"Looking to die? That's right! We are looking to die!" A Dwarf stepped forward, glaring resentfully at the stoic Zhen Ce. "Do you think we Dwarves fear death? If you truly have the guts, then kill our entire Elder Council! Otherwise…"

A colossal palm, formed of radiant golden Dou Qi, shot from Fen Tu Kuang Ge’s hand. It solidified in the air into an imposing imprint nearly the size of a large table, slamming directly into the Dwarf Elder, sending him flying backward to smash violently into the courtyard wall dozens of meters away, crushing him into pulp.

"You lost the bet, then you whine about reneging, and now you try to bite back at us? You people are something else!"

Duan Feng Bu Er cracked a smile and activated his Bloodline Battle Form. Beside him, Lei Long Li frowned but also initiated his Bloodline Battle Form. These untrustworthy Dwarves had long grated on their nerves. Since they had managed to offend Qian Jin today, this was the perfect excuse to strike.

"A fight! Haha! You can't leave me out of this! If my little aunt knew there was a brawl and I chickened out standing by, she’d kill me! For the sake of having a fight—no! For the glory of the Pseudo-Dragon Bloodline, I must engage!"

Yi Sha Sai Er not only excitedly activated her own Bloodline Battle Form but also signaled her retinue with a look, compelling them all to enter their respective Battle Forms.

The Dwarf Elder Council stared dumbfounded at the sudden transformation gripping the courtyard. Save for Li Ba and Serpent Emperor Pan Hong Ji, the two Bloodline Warriors who hadn't activated their forms, every warrior capable of doing so had done so collectively. Waves of bone-chilling killing intent informed everyone present that these youngsters genuinely possessed the impulse to kill.

"Serpent Emperor…" The Dwarves finally felt the pressure, turning toward Pan Hong Ji with gazes half-filled with anger and half-imploring. "Are you not going to manage these reckless youngsters? They have no sense of proportion!" Pan Hong Ji merely laughed. For years, in order to develop the Pan family, how many times had he done business with the Dwarves, even when he clearly knew he was being short-changed? Now that they had kicked an iron plate, they remembered Serpent Emperor? What a joke!

"Alas... Elder Pu Fei, I am truly troubled," Pan Hong Ji said, raising a hand to rub his brow. "As you can see, these young ones are quite impulsive. They don't listen to the words of elders like me, so it’s difficult for me to restrain them too much. After all, warriors must have their own character, mustn't they? If they were all raised as little angels, how could they ever fight the cubs of the Demon Race?"

"What Serpent Emperor says is absolutely correct!" Li Ba chimed in beside him, seizing the opportunity before the Dwarves could speak. "This is a matter between you and them. I suggest we don't get involved. By the way, Hong Ji, yesterday I fished up a Three-Colored Golden Eel. Are you interested in tasting this old man's cooking?"

"A Three-Colored Golden Eel? That’s a rare variety! Its flesh is exceptionally delicious! If you hadn't invited me, I would have shamelessly crashed the party!" Pan Hong Ji put on a very cheerful expression, linking arms with Li Ba. "I happen to have a jar of four-hundred-year-old Blazing Fire Wine."

"That’s excellent! Four hundred years old—those are scarce these days!"

The two sang in perfect harmony, making to walk toward the door. The Dwarf Elder Council shivered in unison. What did this mean? How could these two politically astute heavyweights suddenly behave this way?

"Earlier, didn't someone say they’d kill the entire Dwarf Elder Council if they had the guts?" Che Ke Fu Li Te emerged again, a sinister grin playing on his lips. His eerie beauty made the onlookers dizzy; they couldn't comprehend how someone radiating such murderous intent could also look so devastatingly handsome.

"You... you must consider... our Dwarf Clan..."

"The Dwarf Clan?" Duan Feng Bu Er rested his arm across Qian Jin’s shoulder, smiling broadly. "The Dwarf Clan will align with the Demon Race, is that it? Then align! We don't care what happens to the Zhen Ce Dynasty, nor do we care about the Demon Race... We only know one thing."

"You Dwarves made a bet and lost your entire clan to Qian Jin!" Fen Tu Kuang Ge strode forward, his massive frame resembling a heavenly god. Even a mightier Behemoth would seem small beside him—this was a manifestation of entirely different growth in presence.

"Therefore, everything belonging to the Dwarves should now be under Qian Jin's control." Fen Tu Kuang Ge raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers wide, then suddenly clenched them fiercely toward his palm, causing the air to violently explode with a crack like a thunderous cannon blast. "If the Dwarves intend to default on the wager... that means declaring war on our little collective!"

"To avoid a fight is the disgrace of the Three-Headed Golden Dragon Bloodline..." Lei Long Li stated calmly. "It is better to die gloriously than to live in shame—that is the creed of the Three-Headed Golden Dragon."

"Why do you people talk so much nonsense!" Yi Sha Sai Er looked completely ready to sow chaos, rolling up her sleeves and cracking her knuckles. "If the Dwarves want to renege, we'll just charge in and slaughter them! Even if the few of us can't wipe out the entire Dwarf tribe, we can certainly inflict heavy damage upon their entire race, right? Before the Barbarian armies arrive to defend them, we should be able to destroy quite a bit!"

"Later on, we can conduct raids frequently. Even if we are housed in the Behemoth Tribe, we can still strike and slay them." Che Ke Fu Li Te’s words were always the briefest, yet they always carried the most menace.

The remaining Elders shivered once more. These youngsters—if they cast aside all concern for national safety—then the Dwarf Clan...

Although the Dwarf Clan numbered many, the lack of top-tier fighting strength was a truly fatal flaw. These young people were overwhelmingly already Saints, and they possessed potential for even more glorious futures. Even those who hadn't reached the Saint realm, currently at the peak of the Half-Saint level, were experts poised to step into the Saint realm at any moment.

The Dwarves understood clearly: given the necessary materials and Qian Jin's presence, at least every Half-Saint expert currently in this courtyard could easily ascend to the Saint circle. Just the current number of Saints alone was enough to inspire shock. If everyone in the courtyard reached the Saint realm, even the Demon King would suffer from nightmares every night.

Politics! This specialized art, which the faithless Dwarf Clan had honed to perfection, had, at this moment, completely failed against a group of young, passionate, impulsive, and consequences-be-damned youths!

When shameless quibbling met another group of overbearing, fiery youths, quibbling instantly lost all its value. They simply weren't afraid of trickery. If you dared to try, they would fight! Fight until you submitted, fight until you stopped playing games!

"I do know there are those who do not fear death. But..." Duan Feng Bu Er sneered, his Bloodline Battle Form revealing two fangs as sharp as blades. "I refuse to believe everyone fears death! I want to see exactly how many tough bones the Dwarf Clan possesses."

The Dwarves listened to Duan Feng Bu Er’s provocative words and watched Qian Jin, who remained silent and still, and finally, genuine fear began to settle in.

Pan Hong Ji’s steps to leave halted alongside Li Ba’s. Those who have long occupied the high echelons of power possess keen instincts. In an instant, both experts sensed that the Dwarves' initial arrogance had been utterly crushed by the aggressive, overbearing aura of these young men. They were truly afraid.

Afraid? Pan Hong Ji pursed his lips. If he had offended such a group, he too would be deeply troubled. He mused that by the time these lads all advanced to the Saint realm, His Majesty the Demon King would likely be so depressed he wouldn't be able to eat properly for many successive meals.

The most terrifying things in this world are the conspirators lurking in the shadows, but what truly astonishes people are not those schemers, but a group of beings burning with surging passion and boiling blood! That passion could even transform into something like the sun, making everyone feel a warmth spread over them.

"You... you..."

"You are welcome to continue defaulting on the debt," Duan Feng Bu Er continued. "But I have always been fondest of collecting dues."

"You can also pretend to settle the account now, then return to your clan and change your minds later," Mu Ne Zhen Ce said with a sweet smile, shaking his folding fan. "In that scenario, we won't mind abandoning the Newcomer King Tournament competition just to charge into your Dwarf Clan and slaughter every last one of you."

The faces of the Dwarf Elders grew exceedingly ugly. Even if they could hide within the Behemoth Tribe seeking relative safety, what about the entire Dwarf Clan? Would they allow them to be slaughtered unchecked? If that happened, not long after, the Dwarf Clan would inevitably surrender and collectively strip these Elders of their authority. Those at the top can disregard the interests of some lower echelons, but they absolutely cannot ignore the interests of all. If it truly reached that point, the entire lower class would unite, and the fragile superstructure would shatter like tofu.

Lost the bet, refuse to pay! They wouldn't be leaving alive today! Temporarily concede, then play dirty back home? The Elders realized this idea wasn't great either. These youngsters simply didn't consider other issues; they were completely immune to threats. The more they were threatened, the fiercer their backlash became.

"Fine!" Dwarf Elder Pu Fei sighed. "Since it is so, we admit we lost the bet and we will pay! But we only recognize you, Qian Jin. If you were to die one day... our Dwarf Clan will remain our Dwarf Clan and will not be bound by your descendants."

The other Dwarf Elders nodded in agreement. At worst, they would accept a century of rule. Moreover, someone of Qian Jin’s warrior status might very well die on the Human-Demon battlefield someday. Though he was powerful, even Ultimate Bloodline Warriors met death in battle, let alone a True Saint-level powerhouse like Qian Jin.

"Agreed," Qian Jin replied crisply, extending his hand directly. "First, bring out the Sacred Artifacts and Soul Weapons accumulated by the clan over the years. Your Clan Leader needs to use them."

The Dwarf Elder Council fell into profound silence, staring blankly at Qian Jin, who had remained mute until now. They had expected his helpers to be the most vicious, but it turned out the Clan Leader who never spoke was the most ruthless! He opened his mouth and demanded possession of all the Sacred Artifacts and Soul Weapons...