Chapter 1171: Hush Money

Ninetimes Immortal's ability is not true time stoppage. He can only bring an area to absolute zero. When time stops in the Extreme North, other continents still operate normally.

Timeless Immortal's time-stoppage range, however, covers the entire world.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, Scribe immediately turned and ran.

All his abilities were suppressed by Ninetimes Immortal, and the battle was going poorly. What was he waiting for if not to run?

"Oh no, he's getting away!" Lu Yang shouted. Even if a battle between Immortals could determine a winner, it was difficult to secure a kill; if one side decided to escape, the other couldn't stop them.

However, Lu Yang soon relaxed. Although Senior Sister had not yet made a move, she must have arrived long ago.

With Senior Sister here, Scribe certainly wouldn't get away.

"Why bother asking that Yun girl for help? We, the Ancient Five Immortals, can handle catching one person just fine," Immortal Buxiu declared. She was fiercely independent and self-reliant, always preferring to enlist the help of the Ancient Four Immortals rather than the "Yun girl."

"Immortal, are you sure Ninetimes Immortal can catch him?"

"Ninetimes Immortal alone certainly can't do it," she replied, "but I can call for help!"

"Little Yangzi, go outside and shout 'Response Immortal is petty,' and Response Immortal will come."

"Response Immortal used to be like this," she explained. "He could sense anyone who insulted him. Later, probably because Grey Bean was around, Response Immortal didn't dare to sense, but now that Grey Bean is gone, his senses have returned."

"...Immortal," Lu Yang hesitated, "maybe it's better to just let Senior Sister help catch him." After careful consideration, he felt it wasn't worth risking his own life just to catch a Great Qian Immortal.

"Oh, what are you afraid of? I'll protect you; nothing will happen!" Immortal Buxiu declared, tilting her chin up and confidently patting her chest twice.

With no other choice, like a subject obeying a ruler's command, Lu Yang left the mental world and quietly shouted a sentence.

"Response Immortal is petty..."

*Crack!*

The Extreme North, at absolute zero, was deathly silent, so the sudden sound of thunder was exceptionally striking.

Thunder rent the void, and Response Immortal, formed from lightning, appeared before Lu Yang, his expression slightly displeased.

"Boy, was it you who called me petty?"

"Uh..." Lu Yang stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. Response Immortal had arrived far too quickly—wasn't that the very definition of petty?

Immortal Buxiu stepped forward to support Lu Yang, shielding him like a mother hen protecting her chick. "I'm the one who said it," she challenged. "What are you going to do about it?"

Response Immortal's expression changed multiple times before he put on a smiling face and chuckled awkwardly. "I wondered why I heard someone tell me to be careful," he said, "so it was you, Buxiu."

Only then did Response Immortal notice something unusual. This was an absolute zero domain, and he also sensed the chase high in the sky, noticing the two sides involved in the battle.

"Ninetimes Immortal and Scribe?"

At the same time, he looked at Lu Yang in shock. "How are you here again, kid?"

"You go help Ninetimes first," Immortal Buxiu urged.

"Alright," Response Immortal said, and flew into the sky.

"Response?"

Ninetimes Immortal was not surprised by Response Immortal's appearance; that thunderclap just now was clearly someone cursing Response Immortal, causing Response Immortal's avatar to descend.

"Another one?!" Scribe, who was desperately fleeing, couldn't help but look back, nearly swearing aloud.

The Ancient Four Immortals, whom he couldn't find no matter how hard he searched before, how did two of them suddenly appear in such a short time?

Yang Kongdong had said there were clues about the Ancient Four Immortals here, but these clues were a bit too much.

"Let's work together to catch him."

"Alright!"

The two had known each other since ancient times. Although they had both suspected each other of being possessed by the mastermind and hadn't been in contact for 300,000 years, they now put their past aside and joined forces to capture the enemy, facing a common powerful foe.

Response Immortal's lightning avatar was incredibly fast, intercepting Scribe in a flash.

Scribe changed direction to flee, but was intercepted by Ninetimes Immortal.

"Lightning tribulation..." Response Immortal was habitually about to summon a lightning tribulation to deal with Scribe when Ninetimes Immortal stopped him.

"Don't use lightning tribulation," Ninetimes Immortal warned, "His Dao Fruit ability is to enlighten and awaken spirits!"

Response Immortal decisively abandoned summoning the lightning tribulation, and the two tacitly engaged in close-quarters combat.

Earlier, Scribe had only been able to fight Ninetimes Immortal to a draw with the help of his bone armor. Now, with Response Immortal joining, he had no chance to resist.

Before long, Ninetimes Immortal and Response Immortal returned to Muxue City, carrying Scribe. Many ornaments Scribe had been wearing had fallen off during the battle, and it was unknown where they had landed. He now resembled a plucked rooster.

Scribe didn't understand why the two Immortals had brought him back to Muxue City.

"Done!"

The two threw Scribe to the ground, and Immortal Buxiu emerged from Lu Yang's body, looking extremely smug.

"How about that? Now you know how formidable we, the Ancient Five Immortals, are, right?"

Then she boasted to Lu Yang, "See what I told you? We didn't need that Yun girl to deal with this... what's-his-name, 'Dead Scribe'!"

"It's 'Scribe'," Lu Yang corrected.

Scribe looked at Immortal Buxiu in astonishment, not understanding what she meant by "Ancient Five Immortals."

"Wasn't it the Ancient Four Immortals?"

"I see, I never thought the Response Tribulation Dao Fruit had such a method," a voice familiar to Lu Yang rang out from behind Response Immortal, startling Response Immortal so much that he almost dissolved his lightning avatar.

"Senior Sister!"

"Well done," Yun Zhi nodded.

Unknown to all, Yun Zhi was actually not praising them for catching Scribe, but for Lu Yang having dealt with Yang Kongdong by himself.

From initially needing to call her when encountering Tribulation Stage enemies to now being able to stand on his own and resolve matters with Half-Immortals independently, it was indeed a remarkable improvement.

Scribe looked at Yun Zhi in disbelief, finally understanding why the Human Emperor had taken one step forward and then retreated earlier.

So this terrifying being, who even made the Human Emperor tremble, was also in the Extreme North.

"Let's be clear, this person was caught by me!" Immortal Buxiu quickly stated, seeing Yun Zhi about to take Scribe away.

"...Immortal," Lu Yang couldn't help but retort, "can this person really be considered caught by you?"

Immortal Buxiu asserted confidently, "If he was caught using my connections, then he was caught by me."

"Immortal Senior, what do you want? Do you want to be the Sect Master?" Yun Zhi was also curious, not understanding why Immortal Buxiu was emphasizing this.

Catching an Immortal and calculating contribution points for it, then exchanging them for a Sect Master experience voucher, would likely mean the time would be calculated in tens of thousands of years.

Immortal Buxiu waved her hand. "I don't want to be a Sect Master," she declared. "This is hush money."

Immortal Buxiu's words left everyone present bewildered.

"Hush money?"

Yun Zhi repeated the phrase, smiling inwardly as she likely guessed Immortal Buxiu's meaning: that her ability to recover her Immortal body's power at any time shouldn't be revealed.

Or perhaps it was a thank-you for not telling her junior brother about it, but Immortal Senior was too embarrassed to say it directly?

At the thought of Immortal Senior's internal struggle and awkwardness, Yun Zhi revealed a rare smile, shaking her head lightly as she chuckled. "Then I'll accept this hush money," she said.

"Don't you dare laugh!" Immortal Buxiu exclaimed, mortified and enraged, stomping her foot.

Ninetimes Immortal, Response Immortal, and Yun Zhi's junior brother — who was also the second-in-command of the Buxiu lineage, the Pillar Minister and Imperial Tutor of the Great Bean Dynasty, the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Sect, Daoist Silent's disciple, and a peerless sword cultivator — exchanged glances, none of them understanding what was happening.