Chapter 113: No Peaceful Resolution

As the various factions arrived one after another, they were all confronted with an incredible reality.

The Zhao family was not only the mastermind behind the murder case but had also violated regulations by bringing a Divine Strength expert onto the battlefield. Yet, in the end, this very master had been killed by Jiang Xiaotian. A powerhouse capable of shaking the foundations of Dragon City had died in such an obscure fashion—who could possibly accept this?

The elders of the Zhao family were hit hardest; some of the older ones fainted on the spot. The smaller families who had previously supported them now remained deathly silent, and even the Zheng family stood by as if this had nothing to do with them, not uttering a single word.

The Zhao family, stripped of its heritage, was now reduced to a second-rate clan. Having offended so many people—and with many loose cultivators having died at their hands—even if they managed to avoid total annihilation, they would face endless waves of vengeance.

People gazed at the young man holding the sword with deep emotion. Upon learning he was Jiang Xiaotian, they were filled with astonishment. Some had wondered if he was an outsider, but seeing the Ouyang family—the undisputed leaders of Dragon City—standing firmly on his side, who would dare to ask for trouble?

However, Zhao Zheng refused to accept this. He was convinced he had not lost, for he still had the help of "that gentleman."

Pushing aside those who were supporting him, he ran to the lakeside and screamed, "You bunch of losers! Shadow is a loser too! How could you fail to stop Jiang Xiaotian? Do you think I've lost? You are dead wrong! I, Zhao Zheng, still have a trump card! Sir! It is time for you to act! Let these stupid humans see what they really are!"

His tone was bordering on madness, yet his confidence made everyone pause, staring at the lake, fearful that Zhao Zheng might truly have an ace up his sleeve.

Alas, the surface of the lake remained serene, showing no signs of activity. As Zhao Zheng continued to shout, a stone the size of a fingernail flew from the water, striking him squarely in the temple. Zhao Zheng immediately kicked his legs and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

This terrified the entire Zhao family. They rushed to his aid; the Zhao family had already suffered immense losses today, but Zhao Zheng was their heir—if he died, the family line would truly be severed.

Finally, the officials stepped in. Clearly, the current situation was beyond their expectations, but seeing that Jiang Xiaotian had successfully seized the sword, they were beaming with joy.

"Haha, alright, don't worry about whether Jiang Xiaotian is an outsider. He is a member of our organization. We arranged for him to come in specifically to retrieve the Divine Sword and, incidentally, to eradicate the scourge that was the Zhao family. The mission is complete, and he deserves to be commended!"

The officials were practically giddy. They had obtained the Divine Sword without any real effort, and the Zhao family had lost both their heritage and a number of internal strength warriors. The Ouyang and Li families were in similar states. Now, if the authorities spoke, which of these three families would dare to disobey?

"Jiang Xiaotian, hand the sword over to us for safekeeping. Go and get some rest. Your merits outweigh your faults; we will overlook the matter of you injuring Zhang Lan," a man with a handlebar mustache said, eyeing him as he reached out to take the sword.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Xiaotian frowned and took several steps back. "When did I ever say I was working with the Dragon City authorities? I risked my life for this, and you want to just take it?"

Had this been the old Jiang Xiaotian, he would have been timid and obedient, doing whatever he was told. But he was different now. With his strength, why should he fear anyone?

The Dragon City Martial Arts circle hadn't provided him with any help from the start; instead, they had forcibly seized command from Zhang Guodong and then gone silent. Now that he had succeeded, they wanted to step in and claim the spoils of war? On what grounds?

No one expected this reaction from Jiang Xiaotian, including the man with the handlebar mustache. His voice turned cold, and a massive, surging pressure radiated from his body. "What? Are you defying orders? I order you to hand over the sword! Otherwise, bear the consequences yourself!"

Jiang Xiaotian sneered. He had thought the matter was resolved, but he hadn't expected to be tripped up by this group from the Dragon City Martial Arts circle in the end. No wonder the three great families had never gotten along with them. With their arrogant attitude, who would want to cooperate with them?

He pointed to the sword stuck in the ground before him. "Come on, if you have the ability, come and snatch it yourself. Did you see the fate of the Divine Strength expert in that pit? If you want it, come and get it!"

Jiang Xiaotian’s tone was incredibly provocative. He was going to stand his ground today—not for anything else, but for his own pride.

Because of these people, his teammates had been placed in mortal danger, yet they had offered absolutely no support. If it hadn't been for him, the Falcon unit that Zhang Guodong had just built would have been wiped out. Jiang Xiaotian had no affection left for the Dragon City Martial Arts organization; they were selfish and self-serving.

Moreover, they had produced someone like Zhang Lan.

It seemed they were all cut from the same cloth—all idiots!

The man with the handlebar mustache was infuriated, but he didn't dare to make a move. Although he was also a Divine Strength expert, Shadow’s corpse was still lying there. What if this Jiang Xiaotian went crazy and hacked him too?

Ouyang Ye stepped forward and said, "Since you stipulated that the sword belongs to whoever holds it at the end, why are you reneging now? Are you really so devoid of integrity?"

The man with the mustache glared and pointed at Jiang Xiaotian. "He is someone we arranged to enter! Without us, this brat wouldn't even have had the qualifications to participate! Now we are recovering the spoils of war; what is the problem with that?"

"Haha, I almost forgot. The only help you gave me was letting me sneak in. Here, take it, consider us even." Jiang Xiaotian pulled two hundred yuan from his pocket and threw it at the man, clearly intending to humiliate them.

The tactic worked perfectly. The man’s aura flared, and he shattered the two hundred yuan into fragments.

"You're courting death!"

The man could no longer hold back. If he didn't put Jiang Xiaotian in his place today, who would ever respect them again?

Just as he was about to strike, a cough rang out. "Ahem, if you touch him, don't blame me for being impolite."

People looked over to see an elderly man in a formal suit walking slowly toward them, followed by several young people. Although they didn't possess overwhelming strength, each of them carried an extraordinary aura.

Jiang Xiaotian spotted Ling'er walking at the back and his eyes lit up, his face breaking into a long-awaited smile. "Sister Ling'er! Sister Ling'er!"

The man with the mustache turned cold as ice. "Zhang Guodong! Look at the fine 'children' you've raised! Refusing to hand over the goods and causing trouble here! Is there a problem with me teaching him a lesson on your behalf?"

Zhang Guodong did not argue. He stood to the side and instantly locked onto the aura of a young martial artist beside the man—someone the other side had brought.

"Sure, go ahead and hit him. If you hit my person, I'll hit yours. It's a very simple logic, isn't it?" Zhang Guodong stood with his hands behind his back, showing no fear.

Despite his sickly appearance, he was a genuine Divine Strength expert; otherwise, he wouldn't have been qualified for his position.

Zhang Guodong’s response infuriated the man even more, almost causing him to choke on his own breath. "Old man! Have you lost your mind? Do you think this is Linhai? Your own turf? You want to talk logic? Fine, Jiang Xiaotian cut off the hand of my Falcon unit captain. Let me cut off one of his, and I won't ask for the sword. How about that?"

Zhang Guodong chuckled. "Is that so? Was it cut off just now? I see the person has already been carried away and the wound treated, which means it happened quite a while ago, right? If I recall correctly, the order from above was that only Jiang Xiaotian was to enter. Could it be that you secretly violated the rules?"

The man with the mustache froze and immediately changed his tune. "He participated as an individual. Is there a problem with that?"

"Oh? I see. Then there's no problem at all. Why are you staring at Jiang Xiaotian? This is a personal grievance between them. By what right do you involve the organization? You want revenge? Fine, bring him here, and I'll arrange for Jiang Xiaotian to fight him. I'll even have him fight with one hand tied behind his back. How about that?" Zhang Guodong smiled.

"You!" The man’s face turned the color of liver. "Hmph! It doesn't matter what you say today—either he stays, or the sword stays!"

Just when everyone thought the situation could not be resolved, a lazy yawn echoed from a distance, accompanied by the sound of slippers shuffling on leaves. "What are you all arguing about? If Zhang Guodong’s word doesn't count, does mine?"

The moment Jiang Xiaotian saw him, he froze, his astonishment no less than if he had seen a sow climbing a tree.