"Welcome to my world, you two fools."
Just as Zhou Xuan uttered these words, Wang Zekun, who had been about to attack the leader of the black-clothed men, abruptly stopped. He stared at the old man behind Zhou Xuan with shock, clearly sensing the elder's extraordinary presence.
"Junior Wang Zekun, I stumbled into this place unintentionally!"
"I apologize for any offense, please do not blame me, senior!"
"I shall retreat immediately and not dare to offend your sight any further!"
Having come to his senses, the wily Wang Zekun immediately dropped to his knees with a thud. Then, in a most humble posture, he kowtowed thrice to Zhou Shenglong. He knew that if he didn't, he might not be able to leave this place alive today.
This old man, by all appearances, was related to Zhou Xuan, and his aura was terrifying. Facing him, Wang Zekun felt as if he were confronting the entire world! He couldn't muster the slightest will to resist!
"Old fox!" the leader of the black-clothed men muttered inwardly upon seeing Wang Zekun's actions. He immediately followed suit, kneeling alongside Wang Zekun and uttering apologies.
"Well, well!"
"Why are you two so cowardly?"
"Weren't you quite arrogant outside just now?"
"Weren't you threatening to take my life and kill my kin at every turn?"
"What happened to that attitude now?"
"I actually preferred you when you were defiant!"
"Come on, show me that ferocity again!"
"Let my ancestor here witness how you threatened his descendants!"
Seeing the actions of Wang Zekun and the black-clothed leader, Zhou Xuan burst into laughter. He walked up to them and began to mock them.
"Heh, my young friend, you jest!"
"That was all a misunderstanding!"
"Besides, it was this fellow who was intent on killing you!"
"It has nothing to do with me!"
"Didn't I say earlier?"
"I came to give you money, young friend!"
"Here, look!"
"This is a check for one hundred million!"
"My useless grandson was being disobedient earlier!"
"After you taught him a lesson, you asked me to prepare a check for one hundred million to ransom him!"
"But when I arrived at the agreed location, you had already left!"
"I've been dwelling on this matter, ah, no!"
"I've kept it firmly in mind!"
"So I came personally to deliver the check to you!"
"As for the things I said earlier, I was merely joking with you!"
"Please do not take them to heart, young friend!"
"If one hundred million is not enough, please do not hesitate to ask!"
"When I return, I will definitely order my family to send more to you!"
Looking at Zhou Xuan, who stood before them, arrogantly provoking them, Wang Zekun and the leader of the black-clothed men were practically bursting with rage. Yet, they dared not show the slightest hint of displeasure.
To save his own life, Wang Zekun did not hesitate. He turned and pushed the black-clothed man beside him forward as a shield. He himself maintained his subservient posture. After all, no one had expected the roles of hunter and prey to reverse so suddenly.
"You old bastard, you..."
Upon hearing Wang Zekun's shameless words, the leader of the black-clothed men was so enraged that he felt like drawing his saber and killing him. Especially when he saw that after Wang Zekun's statement, the old man beside Zhou Xuan slowly turned his gaze upon him. The hatred he felt for Wang Zekun instantly reached its peak.
At that moment, he had only one thought: "If I can survive this and return, I will personally lead my men to slaughter the entire Wang family!"
"Senior, look!"
"This fellow still harbors ill will towards you!"
"He is clearly full of defiance!"
"Such a person cannot be kept!"
"I know you are magnanimous, senior, and would not bother with such an insignificant insect!"
"But I, myself, cannot tolerate such things!"
"To harbor ill will towards you, senior!"
"This is something I absolutely cannot bear!"
"Allow me to eliminate this unsightly insect for you!"
With that, Wang Zekun struck towards the forehead of the black-clothed man without giving him time to react.
"Wang, have you no shame?"
"How could you say such a thing?"
"Do you think they will let you go after killing me?"
"Don't forget, when the Zhou family was annihilated, your Wang family was also involved!"
"It would be better if you joined forces with me now, and we capture that brat Zhou Xuan together!"
"Perhaps then, there might be a sliver of hope!"
"Otherwise, we will both die here today!"
Seeing Wang Zekun's immediate assault, the black-clothed man cursed him inwardly. He rolled backward to evade Wang Zekun's attack and quickly created distance between them, speaking to Wang Zekun with a plea.
Upon hearing the black-clothed man's words, Wang Zekun's offensive momentum indeed faltered. Just as the black-clothed man rejoiced, thinking his plea had worked, he suddenly found that Wang Zekun had merely paused for a moment before launching another assault with both palms. Moreover, Wang Zekun was clearly going all out this time. The black-clothed man could distinctly feel that Wang Zekun's surging true qi had been amplified another level.
"Shameless junior, cease your sowing of discord!"
"Regarding the Zhou family's affairs back then, my Wang family was indeed involved!"
"But that was a decision made by a cousin of mine, and I was not present in the family at the time!"
"Otherwise, I would have undoubtedly stopped him!"
"If young friend Zhou Xuan is displeased with this matter!"
"I can immediately tie up that cousin of mine and present him for atonement upon my return!"
"In truth, I have always held the Zhou family in high regard!"
"Meeting an ancestor of the Zhou family now fills me with immense honor!"
"Therefore, cease your nonsensical ramblings and attempts to drag me down!"
With that, Wang Zekun's attack reached the leader of the black-clothed man. Seeing the attack so close, despair flickered across the face of the black-clothed leader. Previously, during his fight with Shouhu, he had lost an arm, significantly weakening his combat strength. In contrast, Wang Zekun, the old man, had been conserving his energy and remained at peak condition. As they were both cultivators of the same level, with one's strength waning and the other's waxing, the black-clothed man was now no match for Wang Zekun.
However, even so, the black-clothed man was clearly not one to surrender meekly. Seeing that Wang Zekun was determined to kill him, the black-clothed man decided to go all out.
"Since you old bastard wants to use me as a stepping stone to save your own life!"
"Then today, even if I die, I will not let you have your way!"
"You can wait here in this void to be buried with me!"
With that, the black-clothed man advanced to meet Wang Zekun's attack without dodging. True qi was silently gathering on his one remaining intact left arm.
The old man and the young man from the Zhou family made no move to intervene in this unfolding scene. They simply stood aside, watching them fight amongst themselves, watching them tear each other apart like dogs.