Kill Xu Lai!?

Following Li Sanbai's words, the summit of Mount Fu fell eerily silent as all eyes subconsciously turned toward Xu Lai. Their expressions varied, showing complexity, reluctance, and silence. But most were chillingly cold, especially those of the several Eighth Grade Martial Ancestors from Jiangbei and the Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor Zou Qingsheng, whose gazes were like the winter frost.

That look... it was as if they were staring at a dead man!

Although Zou Qingsheng had fought Xu Lai before and knew his Boundary was unfathomable, he believed that at Xu Lai's age, the late or peak Ninth Grade had to be his limit. This meant that if they all joined forces, they had a chance to kill Xu Lai.

Zou Qingsheng spoke softly, "Everyone, you all heard him. We are trapped in this situation because of Xu Lai. If we join forces to kill—"

Before he could finish, Dongfang Xun, who had been kneeling before Xu Lai, rose to his feet and retorted, "Are you a fool? How can you trust a word Li Sanbai says? He's clearly trying to make us kill each other!"

Profoundly disappointed, Dongfang Xun no longer referred to Li Sanbai as his master.

Li Sanbai noticed this detail but showed no change in emotion. He admitted candidly, "That's right. I am trying to make you kill each other. My master wishes to see this little show."

"Your master..."

The pupils of everyone present constricted. Aside from Dongfang Xun, no one knew who Li Sanbai's master really was. Yet a man of Li Sanbai's strength was actually the servant of some great figure... and this figure was now lurking in the shadows, watching them like a venomous snake. The mere thought made them all shudder.

Zou Qingsheng asked, "If we kill only Xu Lai, will you let us go? And will you also let everyone else on the mountain leave?"

He didn't want to die. He wanted to live. Therefore, Zou Qingsheng had to find a way to rally Gao He and the other Eighth and Ninth Grade Martial Ancestors to his side. Only by cloaking their actions in righteousness could he get everyone to act without guilt.

A heavy stone sank in Dongfang Xun's heart. He swallowed hard, his mouth parched, but he was powerless to stop Li Sanbai from speaking and carrying out this divisive ploy.

"Yes, my master says you may," Li Sanbai said with a smile. "So, you have about one minute to consider."

He began to count down from sixty.

"Did you hear that?" Zou Qingsheng's face lit up with joy as he barked. "The death of one man, Xu Lai, can save over 2,000 people! Haven't you made your decision yet?"

Kill one to save thousands. But if they don't, everyone dies.

The faces of the Eighth and Ninth Grade Martial Ancestors on the summit were fraught with indecision. Soon, some made their choice. Zou Qingsheng was the first to take three steps forward. He was followed by seven Eighth Grade Martial Ancestors, six of whom were from Jiangbei. The last one had been dispatched from another region.

"Senior Xu, I truly don't wish to do this," the Martial Ancestor from the other region said, his expression pained. "But for the sake of the more than 2,000 lives at the foot of the mountain, I must ask you to accept death!"

Amid the hesitation, three more people stepped forward, leaving only Gao He and four others who held their ground.

"You..." Su Daiyi's pretty face paled.

She had thought they would all stand united against Li Sanbai, but she never expected some would actually turn against one of their own. Although she was an ordinary person who could only admire these larger-than-life figures from afar, Su Daiyi couldn't stop herself from retorting, "Let's not even question whether Li Sanbai is telling the truth. Just answer me this: after you kill Mr. Xu, do you really think you'll be allowed to leave here alive?"

Zou Qingsheng and the eleven people with him fell silent. No one dared to make a guarantee. They were all taking a gamble, betting that Li Sanbai—or rather, the powerful figure behind him—would keep his word.

Zou Qingsheng said viciously, "Su Daiyi, stop spouting nonsense to defend Xu Lai! For the sake of the common people, he must die!"

"Yes, for those innocent people down the mountain!" the other Martial Ancestors shouted in unison.

Gao He sighed. This is the inherent flaw of the Human Race, he thought. To claim they're acting for the greater good when it's really for themselves, hiding behind such a sanctimonious mask. How ridiculous. Truly, utterly ridiculous.

"Senior Xu, you must escape! With your strength, you should be able to break free from this Formation," Dongfang Xun urged anxiously.

He knew Xu Lai was strong, but now he was facing twelve Eighth and Ninth Grade Martial Ancestors, plus Li Sanbai, Harbour City's number one feng shui master. There was also the suppressed Blood Pool monster and—a Spirit Vein Array! No normal person could possibly withstand all that!

But Dongfang Xun didn't know that Xu Lai was no normal person.

So Xu Lai calmly said, "If you want to live, stay put. If you want to die, make your move."

"Xu Lai, we're doing this for those innocent commoners..." one of the Eighth Grade Martial Ancestors said, still trying to justify his selfishness with a righteous cause to assuage his guilt.

"Ninth Master, don't do it! Mr. Xu can definitely break the Formation!" Old Jiang Ba pleaded, his voice trembling. Among the Martial Ancestors preparing to attack Xu Lai was an Eighth Grade warrior who had once helped him.

However, the elder known as Ninth Master simply shook his head. "Li Sanbai is Harbour City's foremost feng shui master. No one can break a Formation he has laid."

Old Jiang Ba fell silent and didn't try to persuade him anymore. There are some things a person can only say once in their life. He had said his piece, and the other man hadn't listened. With that, the karmic debt from the help he'd received all those years ago was settled.

"Your minute is up," Li Sanbai reminded them softly. "Be quick now. The longer you delay, the more people will die."

Zou Qingsheng and the eleven other Martial Ancestors roared in unison, attacking Xu Lai all at once. To their surprise, they discovered that the Spiritual Energy in their bodies was no longer being drained by the Formation. They could finally use their powers!

Instantly, various Spiritual Energy attacks materialized and flew straight toward Xu Lai. There was a fiery lion, its roar earth-shattering. There was also a stalk of emerald bamboo, its leaves peeling away to fall from the sky like a rain of arrows. Of course, the most striking of all was an ice snake that radiated a bone-chilling cold. This was Zou Qingsheng's most powerful attack!

THUMP!

Gao He's heart hammered in his chest. Zou Qingsheng and the others were showing no mercy, unleashing their ultimate techniques. In that split second, a war raged in his mind, but he ultimately chose to act. He stepped forward, shielding Xu Lai with his own body!

Unfortunately, he was still suppressed by the Formation and unable to use his Spiritual Energy, making him no different from an ordinary person. How could he possibly withstand a volley of attacks that could instantly kill even a peak Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor?

Yet...

Gao He, who had resigned himself to death, did not die. All the attacks in the sky froze in place, as if time had stopped.

He stared dumbfounded at the scene before him.

What is this? Could one of the Martial Ancestors here have a time-related Talent Seed? Otherwise, why... No, that's not it. Time didn't freeze. It's Old Jiang Ba!

Gao He saw a faint light emanating from Old Jiang Ba's chest. Looking closer, he saw it was a business card with the character "Xu" written on it. The card was glowing because one of the arrows, transformed from a bamboo leaf, had stopped just an inch from Old Jiang Ba's brow.

Sensing its wearer was in mortal danger, the Magic Artifact... had activated on its own

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.