73: Chapter 73 The Liquidation Begins! What will you use to compensate us?

In the distant sky, five streaks of light tore across the firmament, speeding rapidly toward the city walls of Huoyang Commandery.

It is Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao and the others!

The surviving Cultivators on the city walls erupted into earth-shattering cheers; the joy of surviving the disaster washed away all their previous fear.

"The Commandery Lord has returned!"

"We won! We defended Huoyang Commandery!"

However, Jiang Feng's body tensed instantly.

He paid no heed to the clamor around him; among the five streaks of light, he locked eyes with that cyan figure instantly.

Yao Shifei!

The five figures landed on the city wall almost simultaneously.

Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao, Patriarch Qin Hai, as well as the heads of the Zhou Family and Zhu Family, though their Qi was somewhat chaotic, were otherwise unharmed.

Only Yao Shifei, whose stunning face was usually imbued with a gentle, herbal fragrance, was now deathly pale, unable to hide her condition. Even her lips had lost all color, and her aura was weak to the extreme.

Jiang Feng's heart clenched violently. He took a step forward and was instantly before Yao Shifei.

Without a word, he pulled her soft body into his embrace, one hand firmly supporting her waist.

"How are you feeling?"

His voice was very low, carrying an irrepressible tremor.

Leaning in his embrace, feeling that familiar warmth and aura, Yao Shifei's tightly wound nerves finally relaxed. She shook her head weakly: "Husband, I am fine, it is just... the consumption was a bit too much."

Jiang Feng did not speak again, only holding her tighter. At the same time, he stuffed a top-grade hua zhen pill into her mouth. The hua zhen pill melted upon contact, and pure True Qi immediately replenished Yao Shifei's consumption.

Yuan Chu had arrived behind him at some point. Her icy gaze swept over Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao and the others, sending a chill down their spines.

Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao's gaze fell upon Jiang Feng. This Foundation Establishment Great Circle Commandery Lord had an exceptionally complex expression right now—there was lingering fear, relief, but more than anything, a deep sense of guilt.

As for Patriarch Qin Hai, as well as Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu, the looks they directed at Jiang Feng were filled with bone-deep wariness and fear.

Especially Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu; upon making contact with Jiang Feng's calm, waveless eyes, they were actually frightened into taking a step back in unison, their faces deathly pale.

This bizarre scene caused the cheers on the city wall to gradually subside.

Everyone sensed that something was wrong.

Huangfu Yunni and Huangfu Yunshang, the two sisters, were even more confused. It was clearly a complete victory, so why was the atmosphere so oppressive?

Why were their father and the three great clan leaders looking at Jiang Feng with such expressions?

Amidst this eerie silence, Jiang Feng finally spoke.

He raised his head, his gaze passing over Yao Shifei in his arms, and looked straight at Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao. His voice was not loud, but it clearly carried across the entire city wall.

"Commandery Lord Huangfu, do you not intend to offer an explanation?"

A single sentence caused the atmosphere to instantly drop to freezing point!

Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao's expression stiffened. He had not expected Jiang Feng to be so merciless, directly challenging him in front of so many people.

He glanced at Yao Shifei in Jiang Feng's arms, and his guilt deepened. He could only bite the bullet and say: "Manager Jiang, this is not the place to speak. Whatever the matter, let us return to the Commandery Lords Mansion to discuss it. This Lord... will certainly give you an explanation."

Jiang Feng sneered, not pressing further.

Supporting Yao Shifei, and accompanied by Yuan Chu, he turned and left.

Watching Jiang Feng's arrogant back, Huangfu Yunni felt a surge of nameless anger. Just as she was about to rebuke him, she was pulled back by her younger sister, Huangfu Yunshang.

Huangfu Yunshang shook her head at her, her eyes filled with gravity and unease.

She could feel that this matter was absolutely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Commandery Lords Mansion, meeting hall.

The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive and suffocating.

Jiang Feng did not take a seat, standing instead in the center of the hall, one hand still carefully supporting Yao Shifei, letting her lean against him.

Just a moment ago, Yao Shifei had already told him everything that happened deep in the Black Mountain via sound transmission.

The plan was originally perfect.

Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao and Patriarch Qin Hai, two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, were responsible for engaging the Tier 3 Demon King head-on.

Yao Shifei, along with Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu, would take the opportunity to sneak deep into the Black Mountain and set up the "Five Elements Demon Suppression Array" as quickly as possible.

Once the array was set up, the three of them would replace Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao and Patriarch Qin Hai, allowing those two to return and complete the final activation.

But who could have imagined!

When facing the world-destroying pressure of the Tier 3 Demon King, those two pieces of trash, Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu, after just finishing setting up the array base they were responsible for, had been scared out of their wits. Without even saying a word, they had fled the battlefield!

This nearly caused the entire plan to collapse.

The pressure instantly fell entirely upon Yao Shifei, who was left alone!

As a pregnant woman, she had to face that enraged Tier 3 Demon King all by herself!

If it had not been a desperate situation, how could she have used the life-saving trump card Jiang Feng had given her—that Medium Grade True Artifact, the nine prisons peak, which even a Golden Core True Lord would covet!

Thinking of how Yao Shifei and the child in her womb had almost not made it back, a surge of uncontrollable, tyrannical killing intent welled up in Jiang Feng's heart.

His gaze, like cold blades, slashed fiercely at Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu.

The two of them felt their hair stand on end under his gaze, their legs trembling, almost unable to stand.

"Second Master... Fellow Daoist Jiang, this matter... this matter is our fault!"

"We were momentarily confused, scared out of our wits by that Demon King. We apologize, we are willing to compensate!"

Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu scrambled to their knees, kowtowing incessantly and begging for mercy.

Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao stood to the side, his old face flushing red, embarrassed to the extreme.

As the commander of this operation, having such a huge blunder occur, he could not shirk the blame.

He was now even somewhat afraid that Jiang Feng would actually bring up that previous "joke" and make him use his two daughters as compensation.

Given the dominance Jiang Feng was displaying right now, and the terrifying pressure brought about by that mysterious Medium Grade True Artifact, if he really did bring it up, he truly would not know how to handle it!

Huangfu Yunni and Huangfu Yunshang, the two sisters standing behind their father, were completely bewildered.

The heads of the Zhou Family and Zhu Family, those were Foundation Establishment Mid-stage Immortal Masters!

In the entire Huoyang Commandery, they were big shots who could shake the region just by stomping their feet!

But now, they were actually kneeling and begging for mercy from a mere Qi Refining Stage 6 Cultivator?

What in the world had happened?

What exactly happened in the Black Mountain to make Jiang Feng this angry?

Just then, Jiang Feng finally moved.

Supporting Yao Shifei, he slowly sat down, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the Foundation Establishment Immortal Masters present, who were all silent as cicadas in winter.

Finally, his gaze settled on the shivering Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu, and he spoke slowly, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Compensation?"

"What will you use to compensate?"

"With your lives?"

As his words fell, both Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu instantly lost all color in their faces and collapsed onto the ground.

The hall was dead silent.

After a long while, Jiang Feng spoke again, breaking this deathly silence.

"I do not wish for a sixth person to know about what happened today."

He looked at Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao and Patriarch Qin Hai.

"You, take an oath."

Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao and Patriarch Qin Hai exchanged a look, both seeing helplessness and determination in the other's eyes.

Medium Grade True Artifact!

The weight of these four words was too heavy!

Heavy enough to make any Golden Core True Lord go insane!

Once the news leaked, let alone the few of them, the entire Huoyang Commandery could be wiped out by powerful beings who heard the news and came to seize the treasure, just to eliminate any future trouble.

They knew very well that Jiang Feng was not discussing; he was ordering.

"I, Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao, swear upon my Dao Heart that I will never reveal a word of what I saw in the Black Mountain today to anyone. If I violate this oath, may my Dao Heart shatter and my cultivation never advance an inch for the rest of my life!" Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao was the first to raise his hand and swear.

Patriarch Qin Hai followed closely behind, also swearing a poisonous oath upon his Dao Heart.

Clan Leader Zhou and Clan Leader Zhu were even more eager, scrambling to swear their oaths, fearing to be even a step slower.

They knew this was the only path to survival Jiang Feng was giving them.

Seeing them finish their oaths, the expression on Jiang Feng's face softened slightly.

As for the Cultivators on the city wall, he was not worried. Not everyone recognizes things like True Artifacts. Even Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao's two precious daughters did not recognize it; those ordinary Cultivators were even less likely to know what that towering Black Mountain phantom truly signified.

The atmosphere in the hall loosened slightly as the oaths were spoken.

Commandery Lord Huangfu Hao was just about to say some pleasantries to ease the relationship.

But Jiang Feng did not give him that opportunity at all.

He slowly stood up, walking step by step to the two clan leaders who were still collapsed on the ground, looking down at them from above.

"Alright, the matter of secrecy has been resolved."

"Now, let us settle another account."