Rumble! The earth beneath Qian Jin suddenly shuddered, a formidable power surging up from below, subtly echoing the black palm pressing down from the sky, as if heaven itself were collapsing, the earth surging up, intending to crush everything between them into dust.

Myriad Shadows! Qian Jin's body flickered, retreating back into the black cloud, his body falling heavily toward the ground. That terrifying force had not been entirely avoided; even though he had moved from the original position, the impact still slammed into him, driving both his legs straight into the earth as if he were being driven by a pile driver.

Qian Jin pushed out with the Mune Zhen Ce, slamming his palms onto the earth flanking his body, using the counter-recoil to forcibly pull himself out of the ground again, countless clumps of damp soil flying into the air along with his legs.

A cold blade edge rested against Hua Yan Bujian's fair neck, a thin line of blood slowly tracing down the blade.

Ba Huang Wu Sheng held his battle saber, watching Qian Jin quietly. The battle, which had begun with swift intensity, suddenly halted just as suddenly.

Hostage! Qian Jin could never have imagined that a super-expert like Ba Huang Wu Sheng would resort to taking hostages, especially not against a warrior like himself. It felt utterly absurd.

"Young man, impressive means."

Ba Huang Wu Sheng rubbed the faintly bloody scratch on his earlobe. There was no anger, let alone killing intent, in his eyes; instead, there was a hint of appreciation. "Knowing my strength, you still dared to strike me. Should I praise your bravery? Or perhaps call you brainless?"

Qian Jin’s legs throbbed with soreness. Having just been driven into the ground like a wooden stake by a mere residual force from a single palm strike—if anyone else had hit him, it might not have hurt, but the sheer brutish explosion of Dou Qi was indeed painful!

"Did I have a choice?" Qian Jin's smile was laced with helplessness. "This woman under your blade saved my life. She asked someone to find me this time. If I hadn't made a move, she likely wouldn't have survived until now, would she?"

"I can kill her at any moment." Ba Huang Wu Sheng’s blade pressed slightly harder against Hua Yan Bujian's wrist. Hua Yan Bujian’s head instinctively tilted back, avoiding a clean slice that would have decapitated him. "This woman turned my somewhat clever subordinate into a wolf that couldn't even beat a dog..."

"And you, the Sixth Prince of the Zhen Ce Dynasty, had best not move rashly." Ba Huang Wu Sheng spoke calmly. "Just now, your attendant attempted a sneak attack on me. I trust you aren't better at ambushes than he is. It’s best not to try."

Mune Zhen Ce resentfully abandoned the plan to open the Dou Realm. Facing such an expert without the element of surprise, even unleashing a ferocious magic artifact would likely fail to injure the opponent—let alone kill him.

"Freeze!"

The Demon Clan’s Great Magus stabilized his composure, raising his staff to directly summon a massive amount of ice elementals, encasing Qian Jin in a block of ice.

Qian Jin stood within the ice, his eyeballs rotating slightly. Sensing Ba Huang Wu Sheng's attention, he managed a wry smile and raised a hand to shatter the ice encasing him. There were many things in this world that could harm him, but cold? Or scorching heat? These were relatively harder to inflict damage upon him! Especially after the Heart of Earth Fire had devoured some of his Ice Flame Dou Qi, Qian Jin hadn't even felt the slightest chill; being encased in ice was actually rather comfortable, making him almost want to use the moment of Ba Huang Wu Sheng’s distraction to launch another sneak attack—only to realize that this Bandit King did not believe the freezing spell would be effective.

"For the Bandit King, whether he kills these two or not yields little use," Qian Jin said lightly, stepping out of the ice block to the astonished gazes of the crowd. "Letting them go changes little either."

"In the Outer Territories..."

"You are the King. You decide."

Qian Jin finished the sentence Ba Huang Wu Sheng was about to utter with a sigh of resignation. After interacting with Qian Zhan Xuan for a time, he had come to understand the mindset of these powerful figures: beneath this very sky, they believed themselves to be the ultimate authority, and their word was law.

These powerful individuals never concerned themselves with how others perceived them, much like a legendary dragon paying no mind to the evaluation of an ant. No matter how much the ant despised the dragon, the dragon remained a dragon; no matter how much the ant worshipped the dragon, it was still a dragon. The dragon would not notice the ant, which is why this Bandit King resorted to taking hostages.

Precisely because he had taken hostages, Qian Jin realized this powerful figure didn't actually intend to kill him over the earlier sneak attack; instead, he seemed willing to exchange a few words. Otherwise, given the aggressive manner of his appearance, a single slap would have ended it. No matter how agile he was, how many slaps could he evade?

Gazing at the crater on the ground—ten meters in diameter and five meters deep—Qian Jin frowned. This Bandit King’s casual strike possessed such power. If he truly wished to kill Qian Jin now, he genuinely lacked the ability to escape again.

Ba Huang Wu Sheng raised his deep blue eyebrows, a trace of delight appearing in his eyes. Most people, when hearing him speak like this, showed either resentment, worry, or disdain. Only this young man interrupted him, voicing the very thoughts he intended to express, making him feel quite comfortable.

"I do not keep the useless under my command, therefore..."

"Not keeping them doesn't mean they lack the value to live," Qian Jin glanced at Mune Zhen Ce standing not far beside him. This man was one of the future candidates to inherit the throne, perhaps? Whether from the standpoint of a classmate or the desire to save his father in the future, he had to save this life today.

"What? Boy, are you trying to suck up to the royalty using this opportunity?" Ba Huang Wu Sheng scrutinized Mune Zhen Ce. "I've heard of this kid; he’s called the most likely successor to the throne alongside that Third Prince. But from today onward, only that Third Prince stands a chance."

"Suck up to royalty?" Qian Jin’s brow furrowed, a wave of deep displeasure rising within him. If he wanted to flatter people, he could have done so long ago at the Pan Family, buttering up Serpent Emperor Pan Hongji, or simply flattering Qian Zhan Xuan! Royalty? While it was the highest power in the Zhen Ce Dynasty, so what? Qian Jin curled his lip. The childhood notion of loyalty to the throne had completely vanished during his years following Uncle Black.

"Aren't you?" Ba Huang Wu Sheng chuckled. "You are a very dedicated attendant, but regrettably, you are merely a..."

"Who are you calling someone sucking up to royalty?" A trace of anger surfaced in Qian Jin’s gaze, an anger that couldn't be suppressed even facing this King of the Outer Territories.

Ba Huang Wu Sheng’s cat-like slit pupils flashed with astonishment. This anger was not feigned; it was a true, internal feeling. Why would this young man, clearly a prince's attendant, despise the suggestion of flattering royalty? Interesting. Was this a dog not yet fully tamed? Did it still possess the spirit of a wolf deep down?

"Killing them brings me no benefit," Ba Huang Wu Sheng slowly tilted his head back. "But it brings me no harm either! At least..."

"Release her, and him!" Qian Jin pointed at Hua Yan Bujian and Mune Zhen Ce. "I will follow you for five years! Does that count as a benefit?"

Hua Yan Bujian's body trembled slightly. A light known as emotion shone from the eyes behind her metal mask. This Bandit King was clearly somewhat interested in Qian Jin, which was why he hadn't killed him. According to the temperament of the Outer Territory Bandit Kings, Ba Huang Wu Sheng would not blame Qian Jin for the sneak attack; on the contrary, he would grant him freedom. Yet, Qian Jin was offering his own freedom in exchange for theirs!

Mune Zhen Ce stared blankly at Qian Jin. Why? Was it truly as the Bandit King said? Was he trying to curry favor with the royalty?

"You? To trade for those two?" Ba Huang Wu Sheng threw his head back and laughed heartily, his gaze snapping back to Qian Jin, sharp as a blade, his voice filled with arrogance. "You trade yourself for the two of them? Are you implying you are more valuable than they are? Do you know who this boy you're trading for is? Can your value outweigh that of a Prince? I say, Royal Scion, you certainly have some skill."

Ba Huang Wu Sheng's words carried an increasing edge of killing intent. "To turn a young man who clearly has the spirit of a wolf in his bones into your loyal attendant, like a dog! And now, you wish to trade yourself! You know, the thing I hate most in this life is a creature that is clearly a wolf but insists on acting like a dog! Since you are so spineless you refuse to be a wolf..."

"I! Am not Mune Zhen Ce's attendant!" Qian Jin rudely interrupted Ba Huang Wu Sheng. Every time he heard the word 'dog,' it felt utterly grating, and even facing the Bandit King, he forcefully cut him off. "I know perfectly well who he is! He is my classmate! He came here specifically to help me, and you captured him!"

"His appearance here is entirely because of me! All these troubles started because of me," Qian Jin took a deep breath. "Therefore, I am the one who should bear the burden!"

"Bear it?" Ba Huang Wu Sheng's eyes shifted rapidly, the killing intent gradually receding, replaced by a smile tinged with interest. "Young man, carrying this burden might cost you your life."

Qian Jin placed his hands on his hips and shot back at Ba Huang Wu Sheng, "If this matter was placed on you, would you carry it?"

The smile in Ba Huang Wu Sheng’s eyes grew wider, like clear water about to overflow a basin. Finally, unable to contain himself, he threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Hahahaha... Interesting! Very interesting! To challenge this King on spirit! Young man! Can you truly bear it?"

"For this matter, should one consider if they can bear it, or if they should bear it?" Qian Jin patted his own shoulder. "Besides, I am confident my backbone is naturally tougher. It has never been broken! If the stars themselves collapsed, I would still dare to carry the weight for those important to me!"

Ba Huang Wu Sheng stared at Qian Jin, his gaze drifting to the men he brought with him, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly. His subordinates were all beings who possessed wolf spirits, yet this young man, though perhaps not possessing a full wolf spirit, certainly held an unyielding backbone—a proud backbone like a wolf's!