229: Chapter 230 Everyone Kneels! The Prodigy of a Wealthy Family Turns into a Hostage! Give Me Money!

Xiao Kuangyun's scream, laced with a sobbing tone, completely shattered the last shred of tense atmosphere within the crevice.

"Don't kill me! I surrender! I'll give you everything!"

He screamed until his voice was hoarse, slamming his forehead against the ground repeatedly. The hard bone fragments cut into his skin, causing blood to stream down, but he seemed not to feel the pain at all.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dull thudding of his kowtowing sounded exceptionally jarring in this deathly silent space.

This sound was like tipping over the first domino.

Han Qianchi, huddled in the corner, shuddered violently.

He had seen with his own eyes how that Scar-faced Leader, the head of the Li Family Death Warriors, had a hole punched into his forehead by an invisible flick of a finger.

He didn't even have time to react.

That corpse was still lying not far away, eyes wide open, staring straight in his direction.

Han Qianchi felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat.

The weapon in his hand, a short sword forged from fine steel, had fallen to the ground without him even realizing it.

Clang.

The crisp sound made his whole body tremble.

He looked at Xiao Kuangyun, who was kowtowing on the ground like he was pounding garlic, and then at the surrounding corpses of those who had died with their eyes wide open in resentment. The last string in his mind snapped.

Dignity? The face of a Prodigy from a prestigious Family? In the face of death, these things mean nothing!

He scrambled out of the corner, his legs turning to jelly, and knelt down as well. Imitating Xiao Kuangyun, he slammed his head heavily against the ground.

"Don't kill me! Master Lin! I was wrong! I was truly wrong!"

His voice was shaking uncontrollably, thick with nasal congestion.

"I acknowledge that I.O.U.! I will have my Family prepare it immediately! Double! No! Ten times! I'll pay ten times!"

With a second, came a third, then a fourth. The remaining disciples from prestigious Families had long since been scared out of their wits.

One by one, they threw away their only defensive weapons as if tossing aside hot potatoes. Then, they scrambled to kneel on the ground, kowtowing frantically toward the darkness that had swallowed everything, begging for mercy.

"Spare our lives!"

"We were all forced here by the Li Family! It has nothing to do with us!"

"We are victims too!"

For a moment, the sounds of wailing, begging, and kowtowing filled the crevice, creating a chaotic and ridiculous scene.

These Prodigies, who once looked down on everyone and viewed ordinary people as ants, were now as humble as a group of pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

Just amidst this noisy wailing, a figure slowly walked out from that thick, impenetrable darkness.

Lin Qi's footsteps were light and steady. He was spotless, not even a wrinkle on his clothes, as if the massacre that had just occurred—efficient to the point of being hair-raising—had nothing to do with him.

His expression was calm, as calm as an ancient well, without the slightest ripple.

He walked out of the darkness and stood between the corpses and the kneeling crowd.

He looked down upon this group of once-haughty Prodigies, his eyes devoid of pity, mockery, or anger. There was nothing.

It was like a god looking down upon a group of noisy insects.

He walked step by step, slowly approaching Xiao Kuangyun, and stopped.

Xiao Kuangyun felt the shadow cast over his head and shook even more violently. He dared not look up. He didn't even dare to breathe.

He could only keep kowtowing, using this most primitive method to express his submission and fear.

Lin Qi did not speak. He raised his foot and used his toe to lightly kick Xiao Kuangyun's shoulder.

This action was understated, but to Xiao Kuangyun, it was more humiliating than being killed by a blade.

He was the heir of the Xiao Family! A top Prodigy who had undergone an S-rank Awakening! When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

A burst of anger flared from the bottom of his heart, but as soon as the flame emerged, it was instantly extinguished by the fear that had seeped into his bones.

He dared not resist. He didn't even dare to show the slightest hint of dissatisfaction.

Trembling, he slowly raised his head. A face covered in blood and tear stains appeared in Lin Qi's line of sight.

Those eyes, once filled with arrogance and a sense of superiority, now held only deep, impenetrable fear and pleading.

"Master... Master Lin..."

His voice was as small as a mosquito's buzz.

Lin Qi looked at him, then swept a glance at the other Prodigies kneeling on the ground, who didn't even dare to raise their heads. Finally, he spoke.

His tone was as flat as if he were discussing today's weather. "I don't want to kill anyone."

Hearing this, Xiao Kuangyun and the others were stunned at first. Don't want to kill? Then what were these corpses on the ground?

But they dared not ask; they could only continue kneeling, pricking up their ears to listen.

Lin Qi's voice continued, devoid of even a shred of emotion.

"Because killing you, aside from adding a few more corpses, has no benefit to me."

"You are far more valuable alive than dead."

This sentence struck everyone's minds like a bolt of lightning. They instantly understood. This was extortion! This was blackmail!

A huge sense of humiliation surged into their hearts, but it was immediately washed away by the wild joy of surviving a disaster.

They could live! As long as they paid, they could survive! Compared to their lives, what were resources? What was the Family's wealth? Without their lives, they would have nothing!

"I'll pay! I'll give anything!" Xiao Kuangyun was the first to react, shouting eagerly as if he had grasped a final straw of hope.

"Master Lin, whatever you want! As long as our Xiao Family has it, I will get it all for you!"

"Me too! Our Han Family will pay as well!" Han Qianchi also shouted along.

Lin Qi ignored their declarations. He did not give them much time to think or bargain. He turned around and walked toward the outside of the crevice, throwing out a single sentence.

"Follow."

The two simple words carried an unquestionable command.

Xiao Kuangyun and the others dared not disobey. They struggled to crawl up from the ground, not even bothering to brush off the dust and bloodstains on their bodies, and followed behind Lin Qi with their heads hanging low, like a group of prisoners.

Lin Qi walked at the very front, his pace unhurried. He was like a shepherd driving a flock of sheep. And the once arrogant Federation Prodigies behind him were those meek and fearful sheep.

His powerful aura suppressed them so much that they didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Led by Lin Qi, they walked out of the crevice filled with the stench of blood and bones, and walked past the corpses of the Li Family Death Warriors littering the ground. With every corpse they stepped over, the fear in their hearts deepened.

Finally, Lin Qi stopped in a relatively open area. Not far ahead was a palace ruin, magnificent beyond imagination; even with only broken walls and ruined pillars remaining, one could still see its former glory.

The palace was situated on the edge of the core area of this sub-space.

Lin Qi turned around and looked at the disheveled "hostages" behind him, a faint, almost imperceptible smile finally appearing on his face.

That smile made Xiao Kuangyun and the others' hair stand on end. They heard Lin Qi speak slowly, in a tone announcing a final judgment.

"Your ransom money will be paid there."