Liao Xinyan chuckled as he stared at Melcraze and replied calmly, "If you want it, you can have it. But it shall come at a cost; Little Xiu, show it to them."
Following those words, He Xiu nodded as she opened her palms showing the box, which soon after began to glow in a dazzling light, that illuminated the entire scene.
Ba-dump! As if it had a pulsating heartbeat, a powerful ripple scattered from it across the entire meeting grounds, filling all who saw it with an unforgettable feeling.
Chapter 307
Famed Warriors, The Enemy’s Allies
The instant He Xiu unveiled the item from the box, a bright shone across the entire exchange grounds, showering all within it due to its dazzling radiance.
Melcraze looked at the scene with bright eyes. However, Su Jian and Mu Leng's eyes had different looks as rather than their aims, their factions would get advantages regarding the seal's usage.
Of course, other than them, Zan Jin of the Essence Sealer Clan, along with the Grim Dust Brothers Lex and Gram, as well as the Dark Witch School's Dune Witch Elma, had flashing eyes with their thought's unknown to all.
Soon after, joining them was none other than those in the neutral section, starting from the Black Sand Commerce who had Krell and his crew of bounty hunters at the lead. Lastly, the strange man from the Iron Blood Union that sat between a group of slaves, each that now stood up, emanated a dangerous aura.
All seemed grim, but at this time, a change had occurred from the side of the Pill Pavilion and Desert Shaolin Temple. Both Master Duan and Pill Queen Wan Ru had already taken a step forward, each emanating a solemn air.
By this time, and with great efficiency, Feng Yu, Dai Lin, and the others had stern looks as they had all enclosed He Xiu in a battle formation; they stared at the enemies that formed a circle around the podium with serious expressions.
Melcraze frowned as he saw the actions of the Pill Pavilion, Desert Shaolin Temple, and Feng Yu's party before he spoke, "Wan Ru, I've heard that the Redland's Pill Pavilion had deep ties with that He Wuhan, but never did I think they'd send their Pill Queen. As for you, Duan Li, it seems you Desert Shaolin have started to take our Everlasting Crypt as a joke."
"..." Wan Ru didn't say anything, her expression carrying an icy indifference as if his words meant nothing.
Master Duan Li, on the other hand, merely showed a calm smile as he spoke with his arms clasped together.
"The way of shaolin is the way of order; fighting you Crypt Sorcerers is the most efficient way to preserve the south’s balance."
"Hahaha... Duan Li, how truly arrogant of you, I can see why you people are a part of that Southern Revolutionary Faction, truly a lot of fools. Hmph! I'll have you know that even if you do try to help, you cannot stop today's result!" Melcraze shouted in rage, his eyes shining with a dense amount of killing intent.
"All answers are found through time," Master Duan Li said with a smile.
Melcraze felt rage hearing those words, but he said nothing more, his attention soon turned to He Xiu, but as he noticed Feng Yu's party that protected her, his eyes had a brutal glow when he spoke coldly.
"You are that rumored rookie, Crimson Mask, right? Your fame has only been growing recently, and you have yet to earn a rightful place in the south. So, tell me, do you think that you are qualified to interfere here?"
When the crowd heard his words, many of them looked on with interest, a small commotion couldn’t help but form.
“I knew I was right, that mask did look familiar, turns out that he was actually that rumored freak.” One person said with awe.
“Huh? What so special about that Crimson Mask?” One person asked with a clueless look.
“Che! You must have been living under a rock, didn’t you know that the once famous Devil’s Nest Grand Event was ruined by him?” The previous person said.
“Huh? He’s that strong, you must be speaking nonsense, you should know that Easthaven’s Cui Family isn’t some joke.” The person said with a look of disbelief.
“I’m not stupid you know, from what I’ve heard, while It’s likely he didn’t do it alone, the fact that his name could pop up from there should be enough to prove his skill.” The person said.
The other practitioner said nothing as he looked at this scene with deep eyes, much like them, Bai Zan from the Fox Lion Commerce gave Feng Yu a good look as she thought to herself.
‘Oh, so it’s that boy, I did feel something different from him and those people around him. It’s no wonder, it looks like things might become even more interesting.’
By this time, Feng Yu had his attention onto Melcraze, his lips curved into a smile under his mask as he replied, "That's not for you to worry about; you should think about how you'll survive today's dispute."
Melcraze frowned at Feng Yu's manner, never has there been a junior that spoke to him in such a tone. He glared at Feng Yu with his sinister red eyes but said nothing more as his attention changed to Liao Xinyan, who was seemingly at ease smiling.
Ignoring everyone else, Feng Yu and the others had different thoughts when they saw the current scene.
"Young master, there's a lot more than I thought; it looks like things will get messy." Dai Lin said with a flicker of lightning in his eyes.
Feng Yu shook his head and replied, "It doesn't matter; we only need to protect He Xiu and ensure that her token isn't stolen by another's hand. As for the rest, leave it to those of the Weavers Enclave. At worst, we'll just have to use up a bit of our card in hands."
"Understood." Dai Lin, Miren Fei, Lang Kuang, and the others said in reply as their eyes showed firm and confident looks as if no matter what happened, they would be able to handle it.
He Xiu naturally heard their words as she stood between them; she gave them grateful looks as she spoke, "Thank you."
The others smiled as Feng Yu smirked and replied, "It's nothing; this is what friends are supposed to do."
"Friends... I suppose your right." He Xiu said with an enchanting smile on her face as she stared at Feng Yu's back.
Nearby, Miren Fei snorted when she saw this scene but said nothing. It seemed that she would temporarily suppress her jealousy because of the current situation.
The others pretended not to see her reaction as Leon glanced at Myria and spoke, "Have you already queued that spell?"
"Hmph! Leon quit asking what you should already know!" Myria snapped, seemingly still upset with him over something.
"Che! Forget that I asked." Leon replied with a look of discontent in his eyes. His attention and everyone else once more focused on the enemies around them.
Toram, Tira, and Tiana had more serious looks than their normal times; they could feel that the strength of those gathered wasn't inferior to their past enemies, with many being superior.
Aa dark mood rose in the air as no one spoke for a while, the scene now no different from a classic standoff with one side surrounded by more numerous forces.
The audience that observed from the safe zones of the formation array looked at this in surprise. They all knew the fierce reputations of those that stood out. As such, they knew that things wouldn't end well for the Weavers Enclave.
Nevertheless, despite the current scene, the faces of Tao Shen, Pan Shin, Pan Mang, and Hai Jinren were one of calmness as they eyed those who stepped out with icy expressions.
"Hmph! Those bastards, I can't believe that I took time to escort them here." Tao Shen cursed under his breath when he glared at Jin Teng from the Black Sand Commerce.
"Hehe, Junior Brother Tao, it seems your luck has always been the poorest out of each of us. You better make sure to clean up the mess this time." Pan Shan said with a light giggle.
"I certainly will," Tao Shen said as he held onto his golden wristbands with a sharp glimmer in his pupils.
Pan Mang gave them a look, but his eyes soon shifted towards the faces of Hai Jinren and Liao Xinyan, who was now glaring at those who stepped to aid Melcraze.
Liao Xin
yan had an icy expression on his face as he stared at these parties. He eyed each of them along with the Black Sand Commerce, Iron Blood Union, and those of the Fox Lion Commerce with a cold expression before he started to speak.
"Shall I take it that you're all thinking of interfering with today's affairs?"
The tension grew stronger as the silence grew deafening, but that didn't last long as Jin Teng and Rui Wen who stood behind their group of hired hands observed the scene with deep eyes.
They looked at each other before one of them spoke with a mocking tone, "Oh dear, I'm sorry to say this, Sir Liao, but our Black Sand Commerce haven't been pleased with your customer service. We didn't think one of your guests would have the gall to embarrass us. To compensate for this affair, you must hand over the secrets of your weaving and that man named Crimson Mask. Only then can we consider keeping our hands out of these muddy waters, but if not..."
Jin Teng didn't say anything more, but it was clear that he wouldn't back down from his tone.
Tao Shen's eyes turned like ice as he heard Jin Teng's words, but he said nothing as his fists clenched tighter, causing his early True Foundation realm energies to emit from his body slightly. Still, as if the betrayal of the Black Sand Commerce was only the beginning, another voice sounded across the room.
"Hahaha! Don't try to scare me Blood Thread Liao, for I Zan Jin have never feared death. Today, you will hand over that Spiral Palace Seal. Otherwise, I will show no mercy!" Zan Jin said with a brute-like laugher as his muscles rippled, he reached his arms to his side, resting it on top of one of his gourds.
Hai Jinren frowned at those words as he spoke out with rage, "Zan Jin, don't you think that because your clan had a past connection with 'that influence’ we of the enclave shall give you pardon!"
"Hmph! Whether we are still connected or not to those bastards is none of your concern!" Zan Jin said with a snort; his eyes shone with dense killing intent; he marked Hai Jinren down as his first target.
Liao Xinyan said nothing in reply to Zan Jin's stance; his eyes instead wandered towards the others, awaiting their response. Suddenly, two creepy laughing noises sounded as the Grim Dust Brother stared at Liao Xinyan before showing a cruel smirk as they spoke out.
"Kikikiki, Esteemed Warrior Liao, you're making it sound like such a big deal. We brothers have always been hired hands; we need no justification for our means," Lex said as he stood with his arms crossed.
Gram who stood by his side, reaching only up to his waist, snickered as he licked his lips before speaking.
"Kukuku, Brother Lex is right. Besides, I've always wanted to taste the blood of you, Weavers. Kuku, it should be quite delicious..."
Liao Xinyan and the others' eyes coldly narrowed as they heard those words, but no one said anything. Liao Xinyan then shifted his attention to the Dune Witch Elma and her witches; she made a sly look as she spoke.
"Hehe... boy, you should know that those of the Black Dunes will always stick together."
As Elma said this, both she and her squad of witches laughed in an eerie manner, sending a chill down any of the onlooker's spine.
"Huhu... I Yin Ran also share the same sentiments! Besides, my Iron Blood Union have been running low on a suitable collection of slaves; I think that you Tread Weaver's should make a fine addition to the batch..." The well dressed and sly looking middle-aged man with a turban said he sat within his group of slaves.
The onlookers looked at this scene in alarm, but none of them dared to say anything as they continued to observe from the safe zones. Their faces rand with sweat as they knew that the battle here was only moments from beginning.
Eventually, there was only one force left being those on the side of the Fox Lion Commerce. Everyone turned their attention to them, with pondering gazes, even Liao Xinyan had a look of uncertainty in his eyes; Melcraze was no different as he thought to himself.
'Those Fox Lions, they better not stick their noses into these waters!'
The silence lasted for a little while until finally, the beautiful Bai Zan stood to her feet with her group. She then stared at the others and smiled before speaking, "We of the Fox Lion Commerce are similarly interested in that item of yours. But..."
When Bai Zan said those words, the faces of Hai Jinren and the others turned a bit dark, but as they saw that she didn't finish, they waited before making the final judgment.
Bai Zan made a mysterious smile before she turned around and gracefully walked towards the corner of the room as she spoke, "I am not interested in fighting with you men for its use, so I shall temporarily be taking my leave. Hehe, maybe, after this affair, I'll visit you once more for a different form of trade."
As she said her part, Bai Zan had already arrived at the edge of the room along with her strange white-haired attendant. Not long after, both were protected by the same protection barrier.
Hai Jinren had a look of relief on his face, but that also followed with a dark look as he said, "It's a good thing that they didn't participate; otherwise, we'd need to pull out too many troublesome cards."
Tao Shen and the others also nodded in agreement with his words, while Liao Xinyan showed no expression changes.
Melcraze also stared at the direction Bai Zan had left but said nothing in the end, his eyes turning once more onto Liao Xinyan as he spoke, "Huhu, so Blood Thread Liao, what is your decision?"
A mild wind blew as it brushed across the tense scene rustling everyone's cloth and hair; Pan Shen, Pan Mang, Tao Shen, Hai Jinren, along with He Xiu, Feng Yu, and his party stared at Liao Xinyan with calmness as they waited for his words.
Soon, Liao Xinyan's expression turned to that of a cold smile as he looked at Melcraze and their enemies replied, "Since you've all chosen to fight us for our enemies, then we'll hold nothing back! Prepare yourselves to face our wrath!"
With those words said, Liao Xinyan's body exploded with his Half Step True Soul realm energies rising to its peak; Hai Jinren also had two long sowing needles in his arms, spinning them as one would two blades as his eyes shone in a bad light. His strength rose to as high as a Peak Level Initial Rank Warrior realm expert.
Pan Shin and Pen Mang also erupted with their auras that climbed to the True Foundation realm's Sixth and Seventh levels, leaving only Tao Shen, a Third Tier True Foundation realm expert.
Feng Yu, Dai Lin, and the others had also readied themselves, but due to their masks' properties, everything except their cultivation levels was vague, making it hard to understand.
On the Black Sand Commerce side, both Jin Teng and Rui Wen had cold smiles as they saw Feng Yu power-up; they smirked while speaking.
"Heh, so he was only a brat at the Aura Disciple realm; this further proves my point about how they defeated those Desert Lard Kings, the core power for their group is none other than that dwarf and fairy. Mr. Krell, we hope you can take them down."
"Leave it to us; they won't survive our onslaught!" Krell said with a cruel grin on his face as he lifted his battle axe and licked the blade with his lizard-like tongue.
Melcraze had a dark expression on his face; his figure began to release a terrifying amount of warrior battle qi as the cloth on his body rustled widely. Soon, the wrapping's over his skin moved about as if they had a life of their own as his qi shrouded each strand.
"Blood Tread Liao, you truly know no limits to your arrogance! Since you're determined, then let's see what you can do to resist our attack. Begin!"
With his menacing shout, shocking auras exploded from all sides, crashing into the different energies released by the Weaver's Enclave and its allies; an explosion formed due to the clash of chaotic auras as the scene here transformed into one no different from a disaster.
Chapter 308
The Battle Begins, Clash of Leaders
A startling series of explosive booms sounded when the battle between all sides had finally begun. Melcraze, who had gathered his power to the peak, vanished as he charged directly towards He Xiu's direction. In a flash, he
had appeared directly above them and stretched his arm forward as the cloth on his body rippled due to his immense battle qi.
"You're mine!" Melcraze's voice sounded as the threads around his arm unfurled as they spiralled towards He Xiu, threatening to capture her at a moment's notice.
‘Darn, he slipped by us; I can't let him succeed!'
Feng Yu thought as he only now noticed this at the very last second, Dai Lin and the others also had a similar look of alarm on their faces, but no matter, even if they acted now, it was already too late.
Suddenly, when all seemed to have been lost, a bright red light shone from the side, causing Melcraze to frowned as his eyes shifted towards that direction. He clicked his teeth angrily as his arm, which aimed towards He Xiu, pointed to the side, transforming the threads that unfurled into what seemed like a large shield.
Bang! A blast formed, which pushed Melcraze back by a considerable distance, forcing him away from He Xiu's position, moments after a figure had appeared before her and Feng Yu's party.
Feng Yu looked at the person with narrowed eyes as he thought, ‘He's strong indeed.’
'His strength truly is the half step boundary,' Dai Lin thought as everyone gave the form a look.
By now, Melcraze had already halted his steps, forcing away the energy that had previously pushed him backward. He glared at the person and yelled, "Liao Xinyan, when I was ravaging these sands you were just a snot nose boy, so don't think that you're a match for me!"
With that said, Melcraze's aura rose once more, causing the entire room to shake as if something terrible was about to unleash from his body.
Liao Xinyan then gave Feng Yu and the others a look as he spoke, "Protect her with great care, I won't be able to lend a hand again."
"Don't worry, we won't be caught off guard again," Feng Yu said with a firm look in his eyes. In truth, though they had been slightly surprised by the scene prior, if he had paid a few prices, nothing would have happened to He Xiu, but no one needed to know such details.
Dual Sword God: Book 7: The Crimson Devil of the Redlands Page 17