Chapter 173: I Just Want to Ask

Zenith!

Over 1,300 people set off under the cover of night, leaving behind the excavated caves to remain in permanent silence. Xiang Lan'er, cloaked in a simply sewn hood, landed on a nearby hilltop and watched from a distance. She knew what this transfer meant. After two or three months of upheaval, the true confrontation was about to begin.

Regardless of the outcome, she was acutely aware of one thing: she would never dare to do what Shi Chun had done, nor could she. She lacked both the ability to achieve it and the sheer audacity. Even the forces behind her, under the same conditions, wouldn't dare let her act this way, much less aim for first place—it would be unthinkable.

Lately, she often had the illusion that Shi Chun's methods were even more 'demonic' than what they considered the Demonic Path. In other words, based on her observations over the past few days, she could conclude that Shi Chun was not, at his core, a member of the Demonic Path.

The Demonic Path wouldn't do something so outrageous. If Shi Chun truly were a Demonic Path member with such immense autonomy, his status within the Demonic Path would have to be incredibly high, certainly higher than hers. Was that possible? Almost certainly not.

Her conclusion was: Shi Chun was not originally a Demonic Path member, but he had cultivated demonic arts in the Land of Exile, thus making him a Demonic Path practitioner.

This was not a wild guess. The Land of Exile had, from ancient times to the present, banished all sorts of people. It was not surprising for someone to obtain demonic art inheritances there.

With this conclusion, her journey hadn't been in vain; she now had an explanation for her superiors.

Under the stars and moon, Mu Lanqing also stood alone on the mountaintop, squinting towards the encampment of Weng Bing's forces, watching and waiting.

"You're being vague; capability isn't calculated that way. Even if you had been continuously plundering from start to finish, what you acquired might not have been more than what you have now. There are many interacting positive and negative factors involved."

Hearing this, everyone looked over.

Xuanzhou Qingqing coldly glanced sideways and said, "You shouldn't try to take all the benefits. The lion's share, after all, belongs to them. Such an ugly display would make us a laughingstock and damage our own reputation."

Weng Bingqing said, "You handle this matter as you see fit; I won't participate."

After the pleasantries, Tang Zhen pointed to the procession escorting the Extreme Crystal Worms behind Weng Bing and his group. He exclaimed, "Wow, Brother Wang, this scale! The haul looks impressive!"

"What I've acquired now is the result of omitting the scattered collection process. It's the outcome of leveraging more manpower and a wider scope of concentration—an optimized result."

At these words, a ripple of suppressed laughter spread among the welcoming parties on both sides of the valley.

Xuanzhou Qingqing said, "Don't celebrate too soon. Are you sure they'll agree? What if they demand an inventory? Or a verification?"

Weng Bing's group responded calmly, "It's not insignificant. I heard your side also collected a good amount, perhaps even a bit more than us."

At these words, many faces among the welcoming parties lining both mountains changed. Many still laughed, but their laughter contained both mockery and a hint of relief from a close call. They were only about two thousand short! Compared to the scale of acquisitions on both sides, it was incredibly close, almost enough to leave them disheartened instead.

Our true score here was only a little over seven thousand Extreme Crystals, while Shi Chun's side had already approached ten thousand.

Tang Zhen said, "It's beneficial for everyone. The Domain Lord has given a perfect reply, bringing honor to him. The Domain Lord will certainly not skimp on rewards for the deserving factions."

Eight thousand, nearly ten thousand Extreme Crystals—that was definitely a score capable of reaching first place, and a far superior one. Xuanzhou Qingqing had no doubt about this, nor did he suspect there could be a higher score.

Wan Daoxuan calculated, "With the seventy thousand or so crystals in our hands, plus the eighty thousand or so in theirs, that totals one hundred ten thousand or so crystals. We're guaranteed first place in this Heavenly Rain Meteor Grand Assembly. We can truly say we haven't failed Wang Sheng's expectations. The top three spots should be ours, and even the top ten is possible."

The three leaders immediately looked curious. What a great excuse! They had actually considered saying something similar.

There was no need to find an excuse like having less time to plunder compared to others who had more.

Mu Lan waved his hand and smiled in response, "I wouldn't dare say such a thing. It has nothing to do with me. If others insist on speaking, I can't stop them. Anyway, what they say counts here. If you think there's a problem, just drag them out and execute them. I'll certainly have no objections. That should prove my innocence, right?"

Regarding the losses incurred in the battle against Yanzhou, they said they had also heard about it and offered further solace, stating that Weng Bingqing had already declared that they would not let go of any found Shizhou forces, vowing to avenge their brethren.

The large pile of white cloth sacks hanging on the four members of Bilan Sect was quite conspicuous. The welcoming party of Weng Binghai and his two companions, escorted by personnel from the four sects, noticed the considerable size of the white cloth sacks. They couldn't help but exchange knowing glances, and someone softly tsk-tsked twice.

He was averse to such methods and deeply detested them, yet now he had no choice but to go along with them.

Weng Bingqing, however, frowned slightly and said, "There's something I need to remind you about. Be careful how you handle this. You absolutely cannot say in front of Shi Chun that it's because of my relationship with him that we're giving them another chance. If you say it like that, Shi Chun will certainly not agree."

Weng Binghai said, "Don't worry about that point. Shi Chun's contribution to acquiring so many Extreme Crystals is undeniable. His achievement will certainly be recorded in the book of merits. The top three ranks are not entirely filled by our four sects here, so we can allocate a spot to Youxia Mountain. Those who truly made significant contributions by following Weng Bing will also have some merits shared with them after consideration. In short, we will try our best to make things look good."

The dozen or so people being welcomed looked dispirited. The signs of their prior defeat were still clearly visible: the powder on their foreheads, the crosses on their backs and chests, now made them appear even more disheveled and dejected.

He emphasized 'disliked it completely,' stressing the phrase with unusual clarity and force.

The three leaders exchanged glances under the stars and moon, all secretly amused. They believed this woman was trying to avoid suspicion because of her relationship with Shi Chun, fearing that if things were handled too awkwardly, the husband and wife would have difficulty facing each other in the future.

"In that case, I understand..." Wan Daoxuan mumbled, nodding.

Weng Binghai: "Unless someone here leaks the information, it's absolutely impossible. Besides, with an insider cooperating there, they have no reason or opportunity not to accept."

Weng Bing and Wu Jinliang exchanged another glance, sharing a knowing look. They had barely set foot here when this jumped out.

Wan Daoxuan's smile immediately turned gentle again. "It's not that serious, not that serious. If you have an opinion, just say a few words; there's no need for threats of violence. There are no outsiders here, we're all our own people. Feel free to speak your mind, everyone can express themselves freely. We are all brothers who risked our lives for Wang Sheng's victory. I guarantee there will be no retribution for your words."

Although he hated doing it this way, since he had already decided to, he still hoped to do it well. If such despicable methods were used and the matter was still messed up, that would truly be disgraceful.

Wu Jinliang and he simultaneously stepped aside, a gesture implying 'go ahead and kill if you wish.'

Upon hearing that, Guan Yingjie felt utterly disgusted. What did these guys know? They were just spouting nonsense.

The elite forces stationed here stood on both sides of the valley, forming a welcoming line, holding sandalwood gold illuminators that lit up the scene with a brilliant purple glow.

What was due finally arrived. A little after midnight, the dispirited dozen or so people finally reached the location and rendezvoused with the main force.

Wan Daoxuan smiled slightly, "My friend, you speak too highly. Everyone has contributed, whether they survived by chance or fell in battle, they all exerted themselves for Wang Sheng's victory."

The true reason was also unclear to him, as the two parties were not engaged at all. It would be strange if Weng Bing agreed to use that excuse to appease Shi Chun.

Xuanzhou Qingqing did not appear, nor did Guan Yingjie come to greet them.

Mai Zhanchang stopped by the perimeter of the protected Extreme Crystals, pointing to the white cloth sacks on the Bilan Sect members. "The living and the dead—that's a bit too general; the dead can't hear what you're saying. I just want to ask, since the harvest from both sides is almost the same, why should all the credit go to one side?"

Guan Yingjie: "I've personally checked; there won't be any issues."

Hearing the laughter, Shi Chun's subordinates felt aggrieved but helpless. After all, a loss was a loss.

Just then, an impassioned voice suddenly rang out: "Since the difference isn't significant, did we make no effort? Do we have no merit?"

"Who's that?" Mu Lan and Wu Jinliang also turned their heads in unison. They saw that the person who spoke was none other than Mai Zhanchang, limping forward, looking sorrowful and indignant.

"Interesting," Weng Binghai chuckled, his smile somewhat unkind. His gaze fell upon Weng Bing, and he asked, "Brother Wang, what does this mean? Is this your intention?"

Guan Yingjie was startled and quickly said, "Indeed, we can't mention this matter."

Previously, a dozen or so people worked for over a month and only managed to seize eighty or so crystals—a process that had indeed been experienced before.

Several figures flew down the mountain and landed beside him. Besides the usual elders, there was no one else.

They, who were also Wang Sheng's most elite forces, had instead suffered a crushing defeat. The vast disparity in their capabilities was beyond words. Now, they even had to resort to deceit, using a despicable and dishonorable trick to swindle the fruits of someone else's victory.

Xuanzhou Qingqing: "Have those filler Extreme Crystals all been properly counterfeited?"

Li Shanshan: "Yes, I personally supervised their production. The most suitable stone material was chosen and carved, piece by piece. Their weight, size, and form are almost identical. Placed inside the white cloth sacks, I guarantee no one will detect any discrepancy. This has been confirmed repeatedly."

Wan Daoxuan chuckled, "Xuanzhou, this matter has nothing to do with you. You know nothing about it. We handled it privately among ourselves; we kept it from you. The reason is also the same: because of your relationship with Shi Chun, we feared you would disapprove."

Weng Binghai reminded them, "Our informants have also sent word that Shi Chun's forces have already set off. If they come around Moon Sea, they should reach here to rendezvous with us within eight hours. The exact time depends on their travel speed."

The three then leaped down into the valley, stopping Mu Lan and the others at the front. A round of welcoming pleasantries were exchanged.

Although their confederates' rhetoric could make things sound splendid, he knew in his heart that it was simply shameless.

The reason was simple: whether it was the wager between the two sides or the meaning of plundering in the Heavenly Rain Meteor Grand Assembly, he had already lost, and lost miserably.