Chapter 577 - 573: Don’t Court Death and You Won’t Die

Chapter 577: Chapter 573: Don’t Court Death and You Won’t Die

"Are you also here to die?"

Hong Yu said flatly.

His deep blue gaze was as profound as a boundless starry sky, making his true thoughts impossible to fathom.

"Ugh!"

The three who had been about to aid Bai Luoxue froze awkwardly in the void.

The muscles on their faces twitched. Even the eyes of Mang Kun, as wily as an old fox, held a look of bitter defeat.

Who could have imagined that Bai Luoxue would be killed in an instant?

And who could have imagined that five powerhouses of the Unparalleled Genius Level, working together, would still suffer such a crushing defeat at Hong Yu’s hands?

"Forget it, forget it!"

Mang Kun sighed in dejection. Gazing at the young Hong Yu before him, he hesitated for a long moment before forcing a bitter smile. "Young friend, your combat prowess is unparalleled. I am thoroughly impressed. As for what happened today, I was deceived and led astray. I only ask that you show mercy. I will no longer stand against you!"

When they heard Mang Kun actually bow his head, compromise, and admit defeat, Xiao Shilang and Emperor Xiahuang Wudi felt no scorn. Instead, they breathed a sigh of relief.

After Hong Yu had killed Long Qingfeng and Bai Luoxue one after another, they had already lost the courage and desire to resist. They had only remained silent out of pride.

Now that Mang Kun was the first to surrender, they naturally found an out.

Xiao Shilang retracted his offensive posture, cupped his fists at Hong Yu, and said with a bitter smile, "Please, Lord Hong, for the sake of your relationship with our master, forgive us!"

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi remained sullenly silent.

There was reluctance in his eyes, but when he thought of the ruthless methods Hong Yu used to kill the two of them, he couldn’t help but say with a bitter smile, "I admit I underestimated you before. This time, my loss was well-deserved."

’Could he dare to be unconvinced?’

’Even Long Qingfeng and Bai Luoxue were dead as doornails!’

’If he kept resisting, wouldn’t he just be asking for death?’

Hong Yu sized up the three of them with a smile, then suddenly chuckled. "You should be glad you made that decision. If you had hesitated for even a second longer, I would have struck you all down."

"You..."

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi’s expression turned ugly.

’Surrendering and compromising was one thing!’

’But being forced to truly bow his head was another matter entirely!’

Hong Yu watched Emperor Xiahuang Wudi with amusement. "I know you’re not really convinced. In fact, let me tell you something... If it weren’t for my relationship with Brother Xiahuang, you and that Xiao Shilang would have been dead long ago. Honestly, you two are decent, but if I wanted to kill you, it would be effortless!"

"Hmm?"

Xiao Shilang and Emperor Xiahuang Wudi both frowned, not quite convinced.

They admitted that Hong Yu’s combat power was greater than theirs and that he could kill them, but for him to say it would be effortless...

Both of them thought he was exaggerating!

Hong Yu slowly opened his palm. BUZZ. Thirty-six arrows shimmering with red light appeared behind him. They were precisely Xiao Shilang’s Lifebound Divine Arrows.

"My Lifebound Divine Arrows? How do you have them?"

Xiao Shilang said, stunned.

Just now, he had used his Lifebound Divine Arrows in a sneak attack against Hong Yu, but he lost his connection to them in the massive explosion. He had thought the blast was so powerful that it had destroyed them.

But now it seemed that Hong Yu had actually taken his Lifebound Divine Arrows?

HISS!

After figuring this out, Xiao Shilang couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

To snatch away these Lifebound Divine Arrows in that instant and erase his own spiritual connection to them would require incredibly powerful Spiritual Power. From this, it was clear that Hong Yu’s cultivation in Spiritual Power far surpassed his own.

If Hong Yu hadn’t taken the Lifebound Divine Arrows just now but had instead sent them back, he would have mistakenly thought they were returning and let his guard down, only to be hit by a thunderous killing blow in an instant.

Xiao Shilang knew that in that situation, death would have been his only way out.

He couldn’t help but smile bitterly, now truly and completely convinced. "Thank you, Lord Hong, for sparing my life!"

"Mm."

Hong Yu nodded, then looked at Emperor Xiahuang Wudi and sneered, "Emperor Xiahuang Wudi, I know you’re not resigned to this. Here, let me show you something!"

"Hmm?"

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi froze for a moment, then his jaw dropped.

He saw that Hong Yu was holding an extremely familiar Storage Ring.

He immediately felt his hand, his expression changing drastically. He stammered, "My... my Storage Ring, how is it in your possession? When did you take it from me...?" Suddenly, Emperor Xiahuang Wudi recalled a moment when Hong Yu had brushed past him while dodging an attack. A chill ran down his spine.

In that single instant, Hong Yu had not only dodged his attack but also snatched the Storage Ring right off his hand.

What terrifying speed and skill!

With his level of power, if he had attacked him just now, there would have been absolutely no way to dodge!

At this moment, Emperor Xiahuang Wudi finally understood that when Hong Yu said "effortless," he hadn’t been bragging. If he had truly wanted to kill the two of them, he could have done it with ease.

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi smiled bitterly. "To think I’ve been opposing a character like this all along. Heh, I really brought this on myself."

"I was originally going to kill you all, but I’ve spared you for now since you knew when to quit and surrendered. However, you must promise me two things. Otherwise, just as I spared you a moment ago, I can just as easily kill you now!" Hong Yu said flatly.

Hearing this, the three of them smiled bitterly. "Please, speak!"

"These people from the Divine Venerable City... there’s no need to keep them around, is there?" Hong Yu said flatly.

The three men’s expressions changed.

They all knew Hong Yu was planning to use them as his pawns!

But the situation forced their hand, and they had no choice.

"Attack!"

Under the leadership of the three, the powerhouses from the City of Sorrow and the War Race joined forces. In just a few minutes, they slaughtered the few remaining experts from the Divine Venerable City.

Better you die than me!

In this era where the strong prey on the weak and the powerful are revered, as long as they could preserve themselves, allies were disposable.

Especially allies who no longer had any value!

"Very good."

Hong Yu nodded in satisfaction. The powerhouses of the Hong Alliance had already gathered behind him.

Hong Yu smiled. "The second thing: these twenty Essence Fetal Discs are mine. None of you are to touch them!"

"Hong Yu, aren’t you being too tyrannical?"

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi growled, grinding his teeth in anger.

Hong Yu glanced at him and said flatly, "So what if I’m bullying you? What are you going to do about it?"

"I..."

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi opened his mouth but was utterly speechless.

"Young friend, there are only nine of you. You can’t possibly use twenty Essence Fetal Discs!" Mang Kun said anxiously.

These outlying clans desperately needed to increase their strength, and the Essence Fetal Discs were the perfect choice!

Hong Yu shot him a look and said flatly, "So what if I can’t use them all? I just like to think big. With twenty, we can even take turns sitting on them. I’m happy, what can you do to me? If you’re not convinced, you’re welcome to team up and try me again!"

"I..."

Mang Kun’s face stiffened.

’Just now, he had killed two of the five of them when they’d teamed up. Now with only three, what the hell was the point of teaming up?!’

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi said, dissatisfied, "You’re just being a dog in the manger."

Hong Yu grinned and said mockingly, "I love being a dog in the manger. Not only will I not shit, I won’t even take a piss. Even if I just stand on it and whip my dick out for fun, I still won’t give it to you. What are you going to do about it?"

What are you going to do about it?

’That line again!’

Emperor Xiahuang Wudi was on the verge of exploding with rage, but the thought of Hong Yu’s methods made him hang his head like a defeated rooster.

The group of powerhouses from the Hong Alliance all grinned, suppressing the urge to burst out laughing.

For the longest time, the Hong Alliance’s experts had been the weaker party, constantly suppressed by the three major powers. They had lived under extreme pressure, facing all kinds of oppression and ridicule.

But now...

Looking at the somewhat roguish young man before them, they suddenly felt an incredible sense of vindication.

’So what if our origins are humble?’

’So what if we weren’t born in a duchy?’

’So what if our homeland is weak?’

’As long as you work hard, even someone from a humble background can swim against the current, become strong enough to defy the heavens, and be second to none!’

’As long as you work hard, a nobody can still totally crush a rich, handsome elite!’

’Weren’t you all so proud of coming from the Xiahuang Ancient Kingdom? And now, don’t you still have to grovel before us?’

Xuantian Du rubbed his nose. He suddenly felt that joining the Hong Alliance had been an absolutely correct decision!

Facing the almost scoundrel-like Hong Yu, Mang Kun and the others were utterly helpless.

Xiao Shilang’s eyes flickered. After a moment of thought, he spoke up, "Lord Hong, I have a suggestion, though I’m not sure if I should say it."

"Let’s hear it," Hong Yu said with a nod.

Xiao Shilang said, "There are only nine of you, so occupying nine Essence Fetal Discs is actually enough. Furthermore, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here is thick and hazy, faintly forming a Trapping Array. I’m afraid that if we don’t absorb most of this Spiritual Qi, we won’t be able to advance. What I mean is, you can keep nine of the Essence Fetal Disc spots, and we will pay a sufficient price to exchange for the remaining eleven. What do you think?"

"That’s right, we are willing to pay with treasures!" Mang Kun’s eyes lit up as he quickly added.

"Oh? You want to purchase spots for the Essence Fetal Discs?"

Hong Yu said with amusement.

His cunning smile made them realize that this had been his plan all along!

Xiao Shilang smiled bitterly. "We are willing to pay a sufficient price in exchange for the spots!"

"Well then, let’s hear it. What can you offer?" Hong Yu said flatly.

"My City of Sorrow is willing to exchange three hundred Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills for the spots," Xiao Shilang said.

Three hundred Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills!

This was already an incredibly expensive price, enough to forcibly groom many Primordial Embryo Realm Powerhouses.

Mang Kun hesitated for a moment. "My War Race doesn’t know Alchemy, but over the years, we have accumulated quite a few Heaven and Earth Spirit Essences and other rare treasures. We are willing to make an equivalent exchange!"

Faced with such a tempting offer, Hong Yu just shook his head and shrugged. "Not enough. This is far from enough."

"Then what do you want?"

The three of them smiled bitterly.

Seeing Hong Yu’s expression, they knew they were going to have to bleed a lot this time.

Hong Yu held up one finger and wagged it. "One spot, in exchange for one thousand Fifth-Grade Spirit Pills, three Fifth-Grade Primordial Weapons, and one Fifth-Grade Technique, Martial Skill, or Secret Technique. Of course, you can also offer treasures of equivalent value."

Seeing the three men’s faces darken and that they were about to speak, Hong Yu said flatly, "This is a small business, no bargaining. Either you buy, or you can wait here while we absorb this and break through, and then continue exploring!"

Looking at Hong Yu, who was no longer paying them any mind, the three men’s faces were so dark they could have dripped water.

They had expected Hong Yu to ask for an exorbitant price, but they never thought his appetite would be this huge.

But what could they do now?

Other than obediently forking over the money, their only other option was to return empty-handed.

Helpless, the three of them plugged their noses and agreed to the terms.

The War Race had a long history in the True Dragon Battlefield and possessed an extremely deep foundation. Even so, this nearly bankrupted Mang Kun and the other eight War Race powerhouses.

Xiao Shilang was the number one strategist and also played the role of Chief Steward, controlling ninety percent of the City of Sorrow’s resources. He handed over the items, the cost making him physically ache.

In the end, the War Race got six spots, and the City of Sorrow got five.

Looking at Hong Yu, who was returning fully loaded and completely satisfied, the three of them all had the same thought: ’If you don’t court death, you won’t die. If we had known, we would have just agreed to Hong Yu’s previous demand. We could have gotten a few Essence Fetal Discs for free.’

But there’s no medicine for regret in this world.

Helpless, they could only arrange for their respective powerhouses to enter the Essence Fetal Discs to cultivate.

However...

None of the three knew that something even more outrageous was about to happen soon!