Chapter 693: Eighty Thousand Taels

Li Yi's five-colored fist aura was too astonishing; this blade forged from Dao art was inherently extremely dangerous, and he had condensed five of them at once, combined with Long Hu's power.

Such a punch was enough to make him invincible among opponents of the same level.

This warrior named Dong Chong, though powerful and extraordinary, still fell short of Li Yi in combat strength—even after unleashing the ancient power hidden within his divine blood, he could not mask the brilliance of that punch.

Instantly.

The phantom image of the deity was pierced through by the five-colored fist light, and Dong Chong's invincible divine blood body suffered catastrophic damage in that instant.

The five-colored fist blade tore open his flesh, shattered his bones, pierced through his body, and its residual force became a red beam that cut across Beihuang City, slashed through the night sky, and vanished beyond the horizon.

Under such grievous wounds, Dong Chong's purple blood gushed forth; his tall, muscular body collapsed heavily as if all strength had been drained, and even his consciousness vanished at that moment.

Though his chest had been ripped open by a grotesque wound, he still lived—divine blood warriors possessed too tenacious a life force to die from such injuries.

But the outcome was decided.

Li Yi stood with clenched fist, coldly staring at the fallen body of the divine blood warrior, forced to admit that divine blood warriors of this world were indeed formidable—merely through their flesh and ancient bloodline power, they could match him to this extent.

If given more time to grow, such warriors would one day rival great demons, three-flower cultivators, and Mahayana-level masters.

And this was not even the limit of divine blood.

Their ultimate path led to divinity.

Thinking of this, he strode toward the fallen Dong Chong.

"He won! Great Yi won! The opponent's divine blood warrior has fallen!" At this sight, the servants and guests of the nearby merchant lord Xiang's household erupted in cheers, thrilled by Li Yi's overwhelming strength.

"Great Yi, cut off his head and hang it at the gate—to warn the other merchant lords," one guest shouted.

This was some barbaric custom—preferring to hang enemies' heads on their doors.

"Capture him and sell him to a slave master; a divine blood warrior is worth at least ten thousand taels—this could compensate for Great Yi's losses," another guest suggested.

That was to sell Dong Chong.

Li Yi's expression shifted at this.

This seemed like a good idea.

Killing him would be wasteful; selling him as a slave for ten thousand taels was indeed beneficial—ten thousand taels could buy a hundred crimson golds, and a hundred crimson golds had terrifying purchasing power, enough to acquire many treasures and forge divine weapons.

In this world, crimson gold held immense value.

Li Yi currently had nothing in his hands, not a single tael to his name—he truly needed money.

"Kill or sell?" He reached Dong Chong's side and looked down at the unconscious man.

Revenge and satisfaction were satisfying, but adults weighed profit and loss; killing brought only fleeting pleasure, while selling him as a slave seemed the better choice.

Yet as he pondered this.

Suddenly.

Li Yi's expression changed—he turned toward a nearby collapsed mansion.

At that moment, a middle-aged man dressed in fine robes, his face grim, rushed toward them with two burly guards.

Though the middle-aged man had no cultivation, the people of this world possessed astonishing physical strength; though he was a merchant lord, his sprint was like a gale—swift and powerful.

"Great Yi, wait, wait!" Merchant Lord Liehou arrived, his eyes filled with fear and reverence as he looked at Li Yi.

But when he saw the bloodied, unconscious Dong Chong, his expression turned urgent—he could tell Dong Chong was still alive; if rescued, with rest, this divine blood warrior could rise again.

Yet now he had no say—whether Dong Chong lived or died rested entirely with this Great Yi.

"Merchant Lord Liehou, you vile worm—you sent a divine blood warrior to attack my master's honored guest at night! When my master returns, he will surely avenge this!" the old servant roared in fury.

But Merchant Lord Liehou remained unmoved; his gaze stayed fixed on Great Yi.

Here, only this divine blood warrior held the power to decide—not some servant of the Xiang household.

"Are you here to die too?" Li Yi stared at him, his killing intent undiminished.

He knew the man lying on the ground was merely a thug—this man before him was the true architect of this scheme.

"I am Merchant Lord Liehou of Beihuang City. Today's incident was my fault. I am willing to compensate for everything that happened—I beg Great Yi to grant me this chance." Liehou steadied himself and spoke seriously.

"No matter how many taels, as long as it buys Dong Chong's life."

Li Yi stared at him, understanding his meaning.

He wanted to pay to avoid disaster.

Li Yi's gaze flickered as he considered whether to grant this opportunity—after all, selling the divine blood warrior to a slave master was one way to profit, but letting him be ransomed might yield even greater gains.

Moreover, he truly needed crimson gold.

It could buy vast cultivation resources and be used to forge divine weapons.

He wondered what kind of Dao artifact the Bald Daoist could forge with a sum of crimson gold—this would greatly aid his future strength.

"Merchant Lord Liehou, merely buying back this divine blood warrior's life isn't enough. How many taels is your own life worth?"

Suddenly.

Li Yi moved his foot—the distance of dozens of meters vanished in an instant.

"My lord, beware!" The two guards beside Liehou reacted—they sensed Great Yi's intent to strike and roared as they charged forward, attempting to block him with their bodies.

Even knowing they were no match for Great Yi, their loyalty forbade them from retreating.

"Get out of my way." Li Yi merely raised his hand.

A true dragon, wreathed in terrifying power, charged forward—just one strike, and the two guards were blasted away, their muscular bodies instantly shattered into pieces.

Those not divine blood warriors could not withstand Li Yi's Long Hu power.

The next moment.

Li Yi appeared, seizing Liehou's throat and lifting him off the ground.

Under the overwhelming force, the merchant lord could not resist—he could only weakly struggle, his face turning crimson, even hearing the sound of his own bones slowly crushing.

In that instant, Liehou understood Great Yi's meaning.

Not only was Dong Chong's life in his hands—his own life was too.

If he wished, after today, there would be no Merchant Lord Liehou in Beihuang City.

"I am the Merchant Lord of Beihuang City. Within Beihuang City, you have no right to kill a merchant lord—only the city master may take a merchant lord's life. This is iron law. Even as a divine blood warrior, you cannot defy it. If you kill me, you break the law and forfeit your own life."

At this moment, Liehou gasped out these words from his throat.

"Is that so? But you underestimate my methods. If I wish, I can make you die seven days from now—or even ten." Li Yi spoke coldly.

He did not doubt the merchant lord's words.

After all, Beihuang City was vast; without rules, it would have descended into chaos long ago—it could not have maintained such order. But as a Dao cultivator, killing someone after the fact was easy.

"Y-you know witchcraft?" Liehou's eyes filled with terror.

If he died days from now, even the city master could not pursue Great Yi.

Witchcraft?

Li Yi had never heard the term—he merely stared at him in silence.

Liehou dared not gamble—he would not risk his life or the divine blood warrior's life on the chance that Great Yi would spare them, for the cost of losing was too great. In this situation, he could only pay heavily to buy his own pardon.

But how much was enough?

A divine blood warrior fetched at least ten thousand taels from slave masters—but Dong Chong, at this level, could sell for twenty to thirty thousand taels. As a merchant lord of Beihuang City, his own life was worth at least ten thousand taels.

"F-five… fifty thousand taels. I'll pay fifty thousand taels to buy back both my life and Dong Chong's. What do you say?" He spoke without hesitation—the highest price he had ever offered in his life.

Even for him, gathering this sum would demand great sacrifice.

After all, merchant lords could not keep all their gold at home—most was tied up in goods, for only then could they earn more gold.

Li Yi glanced at the old servant nearby.

He did not know the local market—he had to seek others' opinions.

The old servant, seasoned and shrewd, immediately understood Great Yi's intent—he stepped forward and said: "Merchant Lord Liehou, fifty thousand taels may buy the lives of a divine blood warrior and a merchant lord, but my master's residence was damaged, and his honored guest was disturbed. To settle this matter, you must add another thirty thousand taels."

Eighty thousand taels?

Liehou wished he had just died.

Paying eighty thousand taels meant he could no longer remain a merchant lord.

But if he refused today, he would surely be killed by Great Yi.

After brief deliberation, Liehou gritted his teeth: "Fine. Eighty thousand taels it is."

He made his promise—he would pay this sum.

If he broke his word, he might as well be dead.

"Whether we accept your compensation depends on the honored guest's will. If he refuses, Merchant Lord Liehou, you still cannot live today," the old servant said respectfully to Li Yi.

Li Yi slightly reined in his killing intent, then casually flung Liehou away: "I give you three days to deliver the gold. Otherwise, you break your promise."

"Yes." Liehou had no choice—he made his promise again.

"Go. You should be grateful your accumulated gold was enough to buy your lives." Li Yi said.

In the end, he chose to spare them for the gold.

Liehou dared not speak—he rushed to Dong Chong's side, lifted the wounded, unconscious warrior onto his back, and sprinted swiftly toward one direction of Beihuang City.

"He's going to find a healer—to save the divine blood warrior," the old servant said. "He made his promise—he will deliver the gold within three days. That is the conduct expected of a merchant lord."

(End of Chapter)