Chapter 19: The Majestic Might of the Heavens!
"Boom! Boom!"
Accompanied by two muffled thuds, the two fierce henchmen opposing him were sent flying, tumbling across the ground like battered sacks.
The Zhou sisters found themselves pulled into Ye Tian's embrace, one in each arm.
"Mr. Ye, what are you doing?"
"Why did you attack our people?"
Wang Zizai's expression darkened; he hadn't expected Ye Tian to strike his men without even asking for an explanation. It was a blatant disregard for his authority.
"Are you the subordinates of the bandit chief, Chen Manjin?"
To his surprise, Ye Tian confronted him with a question instead.
"Don't you know that this entire deathmatch arena belongs to our boss?" Wang Zizai looked puzzled.
This man had been fighting in the ring all day, yet he still didn't know who owned the place.
Ye Tian ignored the question and pressed on,
"So, Chen Manjin is your boss, isn't he?"
"Yes."
"Then I haven't made a mistake," Ye Tian replied with a cold smile. "These two are my friends. You've repeatedly kidnapped them, and I haven't even begun to settle the score with you!"
"If I hadn't happened to be here today, who knows what fate would have befallen them!"
On hearing this, Wang Zizai felt his scalp tingle.
So that's how it was—what bad luck.
Although Chen Manjin had only tasked him with managing the deathmatch arena, by title, Wang Zizai was the second-in-command of three thousand fierce bandits. Their positions instantly became delicate.
"Quick, someone's causing trouble!"
The two henchmen who had been knocked aside shouted, and suddenly, hundreds of tattooed, bare-chested fighters in uniform poured in from all sides of the arena!
Each possessed martial prowess, the weakest among them at the Heavenly Level!
The overwhelming momentum immediately drew the attention of the spectators, who all turned to watch Ye Tian being surrounded.
"Damn, isn't that Jun Mo Xiao?"
"Yeah, he just finished beating people in the ring, and now he's fighting the boss's men?"
"This guy must be crazy. Chen Manjin's three thousand bandits are all skilled fighters. No matter how strong he is, sheer numbers will wear him down!"
As the crowd surged toward him, Ye Tian remained calm. He withdrew a silver needle from his pocket and swiftly pricked the Zhou sisters, one after the other.
A soft moan escaped their lips as the sisters gradually regained consciousness.
"You two are far too careless, letting yourselves be drugged so easily," Ye Tian remarked, releasing them and pressing the elevator button.
"No time to explain. Get inside."
"Mm, mm!"
The elder sister, Zhou Manyun, kept her composure, quickly grabbing the panicked Zhou Xiaoxiao and pulling her into the elevator.
"Give me the money."
Seeing the Zhou sisters safely hidden, Ye Tian extended his hand to Wang Zizai, his tone brooking no refusal.
"Hah!"
Wang Zizai laughed.
"Given our current positions, do you really think I should hand it over?"
"I won it, so of course you should give it to me. If you don't, I could just kill you and take it anyway."
"You won."
Faced with Ye Tian's uncompromising demand, Wang Zizai could only smile helplessly and hand over the briefcase.
He was a clever man—without wit, he could never have become second-in-command to three thousand ruthless bandits.
With Ye Tian's overwhelming strength in the deathmatch arena, killing him would be as easy as swatting a fly. Why provoke him needlessly?
Ye Tian accepted the briefcase with a serene smile and stepped into the elevator.
"Second Brother, that guy's pretty fierce. The boss isn't here. Should we still pursue them?"
"Of course we must."
As the elevator slowly started up, Wang Zizai stared blankly, his eyes vacant.
The elevator shot upward, returning from the underground arena to the tavern. Ye Tian remained silent throughout, dragging the Zhou sisters along as they made their escape.
"Stop him!"
"Don't let those three get away!"
Another wave of bandits surged from every corner of the tavern, lunging at the trio, only to be effortlessly knocked aside by Ye Tian. In an instant, chaos erupted, bottles shattering everywhere.
"Sister, I'm so scared!"
The younger Zhou, Xiaoxiao, shrieked in terror, forcing Zhou Manyun to shield her as best she could. "Don't be afraid. Ye Tian is with us."
The three had turned the massive tavern upside down before finally making it out the door.
But immediately, the sound of countless footsteps echoed from all directions!
A vast throng of hundreds encircled them, leaving no escape.
"Now there's nowhere left to run, is there?"
Apart from Wang Zizai, all the bandits from the underground arena had emerged as well.
Apparently, there was a faster passage from the deathmatch arena to the surface besides the elevator.
"What should we do? There are so many," Zhou Xiaoxiao stammered, her face pale with fear.
Zhou Manyun looked no better.
Hundreds of bare-chested bandits, armed with knives and clubs, blocked every route.
Despair!
Anyone faced with such a scene would be shaken to their core.
"Heh, almost let you guys intimidate me,"
Ye Tian released the two women and looked at the crowd with a faint smile.
"Mr. Ye."
Wang Zizai had caught up and stepped forward, speaking sincerely, "Our gang has no prior grievance with you, Mr. Ye. Let's talk things out."
"The Zhou sisters are specifically wanted by our boss. Mr. Ye, think carefully—are these two friends really worth risking your life?"
"I think it would be better to make friends. I'll let you leave alone. How about it?"
"And if I refuse?"
"You refuse?"
Wang Zizai was infuriated, pointing at Ye Tian and shouting,
"Ye Tian, don't be so stubborn!"
"What right do you have to refuse? There are three hundred real martial artists here. Do you think you can break through by yourself?"
"We'll see," Ye Tian replied, still smiling.
Wang Zizai finally understood—this man was determined to protect the two women.
Why bother, Ye Tian?
Wang Zizai felt regret; Ye Tian was a true hero—calm in the face of danger, unruffled, and extraordinarily skilled for one so young.
Even compared to his own boss, Chen Manjin, Ye Tian was not inferior.
Such a hero, to die for two women, was a tragedy.
"Are you truly going to fight to the death?"
"Of course not. I'm no fool." Ye Tian gave Wang Zizai a strange look and then seemed to realize something,
"You don't really think this many people are enough to stop me, do you?"
"Haha, Second Chief, you really are a joker!"
As soon as Ye Tian finished speaking, he suddenly opened the briefcase in his hand.
A gust of wind swept through, sending banknotes flying in all directions!
He closed the case, reached out to snatch a bill from the air, and pierced his finger, quickly sketching upon it with fresh blood.
The blood traced a mysterious path, writhing like a dragon or snake, forming a simple, ancient character for 'Thunder.'
"Heaven and earth are mysterious and vast, the universe primordial and wild, sun, moon, and stars, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning..."
With a low chant, Ye Tian tossed the blood-marked banknote skyward.
"I respectfully invite the Five Thunder Gods to descend to the mortal realm!"
Suddenly, the note ignited in midair, burning to ash in an instant!
Before the crowd could react, a violent wind erupted. The world seemed to change; in the dark night sky, clouds gathered swiftly, layer upon layer of blackness, and lightning danced like silver dragons!