CHAPTER 91: BLOOD ON THE SAND, CHICKEN ON THE STAGE

The sun rose over the massive arena of Ocean City, its marble steps packed with spectators from all over the continent—royals, sect leaders, rogue cultivators, and arrogant young masters with too much hair gel.

The arena floor was a vast stage of white stone, with formation lines etched deep into the ground to absorb spiritual energy and prevent accidental deaths.

Drums thundered.

A massive golden bell rang.

"Let the Ocean City Tournament—begin!"

Cheers erupted as the first battle was announced.

The two teams stepped onto the stage. On one side, cultivators in flowing blue robes, graceful and composed.

On the other—hot-blooded sword freaks who looked like they drank molten steel for breakfast.

"Don’t blink," Hei Long muttered as he leaned forward in his seat, surrounded by his teammates.

Lin Fan crossed his arms, trying to look deep and mysterious. "Tch. This is nothing."

Mu Qianxue sipped wine.

"That Water Sect girl in the front is dangerous. See how she’s holding back her energy?" She looked at Hei Long with a grin. "Reminds me of you."

Bai Luoluo raised a brow, nudging Hei Long playfully. "So many women remind her of you, huh?"

Hei Long shrugged. "It’s not my fault I’m the main character."

The Soaring Blade team charged with a roar—like a pack of rabid swordsmen. Their leader went in for a heavy swing—

But the Azure Water Sect team didn’t move.

Instead, the girl at the front stepped forward and clapped her hands once.

A wave of water erupted from beneath the ground, surging into a tidal dragon that swept across the arena floor, yeeting the entire enemy team into the air.

One by one, they splashed down unconscious into the protective barrier.

The crowd went wild.

Commentator Cultivator Voice:

"WOOOOAH! Did you see that?! Yu Feilian just solo’d the entire team with one move! She didn’t even break a sweat!"

Hei Long whistled. "Now that’s a woman I’d have to poison in her sleep."

Ji Yao, sitting beside him, blinked. "You mean if you had to fight her, right?"

Hei Long smiled. "Sure. That too."

The next match was announced.

"From the western sects—!"

Mu Qianxue stood and pointed. "That’s us. Move your asses."

Hei Long stood up lazily. "Guess it’s time."

Lin Fan cracked his knuckles dramatically, whispering to himself: "This is it... my path to glory begins now. They’ll chant my name by the end of today..."

"Just don’t trip," said the voice in his head.

The enemy team looked fierce—one of them had literal flames on his fists, another crackled with lightning. Their leader was a burly guy with glowing eyes and an axe taller than Zhao Chun.

"Alright," Mu Qianxue said. "You all know the plan. Hei Long—you take the leader. Bai Luoluo, flank. Lin Fan... just don’t get in the way."

Lin Fan scowled. "What?! I have a beast companion now!"

They all turned.

His chicken stared blankly, then pecked the ground.

The battle exploded with power.

Bai Luoluo launched into motion with her mechanized bazooka-staff combo, firing compressed spirit bolts. Thunder Flame disciples clashed back hard, fireballs and lightning strikes flying.

Hei Long, as usual, didn’t use flashy moves—he just appeared behind the enemy leader with a smile.

"Hey."

The man turned.

BOOM.

The leader was launched across the arena, crashing into his own team.

"Did... did he just punch him?" the announcer asked.

Lin Fan stepped forward.

"This is my moment..."

He pointed. "Chicken, GO!"

The chicken blinked. Then waddled forward.

A lightning cultivator launched a bolt at it.

The chicken exploded into feathers and rolled across the ground in a twitching pile.

"...oh no."

"LIN FAN IS DISQUALIFIED!" the judge yelled.

"I WHAT?!"

The crowd cheered for Hei Long.

Lan Yinyin watched from her private balcony, tapping her fingers. "He’s strong... annoyingly strong..."

Prince Lan Yu was red with rage. "Why do women keep watching this guy?!"

Meanwhile, Lin Fan sat in the corner of the waiting area, covered in chicken scratches and looking utterly devastated.

"Remember what you said about taking life seriously?" the old man in his head said dryly.

"I didn’t think I’d lose my chicken today..."

As the sun dipped lower, the crowd began to pour out of the arena, chatting excitedly about Hei Long’s clean win, Lin Fan’s epic chicken fail, and whether or not Bai Luoluo was blushing too much when Hei Long complimented her footwork.

But then—

A gong rang through the streets. Followed by synchronized stomping.

Everyone turned.

And that’s when the chaos began.

A procession of women in white-and-black robes marched through the city gates in perfect formation. Their leader wore a sheer veil, with glowing tattoos on her arms that read:

"Property of H."

Behind her were at least fifty women, ranging from cute, innocent maidens to cold sword fairies, all marching while chanting:

"LONG-LORD! HOLY HUNK! FLAME OF OUR HEARTS! LONG-LORD! HOLY HUNK! FLAME OF OUR HEARTS!"

The leader raised her hands dramatically. "Today, we descend upon Ocean City! By the sacred decree of the One True Man—Saint H!"

Reaction: Pandemonium Ensues

Spectators:"What the hell is going on!?""Is this a parade?!""Are those... cultivators?!""Why is that girl holding a pillow with a random face?!"

A random elder choked on his tea:

"Did she just say ’H?!’"

A group of righteous sect elders were already forming a protest on the side, holding signs like:

"NO HAREMS IN PUBLIC!"

"SAVE OUR YOUNG MASTERS FROM CORRUPTION!"

"WHERE’S YOUR FATHER?!"

Hei Long stared down at the scene.

Sheng Moxian appeared beside him, eyes sparkling with pride.

"I told you it’d work," she grinned. "These girls are the most loyal of loyal. No hesitation. No hesitation."

Hei Long blinked slowly.

"They’re carrying incense sticks with my face on them."

"They also built a shrine back at the inn."

"...With what money?"

"I told them if they truly loved you, they’d sell all their worldly possessions."

Hei Long paused.

"Goddamn, I respect that."

Lin Fan had just finished moping in a noodle shop, only to step out and be met by what looked like a spiritual girl band flash mob.

He squinted. "What... is happening?"

As he spotted Hei Long standing above, with Sheng Moxian hanging onto his arm like some dark empress, and a literal cult chanting his name, Lin Fan’s eye twitched.

"I—I’m the protagonist... not... not this..."

His chicken clucked twice and walked into a wall.

The leader, who introduced herself loudly as Sister Flame #1, held up a scroll.

"If you are a female and have at least one working spiritual meridian and no current romantic attachments, you qualify for initiation!"

A girl raised her hand timidly. "Um... what if I don’t want to join?"

Sister Flame’s eyes glowed. "Then you will suffer the pain of watching him choose someone else."

The girl blinked. "Wait, what—"

"INITIATION CEREMONY BEGINS NOW!"

They surrounded her.

Seconds later, she walked out wearing Hei Long’s cult uniform, dazed, clutching a "We Love Long-sama" banner.

Captain: "Sir, what do we do?! They’re not technically doing anything illegal—but there are so many of them and one of them just baptized a merchant in honey!"

Lieutenant: "We should arrest the man behind this!"

Captain: "Who is it?!"

They followed the chants and looked up—only to see Hei Long winking from the rooftop, sipping from a jade cup, flanked by two sword maidens.

Captain: "We... are not arresting that man."

Lieutenant: "Agreed."

Watching the chaos unfold, she narrowed her eyes.

"...He even brought a cult? Who... is this man?"

Her brother Prince Lan Yu burst into the room, screaming, "Sister! We need to ban him from Ocean City! He’s destroying the balance! The girls are joining him in droves! This is a disaster!"

She sipped tea. "He’s... fascinating."

The prince screamed into a pillow.

In a candlelit hall rented by Sheng Moxian’s money (which was definitely stolen), Hei Long sat on a large throne made of spirit stone.

All the women kneeled in rows, robes fluttering, voices low and devoted.

"We offer our loyalty... to the Flame of Our Hearts..."

Hei Long stood up slowly.

"...Alright. Time to test your loyalty. Bring the list of assassination targets."

Sister Flame handed it to him, beaming. "Right here, my liege!"

Hei Long smirked.

"Let’s begin."