Chapter 771: Die Together

“What’s going on?” Sensing the upheaval around them, everyone in the square cried out in alarm.

But no one answered their panicked questions. The ground beneath them trembled relentlessly as a violent Spiritual Power Vortex began to rage between heaven and earth. Wave after wave of immense Energy—so powerful that even Xue Chentian felt a pang of fear—slammed into the earth, like the precursor to a volcanic eruption.

“What have you done?” Xue Chentian glared at Shen Haoran and barked. A moment ago, he had only seen Shen Haoran form a few Seal Techniques with his hands, and then the ground beneath them had erupted in chaos.

“Oh, nothing. I just detonated a little Array, that’s all. No need to worry, everyone!” Shen Haoran said, looking at the crowd with a grin.

“A ‘little’ Array?” Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, the surrounding Martial Artists all furrowed their brows. ‘A little Array could cause such a huge disturbance? He’s got to be kidding.’

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. There’s a millennium-old Spirit Vein beneath the Five Elements Sect, and that Array is right inside it. For now, I’ve only detonated the Array on the surface of the Spirit Vein. There’s another layer hidden deep within it. If I detonate that second Array as well… well, you can imagine what would happen, can’t you?” Shen Haoran continued, the corners of his lips twisting into a wicked smile.

“What!” Upon hearing Shen Haoran’s words, the Martial Artists in the square erupted into an uproar. Everyone stared at him, their faces masks of pure shock.

“Are you insane?! You’re courting death!” someone couldn’t help but curse. People had to understand, that was a millennium-old Spirit Vein down there! What did that even mean? A Spirit Vein takes tens of thousands of years to form. After another thousand years of absorbing and accumulating power, the Energy contained within reaches a terrifying level. For those who still couldn’t grasp the scale, here’s a simple example: the Energy in a ten-year-old Spirit Vein is enough to help an ordinary person break through directly to the Spirit Emperor realm. A hundred-year-old Spirit Vein could allow a person to break through directly to the Spirit Emperor realm. And a millennium-old Spirit Vein? That was equivalent to *ten* Spirit Emperor Powerhouses! Detonating it would be like having ten Spirit Emperor Powerhouses self-destruct simultaneously. Who could possibly withstand that kind of power?

Xue Chentian also stared at Shen Haoran in shock. As leaders of major Sect Powers, they knew better than anyone the sheer amount of Energy a millennium-old Spirit Vein contained. If Shen Haoran detonated it, forget the Five Elements Sect—the entire Red Flame Mountain Range would likely be razed to the ground. Ten Spirit Emperor Powerhouses self-destructing… even the most powerful Martial Artist wouldn’t dare claim they could survive that.

“Have you not considered the consequences of this? Can you bear them?” Xue Chentian asked, his face grim as he stared at Shen Haoran. At this moment, he finally understood the source of the Energy that had made his heart palpitate. ‘This Shen Haoran is truly insane. He actually dares to threaten to detonate a millennium-old Spirit Vein. If it’s accidentally set off completely, everyone here will die, including me.’

“Consequences? What consequences? The worst-case scenario is that I die along with all of you. My Five Elements Sect is besieged on all sides and was going to be devoured by you sooner or later anyway. Since that’s the case, I might as well take a few of you down with me. Breaking even on one, making a profit on two. Having all the leaders of the Southern Domain’s Sect Powers for company in death… that would be quite a bit of face for my Five Elements Sect, wouldn’t you agree?” Shen Haoran said slowly, his expression utterly nonchalant.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, the faces of everyone present turned black. They all thought that Shen Haoran was far too crazy to even contemplate such a thing.

“He’s mad! Utterly mad! If you want to die, don’t drag us down with you! We have nothing to do with this!” the Martial Artists from the smaller Sects yelled in vexation. They were now filled with regret. ‘Why did we come here? Why did we have to run into this lunatic?’

“Nothing to do with it? Weren’t you all standing against my Five Elements Sect just a moment ago? In the face of immense profit, I don’t believe for a second you’d be able to stay on the sidelines. I will naturally eliminate anyone who poses a threat to my Five Elements Sect!” Shen Haoran said coldly, his gaze sweeping over those Martial Artists.

“What is it you really want?” Xue Chentian asked, suppressing the shock in his heart and staring intently at Shen Haoran. ‘He wouldn’t cause such a massive disturbance without a goal.’

“Now that’s the smart Xue Alliance Master I know. I’m an easy person to talk to. As long as we can negotiate, I might just let you all leave,” Shen Haoran said with a chuckle, looking at the assembled leaders.

“Negotiate? What do you want?” Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, everyone’s brows knitted together.

“It’s simple. You name your price. What price do you think your lives are worth? As long as I’m satisfied, I’ll naturally let you leave safely. If anyone dares to try and escape, I’ll detonate the Array below immediately. Don’t doubt my nerve. You’re welcome to test me!” Shen Haoran’s face and eyes were filled with a crazed light.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, the faces of everyone present went dark. This was blackmail, pure and simple. They had originally thought the Five Elements Sect’s banquet would just be about a major shift in the power structure of the Southern Domain. They had thought the Blood Evil Alliance would seize the title of overlord and carve up the Five Elements Sect. They had thought… But all of that was just their own assumption. They never dreamed that Shen Haoran would pull a stunt like this.

Xue Chentian’s expression was so dark it looked like storm clouds were about to burst. He had made all the preparations before coming. Right now, the Blood Evil Alliance’s Martial Artists were lying in ambush at the foot of the Red Flame Mountain Range, waiting for his command to slaughter everyone in the Five Elements Sect. His Blood Evil Alliance would then dominate the Southern Domain, unrivaled and supreme. It was all so perfect. But Shen Haoran’s sudden, unexpected move had shattered his wonderful dream!

“The Palace Master of Sword Control Palace, and Miss Zi. You two can leave. The farther the better. I wouldn’t want to injure any innocents,” Shen Haoran said to Jiannan Chun and Zi Yuexi. These two hadn’t stood against the Five Elements Sect, and he had no desire to harm the innocent.

“Why do they get to leave?!” Hearing that Shen Haoran was letting Jiannan Chun of the Sword Control Palace and Zi Yuexi go, the other Martial Artists were instantly disgruntled.

“Shut the hell up!” Shen Haoran roared. “One more word of nonsense and believe me, I’ll detonate it right now! We can all die together!” His outburst immediately silenced the group of Martial Artists.

“Now, start bidding. I trust you’ll all give it some serious thought,” Shen Haoran said coolly, seeing that the sect leaders had fallen silent.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, the Martial Artists reluctantly bowed their heads and began to ponder. They had no way to resist. Judging by the crazed look on Shen Haoran’s face, they didn’t dare gamble on whether he would actually go through with it. After all, the situation was just as he’d described: the Five Elements Sect had nothing to lose, while they had everything. The lives of the Five Elements Sect members might be worthless now, but their own lives were priceless. For the moment, they had no choice but to submit…