Chapter 1: The Extortion List (Part 2)

That was the rule of this world—once high-level professionals surrendered, they were rarely killed, unless they had committed acts that destroyed entire families. Without such deep-seated hatred, surrendering usually meant saving one’s life.
Si Debing, Lei Zhenhuo, and Lei Yuan appeared extremely exhausted under extreme stress. Standing in a corner of the magic array, they stared blankly at everyone, unsure of their fate. The only thing that gave them some relief was that they weren’t in immediate danger of death.
Qi Wu Zhen said, “Hmm, we still lack quite a few materials. If I were to collect them myself… it would take a lot of time. Guo Shier’s idea is good. Hey, come over.” She pointed at the three of them.
Si Debing and the others obediently approached Qi Wu Zhen. Lei Yuan asked, “Elder, what instructions do you have?”
Qi Wu Zhen ignored her and turned to say, “Guo Shier, take care of this. Just tell me what materials you need.”
Guo Shier got up and walked over to the three of them. “Alright, I have a list here. If you can gather all of these materials, I’ll give up punishing your families…” He held up a jade talisman and stared at them. He only said he would give up punishing their families, not that he would spare them.
What Si Debing and the others feared most was Guo Shier’s revenge on their families. They weren’t afraid of death but were worried about bringing disaster upon their families. Hearing this, they immediately agreed.
Si Debing took the jade talisman and glanced at it briefly before his expression changed instantly. He exclaimed, “Three hundred thousand SoulSouls?”
Guo Shier replied calmly, “That’s right. We also need the souls of high-level mutated magic beasts and aberrant magic beasts.” If he didn’t extort them heavily now, he wouldn’t be Guo Shier. Having been chased like a stray dog, how could he easily let them go? Even if he didn’t kill them, he would ensure they carried painful memories.
Lei Zhenhuo snatched the jade talisman and scanned it quickly, his face turning pale as well. He said, “This… this is impossible…” Lei Yuan also took a look, and all three were filled with fear. The list of materials was terrifying—even the ancient Gu Bing and Gu Lei families, despite being large and powerful clans with true patriarchs in charge, were deeply frightened.
Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen also grew curious. What kind of list was this that could scare three experts at the ninth-level altar to such a degree? It was absolutely exaggerated.
Li Ran snatched the jade talisman and took a look before smiling. He glanced at Guo Shier and handed the talisman to Qi Wu Zhen.
Qi Wu Zhen examined it and said, “Oh, right. A few more items are missing… I’ll add them.”

Si Debing and the other two were on the verge of crying. More? Is it even possible to live like this?
Zhen Wuji asked curiously, “Can I take a look?” Qi Wu Zhen tossed him the jade talisman and said, “Give it to them after you’ve seen it.”
The materials listed on the checklist were astonishing in quantity. Aside from the sacrificial items needed by Qi Wu Zhen, many were added last minute by Guo Shier. The most terrifying one of all was 300,000 souls. After all, what professionals lacked the most was precisely souls—something that could be obtained through hunting, yet it was a consumable. For professionals, too many soul sacrifices were useless, while too few were insufficient.
Zhen Wuji stared at the checklist and couldn’t help but marvel. This was outright extortion. Even if the two ancient clans joined forces, gathering all the materials listed would be a monumental task.
Lei Zhenhuo said, “We need to discuss this.”
Guo Shier waved his hand. “Do as you will…” He didn’t care how they discussed it; they still had to provide the materials.
The three left the talisman array and went outside to discuss. Soon, they started arguing loudly, with fragments of their conversation drifting over. Guo Shier immediately understood—they weren’t from the same clan but two separate ancient clans. Any attempt to divide the compensation listed on the checklist would inevitably lead to conflict.
Zhen Wuji felt lucky inwardly. If he hadn’t acted quickly, he would now be arguing with them too. Even if they only covered part of the materials listed, his clan and he wouldn’t be able to afford it. His gaze toward Guo Shier changed—this guy was too cruel. Providing such a checklist was even worse than killing them all.
Si Debing was furious. Angrily, he said, “Our two clans are allies!”
Lei Zhenhuo replied, “Exactly because we’re allies, it’s fair to split it evenly!”
Si Debing said, “I’m just one person, while you’re two… Of course, I should cover one part, and you two cover the other two…”
Lei Yuan snapped, “I came here to help you!”
…
Guo Shier smiled. “Cats fighting over mice—endless mess!” After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Elder Wuji, if you help me this time, will it cause trouble for your clan?”
Zhen Wuji replied generously, “No problem. Our Guzhen clan isn’t made of mud—it can’t be crushed just because someone wants to.”
Li Ran said, “It’s fine. This time… I’ll take these three away and won’t let them stay in the clan. I’ll leave this opportunity to you as a reward.”

Zhen Wuji was initially stunned, then overjoyed, and said, “In that case… thank you very much!” He knew well that by taking these three away, their family’s strength would be reduced by at least half. If he acted wisely, even if he couldn’t take over their territory, he could still seize a significant portion of it.

Guo Shier said, “Elder Wuji, I need your help again. When they leave to gather materials later, please go with them.”

Li Ran nodded and said, “Although we’re not worried they’ll escape, we’re in a tight time frame. It’s better if you supervise them.”

It was unclear how Si Debing, Lei Zhenhuo, and Lei Yuan had reached an agreement, but after about an hour, the three returned to the magic array, looking grim. Li Ran asked calmly, “What was the result? Do you accept this compensation?”

The three knew this price had to be paid—it was already a sign of the other party’s tolerance. With their strength, they could have killed all three of them and then gone back to their own family for revenge, gaining even more benefits by destroying their family. But they didn’t realize that neither Li Ran nor Guo Shier had any interest in families or territories.

Lei Zhenhuo surrendered, saying, “Yes, we’ll go back right away to gather the materials.”

Guo Shier said, “I hope it takes less time. Well, will ten days be enough?”

Lei Zhenhuo nearly fainted at the thought. Si Debing’s face turned pale green before turning gray. Lei Yuan trembled and said, “Ten days… that’s impossible. We need time to gather that many materials.”

Guo Shier pretended to be generous and said, “Alright, then give us twenty days. I expect to see those materials in twenty days.”

Si Debing was furious inside but dared not show it. He said, “At least half a year…” He had originally wanted to say a year.

Guo Shier shook his head. “Half a year? That’s impossible… Fine, at most thirty days. If you can’t fulfill it, forget it!” The threat in his words was severe, chilling the hearts of the three.

Li Ran said, “Alright, I’ll give you a chance… forty days. No more bargaining. I don’t care if you steal, rob, or beg—when the time is up, I want to see the materials you’ve gathered! Zhen Wuji will go with you.”

The three almost spat blood. Steal? Rob? Beg? We are top ancestors of a family from the Ninth-Level Altar—how could we do such things?

Si Debing helplessly said, “I’ll do my best…”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “It’s not about doing your best—it’s mandatory. I won’t listen to any excuses or reasons. If I don’t see you return by the time it’s due, if I don’t see the materials you brought, I’ll go straight to the continent where your family lives. By then… don’t regret it.” It was a blatant threat.

The three of them were tortured to the point of suffering by these heartless guys. According to Guo Shier, this was even better than killing them—it solved the problem of insufficient materials and allowed him to extort a large sum. He knew he would soon leave this world, and once he was outside, the materials collected here would become priceless and unobtainable again. It would be foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity now.

As for killing them out of anger, Guo Shier didn’t even deem it worth it. Although he wanted to kill all of them while being hunted, once he had them under control, he didn’t want to hurt them.

With no choice, Si De Bing, Lei Zhen Huo, Lei Yuan, and Zhen Wu Ji quickly left.

Ha Le Chi said, “These bastards are finally gone. I’ve been rather unlucky lately. Sigh, I need to advance…” Suddenly, he let out a loud roar.

Qi Wu Zhen said coldly, “Stop shouting! Shut up!”

Ha Le Chi feared Qi Wu Zhen the most in his life. He couldn’t even confess his unrequited feelings, and if he accidentally said something inappropriate, he would be beaten mercilessly by Qi Wu Zhen. Ever since he stubbornly followed Qi Wu Zhen, he didn’t know how many times he had been beaten, let alone the scolding and reprimands, which were trivial compared to that.

Wang Ke Er giggled nonstop. She had seen Ha Le Chi get beaten mercilessly countless times, but this guy not only had thick skin but also a tough body. He could still survive after being beaten by Qi Wu Zhen, usually only suffering from bruised nose and eyes for a few days. And he just wouldn’t leave—truly a rare case of obsessive and pitiful devotion.

Ha Le Chi slunk away, muttering to himself, “I won’t treat women the same way.”

Guo Shier said, “Brother Li Ran, how much more material do we need? If we pool our resources, maybe we can get it all.”

Li Ran nodded. “Zhen Zhen and I have already gathered some. We still lack a few items, mainly a large number of soul offerings.”

Zhen Zhen?

What had happened to these two when they went to collect materials for sealing the secret realm? But Guo Shier didn’t dare laugh. He said seriously, “I have the soul offerings—200,000 of them. I’ll provide those. What else is needed?”

Qi Wu Zhen said, “Ask Ran Ran for a list of the missing items. Take a look.”

Ran Ran?

Guo Shier’s legs turned weak, and he almost fell to the ground. What game were these two big shots playing again? He said, “Okay, Brother Li Ran, give me the list.”
Halechi cursed in his heart, “These damned couple… Zhenzhen, Ranan… Ugh, what should I do… Sigh, sigh…” He couldn’t help but sigh. In fact, he also knew that Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen were only arguing verbally, as neither could defeat the other and both refused to admit defeat, so they resorted to this kind of conflict.
Guo Shier took the jade talisman, examined it briefly, and said, “Wait a moment…” He threw the talisman onto the altar and asked, “Elder Shuai, do we have these missing materials?”
Elder Shuai checked the materials inside the altar and said with pain, “Young man, these materials… there are indeed some, but… many of them are extremely precious. Are you willing to give them up?”
Guo Shier replied, “Give them up first, and we’ll figure out the rest later.” He was well aware that this sacrificial treasure was the weapon that would help them leave this world, so he couldn’t be stingy now. As long as it could be obtained, he must not be reluctant.
Elder Shuai was reluctant, but as a sacrificial spirit, he couldn’t stop his master’s decision. He said, “Alright, I’ll sort them out. It’ll be done in a moment.”
Guo Shier noticed Elder Shuai’s reluctance and smiled, “Don’t be so stingy. We’ll soon have a large amount of materials.”
Elder Shuai said, “I know, I know. You’ve extorted something from someone else again. By the way, there’s one thing you need to do.”
Guo Shier asked, “What?”