Seeing as even the one with the highest cultivation base among them had spoken, the others naturally couldn't raise any further objections.
"Regardless of what you came here to do, surely you won't be willing to miss out on this opportunity, right, Brother Yue? How about we go and capture that immortal zoysia together? With the legendary devilish beast hunter on our side, we should have a greater chance of capturing the immortal zoysia than everyone else. After we capture the immortal zoysia, we can split the reward between us based on individual contributions. What do you say, Brother Yue?" the woman urged with a smile.
Yue Zong's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he didn't immediately give a reply.
Xian Xian could see that Yue Zong was tempted by the offer, so she calmly reminded, "Brother Yue, we don't have much time on our hands, so we can't afford to take any detours. As for the potential reward, that's something you'll only be getting if you actually capture the immortal zoysia, whereas I've already given you half the reward that I promised to you. I'm sure you've heard the saying that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
Yue Zong hesitated momentarily before finally making a decision. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xian, I've already taken half the reward offered to me, so I'm certainly not going to change my mind. Senior Yan, I have another matter that I must attend to, so I won't be able to accompany you."
"That's alright. In all honesty, we're just trying our luck here. The outskirts of the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges are overly large, but it wouldn't be an easy task to find the immortal zoysia within the devilish Qi, so it's difficult to say who'll find it or if anyone would find it at all. Perhaps it's one of those things where those who aren't actually searching for it will stumble upon it instead. Ni'er, give Junior Yue a portrait of the immortal zoysia and a tracking formation plate," the elderly man instructed in a nonchalant manner.
The woman immediately did as she was told, pulling out a white stone tablet and a blue formation plate from within her storage bracelet. After a brief hesitation, Yue Zong still accepted the two items in the end. "Thank you, Senior Yan."
"Hehe, don't mention it. Your father and I were good friends, after all, so it's only right that I help out his beloved son," the elderly man chuckled.
Meanwhile, a hint of a smile appeared on Han Li's face, and his lips twitched slightly as he transmitted his voice to the Xian Xian. "What's this devilish Qi influx? And what's this about encountering powerful devilish beasts even in the outskirts of the mountain ranges?"
Xian Xian's expression changed minutely upon hearing this, following which she also transmitted her voice back to Han Li in reply. "Please forgive me, Senior! This devilish Qi influx will indeed slightly impact our journey, but it won't pose any substantial problems unless we venture deep into the mountain ranges. I was going to explain this after we entered the mountain ranges. How about this? After we kill the holy-grade devilish beast, I'll offer some of the materials derived from the beast to you aside from its true blood and devilish core. I hope you won't blame me for my oversight, Senior!"
As soon as Han Li raised the question, Xian Xian immediately made a concession in order to appease him.
Han Li was silent for a while before transmitting his voice to Xian Xian again, and on this occasion, his voice had turned as cold as ice.
"Out of the all of things I hate, people laying traps for me stands at the top of the list. I'll let it go this one time, but if I discover something else that you've kept from me, then our collaboration is over. I do indeed want to repair the Heavenly Devilish Armor, but I won't allow myself to be played for a fool."
Despite the frosty tone of Han Li's voice, Xian Xian heaved a sigh of relief as she knew that she had weathered that storm. At this moment, Yue Zong and the elderly man with the Yan surname began to chat about the past, and they seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. However, right at this moment, an unexpected turn of events suddenly unfolded.
As aforementioned, there were three beings at the pinnacle of the Spatial Tempering Stage present, one of whom was the elderly man with the Yan surname. As for the other two, not only were they outsiders, they were among the few beings who displayed no reaction after hearing Yue Zong's name.
However, after hearing the conversation that had just taken place earlier, they finally realized why Yue Zong was so renowned around these parts, and their eyes lit up in unison.
After a brief conversation via voice transmission, one of them abruptly rose to his feet before making his way toward Han Li's group. This was a square-headed middle-aged man with disheveled green hair, and he said in an unfriendly voice, "So you're the renowned devilish beast hunter; you must be very familiar with the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges, then."
Yue Zong's heart sank slightly, but he still replied in a voice that was neither humble nor arrogant, "That's in my past now; I haven't been in the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges for over 100 years, so I can hardly claim to be familiar with it now. Do you need something from me, Senior?"
"Nice try, but that's not going to fool me. Fellow Daoist Miao and I are going into the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges tomorrow to search for the immortal zoysia, and you have to come with us," the green-haired being said in a domineering manner.
Yue Zong and everyone around him couldn't help but falter upon hearing this. The elderly man with the Yan surname was able to remain calm, but his expression had darkened significantly as he asked, "What are you trying to do to, Fellow Daoist?"
"Nothing much, I just want to enlist the help of my little friend here. Do you have a problem?" Perhaps the green-haired being had a powerful back; in any case, he was being just as bullish and rude to the elderly man who possessed the same cultivation base as him.
Chapter 1617: Intervention
The elderly man didn't say anything in response. Instead, he turned and cast his gaze toward the green-haired being's companion. This was a being who wore a suit of silver armor that was bristling with sharp crimson spikes, all of which were emanating an odor of blood and gore.
The foreign being was appraising them with an extremely wooden expression, as if he were merely looking at a pile of dead bodies.
Even the elderly man couldn't help but shudder as he met the being's gaze.
With his vast wealth of experience, he naturally knew that this being had to have mastered some kind of extremely powerful cultivation art. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been struck by a bone-chilling sensation at the sight of a being who was of the same cultivation base as him.
The old man quickly cast his glance toward the area surrounding the foreign being to find that even though not all of the outsiders had banded together, there were over 10 beings clustered around him.
He then glanced at his own side to find that even including Han Li, Yue Zong, and the others, they only had around seven or eight people in total, and his expression became quite grim upon seeing this.
Even if all of the beings outside of the silver-armored being's group were to side with them, their numbers would still only just about break even. However, aside from the two ninth-tier upper race beings among the opposing group, there were also four uppers beings of the seventh and eighth tiers. In contrast, the only upper race being above the seventh tier aside from himself was a burly man with disheveled hair who hadn't spoken this entire time.
The elderly man heaved a faint internal sigh upon seeing this. He knew that this green-haired being only dared to act in such a bullish and demanding manner because they had an overwhelming advantage in power.
Even so, he wasn't about to back down. A steely expression appeared on his face as he said in a cold voice, "Junior Yue has some ties with me, so I won't just stand by and watch as you take him away. Also, I want to remind you that this is Lightning Cloud Town; it's not a place where you can do as you please. Even if you want to invite Junior Yue to come with you, you have to follow the rules here."
The elderly man's response seemed to be an unexpected one to the gre
en-haired being, and a cold light flashed through his eyes as he asked, "Rules? What rules?"
"In this town, if a conflict takes place between two beings, then they have to battle one another in the town's arena. The loser will have to comply with the will of the winner," the elderly man replied.
The green-haired being faltered upon hearing this before bursting into raucous laughter. "Haha, are you asking me to fight this little brat?"
"Of course not. I forgot to tell you that according to the rules of the town, only beings of similar cultivation bases can battle one another in the arena. If you insist on taking Junior Yue with you, then you'll either have to find someone of a similar cultivation base as him or I'll be fighting you in his place," the old man replied in an indifferent manner.
The green-haired being faltered upon hearing this before a sinister expression appeared on his face, and he asked, "I have to find someone of a similar cultivation base? What kind of ridiculous rules are these? What if I refuse to abide by them?"
"If you refuse to abide by the rules, then you'll be seen as a troublemaker, and the enforcer that has been deployed to this town by the panel of elders will evict you from the town, as well as ban you from ever being able to enter the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges ever again. Do you want to oppose the panel of elders, Fellow Daoist?" the elderly man countered.
"The panel of elders?" The green-haired being hesitated momentarily before casting his gaze toward the silver-armored being.
The latter furrowed his brows before suddenly raising his head and turning to someone behind him for confirmation. "Is he telling the truth? Is there really such a rule in Lightning Cloud Town?"
"I can confirm that such a rule does indeed exist, Senior Gui. However, this rule had been established ever since the town had been first constructed, and it has been many years since anyone has mentioned it."The being who had spoken wore a black hooded robe that covered his entire body, and he seemed to be rather familiar with Lightning Cloud Town.
Everyone immediately turned to him with confusion in their eyes.
This being had been enshrouded under those secretive black robes of his ever since he came to this place, and everyone had initially assumed that he was an outsider, but that didn't appear to be the case now.
"Don't change the subject. I just want to know if the enforcer deployed here by the panel of elders really will intervene if I were to try and take that man by force here," the silver-armored being asked in a cold manner.
"That's hard to say. It really depends on the personality of the enforcer. I've heard that the new enforcer that has recently been stationed here is a very dogmatic person, so there's a very high likelihood that he'll intervene," the black-robed being replied.
"In that case, I really won't be able to take him by force here. Alright, we'll do as you say then. After we get our Lightningbane Umbrellas, I will spar with you in person. If I win, then Fellow Daoist Yue has to come with me. If you win, then I'll let him go," the silver-armored being proposed.
The elderly man nodded with a grave expression upon hearing this, then turned to Yue Zong, who wore a thunderous look on his face, and said, "Junior Yue, I'll be taking part in this battle in your stead. What do you say?"
"Senior Yan, they want me to go with them; I can't drag you into my mess. I'll fight my own battles; we'll just get them to pick someone else from their side!" Yue Zong immediately shook his head.
"Pick someone else? Do I look stupid to you? Either he battles in your stead or you spar with me. Those are the only two options; there's no third alternative for you!" the green-haired being sneered before laying down his own terms in a domineering manner.
Yue Zong remained silent upon hearing this, but his expression had darkened significantly.
Han Li was spectating the situation with a calm look on his face when Xian Xian suddenly transmitted her voice to him in an urgent manner. "Senior Han, we can't let them take Fellow Daoist Yue away. Without his guidance, it'll be very unlikely for us to get to the place where the holy-grade devilish beast is hiding during this period of mass devilish Qi influx."
Han Li's expression remained unchanged as he cast a glance toward her to find that she was appraising him with an urgent look on her face.
"You think far too highly of me, Fellow Daoist. I'm just a seventh-tier upper race being; how am I supposed to be able to do anything?" Han Li turned away as he transmitted his voice in an indifferent response.
Xian Xian gritted her teeth and suddenly said something that came as quite a surprise to Han Li. "There's no need to try and fool me, Senior Han. My cultivation base is quite lackluster, but I do know some things, and I heard that you once slew several beings of the same cultivation base as you with ease while rescuing Senior Jia of the Myriad Ancient Race, which means you're most likely far more powerful than even the average ninth-tier upper race being."
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, and only after a brief silence did he transmit his voice back to her in a slightly cold reply, "Looks like you've certainly done your research. Alright, for the sake of the Heavenly Devilish Armor, I'll help you again."
"Thank you, Senior!" Xian Xian was ecstatic to hear this.
In the next instant, Han Li suddenly interjected, "Are there really only two choices? I think a third choice would be better. Fellow Daoist Yue has already promised to come with us, so you won't be taking him."
As he spoke, Han Li stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Yue Zong.
The elderly man and the people around him all exchanged surprised glances upon seeing this.
The old man then appraised Han Li again in a rather hesitant manner, clearly concerned about his cultivation base disadvantage in the face of this green-haired being.
The green-haired being faltered upon hearing this before glowering at Han Li with fury in his eyes as he threatened, "Who are you? Do you want to die? Or are you planning to spar with me in his stead?"
Before Han Li had a chance to reply, the green-haired being suddenly stepped forward, and one of his green furry hands came grabbing down toward Han Li.
As his hand swung through the air, it suddenly swelled drastically in size after the green-haired being unleashed a certain secret technique, and the five fingers spread open to encompass Han Li's entire body beneath the hand.
At the same time, yellow light flashed from his fingers as an enormous force weighed down upon Han Li.
"Look out, Fellow Daoist Han!" the elderly man cautioned, but for some reason, he intentionally delayed for a split second, thereby making it too late for him to try and save Han Li.
Meanwhile, the green-haired being's hand continued downward with devastating force. If an ordinary early-Spatial Tempering cultivator had been caught off guard by this attack, then the immense force emanating from the palm alone would be enough to completely immobilize them.
However, Han Li's physical body had reached an insane powerful level, so he certainly wasn't going to be immobilized by something like this.
Even if the pressure weighing down on his body were to increase by severalfold, it still wouldn't even be of the slightest concern to him.
At the sight of the oncoming palm, a cold smile appeared on Han Li's face, and he reached out with an inky-black hand before extending it upward.
Grey light flashed before converging to form a massive grey hand of light that materialized overhead, grabbing toward the massive yellow hand.
A violent look flashed through the green-haired being as he saw what Han Li was doing, and he roared, "Insolent brat! Kneel down before me!"
He was only using around 70% of his magic power to unleash this attack initially, but now, his magic power was circulating rapidly throughout his body, and he was no longer holding back at all as he injected all of his spiritual power into the descending palm, trying to force Han Li to his knees with this devastating attack.
Yellow light flashed from the giant palm, and it swelled in size once again as it crashed into the grey hand of l
ight.
However, in the instant, that the two massive hands clashed, a completely unexpected turn of events unfolded.
There wasn't any earth-shattering collision as everyone had anticipated. Instead, the yellow hand was simply crushed into nothingness by the grey hand amid a gentle thump.
After that, the grey hand swayed before appearing in the air above the green-haired being, and it also came crashing down in a soundless manner.
Before the hand had even reached its target, grey Divine Essencefused Light was sweeping downward ahead of it.
"Impossible!" the green-haired being exclaimed. It was incredible to him that Han Li had brushed aside his attack, and was now retaliating in kind.
In a fit of shock and fury, he abruptly clenched his fists together before throwing two punches at once toward the descending grey light with all his might.
Two yellow fist projections erupted from his hand amid a rumbling sound, heading directly toward the grey light.
However, in the instant that the first projections came into contact with the grey light, they disappeared like sandcastles in the rising tide.
A hint of astonishment appeared on the green-haired being's face, and he immediately tried to unleash a movement technique to take evasive measures.
However, the grey light that was descending slowly just a moment ago suddenly sped up drastically, reaching him at an incredible speed before sweeping up his entire body in the blink of an eye.
Chapter 1618: Crushing a Ninth-tier Being
Within the grey light, the green-haired being felt the layer of protective spiritual light around his body solidify, and he was instantly completely immobilized. In the next instant, a crushing weight crashed down onto his shoulders, and the green-haired being was completely unable to oppose it as he fell to one knee onto the ground.
The massive grey hand was actually still around half a foot away from his head, so it was weighing down on the protective spiritual light around him instead of his body, but that was still enough to completely immobilize him.
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