Chapter Twenty-Two: Sworn Brotherhood

“Dragon Overlord’s Seventh? So apart from Cui Overlord, Lu Kai, and Cold Second, there are three others?” Lei Yan hadn’t expected the Dragon Overlord to have six core members. Shaking his head to clear the drunken haze, he dropped to one knee. “Lei Seven, paying respects to Cui Overlord!”

“Get up!” Cui Overlord nodded in approval. Seeing Lei Yan’s face flushed with drink, he stepped forward, grasped Lei Yan’s hand, and pulled him to his feet. No sooner had Lei Yan straightened than Cui Overlord turned to Cold Second. “Second, what’s the situation over there?”

A shadow of sorrow flickered in Cold Second’s eyes. “We’ve lost a few brothers.”

Lu Kai, standing nearby, also wore a look of grief. “Cui Overlord, the man Feng Dan brought was already at the peak of the Innate realm!”

“At the peak of the Innate realm?” Cui Overlord’s heart gave a jolt. Within the Poison Miasma Forest, Feng Dan’s crew was only a minor force, yet with their formidable strength, they lived better than even the Dragon Overlord’s men. How their members advanced so quickly had always been a mystery. After a moment’s thought, he gave orders, “Second, the Leopard’s leader is dead here. The coming days won’t be peaceful. Tell the brothers to stay vigilant.”

“Cui Overlord, what’s the story with this Leopard?” Lei Yan asked respectfully.

Cui Overlord glanced at Lei Yan, kindness shining in his gaze. He pointed at the corpse on the ground. “That’s the Leopard’s leader, Feng Dan. The Leopard is a smaller group than ours, but they live by plundering just as we do. Yet their members are far stronger overall, making their lives more comfortable than ours.”

From Cui Overlord’s tone, Lei Yan sensed a hint of resentment. He pondered a moment and said, “Cui Overlord, I think Feng Dan’s death is an opportunity. Perhaps we can use this chance to wipe out the Leopard.”

Cui Overlord’s eyes lit up briefly, but then dimmed and he fell silent. Lu Kai, standing beside him, seemed quite pleased by Lei Yan’s use of “we,” and slung an arm around his shoulders. “Seventh, you’re new here so you might not know. This isn’t our first run-in with the Leopard. Most of their men have reached the peak of the Acquired realm. And Feng Dan has a brother—both of them are formidable, late-phase Innate experts. Wiping out the Leopard is easier said than done!”

“So the problem is strength!” Lei Yan finally understood the frustration in Cui Overlord’s heart. No doubt, it was power—nothing more—that had forced him to suppress his urge to act. But as far as Lei Yan was concerned, that could be resolved. He smiled. “Cui Overlord, I have a way to rapidly boost Dragon Overlord’s strength. But there is a drawback.”

“Speak!” A flicker of excitement crossed Cui Overlord’s eyes, and he grew focused.

“The realm—when strength is gained without effort, the mind loses all sense of true cultivation. Advancing further will become much more difficult, perhaps impossible, forever trapped in a hollow realm.” Lei Yan smiled.

“Trapped in a hollow realm?” All three were bewildered. They were mere bandits; though they’d heard of cultivation realms, the concept was vague at best. But what did it mean to be stuck in a false realm? None could quite grasp it.

Seeing their confusion, Lei Yan explained further, “Simply put, this realm is an illusion—a self-deceiving mirage. For example, if someone reaches the Innate realm by such shortcuts, he’ll still lose his life facing a true Innate expert…”

Lei Yan hadn’t finished when Lu Kai broke in with a laugh, “Self-deceiving? It almost sounds like you’re pulling our leg—”

“Lu Kai!” Cui Overlord, seeming to grasp Lei Yan’s meaning, quickly cut him off and signaled Lei Yan to continue.

“Though you’d still fall to a real Innate expert, you’d be able to cut down any martial artist below the Innate realm,” Lei Yan continued. Though this method might block further cultivation for many, it could multiply the group’s collective strength severalfold.

Cui Overlord bowed his head in thought, then asked, “How much time do you need? How strong can you make them?”

“One day. I can bring everyone up to the Innate realm.” Lei Yan smiled, utterly confident. The multicolored Spirit Dust he’d acquired upon leaving the Ghost Venom Sect’s cave would be more than enough to empower a few core Dragon Overlord members.

“All of them to the Innate realm?” Cui Overlord could hardly believe his ears. Even if it was false Innate, it was still above the peak of the Acquired realm. How could he not be tempted by such power? After a moment’s stunned silence, he gave an order. “Second, pass the word—everyone assemble at the training grounds!”

“Yes!” Cold Second replied, barely able to hide his excitement. He understood Lei Yan’s meaning: if it worked, the Dragon Overlord could dominate the Poison Miasma Forest, perhaps even extend its reach to the Four Roads beyond.

In no time, several hundred bandits had gathered at the training ground, voices buzzing with speculation. Cui Overlord and his companions took their place at the center, where three others already stood. Pointing to them, Cui Overlord introduced, “These are Qian Duoduo, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu.” With the brief introductions made, Cui Overlord murmured a few instructions to Lu Kai and Cold Second, who then hurried off.

Moments later, Lu Kai returned, lugging a massive bronze cauldron over a yard high. With a crash, he set it down, shaking the ground. He then lit three long sticks of incense and placed them in the cauldron, while Cold Second brought out a table with several bowls atop it.

Once all was ready, Cui Overlord called out in a booming voice, “Today, we welcome a new brother!” His words set off a wave of excited chatter among the crowd.

“The ceremony begins!” he shouted, and silence fell over the grounds.

“To welcome the new brother…”

As Cui Overlord spoke, he led by example, pricking his finger with a dagger and letting his blood drip into one of the bowls. Lu Kai followed, and then, one after another, the bandits stepped forward, each slicing flesh or pricking a finger to offer blood, filling the bowls to the brim, crimson rivulets trickling down to the earth.

This was how the leaders of Dragon Overlord showed sincerity to their brethren. They believed hot blood was the truest sign of loyalty.

Lei Yan, moved by the fervor of the scene, stepped forward, took the blade, and let his blood mix with the rest.

When all had given their blood, Cui Overlord divided it into seven portions, mixed each with wine, and, raising a bowl of bloodwine, drank it in one draught. Lu Kai and the others did likewise. Lei Yan, staring at the bright scarlet mixture, felt a surge of emotion—part excitement, part hesitation—but at last, he too swallowed the bloodwine in one gulp.

“The ceremony is complete!” Cui Overlord declared, beaming.

A thunderous cheer erupted from the hundreds of bandits below.