Chapter 582 - 581: A Life for a Life
Dongmen Yuu looked at the throng of Martial Artists in the distance, a headache already forming.
But no matter how much his head throbbed, he had to bite the bullet and face them. Otherwise, the Dongmen Family’s reputation would be utterly ruined, beyond any hope of recovery.
WHOOSH! A figure shot through the air.
In the blink of an eye, Dongmen Yuu was before Qin Ya and the others.
He looked at Qin Ya, who stood at the very front, a flicker of resentment in his eyes that he quickly concealed. Gazing at Qin Ya, he said, "I am aware of why you have all come. You need not worry; I will handle this."
Qin Ya gave Dongmen Yuu an indifferent glance and said coolly, "Patriarch Dongmen, what you say isn’t quite right. This isn’t a matter of if you’ll handle it—you must handle it. And you must handle it in front of us, to give us all an explanation!"
Dongmen Yuu gritted his teeth. "Inspector Qin, what kind of explanation do you want?"
Qin Ya said flatly, "A life for... a life!"
The moment he spoke, the crowd behind him roared in response.
"Yes, that’s right! A life for a life! It’s the law of heaven and earth!"
"Bring that brat out here! He needs to answer for the death of the Law Enforcement General!"
"That’s right, a life for a life."
"A life for a life!" "A life for a life!" "A life for a life!"
How many people stood behind Qin Ya?
There were Law Enforcement Generals, Loose Cultivators from the city, and Martial Artists from various small factions. All told, their numbers were no less than those of any major power.
At a conservative estimate, there were tens of thousands.
With so many people shouting in unison, the sound was earth-shattering!
Furthermore, among them were many battle-hardened generals, and their combined presence formed a monstrous killing intent that surged to the Nine Heavens, striking fear into the hearts of the Dongmen Descendants.
Dongmen Yuu’s face alternated between green and white, a tempest of emotions warring within him.
He immediately circulated his True Essence and roared, "Fine!!!"
His voice was like rolling thunder, momentarily overpowering the crowd’s din.
Yet, far from looking triumphant, his face instantly turned deathly pale. The cold light that flickered intermittently in his eyes was even more terrifying to behold.
"A life for a life!!"
Dongmen Yuu seethed, then turned to Dongmen Lie beside him. "Go bring the Seventh Elder’s grandson here. This will serve as an explanation for everyone."
Dongmen Lie hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Yes!"
Not long after, a young man in his twenties or thirties with a mournful expression was brought forward. The moment he appeared, all eyes instantly fell upon him.
"It’s him! That’s the one."
"He’s always used the Dongmen Family’s name to throw his weight around. He’s even done things like kidnapping wives and daughters. The man’s crimes are heinous."
"Hmph. And today he dared to commit murder in the street. It’s truly unforgivable."
The young man immediately fell to his knees before Dongmen Yuu, kowtowing as he pleaded, "Clan Leader, please save me! I didn’t mean to kill that general! It really wasn’t on purpose!"
Dongmen Yuu’s expression flickered. He sent a message via Divine Thought: ’It’s too late to say any of this now. For the sake of the family... have a safe journey.’
BOOM...
To the young man’s horrified gaze, Dongmen Yuu’s palm suddenly descended.
In an instant, the young man’s head exploded like a watermelon.
The stench of blood filled the air as the young man’s corpse collapsed to the ground, motionless.
The chilling aura around Dongmen Yuu intensified. He stared at Qin Ya and said coldly, "Inspector Qin, I wonder if this action satisfies you."
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Qin Ya clapped his hands. "Patriarch Dongmen, truly a man who understands the greater good."
Then, his tone shifted. "I came here today not only to seek justice from Patriarch Dongmen, but also for another matter... conscription!"
As soon as he said this, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
There it was. The eye of this storm had finally been revealed.
"As everyone knows, the Demon Race is the mortal enemy of our Human Race. The demons we discovered inside Demon Heart Valley have been confirmed to be real, which is why we have initiated this conscription drive."
"However, the results have been extremely poor. Aside from the Yanx Family, the other Noble Families have only been feigning compliance. I believe the Dongmen Family, as a long-established Noble Family in the main city with a deep foundation, should set an example. What do you think?"
After Qin Ya finished speaking, another wave of supportive shouts rose from the crowd behind him.
Dongmen Yuu’s expression turned ugly. "This is not something I can decide on my own. Although I am the Patriarch, I have no right to infringe upon their freedom. Furthermore, many in the clan are currently out training, so..."
Qin Ya’s face gradually turned cold. "Patriarch Dongmen, there’s no need for so many excuses. You just need to give me one answer: will you or won’t you!"
His aggressive attitude was far beyond what Dongmen Yuu had imagined.
Dongmen Yuu gritted his teeth. "The Dongmen Family will provide one hundred Kings."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the crowd lit up with joy.
But Qin Ya merely frowned and said indifferently, "As far as I know, the Dongmen Family’s foundation is at least three times that of the Yanx Family. Even the Yanx Family provided one hundred Kings. For the Dongmen Family to also offer only one hundred... isn’t that a bit stingy?"
When he put it that way, the crowd realized he was right.
"That’s right! The Yanx Family is just a First-Class Noble Family, and they provided one hundred Kings. The Dongmen Family is a super-family, yet they’re also only giving one hundred?"
"Hmph, one hundred Kings is merely scratching the surface for the Dongmen Family. I can’t believe they’re unwilling to part with even that much."
Dongmen Yuu’s expression changed. "Then how many does the Inspector want!" he said coldly.
Qin Ya held up five fingers. "Five hundred Kings!!"
At his words, everyone was stunned.
It wasn’t just Dongmen Yuu; even the onlookers were shocked by the number.
Five hundred Kings... even for the Dongmen Family, that would be a crippling blow.
Dongmen Yuu refused outright. "That’s impossible!!"
"If you won’t hand over the Kings, that’s fine too. You can substitute them with Era-Defining Kings. Or perhaps the Dongmen Family’s own ancestor could personally join the battle. What do you think?" Qin Ya said.
Tsk. Conscripting the ancestor of a Noble Family?
That would sound terrible if word got out. How could Dongmen Yuu possibly agree? He said in a cold voice, "The Dongmen Family can, at most, provide one hundred fifty Kings..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a figure clad in armor flew over.
He landed before Qin Ya and reported, "Reporting to Inspector Qin, Inspector Bai just went to the Li Family for conscription. He requisitioned a total of two hundred Kings and six Era-Defining Kings."
’The Li Family?’
’Aren’t they one of the main city’s First-Class Noble Families?’
’And they were one of the families most strongly opposed to this conscription drive. How could they have provided so many troops in the blink of an eye?’
Dongmen Yuu couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Just then, another armored soldier arrived.
"Reporting to Inspector Qin! Inspector Zhao led a team to the Vermilion Bird Association for conscription. Their Association Leader has already provided us with one hundred and fifty Kings, plus a large number of Celestial Humans."
And it wasn’t over. Several more armored soldiers arrived.
"Reporting to Inspector Qin, the Zhao Family..."
"Reporting to Inspector Qin, the Lin Family..."
One after another, they all reported on the progress of the conscription efforts.
This left Dongmen Yuu utterly bewildered. ’What’s going on? Does this mean most of the powers in the main city have already been conscripted, leaving only the Dongmen Family?’