Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Passing through an archway, the two stepped into the spacious backyard.

The sight before them froze Dawson and Engel in place.

The cold wind howled, and the ground in the yard was covered with a thin layer of white frost.

In the central open space, two middle-aged strongmen, shirtless and with muscles coiled like dragons, each let out a deafening roar.

Their eyes were bloodshot, their muscles bulged, and they poured all their strength into the steel rulers in their hands.

"boom!"

Two incredibly heavy iron rulers slammed down on the man in the center with a piercing whistling sound.

He was a young man.

Xilun was shirtless, his broad shoulders and inverted triangle back revealing muscles that seemed to contain explosive power, their lines smooth and full of extreme wild beauty.

Faced with a blow powerful enough to shatter granite, Xiren merely frowned slightly.

He didn't block, didn't dodge, and didn't even have a starting stance to guide his qi and blood for defense.

The iron ruler struck his waist, ribs, and shoulders with solid force.

"Snapped!"

His skin and flesh instantly tore open, and drops of glaring blood flowed out, sliding down his perfect muscle lines.

However, the next second, a chilling scene unfolded.

At the edge of that deep, bone-revealing wound, a layer of dark blue fascia suddenly began to writhe. The flesh seemed to possess an independent life, contracting and closing inward at a terrifying speed visible to the naked eye.

In less than three breaths, the wound completely scabbed over, leaving not a single scar.

It was as if the heavy blow that had just struck, enough to shatter the bones of an ordinary person, had never happened.

"Keep going! Push harder!" Xilun's cold voice rang out, carrying an undeniable pressure.

The two strongmen trembled, gritted their teeth, and raised the iron rulers again, smashing them down wildly.

Dawson stood at the archway, staring intently at the scene.

He watched it for a full fifteen minutes.

The cold wind blew across the cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

After a long while, Dawson lowered his eyelids and let out a long, powerless sigh.

He turned around, silently took the coat from Engel's hand, and put it back on.

"Boss...aren't we going to fight anymore?" Eng asked in a low voice, his throat dry.

Dawson glanced at him, the arrogance of a peak-level expert completely gone from his eyes, replaced by deep fear and awe.

"We must never fight them." Dawson's voice was soft, but it left no room for argument.

Engel was taken aback: "What's wrong? That's just physical training to withstand beatings. We use sharp weapons, firearms..."

"You don't understand."

Dawson closed his eyes, his mind replaying the incredible body that had been struck by the iron ruler.

"This man's physique is truly the most extraordinary I have ever seen in my life."

Dawson hesitated, as if searching for the right words to describe that sense of despair. "His vital energy was as powerful as a rolling river, unfathomable."

Even from this distance, I could feel the oppressive atmosphere that was almost suffocating.

Faced with this power, I couldn't even muster the slightest thought of fighting him.

Dawson took a deep breath and looked at Engel.

"You previously said that the three baptized beings from the Extreme Realm could defeat him if they joined forces."

Dawson gave a wry smile. "Looking back now, it's a complete joke."

Even if five Extreme Realm Baptists joined forces, they wouldn't dare say they could easily defeat this person. He's no longer a monster within the first tier.

The two silently retreated to the reception room.

Another ten minutes or so passed.

Siren finished his grueling asceticism and completed his scalding medicinal bath.

When he changed into a clean black shirt and walked into the reception room in his military boots, the temperature in the entire room seemed to drop several degrees.

Xiren pulled out the chair in the main seat and sat down, his deep gaze slowly sweeping over Dawson and Engel.

There were no small talk, no formalities.

"Gentlemen, do you know the purpose of our trip today?" Xilun's voice was as calm as a frozen lake.

Dawson straightened his back, facing the invisible pressure, and said in a deep voice:

"Your Excellency has extraordinary connections and ruthless methods. The Battle of Changqing Lake further intimidated all heroes."

Dawson had come to meet the new governor of the North District Brotherhood.

"Now that we've seen each other," Xiren leaned back in his chair, his long, slender fingers lightly tapping the table, "so what?"

Dawson burst into laughter, a hint of self-mockery in his voice: "It seems your cultivation in the backyard today was a deliberate attempt to intimidate us."

A cold, sharp smile curled at the corner of Xilun's lips: "So what?"

Dawson's laughter stopped abruptly.

He stopped smiling and sighed heavily.

"I was really scared," Dawson admitted frankly.

His gaze swept over the butler and several guards standing behind Xilun, and his tone suddenly became harsh.

"However, the Iron Fist Gang is not to be expected to lay down its weapons, surrender completely, and become the mud beneath your feet! I still have hundreds of brothers to feed!"

Dawson leaned forward and placed his hands on the table.

"I only have one question for you."

"If I were to fight you to the death today, would you truly be willing to risk everything?"

Xilun stopped tapping his fingers on the table.

He looked directly into Dawson's bloodshot eyes and said, slowly and deliberately, "The fish will die, but the net won't break."

Dawson's expression changed drastically, a hint of anger flashing across his face, and he loudly questioned:

"Your actions are so domineering, leaving absolutely no room for maneuver; this is certainly not the conduct expected of a knight!"

Xilun laughed dismissively.

"My actions are those of a knight. My conduct is that of a knight."

Xiren's voice was filled with unparalleled arrogance: "Here, strength is the only rule."

The reception room fell into a deathly silence.

Dawson pondered for a long time, his anger gradually turning into deep helplessness and compromise.

"I have another idea." Dawson sat back down in his chair and revealed the trump card he had been preparing all night.

"To the west of my Iron Fist Gang, there is a huge resource area called 'Moon Lake'."

Dawson's tone became extremely solemn, "This place is a sacred land for many extraordinary beings, rich in resources and abundant in energy, nurturing many spiritual plants and exotic species that are hard to find outside."

He stared into Xilen's eyes, trying to find a trace of emotion within them.

"Now, the dispute over Moon Lake is about to begin, and various forces are eager to make their move."

I propose that we put aside our past disputes and unite against a common enemy.

They secured a sufficiently large territory at Moon Lake.

Dawson offered his most tempting bargaining chip:

"You should know that now that you have obtained the Rejuvenation Potion from the Daewoo Dojo, you have a great chance of advancing to 'Ripper' in the future."

However, cultivation resources for second-tier extraordinary individuals are relatively rare on the market.

"But at Moon Lake, as long as you establish a foothold, you won't lack these high-level resources!"

Xilun looked at him coldly.

"Even if I kill you and annex your territory, I can still go and fight for Moon Lake." Xilun's answer was simple and cruel.

Dawson gritted his teeth, desperately seizing the last opportunity.

"But my Iron Fist Gang is closest to Moon Lake and knows its waters best! Only I can utilize its many hidden connections and informants!"

Dawson's voice was firm and resolute: "If you insist on forcing us to our deaths, and the Iron Fist Gang launches a desperate counterattack, you will likely suffer greatly and waste your strength in vain!"

Xilun fell into a brief moment of thought.

He didn't care about the Iron Fist Gang's counterattack, but he did need a guide familiar with the Moon Lake environment to pave the way for him to find resources for his future advancement to the second tier.

A moment later, Xilun turned his head and glanced at the butler standing beside him.

The butler understood immediately and stepped forward.

"Master Dawson," the butler said with a smile, "regarding the joint development of Moon Lake, you can simply tell me the specific details. There's no need to trouble my master."

The butler's words carried a condescending air of charity: "If we can truly reach an agreement on the distribution of benefits, we will naturally also seek peace and non-war."

Dawson closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew he had lost.

For the next few hours, the meeting room was filled with complicated and intense power struggles.

As evening approached, the setting sun stained the dilapidated rooftops of the North District like blood.

Dawson and his group left the house, exhausted.

The setting sun cast long shadows across the cold marble floor, its rays like blood.

The room was filled with the lingering smell of tobacco and the strong aroma of medicine.

The butler was directing several maids to quickly tidy up the scattered documents and cold teacups on the negotiating table.

Xilun sat in the main seat, toying with the cold raven bone whistle in his hand, and looked up at the gradually darkening sky outside the window.

"Butler, please keep a close watch on the house."

Xilun suddenly stood up, grabbed the black trench coat draped over the back of the chair, and spoke in a calm tone without a trace of emotion.

"I'll see them off."

After saying that, he put on his overcoat, his tall figure blending into the dim light and shadow of the corridor.

……

On the outskirts of the northern district, there is a secluded, tree-lined path.

Because it was a defensive buffer zone, cars did not drive into this area.

Dawson and Engel could only walk out along the dirt road covered with fallen leaves.

On both sides were bare poplar trees, their dry branches twisting like ghostly claws in the cold wind, emitting a mournful wail.

Engel followed quickly behind Dawson, his boots rustling as they stepped on the fallen leaves.

"Boss, are we really going to join forces with Xilun?"

Engel finally broke the silence, his tone tinged with resentment.

Dawson slowed his pace, looked at the gray sky, and sighed deeply.

"The Iron Fist Gang brothers can't afford to lose any more." Dawson's voice betrayed his exhaustion.

He was well aware of the true nature of today's negotiations.

"On the surface, it is called an alliance, but in reality, it is dependence."

Siren didn't even bother to finalize the details with me personally, simply sending a butler instead, which says it all.

Dawson shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips.

"However, given Xilun's capabilities, it's not like we've been wronged."

As you saw today, this person's potential is truly immeasurable. Given time, the North District will definitely not be able to contain him.

"Following him might offer a glimmer of hope."

He pondered the future structure of the gang as he stepped on the thick layer of fallen leaves.

Suddenly, Dawson stopped in his tracks.

"By the way, any news from the Shattered Bone Gang lately?"

He turned to look at Engel, a hint of instinctive wariness in his eyes. "They couldn't possibly not know we're here to find Xiren."

Eng thought for a moment and replied, "The scouts reported that Rhodes, the top iron-fisted leader of the Shattered Bone Gang, went out on a mission a few days ago."

However, these mad dogs are acting suspiciously, so we still need to be careful on the road.

Dawson frowned.

Rhodes.

The moment that name flashed through his mind, an extremely dangerous intuition gripped his heart.

Dawson instinctively looked up.

Suddenly, he gasped.

In the dim twilight, a blurry black shadow could be seen flickering slightly on the trunk of a thick poplar tree ahead!

The shadow seemed to blend into the darkness, its breathing perfectly concealed by the sound of the wind.

A moment later.

"Whoosh—"

A man dressed in a black, tight-fitting night suit leaped down from the treetop like a falling meteorite, landing steadily in the pile of dead leaves in front of them.

Not a speck of smoke was stirred up, and not even a few fallen leaves were stirred up.

The man slowly stood up. He was tall and slender, with short gray hair, and a long, narrow, curved black sword hung at his waist.

"You are Dawson."

The man raised his head, revealing a weathered and indifferent face, his eyes as empty as a dead man's, and his voice devoid of any emotion.

question.

Dawson stared intently at the man, his pupils suddenly contracting, and he blurted out in surprise and disbelief, "Rodis?!"

Engel instantly drew his musket from his waist, cocked it with a click, and faced a formidable enemy.

With his hands hanging casually at his sides, facing the dark muzzle of the gun, Rhodes didn't even blink, but calmly nodded.

"it's me."

Dawson let out a long breath.

He and Rhodes actually had a fairly good relationship.

Both of them were veteran Extreme Realm experts in the North District and could be considered friends. They had occasionally met and had a couple of drinks together in the underground market in the past.

After all, there hadn't been any direct conflict of interest between the Iron Fist Gang and the Bone Shattering Gang in the past.

Thinking of this, Dawson relaxed his tense muscles a little.

"Weren't you out with the team?" Dawson waved for Engel to lower his gun and asked tentatively, "What are you doing here?"

Rhodes's expression remained icy. He didn't answer Dawson's question, but instead asked in return:

"What did you talk about with Siron just now? Are you planning to surrender to him with the Iron Fist Gang?"

Dawson frowned slightly and remained silent for a moment.

"Maybe. I don't know." Dawson gave a wry smile.

He knew very well that although the agreement stipulated joint development of Moon Lake, he was already showing signs of completely surrendering.

Rhodes listened quietly and pondered for a moment.

The withered leaves were swept up by the wind at their feet.

"Dawson." Rhodes raised his eyes, a hint of murderous intent finally appearing in his dead fish-like eyes. "You made a wrong choice."

Dawson felt a chill run down his spine, but forced a smile and said, "Friend, you've come all this way just to kill me over this?"

Rhodes didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.

Dawson was taken aback, then felt a sense of absurdity.

"Stop joking!" Dawson shouted, trying to salvage the situation one last time. "Why are you fighting to the death for the Bonebreaker Gang? Those lunatics don't even consider you human!"

"Come work for me, and I'll hand over the leadership of the Iron Fist Gang to you! You can oversee everything within the gang, and I'll make Engel your deputy—no questions asked!"

Faced with this extremely tempting offer of amnesty, Rhodes simply tilted his head.

"If I become the gang leader, can I advance to the second tier?" Rotis asked softly.

Dawson's expression froze.

He hesitated for a moment, then told the truth:

"You are already at the peak of the Extreme Realm. If you want to advance to the second-tier 'Tearer', you need an extremely rare regeneration potion."

These are high-level resources that are very difficult to gather. To be honest, even the current Shattered Bone Gang might not be able to find them for you right now.

Rhodes looked at his rough palms.

"But the leader promised me." A fanatical fervor flashed in Rhodes' eyes. "Within five years at most, he will use every means to get me the regeneration serum."

As he spoke, his left hand was already on the hilt of the knife.

"Clang!"