Chapter 564: Hand Over the Spirit Stones and Leave

Chapter 564 -526: Hand Over the Spirit Stones and Leave

‘Chen Che of Jinyun Valley! Isn’t the battle with the Primordial Sect still raging? How does he have the time to be here? Right, the Primordial Sect has probably been defeated, and he’s preparing to flee, so he came specifically to retrieve his Spirit Pet, right?’

‘Or is there some other reason?’

Yuchi Hao’s mind raced as he weighed countless possibilities.

However, he was old and shrewd.

He knew full well that although Chen Che was young, his fearsome reputation was built upon the corpses of Golden Core Cultivators. In this life, one must know when to yield. Being spineless might be contemptible, but it led to a long life.

“So it is Valley Master Chen in person. Forgive me for my ignorance.”

Yuchi Hao deliberated for a moment before speaking:

“Regarding the matter of the juvenile Dragon Turtle, my sincerest apologies. I was not aware that it was the Valley Master’s Demon Pet. However, not only have I not mistreated it, but I have also fed it many Celestial and Earthly Treasures these past few days. I hope the Valley Master can forgive me.”

“As for Jinghai Island Reef, we are willing to withdraw immediately. Of course, all the ore we have mined during this time will be returned at once.”

Unsure of Chen Che’s intentions, Yuchi Hao took a very humble stance.

Moreover, he truly did not wish to provoke such an existence.

The Golden Core Cultivators from the other races remained silent. Yuchi Hao was their nominal leader, so it was best to let him handle the negotiations.

“Is that all?”

Chen Che glanced at him coolly. “With just a few words, you absolve yourself of all responsibility without paying any price. Where in the world is anything ever that simple?”

“Valley Master Chen, name your price. I am willing to make amends.”

Yuchi Hao said directly.

Chen Che gently stroked the turtle’s head. Learning from the consciousness transmitted by the Juvenile Turtle that Yuchi Hao had not been lying, he said lightly:

“One hundred thousand Spirit Stones per Golden Core, five thousand per Foundation Establishment, and eight hundred per Qi Refining. You can leave after you pay. This is the price for illegally mining ore here all this time. After this, I will not pursue the matter further.”

“Of course, you can choose not to pay. In that case, you will all labor on this island reef until your debt is paid. Only then will you be allowed to leave.”

“What?”

“This is sheer extortion! He’s just bullying us!”

“Whoa, he’s trying to bleed us all dry!”

Hearing Chen Che’s words, the cultivators on Jinghai Island Reef erupted in an uproar. Although they could avoid a fight, the price they had to pay was simply too high.

One must understand, they had only occupied the island reef for a month at most.

Most of the ore they had dug up hadn’t even been sold yet.

And now, they had to return it.

This meant that not only had they wasted the past month and a half, but they also had to pay a huge sum of Spirit Stones on top of that. The number of cultivators on the island was not small; if they were to truly pay up, it would completely drain their savings.

Who would be willing to make such a losing deal?

The expressions of the few Golden Core Cultivators present turned grim. They immediately began sending transmissions, overtly and covertly urging Yuchi Hao to reject Chen Che’s demands. After all, they had strength in numbers; if it came to a fight, they wouldn’t necessarily lose.

Even the cultivators of the Yuchi Race were demanding that their patriarch fight to the death.

As the Divine Sense messages flooded his mind, Yuchi Hao pondered for a moment, then unexpectedly broke into a smile and said, “I accept Valley Master Chen’s terms… I only hope the Valley Master will not go back on his word. After we pay the ransom, you will let us leave and no longer pursue this matter.”

“Rest assured, I am a man of my word.”

Chen Che nodded slightly.

“Everyone, take out your Spirit Stones.”

Yuchi Hao glanced back, his warning gaze sweeping over the few hawkish race members. “If you are unwilling, it is not too late to leave the race now. But from this day forward, your life and death will have nothing to do with our race.”

As he spoke, his Storage Ring flashed, and a large pile of Middle-Grade Spirit Stones appeared on the ground.

Seeing their patriarch yield, the members of the Yuchi Race, however unwilling, could only step forward one by one in humiliation to pay their ransom. Those who were short had to quickly borrow Spirit Stones from others.

In just a few moments, the pile of Spirit Stones on the island grew larger and larger.

At the same time, Yuchi Hao turned to persuade the other Golden Core Cultivators:

“Pay the Spirit Stones and ensure your safety… Spirit Stones are good, but your life is more important.”

“Bastard!”

“Yuchi Hao… you really have grown more cowardly with age!”

“You’re not in league with this kid, are you?”

Seeing this, the other races on the island were all furious and began to curse loudly.

No one could have imagined that Yuchi Hao would agree to such an outrageous demand, and that he wasn’t just feigning compliance with Chen Che. This truly put them in an awkward position. Some even suspected that the Yuchi Race had colluded with Chen Che in advance, fattening them up like pigs for slaughter!

“You all can leave!”

After counting the amount, Chen Che directly stored the Spirit Stones in his Gourd, nodded at Yuchi Hao, and then looked towards the remaining cultivators on the island. “Now it’s your turn. What are your intentions?”

“Chen Che, don’t push it too far! Yuchi Hao may be a coward who fears death, but that doesn’t mean we are the same. If you want us to pay Spirit Stones to save our lives, you’re dreaming!”

A Golden Core Cultivator with a broadsword at his hip stepped forward and shouted.

“That’s right!”

“There are still four Golden Core, five Fake Pill, and hundreds of Foundation Establishment cultivators on this island! Plus, we have a Grand Array! I don’t believe you can defeat us all!”

The moment the broadsword-wielding Golden Core Cultivator spoke, he voiced the thoughts of the crowd, and curses immediately erupted across the island.

Although the Yuchi Race had backed out, the remaining power on the island was still formidable.

“Is that so?”

Chen Che’s gaze sharpened.

…

“Big Brother, you handled this poorly.”

Meanwhile, the members of the Yuchi Race were boarding their ship and unloading crate after crate of ore, returning it to the island. On the deck, another Fake Pill cultivator from the race spoke to Yuchi Hao, clearly dissatisfied:

“After this incident, the morale of the race has scattered. The members may not say it, but in their hearts… Besides, with so many of us, we wouldn’t necessarily have lost. If they had won, it wouldn’t be so easy for Zhao Meng to try and take the island!”

“In all these years, when have I ever made a wrong decision?”

Yuchi Hao turned his head, taking in the resentful expressions of his race’s cultivators, and said indifferently:

“There’s something you don’t know. When the Dragon Turtle was taken from me earlier, I used my full power. But in the end, my opponent suppressed me without even showing his true self. Tell me, are all these Golden Core Cultivators here enough for him to kill?”

“You used your full power in that one strike?”

His younger race-brother’s eyes widened.

Seeing Yuchi Hao nod, he felt a chill run down his spine.

His own brother was a Golden Core Fifth Layer cultivator. In the water, he could exert twelve-tenths of his strength, enough to contend with a Sixth-Layer Cultivator. Yet he had been defeated so completely in a single exchange…

…

While the two brothers were talking, the race members unloading the cargo were also murmuring amongst themselves.

Although the content of their conversations differed, they all expressed the same sentiment: Disgraceful!

It’s normal to admit defeat if you can’t win.

But to just surrender without even fighting, and on top of that, to pay such a heavy price—this was something they found truly hard to accept.

Moreover, after today, news of what happened on the island would surely spread. How would other cultivators view them then?

“The patriarch is too much of a coward!”

“Yeah, I’d rather die in battle than be such a coward!”

“…There are so many people on the island, if everyone spat once, we could have drowned him. But what happened? His Spirit Pet was taken back, the ore was returned, and we even had to pay reparations and apologize! After a decision like this, I almost want to leave the race!”

“I just don’t get it… and he’s a Golden Core! Quiet, the patriarch is looking over.”

The race members unloading the cargo were filled with Resentment Qi they couldn’t vent. They wished they could finish unloading as quickly as possible, not wanting to stay on the island reef for a moment longer. They just wanted to escape this place.

Clearly, they were afraid that if the other races defeated Chen Che, they would be mocked for their cowardice.

…

At this moment, apart from the busy Yuchi Race, the other races were not only showing no signs of activity but were also continuously gathering towards the center.

The leading Golden Core and Fake Pill cultivators had even activated their True Essence to its absolute limit.

“It seems you are unwilling to pay the ransom, is that right?”

Taking in their movements, Chen Che asked.

Of course, this was within his expectations. There were too many people who wouldn’t shed a tear until they saw the coffin.

A burly Golden Core Cultivator with white hair and a beard was silent for a moment before saying in a loud voice:

“Valley Master Chen, it’s not that we are unwilling, but your demands are too outrageous. We are already willing to leave the island, yet you refuse to let it go. This is bullying of the highest order. We respect your strength, but that does not mean we are weak and can be easily bullied!”

His name was Guan Rong.

With the Yuchi Race’s withdrawal, his was now the strongest faction on the island.

“Alright, I understand. Make your move!”

Nodding slightly, Chen Che extended his right hand.

“Make our move?”

“That’s right. If you can defeat me, not only will I waive the ransom, but I will also hand this island reef over to you. If you don’t have the strength, then obediently withdraw, lest you force me to start a massacre.”

Chen Che said, raising his hand.

“Fine!”

After a moment of contemplation, Guan Rong took a step forward, and the calm sea instantly erupted into a raging ocean!