Chapter 958:
TL: Sorry guys, my workload has recently been piling up for acads. I’ll still try to make some time to upload 1 or 2 chapters a day, but 3 is going to be kind of hard. We are so close to the end too T_T
Just as Robb was getting angry, a figure suddenly appeared on top of the adjacent wall. It was the leader of the Flying Eagle Sect, who quickly scanned the courtyard. Spotting his daughter looking well and unharmed, he was overjoyed and shouted, “Sweetheart, are you alright?”
Upon seeing her father, the daughter of the Flying Eagle Sect leader was delighted and responded, “I’m doing well.”
Reassured, the Flying Eagle Sect leader quickly greeted Robb with a respectful salute, “Hero Robb, as you requested, I’ve brought all the disciples from the Flying Eagle Sect, a total of 327 people. Can you release my daughter now?”
Smiling, Robb waved his hand, “Fine, you can have your daughter back, but you’ll have to join me in fighting against the Ghost pirates.”
The Flying Eagle Sect leader nodded and jumped down from the wall to stand beside Robb. Just as he did, another figure appeared on the wall. It was the head of the Sea Salt Sect, who had previously been beaten up by Robb. He said, “Hero Robb, I’ve brought my people as well.”
“Good, come down and join us.”
Just then, a commotion arose from outside the courtyard. Someone shouted, “We are from the Blood Hand Sect. We will do whatever you ask, just please release our Sect Leader and do not harm her.”
The Blood Hand Sect’s female leader was thrilled, surprised that her disciples had come to her aid. Robb was also pleased, “Excellent! For all their quirks, people in the martial arts world do value loyalty and emotions. It seems capturing this courtyard full of women will indeed bring me a sizable army.”
The women in the courtyard collectively rolled their eyes at Robb. Never in history had someone done a good deed in such an unconventional way. Whether he was a hero or a villain was becoming increasingly unclear.
Meanwhile, 10 miles east of East Hangzhou, a group of 50 Ghost pirates, clad in their distinct armor and carrying long knives, were resting in a burnt-down village. Originally home to over a hundred townsmen, they had all been turned into corpses. The Ghost Raiders were notorious for their cruelty and ruthlessness, even relishing meat roasted over the burning homes of their victims.
One of the Ghost pirates murmured, “This village wasn’t rich; we only found a pig and a few hundred pounds of grain. That won’t last long for fifty of us.”
Another added, “Yeah, we’ve attacked several villages along the way, but the loot has been minimal. The people in this damned kingdom are even poorer than us in the Ghost Kingdom.”
“Attacking these small villages is a waste of time. Why don’t we aim for something bigger?” One of the Ghost Pirates pointed westward, smirking. “In that direction lies a large city called East Hangzhou, filled with wealthy people. If we can conquer that city, we’ll make a real haul.”
“A large city? There might be a considerable military presence there,” another pirate cautioned. “We’re only around fifty-strong.”
“A considerable military? Hahaha!” The pirates broke into mocking laughter. “The military forces of this ‘Rabbit Kingdom’ are a joke. We’re more than enough to crush them.”
“Well, that’s true… Let’s give it a shot, anyway. Even if we can’t conquer the city, we can always retreat.”
With devilish grins, the Ghost pirates finished their meal and set out toward the west.
Meanwhile, Robb stood before a motley crowd of various martial arts sects. These sects had come to steal the Xuanyuan Black Iron but ended up having their important female members taken hostage by Robb. Now, he was forcing them to work for him.
Interestingly, none of these sects were considered righteous; they were either dubious or morally ambiguous, like the Flying Eagle Sect. It seemed that truly honorable schools would not blatantly Robb and steal.
Robb might not have caught anyone from the righteous schools, but that didn’t matter. He could use these “evil” schools just as well.
Clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention, Robb began to speak earnestly, “I know many of you practice various magical arts and martial skills for your own personal gain, never considering serving the kingdom or its people. And that’s fine; you’re not exactly honorable schools anyway. I’m a bit of a fence-sitter myself—I follow honorable principles when dealing with the righteous schools and adopt ruthless tactics when dealing with sects like yours. For example, might makes right. Disobey me, and you’ll be eliminated; your women will be made to suffer. Understand?”
The captured women responded weakly, “Understood!”
“Good. Now, I’m giving you an opportunity to rebel against me,” Robb continued. “You can assemble a group to ambush me; it’s many against one. If you kill me, you’re free, and the black iron is yours. If you fail, no hard feelings—you’ll just follow my orders. It was an opportunity I gave you, after all.”
Upon hearing this, a restless energy surged through the crowd. Several sect leaders began exchanging furtive glances.
Startled, Shisu whispered behind him, “Are you insane? Why would you give them this opportunity?”
Robb chuckled, “These people are just rabble from the martial world, and they’re of dubious character to boot. It’s unlikely that they’d sincerely follow my commands. I worry that they might have second thoughts when it’s time to deal with the Ghost pirates, which would complicate things. To make them genuinely submissive and heed my orders in fighting the Ghost pirates, I’ll have to show them what I’m truly capable of. Otherwise, they won’t truly respect my authority.”
Shisu whispered, “But doing that…you’re putting yourself at risk, aren’t you?”
Robb shrugged.
Seeing his nonchalant gesture, Shisu realized that Robb must be supremely confident—daring to be so dismissive of these people. How strong did one have to be to act this way?
After a while, the sect leaders finished exchanging glances and simultaneously took a step forward. It seemed they were actually planning to sect up on Robb.
Grinning, Robb beckoned with his fingers, “Come on, then!”
“Well, we won’t hold back,” said the leader of the Flying Eagle Sect as he swiftly unsheathed his longsword. The other leaders also drew their weapons, and a few even conjured their magic tools. In an instant, a myriad of colorful auras and a chilling sense of killing intent filled the air.
These were no mere novices; each one was a sect leader, possessing genuine skill.
Smiling, Robb asked, “Ready? Then let me make my move!”
The sect leaders’ faces turned stern.
Robb raised his hand and slapped it down onto the ground, “Thunder Strike.”
Boom!
The sect leaders found themselves sprawled on the ground, effectively ending the battle.