Chapter 820: Change to Someone Who Can Make Decisions

From Liu Zhenguan's perspective, everything happening now was clearly orchestrated by the Purple Star Dao Palace, and Pang Huanyin, as its leader, was the mastermind.

He had truly not expected Pang Huanyin to be so audacious. Not only did she brazenly force her way into his domain, but she even dared to launch an attack without any prior warning. The man called Lu Yiye possessed terrifying strength; if he hadn't been gravely wounded by his saber, Liu Zhenguan wouldn't have been captured so easily.

Pang Huanyin sighed, "Mountain Lord Liu, you misunderstand." At this point, explanations seemed useless, and she felt quite helpless.

Liu Zhenguan snorted, "Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you've captured me! Don't forget, this is Mount Sumeru!" He then roared fiercely, "People of Mount Sumeru, listen to my order! Don't mind my life or death. Capture all these people! If I die, make them pay a heavy price!"

Ying Wuji thrust his long saber forward, his voice low, "If you want to die, I'll grant your wish right now!"

"Come on!" Even with his life in their hands, Liu Zhenguan showed no sign of backing down. Instead, he provoked, "If you have the guts, kill me!" Seeing that the people of Mount Sumeru were hesitant and dared not act rashly, he bellowed again, "What are you all standing around for?! Move!"

Pang Huanyin's expression turned cold. "If only the Mountain Lord could be this strong against the corpse tribe, how wonderful that would be. Unfortunately, the Mountain Lord's strength and resolve are misplaced!" After the day's events, she had initially felt quite apologetic towards Mount Sumeru. However, seeing Liu Zhenguan's current demeanor, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.

He possessed such courage and a willingness to face death, yet why didn't he use it to fight the corpse tribe? What was the point of such aggressive behavior against fellow humans? Such a person was only good at internal strife. "Enough talk!"

Just then, Hua Ci's figure emerged from behind Pang Huanyin. She looked at Liu Zhenguan and smiled gently, "Mountain Lord Liu, how about we make a deal?"

Though Liu Zhenguan feigned a look of unbridled rage, as if consumed by anger, it was merely a facade. Hearing Hua Ci's words, he couldn't help but frown. "What kind of deal do you want to make?"

Hua Ci spoke unhurriedly, "I propose trading the lives of all the cultivators in this hall for our safe departure. Mountain Lord, do you think this deal is possible?"

Liu Zhenguan's face darkened. "What do you mean by that?"

"Perhaps I'm not clear. Mountain Lord, why don't you see for yourself?" As Hua Ci said this, she suddenly lifted her slender finger and, with a subtle activation of spiritual power, lightly pointed towards a certain cultivator in the crowd.

An incredible sight appeared. With her single point, that cultivator groaned, his spiritual power instantly becoming chaotic. A layer of emerald green mist rapidly surged from his body. The mist clearly wasn't benign; it appeared without warning and, in just a few breaths, completely enveloped the cultivator. No matter how he tried to activate his spiritual power, he couldn't dispel it, and it even seemed to grow denser!

The surrounding cultivators quickly scattered, each filled with shock and uncertainty.

"I've been poisoned!" the cultivator cried out in terror, clearly feeling his spiritual power becoming sluggish and obscure, his strength rapidly diminishing. Everyone was greatly alarmed.

Lan Ziyi watched, her scalp tingling. She had been inseparable from Hua Ci these past days, but she had never seen her use such methods on anyone from Mount Sumeru. This medical cultivator outwardly appeared gentle as jade and harmless, yet who could have known that she possessed such uncanny abilities in secret!

The cultivator couldn't have been poisoned for no reason; Hua Ci must have secretly used some technique. No wonder Hua Ci hadn't been anxious these past few days, even when she was about to be forcibly married. She had been prepared all along. Now it seemed, even if Lu Yiye and his group hadn't come to Mount Sumeru, Hua Ci would have been able to leave safely with her own methods. Indeed, those chosen by Heaven's Will were no ordinary people. It was laughable that Lan Ziyi had previously thought she was just a medical cultivator.

In the main hall, in front of Pang Huanyin, Hua Ci's smile remained as harmless as ever. "If the Mountain Lord didn't see clearly, you can look at others!"

At her words, many Mount Sumeru cultivators became terrified, each wondering if they had already secretly fallen victim to some poisonous attack. Liu Zhenguan's fleshy face twitched violently, and his eyelids jumped incessantly. By now, he realized he had completely misjudged the situation. Among the two women, the seemingly gentle one was the truly profound and unfathomable one. It was laughable that he had always thought he could easily manipulate her.

Liu Zhenguan said in a deep voice, "Since you two entered Mount Sumeru, I believe I treated you well..."

Hua Ci immediately cut him off, "We both helped Mount Sumeru cultivators and thus gained entry. Mount Sumeru did not repay our kindness, and the Mountain Lord even disregarded my wishes and tried to forcibly marry me! Is that what you call treating us well? Mountain Lord, search your heart! Is that what a man should do? To act like this, you are unworthy of being a man!" Her smile vanished, and her eyes were filled with coldness. How could she remain indifferent when it concerned herself?

She had been kind enough to save people, yet Liu Zhenguan had so highly valued her abilities. Valuing them was one thing; if they had cooperated properly, Hua Ci might not have refused, but Liu Zhenguan simply wanted too much. These past days, Lan Ziyi had thought she was calm and adaptable, but in reality, she had been secretly deploying her methods, waiting for the right moment to strike like lightning. With her hidden preparations and Lan Ziyi's formidable strength, escaping from here would not have been difficult. Lu Yiye and the others' arrival today merely accelerated her plan.

Liu Zhenguan's face reddened at her words, and now, being captured with his life out of his control, anger surged. He blurted out, "Bitch! How dare you insult me!"

*Clang!*

A saber's cry suddenly rang out. Everyone in the grand hall stared in utter shock at Lu Yiye, who had just swung the saber. Liu Zhenguan's eyes were filled with disbelief, as if he hadn't expected anyone in Mount Sumeru to actually dare to strike him down! He had been so arrogant earlier, maintaining a strong stance even with his life threatened, because he knew that the Purple Star Dao Palace couldn't possibly kill him. The Dao Palace had sought to ally with them against the corpse tribe for years; killing him would turn the two factions into mortal enemies, making an alliance impossible. Pang Huanyin, though young, was seasoned in affairs and surely understood this point. Therefore, he had been fearless!

However, that fearlessness was now severed by a single saber stroke.

"You..." Liu Zhenguan stared at Lu Yiye, utterly bewildered. What kind of person was this? Pang Huanyin hadn't even spoken, yet he had acted, and without any warning. If he wanted to kill him, he could have done it earlier. Why now...?

*Pfft!*

The large head flew high, propelled by the blood gushing from the neck. Ying Wuji, who had been standing behind Liu Zhenguan, quickly stepped back, looking at Lu Yiye with a hint of exasperation. He should have given a warning before acting; he nearly got covered in blood!

"If this one can't make decisions, then we'll find one who can!" Lu Yiye flicked the blood off the long saber in his hand. His gaze swept over the group of furious and shocked Mount Sumeru cultivators. He raised his long saber and pointed it at them. "Or... we fight our way out!"

Watching his resolute stance, a warm current flowed through Hua Ci's heart. She could feel that Lu Yiye had not initially intended to kill Liu Zhenguan; otherwise, he wouldn't have let Ying Wuji capture him. The reason he had unexpectedly struck that blow was solely because Liu Zhenguan had insulted her. A seemingly innocuous insult had led Lu Yiye to decisively take his life. If Liu Zhenguan knew this in the afterlife, he would surely regret his quick tongue.

Now that the pretense was completely broken, Hua Ci naturally no longer held back. Spiritual energy surged around her, and a wave of emerald green mist suddenly emanated outwards.

The next moment, among the Mount Sumeru cultivators in the hall, seven or eight out of ten had their expressions drastically change, their bodies shaking as their spiritual power turned chaotic. If, when Hua Ci had first demonstrated her abilities, many Mount Sumeru cultivators still held a glimmer of hope, they dared not harbor such thoughts now. No one had noticed when this gentle-looking woman had poisoned them. Many of them had not even met Hua Ci before.

"I can both cure and poison. My Senior Brother here has a rather bad temper. People of Mount Sumeru, you must think carefully before you answer. Otherwise, if there's a bloodbath, there will be no way to clean it up," Hua Ci warned faintly.

Even without her warning, in this situation, who dared to act rashly? The death of Liu Zhenguan was a great loss of face for Mount Sumeru, but its foundation was not shaken. However, if everyone here died, Mount Sumeru would surely fall into chaos. For a moment, the strong masters of Mount Sumeru stood stiffly.

Pang Huanyin and Elder Xiao watched from the side, their mouths agape. Since Hua Ci and Lan Ziyi's arrival, only a few dozen breaths had passed, yet the various changes were truly overwhelming. With Liu Zhenguan dead and the strong masters of Mount Sumeru held captive, Lu Yiye and his group, with just four people, had completely controlled the situation. The Purple Star Dao Palace was far inferior in such methods.

With a sigh, a semi-aged elder stepped forward. He first bowed to Pang Huanyin. "Palace Lord Pang, I may not be much, but I believe I can represent Mount Sumeru." Until this moment, they still believed that Pang Huanyin was in charge here, and that everything that had happened was under her command or hint.

Pang Huanyin also felt helpless. Today, she and Elder Xiao were merely spectators. "Elder, you can speak in detail with Yiye," Pang Huanyin said.

The elder paused, then looked at the murderous Lu Yiye. He didn't beat around the bush, stating directly, "What happened today was truly unexpected. Let's put aside right and wrong for now. Mount Sumeru can agree to Miss Hua Ci's proposal. We will ensure your safe departure. However, I also have a condition. If you don't agree, Mount Sumeru will fight with everything we have to keep you here!"