Chapter 42: Seizing Control of the Wild Wolf Gang

"The Soul-Control Bell has no reaction at all. Could it be that these nine stewards have been dead for too long, causing their souls to scatter and perish?" This was the most reasonable explanation Jiang Fan could come up with.

Having stowed away all of Old Fiend Xu's treasures, Jiang Fan strode directly over to the Second and Third Chieftains. The Second Chieftain's breathing was extremely faint, but he had not sustained any fatal injuries. Moreover, as Innate Realm martial artists possessing tough physiques, a couple of heavy slaps from Jiang Fan were all it took to jolt them back to consciousness.

When the two men regained awareness, they looked around in utter bewilderment.

"The Chief and Old Fiend Xu are both dead! You must submit to me now, or else—die!" Jiang Fan gazed at them coldly, awaiting their response.

Both men had attempted to kill him not long ago, failing only because their strength fell short, so Jiang Fan naturally had no intention of showing them a pleasant demeanor.

Besides, at this very moment, their names were still inscribed within the *Great Dao Heavenly Scripture*.

"You... you killed my big brother, and you also killed Immortal Xu?" the Third Chieftain asked, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

The Second Chieftain stared at Jiang Fan with a countenance of utter horror.

"Not only did I kill them, but... I am the very 'demonic cultivator' you spoke of." Jiang Fan spoke with profound meaning. By this point, there was no need to conceal anything; within the entire Wild Wolf Gang, no one remained who could be his match. He was now invincible.

"You... you are that demonic cultivator? It was you... it was you who killed my son! I'll fight you to the death!"

"It was you! You killed my second brother! I want you to die, ahhh!"

Seized by sudden madness, the Second and Third Chieftains forcefully propped up their battered bodies and lunged toward Jiang Fan to kill him.

*Slap! Slap!*

Without the slightest hesitation, Jiang Fan delivered two crisp, heavy smaps right across their faces.

The two were instantly sent spinning, their vision swimming with golden stars.

"Now, will you choose death, or will you obey obediently?" Jiang Fan asked coldly.

"Hmph! You heinous fiend, even if we die, we will never submit to you!"

"That's right! You killed our eldest brother and murdered our loved ones. We yearn to tear you limb from limb. Want us to submit? Keep dreaming!"

Filled with furious indignation, the two chieftains declared their unyielding defiance, choosing death over surrender.

"Is that so? Then I shall kill you both, refine your souls, and turn you into my soul slaves, condemned to eternal damnation without a chance of reincarnation!" Jiang Fan sneered. "Eldest Brother, why don't you come out and greet your two brothers?"

*Swish!*

As Jiang Fan's voice fell, an illusory soul form drifted directly into view. Having no physical shadow, it was immediately visible to the two chieftains.

"Greetings, Master!" Upon materializing, the former Chief did not look at his two brothers immediately; instead, he knelt before Jiang Fan in utmost reverence.

"Big Brother! Big Brother, is it really you? How did you end up in this state?"

"Big Brother... you... how did you fall to such a wretched plight? Jiang Fan, you little bastard... how vicious your heart is!"

Seeing their eldest brother reduced to such a form and enslaved as Jiang Fan's thrall, grief and rage overwhelmed their hearts.

With the sorrow of the rabbit dying for the fox, they realized at that moment that even if they did not fear death, even if they refused to yield and chose suicide, escape remained impossible.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, you had better serve the Master well. The moment you wish for death, you will share the exact same fate as your eldest brother!" the former Chief said with a hint of emotion. "However, if you wish to become the Master's soul slaves as well, Big Brother would gladly welcome you. After all, becoming the Master's soul slaves is the greatest fortune imaginable."

The expressions of the two chieftains twisted in horror. They were not fools; they could clearly see that their eldest brother was no longer the man he once was. He had been transformed into Jiang Fan's soul slave, obeying only Jiang Fan's commands.

This realization was too much for them to accept.

"Enough. You have seen him now. Do you wish to live, or do you wish to die?" Jiang Fan demanded coldly, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

The atmosphere plunged into an oppressive silence, broken only by the chirping of insects echoing in the surroundings.

"I want to live! I want to live!"

"I... I want to live too!"

Weeping bitterly, both men spoke with wretched expressions, their faces ashen. In the end, they chose submission.

By choosing to surrender, at least they would avoid having their souls controlled, spared from becoming Jiang Fan's eternal thralls denied the cycle of reincarnation.

"Very well, you possess a measure of cleverness." Jiang Fan nodded with satisfaction, tossing a small medicinal vial to each of them. "This is the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Poison. You must come to me for the antidote once every seven days, or the venom will devour your heart and kill you! Since you have chosen to submit to me, swallow it."

Exchanging glances, the two men ultimately grabbed the small jade bottles thrown by Jiang Fan and drank the contents dry right before his eyes.

They knew they had no choice; without ingesting the poison, Jiang Fan would never trust them.

And right now, if they wished to survive, they had to obey Jiang Fan.

"Serve me well. One day, I shall leave the Wild Wolf Gang, and when that time comes, perhaps I can restore your freedom. But whether you earn that freedom depends entirely on your performance," Jiang Fan said indifferently.

"Yes!" the two replied in unison, not daring to utter a single word of defiance.

"Very well, Second Chieftain, arrange for someone to clean up the battlefield and inform the Wild Wolf Gang that from this day forward, I, Jiang Fan, am their new Master," Jiang Fan commanded coldly.

"Understood, Master!" The Second Chieftain caught on quickly, addressing him as Master without hesitation.

"Third Chieftain, go settle the children and youths who were captured. Send those who have homes back to their families, and for those who cannot return, the Wild Wolf Gang must care for them fully from this day onward!" Jiang Fan ordered coldly.

"Yes, Master!" the Third Chieftain hastily acknowledged.

Though a raging murderous intent still burned within their hearts toward Jiang Fan, they still dared not disobey his commands.

In the days that followed, Jiang Fan openly moved into Old Fiend Xu's residence, which would serve as his dwelling for the foreseeable future.

He inspected Old Fiend Xu's quarters thoroughly and felt quite pleased with the facilities.

"This building has two levels. The first floor is the living quarters, and the second floor is where Old Fiend Xu practiced alchemy. Furthermore, this alchemy chamber not only contains all the necessary provisions, but also features a separate secret room. Excellent. Once I recover a bit more of my cultivation, I will begin refining the antidote for the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Poison." Satisfied with everything before him, Jiang Fan sat cross-legged on the spot and began refining the remaining unabsorbed lower-grade spirit stone left behind by Old Fiend Xu.

Before long, Jiang Fan's cultivation had recovered considerably, though it was obvious that a single low-grade spirit stone was far from enough to restore him completely.

"I cannot consume the remaining lower-grade spirit stone so recklessly; I must keep it in reserve! It is time to begin refining the antidote for the Seven-Day Heart-Devouring Poison." Taking a deep breath, Jiang Fan retrieved thirteen different medicinal herbs from Old Fiend Xu's storage pouch.

These herbs were the ingredients required to brew the antidote, all of them highly toxic substances—some were poisonous plants, while others were venomous insects. Just looking at them was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"I should familiarize myself with the refining process first before I begin... However, once I successfully brew the antidote, I must have the two chieftains find some subjects to test the medicine on..." A ruthless glint flashed across Jiang Fan's eyes. He decided that once the antidote was ready, he would round up the most heinous criminals in the Wild Wolf Gang to serve as test subjects.

No matter what, even if it meant harming others, he would never test the poison on himself.