It turned out that so many people had been hidden around the lake.
Since they were hidden, it naturally meant that these people had arrived a long time ago.
These people had come from Gaoyang Village, Xunyang City, the Mount Song Army headquarters, Hanqiu City, and even the capital. They were all experts.
But they were only the attendants of the truly important figures.
These important figures had been standing in the darkness between the mountains this entire time.
Tianhai Zhanyi was dressed in a thin robe, the snowflakes drifting away as they fell upon it.
Young people always liked to use various methods to display their demeanor and boast about their cultivation, but as the master of the Zhu clan, Zhu Ye did not need to do this. He was dressed in an extremely expensive fur coat, and Divine General Ning Shiwei was still fully armored in this frigid weather, appearing particularly austere. He looked down at the misty courtyard at the bottom of the valley, which seemed like a fairyland, and frowned. "This place is so desolate and so close to the land of demons, but someone actually managed to build such a place …"
"It's not important who owns this place. What's important is who will be able to own that person after tonight."
Tianhai Zhanyi glanced across the pine forest, making no attempt to conceal his derision and contempt.
Even the stupidest of people could imagine that the mysterious master who could refine a wondrous treasure like the Cinnabar Pill was no ordinary person.
But they represented the Zhu clan, the Tianhai clan, and the Prince of Xiang, equivalent to half the Great Zhou Dynasty. What they needed to consider was not how to seize the precious recipe or the even more important person, but how to prevent others from seizing it.
Those people were right across from the pine forest.
The Tang Seventeenth Master smirked at them and said, "I truly didn't expect that someone would dare to steal the goods of my Wenshui Tangs."
It seemed that the Tang clan had already lost control of the situation tonight. Even though he had made preparations, he probably had not expected that the important figures of the Imperial Court would place such importance on that person and the recipe. Even someone of Zhu Ye's and Ning Shiwei's status had managed to stealthily infiltrate this nameless mountain range.
Tianhai Zhanyi looked at the experts of the Tang clan and jeered, "If your Tang clan continued to obediently distribute the Cinnabar Pill like it did in the past, then it truly could be said to be your goods. But now that you yourselves want to seize the treasure, do you still have the face to stop others? Embezzlement … that sounds even worse. "
The Tang Seventeenth Master's smile faded. "I am speaking to you on behalf of the Tang clan."
Ever since they had met in the snowy mountains, Zhu Ye had always had a faint smile on his face. When he heard these words, his smile suddenly blossomed. "When your second brother poisons your eldest brother to death and then enters the ancestral hall to kill pitiful Little Thirty-Six, it won't be too late for you to say that you represent the Tang clan on that day."
Hearing these seemingly ordinary but actually sharp and contemptuous words, the Tang Seventeenth Master took in a deep breath, his eyes turning cold. This was Tianliang County, and he was neither the First Master nor the Second Master. In fact, his status in the Tang Clan was even lower than Tang Tang's. He could only agree to these words, but …
Right at this moment, Ning Shiwei suddenly turned around and looked at the courtyard in the snowy gorge below. He grunted and said, "You want to leave?"
Before his voice faded away, his fist, which carried the taste of cold iron, heavily bombarded the cliff. With a loud sound, a mountain rock was sent flying and fell down.
The faint sound of collapsing could be heard from the valley. The lake seemed to ripple as the wooden bridge snapped.
"Go, let's go meet the master of this place."
Ning Shiwei walked toward the lake, not even glancing at the Tang Seventeenth Master.
But the Tang Seventeenth Master knew that this steely fist was actually meant for him to see. This was a warning, and also a display of resolve.
Tianhai Zhanyi shook his head, his face brimming with derision, and walked past him.
Zhu Ye calmly nodded his head in greeting and also left.
The former bishop of the Hall of Heroic Martial glanced at the motionless Tang Seventeenth Master, somewhat worried and somewhat confused.
As he watched the torches around the distant lake light up and the mist thickening as the lake surged, the Tang Seventeenth Master suddenly creased his brow.
… …
… …
The rocks smashed apart the wooden bridge, startled the lake, and stirred up a great mist. The courtyard, which existed in all four seasons, was shrouded in mist. The dusky light released by the countless torches was scattered into an extremely dreamy scene, even more immortal than before. Of course, in the eyes of people with different moods, it could also be said to be rather strange.
Tianhai Zhanyi stood by the lake, gazing at the two indistinct figures on the broken bridge in the mist. Arching his brows, he said, "Sire is naturally an extraordinary person, a solitary cloud and wild crane, a master beyond the world, but … how can you truly be above the mundane world? Since you will sooner or later enter the world of mortals, why not travel with us? "
He found these words to be extremely elegant and rather satisfied, but the answer from the mist indicated that it had not achieved the effect he had hoped for.
The black-clothed girl's voice was just as emotionless as her person, yet it could easily stir the emotions of others. "You're a demi-human? You don't know how to speak human language? "
Tianhai Zhanyi was enraged by these words. With a snort, he prepared to do something, but Zhu Ye stopped him with a glance.
"It's a little simpler. Regardless of what you think, since you've seen the sun, there's no possibility of returning to night."
Zhu Ye calmly looked at the two people in the mist and said, "No one can take the Cinnabar Pill for themselves, not the Tang clan, not me, not anyone. This is the Imperial Court's, and we only want the merit of being the first to offer it. As for your reward, not a single cent will be given to you. You might even receive the venerable Daoist's appreciation."
The mist was quiet for a very long time.
The young man's voice rang out.
"This is mine."
Zhu Ye gave a gentle smile, like a teacher patiently explaining to a junior. "I said that no one can take it, including everyone in the mist, including you."
The young man in the mist asked, "What sort of principle is this?"
Zhu Ye solemnly replied, "Since it's the supreme treasure of the world, it should belong to the world."
The mist fell silent once more.
Tianhai Zhanyi sneered, "If you have a precious treasure but are not willing to share it with the world, you should hide it even more secretively, or else you will die."
Whether it was spoken elegantly, tactfully, or patiently, the principles of powerful figures had always been very clear.
The Cinnabar Pill was the supreme treasure of the world. If one did not have the corresponding strength or authority, they had no right to keep it. If one wanted to keep it, they could only die.
The black-clothed girl's voice once more rang out from the mist. This was her reply to Tianhai Zhanyi. "Ah! Are you really a demi-human? "
It was still that joke about not knowing how to speak properly. Tianhai Zhanyi was enraged and harshly yelled, "Hand over the pill formula and I'll spare your life!"
As he said this, he secretly made a hand gesture behind his back.
He had no intention of waiting for an answer. What he wanted was a sudden attack.
Zhu Ye and Ning Shiwei both saw this and raised their brows, but they did not stop him. They also wanted to see what would happen. Even if it was just a probe, there would at least be some response.
An expert of the Tianhai clan noiselessly swept across the lake, strangely vanishing into the mist.
And then … he simply vanished.
Nothing happened. Not a single sound rang out.
Time slowly passed, but the mist remained quiet, with no response.
Everyone felt that this was truly strange.
Tianhai Zhanyi's complexion turned abnormally nasty.
Zhu Ye and Ning Shiwei's expressions turned solemn.
Suddenly, there was the sound of water. The lotus leaves in the mist moved, and the corpse of the Tianhai clan expert floated out.
It was like a boat. Wherever it passed, the lake water would gradually be dyed in a dazzling dark red.
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