Strongest Businessman of the Cultivation World

"Elder Yi Gan. The First Elder of the Monstrous Flame Sect for nearly 50 years. You are also a Medicine Master, a benefactor of several hundreds of families."

On the rooftop, Ikasa recited the information he had about the Old Man sprawled before him. His limbs were bound by the shadow tendrils formed by Moony.

In this dark night, Moony proved to be the most useful card Ikasa had. With the help of his invisibility, he easily sneaked up on the First Elder and overpowered him.

And now the little fox helped Ikasa control the man by keeping him bound.

Ikasa looked at the Elder who had changed the signature red robes of his Sect in favor of black ones to blend into darkness. He could see the conflicting emotions of reluctance and resignation in his eyes.

"Elder Yi, I sincerely admire you for your achievements. After seeing this quiver of arrows my respect for you has grown even more! Even though we are foes, I can't bear raise my hand to end your life."

A small glimmer of hope lit up in the Elder's eyes. Seeing that light, Ikasa smiled and delivered his final sentence.

"In fact, I don't want to raise my hand against you."

Moony released the tendrils holding the First Elder down. Elder Yi Gan couldn't believe that Ikasa  really released him.

He carefully got up trying to look as harmless as possible. Ikasa noticed his skittish behavior.

He offered the old man his hand. Without his quiver of arrows, Elder Yi  had nothing that could threaten his life. Plus he had Moony by his side; he had nothing to fear.

"Elder Yi, I am willing to offer you a way out. If you agree, you can definitely survive and pass on your legacy. Perhaps, the heritage of the Monstrous Flame Sect can also survive in a different form."

Ikasa persuaded the aged man. His words addressed the concerns in the Old Man's heart. His words tempted the First Elder of the Monstrous Flame Sect.

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream resounded in the silence of the night. The two men came to the edge of the roof and looked at the ongoing fights.

Feng Yan and Gu Dan were holding up well against their numerous attackers. The scream earlier had come from one of the Gu Dan's victims. His vicious attacks had intimidated the rest of the men and lowered their morale.

Soon after, Sect Master Yan called for him.

"First Elder! Shoot them with another dose of Sleeping Incense!"

Elder Yi was unable to follow his command because his weaponry had been confiscated by Ikasa. His Bow and the quiver of arrows hung on Ikasa's shoulders along with a sack.

A bit further away, Clan Master of Hu Clan engaged the City Lord. He saw his Sect Master team up with Clan Master Qing to overpower the City Lord. It was by no means an honorable duel, but against a powerhouse like City Lord, no one would criticize their behavior.

Still, the situation below gave him a vague idea of the outcome.

The Monstrous Flame Sect had zero chance of winning the war between Sense Trainers tonight. At best, they can drag it on, but it would not be beneficial to any side.

Elder Yi made up his mind. He would do his best to preserve the heritage of the Sect. He decided to take a chance and hear the conditions.

"What do I have to do?"

Elder Yi asked in a solemn voice.

"End this War. Forfeit your right to rule."

Elder Yi neither refuted Ikasa's suggestion outright nor did he accept it. He silently mulled over it, stalling for time. He would only be able to do as Ikasa suggested if the Sect Master Yan died. But If his Sect Master could overpower the City Lord in the fight below, he would not have to make this decision.

Ikasa saw through his intentions. He smirked at the Elder.

"I will make the decision easier for you." He said as he jumped down the roof.

Elder Yi was surprised by his declaration. A few minutes later, he understood what Ikasa meant.

Ikasa subdued Clan Master Qing without giving him a chance to resist. Within a few minutes of his descent from the rooftop, the young man had beheaded one of the most powerful people in Birch City!

Just like himself, his Sect Master stood frozen on his spot, unable to believe his eyes. To listen in on the heated conversation on the ground, he strained his ears.

"Sect Master Yan, this is your last chance to surrender!"

City Lord Zhen warned. Though they had a backup plan in the form of the First Elder, he didn't want to resort to it.

Sect Master Yan hesitated. He could see that almost every Sense Trainer on their side had fallen. Except him, the Monstrous Flame Sect did not have anyone capable of fighting.

He was ready to accept defeat. Before he could open his mouth, he felt the pressure of a Chakra Sensing Realm Expert.

Path Finder Zhi radiated his aura and made his presence known! He walked out of the Hall of Elders and stood on the stairs.

His arrival provided the troops on Sect's side a morale boost. However, Yan Hao gulped his saliva with fear. He swallowed down the words at the tip of his tongue at the sight of Path Finder Zhi.

He knew that the moment he admitted defeat, the grand plans of Path Finder Zhi and the Sect behind him would be foiled. The City Lord may spare his life, but Zhi Yang won't. He would also not hesitate to annihilate the entire Monstrous Flame Sect out of anger.

'Sigh. The Monstrous Flame Sect has become nothing but a puppet for the Earth-Fire Sect.'

The realization came too late. Sect Master Yan steeled his nerves and looked at City Lord defiantly. He could die, but his Sect should survive.

Ikasa noticed the change in attitude after the arrival of Path Finder Zhi. Whatever the outcome, Sect Master Yan had to die. And if they wanted to end this Battle of Rights, Path Finder Zhi also needed to be neutralized.

"City Lord, where is Path Finder Zhen? We need her."

Ikasa whispered to the City Lord.

"She should be somewhere nearby." He replied, keeping his eyes on Sect Master Yan.

The answer did not do much to assuage the anxiety in his heart. Ikasa glanced at Path Finder Zhi and the rooftop where the First Elder stood.

Neither of their plans to end the Battle would work if they couldn't remove the threat of Path Finder Zhi. He may not be able to attack during the Battle of Rights, but nothing prevented him from unleashing his rage afterwards!

'As long as he is present, neither Yan Hao nor the First Elder will dare to surrender and end this war. Even if we kill all of them, as long as one Monstrous Flame Sect's disciples survives, Absolutes will not consider this war to be over.'

Ikasa worriedly scratched his head even as City Lord and Sect Master Yan began to exchange blows. He looked at Path Finder Zhi, concealing his intentions towards the man.

'The problem is him. How should I neutralize his influence?'

—----

While Ikasa was trapped in the conundrum, the battles in the forest were coming to an end.

Initially, the mercenaries and the Adventurers ambushed the teams of City Guards spread throughout the Forest. The City Guards who had scarce experience of fighting in the forest were caught off guard and were easily killed.

Things changed when the other teams discovered corpses of their brothers. They began to gather in larger groups and became more vigilant. They foiled the guerilla tactics of the mercenaries again and again with their sheer numbers.

Still, they were on defensive and a moment of negligence could cost them their lives. The constant state of alert began to take a toll on their minds. To alleviate the mental burden, they joined with more teams and formed even bigger groups.

They became a larger target but also a much stronger foe! Few adventurers or mercenaries would dare to fight them. But there was no lack of foolhardy individuals in this world.

Even after forming a bigger team, A foolish group of mercenaries tried to sneak an attack on this team of City Guards.

"Kill the two trailing behind and scatter, got it?"

The leader of mercenaries instructed his men. They each had kitchen knives as weapons. The leader himself wielded a machete.

These utensils made from inferior quality ores were only useful against humans and beasts with lower defense. Faced against a stronger beast, they were even more useless than a large rock.

Nonetheless, their weapons would come into play since their targets were the City Guards!

They stealthily stalked their prey. The two City Guards were getting slower and falling behind the rest. Taking this chance, the Leader motioned his men to attack.

The two City Guards smirked as they saw the rogues rapidly closing distance from the corner of their eyes. They had slowed down to bait these idiots into attacking.

Without any preamble, the two guards activated their Low grade Staff technique. Their staves knocked the wind out of the attacking mercenaries before they could even close the distance.

As if waiting for the attack, the rest of the City Guards turned back and swiftly surrounded the aggressors. Without giving them a chance to retaliate, the guards beat them to a pulp.

They literally lynched those mercenaries to death, making an gruesome example of them!

Their show of ferociousness spooked the scouts of other Mercenary and Adventurer groups. They scrammed from the location, reporting what they had seen to their respective leaders.

Many of the Mercenaries and Adventurers gathered together and discussed this incident. Without a leading figure, it was impossible for them to unite and risk their lives against an organized force.

Most of them were here for the bounty offered by the Hu Clan. Since, the risks were not worth the cost many retreated. Those who stayed were also deterred and became more cautious.

While the deterred leaders made a decision, all the teams of City Guards had gathered together. They waited near the path leading to the top of Monstrous Flame Peak for a signal from Commander Lu.

Unfortunately for them, the signal flare they waited for never shot into the sky!