Hua Tianmen was the top genius of the Northern Profound Domain. If he were killed, it would be a huge loss for the domain.
The Great Demon Sect might even come to Holy Spirit Manor seeking revenge.
But Bai Luoxue shook her head.
Like the two of them, Hua Tianmen was only robbed of his treasures and beaten up; his life was not in danger.
"That’s a relief. He’s lucky."
Wang Xuan said, wiping away a cold sweat.
Considering they had run into a pack of Demon Beasts led by a Tier Four Demon Beast, getting away with their lives after just being robbed of their treasures was already a stroke of good luck.
Bai Luoxue asked, "Wang Xuan, don’t you find this strange?"
"Strange in what way?"
Wang Xuan asked in confusion.
Bai Luoxue was speechless. "Are you really this dense, or are you just pretending? Didn’t you realize those Demon Beasts are being controlled?"
"Now that you mention it, I did get that feeling."
Wang Xuan said with dawning realization.
In the past, when Demon Beasts caught humans, they would tear them to shreds. This time, however, it was just a robbery.
Clearly, these Demon Beasts were being controlled.
By a human, no less.
Otherwise, they would have been killed for sure.
Wang Xuan said gravely, "To be able to subdue all the Demon Beasts in the Holy Spirit Secret Realm and control them to carry out robberies... the person behind this must be terrifyingly powerful."
Bai Luoxue lamented, "Indeed. Those few Tier Four Demon Kings, if they joined forces, could kill one of our Mid Stage Martial Monarchs. Without absolute power, there’s no way to keep them in check."
Wang Xuan guessed, "A Late Stage Martial Monarch?"
Bai Luoxue shook her head. "A Late Stage Martial Monarch could only barely intimidate them. The Demon Kings would flee or hide afterward. To make them so obediently and desperately carry out these robberies, the mastermind must be at the Martial Monarch Great Perfection realm, or perhaps even a Martial King."
HISS!
Hearing Bai Luoxue’s analysis, Wang Xuan sucked in a sharp breath.
’A Martial King...’
’That’s tyrannical power on par with the Saint Spirit Manor Master.’
The young woman in green robes at their side also couldn’t help but start trembling.
Clearly, she had never imagined that she had just been robbed by the subordinates of a powerhouse on the level of a Martial King.
That was an existence she could never afford to offend in her entire lifetime.
Bai Luoxue said in a low voice, "The only thing we can do now is to group up and search for treasures. Once we find any, we consume them on the spot."
"Huh...?"
Wang Xuan asked, stunned, "Then what about the Holy Spirit Competition?"
After all, the rules for the second stage of the Holy Spirit Competition stated that rankings were determined by the number of treasures one possessed.
The young woman in green robes said worriedly, "If we do that, I won’t be able to get treatment for my mother."
But if they didn’t consume them, they would just be robbed by those fiends anyway.
「Elsewhere!」
Hua Tianmen lay perfectly still on the ground, his head buried in the dirt, not daring to look up for a long time.
He was playing dead.
Just then, a follower’s voice reached his ears. "Young Master Hua, you can get up now. They’re long gone."
"Are you sure?"
Hua Tianmen cautiously raised his head and looked around. Only after confirming that all the Demon Beasts had left did he dare to stand up.
Immediately after, Hua Tianmen erupted in anger.
Damn it all!
’I, the esteemed chief disciple of the Great Demon Sect, a top genius of the Northern Profound Domain, was forced to play dead by a few Demon Beasts just to survive!’
Hua Tianmen roared, "If anyone dares breathe a single word of what happened today, I’ll slaughter them!"
"Yes, sir! We wouldn’t dare!"
All his followers were scared into silence.
Just then, a follower ran up. "Young Master Hua, I found a Spirit Grass over there. Would you like to take a look?"
"Yes, of course we’re going!"
Hua Tianmen said without hesitation.
All his treasures had just been stolen. If he had nothing to show for himself at the end of the Holy Spirit Competition, he would become a laughingstock.
Therefore, even a single Spirit Grass was now a priceless treasure in his eyes.
Led by his follower, Hua Tianmen soon arrived before the Spirit Grass. He said in pleasant surprise, "Eh? It’s a Water Spirit Lotus! This is a priceless treasure even for a Grand Martial Artist, worth five hundred Points."
However...
Just as he was about to dig up the Water Spirit Lotus, a cold shout came from behind him: "Let go of that Water Spirit Lotus."
"What? They’re back to rob us again."
"For fuck’s sake!"
"Damn it, how are these Demon Beasts’ noses so sharp? We just found the Water Spirit Lotus and they’re already back."
Everyone’s face was a mask of fury.
Hua Tianmen scanned the pack of Demon Beasts and sneered, "Without a Tier Four Demon King to lead you, a pack of mere Tier Three Demon Beasts dares to try and rob me? Do you take me for a pushover?"
BOOM!
Hua Tianmen’s body shook as a terrifying power erupted from him.
"This human... he’s so strong."
"He must be at the Grand Martial Artist Realm, right?"
"A Grand Martial Artist? This is going to be tough. The few of us are no match for him. We should retreat for now."
The Demon Beasts exchanged glances, feeling wary of Hua Tianmen.
A Cyan-faced Lion spoke up, "No, we can’t retreat. We have to get that Water Spirit Lotus no matter what. Otherwise, if that senior finds out, he’ll surely slap us to death."
"But what if we can’t beat them?"
asked the Demon Leopard beside it.
The Cyan-faced Lion sneered. "Under normal circumstances, we certainly can’t beat him. But what if we burn our Demon Cores?"
"Burn our Demon Cores?"
The Demon Leopard gritted its teeth. "If we burn our Demon Cores, most of us can temporarily gain the power of a Tier Four Demon Beast."
"Heh heh, there are over a hundred of us Demon Beasts here. Even if only half of us can temporarily gain the power of a Tier Four Demon Beast, you think we still won’t be able to beat them?" the Cyan-faced Lion grinned.
The Demon Leopard said coldly, "Forget fighting. The sheer number of us could drown him in spit."
"Then let’s get him!"
"Get him!"
The Cyan-faced Lion took the lead, burning its Demon Core and erupting with astonishing power.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Immediately after, the Demon Leopard and the other Demon Beasts all began to burn their Demon Cores, temporarily advancing to the level of Tier Four Demon Beasts.
Seeing this, Hua Tianmen was stunned.
’These guys are all burning their Demon Cores at once.’
’This will shorten their lifespans!’
Hua Tianmen’s voice trembled as he asked, "Is one Water Spirit Lotus really worth you all risking your lives like this?"
"You can’t figure it out, can you?"
the Cyan-faced Lion asked coolly.
Hua Tianmen nodded.
He truly couldn’t understand.
The Water Spirit Lotus was precious, true, capable of raising a Grand Martial Artist’s Martial Arts Realm, but it wasn’t so valuable that over a hundred Demon Beasts would burn their Demon Cores to fight him to the death for it.
The Cyan-faced Lion explained, "We don’t want to burn our Demon Cores either, but we have no choice. We must obtain that Water Spirit Lotus next to you and offer it to that Lord."
"Who is this Lord?"
Hua Tianmen asked without thinking.
The Demon Leopard began, "That Lord is—"
The Cyan-faced Lion snapped, "Demon Leopard, shut up! Do you have a death wish, casually revealing that Lord’s identity and name?"
"Crap, I almost let it slip."
The Demon Leopard’s face was filled with lingering fear.
The Cyan-faced Lion said coldly, "I’ll give you two choices. Either you fight us to the death, or you leave the Water Spirit Lotus and walk away. Choose."
"Choice, my ass!"
With a furious flick of his sleeve, Hua Tianmen snarled, "Stop your damn yapping! Fine, I don’t want the Water Spirit Lotus! Is that good enough for you?"