"Behave yourselves! Don't cause trouble, or you'll all regret it!"
The shouts of the soldiers rang out.
Chǔ Jué remained silent. The scene felt familiar; this was how he had entered the Death Row Camp before.
However, this batch of death row inmates was significantly larger, at least three to four hundred by his estimate. The previously somewhat empty pit became instantly crowded with the influx of new prisoners.
The old inmates sized up these new toys with mocking gazes. For them, the arrival of new inmates was one of the few sources of amusement. Of course, this amusement was not friendly to the new arrivals.
Chǔ Jué observed, his gaze paused slightly, and he raised an eyebrow. "This batch of newcomers seems much stronger than my own?" He spotted several burly men among them. Their martial arts realm was unknown for now, but the years of cultivation by a martial artist were reflected in their every move; these men were not weak. It was predictable that the Death Row Camp would be 'lively' from now on.
"But it has nothing to do with me."
Chǔ Jué looked away, signaled to Savage Bear with his eyes, and then continued cultivating the Blood Butcher Saber Technique in the back. With more death row inmates and a crowded pit, what did any of this have to do with Chǔ Jué? As long as one wasn't blind, no one would dare provoke him.
...
"Food is here! Food is here!"
The sound of metal bars being struck echoed as wooden buckets filled with steamed buns and pickles were lowered. The death row inmates' eyes turned red with hunger, especially the newcomers, who immediately pounced.
"Disorderly creatures!"
A cold shout rang out. Lín Dàfēng, who had been singled out earlier, erupted and kicked a nearby new inmate to the ground, where they cried out in pain. In an instant, the noisy Death Row Camp fell silent.
Among the new inmates, several pairs of eyes turned cold.
Lín Dàfēng ignored them, a fawning smile appearing on his face: "Boss Chǔ hasn't eaten yet, and you trash newcomers dare to eat?" He also wanted to follow Chǔ Jué like Savage Bear, hoping to catch Chǔ Jué's attention this way.
Numerous gazes turned towards Chǔ Jué. They knew the special position from when they arrived; the fortress-like giant was intimidating enough to look at, and the figure behind the giant was even more intriguing. Now that his true appearance was revealed, it was even more astonishing – it was a young man, whose handsome features were undimmed by the dirt on his face.
Chǔ Jué paid no attention to the commotion. Savage Bear glared at Lín Dàfēng, then chose several of the better-looking buns for himself and walked to Chǔ Jué's side. "Boss, you eat first," he said respectfully.
Lín Dàfēng felt a surge of anger and frustration within, but forced a sheepish smile. The hearts of many death row inmates tightened. What was the background of this young man?
Some cunning inmates began to curry favor by asking the older prisoners around them, and upon hearing of his astonishing feats, their faces turned pale with dread. But there were exceptions. Three people's eyes showed a strange glint, a hint of excited joy, which they were forcibly suppressing. The three exchanged glances, as if discussing something.
...
Night fell. The pit was dark. The Death Row Camp gradually stirred. Within a single day, 'tiers' had already been re-established within the pit. The weak were toys for the strong. Now was the best time for the strong to amuse themselves. In the dark corners, faint screams could be heard. However, it was generally restrained.
Suddenly, wild laughter erupted from the west corner, followed by terrified screams and pleas for mercy, extremely sharp. "Help me! Esteemed sir, I beg you, let me go!"
The entire Death Row Camp turned its gaze towards the commotion, vaguely able to see a stout figure pressing down on another figure.
Chǔ Jué opened his eyes and frowned slightly. He was meditating on the Universe Great Sun Diagram. After several days of quiet, the sudden noise made him unaccustomed.
Seeing this, Savage Bear roared menacingly towards the west corner: "Hey, over there, keep it down!"
The Death Row Camp instantly quieted down, and gazes turned towards Savage Bear with fear. Before Chǔ Jué rose to prominence, Savage Bear was already among the most difficult-to-deal-with powerhouses in the Death Row Camp, so his words naturally carried weight. At his command, many inmates who were still indulging in pleasure subconsciously stopped, some in surprise and uncertainty. But the figure in the west corner ignored him, continuing their unrestrained abuse.
Savage Bear's eyes narrowed. He slowly stood up, his face contorted with rage: "Are you deaf? I'm talking to you!"
A ferocious aura emanated from him. He was angry; disturbing his boss's cultivation was even more unacceptable than provoking him.
In the west corner.
The stout figure suddenly rose, kicked the inmate beneath him to death, and then glared ferociously at Savage Bear: "Damn it! You really think you run this Death Row Camp?"
He walked out of the shadows, and only then did people realize he was also extremely stout, only slightly inferior to Savage Bear.Savage Bear slammed his fists together, a fierce smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Are all sorts of trash daring to run wild now?
"
Although he followed Chǔ Jué, it didn't mean he was easy to provoke.
The atmosphere became tense. Gazes flickered with various emotions. Everyone could see that the stout man seemed to be intentionally provoking. Chǔ Jué's gaze was cold. As they watched, Savage Bear and the stout man collided, like two wild bulls. The sound of their physical collision was exceptionally dull, like firecrackers muffled in a barrel.
The crowd murmured in surprise. The predicted crushing defeat of Savage Bear did not occur; the two were evenly matched! For a moment, many gazes became more intrigued. No one wanted a king without a crown above them; a single dominant power was not good for them. Moreover, there were those who were jealous of Savage Bear's record of killing twenty-five enemies and did not want him to escape the death register so smoothly.
Savage Bear roared, summoning his full strength. The muscles in his arms bulged again, and he swung his fist. The two grappled. Dull sounds exploded continuously.
Chǔ Jué's eyes narrowed slightly: "Sinew Refining Realm?" No, the stout man was a Bone Forging Realm martial artist. Although Savage Bear was only in the Sinew Refining Realm, he possessed natural divine strength and could contend with ordinary Bone Forging Realm cultivators. This stout man fighting Savage Bear to a draw showed he had considerable martial arts cultivation. Not only that, but Chǔ Jué could clearly see that the stout man still had strength to spare, and his movements had a pattern. He was definitely not an ordinary street thug.
"Something's not right!"
Within his mind, his Essence Blood vibrated, and Chǔ Jué's thoughts became agile, his perception of the surrounding environment becoming clearer. He saw that as the stout man fought Savage Bear, his gaze was still wandering, and his target… was him. He saw that in various dark corners, two other gazes were covertly watching his reaction. In an instant, Chǔ Jué understood. "These guys… they're coming for me!" He had only just entered the Death Row Camp, had no enemies, and possessed the strength and motive to pursue him all the way to the Death Row Camp; the answer was obvious. His eyes turned cold, and a surging killing intent rose from his chest. "Very well, you drove me into the Death Row Camp and you're still not satisfied, you have to hunt me down to the very end. Excellent!"
"Blood Arrow Marquis! Marquis Dingnan! The Liu Family! The Ye Family!"
"You all deserve to die!"
Chǔ Jué slowly stood up, a bloodthirsty killing intent churning in his eyes, which he eventually reined in. He walked towards where Savage Bear and the stout man were fighting. In an instant, gazes followed him, some expectant, some playful.
Chǔ Jué's calm voice sounded in Savage Bear's ear: "Stand down."
"Yes, Boss."
Savage Bear, without a hint of hesitation, respectfully retreated. But the stout man did not relent. He naturally wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity. With a ferocious grin, his bones and muscles roared, and his fists, like heavy hammers, slammed towards Savage Bear. The death row inmates' eyes widened, secretly mocking Savage Bear for being too foolish – who leaves the battlefield during a fight?
But Savage Bear remained unfazed. Facing the fierce punch, he didn't even frown. He had absolute confidence in his boss.
"Bang."
A dull thud echoed. All the death row inmates were dumbfounded. They saw the stout man's iron-hammer-like heavy fist being effortlessly caught by a palm and, with a click, held firmly. Cold sweat broke out on the stout man's forehead. The slender palm before him was like an iron hoop, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Chǔ Jué calmly gazed at the stout man, his eyes seeming to awaken a ferocious beast: "Tell me, who sent you?"