Chapter 1034 The Price for the Chance to Live
“It’s my turn.”
Zhao Feng calmly walked out from the side with a frosty face.
“Another one?”
“How many fighters do they have on earth? They come one after another. There seems to be no end of it.”
“Don’t tell me this brat’s fighting capacity is also amazing? How fierce those people are!”
“Look at his expression. He is as cool as a cuc.u.mber. I guess he’s also a tough fighter.”
As soon as Zhao Feng appeared, he sparked many voices of discussion.
“How many fighters do they have on earth?”
This was the question puzzling the more than a thousand people on the scene.
Those sitting in the audience stand could see how many people were sitting at Nina’s table, so they knew the answer to that question. However, some people, such as Wei Fan, cast a glance in Nina’s way and wondered about the same thing as Li Mu and others did.
“How many more sixth-tier spirit treasures do these people have on earth?”
To find the answer, they were willing to probe at the cost of some of their members’ lives.
But sometimes, when the cost exceeded the highest budget they set in their minds, some people would find it hard to bear the cost.
“Who will go next?”
Here came the problem.
Hu Bin’s somewhat irked look showed that he didn’t want to send any of his men to fight. He then turned to look at Li Mu.
Li Mu looked over his shoulder at those sitting behind him.
Those subordinates at the Elixir Realm Last-Stage tucked their chins, and their eyes became uncertain. They either looked away at the sides or busied themselves with drinking and eating.
Li Mu also looked rather put out. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to adjust his mentality.
As for Zhong An, he didn’t say a word or react to the looks of Hu Bin and others.
It was clear that whoever he sent out next was likely no match for the other party. Thus, why should he send one of his men to get killed?
“Look at those Elixir Realm Last-Stage cultivators behind me. How fl.u.s.tered they are!”
“What now? No one in the alliance of more than a dozen forces dares to come out and fight me?”
Zhao Feng waited for a good 10 seconds, but no one showed up. He shook his head in disappointment.
“Clang!”
The Dragon-piercing Sword materialized in his right hand.
In a booming voice, he declared, “I have a sixth-tier spirit treasure as well. Come on, who will fight me? If you win, it will be yours.”
“Hiss!”
The moment he displayed his sixth-tier spirit treasure, two people’s expressions changed slightly. A vacillating look flashed through their eyes.
“Shall I do it or not?”
The strength of these two people was on par with Zou Min’s. However… if they won and obtained the sixth-tier treasure, would they be able to keep it? It would be taken away by their leader, wouldn’t it?
It would be even more heartbreaking if they struggled for nothing in return.
“Didn’t you hear him? The treasure will belong to whoever goes there and kill him,” Hu Bin sneered. “Have you all become gutless?”
“I’ll do it!”
Finally, someone couldn’t fight back his greediness and volunteered. It was one of the two masters who looked tempted before.
“There’s going to be a fight again.”
The nearly a thousand people on both sides of the square were very much looking forward to it.
“I wonder if the alliance can win this time.”
“Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom…”
Light flashed frenetically. The two launched nearly a hundred strikes to each other in a row. Finally, a violent energy wave emerged from Zhao Feng.
“Crack!”
His opponent instantly fell to the ground, as dead as a doornail.
“When is the Cloud Shadow Sky and the others ever gonna win?”
“They can’t win. They just can’t. There is only one Elixir Realm Last-Stage master left on their side.”
“Hahaha, I really didn’t expect that such a group of people could actually crush the alliance of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family and the other more than a dozen forces. What a surprise!”
Some were elated while others were worried.
At this time, the representatives of the more than a dozen forces all looked a little gloomy.
They also knew very well that they could not win.
“I don’t see any point in letting the compet.i.tion go on!”
Hu Bin suddenly stood up, and his body began to be covered with layers of metal.
Within two breaths, he became a three-meter-tall mecha.
“Let’s divide the spoils.”
“Divide what?” Wei Fan looked at him nonchalantly.
“Ha, do you plan to pocket all those sixth-tier treasures? Wei Fan, don’t be too greedy,” Hu Bin said coldly.
Everyone was shocked to see their hidden intentions being exposed.
The crowd felt rather suffocated. One could well imagine that what would happen next would be a chaotic battle. The rogue energy waves would definitely affect them as well.
Quite a few Elixir Realm Early-Stage cultivators already started to quietly retreat.
As Hu Bin’s words came out, the huge red mecha stationing around the square revealed all kinds of weapons they carried. What was more, more than a hundred people appeared from all directions. One after another, they released mechanical troops.
In that instant, the entire square was besieged by extremely dense mechanical troops. That cold machines seemed to be writing a mournful song for the ma.s.sacre they were about to carry out.
“Or shall I contact my uncle, Hu Zhiqiang, and ask him to talk to you?” Hu Bin suddenly looked relaxed.
Inside the mecha, he was more confident. Even though his opponent was the troubling Wei Fan, so what?
Wei Fan wanted to have the profits all to him? No way!
“Young man, don’t bring out your elders to oppress others. I haven’t even been afraid of the king of your Tiger Talisman Royal Family.”
With an aloof face, Wei Fan said calmly, “There are 6 six-tier weapons that they have shown by now. I will take three.”
“My Tiger Talisman Royal Family will have two!” Hu Bin answered stiffly.
Li Mu was instantly bemused.
Zhong An was also bereft of speech.
The representatives of the other dozen or so forces all looked confused.
“h.e.l.lo, do you really think this is appropriate?”
At this scene, Nina’s countenance altered slightly. She cast a few glances at Zhang Han and others and found that they didn’t seem bothered at all.
“Are they fearless because they are strong enough? But even if Uncle Zhang were a Yuan Ying Realm master, he wouldn’t find it easy to deal with Wei Fan and those people.”
Feeling helpless, Nina stood up and looked at Hu Bin, one of her pursuers, and remarked, “Prince Hu Bin, they are all my friends. Haven’t you agreed before that they could leave safely if they won?”
“Princess Nina,” Hu Bin said with a frown, “this is no longer something you can intervene. Today, even if G.o.d comes, he can’t protect them. Even if I agree with you, Wei Fan wouldn’t.”
“Is he trying to s.h.i.+ft the blame on me?” Wei Fan mused.
Then, Wei Fan laughed sarcastically and said, “Hu Bin, as long as you give them the permission to leave today, I will pretend that they’ve never been here.”
It didn’t matter if those people ran away. Wei Fan could hunt them down later. He didn’t have to capture them here. Therefore, he made that remark to put Hu Bin in a difficult position, hoping to see his troubled look.
Sure enough, Hu Bin’s face immediately darkened.
“Now they’ve won, I do intend to let them leave,” Li Mu, who was still sitting in the chair, said with a smile.
His smile appeared to be perfectly genuine and innocent. Yet, no one knew what he was really thinking.
However, because of his words, Hu Bin’s face darkened even more.
“Keeping one’s promise is the fundamental principle of conducting oneself.” Zhong An looked cold. He didn’t say much, but the meaning of his words was deep.
Everyone present could tell that Zhong An really intended to let these people go, even though he was also tempted by the treasures. Nevertheless, some people had principles they needed to stick to. They did not want to break their code of conduct. By contrast, some people, such as the troubling Wei Fan, would stop at nothing to get what they wanted, for victory was their fundamental goal. There were also some who thought one way and acted another, such as Hu Bin. He had tacitly approved of the death of those people, yet he still wanted to make Wei Fan take the blame.
Basically, none of those people were unworldly. Thus, how could the other let Hu Bin get his way so easily?
Seeing Hu Bin’s immensely somber face, Li Mu rejoiced inwardly.
As one of the Eight Great Young Masters of the Cloud Star Area, he kind of liked to trick others and give them a hard time.
Nina then remarked, “Prince Hu Bin, please honor your promise and let go of…”
“Let go of whom? Princess Nina, I’ve made up my mind. You don’t have to say anything else.” Hu Bin answered bluntly.
“How dare you!”
Nina’s rage flared.
This also made many people present exclaim in surprise.
“Prince Hu Bin has been pursuing Nina for two years. Although his temper is quite volatile, he always maintains a smiley face when facing Nina. However, this time, he no longer even tries to act like a gentleman in front of her.”
“Looks like he has really put his foot down on this.”
“Yeah. The other part has several sixth-tier treasures. Who could let them go like this? Besides, if he let them go this time, he may never run into them again. If it were me, I would also make them stay.”
“With strong strength, what in the world can’t one have? When Hu Bin advances to the Yuan Ying Realm, the Tiger Talisman Royal Family will go to the Elemental Elf Clan to propose marriage to Princess Nina. Then, how could the Elemental Elves say no? The rules that elves can’t be married to outsiders have been broken many years ago. These days, to keep its territory, the Elemental Elf Clan is also under great pressure. To unite with human beings through marriage is a plausible way to solve their crisis. Prince Hu Bin already fancies Princess Nina. Even if he doesn’t give face to Princess Nina now, as long as Nina’s father agrees on their marriage, after her Coming of Age Ceremony, she will have to marry Hu Bin and be his toy for the rest of her life, won’t she?”
“You’re right. Strength is the only thing that matters. Princess Nina alone can’t shake Hu Bin’s determination.”
Nina just stood there with a cold face, at a loss about what to say next.
Just then, Wei Fan opened his mouth and spoke again, “Well, since you’ve already put your cards on the table and turned openly hostile, then they should stay. Are you youngsters willing to obediently hand over your treasures?”
“Come and get them if you want.” Mu Xue crooked her finger to beckon Wei Fan.
“Then don’t blame me for being merciless. I like blood, especially the blood of beautiful women.”
Wei Fan leered straight at Mu Xue.
This made Ding Jiuming’s face turn livid. Like a furious bull, he shouted, “What did you say?”
When Chen Changqing and the others saw this, they didn’t give much of a reaction. Because they knew that Ding Jiuming was chasing Mu Xue.
Some of them were actually rooting for Ding Jiuming. Although he was dull most of the time, he was quite gifted and good-looking.
“Shall we end this now? The night will soon fall. We need to find a place to rest,” Zi Yan asked as she looked at Zhang Han.
Although Zi Yan also enjoyed watching the battles, her interest was not very strong.
“Let’s wait a bit longer. Since Ding Jiuming likes Xue, let’s see how resolute his love for her is,” Zhang Han said, slightly raising his eyebrows.
“How can we tell that? I do think Ding Jiuming is a good man. He has fancied Xue for so many years and never faltered in his resolve. Anyway, what do you expect to see? Changqing and the others are all here. You can’t be saying that… Wei Fan is going to take advantage of Ding Jiuming’s crush on Xue, can you? How did you notice that?” Zi Yan was slightly stunned.
From Zhang Han’s expression, she could tell that Wei Fan was going to make trouble.
“I drew that conclusion based on his expressions.” Zhang Han laughed. “That person has a mercurial temperament. He has never looked anybody else in the eye. He is a snooty sort of person and very conceited. I’ve noticed that the way he looks at Xue and Ding Jiuming is somewhat mischievous. But this is an opportunity to test Ding Jiuming’s determination. If he can prove him a man, he may win Xue’s heart and live with her happily ever after. If he can’t, we should make him stay away from Xue as soon as possible.”
“Oh, it seems that as Xue’s master, you really care a lot about your disciple,” Zi Yan said with seeming nonchalance.
“Hiss!”
Zhang Han gasped in alarm. His face became slightly stiff. He slowly turned his head and smiled at Zi Yan. “Er, ahem, I just want to help Sect Leader Mu size his future son-in-law up.”
Seeing his awkward expression, Zi Yan turned around and sn.i.g.g.e.red. “Then let’s see if that person will do what you expect him to do.”
“You’ll soon see I’m right.” Zhang Han chuckled.
Sure enough, as soon as Zhang Han finished speaking, Wei Fan’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a beam of red light, which meant that he was bloodthirsty.
Abruptly, he looked at Ding Jiuming and said coldly, “I’m gonna drink her blood. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Over my dead body!” Ding Jiuming’s eyes were extremely firm.
“Hahaha…”
Without warning, Wei Fan rose from his chair and floated in the air. He pressed his right hand forward, and the void around Ding Jiuming suddenly seemed to become frozen.
“Swoosh, swoos.h.!.+”
Mu Xue and Ding Jiuming both felt an irresistible force, which carried them into the air and made them float when they were five meters off the ground.
The faces of Chen Changqing and others changed drastically.
For the first time, they felt that the insurmountable disparity between the Elixir Realm and the Yuan Ying Realm. It was like the deepest chasm in the world.
“You like her, don’t you?”
Wei Fan’s blood-colored eyes were full of playfulness.
“But are you willing to die for her? Are you willing to give up your Elixir Realm Last-Stage cultivation and your wonderful life? Do you know that those at the Elixir Realm Last-Stage are all considered upper-cla.s.s figures in the Sea Dragon Star Area? They can easily occupy a planet and live like a king. Beautiful women will throw themselves at them. Don’t you want to live like that?
“The world is so vast that it’s far beyond your imagination. There are even more superior cultivators in other Star Areas. The Cultivation World is incredibly large. There are so many places you haven’t explored yet. Thus, are you sure you’re willing to die for somebody else now?”
As Wei Fan said this, beads of cold sweat covered Ding Jiuming’s forehead.
He felt very uncomfortable. He had been suppressed by someone whose strength was absolutely stronger than his. This feeling of being put at the mercy of another person was extremely agonizing.
However, there was a trace of suspicion in Mu Xue’s eyes.
“Why hasn’t Master taken action yet?”
During this period, Wei Fan was still talking to Ding Jiuming alone.
“Is this pretty woman, who will lose her looks in years, worth your life?
“In every subarea of the Sea Dragon Star Area, there are some princesses and Saintly Women. Many of them are also gorgeous, such as Princess Nina over there. She is at the Peak-Stage of the Elixir Realm, which is already quite strong. Don’t you fantasize about having such an enchanting beauty?
“The world is vast. You are still very young. You haven’t seen much of it yet.”
At the end of his speech, seeing Ding Jiuming show a torn expression, Wei Fan sighed softly and increased the intensity of his suppression.
“Crack! Crack! Crack!”
Ding Jiuming felt that the bones of his arms and legs could no longer bear the pressure and began to crack.
“I’m gonna die.
“Does Zhang Hanyang really want to turn a blind eye to this?”
Ding Jiuming looked at Nina’s side from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t see Zhang Han there.
“Am I really gonna die here?
“Why not live?”
There seemed to be two people speaking in his mind. One kept repeating what Wei Fan just said, while the other insisted on reminding him of Mu Xue.
“Crack, crack, crack…”
As his body’s pressure endurance was pushed to the limit, his consciousness began to blur.
“What on earth should I do?
“I must live!”
The scale seemed to have begun to tilt.
Once the scale began to tilt, the balance would rapidly swing in one side’s favor.
While Ding Jiuming was struggling and very close to make up his mind, Mu Xue became a little impatient. Although the pressure imposed on her was only one-tenth of that on Ding Jiuming, she certainly could not just stay there and watch Ding Jiuming die.
She slowly turned her head to look in Zhang Han’s direction.
“Master, make your move!”
“Honey, help him, quick.” Zi Yan also patted Zhang Han on the arm.
“Fine.”
Zhang Han did not look perturbed at all. There was even a smile playing around the corner of his mouth.
He muttered, “Ding Jiuming turns out to be quite a man. He has a backbone and is also very…”
Even Deep Flame, Zhang Mu, and Zhang Guangyou shared the same thought.
But right at this moment…
“I, I give up!”
Ding Jiuming blushed and uttered these words with great effort. His voice was low and hoa.r.s.e.
“Give up what?” Wei Fan’s eyes lit up slightly. “Are you going to give up dying for her?”
“Yes.”
“Smart choice. ” Wei Fan suddenly eased up the suppression on Ding Jiuming by five times. “Then I will kill her. I said that only one of you can live.”
“You can’t kill her. Because her master is here, hahahahaha.” Ding Jiuming suddenly gave a husky laugh.
“Her master?” Wei Fan said, his eyes full of contempt.
At this time, Zhang Han stood up. Followed by Zhang Mu and the others, he walked out of the woods. Many people quickly fixed their eyes on him.
“Alas.” Zhang Han looked at Ding Jiuming and sighed. “Since you knew I was here, you could admit defeat immediately. It would be a clever solution. Otherwise, you could also stick to your beliefs. That would be a way to show your backbone. However, what you did was somewhere between the two solutions. It’s neither fish nor fowl. It seems that I have to remind Xue to continue to observe you before she makes any decision.”
It was hard to see through one’s nature. Zhang Han always reckoned that Ding Jiuming was the dull type. He had also tried to learn more about him from other angles. However, his performance was not very satisfactory.
“Uncle Zhang.”
Having seen that they all went to the front, Nina looked a little edgy. She also stood up and followed Mengmeng to the front.
“Hahaha, Zhang Hanyang, you don’t mind that I’ve used your name, do you?” Wu Ming called out with great ease.
In the face of such an occasion, Wu Ming was not tense at all. He laughed and walked over.
“My father minds a lot.” Zhang Han pointed to Zhang Guangyou.
“Oh, got it, got it. After we sort this out, I’ll have a good drink with your father this evening,” said Wu Ming, who also threw him an I-know-what-you-mean look.
Zhang Guangyou chuckled and nodded with satisfaction.
“Who are you?”
A lot of people here knew how to observe one’s words and behavior.
Therefore, when Hu Bin saw Zhang Han’s expression, his brows were deeply furrowed.
“Here comes another one?” Wei Fan said darkly. “Interesting. This game seems to be getting more and more interesting. You guys are a team. Do many of you own a sixth-tier spirit treasure?”
“Yes, we each have one,” Zhang Han replied.
He then cast his power with a stir of his mind.
“Frizzle!”
The energy encircling Ding Jiuming and Mu Xue was completely dissipated.
“Eh?”
Wei Fan said in shock and disbelief, “How come you can repel my energy! Are you also in the Yuan Ying Realm?”
“Rumble!”
“He is in the Yuan Ying Realm?”
Everyone present looked stunned.
“For crying out loud, when do we have another Yuan Ying Realm cultivator?”
In the entire Sea Dragon Star Area, those in the Yuan Ying Realm were the strongest cultivators. Generally, Yuan Ying Realm masters were more or less famous. However, no one had ever heard of anyone in their group. Could it be that they came from some secret place?
“Therefore, just lead the way to the secret realm on time tomorrow,” Zhang Han said calmly.
From his expression, one could tell that he didn’t want to get violent. He seemed to prepare to depart with his people.
“You wanna leave?”
Seeing that they really turned around to leave, Wei Fan suddenly said, “Sure, I can let you go, as long as you leave your treasures behind! Those are the price you pay for the chance to live.”
“As I said before, I’ll take two of the sixth-tier treasures.”
Hu Bin waved his right hand forward. The tens of thousands of mechanical troops around all raised their weapons and began to charge up.
“Ha.”
Wu Ming laughed out loud and taunted, “Looks like some are just unwilling to give up until they get the treasures.”
“Then shall we give them some? Anyway, those things aren’t scarce at all,” Mu Xue said in a sardonic tone.
”Not… scarce at all?”
Many people were struck dumb by her words. “I’ve never heard anyone brag like that!”
“Oh.”
Zhang Han’s face suddenly turned a little frosty. He slowly turned around, looked at Wei Fan, and said calmly, “Who wants to stop us?”
“As I said before, leave the treasure and you can leave,” Wei Fan said coldly, “otherwise, prepare yourself for the worst. Because those who are targeted by me have never had a good ending.”
“I want two.” Hu Bin also demonstrated his determination.
“So what if the other party is a Yuan Ying Realm cultivator? Most of the Yuan Ying Realm cultivators in the Sea Dragon Star Area are merely at the Early-Stage. Only a few are at the Middle-Stage, whom everyone has heard of.
“Obviously, the man in front of us is at most at the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage. His power can be offset by Wei Fan. As for the other people in his league, could they be a match for my mechanical troops?”
“Who else?” Zhang Han asked again.
Li Mu closed his eyes.
“Sixth-tier treasures and unknown masters…”
“Forget it. Our Cloud Shadow Sky will pa.s.s.”
Li Mu found the choice hard to make. Still, he refrained from acting impulsively. Sometimes, retreating was also a way forward. When two dogs fought for a bone, a third might run away with it. Also, one could counter numerous changes with the same unchanged stance. That was what Li Mu liked to do.
He got up and retreated hundreds of meters with the members of the Cloud Shadow Sky.