Chapter 543 - Here’s the Rooster, Do Whatever You Want With Him!

Held by the neck by Gu Han, Chongming appeared extremely undignified. He flapped his wings nonstop as he voiced his great displeasure. “Bastard, let me go! Even if you are the Sword Chief, you can’t treat me this way! This is a grave disrespect to me!”

His wings struck Gu Han’s arm again and again. Even though he didn’t use any techniques, the blows numbed half of Gu Han’s body.

Gu Han’s head throbbed. “Master Rooster, please calm down! It’s still right behind us!”

He had clearly heard the young man’s screams. It was obvious that he had fallen victim to that giant beast.

Chongming clamored loudly. “Put me down! I will go and kill it myself!”

Gu Han was speechless. It’d swallow you whole as if you’re nothing!

Just then, a faint, indistinct roar drifted over once more. Aside from its usual brutality and frenzy, it now carried a trace of fury.

Gu Han frowned slightly. Something’s wrong!

With his Ultimate Sword Sword Evasion technique, his full-speed flight surpassed even a Feather Transformation realm. It would take considerable effort for that giant beast to catch up to him. Given how hungry it had appeared earlier, it should have lost patience by now and gone hunting elsewhere. Yet so much time had passed, and he had crossed several regions, but the beast still pursued him relentlessly. Clearly, it wasn’t after him just for a meal.

Something stirred in his mind. That’s it!

“Master Rooster, it must be after those two things. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have chased us this long. Spit them out, and maybe it’ll stop following us!”

Chongming remained stubborn, refusing to budge. “No! I want to keep the little pup!”

Gu Han nearly couldn’t stop himself from tossing the rooster out as bait. Just as the man and the rooster were locked in argument, a formidable aura surged from afar.

A middle-aged Saint realm cultivator landed before Gu Han, blocking his path. “May I ask which fellow cultivator has come to the Lin Clan’s territory? Why not announce yourself first?”

Gu Han had flown haphazardly, landing far from the Hehuan Sect’s territory. He had no idea where this was. Seeing that the other party wasn’t particularly hostile, he replied patiently and prepared to leave again, “Just passing through.”

The man noticed Gu Han’s extraordinary flight speed and the peculiar sight of him carrying a rooster.

Not daring to be careless, he pressed further. “Little brother, you look rather unfamiliar. May I ask which sect or academy you come from?”

“I’m just a rogue cultivator.”

The man raised an eyebrow as he became curious. “A rogue cultivator? A Saint realm rogue cultivator is quite rare! May I ask for your name, little brother?”

Gu Han brushed him off again, changing direction and preparing to flee. “Fu Yulin, a scavenger!”

If I don’t run now, that dog will catch up!

With a blur, the middle-aged man blocked Gu Han’s path once more, abruptly changing the subject. “Wait! Little Brother Fu, as a rogue cultivator, your days must be quite difficult, yes?”

From the moment the man heard “rogue cultivator”, Gu Han could see that his attitude had turned strange. “What do you want?! I don’t have time for your games!”

The middle-aged man laughed heartily and got straight to the point. “Good! You’re direct, so I won’t beat around the bush either. The Tiannan Realm is chaotic. If you wander alone and catch the wrong eye... Tsk tsk. You’d be lucky if you only lost your valuables!”

“So?”

The middle-aged man smiled. “The Lin Clan holds some standing even among second-rate forces. The surrounding powers also show the Lin Clan a bit of face. If you’re willing to pay a certain price, you can travel freely within this region without ever worrying about your safety again!”

“Protection money?”

The middle-aged man sincerely shook his head. “It should be called a service fee. Fifty drops of Transcendent substance, and you will be absolutely safe within ten thousand li of the Lin Clan! One half-saint herb extends the range to thirty thousand li! If you have a saint herb... Hehe, you may go wherever you please within a hundred thousand li!”

“I don’t have any.”

Rather than getting angry, the middle-aged man smiled amiably. “Is that so? Then this place could prove quite dangerous for you. You’re at the Saint realm, aren’t you? I fear you can barely take a single step.”

As his words faded, over a dozen Saint cultivators flew in from the distance. In an instant, they landed around Gu Han, subtly encircling him as if to intimidate him. Their auras combined into one, pressing down upon him relentlessly.

The middle-aged man stroked his beard and smiled. “I think that it’s best that you pay up this service fee.”

Beside him, a burly man maliciously sized up Gu Han. “Exactly! Think it over carefully. Youngsters shouldn’t be too arrogant. It leads to early graves!”

Gu Han was utterly speechless. It became obvious to him that they were trying to extort him! The only difference from those unranked forces was that the Lin Clan’s methods were a bit more refined.

“What if I refuse?”

“Keke, what do you think will happen?”

Chongming, who had been silently stewing, couldn’t hold back any longer. “A bunch of sanctimonious hypocrites! Aren’t you just trying to extort us?! Watch yourselves! I will sic the dog on you!”

The middle-aged man was taken aback, then his face lit up with delight. “A talking rooster demon? How rare! You carry such a peculiar creature. I guess you must be quite wealthy... Keke!”

Gu Han pondered for a moment, then smiled as well. “You’re right! How rare! How about I offer this rooster in place of the service fee?”

He then presented Chongming to the men. “Do whatever you want with him!”

Chongming flew into a rage, his wings flapping wildly and nearly snapping Gu Han’s arm. “Brat! How dare you make a joke of me?! Just wait, once my little pup arrives, it’ll bite you too!”

Gu Han ignored him. If it weren’t for you, would I even have been chased this far by a dog?

The middle-aged man’s expression darkened. “Little Brother Fu, even though this rooster has some peculiar traits, it’s hardly anything precious. Show us your sincerity!”

The burly man grinned menacingly. “Are you trying to toy with us? You really think the Lin Clan has no temper?”

Gu Han sneered inwardly. How blind! You don’t recognize treasure! If you can find another rooster like Master Rooster, I’ll change my surname to yours!