by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
Thinking of that, Long Chen said, “Lu Tianhua, you really are brazen. You ignored Pill Valley’s rules to interfere with the mundane world’s matters? Good, very good, I look favorably upon you.”
“Nonsense, what are you saying?!” Lu Tianhua immediately became uneasy. He regretted reporting his name in his fury.
He suddenly realized that when Long Chen had heard his name, his eyes had brightened slightly. It seemed he knew some things.
“Lu Tianhua, I’m not talking nonsense. I’m sure you know the best that if the Remote Heaven Gang wanted to ask for help from Pill Valley, they would have to go through the Pill Tower. And the Eastern Wasteland’s Pill Tower is supervised by you, Lu Tianhua. When you received the news, instead of reporting it to Pill Valley, you came here on your own in an attempt to get selfish profit,” said Long Chen.
Lu Tianhua was stunned. He hadn’t expected that Long Chen would know so much. Even Li Changfeng and the others were startled, as even they hadn’t known this.
“Who said I came here selfishly? I… I only came here due to the higher-ups’ orders. I came here to mediate things with kindness-”
Long Chen waved his hand, cutting him off. “Don’t you think it’s boring to spout such nonsense? You’re the one most clear on the truth. Right now, you should just say your prayers. Pray that this matter doesn’t grow any bigger. If your opponents learn about it, they’ll inform the Pill Valley’s higher-ups. Then your good days will come to an end.”
Although Lu Tianhua concealed himself well, everyone here, with the exception of Feng Xinglie, was a wily old fox. They all saw through some clues. Li Changfeng smiled, admiration in his eyes. He hadn’t expected that Long Chen would know so much at such a young age. He was even able to handle Pill Valley’s expert.
“Long Chen, don’t talk rubbish. Brother Lu Tianhua came here with good intentions to mediate things. That kindness is something that blinds the sun and the moon. No matter how you put it, being peaceful is best for everyone. If we can turn a big matter into a small matter, and then just wipe away that small matter, wouldn’t it be wonderful for all?” said Li Changfeng.
His words subtly implied that the three of them should not go too far. After all, Long Chen was standing on the right side of things, and the Xuantian Dao Sect would protect him.
He was essentially saying that if their attitudes were better, there might be some room for negotiations. But if they weren’t, then they had better be prepared for this matter to blow up into a huge one. If they made things hard on the Xuantian Dao Sect, the Xuantian Dao Sect could also make things hard for them all.
Li Changfeng’s meaning was clear. Everyone should just try to peacefully discuss a way to let this matter be, and then this matter would be over.
This counterattack of Long Chen’s was extremely effective. The one Li Changfeng had been most worried about had been Lu Tianhua, but now Lu Tianhua was caught by Long Chen. He didn’t dare to do anything more, so now this matter was easy to handle.
Furthermore, Long Chen’s guess was also entirely correct. In such a huge power like Pill Valley, who didn’t have a bunch of opponents competing with them?
Lu Tianhua was silent, indicating he was retreating from this matter. He had never seen a person like Long Chen. He was practically a madman. But the most terrifying thing was that this madman knew how to use his brain.
Long Chen was someone who dared to do anything. Before he was assured of being able to kill him, he didn’t want to provoke him further.
As soon as they saw that he didn’t speak, the other two Kings sensed things had taken a discouraging turn. The ancient races’ King said, “No matter who is right or wrong, when you look at the results, it is my ancient races that suffered the most harm. Brother Changfeng, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?”
He didn’t want to talk to Long Chen, as he had tasted the sharpness of Long Chen’s tongue. A single sentence from him could choke him, so he’d rather talk to Li Changfeng. He represented the ancient races, and even if they were in the wrong, so many of them had died. That was a slap in the face to all the ancient races, and he had to gain back some prestige. Otherwise, the ancient races’ dignity would be gone.
The ancient races and ancient family alliance’s Kings had come with the approval of their higher-ups. If they didn’t even dare to make a sound after suffering such losses, they would become the laughingstock of the cultivation world.
Li Changfeng nodded. “That is true. Just looking at the results instead of the course of events, it does seem like Long Chen went a bit too far.”
Long Chen was just about to open his mouth when Ouyang Qiuyu pulled him by the neck and clamped a hand over his mouth, not letting him say a word. She was definitely afraid of Long Chen now.
Li Changfeng pretended he didn’t see Ouyang Qiuyu’s actions, continuing, “But after all, Long Chen is young. He’s only in his early twenties, and his ability to understand right and wrong is still in the midst of developing. This matter can’t be blamed on children. If someone needs to be blamed, then the only ones to blame are the older fellows like us. We didn’t give enough care to our children.
“Long Chen, no matter what the reasons for your actions were, you killed too many people, and that’s wrong. Even if it was justified, it’s not justified to kill so many. For peace and harmony, split a few of your yuan spirit stones with them as an apology. You shouldn’t feel so aggrieved. As they’re all people with status and prestige, they have to maintain their dignity no matter what. You’ll understand when you grow up, so be a good child!”
Li Changfeng talked gently as if he was chiding a child and telling him to apologize. There was no way around that, as Long Chen was only amenable to soft coaxing like this. If he pushed him too hard, it would be over.
Only then did Ouyang Qiuyu let go of him, letting him speak. Looking at Ouyang Qiuyu’s beseeching expression, Long Chen sighed.
“Fine, an arm can’t beat a leg, and a man can’t beat a pack of wolves. Considering the sect master’s face, I’ll bring out everything I have.” A bitter expression of pain washed over Long Chen’s face.
The three Kings were delighted. Long Chen had formed a relationship with the aboriginals in the Immemorial Path, so they had definitely gifted him quite a few yuan spirit stones. Just from the yuan spirit stones supporting the grand protective formation, it was clear Long Chen had to have an enormous amount.
“Ah, thank you. You know, the truth is that we were all ordered by our higher-ups and had no choice but to come here. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have thrown away our face to make things hard on a child…” said the ancient family alliance’s King.
“Exactly, we were also forced. After all, we’re all people with certain statuses, and we had no choice… ah, I won’t talk about it,” said the ancient races’ King. But the light shining in his eyes completely sold him out.
“Good child, we definitely won’t let you suffer. If you need anything in the future, just send a message to Pill Valley. I, Lu Tianhua, will definitely come to support you…”
When Long Chen had said that he would bring out everything, Lu Minghan’s expression had changed, and he had been about to say something when Li Changfeng stopped him with a look.
“Here, this is everything I have. From now on, we can unite and work together peacefully.” Long Chen extended a hand, ignoring their nonsense. That pained expression was still on his face.
When the three of them saw what was in Long Chen’s hands, their applause and praise came to a sudden stop, and their expressions turned incredibly ugly. “Are you trying to dupe us!?”
[1] The Lu character in Lu Tianhua is a different one from Lu Minghan.
Chapter 957 No Need to Pay When You Play Someone to Death
Sparkling yuan spirit stones lay in Long Chen’s hand. They were definitely yuan spirit stones, as their specific spiritual yuan seeped out of them. However… there were only three pieces of them in his hand.
Yes, just
three. The three Kings glared at him, their eyes almost spitting flames.
Thinking of how Long Chen had put on such a pained expression, then adding on their previous expressions of delight, these three yuan spirit stones were a resounding slap in the face.
“Who has time to dupe you? Everything else I had was used on the protective formation. Now, I only have these three. They’re the only ones I have for my own use,” raged Long Chen.
The three of them didn’t believe a word he said. He was clearly being a cheapskate, but they were powerless to do anything.
“Hand over your spatial ring and let us investigate it! If there really is nothing, we’ll leave!” said the ancient family alliance’s King, his eye on the spatial ring Long Chen was wearing.
Long Chen’s ‘expression suddenly changed’, and he shouted, “Fuck off, why should I let you investigate my spatial ring? It’s mine!”
The three of them immediately assumed he had to have plenty of yuan spirit stones in his spatial ring. The ancient races’ King shouted, “Hmph, if you really were telling the truth, then hand over your spatial ring. If you really don’t have any, we’ll leave just like this.”
“You… you really are intolerable bullies! Lu Tianhua, what do you say?” demanded Long Chen.
Lu Tianhua immediately became stuck in an awkward position. Although he was greedy for Long Chen’s yuan spirit stones, he also felt that offending a madman like Long Chen wasn’t a smart decision. The gains might not make up for the losses.
But in the end, he stood with the other two, thickening his face and saying, “Long Chen, don’t make a fuss. It’s rude to try duping people as prestigious as us.”
Ouyang Qiuyu sighed inside. A small Sea Expansion brat had forced a King to this point, making it so he could only say such cowardly words. Perhaps only Long Chen was capable of that.
Lu Tianhua continued, “But we won’t bully you. You killed two of my beloved apprentices and exterminated countless members of the ancient races and ancient families’ disciples. How about you just split us half the yuan spirit stones in your spatial ring?”
Li Changfeng nodded inside. Lu Tianhua had already conceded. Li Changfeng’s guess was that since Long Chen could use over a thousand yuan spirit stones on the protective formation, he had to have at least around ten thousand yuan spirit stones.
Parting with half of them might be a bit painful, but Long Chen really had caused too much trouble this time. Even his heart was pounding hard. If this matter could be settled just like this, it was probably the best case scenario.
“Alright, those are your own words! Here!”
Long Chen harrumphed and took off his spatial ring, tossing it to Lu Tianhua. Lu Tianhua extended his divine sense into it, and his expression instantly became exceedingly ugly.
This spatial ring was incredibly precious. It had reached the Treasure item level. The space inside was dozens of miles wide, and there were even tens of Treasure items inside it. The medicinal pills, armor, and materials inside were innumerable.
There was a yuan spirit stone inside. Yes, just one. It lay there, isolated and alone. Its sparkling light was like a silent laugh of derision.
“Hmph, you’re the one who said that you would only take half. Originally, I only had four yuan spirit stones after setting up the grand formation, so now you have to give me back one of the three I gave you. Then I can properly hoard those two yuan spirit stones,” sneered Long Chen.
Long Chen had long since expected such a scene. All his valuables were within the primal chaos space. This spatial ring was just bait for others.
With just a thought, he could move items from the spatial ring to his primal chaos space. The spaces and treasures inside were essentially connected.
To make his spatial ring seem more real, he had even added a few Treasure items. But they were all garbage. Most of them were damaged. Considering what had happened in the Immemorial Path, it would only make sense for him to have some battle spoils. If he didn’t even put one Treasure item inside, it would appear fake.
As for the Treasure items obtained in the battle against the Corrupt path, they had all been given to Ouyang Qiuyu. The King items had broken, and Long Chen hadn’t kept any of the Treasure items. They had all been left for Ouyang Qiuyu so that she could raise the Xuantian Dao Sect in the future.
“I don’t believe you! You definitely left your yuan spirit stones on one of your confidants!” raged the ancient races’ King when Lu Tianhua passed him the spatial ring.
“Idiot, yuan spirit stones are spiritual treasures of heaven and earth. Only my Treasure-class spatial ring is able to just barely manage to store the yuan spirit stones. The others don’t have such a high-level spatial ring,” sneered Long Chen.
Hearing that, they realized it was the truth. Was that supposed to mean Long Chen only had this spatial ring? Then they would basically be leaving empty-handed.
Furthermore, from his confidence, he didn't seem afraid of them investigating further. Then thinking of his feigned ‘changed expression’, they all realized they had been duped. They had already promised that they would leave like this. To go back on their word was just smearing themselves.
“Which one of you was the one who said-”
Long Chen was just about to continue pushing them when Li Changfeng suddenly said, “Long Chen, there’s no longer any need for you to stay here. Bring our two guests to experience the Xuantian Dao Sect’s scenery. Don’t neglect your respected guests.”
Li Changfeng also realized that no one could force Long Chen to spit out more yuan spirit stones if he didn’t want to. He directly began to act as if Long Chen really didn’t have any more of them.
There was no longer any need for Long Chen to stay here. This disobedient disciple should be sent off as quickly as possible. Only once he was gone would this matter be easier to settle.
“Alright, then disciple will take his leave.” Long Chen bowed slightly to Li Changfeng. After all, the feeling he got from Li Changfeng wasn’t that bad. He was someone worthy of respect.
Ling Yunzi and Feng Xinglie disapproved of this kind of negotiation, especially Feng Xinglie. He was sneering disdainfully at their display.
The three of them left. Ling Yunzi said, “Long Chen, you can accompany senior brother Feng for now. I came over here not just to see you, but also to see Zifeng. I’ll go see him first.”
Once Ling Yunzi had left, Feng Xinglie patted Long Chen on the shoulder and said, “Brat you have some guts. I like it.”
Feng Xinglie greatly appreciated Long Chen. He had always thought only the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect could raise a figure like him who was unafraid of heaven or earth.
“Third uncle, you came this time to…?” probed Long Chen.
“Come, let’s find a place to talk.”
Long Chen hadn’t expected that the place Feng Xinglie would choose was a secluded valley outside of the Xuantian Dao Sect. On the way, Long Chen learned that when Feng Xinglie had been roused out of meditation to go handle his matter, he had irritably started a fight with his senior who had ordered him. Unable to defeat the senior, he could only dejectedly come over.
“Hehe, I was pretty pissed when I got here, but now I’m happy. I didn’t expect you to be this mature,” laughed Feng Xinglie.
“Third uncle, you rushed all the way here over for this little one…” Long Chen was grateful. He hadn’t expected the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect to look after him so well.
“Don’t talk about such useless things. The matter from the Jiuli secret realm has already passed. Our Heaven Splitting Battle Sect protects its people, but that also depends on the person. Our disciples have to be tough and courageous. A greedy little fellow willing to work together with others to kill someone for greed can’t count as a disciple of my Heaven Splitting Battle Sect. The fact that you killed him is a good thing, or it’s unknown how much embarrassment he would have brought to the sect in the future.
“That little fellow transmit
ted the second form of Split the Heavens to you last time, and he also received some benefits from you and returned to the sect. When he did, the sect found you to be a hotblooded man who cares for ties and relationships. And so it was decided that we would not pursue you for learning Split the Heavens. Furthermore, you were pretty good, killing expert after expert during this time. The higher-ups are satisfied, especially with what you did in the Immemorial Path. To tell the truth, the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect needs fearless geniuses like you. Your ability to cause trouble is perfect. Even the old man said that although you haven’t formally been accepted into the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect, you will still be viewed as one of our disciples,” said Feng Xinglie.
Long Chen really hadn’t expected the Heaven Splitting Battle Sect to be so magnanimous and understanding. Instead of finding trouble for him because he had killed one of their disciples, they took him in as one of their own.
“Come, don’t just stupidly stand there. Use the second form of Split the Heavens with your full power,” said Feng Xinglie.
“Full power?”
“What? Are you afraid you’ll kill me? Hmph, the stronger your attack, the better! If you satisfy me, I’ll give you a pleasant surprise.”
Long Chen laughed at himself. What was he worrying about? Feng Xinglie was a king, and he wasn’t able to threaten him.
“Then be careful.” Long Chen took a deep breath. Taking out Blooddrinker, a fierce aura soared into the sky.
“Come, don’t disappoint me.”
Long Chen’s divine ring appeared behind him, four stars revolved in his eyes, and green scales covered his body. His aura continued to rise over time, causing intense rumbling.
“Good brat, you have some skill!” praised Feng Xinglie.
The reason he was so excited wasn’t because of how powerful Long Chen’s aura was, but because of that terrifying will erupting from the depths of Long Chen’s soul. That will could shatter the world and perfectly accorded with the will of Split the Heavens.
“Split the Heavens 2!”
