Chapter 74: Black Jade Token

Qi Hao's sudden appearance instantly made the atmosphere tense. Behind Zhou Yuan, Lu Tieshan and others had their Genesis Qi surging, their eyes like falcons, firmly locking onto Qi Hao.

Wei Canglan also slightly furrowed his brow, staring at Qi Hao. "Qi Hao," he said calmly, "why does your Qi King Manor need to get involved in this mess? You should go back quickly."

"General Wei, a single word from you probably isn't enough to sway the Qi King Manor from something we desire," Qi Hao said with a mocking smile.

He had initially been polite to Wei Canglan because the Qi King Manor wanted to win him over. But now that Wei Canglan had chosen to help Zhou Yuan, Qi Hao naturally wouldn't show him any more respect.

"Oh?" Wei Canglan's gaze sharpened, and a formidable sense of oppression instantly emanated from him, enveloping Qi Hao.

Covered by the pressure from an Alpha-Origin stage expert, Qi Hao's body trembled. "Heh heh, Wei Canglan, after so many years, your temper is still as volatile as ever." However, just as Wei Canglan's oppressive aura spread, a hoarse voice suddenly spoke. Behind Qi Hao, a black-robed figure slowly emerged. As black mist rose, it completely neutralized the pressure from Wei Canglan.

"That's King Black Venom!" As the black-robed figure appeared, startled exclamations immediately broke out, followed by the crowd rapidly retreating, their eyes filled with terror. This showed just how notorious King Black Venom was in the Black Abyss.

"King Black Venom!" Wei Canglan stared at the black-robed middle-aged man, first startled, then his face instantly darkened. A thick killing intent surged from within him, causing the Genesis Qi in the surrounding area to become turbulent.

"What? Wei Canglan, do you want to fight me again here? Have you forgotten the suffering I inflicted upon you back then?" King Black Venom sneered, black mist rising around him, carrying a faint foul odor.

Their gazes met, hatred surging between them, both filled with chilling killing intent.

"Gentlemen, my small city can't withstand your fighting. The ruins are right before us; this is no place to fight, or someone else might take advantage!" Just as their auras grew stronger, a loud voice suddenly rang out, and a figure swept in from a distance, landing not far away.

The newcomer was the City Lord of Prisoner Demon City, an expert at the late Heavenly Pass stage.

He didn't dare to intervene directly in the confrontation between two Alpha-Origin stage experts, but he was astute. His single shout made Wei Canglan and King Black Venom's eyes flash, and then their formidable auras slowly receded.

Their strengths were evenly matched. If they were to fight here, a mutual defeat would only give others an opening.

"Hmph, if I meet you in the ruins, I will definitely kill you!" Wei Canglan said coldly.

"Heh heh, I just worry that this time, Wei Canglan, you won't be able to leave the Black Abyss," King Black Venom retorted.

Zhou Yuan watched the two of them cease their confrontation and turned his gaze to the shop vendor, who now wore a bitter expression. Neither side was easy to offend, and he dared not displease either.

"Five thousand Genesis Crystals," Zhou Yuan said calmly, without elaborating. "Six thousand," Qi Hao immediately countered. Although he didn't know the use of the black jade tablet, he wanted to spite Zhou Yuan and prevent him from acquiring it easily.

"Ten thousand," Zhou Yuan's voice remained even.

Qi Hao's eyes flickered. "Fifteen thousand."

"Twenty thousand."

A gasp went through the crowd; everyone secretly clicked their tongues. Who would have thought that a seemingly worthless item could be bid up to such a price? Of course, in their eyes, Zhou Yuan was merely acting out of spite.

Qi Hao was also somewhat surprised. He stared at the black jade tablet, examining it carefully for a long time, but still couldn't discern anything special. There wasn't a single trace of Genesis Qi fluctuation on the black jade tablet.

So, he smiled and said, "Prince Zhou Yuan is truly generous. Since that's the case, a gentleman doesn't contend for what others desire. I'll let you have this item."

As he spoke, a hint of mockery played on his lips. An item originally worth two thousand Genesis Crystals had been driven up to twenty thousand by him, enough to greatly vex Zhou Yuan. In this way, he felt he had gotten some revenge for previous matters.

The people around them also looked at Zhou Yuan as if he were a fool who'd been swindled. It wasn't about the money, but spending twenty thousand Genesis Crystals on a seemingly useless black jade tablet was truly idiotic. Clearly, Prince Zhou Yuan had been played by Qi Hao.

Zhou Yuan paid no heed to the surrounding gazes. He instructed Lu Tieshan to hand over the money, then took the black jade tablet in his hand. He examined it from top to bottom but still couldn't make sense of it. He immediately handed it to Yao Yao behind him, muttering softly, "Do you think it's worth it?"

In truth, he also felt a bit like he'd been taken for a ride, but out of trust in Yao Yao's judgment, he still bought it.

Twenty thousand Genesis Crystals was no small sum. For the Qi Cultivation stage Genesis Masters present, even having ten to twenty thousand Genesis Crystals after years of effort would be considered wealthy. And Prince Zhou Yuan's accumulated savings over the years amounted to only around fifty thousand Genesis Crystals, so he had just spent nearly half of it.

Yao Yao gently wiped the jade tablet with her delicate hand, looking at the ancient patterns on it. She suddenly smiled and said, "Whether it's worth it or not, we'll know in time."

Zhou Yuan could only shake his head helplessly.

At this moment, King Black Venom approached, his eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, black mist swirling around him.

Wei Canglan stepped half a pace forward, his gaze vigilantly fixed on King Black Venom.

"Heh heh, so you're the Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty? I heard you neutralized my Miasma Demon Poison?" King Black Venom glanced at Wei Canglan, then turned to Zhou Yuan, his voice hoarse.

Evidently, he had already learned from Qi Hao about Zhou Yuan curing Wei Bin's poison.

"The Miasma Demon Poison isn't particularly formidable, so it's not strange for it to be neutralized," Zhou Yuan said calmly.

King Black Venom's eyes sharpened. "What an arrogant brat!"

He gave a sinister laugh. "Don't think you have courage just because Wei Canglan is protecting you."

He glanced sideways at Wei Canglan. "Even he suffered quite a bit at my hands, so this time, I'm afraid you've placed your bets on the wrong person."

Wei Canglan's face darkened. The Miasma Demon Qi cultivated by King Black Venom was extremely troublesome and fiercely potent. In past confrontations, he had indeed suffered many losses, and it had even affected his son, Wei Bin.

King Black Venom said with a smile, "Kid, the Qi King Manor promised me three commanderies after this is done. If you can give me six, I can help you too."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of anger instantly crossed Zhou Yuan's eyes, and he looked at Qi Hao with a chilling gaze. This scoundrel dared to trade with the territory and people of their Great Zhou.

However, facing Zhou Yuan's gaze, Qi Hao merely smiled indifferently, unconcerned.

Zhou Yuan withdrew his gaze and said, his voice flat, "General Wei is enough for me. As for the territory of my Great Zhou, whoever dares to covet it will be cut down."

King Black Venom was startled, then burst out laughing, pointing a finger at Zhou Yuan.

"What a bold young man! Good, good. I hope you don't fall into my hands. Otherwise, I'd like to try and see what it's like to 'prepare' the Prince of Great Zhou." King Black Venom's grin was sinister, sending shivers down one's spine.

"If you fall into my hands, I wouldn't bother 'preparing' you. I'd simply slice off your dog's head with one strike," Zhou Yuan retorted coldly. He held extreme disdain for this person who repeatedly encroached upon the borders of their Great Zhou and massacred its people.

Qi Hao, standing nearby, was about to speak with a mocking smile. "Qi Ritian, if you fall into my hands, it'll be the same," Zhou Yuan interjected, sweeping a cold gaze over him before he could speak. This bastard, daring to trade with the territory of their Great Zhou, had further enraged him. If Qi Hao were to fall into his hands this time, he certainly wouldn't show mercy.

"Qi Ritian?" Qi Hao was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. "Zhou Yuan, how dare you insult me?!" he said icily.

Zhou Yuan replied, "What if I insult someone who carries disloyalty in their bones?"

Qi Hao laughed furiously. "You ignorant brat, you haven't even reached the Qi Cultivation stage, yet you dare speak to me like this. If no one were protecting you, I'd kill you on the spot." He was a grand late Qi Cultivation stage expert, while Zhou Yuan had only opened seven meridians. If they were to clash head-on, Qi Hao could easily kill Zhou Yuan.

"There will be a chance. When that time comes, I'd like to see who kills whom," Zhou Yuan said indifferently. Once he entered the Qi Cultivation stage, even if he couldn't yet cultivate the "Heaven-Connecting Profound Serpent Qi" of the Ancestral Dragon Scripture's first layer, he might not necessarily fear Qi Hao if he leveraged the power of his spirit and Genesis Runes.

Suppressed in the war of words by Zhou Yuan, Qi Hao's eyes darkened. However, he knew that continuing to hurl threats was pointless. He gave Zhou Yuan a chilling glance, then, with a flick of his hand, turned and departed with King Black Venom and his group.

Zhou Yuan watched the retreating figures of Qi Hao and King Black Venom, his expression becoming solemn. While it was easy to exchange verbal barbs, he harbored no contempt in his heart.

"Currently, the most troublesome individual is King Black Venom. General Wei truly doesn't have much of an advantage against him. It seems we must find a way to deal with King Black Venom's Miasma Demon Qi. Otherwise, if anything happens to General Wei, the entire situation will turn heavily against us..." Zhou Yuan's eyes flickered. He then looked at Yao Yao beside him, a smile playing on his lips. Those twenty thousand Genesis Crystals couldn't have been spent in vain.