thousand arentempered free men immediately displayed their ferocity.
Three thousand gladiators let out a roar in unison as they charged at the swarming cultivators.
In the blink of an eye, both sides were locked in a battle. However, the combat potential of the ex-convicts was too horrendous, they were the powerful individuals who could go up against ten alone. The battle was extremely brutal, and completely one-sided. Hundreds of cultivators were instantly sent flying in the air, coughing up blood before cras.h.i.+ng into the ground.
"Ah!" "My arm!" "d.a.m.n you, criminals!"...
With just one round, hundreds of cultivators were lying on the ground, endlessly crying. And the first guy to shout aloud to start the battle had his limbs grabbed by four convicts, and was immediately and ferociously ripped apart, splattering his blood everywhere.
"Hiss!"
Many cultivators around them, who just wanted to charge, stopped for a moment, gazing at the battle before them with their mouths agape in shock.
It was too horrifying.
Of course, there were many people who had yet not planned to join in the battle. They were just watching the battlefield, waiting for an opportunity.
Suddenly, the battle came to a stop. Everyone had gone quiet. The only sounds were the patter of rain and sweat.
With this, Gu Hai let out a cold smile as he slammed shut the jade box. The noise of the lid slamming shut mocked everyone who had pressed forward to attack him.
Gu Hai"s gaze once again traveled over all the cultivators. Surprisingly, many cultivators didn"t dare to match gazes with Gu Hai. Some cultivators, who were psychologically weak, even took a step back.
"It seems, you can"t take it away today!" Gu Hai ridiculed them, smiling coldly as the jade box returned to that small storage s.p.a.ce with a flip of his hands.
Countless cultivators gazed at Gu Hai, complex looks on their faces.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Hai suddenly said aloud, "From now on, the Golden Tong is taken over by us! The Golden Tong"s Colosseum will be open for everyone after three days! Anyone who wants to gamble, please do prepare the betting stakes!"
"Huh?" Numerous cultivators" eyes went wide with surprise.
What!? Gu Hai isn"t planning to escape!? He wants to settle down!? He is actually planning to take over Golden Tong"s business after ma.s.sacring them!?
Many cultivators could not fathom what exactly Gu Hai wanted.
However, after it was certain that Gu Hai wouldn"t be leaving for the time being, the group of people who were charging to their deaths was not as organized as before. If they launched an organized attack again, perhaps they could, no, certainly they could seize the Hundred Years Longevity Peach...
"Scar, take your Void Company and escort these Golden Tong disciples to the Valley of Crooks, after putting the masks on them and sealing their cultivation! The Valley of Crooks will be up and running again! After three days, the Colosseum will be open again!" Gu Hai ordered the captain.
"Yes, my Lord!" Scar happily obliged.
The entire Void Company also broke into happy cheers. Everything was reversed! In the past, it was they who were slaves and had to despairingly struggle in the Colosseum, while those Golden Tong disciples played the tyrant and enjoyed the happiness. Their life and death all depended on the captor"s moods. But today, everything was reversed. After three days, the Golden Tong disciples would be forced to fight in the Colosseum!
Thinking of this, the crowd of criminals was extremely excited. What a sweet revenge!? It"s so much better than killing these b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! You made us suffer, now you will suffer in return!
The former prisoners of the Golden Tong were extremely excited, antic.i.p.ating the fighting in the arena in another three days.
"Chen Tianshan, take your Earth Company and restore the Colosseum for the betting after three days!" Gu Hai issued orders to Chen Tianshan.
"Yes, my Lord!" The entire Earth Company immediately hurrayed!
"Gao Xianzhi, take your Heaven Company to search for and seize the valuables of the Golden Tong. Make sure that you don"t miss even a single corner. I want every inch of this place searched! We will split everything after two days!" Gu Hai ordered.
"Yes, my Lord!" All the former gladiators immediately whooped excitedly.
Splitting everything was equal to giving everyone a salary. Although they were loyal to Gu Hai, if spirit stones were also added to mix, their zeal would reach even greater heights.
Gu Hai turned his head and looked at Meng Tai and Feng Ling.
"Throne Master Meng, how about you and Feng Ling recuperate in my Golden Tong first?" Gu Hai offered solemnly.
Listening to this, Meng Tai"s eyebrows started twitching. Your Golden Tong? The Golden Tong was established by me…!
Nevertheless, Meng Tai could not argue with Gu Hai at this moment. Meng Tai had lost the Golden Tong a long time ago. All of the Golden Tong was taken down by Gu Hai with his own hands.
"Sounds good!" Meng Tai nodded in agreement.
Turning his head, Meng Tai looked at the nearby Li Wei in a vegetative state and said in a deep voice, "Throne Master Gu, since you have unlocked the masks already, it isn"t necessary to keep Li Wei alive, right?"
Having heard this, Feng Ling, who was in Meng Tai"s embrace, was dumbstruck immediately.
Gu Hai, on the other hand, smiled slightly as he replied in a resolute voice, "Throne Master Meng, Li Wei was defeated by me, not you!"
Meng Tai furrowed his brow instantly as he heard this.
What Gu Hai was saying was...it"s my business, you don"t have any say in it!
"Hahahaha, Throne Master Gu is truly an extraordinary hero!" Meng Tai said as he broke into laughter, but there was a disturbed look in his eyes.
"The feeling is mutual! Right, you have been trapped for two decades, so you might not know, the Ascendant Hall Earth Throne also has a Throne Master Meng Tai!" Gu Hai informed him in a deep voice.
"Oh? There is a Meng Tai as well? Ha, it should be that old s.l.u.t Ding Rui"s doing! She must have found someone to take my place!? Hmph, thank you, Throne Master Gu for telling me this! I will solve it as soon as possible myself! That man didn"t cause Throne Master Gu any trouble, did he?" Meng Tai asked after taking a deep breath.
Shaking his head and looking at Meng Tai, Gu Hai smiled and said, "Trouble? Not at all! That Meng Tai was making plans against me, so I killed him in return!"
Meng Tai focused his eyes immediately. From Gu Hai"s tone, it seemed as if he was stating a fact. But his words had a hidden meaning behind them… it was a warning!
"Hahaha, that"s good!" Meng Tai broke into another laugh, a strange look on his face.
"After the Colosseum is restored, we may still need Throne Master Meng"s guidance. Throne Master Meng will be living near the Colosseum. Chen Tianshan, if you have something you don"t understand, you can consult with Throne Master Meng!" Gu Hai smiled and said.
With this, Gu Hai was preventing Meng Tai from living in the inner section. A glint immediately flashed past Meng Tai"s eyes. When he looked at his own injuries, anger immediately surged into his heart. Nonetheless, keeping an amiable smile on his face, he replied, "Sounds good!"
Gu Hai smiled and nodded back.
Turning around and looking at the nearby Li Wei in a coma, Gu Hai ordered Shangguan Hen, "Take him with you!"
"Yes, my Lord!" Shangguan Hen obeyed at once.
Under Gu Hai"s direction, the crowd of criminals started working quickly.
There were countless cultivators all around them. However, none of them stepped forward to interfere. On the contrary, looking at the lordly appearance of Gu Hai, numerous cultivators cursed in their hearts.
We are here to grab your Saturn Peaches! We are here to kill you! How can you not be afraid? How can you treat us like air? f.u.c.k you!