Li Yan weighed the options in his mind. He couldn't bring himself to kill the purple-robed youth for the reward. Of course, he wasn't some kind of saint, but the other party was neither an enemy of his sect nor a personal foe. Although he really wanted a "Netherworld Order," he truly couldn't commit such an act of indiscriminate killing.
Besides, even if he did kill the purple-robed youth, based on how the black-robed brothers had mentioned the reward several times, they had already locked their sights on the "Netherworld Order." Although the "Dustless Pill" was very important for forming a Golden Core, the two of them were probably at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and might also need to go to the "Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda" to find something, which was why they had never specified the Dustless Pill. In that case, it would conflict with his own needs. And as for whether the so-called "Thorn-Shadow" was trustworthy and how to find them to claim the reward, he was completely in the dark. It would inevitably lead to more complications. Plus, with Bloodhand Flying Sickle on the side, how the "Netherworld Order" and "Dustless Pill" would be divided among the three parties was clearly not something they would concede.
Similarly, from what the hunchbacked old man had said, it seemed the purple-robed youth had to obtain the inheritance position to have the right to give out the "Netherworld Order." But Li Yan saw a trace of certainty in the hunchbacked old man's expression, as if he had great faith in the purple-robed youth. Li Yan then thought about how the purple-robed youth had recognized the "Attacker's Tear" poison at a glance in the Xuanqing Temple. Just based on this point, his knowledge was much greater than his own.
So Li Yan decided to take a gamble. He would hide in the dark and observe the fight. If the hunchbacked old man ultimately couldn't defeat the combined forces of the two parties, he would make a move and then propose his terms. As for whether the purple-robed youth could win the so-called inheritance right, for Li Yan, it was the same as gambling on getting the reward from "Thorn-Shadow." After all, he knew nothing about "Thorn-Shadow," and it was an assassination organization that operated in the dark, which would be even more difficult to deal with.
If the hunchbacked old man ended up defeating the combined forces of the black-robed men and Bloodhand Flying Sickle, both sides would be greatly weakened. In that case, Li Yan would still make a move, but his target would be the hunchbacked old man. He would directly take him down. Although he wouldn't kill the purple-robed youth, he would use threats and inducements to make the other party agree to his terms.
Everything that followed unfolded according to the plan of Li Yan, who was secretly observing. Until the younger of the black-robed men suddenly self-detonated his life-bound magical treasure, which made Li Yan almost jump in fright. He had never encountered such a madman. Fortunately, at that time, everyone was only concerned with their own lives, completely focused on escaping. And Li Yan was about three li from the center and had directly sunk deep into the ground, instantly activating his spiritual light shield. Even so, the aftershock of the explosion penetrated the earth and spread in all directions, making him dizzy and his internal organs churn, and he was also affected.
After Li Yan emerged, he saw that the two sides seemed to be about to fight again. After assessing the situation, he had already decided on a plan. Just as the three parties were approaching each other, he used the "Stealthy Night Art" which he had just recently mastered, and quietly approached the recuperating He Manhua. Normally, with He Manhua's mid-stage Foundation Establishment strength, it would have been extremely difficult for Li Yan to get so close with only the first layer of the "Stealthy Night Art." It was just that He Manhua had just scanned the vicinity with his Divine Sense, and his brother had only just left, so he had relaxed a little to recuperate. The "Stealthy Night Art" was a top-tier concealment technique, and Li Yan was using it with all his might. In a moment of carelessness, Li Yan had managed to sneak up beside him and place his palm directly on the crown of his head.
The three people in front looked at Li Yan, their eyes filled with disbelief and confusion. But He Manzi quickly reacted, his heart filled with a mixture of shock and anger. He shouted directly at Li Yan, "It's you? Boy, what do you think you're doing? Get the hell away from him!"
Bloodhand Flying Sickle and the hunchbacked old man did not speak, but their Divine Senses both swept towards Li Yan in unison. Li Yan, seeing the Divine Senses sweeping over, seemed completely unconcerned. This made the two of them even more confused after their Divine Senses landed on Li Yan. This boy was just a Qi Condensation cultivator. Had his brain gone bad? Did he really think he could get away after ambushing and killing He Manhua? But both were seasoned veterans of the martial world. Seeing that this matter was strange, they felt it was not as it seemed.
Their immediate reaction was that this person had either cultivated a top-tier concealment technique, or there was someone else behind him. Otherwise, why would he be so arrogant? Li Yan didn't look like someone with a problem with his brain.
Thinking of this, Bloodhand Flying Sickle and the hunchbacked old man quickly expanded their Divine Senses to the surroundings again. But to their disappointment, there was no one else within their Divine Senses. A thought rose in both of their minds at the same time: 'If we were fighting just now and might have overlooked this boy lurking nearby, we have now carefully scanned with our Divine Senses and still haven't found anyone else in ambush. Could it be that there is some expert at the Golden Core realm or above behind this boy?'
The moment this thought arose, Bloodhand Flying Sickle and the hunchbacked old man couldn't help but look at each other, cold sweat trickling down their backs. Li Yan's appearance and actions were completely inconsistent with his cultivation level, which made them think more and more. The more seasoned a veteran of the martial world, the more suspicious they usually were. It was no wonder the two of them thought this way.
These thoughts only flashed through their minds for a brief moment, lasting only one or two breaths in the outside world.
Li Yan glanced coldly at the furious He Manzi and said calmly, "You'd better be quiet." Then, a black light flickered in his palm. The black light pulsed on top of He Manhua's head, illuminating his pale face. He only felt a chilling pressure of death enveloping his head. He couldn't see Li Yan behind him, and he didn't dare to move his Divine Sense or spiritual energy. But he heard Li Yan's voice, which sounded somewhat familiar, and he also heard his brother's words, which seemed to indicate he knew this person. But in his heavily injured state, he had no confidence in dealing with the person behind him. He could only shut his mouth tightly and look at his brother for help.
Li Yan then looked at the hunchbacked old man and spoke again. "Did you hear my question just now, Fellow Daoist?"
He Manzi was almost choked by Li Yan's words, but he immediately shut his mouth. He didn't know what Li Yan was trying to do at this moment.
Hearing Li Yan's words, the hunchbacked old man was first stunned, and only then did he remember that Li Yan seemed to have been asking him a question earlier. He thought for a moment and was about to speak when the purple-robed youth in his hand moved. He looked down and saw that the purple-robed youth had woken up under his continuous infusion of spiritual energy. The blood from his seven orifices had not yet been wiped away, but he struggled to stand up, leaning against the hunchbacked old man. Then he looked at Li Yan and said in a weak voice, "Fellow Daoist, my name is Huchen Wuding. I am returning to my family this time to compete for the position of the next generation's successor. The 'Netherworld Order' you mentioned is a necessary item to enter the Pure Land Sect's Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. Because my Huchen family has its own unique immortal arts in pill refining and poison making, and because the Huchen family is close to the northern region under the jurisdiction of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, the Pure Land Sect also knows of us and often sends people to buy some medicinal pills. Under the principle of mutual benefit, the Pure Land Sect gives the Huchen family one 'Netherworld Order' every year for them to dispose of freely. I won't hide it from Brother Li now; if I can return to the family this time and obtain the position of the next generation's successor, I will have the right to handle this 'Netherworld Order.' And this 'Netherworld Order,' as far as I know, is also one of the rewards for this competition, which can be disposed of by the successor. It can even be given to outsiders to gain more supporters."
"And I, have a seventy percent confidence of obtaining the position of successor this time. This is also the reason why some people in the family want me dead. If Brother Li can help me return to my family, this matter will definitely be handled by this little brother."
"But if Brother Li thinks that my head can also be exchanged for this item, then it is my fate to be so." Huchen Wuding looked at Li Yan with sincere eyes and said. Although he didn't know why a Qi Condensation cultivator like Li Yan would dare to get involved so boldly, at this moment, the more friends, the better.
After hearing Huchen Wuding's words, Li Yan's eyes narrowed. He then asked again, "Then can you produce the reward they mentioned earlier?"
Hearing Li Yan's words, Huchen Wuding's face darkened. He said, "I only know about the 'Netherworld Order' and 'Dustless Pill' in their reward. I'm not sure about the other things. Even if I were, I'm afraid..."
"Hmph, he can't produce it. The remaining things are enough for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to cultivate for twenty or thirty years without worry." Just as Huchen Wuding's voice fell, Bloodhand Flying Sickle's sinister voice sounded.
After hearing this, Li Yan was shocked. Resources that could allow a Foundation Establishment cultivator to cultivate for several decades... the person who hired the assassins was truly generous. But this also confirmed one thing for Li Yan: this purple-robed youth before him, just as he said, had a great chance of winning the position of the family's successor. Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have spent so much to kill him.
Seeing Li Yan fall silent after hearing Bloodhand Flying Sickle's words, Huchen Wuding couldn't help but feel uneasy. Even the hunchbacked old man beside him was helpless. His current state was extremely poor, and he couldn't speak casually.
Li Yan quickly weighed his options. He thought very fast. Soon, he raised his head to look at Huchen Wuding. Being looked at by him, Huchen Wuding gritted his teeth and couldn't help but say first, "As long as I can return to the family, these things will naturally not be a problem. Besides the 'Netherworld Order' and 'Dustless Pill,' I will offer double the existing reward for the rest." He started speaking with great conviction, and his words revealed a trace of pride, faintly mixed with some hatred.
After hearing Huchen Wuding's words, He Manzi and Bloodhand Flying Sickle couldn't help but sneer. They didn't believe a word of this boy's talk. A rootless, drifting boy was spouting nonsense.
After Huchen Wuding finished speaking, Li Yan turned his head to He Manzi and Bloodhand Flying Sickle. "You two, how about we just drop this matter? For the other party to offer such a generous reward to kill him, the reason is already simple. That is, this fellow Daoist indeed has the ability to seize the inheritance and has already posed a sufficient threat to them. This shows that what Fellow Daoist Huchen said just now has some guarantee. And this is the other party's family matter. As the saying goes, 'even an upright official finds it hard to settle family affairs.' At that time, I only want the 'Netherworld Order,' nothing else. You two can split the rest, how about it?" As Li Yan said this, he also felt unsure. This was equivalent to him sticking his foot in, but he had to do it.
Hearing this, Bloodhand Flying Sickle's eyes turned cold, but he didn't speak. He just looked at He Manzi. He Manzi, for his part, looked at his brother under Li Yan's palm, suppressing the anger in his heart. "Fellow Daoist Li, why must you get involved in this mess? Even if we let them go now, for the remaining nearly ten thousand li, do you think they can return safely? Others won't track them down again? Perhaps you have hidden your cultivation, but how many times can you fend off pursuit for them? Besides, have you heard of 'Thorn-Shadow'? Why must you provoke a force that makes a living by killing?"
He Manzi looked at Li Yan and spoke slowly, his words a mix of soft and hard, with a faint hint of a threat. He didn't believe that Li Yan came from some great force. Either there were people in ambush nearby to back him up, but those in ambush didn't seem to be that powerful, otherwise they would have just come out and killed them all.
Or, this boy before him had really cultivated a concealment technique. But in that case, his own strength wouldn't be too high either. In that case, he could have just killed him directly. Why go through all this trouble?