Chapter 707: Calculations

Volume Four: Winds Rise OverseasVolume Five: Renowned in All Directions

The one who made the move was none other than Wang Tiangu, his robes fluttering.

"Why the hurry, Fellow Daoist Yun?" Wang Tiangu said calmly. "I just want to confirm if you intend to take only what's inside the box, thereby relinquishing your right to choose other items."

"Naturally, I must examine the contents of the box first," the elderly man surnamed Yun replied, regaining his composure. He stared impolitely at Wang Tiangu. "If it turns out to be useless, am I still expected to choose it?"

"If I recall correctly," Wang Tiangu said calmly, glancing at the three solitary jade boxes on the jade bed, "we promised you two fellow daoists the right to choose two treasures first, and then the rest would be divided equally. Do you really believe that after you've chosen from these three jade boxes, there will still be enough left for us to divide equally?" He showed no trace of fear.

"What are your intentions, Fellow Daoist? Why not just say it directly? Are you trying to go back on your word?" Marquis Nanlong took a few steps forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the elder. His gaze swept over the three individuals from the Ghost Spirit Sect, his expression turning somewhat sinister.

"I have no intention of breaking our promise," Wang Tiangu said with a slight, unhurried smile. "However, there aren't many distributable treasures on this second floor. The fact that these jade boxes cannot be directly inspected with divine sense indicates that their contents are very likely the most valuable treasures in this building. Perhaps Senior Cang Kun's unfathomable cultivation techniques and secrets related to the Demonic Valley are among them. In such a situation, don't you think it's a bit excessive for you two fellow daoists to insist on examining the value of the contents before deciding what to take?"

"Excessive!" the elderly man surnamed Yun retorted, his face hardening as he spoke coldly. "All I know is that you personally promised us the right to choose treasures first. As for there not being enough items, how is that related to us?"

"You can't put it that way," the old woman said, surprisingly interjecting. "The items on this second floor are still available for you to choose from first. However, there's no need to open the boxes for careful identification. If you're not at ease, you can certainly choose other items. For instance, the cold jade bed before you is also a rare treasure, exceptionally precious for cultivators practicing yin-cold attribute techniques."

Hearing this, Marquis Nanlong's expression grew even gloomier. He suddenly took a step forward, unleashing an oppressive aura that shot skyward, forcing Wang Tiangu and the old woman to involuntarily take half a step back, their expressions slightly changing.

At the Nascent Soul stage, the difference in cultivation between the mid-stage and early-stage cultivators was far from insignificant.

"Who else here thinks Fellow Daoist Wang's words make sense?" Marquis Nanlong's eyes narrowed, shooting out cold, sword-like glints as he swept his gaze over the others. "You may as well step forward. Surely, Brother Wang dares to stand out like this not just because of Madam Tai's support?"

"There's no need to get angry, Fellow Daoist Nanlong!" the black-faced cultivator surprisingly interjected after a moment of silence, his expression calm. "What Brother Wang said isn't without reason. You can't expect to leave nothing, not even a drop of soup, for the rest of us, can you?"

The cultivator surnamed You inadvertently frowned, then after a moment of hesitation, quietly stood behind Wang Tiangu, as if he had forgotten the past unpleasantness between them.

Instantly, apart from Han Li, the cultivators in the pavilion split into two opposing groups.

Seeing this, Marquis Nanlong and the elderly man surnamed Yun paled significantly.

"It seems you've already banded together," Marquis Nanlong said, quickly regaining his composure. "I wonder when you all agreed on this. You shouldn't have had the chance along the way."

"'Banded together' is too strong a phrase!" Wang Tiangu said slowly, as if nothing was amiss. "A few fellow daoists and I simply had a small gathering before we set off to discuss strategies for self-preservation and how to handle unexpected situations. This current situation happens to be one of the scenarios we anticipated, which is why we've had to contend with Fellow Daoist Nanlong for a bit."

Marquis Nanlong fell silent, a frosty expression on his face, then his gaze fell upon Han Li.

"Fellow Daoist Han, do you also think this way?" he asked with a grave tone.

At present, their two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators faced four early-stage Nascent Soul and two late-stage Core Formation cultivators. It looked like an evenly matched confrontation, making Han Li, who had remained silent, naturally become crucial.

Han Li didn't immediately respond. He simply tilted his head slightly, casually glancing at Wang Tiangu and the others, taking in their expressions.

Wang Tiangu's expression remained unchanged; instead, he calmly smiled at Han Li, not betraying even a hint of concern.

Meanwhile, Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan behind him looked bewildered. They both seemed unaware that Wang Tiangu had allied with others. However, excitement soon flashed in Wang Chan's eyes, while Yan Ruyan appeared somewhat at a loss.

Madam Tai and the cultivator surnamed You showed no panic. Their gazes towards Han Li were cold and devoid of emotion.

Han Li's heart sank. He vaguely felt that something was amiss, and his vigilance heightened.

He casually took a few steps, putting some distance between himself and both groups, then chuckled lightly and said:

"What opinion could I have? Whatever conclusion Fellow Daoist Wang and Brother Nanlong reach, I will not oppose it."

Marquis Nanlong wasn't too surprised to hear Han Li's statement. It had been clear from the start that Han Li would adopt a neutral stance.

His earlier question was merely to confirm this.

So, with a softened expression, Marquis Nanlong nodded at Han Li, then shifted his gaze from him, sneered, and looked towards Wang Tiangu, about to speak.

But just then, the white-robed elder to the side suddenly stepped forward and said icily:

"Brother Nanlong, why waste so many words on them?" the elder declared. "Do these few really think that by banding together, they can make us yield? Pure delusion!" As soon as he finished speaking, the elder opened his mouth, and a flash of white light indicated he was about to spit out a magic treasure.

"Hold on, Brother Yun, let me just... Ah, you!"

Marquis Nanlong frowned, intending to stop the elderly man surnamed Yun's somewhat rash action. After all, if a fight truly broke out, they weren't very confident.

But unexpectedly, upon hearing this, the elder suddenly turned his head, and a silver wheel shot out, striking the nearby Marquis Nanlong with lightning speed.

A muffled thud resounded.

To Marquis Nanlong's disbelief, the silver wheel instantly cut through his protective golden light and struck directly onto his chest. It not only knocked him back several steps, but also caused his chest to cave in significantly.

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, accompanied by a flash of golden light.

Reacting with shock and fury, Marquis Nanlong immediately flung his sleeve, and a small golden sword shot out from his palm, fiercely stabbing towards the elderly man surnamed Yun.

But the elder's figure flickered, and he was already beside Wang Tiangu and the others on the opposite side. He raised his hand, recalled the silver wheel to block the golden sword, then coldly stared at Marquis Nanlong's chest.

Through the tattered robes, a leather armor glowing with green light was revealed. Although deeply indented, it hadn't been cut through.

"Green Rhinoceros Armor! You really wore this treasure close to your body," the elderly man surnamed Yun mumbled expressionlessly, his eyes flickering.

"Good, very good!" Marquis Nanlong exclaimed, a flush of crimson appearing on his cheeks. He clutched his chest with one hand, his eyes spitting fire as he stared at the elder, enunciating each word. "I didn't expect you to also be bought off by them."

Although the golden sword glowed dazzlingly, blocking before him, everyone could tell that the man had suffered severe internal injuries.

"Be careful, fellow daoists," the elderly man surnamed Yun said lightly to Wang Tiangu and the others, completely ignoring Marquis Nanlong. It was as if, between them, they had suddenly become strangers. "We absolutely cannot let this fellow leave this place, otherwise, given his cultivation, our troubles will be immense."

"Don't worry, there are so many of us here," the cultivator surnamed You said with a sinister laugh. "And he's heavily injured; this time, he can't escape even if he had wings." He then released a white flying knife magic treasure.

At this moment, Wang Tiangu turned his head and spoke enthusiastically to Han Li:

"Fellow Daoist Han," he said with extreme sincerity, seemingly completely disregarding the past grievances between Han Li and Wang Chan, "if you're willing to team up with us to deal with this fellow now, how about you get a share of his treasures?"

"Team up?" Han Li, whose expression had changed several times in shock from the previous scene, now exhaled a long breath upon hearing this. However, his gaze shifted and fell upon the staircase entrance.

The moment the elder ambushed Marquis Nanlong, the old woman silently took up a position at the staircase. Otherwise, Han Li would have instantly teleported away and fled.

The walls of this jade pavilion were all flashing with white light, clearly indicating powerful restrictions that prevented one from breaking through and escaping.

He didn't believe Wang Tiangu's talk of teaming up at all.

He figured that once Marquis Nanlong was dealt with, this Ghost Spirit Sect elder wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him as well. Otherwise, they would have invited him when they discussed teaming up earlier.

He probably had been designated as Marquis Nanlong's sacrificial lamb from the very beginning of their journey!

Thinking this, Han Li's expression remained unchanged, and he was about to speak a few perfunctory words when Marquis Nanlong sneered and spoke first:

"Fellow Daoist Han, you can't truly believe such a shallow trick, can you? Although I don't know what methods Fellow Daoist Wang used to gather so many people, even my friend, whom I've known for over a hundred years, has joined their group. But if you and I team up, there's still a glimmer of hope. If we're defeated one by one, then our bodies and souls will undoubtedly perish!"