Of course, Si Nan had no idea who the Heavenly Lord was and what power that figure had.
The Heavenly Lord was the master of the entire Saint Warrior Planet.
That was clear enough elucidation. Then could Mengmeng reach the ninth tier of the Tribulation Stage? Of course, it was just a matter of time.
Zhang Han even felt that Zi Yan and Mengmeng, as well as him, had begun their cultivation in a perfect way. The ninth tier of the Tribulation Stage might just be a transition stage for them.
At present, Zhang Han had not displayed the power of his Immortal Body.
Most people didn’t even know how strong Zhang Han’s defense was. That Snake-tailed Tiger was the only one who had tasted the fear of being put at Zhang Han’s mercy.
In that battle, it couldn’t even harm Zhang Han at all, let alone win.
When they arrived in the King’s Domain, they traveled forward at a fast speed. It took them more than half an hour to cross the woods. With the cautious Si Nan leading the way, they took a million turns but still hadn’t reached the destination.
“Si Nan.”
Mu Xue couldn’t help but complain, “You led us to take that left turn and then walked for more than 20 minutes. Later, we turned right and traveled for half an hour. Now, we turned right again. Aren’t we taking a detour?”
“Why didn’t you lead us to go straight there?” Chen Changqing asked.
“How can we go straight there?” Si Nan lowered his voice and answered. “The King’s Domain is in chaos. We only have Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu on our side. We’re the weakest party. Once we ran into the enemy, we would be in trouble. Just now, we skirted around a force of 50,000 people. They are Lord Bei Huai’s subordinates.”
“With my master here, what are you afraid of?” Mu Xue rolled her eyes at him and said, “Hurry up and take the shortest route.”
“Fair point,” Jiang Yanlan echoed. “It’s a waste of time to take detours like this. Mengmeng has to go to school the day after tomorrow. If we couldn’t sort out the problem because you wasted time, don’t blame me for not warning you in advance.”
“Huh?” Mengmeng swiftly blinked and said, “Yeah, I’ll go to school the day after tomorrow.”
“I also want to take the shortcut,” Si Nan said, looking speechless, “but we can’t possibly fly over the heads of other forces, can we?”
“Just take the shortcut as you’re told. Your job is to lead the way. Leave the rest to us,” Zhang Mu remarked.
Now that the most elderly person had agreed on this, Si Nan had no words for them at all.
He turned around and quietly led the way. This time, he flew straight ahead.
“It’s okay. Now we’ve sidestepped those forces, the land to the left ahead is our territory.”
Si Nan saw a sect gate and said with a smile, “You see that? It’s Lord Liu’s territory. Once we cross that gate, we’ll be sa-sa-safe?”
As he approached from the air, Si Nan suddenly noticed something odd.
“Why does the huge sect gate seem to have half-collapsed?
“Holy sh*t! Lord Liu’s territory has been attacked!”
Si Nan’s face paled drastically.
Even this place had been attacked. He could imagine how bad Lord Nan Shan’s situation was.
He flew rapidly toward the sect. Looking down from above, everything was in ruins.
“This doesn’t look good, I’m afraid.”
Zhang Mu’s face was grave. He remarked, “It seems that the other forces have attacked Lord Nan Shan. We don’t have much time now. We should go to Lord Nan Shan’s place as soon as possible.”
“Yes.”
Si Nan was kind of in a trance. It could be seen that he sincerely cared about Lord Liu and was worried about his condition.
“Eh?”
This made Zhang Han view Si Nan in a different light. Si Nan the Lord of Dragon Scale City was overbearing in his way of doing things. So were his subordinates. He was kind of a dictator. When treating those with higher status, he was quite tactful. He also had his own designs. Over the years, he had earned a lot of resources as a middleman. However, when the critical moment came, one could still tell that he was a loyal subordinate of Lord Liu and Lord Nan Shan.
They flew speedily ahead. An hour later, they finally saw a high mountain in the distance. Everything was normal. There were no signs of a battle.
They could even see with their naked eyes that the small peaks around the high mountain were swarming with people.
“Phew. They’re okay.”
Si Nan calmed his nerves and then led the group to fly over. When they were about 1.5 kilometers away, one of them flew toward them and was about to say something.
“Swoosh, swoosh!”
Two figures flew over from the highest peak.
They were precisely Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu.
“Zhang Hanyang.”
Lord Nan Shan sighed with emotion and said, “You really came to help. I knew I was right about you.”
“Or maybe I was just drawn here by the crystal stone mine,” Zhang Han replied casually.
“Haha.” Lord Nan Shan laughed out loud. “Welcome, please come to the mountain.”
With that said, he took the lead to fly to the highest peak that almost touched the clouds. Si Nan followed him on the side. Seeing Lord Nan Shan’s approving look, Si Nan laughed with satisfaction.
There were very few buildings on the highest peak.
“Lord Liu!”
Seeing his elder brother sitting in the courtyard not far away, Si Nan couldn’t help calling out to him.
“Phew…”
Lord Liu looked a little tired. He exhaled a long breath, got up, and walked over to greet them. Then, they took seats in the rows of wooden chairs on the edge of the cliff.
Looking at the scenery in front of him, Lord Nan Shan sighed softly and pointed to the burly man beside him.
“This is Lord Dong Gu, my only old friend now. The two of us… Well, Zhang Hanyang, thank you for coming here in person. I think you are our last hope. I wonder if we can attach ourselves to you and stay in the Main World for a long time?”
“You don’t have to go to the Main World, Zhang Han shook his head slightly and said, “I’m here to solve your problem. After all, we’ve worked together for several years. We’re sort of destined to be on the same team.”
“Thank you for your kindness. It’s just that the problem I have can no longer be solved.” Lord Nan Shan’s face was calm, as though he was talking about other people’s affairs. Nobody could sense a trace of anxiety in him. “Neither Lord Bei Huai nor Lord Zhen Hai is a force we can fend off; let alone they have joined hands to destroy us first.”
“The two lords…” Lord Liu took a deep breath and said, “sent 35 Real Kings to attack me. If I weren’t lucky, I might have died already.”
“Zhang Hanyang, I’ve heard of you a long time ago. Yet, I didn’t expect that Lord Nan Shan never told me that you have such heaven-defying powers.” Lord Dong Gu was pretty upbeat. He didn’t feel sad even though he had lost his territory. In an untroubled voice, he said, “I haven’t been to the Main World yet. If possible, we can consider withdrawing from the King’s Domain. When we rebuild our forces, we will definitely fight our way back to the King’s Domain and rule this world again.”
Both of the two magnates’ words indicated that they wanted to escape to the secular world. And they still needed Zhang Han to make that happen. Although, it meant they would have to submit to Zhang Han, it was much better than staying here and fighting against the other magnates to death.
“May I know how many people you can take in at most?” Lord Nan Shan looked at Zhang Han and said straightforwardly.
“You can’t go to the Main World for the time being, nor do you have to.” Zhang Han shook his head again and said, “As I’ve told you, I’ll solve the problem.”
“Solve the problem?” Lord Nan Shan’s eyes narrowed. “Zhang Hanyang, I admit that you are very powerful. But this is not the Main World. There is no strength suppression. How can you solve the problem? Mind you, our enemies are the other ten magnates.”
“Don’t worry about it. My master has killed many Yuan Ying Realm cultivators. This is no big deal.”
Mu Xue curled her lips and said, “You lords are at the Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage. Your strength is far inferior. In front of my master, you are nothing.”
Seeing that they dared to underestimate Zhang Han, Mu Xue became upset at once. She did not care about keeping a low profile anyway.
Lord Nan Shan was bereft of speech.
“What? You’re starting to ridicule your teammates now?”
“Forgive me for being blunt, but I can’t think of a way to resist,” Lord Dong Gu admitted. He looked at Mu Xue and then at Lord Nan Shan.
He found this a bit strange. Given Lord Nan Shan’s temperament, after Mu Xue talked to him like that, he should have already flown into a rage and taught her a lesson. However, it seemed that Lord Nan Shan did not intend to do that.
The Real Kings, instead, slightly furrowed their brows to show their disapproval.
“You magnates have had a dispute over the crystal stone mine. The solution is quite simple. I’ll take the crystal stone mine. Then, the so-called cause for the dispute will also disappear,” Zhang Han said.
“You want the crystal stone mine?” Lord Nan Shan suddenly sat bolt upright and said, “Zhang Hanyang, this is no joking matter. If something happens to you, our last hope will be gone, too.”
Lord Dong Gu and the others suddenly looked tense. After all, the current conversation had everything to do with their lives and future.
“I know you are strong, but…”
“There is no ‘but’.”
A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across Zhang Han’s eyes. A wave of incredible pressure shrouded Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu.
The two’s bodies tensed up in an instant. They both released a wisp of aura, which shattered the chairs they were sitting in.
“Thud, thud!”
To everyone’s surprise, the two fell straight on the ground.
But they didn’t mind the action they just took at all.
“That pressure we felt just now was…”
Lord Nan Shan immediately got to his feet and stared at Zhang Han in shock and disbelief.
“If I’m not mistaken, the aura of that pressure seemed to be even stronger than ours, wasn’t it?”
“Hiss!”
Lord Dong Gu gasped hard. He was a little frightened.
“Come on, let’s go to the crystal stone mine,” Zhang Han got up and urged.
Lord Nan Shan’s face changed slightly. After two seconds of silence, he slowly said, “Have you really thought it through?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then. Now we are on the same boat, we’ll win together or fall together. Since you want to go, I’ll take you there.”
Lord Nan Shan had made up his mind.
He did not notice that his tone had changed.
In the past few years, he had seen Zhang Han take action against others several times. With every fight Zhang Han had, he was more and more shocked. He acknowledged that Zhang Han was the number one in the secular world, not to mention that he also had Moon Empress, an unbelievably powerful figure, on his side.
The two of them were without a match in the secular world.
But in the King’s Domain, since there was no strength suppression, Lord Nan Shan considered himself as one of the top cultivators. After entering the King’s Domain, even Zhang Hanyang and Moon Empress were no match for him.
Nan Qinghai, the master of the Wind Snow Temple, and the other two Grand Masters thought the same back then.
However, unlike them, Lord Nan Shan had not experienced the horror of Zi Yan’s endless attacks.
Zhang Han didn’t give any explanation on this matter. Even Zhang Mu, Zhang Guangyou, and the others didn’t interrupt. Mengmeng and Zi Yan also just watched them on the side, not uttering a word.
Finally, Lord Nan Shan broke the silence by standing up and announcing in a booming voice, “All the Real Kings, assemble on the main peak.”
“Whiz, whiz, whiz, whiz, whiz!”
Many Real Kings with one-word titles flew over. Soon, nearly 200 people gathered there. Their number was quite large.
However, Lord Liu sighed deeply.
“I originally had more than 500 Real Kings, but now, we only have a few more than a hundred left.”
This simple remark revealed the cruelty of battle.
“You go ahead.”
Seeing that Lord Nan Shan was looking at him, Lord Dong Gu waved, indicating that Lord Nan Shan should give the order.
“You have 10 minutes to go back and summon your people. In 15 minutes, we will set off for the great mine in the central area.”
“We’re taking all of our people there? Should we really cut off all means of retreat?” Lord Dong Gu shook his head. “I’d rather not. It’s inconvenient to take too many people along with us. We’d better act alone and have them stay here and guard our last territory.”
At first, Lord Nan Shan thought that since Zhang Hanyang was here, he and his men should go all out. At worst, they would all die on the battlefield. If they won, they would hold sway over the place together. If they lost, he would bear the consequences together. However, when he heard what Lord Dong Gu said, he became a little hesitant.
After thinking for seconds, he waved his hand and said, “Forget it, you Real Kings should stay here.”
Then, he glanced at Zhang Han and said, “Let’s go.”
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
After saying that, he and Lord Dong Gu took the lead and flew forward. Zhang Han and the others followed behind. After rising into the air, Lord Dong Gu cast a spell to make all of them invisible.
“The great mine is just up ahead.”
Lord Nan Shan pointed to the plain ahead. The grass on the ground was about three meters high. It was light yellow, like the color of ripe ears of wheat.
“If we go ahead, we’ll get to the seals we placed here. Lord Bei Huai and Lord Zhen Hai have stationed many of their men around this mine. These two forces are not far from here. They can get here in half an hour. We probably can’t undo the seal in such a short time. Even if we could, we had no way to take all the crystal stones in the mine away,” said Lord Dong Gu slowly.
He was eyeing Zhang Han appraisingly.
He found that Zhang Hanyang’s face had been cool and composed since he arrived at Lord Nan Shan’s. It was not an act. One’s eyes were the windows of one’s soul. No matter how good a person was at acting, there would always be flaws. People could tell that from the frequency of one’s breathing and heartbeat, one’s eyes, expression, and subtle movements.
But from the beginning to the present, the only thing Lord Dong Gu could tell from his observation was that… Zhang Hanyang didn’t seem to have taken this matter seriously, or say, he only regarded this as a trivial problem that he could fix without effort.
“How could he be so calm?”
Lord Dong Gu found it somewhat weird. He and Lord Nan Shan looked calm now, but in truth, they had had some distraught time, only that they eventually got over it. Several days ago, they also looked doleful and distressed. Now that there was a way of retreat, they finally eased up for real.
He was not optimistic about the current situation, but the development of the matter still depended on how Zhang Hanyang acted.
Under everyone’s gaze, Zhang Han thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s just break the seal and wait for them to come.”
“Are you sure about this?” Lord Nan Shan once again asked with some doubts.
At the back, Lord Liu, Si Nan, and the few who came here with them wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.
Their idea was to launch a surprise attack. They thought that Zhang Hanyang would come up with a better plan to allow them to take some of the crystal stones in the great mine. Unexpectedly, the method he proposed was so simple. He would directly break the seal and draw other magnates to him.
“Wouldn’t that just be a suicidal act?”
“You can put your minds at ease,” Zhang Mu glanced at Lord Nan Shan coolly and said, “What Xue just said is all true. Han has killed multiple Yuan Ying Realm experts, all of whom were in the real Yuan Ying Realm. They were not fake Yuan Ying Realm cultivators like what you got here.”
“This, this…” Lord Liu found it hard to believe. “They were in the real Yuan Ying Realm? Who were they? Were they from the Kunlun Immortal World?”
Zhang Mu just smiled, not giving any explanation.
“Zhang Hanyang, it seems that you’re stronger than I thought.”
Lord Nan Shan had a strange look on his face. He knew this group couldn’t have come down here without thinking about the risks. Thus, he had been wondering what their trump card was. Yet, to his surprise, their trump card turned out to be Zhang Hanyang himself.
“Now he is so confident, let’s just wait and see. Anyway, the worst result could be nothing more than to face Lord Bei Huai and the other nine magnates.”
“Zhang Hanyang, I hope you can give us a surprise.”
Deep down, Lord Nan Shan finally regarded Zhang Han as an equal.
Before this, although they were very good partners, he more or less considered Zhang Han beneath himself. After all, in this world, one’s strength decided one’s status.
But after he heard what Zhang Mu said, he felt a little strange. “Why did he emphasize that the ones Zhang Hanyang killed were ‘real Yuan Ying Realm cultivators’? Aren’t we the same?”
Lord Nan Shan took a light breath and stopped dwelling on these issues. The energy in his body began to run wildly, and he launched the first attack.
A fist shadow, like a giant howling wolf, galloped forward.
“Bang!”
In an instant, colorful clouds flashed over the periphery of the plain. It was the seal jointly cast by the magnates of the King’s Domain.
“Attack together.”
Lord Dong Gu cocked his eyebrows and launched a strike along with Lord Nan Shan.
The seal here carried very strong energy. They knew very well that the first attack had already alerted Lord Bei Huai, Lord Zhen Hai, and the other magnates, and they would get here in minutes.
Before that, they were able to destroy the seal. Yet, after that, they would have to face the ten magnates.
“It’s time to end this turmoil.”
Lord Nan Shan felt that in such a situation, they would fight to win or die.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
The heavy attacks made the colorful light tremble violently. Zhang Han and the others didn’t make a move. They looked around and noticed groups of people gathering in a distance.
There were several Real Kings in the groups. Seeing this scene, some began to scoff.
“Haha, Lord Nan Shan, your game is as good as lost. I can’t believe you still dare to covet the great mine on the plain.”
“It’s useless even if you break the seal. You can’t take the crystal stones away.”
“Oh? You’ve got quite the nerves to find helpers! Yet, whoever your helpers are, they can’t save you. Lord Nan Shan, you shouldn’t waste your energy attacking the seal. It won’t work.”
“…”
Some people mocked, some sighed with emotion. But Lord Nan Shan ignored all of them.
“How dare these mere Real Kings speak to me?”
“Sizzle!”
Finally, after attacking for 20 minutes, the seal was broken.
Right at this moment, four people flew rapidly over from a distance.
“Lord Nan Shan, Lord Dong Gu, how have you been?”
“Lord Zhen Hai!”
Lord Dong Gu’s eyes darkened as he said, “You came very quickly. Looks like you care a great deal about this mine as well.”
“The giant mine is just an accessory. It belongs to the winner. What I’m interested in is just this battle. We, the 13 magnates in the King’s Domain, have lived in peace for too many years. The current disturbance has finally intrigued me. Unfortunately, Lord Nan Shan, Lord Dong Gu, you two are about to be kicked out of the game. The next battle to be staged will be the one between us and Lord Bei Huai. It’s time for the King’s Domain to go through a shakedown,” said Lord Zhen Hai matter-of-factly.
They kept flying. When they were less than 500 meters away, they stopped cold and began to study Zhang Han and the others.
“I thought they were from the Black White Palace, yet they are not,” Lord Zhen Hai said with interest, “it seems that they are the people you are cooperating with in the outside world, aren’t they? Well, I figure Zhang Hanyang must be in the group, right?”
“Yes, here I am.” Zhang Han looked at him calmly.
“You have a way to send us to the outside world?” Lord Zhen Hai’s eyes lit up.
“Yes.” Zhang Han nodded slightly.
“Good.”
Lord Zhen Hai suddenly laughed and said, “Only the winner is qualified to gain better cooperation opportunities. Zhang Hanyang, I think you can cooperate with the winner of this disturbance in the King’s Domain, instead of being stuck on the same boat with Lord Nan Shan. He is just a partner of yours who can be replaced at any time. What do you think?”
“Lord Nan Shan is a pretty good partner.”
Zhang Han said casually, “There is no need for more words. Let’s wait for everyone to arrive.”
Zhang Han was not interested in this matter. At the end of the day, it was a fight for the great mine. He could fix the problem from the root and solve the crisis Lord Nan Shan was facing once for all. For him, it was as easy as lifting a finger.
“Alas…”
Right at this moment, a light sigh sounded from the field.
“Eh?”
No one found anyone special on the field. Lord Zhen Hai and his people, as well as Lord Nan Shan and the others, looked around in surprise, but they didn’t see anyone suspicious either.
However, suddenly, a figure plummeted from the sky.
It was an old man.
At the sight of this old man, Lord Nan Shan and the others’ morale suddenly drooped.
Years ago, when the Black White Palace Master was targeted by the other lords, this old man appeared and killed a magnate!
“You’re bored with the peaceful life again.” Yue Wuwei gently shook his head and said, “I didn’t expect that when you felt you needed more crystal stones, a huge crystal stone mine immediately appeared right here. After you’re done with the matter here, I’ll give you a tour in the Black White Palace.”
“Greetings, Elder Yue.”
Many people hailed Yue Wuwei.
Zhang Han suddenly chuckled and said, “You didn’t put this mine here, did you?”
“No.” Yue Wuwei shook his head. “Don’t you know that there are many things that are not under my control?”
As soon as Yue Wuwei arrived, he began to chat with Zhang Han and his people.
Lord Zhen Hai and the others instantly felt that things were not going their way.
“D*mn it! The other party has a powerful backer!
“Now things might get a bit tricky.
“Didn’t they say that the Black White Palace was not interested in this fight? Then why did this old guy come here?”
“Whiz, whiz, whiz!”
Lord Zhen Hai and the others looked to the right.
“Lord Bei Huai and the others are coming.”
“The fun is about to begin. I wonder if there will be any changes with him here.” Lord Zhen Hai thought to himself, “That old man is exceedingly strong. He is not someone we can mess with. This is getting more and more interesting.”
In this triangular balance of power, Lord Zhen Hai had played an indispensable role. He had laid low for a long time and long yearned for a fight. Now, a war had broken out. The weakest party was Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu, who would soon be eliminated. Then, he and Lord Bei Huai would be left to fight for the mine. Although his party’s overall strength was not as strong as that of Lord Bei Huai’s, the gap between them was not wide. That competition was what he considered was a bit challenging.
“You’re all here?”
Lord Bei Huai looked spindly. He sized up the people present. Then, as if inadvertently, he rested his eyes on Yue Wuwei.
After deliberating for two seconds with a frown, he remarked, “Will the Black White Palace enter this competition?”
Yue Wuwei said flatly, “What’s it got to do with you?”
Lord Bei Huai was rendered speechless.
“You’re just exploiting your seniority.”
Nonetheless, he also knew that this old man was a mysterious master who was not to be trifled with. Therefore, he did not talk back. Instead, his eyes drifted to Lord Nan Shan, whom he knew very well.
“You came here and attacked the seal. Are you trying to mine the crystal stones in front of everyone?”
There was some sarcasm in his words.
“Lord Nan Shan, you’re already doomed. How could you still think about taking the crystal stones?”
“I, Lord Nan Shan, always act as I please. You think you can stop me?” Lord Nan Shan said calmly.
He, too, had a domineering aura.
“Haha.”
Lord Bei Huai suddenly laughed and said, “When I came here, I had already ordered my men to go to your place. Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu, it can be said that as long as I want, your forces will be wiped out for good. Maybe our men wouldn’t be able to crush them. But with Lord Zhen Hai’s force, your people won’t be able to resist at all.”
Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu immediately fell silent.
The two of them both turned to look at Zhang Han.
Now that they had put everything they had on the line, whether they could survive the crisis simply depended on Zhang Han’s efforts.
At this moment, Zhang Han glanced around Lord Zhen Hai and his men.
Then, in a composed tone, he remarked, “This great mine, is mine.”
“What did you say?” Lord Bei Huai couldn’t believe his ears. But how could he have misheard others’ words on such an occasion? His eyes skimmed past Zhang Han and locked on Yue Wuwei. He said, “You are very strong. But you shouldn’t be this greedy.”
Yue Wuwei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
All of a sudden, he heard Mu Xue mutter behind him, “Forget it. We won’t have a chance to fight anymore.”
Yue Wuwei’s eyes flickered to Zhang Han as he said, “If you take action directly, you’ll be able to solve the problem in no time. But you can’t do every time. In the future, when your disciples have learned all the skills and go out on their own, they will have to take charge of their own affairs. I think it’s better to let them sort out this conflict in the King’s Domain by themselves. After all, being constantly protected under your wings can do no good to their personal growth.”
“Eh?”
Zhang Han was slightly stunned. Suddenly, he fell silent and turned to look at the people behind him.
Chen Changqing’s face was written with excitement. Zhao Feng’s eyes were calm and eager. The others were also expectant…
“Yes. These years, they’ve participated in much fewer battles than they’d had in the past.
“Once upon a time, Emperor Qing also overawed the world. That was something he achieved by fighting one battle after another. Through continuous battles, one could accumulate more experience.”
“In that case…”
Zhang Han thought for two seconds and then said softly, “I’ll leave the home court to you guys. However, given their strength, these magnates here are still a threat to you.
“Then let’s play this game together. I’ll seal the crystal stone mine. It will be the spoils of war for the victor. You magnates ought to decrease your cultivation. As for how to decrease your cultivation…”
Zhang Han thought if he should use some specific medicinal pellets or incantations.
Both the incantations and medicinal pellets could only work for a limited time. Also, those might be undone by some other treasures the magnates had absorbed. Compared with Mu Xue and the others, these people were quite strong.
Most of the people in Mu Xue’s group were at the Elixir Realm Last-Stage. Although they were not far from the Peak-Stage, they still needed time to get there. This competition in the King’s Domain was actually a perfect opportunity for them to hone their skills.
Zhang Han’s idea was good, but those magnates strongly disagreed.
“Who are you kidding? You want us to lower our cultivation? Hahaha!” Lord Bei Huai sneered. “Who do you think you are?”
“That’s just wishful thinking!”
An irascible magnate behind Lord Bei Huai snarled, “If you want me to agree on this, you have to defeat me first!”
“Swoosh!”
In an instant, the burly man rushed over at an incredible speed. He suddenly seemed to weigh 500 kilograms. He gathered strength in his right fist and threw a punch.
“Lord Qing Zhou, what do you want?” Lord Nan Shan’s face fell. He prepared to take action.
However, Lord Dong Gu waved him down. Because he wanted to witness Zhang Hanyang’s strength. After all, he had said that he could kill those in the Yuan Ying Realm. If that was true, Lord Qing Zhou could not hurt him.
Yue Wuwei’s face was calm. He did not say anything either.
“His timing can’t be better. We just want to make an example of someone.”
“You are too careless!”
Lord Qing Zhou used seventy percent of his strength to pack this punch. He charged forward with unstoppable momentum.
When he was inches away from Zhang Han, he found in surprise that his opponent was still deep in thought. “He doesn’t take me seriously?”
“Drop dead!”
Lord Qing Zhou was slightly vexed. He increased his strength to 90 percent.
“Huh?”
Zhang Han raised his head slightly. Looking straight at the coming fist, he directly stretched out his right palm.
“Wham!”
A dull sound spread in all directions.
Lord Qing Zhou, who was dashing like a bolt of lightning, came to a sudden stop. His huge fist did not even cause his opponent to budge.
“How is this possible?”
Lord Qing Zhou was alarmed.
He wanted to retreat, but it was already too late.
Zhang Han didn’t look at him at all.
With a cool face, he said, “You’d better cooperate.”
“Crack!”
All of a sudden, countless tiny streaks of lightning flashed on Zhang Han’s right arm, emitting daunting pressure. Even the grey sky looked gloomier at this moment.
An extremely mysterious ring sounded between heaven and earth, which only lasted for one second.
Yet, in this second, Yue Wuwei’s face changed. He stared at Zhang Han, dumbfounded.
“F*ck, he is not punishing this lord to warn the masses. He is trying to scare me!”
“Rumble!”
The countless tiny streaks of lightning suddenly expanded, turning into the head of a giant crocodile. It opened its huge mouth and swallowed Lord Qing Zhou whole in an instant.
The lightning disappeared. So did Lord Qing Zhou. He was gone without leaving a trace in the world.
In merely seconds, one of the magnates had been taken down. How could that be?
“Hiss!”
Lord Nan Shan was so scared that his hands were trembling and his face was full of horror.
“Zhang Hanyang was so strong that he could kill a magnate in seconds. I, I… am not much stronger than Lord Qing Zhou. That’s to say, he is able to kill me without effort, isn’t he?
“Good heavens. During the years of cooperating with him, I always assumed I was the most powerful one who enjoyed higher status. However, it turns out that I’m not. He is the one who has the higher status instead.
“He is really insidious. He has concealed his strength so well and only made a move today. If I had offended him in the past, well…”
Lord Nan Shan felt that beads of cold sweat were dripping down his forehead.
Endless thoughts crossed his mind.
Lord Dong Gu, who was next to him, was also struck dumb by this. “So the way they mentioned to solve the problem turns out to be this simple?”
At the rear, Si Nan and Lord Liu, who had more contact with Zhang Han, were staring at each other in astonishment.
“Lord Liu, was it an illusion just now?” Si Nan asked in a low voice. He also shook his head and looked a little befuddled.
“It seems so.” Lord Liu swallowed and answered dryly, “Well, it’s an illusion.”
They could still find their voice. However, on the other side, Lord Zhen Hai, Lord Bei Huai, and the other seven magnates all felt a chill run down their spines, as though they had fallen into an ice cave. It was not until this moment that they realized that their lives were in the hands of the other party.
Many of their subordinates who were watching the fight were in an uproar.
“Lord Qing Zhou is dead? Did he escape or get killed?”
“He died. Don’t bother to persuade yourself that this is not true. You clearly know that Lord Qing Zhou has indeed died.”
“That man can kill magnates!”
That remark sparked a huge commotion as if a stone had been tossed into a peaceful lake. These people weren’t stupid. They also knew what it meant that someone was able to kill magnates.
“The great mine is yours.”
Lord Bei Huai quickly came to his senses. He took a deep breath and cupped his hands to Zhang Han. “We are no longer fighting for the great mine.”
“Really?” Zhang Han looked at him with malice and said, “I just said that everyone should fight for this mine in the normal way.”
“Er…”
Lord Bei Huai’s face darkened. “You really want me dead?”
As soon as these words came out, the other magnates panicked.
Lord Zhen Hai hastily said, “Zhang Hanyang, we never meant to upset you. We were just fighting for the crystal stone mine. Now, the crystal stone mine is at your disposal.”
This was no kidding! Although Lord Qing Zhou’s strength was relatively low among 13 magnates, they had no odds against the other party because they not only had Zhang Hanyang but also the old man on their side. It was no exaggeration to say that the two of them could vanquish all the magnates present.
After some quick thinking, Lord Zhen Hai said, “I understand what you mean. You want to train your people. We happen to have the same idea. I just want to know, if we seal part of our cultivation and do the fight, will you give us a chance to live?”
“Whether you will live or die depends on your own luck.”
Before Zhang Han could ask, Yue Wuwei waved his hand, and 11 beams of colorful light flew to the 11 magnates, including Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu. Yue Wuwei then said flatly, “Absorb this energy, and your cultivation will be suppressed for half a year. You will be at the top level of the Elixir Realm Peak-Stage.”
Seeing the energy before them, Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu were in a daze.
“We are on the same team as you’re! Why do we have to seal our cultivation as well?”
The two of them stared at each other helplessly.
“Hahaha, good!”
Seeing this, Lord Bei Huai absorbed the energy without hesitation. His expression changed slightly. His strength quickly dropped. But the declination was not too grave. He was still one of the best among the Elixir Realm Peak-Stage.
Lord Zhen Hai was silent for two seconds. Then, without saying a word, he absorbed the energy as well.
“Since all the magnates of the King’s Domain have to absorb the energy, this won’t be a big deal. Even if we resisted, since the King’s Domain is only this big, where could we escape to?”
With everyone watching, one after another, the magnates absorbed the energy and diminished their cultivation. This scene was shocking.
In the end, Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu also absorbed the energy.
It was not until then that Lord Bei Huai stopped staring at them and turned to look at Zhang Han and Yue Wuwei.
He remarked, “Our cultivation has been declined. I wonder if the Black White Palace will participate in this battle.”
“No,” Yue Wuwei replied briskly, “the fight is still the same. It doesn’t matter whether you form teams or alliances. I don’t care. It’s the business of you 11 magnates. Of course, with your current strength, you have to heed whether your subordinates are loyal. If someone wants to stab you in the back, you perhaps won’t survive it unscathed as you used to do. What you have to consider now is your own safety.”
As soon as he finished speaking, all the magnates present began to contemplate.
They each had several subordinates who were Real Kings. Those people had been at the peak of the Elixir Realm for many years and were very powerful. If they really wanted to rebel, things would be more troublesome. They knew they surely need to guard against them.
They had to guard against the other magnates as well.
Their alliance was not very united from the outset. Now the situation had kind of spun out of their control, each of the magnates began to hatch their own plans. The field was quiet, but people’s minds were rowdy.
“Will Zhang Hanyang interfere with the battle?”
After pondering in silence for a long time, Lord Zhen Hai said, “You are more powerful than us. Your strength far exceeds our imagination. With the two of you are here, we have no choice but to accept this result. Now, the two of you give us a chance to resist. However, if you’re just waiting to kill us right before we’re about to win, we’d rather you take our lives now. Then the battle would be really unnecessary. Hence, as you want to make the rules, there are some things that we need to ask beforehand. The most important question is, do we have a chance to survive?”
They finally understood that they might just be playing the role of a sparring partner. They were unwilling to accept this fact, yet they could do nothing about it. They were like a piece of meat on the chopping block. That was the harsh reality.
As such, they were most concerned about their safety.
“I won’t interfere.”
Zhang Han shook his head slightly and said, “As I said, the great mine belongs to whoever wins the battle. This is a competition among you guys in the Elixir Realm. We, who have surpassed the Elixir Realm, will not impinge on this battle. If you win, I promise I won’t hold a grudge and get back at you later.”
As soon as he said that, Lord Zhen Hai and the others heaved a sigh of relief.
“Seal!”
Yue Wuwei flung his right hand forward. A gleaming, pale blue energy ring covered the great mine.
“In this case, we’ll go back and confer with one another.”
Lord Bei Huai suddenly revealed a trace of a meaningful smile and waved his hand. “Retreat!”
The four magnates next to him looked at one another and departed with him. In the distance, a large number of people were retreating in succession. Of the 13 Domains of the Ancient Mine, Lord Bei Huai occupied seven, and Lord Zhen Hai occupied five. Lord Nan Shan only had his territory. Lord Dong Gu’s territory had been flattened.
Currently, the key issue was strength.
They wanted to go back and make a new plan to shorten the battle line. Now that Lord Qing Zhou was dead, the five of them had the disciples of six magnates under their leadership. That was a total of nearly a million disciples. The alliance led by Lord Zhen Hai had more than 600,000 disciples. As for Lord Nan Shan, he only had 200,000 disciples. Many of these members of the Dark Shadow Clan were at the Earth Realm or the Heaven Realm, which meant that they were at the Innateness Stage. More than half of them were at the Elixir Realm. Those at the Elixir Realm Early-Stage made more than 90 percent of all the Elixir Realm members.
That was similar to the Kunlun Immortal World. The total population of the Dark Shadow Clan was very large, only the number of those in the King’s Domain was much smaller. The Kunlun Immortal World had four vast regions and a lot of sects. The Ancient Mine was quite different, which only had 13 complete forces. If not count the Black White Palace in, there were only 12 forces.
There were also many small forces. But they all attached themselves to the magnates. Even the major cities in the Ancient Mine were also part of the forces of the magnates.
But now, the King’s Domain was obviously going to be turned into a battlefield. Since Zhang Han and Yue Wuwei would not meddle in, Lord Bei Huai decided to go back and planned it carefully.
In the beginning, Lord Bei Huai didn’t feel a thing. He was perfectly calm, for he knew that his victory was assured. But now, he was a little nervous. This kind of excitement reminded him of the thrill he had when he participated in various battles in his childhood.
“We used to be allies. Although part of our strength has been sealed, as long as the alliance is still unbreakable, victory will definitely belong to us.”
Lord Bei Huai and the others returned to a palace in his sect. The five of them started discussing the matter right away.
“I suggest shrinking the defenses for now. After all, Lord Qing Zhou has been killed. His subordinates wouldn’t willingly work for us. It’ll also be troublesome to pick a new leader,” said one of the magnates.
“That’s right. There are some with similar strength. If we pick one of them as the new leader, the others will protest. So… we might as well just kill them. Anyway, we have enough subordinates to wipe them out,” a fat magnate said in a deep voice.
“Although our strength has been partly sealed, I alone am enough to finish off those people.”
They did not lose confidence because they had lost some strength. On the contrary, some of them were so confident that they became quite sensitive. They still considered themselves the strongest in their force and believed that they could kill anyone that dared to act impudently. This would also prove to the other Real Kings that the magnates were still very powerful, and if the Real Kings dared to rebel, death would await them.
“We surely can kill them.”
Lord Bei Huai shook his head slightly and said, “But that’ll cause trouble anyway. If we killed some rogues, more rogues would emerge. Why don’t we call the Real Kings over and ask if any of them wants to follow our leadership? The five of us can each take in some to split up Lord Qing Zhou’s force. Even if some doesn’t want to serve us, it won’t matter.”
“That’s also a good idea. Let’s see what they think first,” the fat magnate replied. He then gestured for his men to notify the more than a dozen Real Kings under Lord Qing Zhou’s command.
The subordinate at the door quickly went off to pass on the message.
After a while, 18 Real Kings came to the main palace. Their expressions were normal, but they all felt a little strange. They had also heard that the strength of these magnates in front of them had fallen to the Elixir Realm Peak-Stage. In this way, they and the magnates were on the same level.
“However, why do we still feel stressed standing in front of them?”
On the way here, these people were all immersed in their own thoughts. The silence even seemed a little awkward.
“Lord Qing Zhou has died!”
After saying this, Lord Bei Huai was silent for two seconds. Even he himself felt a little strange. The death of a magnate certainly didn’t bode well for them. He then thought of the way Zhang Hanyang attacked and felt totally helpless in front of that strike.
“He was killed by Zhang Hanyang.”
