Chapter 482: Transaction

"Surrender?" Zu'an scoffed. "That word isn't in my dictionary."

Qiu Honglei didn't seem annoyed. She continued, "Don't be so quick to refuse. Look around. In this situation, even if you keep fighting, you can't defeat us. And for argument's sake, even if you have some trump cards left unplayed or a way to escape—they won't be able to."

Following her gaze, Zu'an noticed the others on the field were in perilous situations. The Eight Wanderers of the Demonic Cult were all at the peak of the sixth rank, and some had even reached the seventh.

Pei Mianman was only at the sixth rank, and Zheng Dan, already injured, was merely at the peak of the fifth rank. Facing these long-renowned masters was simply too difficult for them.

If not for Pei Mianman's extraordinarily mystical black flames, which somewhat restrained the enemies, the two women would have likely been captured already.

Even so, their situation remained extremely precarious.

As for the Sang father and daughter, they were in an even sorrier state, barely holding on thanks to the heavily injured Sang Hong. Neither Sang Qian nor Sang Qian possessed the practical combat ability of Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan.

On his side, he knew that facing Jin, Feng, and Bing, merely defending himself was challenging enough, let alone counterattacking.

Oh, if only Yun Yuqing had left a little later. With her here, the situation would have been much easier.

However, he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, countless people would be hunting him in the future. Yun Yuqing could save him once, but could she save him for a lifetime?

At this point, Qiu Honglei continued, "As for surrendering, you don't need to worry. We certainly won't harm you. You should have felt during our recent fight that they all held back against you."

Zu'an snorted, "In the end, it's just that your cult leader wants the Nirvana Sutra of the Phoenix from me."

Qiu Honglei smiled slightly. "I don't deny that. But everyone in the world is looking for you right now, so our cult leader is just one more. However, our Sacred Cult is different from other forces. Others would surely extract information through torture and then silence you. But our cult leader has always valued talent and constantly seeks like-minded individuals to join. With your abilities, you're bound to achieve great things in the Sacred Cult."

Zu'an frowned. "Ultimately, it still comes down to offering the Nirvana Sutra of the Phoenix to your cult leader."

Qiu Honglei looked at him quietly before saying, "A'Zu, you should understand the principle that 'a jewel in hand invites peril.' Unless you become powerful enough to contend with all forces, which you clearly aren't now, the cult leader can protect you and, at the same time, save your life. This is the best deal I can get for you."

Zu'an understood her meaning. In everyone's eyes, he was currently in a desperate situation, and her terms were indeed generous. After all, whether he fell into the hands of the Emperor or other factions, he wouldn't even be able to save his own life.

If his relationship with Qiu Honglei hadn't been deep, even falling into the Demonic Cult's hands would likely have been a dead end.

To refuse such terms would be truly ungrateful.

"Thank you, Miss Qiu. Although you didn't say it, I know the effort you put into this." Zu'an cupped his hands. Unfortunately, he had his own plans and didn't believe the Demonic Cult leader would truly spare his life.

"It's good that you know," Qiu Honglei softly hummed, the hint of coquetry in her voice astonishing the other three. Realizing this instantly, she quickly cleared her throat and suppressed her smile. "So, do you agree?"

Zu'an shook his head. "I'm used to being free and unfettered. I really don't want to be someone else's subordinate."

Qiu Honglei's expression turned cold. She immediately turned and ordered the Eight Wanderers, "Kill them all!"

The ruthless demeanor she displayed in that instant made people realize she was not the alluring courtesan from the Divine Immortal Residence, but rather the merciless Saintess of the Demonic Cult.

"Alright!" Both Wanderer Jin and Wanderer Bing had long been itching to act. Now, with the order given, they all sneered and charged towards the others.

That fellow Zu'an was truly irritating. Unfortunately, they couldn't touch him due to the cult leader's order and the Saintess's protection. But they could vent their frustration by killing his friends.

Seeing three more Wanderers charge towards them, Sang Qian immediately panicked. Their group was already in a perilous situation, and now it was a dead end.

He hadn't expected the goddess he'd adored to so casually order their deaths, as if he were just an ordinary passerby in her eyes. His heart filled with sorrow, despair, and fear, alongside intense rage towards Zu'an.

"You, Zu'an! It's all your fault!"

Rage value from Sang Qian: 1024!

Zu'an couldn't be bothered to spare him a glance. He was more concerned with the safety of Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan. He instinctively wanted to go help them but was stopped by Qiu Honglei.

"If you want to go there, you'll have to get past me first." Qiu Honglei stood silently in front of him, holding her lantern.

Zu'an immediately felt a headache coming on. Qiu Honglei had always been mysterious; her cultivation was likely between the fifth and sixth ranks, possibly even a full sixth rank. Coupled with her mysterious lantern, breaking through her defenses would certainly not be a quick affair.

Seeing that both Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan were injured on the other side, he dared not delay any longer. He quickly said, "Alright, I agree. I'll go with you, just let them go."

"That's better." Qiu Honglei's icy expression instantly melted into a smile, the stark contrast like ice and snow beginning to thaw.

Gazing at the beautiful woman, whose face was now radiant with a smile, Zu'an's lingering anger vanished. Alas, he still couldn't overcome his flaw of judging people by their appearance.

Qiu Honglei turned and ordered the Eight Wanderers to release Pei Mianman and the others. However, Wanderer Lei frowned and said, "Saintess, letting these people leave will reveal that Zu'an has fallen into our cult's hands. That would cause endless trouble later."

Wanderer Bing immediately seconded, "That's right. If we don't silence them, countless masters will soon flock towards the Sacred Cult."

The other Wanderers also nodded, clearly disagreeing with letting them go. After all, they held the absolute advantage and had no reason to spare them.

Qiu Honglei was in a dilemma. Rationally, she knew she should eliminate these witnesses, but emotionally, she had just promised Zu'an. Furthermore, considering the intimacy between Zu'an and the two women, if they were truly killed, their relationship with Zu'an would likely be irreparable afterwards.

Sensing her hesitation, Zu'an immediately held his sword to his neck. "If you dare touch them, I'll die right here in front of you. Then let's see how you explain yourselves to the cult leader!"

"A'Zu!" Seeing this, Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan's faces turned pale with fright. Unfortunately, Wanderer Lei blocked them, preventing them from coming closer.

Qiu Honglei wanted to stop him, but Zu'an quickly stepped back a few paces. "Don't try to take my sword. Although I can't defeat you, I still have the power to decide my own life and death."

Wanderer Bing said sinisterly, "I don't believe for a second that you'd kill yourself, kid."

"Shut up!" Qiu Honglei glared at him. Although, based on her understanding of Zu'an, she didn't think he would truly kill himself, she wasn't willing to take the risk. Moreover, she now had a perfect reason to override the dissenting opinions, so there was no need to cause further complications.

She said in a deep voice, "Our primary mission on this trip is to bring Zu'an back. Compared to that, everything else is inconsequential. Release them!"

The Eight Wanderers exchanged glances. Although their strength surpassed Qiu Honglei's, her status was special, and she was the cult leader's disciple, making it unwise to offend her.

Furthermore, if anything truly happened to Zu'an, they certainly didn't want to incur the cult leader's wrath.

Thus, even the most stubborn, Wanderer Lei and Wanderer Bing, no longer insisted, withdrawing their attacks and signaling Pei Mianman and the others that they could leave.

Sang Qian felt as if he'd received a great pardon and quickly helped his father flee. Sang Qian hesitated, turning back to look several times, but ultimately said nothing.

"A'Zu!" Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan clearly didn't want to see Zu'an taken by the Demonic Cult members, crying out as they tried to rush over.

Zu'an quickly stopped them, "Don't come over! You can't save me by staying here; you'll only risk your own lives. Don't make my sacrifice meaningless."

Seeing that the two women were about to protest further, he quickly sent a vital energy message: "Silly girls, why don't you leave first and then find help to rescue me?"