The leader of the guild stared at John with a calm expression as he heard his question. He assumed it was something like that, as he had received many such offers in the past. However, every offer in the past was from a power that he could ignore, and thus he rejected them.
John's power was far above his own, and he was only a child. Clearly he was far from normal.
"It's either that, or I kill everyone here and burn this place to the ground," John continued as he was met with only silence.
The guild leader remained silent for a moment longer before a sigh escaped his lips.
"Let me ask you this one thing before I answer," the man replied. "For what reason did you kill my underlings?"
He had been out of the headquarters on a mission, and when he returned, he saw John standing before his guild members, several of them dead already. Without asking questions, he had attempted to assassinate John, but was unable to do so.
"They ambushed a group I was part of about a year ago, and killed one of my friends. They also tried to kill me, but I was barely able to escape. Today's events are a natural consequence of their actions, and their failure to finish the job that night," John replied calmly.
The elderly man stared at John for a moment before he closed his eyes and sighed once more.
"I see. If that is the case, then they only have themselves to blame."
The line of assassin work was clear on one thing...never leave any survivors. Survivors could rise in power and do what John had done today.
"I accept your offer," the man finally replied. The choice was between following John, a youth who displayed incredible talents, or death. The decision was easy to make.
John nodded his head in satisfaction at the man's answer, but his face quickly darkened as he stared at the man.
"Good choice. Following me will bring you benefits far beyond your imagining. But know this. If you ever betray me, not only will I kill everyone here, I'll make sure that each and every single one of you experiences a death more painful than you could ever imagine."
John's words, combined with his incredibly thick bloodlust, sent a shiver down everyone's spine. They could tell that he was serious with every word he had said.
The elderly man sighed once more as he heard John's words.
"No one here is foolish enough to enrage a power far beyond our level. What is your name, so that we may serve you appropriately," the man asked.
John smiled as he heard these words, as he could tell the man was sincere in his offer.
"John Fenix."
"Well then Young Master John. My Stalking Mantis Assassin Guild is now under your command."
…
Two days later, John arrived back at his Fenix Clan, with the Stalking Mantis Assassin Guild leader behind him. John had spent the last two days instructing the guild on their new responsibilities, as well as leaving them some pills and weapons to improve their power.
The best way to win over the hearts of cultivators was to bestow them powerful gifts, and he had done just that. The pills and weapons he had obtained from the Holy Lands were enough to shock the guild speechless, and his promises of further rewards served as additional fuel for them to slowly but surely accept his proposition.
Upon arriving at the clan, John noticed that the Elder's had all gathered in the great meeting hall at the base of the mountain. He flew directly there and quickly entered the building, along with the assassin guild leader.
John spotted his father, his grandfather, the patriarch, and all the other Elders gathered in the meeting hall. They quickly noticed his arrival and turned to greet him.
"John! You're finally back," Barden greeted him with an embrace. After parting, he noticed the elderly man standing behind John, and inspected him closely.
His eyebrows raised slightly as he noticed the man's cultivation, as well as the dangerous feeling he got from staring at the man. Despite Barden's increase in power, he knew the man was stronger, and far more deadly than himself.
"Who is this?" Barden asked curiously.
The rest of the Elders in the room also noticed the man, and could instantly tell that he was incredibly dangerous.
"This is Harlow, the leader of the Stalking Mantis Assassin Guild," John replied with a smile.
"What? The Stalking Mantis Assassin Guild?" several Elder's cried out in surprise.
The guild had the reputation of being one of the most lethal assassin guilds in the entire land, mostly due to the leader himself being incredibly powerful. The leader had quite a legendary reputation in these lands as one of its most deadly cultivators. The only one in the room who would be able to survive against him would be the Patriarch.
"What is he doing here?" Barden asked curiously.
John scratched his cheek as a wry smile appeared on his face. "They work for our Fenix Clan now," he replied.
"What?" another collective outburst boomed within the room.
Cade Fenix walked up to John, his face slightly confused.
"John, how did such a thing come to pass?" he asked curiously.
"The details don't matter, do they?" John replied with a wry smile. "Only that the guild now directly serves the Fenix Clan as its main assassination branch. If you have any problems that need silent solutions, they will be at your beck and call," John explained.
The guild leader looked on at the scene with a strange look on his face. John had been incredibly intimidating and overwhelming back in the hideout, but now seemed like nothing more than a child. However, he had been won over by John's power and promised rewards, and so his loyalty to the Fenix Clan was absolute now.
He knew that if he ever betrayed them, there would be no safe place to live anymore, and so such a thought didn't even cross his mind.
The details of adding the assassination guild to the Fenix Clan power network was discussed in great detail, before the meeting of Elder's convened for the night. John followed his father home as they discussed various details of what had transpired over the last few days, with John revealing his reason for running into the guild.
"Such a thing happened?" Barden exclaimed as John explained the night the guild had almost claimed his life.
John only laughed at his fathers response and told him it was all water under the bridge, as the two continued to converse. When they arrived before their house, Barden suddenly became silent, his mood shifting.
John instantly noticed this shift, and couldn't help but ask about it.
"Father, what is going on? Why did you suddenly become quiet?"
Barden remained silent as he stood there for a moment, before he began to walk towards the mansion once more. John followed closely behind, and followed his father into the house, and eventually into the basement.
Surprise appeared on his face as Barden opened the secret passageway to the mysterious place beneath his house. The last time John had been here was when he discovered the mysterious sphere, which his parents refused to elaborate the secrets of.
John followed silently down to the secret chamber below, and when he arrived, he saw his mother standing there, her face seemingly stained with tears.
Barden turned to his son with a solemn expression on his face.
"Son, with your new power and everything else that has happened....your mother and I have decided that it's finally time to tell you the truth about everything we know."