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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Qishan understood that this Demonic Oath was a double-edged sword; gaining it could be beneficial, but losing it would bring harm. After pondering for a moment, he took out a jade slip and held it up to his forehead. "I, Liu Qishan, hereby inscribe the Demonic Oath. This time, I will definitely bring Celestial Maiden Zige out of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. There is no other choice."
After finishing his words, he sliced his finger, letting a drop of Essence Blood fall onto the jade slip. The slip instantly turned blood red, and with a slap, he infused it into his body.
Chang Iron Tower saw this and didn’t waste any words. He raised his hand and slapped his storage bag, from which several Talismans and two spirit stones flew out. He then tossed the storage bag to Zi'e and strode over to Xunuo's side. Chang Iron Tower patted Xunuo on the shoulder, revealing a strange smile.
Xunuo realized at that moment that it wasn't just Qi Guoren who had plotted against him. It seemed that everyone was in on it, leaving him as the only fool in the dark. He couldn't help but curse inwardly, "You bastard are already half dead. Going out this time is just an early death; at least it might spare you some suffering. I still have a bright future ahead of me and just obtained some incredible treasures. I don’t want to throw my life away like this."
As Xunuo continued to curse in his mind, the people from Qi Country bowed slightly to Chang Iron Tower and said, "Then we will trouble you, Chang Daoist."
Then, with a change in expression, they looked at Xunuo and said, "We also need to trouble Xue Dao You to make a trip. I believe Xue Dao You wouldn’t refuse us."
The last few words came out cold as ice.
Since the mask had been torn off, Xunuo no longer cared about fear or bravery. With a blunt cold laugh, he said, "If you want me to go die for you, then you all must pay some price."
Liu Kaishan lost his patience and said sternly, "If you don’t go, you’ll die even faster."
Xunuo chuckled and replied, "If I die, you’ll still need to choose someone else as bait; who do you think will be next?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Kaishan's face turned ashen, unable to speak. The others exchanged glances, knowing that if they killed Xunuo, anyone could be chosen next.
After a moment of silence, Qi Guoren snorted coldly and said, "Xue Dao You shouldn’t say anything rash either. Letting you two lure away a beast doesn’t mean there’s no way out. If you are willing to go, just state your conditions; we will do our utmost to meet them. However, if your demands are unrealistic or if you have other delusions, don’t blame Qi for being ruthless. As for who will be chosen next—you will never see it coming."
The chill in his words made Xunuo shudder. He knew Qi Guoren was decisive and capable of harsh actions. At this point, Xunuo sought sufficient benefits to ensure he could ultimately escape with enough leverage.
Thus, Xunuo replied calmly, "I don’t want intangible benefits; I only seek immediate gains. My request isn’t too much—one hundred spirit stones and three mid-level Talismans each for attack, flight, and defense; ten low-level ones each."
Several people heard this and their expressions turned grave as they began to whisper among themselves, revealing their backgrounds to one another.
After a moment, Liu Qishan turned to Xunuo and said, "The Attack Talisman cannot be given to you. Can we exchange it for other Talismans or spirit stones instead?"
Xunuo nodded in agreement. "That works."
Xunuo knew that after the recent losses, the Talismans in the hands of these individuals were few. This request was merely a way to extract a hefty price from them. Acquiring more spirit stones was essential for survival.
Currently, Xunuo's strongest combat power was the Heavenly Shadow Spike. However, the massive consumption of mana required by the Heavenly Shadow Spike made Xunuo hesitant to use it freely. If he had a substantial amount of spirit stones, he would no longer have that concern and could replenish his mana at any time. Thus, he readily accepted Liu Qishan's proposal to substitute spirit stones for Talismans.
As for using himself as bait to lure away a beast, Xunuo did not see it as a dead end. While he was not arrogant enough to think he could contend with a Fourth-Level Beast, he felt confident that with ample spirit stones for mana replenishment, he could strike hard when the opportunity arose. He had never considered facing such a colossal creature head-on.
What troubled Xunuo was that this plan to lure away a beast might make it difficult for him to return through this passage. He did not believe that a few Qi Refinement Stage cultivators could slay a Fourth-Level Beast. The best outcome would likely be that one or two could escape through the chaos, while most would meet their end in the vast mountains.
If all passages were guarded by two beasts each, there would be no chance of escaping through another route. He might have to remain in these mountains for an extended period, hoping to encounter other surviving Cultivators to form a team and attempt another passage.
Fortunately, Xunuo had obtained the Boundary Stone; even if there were truly no way out, he would not face death. However, this was merely a last resort and the least favorable option. If he had to retreat into the Starlight Arena within the Boundary Stone at a critical moment, he would likely have to stay there for quite some time before daring to emerge.
After all, these Fourth-Level Beasts possessed Intelligence. If they discovered anything suspicious and spread the word, there would be no place for Xunuo in this world.
Liu Qishan and his group of five conferred quietly for a while. Liu Qishan then turned back to Xunuo and said, "Xue Daoyou is willing to fight for our vitality; we should offer some compensation in return. We five can barely gather half of what you requested. Although we are short on Talismans, we have two storage bags from fallen companions. The items inside should make up for the shortfall and will be given to you as well."
Finished speaking, he tossed over a pile of spirit stones, several Talismans, and two storage bags. Xunuo caught them and noticed that there was only one Intermediate Defense Talisman among them; the rest were all basic Talismans. After glancing at the two storage bags, he fell silent.
Seeing Xunuo's tacit acceptance, Liu Qishan let out a sigh of relief.
Qi Guoren cursed inwardly as he saw Liu Qishan's group only offering half of what was needed. However, since he had initiated the division earlier, he could only swallow his frustration.
Qi Guoren whispered with Wang Wenhao for a moment before picking up some items and stuffing them into one of the storage bags before tossing it to Xunuo.
Xunuo glanced at the single Intermediate Flight Talisman and the four basic Talismans, noting the abundance of spirit stones. Nodding, Xunuo tied the talismans to their waist, accepting them without further comment.
Qi Guoren, having arranged the most challenging task, began explaining the plan to Xunuo and Chang Iron Tower.
In the past, when hunting beasts and returning to the human realm through a passage, there was always one person designated to lure away the guarding beasts. At that time, the guardians of the passage were typically as foolish as Rift Boars, and there was only one. As long as it was drawn away from the entrance, the cultivators could slip into the passage and escape.
Fourth-Level Beasts generally lacked the ability to fly unless they were exceptionally gifted. Moreover, Earth Attribute beasts like Rift Boars were not adept at flight. Even if they evolved into Fifth-Level Beasts, they could only stir up clouds of dust while flying three yards off the ground. Compared to other beasts, their speed was akin to that of a crawling turtle. This was why Loose Cultivators dared to team up and hunt beasts in the Great Mountain Range while being able to return safely.
However, this time, the two beasts guarding the passage were not just two Rift Boars. The Loose Cultivators who had been scattered by the beasts in the forest had previously encountered a pair guarding the passage: a Rift Boar and a Water Charm Ape.
The Water Charm Ape was elusive and possessed deep demonic power; in an instant, it slaughtered most of a team of cultivators. Seeing this, none had any will to fight back. During their escape, they discovered that this Water Charm Ape was significantly faster than an Intermediate Flight Talisman. In the end, only Qi Guoren managed to survive by relying on a Hook-shaped Artifact to withstand a blow from the Fourth-Level Water Charm Ape.
Later, after questioning several encountered Loose Cultivators, they learned that among the beasts guarding the passage, at least one possessed extraordinary evasion abilities.
In Qi Guoren's view, there was no chance for survival for the two tasked with luring away the beasts. Thus, even though Xunuo asked for a considerable price, these individuals still pooled their resources to provide what Xunuo needed.
Qi Guoren explained the plan to Xunuo and Chang Iron Tower and handed Chang Iron Tower a jade slip. "As long as one beast follows you two away from the entrance of the passage, crush this jade slip. We will act immediately to encircle and eliminate the remaining beast."
Chang Iron Tower took the jade slip and turned towards the passage. Xunuo raised a hand to tap their storage bag and produced another Intermediate Flight Talisman before following Chang Iron Tower.
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