Chapter 198 - 195: Dreaming Back (Part 2)
Chapter 198: Chapter 195: Dreaming Back (Part 2)
"Hahaha, you claim there are no Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills in this box? Fine, I’ll open it and let you see for yourselves!" As Shi Bolang spoke, he opened the Jade Box. A faint, fragrant medicinal scent immediately wafted out, its wisps refreshing and invigorating.
All eyes were instantly drawn to it. Inside the Warm Jade Box lay three pale-green Elixir Pills. Judging by their scent and color, they were unmistakably the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills.
"It really is the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pill!"
"Excellent! It’s really the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pill!"
’I have to get my hands on an Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pill. If I do, my cultivation will soar.’
Pair after pair of burning eyes stared intently at the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills in the Jade Box.
"Shi Bolang, hand over the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills now!"
"If you want to live, hand over the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills."
Many of the Martial Artists shouted one after another.
"Do you take me for a fool? You think I’d still be alive after handing over the pills?" Shi Bolang’s eyes were wild. "There are so many of you! Hand them over? Who the hell am I supposed to give them to?!"
The crowd of Martial Artists exchanged glances. There simply weren’t enough Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills to go around. For a moment, the scene fell into a stalemate. Worried that the pills might be destroyed, the Martial Artists didn’t dare to press him too hard. If they pushed him into a corner, Shi Bolang might very well destroy the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills. However, letting him go was completely out of the question. Thus, the situation reached a tense deadlock, with both sides in a standoff.
"Give them to me. I shall guarantee your life!"
Just then, an old man stepped out from the crowd. All eyes immediately turned to him. It was none other than Elder Feng of the Quicksand Gang—the only Martial Arts Seventh Realm High-tier Martial Artist in the Qi Condensation Stage present.
A Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Seventh Realm was already a High-tier Martial Artist who had entered the Qi Condensation Stage. Even though he was only at the Early-stage of Qi Condensation, the density of his True Qi was far greater than that of a Martial Artist at the Late-stage of Qi Gathering in the Martial Arts Sixth Realm.
As Elder Feng of the Quicksand Gang stepped forward, the expressions of many surrounding Martial Artists changed. Some frowned, while others couldn’t help but sneer.
"Elder Feng, didn’t you just say that Shi Bolang is a notorious outlaw who must be eliminated? So why now—"
"Exactly, Elder Feng! You righteously declared that you would kill Shi Bolang, yet now you want to protect him. Aren’t you treating this matter a bit too lightly!"
Many of the Martial Artists on the scene sneered or retorted. No one was going to back down in the face of such enormous benefits. Of course, the bigger reason was that while a Martial Arts Seventh Realm cultivation was daunting, it wasn’t enough to completely dominate the situation.
"Haha, Shi Bolang is a notorious outlaw and does deserve to be killed. However, anyone can have a change of heart. If Shi Bolang genuinely ’repents,’ what’s wrong with this old man sparing his life?" Elder Feng of the Quicksand Gang boomed with laughter. To get his hands on the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills, Elder Feng clearly couldn’t be bothered with his previous words. Between his reputation and the pills, he obviously valued the latter more.
"Hmph! I’m afraid you don’t have the skill for that!"
"Elder Feng, if you want the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills, you’ll have to ask the several hundred Martial Artists here if they agree!"
"Shi Bolang, you’d better think this through. If you hand the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills to Elder Feng, he’s no Innate Realm expert. He can’t protect you by himself!"
The crowd of Martial Artists chimed in with threats.
Shi Bolang shook his head. "Elder Feng, your strength is considerable, but against so many Martial Artists, I don’t believe you can protect me. I won’t give the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills to you."
There were several hundred Martial Artists in the surrounding crowd. The vast majority were at the Fourth Realm or higher, and there were even over twenty at the Martial Arts Sixth Realm. Although Elder Feng was at the Martial Arts Seventh Realm, if he were to face a siege from so many Martial Artists, forget protecting Shi Bolang—it was a serious question whether he himself could escape unscathed.
"Haha, it would indeed be impossible for me to take all the Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills for myself. However, my demands are not high. I only want one. The other two can be fought over by the rest of you," Elder Feng of the Quicksand Gang said in a low voice.
There were a total of three Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills in the Jade Box. If Elder Feng tried to take all three, he would undoubtedly become the target of every Martial Artist present and face a frenzied siege. However, if he only wanted one, the situation was completely different. After all, even with one pill gone, two would remain. Most Martial Artists would surely focus on fighting for the remaining two, and very few would likely dare to challenge Elder Feng for his one. A Martial Arts Seventh Realm Martial Artist still commanded a certain level of deterrence.
On further thought, the plan seemed quite feasible.
The surrounding Martial Artists fell silent for a moment. Shi Bolang was also considering it. There were certainly risks, but there was an even greater chance he could escape with his life.
The air seemed to freeze. Every Martial Artist’s gaze was fixed on Shi Bolang, awaiting his decision, ready to make the first move.
Just then, perched on a large, crooked tree at the edge of the encirclement, Ye Xing was also closely monitoring the situation.
’A Martial Arts Seventh Realm is nothing. Three Eight Treasures Profound Spirit Pills... I’m taking them all, not one less! They all belong to me!’ Ye Xing’s eyes glinted as he quickly put on a pair of anti-flash goggles.
The anti-flash goggles were a high-tech product Ye Xing had purchased from America, capable of resisting intense light. After putting them on, Ye Xing immediately retrieved two Flash Grenades from his Qiankun Bag, pulled the pins, and hurled them directly into the dense crowd of Martial Artists ahead.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The two Flash Grenades traced parabolic arcs through the air, landing swiftly in the middle of the dense crowd.
In an instant, a terrifyingly bright light erupted, bathing the entire area in a blinding white glare.
"Ah! What’s happening? My eyes!"
"I can’t open my eyes!"
"It’s so bright!"
"I can’t see anything! I can’t see anything at all!"
The crowd instantly descended into panicked chaos, especially the Martial Artists in the inner circle where the light was most intense. The crowd was packed tightly together, and now they had lost their vision. In the ensuing tension, Weapons inevitably began to clash. Blinded and disoriented, unable to tell friend from foe, they started fighting indiscriminately. The entire scene devolved into a chaotic brawl.
CLANG! PING! PANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! DANG! DANG! DANG!
"Ah!" "Who?! Who the fuck just stabbed me in the ass!"
"Son of a bitch! What did I do to deserve this?! Who the hell just swung an axe at me? You think I’m some kind of pushover?!"
"Stop! Stop it! Everyone, stop!"
"I can’t see a thing, but someone’s attacking me! I don’t care anymore! Whoever’s next to me is gonna die!"
"Stop! Everyone, don’t be rash! We can’t even tell friend from foe! Stop, now!"
Amidst the screams and shouts, the crowd was a scene of utter chaos. Blind, filled with mistrust for those around them, and panicked, they caused numerous casualties in the blink of an eye. The scale of the carnage was still escalating.
While the crowd of Martial Artists up ahead was in total disarray, Ye Xing, on the periphery, was not idle.
SWOOSH!
Leaping down from the tree, he kicked off the ground and activated his Lightweight Wind Shadow Step. Transforming into a cyan shadow, he shot into the crowd. He flew through the air, stepping on the shoulders and heads of the flailing Martial Artists as he rapidly advanced toward the inner circle.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
In just two breaths, Ye Xing reached the inner circle, silently closing in on Shi Bolang from behind.