The Modern Martial Immortal

Coiling Dragon Island? Yaoguang remembered some information about it.

It was one of the major powers in the Chaotic Sea, a large faction with a Void-Piercing Realm battle immortal overseeing it, and one of the openly acknowledged overlord-level forces in those waters.

As for its style of conduct... Anyone who had ended up in the Chaotic Sea was hardly some righteous faction.

First, they had immediately referred to him and Xu Nianhua as one of their own, dragging them into this conflict without so much as asking.

Then they revealed their identity, dangled the promise of a thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills as bait, and at the same time made it clear that Coiling Dragon Island would never stop investigating, using both reward and threat.

On top of that, the one who approached them was an attractive female cultivator who seemed to practice some sort of charming technique.

They had exploited every possible advantage to the fullest.

Unfortunately, this was the North Sea Star. No one here was worth trusting.

For this female cultivator to be so bold as to seek help from a Blazing White Golden Core cultivator...

Wait! Along the way, in order to accommodate Xu Nianhua, I maintained the flight speed of a newly advanced Crimson Golden Core cultivator. Is that why they dare drag us into trouble?

As Yaoguang considered that possibility, he glanced at Xu Nianhua, who seemed even more inexperienced than he was, and quickly came up with a plan. "It’s actually a true disciple of Coiling Dragon Island?"

A trace of apprehension appeared on his face before he continued, "If we help you, are you truly willing to pay a thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills?"

"I, Zhou Xueyan, swear in the name of the Coiling Dragon Island that once this crisis is over, I will absolutely present one thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills," the female cultivator answered without hesitation, her tone solemn.

"Alright." Yaoguang waved toward Xu Nianhua.

Xu Nianhua had heard Li Hanqiu and Li Qingshan repeatedly warn that the North Sea Star was fraught with danger, and that one must never invite unnecessary trouble while traveling abroad. Instinctively, he felt that agreeing to this was wrong. But he could not put his finger on what exactly was wrong.

And now that Yaoguang had already given the order, he no longer hesitated. He immediately descended on his flying sword and entered the battlefield.

The moment Xu Nianhua joined, one Golden Core cultivator from the Black Shark Pirates broke away and intercepted him, sword drawn. "Who are you? Do not meddle in affairs that do not concern you! I know you have no connection to the Zhou family. Leave at once, and I can pretend nothing happened. Otherwise, if you offend us, the Black Dragon Pirates, you can forget about leaving the Chaotic Sea alive!"

The Zhou family’s Crimson Golden Core cultivator shouted out their true identity. "What Black Dragon Pirates? You’re nothing more than one of the hundreds of petty bandit groups gathered by Chief Tong to serve as cannon fodder, yet you still have the nerve to borrow the Black Dragon Pirates’ name to glorify yourselves?!"

"Heh, and doesn’t your Zhou family survive by attaching itself to the Coiling Dragon Island? Don’t you also wave Coiling Dragon Island’s banner everywhere you go?"

"Our family’s Zhou Wenxian is a true disciple of Coiling Dragon Island. Why shouldn’t we use its banner?"

As he spoke, he called out to Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua. "Friends, do not give them time to keep arguing. Let's fight side by side and wipe out these scourges of the Chaotic Sea! If we rout this band of Black Shark Pirates, all spoils will be handed over to you!"

At once, Yaoguang restrained his strength to the Crimson Golden Core Realm and directed the Wandering Dragon Sword at the Crimson Golden Core cultivator coming to intercept him.

The two joined forces and tied him down.

Seizing that opportunity, the Zhou family’s Golden Core cultivators and the others erupted with full force, fighting harder and harder as momentum gradually tilted in their favor.

Seeing the situation turn hopeless, the leading Crimson Golden Core cultivator of the Black Shark Pirates shot Yaoguang a venomous glare. "You’ve offended the Black Dragon Pirates. No matter where you flee, death will find you. Just wait. No one will be able to save you!"

With that, he waved sharply. "Retreat!"

At once, the dozen-or-so Eternal Light Realm cultivators led hundreds of Heavenly Fire Realm and Core Formation Realm cultivators back to their respective warships.

The Zhou family did not dare to pursue them.

If they really fought to the bitter end, even if they won, they would lose at least half of their Eternal Light Realm cultivators and several hundred Heavenly Fire Realm and Core Formation Realm cultivators. It would be mutual destruction.

"Count the supplies. We leave at once." The Zhou family’s leading Crimson Golden Core cultivator quickly issued the order.

Their massive vessel restarted and sailed toward the Coiling Dragon Island.

Taking the opportunity, the Golden Core cultivator approached Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua with a warm smile and offered a fist-and-palm salute. "Thank you to you both for your righteous assistance. Our family is deeply grateful. Please accompany us to Coiling Dragon Island. I will report this matter to the family head. He will surely host a banquet in person to thank you both and present generous gifts."

"No need. The Black Shark Pirates have already withdrawn. Please pay us the promised thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills now," Yaoguang said directly.

The Zhou family Golden Core cultivator’s expression subtly changed.

A thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills! What did that amount represent?! In the Chaotic Sea, only Radiant Sun Golden Core experts carried bounties worth that much.

Back then, in order to persuade Yaoguang and Xu Nianhua, whom they believed were two Crimson Golden Core cultivators, to help, they had blurted out a price too tempting to refuse. But now, they were actually asked to hand over a thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills...

Though his thoughts raced, not a trace showed on his face. He maintained his smile. "No problem. Since we promised you both a thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills, we absolutely will not go back on our word. It is simply that such a huge sum is not something we carry at all times. Coincidentally, once the family learns of this, they will certainly wish to host a grand banquet in your honor. At that time, we can deliver the payment in full. How does that sound?"

"So you guys want to go back on your word?" Xu Nianhua frowned.

He had long heard that the people of the North Sea Star had no concept of trust, morality, or bottom lines. And now he was witnessing it firsthand.

"Impossible. We absolutely have no intention of doing that. Our family is part of Coiling Dragon Island, and our family prodigy is a true disciple there, a genius who has reached the Radiant Sun Golden Core Realm. How can we ruin our reputation in the Chaotic Sea over a mere thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills? It is simply that we don't have that many pills right now. Once we return to the family, we will pay in full. Rest assured, the reward promised to you will absolutely be given." The Golden Core cultivator swore confidently.

"If you don't have that many pills, goods can be used in their place. Looking at the cargo on this ship, it should be worth one or two thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills. We’ll take half as payment," Yaoguang said.

"We can't do that," the Golden Core cultivator blurted out immediately.

Realizing he had responded too hastily, he quickly added, "Most of the cargo aboard this ship was purchased for the Coiling Dragon Island. If anything goes wrong, we will suffer severe punishment. At worst, everyone aboard can die for losing the goods. So using cargo as payment is absolutely out of the question."

Beside him, Zhou Xueyan could not help but say, "Perfected Masters, we are really willing to pay immediately, but we simply don't have a thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills right now. We can only make up the full amount after returning to the family. If the two of you are too busy to travel to the Coiling Dragon Island, we can write an IOU. Whenever you have time, you may come to the Zhou family and redeem it."

"That won’t do." Yaoguang’s tone turned cold. "We already made the agreement. Now you want to go back on your word? Is the Zhou family’s reputation nothing more than wastepaper? Right now, you have two choices. Give me one thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills, or goods worth one thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills... or we’ll take it ourselves."

At those words, the Golden Core cultivator’s face changed as well, his smile fading. "What do you mean by that? Are you planning to imitate the Black Shark Pirates? I advise you to think carefully. Coiling Dragon Island is not an easy target to bully."

As he spoke, there was no need for him to give an order. More than a dozen Eternal Light Realm cultivators and several hundred Heavenly Fire Realm cultivators of the Zhou family gradually closed in, each holding a treasured artifact in hand, their eyes turning cold.

Earlier, Yaoguang had only acted casually. The one who had truly done most of the fighting against the Black Shark Pirates had been Xu Nianhua.

As a newly advanced Crimson Golden Core cultivator, Xu Nianhua lacked combat experience. The Zhou family’s Golden Core cultivator was confident he could handle Xu Nianhua with ease.

What was more, with more than a dozen Eternal Light cultivators and several hundred Heavenly Fire cultivators swarming together, they might well be able to kill a newly advanced Crimson Golden Core cultivator.

The only reason they hesitated was that they did not want to suffer heavy losses.

"I am only taking the payment that rightfully belongs to us according to our agreement. Nothing more," Yaoguang said.

"According to the agreement..." Zhou Xueyan suddenly said. "According to the agreement, we were to pay you one thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills after we safely overcame the crisis. While the Black Shark Pirates have been driven off, who can say we won’t encounter other dangers on the way back to Coiling Dragon Island? In other words, the crisis has not been fully resolved. Since it has not been resolved, we cannot pay you in advance."

"Our Fourteenth Lady is correct. You two have not yet fulfilled the agreement to help us overcome this crisis, so we cannot hand over the thousand Pure Yang Grand Pills," The Zhou family’s Golden Core cultivator said in a low voice. "This perfected master has yet to honor his own promise, yet he is already slandering the Zhou family’s reputation. I’m afraid he owes us an explanation."

"You..." Xu Nianhua’s face darkened at these shameless, escalating demands. "Do you expect us to compensate you now?! How can you be this utterly shameless..."

"Because we were trying to reason with them." Yaoguang’s voice remained even. "When we reason with them, in their eyes, that means we have begun to show weakness. Or rather... we’ve talked to them for so long, their tone kept growing more excessive step by step, yet we never exploded in anger and started killing. To them, that looked like a bluff, as well as weakness. Naturally, they felt emboldened to push even further and treat us however they pleased."

They approached. They communicated. They tested boundaries. Then, they pressed for more. That way of thinking had already become an instinct for cultivators on the North Sea Star.

Yaoguang glanced at Xu Nianhua. "Reading ten thousand books is not equal to traveling ten thousand kilometers. If we do not truly witness the real environment of the North Sea Star, we will never understand just how vile human hearts can become."

Xu Nianhua froze for a moment. He quickly realized that the reason Yaoguang had never displayed the power of a Blazing White Golden Core cultivator was that he had deliberately used the truth of the North Sea Star to teach him a lesson.

Perhaps it was also a lesson for himself.

"I’ve seen the true face of the North Sea Star now." Xu Nianhua’s voice turned heavy.

At the side, the Zhou family’s Golden Core cultivator listened to their exchange and sensed that something was wrong. He hurriedly changed his tone. "You two, I never meant that you should compensate us. I was only anxious to defend my family’s reputation, so I spoke rashly..."

"Doesn't matter." Yaoguang waved a hand.

In the next instant, his Blazing White Golden Core began to revolve. Brilliant sword light burst from his hand, instantly splitting into 438 strands of sword qi. Like a raging storm, they swept toward the surrounding Eternal Light, Heavenly Fire, and Core Formation cultivators who stood armed and full of malice, shredding through them.

"It’s over."

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