Hearing this, Li Yan smiled faintly. "As long as you two don't interfere, the rest is not for you to worry about." Li Yan was an extremely intelligent person. Huchen Wuding and his companion had only been discovered by the two groups after they had traveled this far, which meant they should have been extremely careful all along. Very few people, if any, should have known their whereabouts. Even if the two opposing groups went to inform others, they might lose the chance to continue tracking them. It would likely be difficult to find them again. Moreover, it wasn't certain that the He brothers and Bloodhand Flying Sickle would inform others. Would they really let others benefit from something they couldn't get themselves? Li Yan had weighed the feasibility of this matter in his mind again.
"What if I don't agree?" At this moment, Bloodhand Flying Sickle spoke faintly, his gaze growing colder. He couldn't possibly be willing to let the duck that was almost in his mouth fly away.
"Oh? As long as the two brothers don't interfere, do you think you can take him on alone?" Hearing this, a slight smile touched the corners of Li Yan's lips as he pointed a finger at the hunchbacked old man.
Seeing this, Bloodhand Flying Sickle's expression grew even grimmer. He couldn't help but look at He Manzi again. He Manzi, for his part, stared at Li Yan. He hadn't expected this kid to not back down an inch even after he had brought up the name "Thorn-Shadow." He glanced at his brother under Li Yan's palm, his eyes flickering several times. He cupped his hands to Li Yan. "Fellow Daoist Li, my brother and I have lost this round. We will no longer interfere in this matter."
After speaking, he actually flew into the distance, stopping at the edge of the large crater. He turned his head and stared intently at Li Yan.
"Brother Li, you can't release the hostage! When have the He brothers ever been people of their word?" At this moment, Huchen Wuding's voice came through.
Hearing Huchen Wuding's voice, the eyes of both He Manzi and He Manhua instantly filled with a fierce light as they stared viciously at Huchen Wuding's handsome face.
"My young master is absolutely right. Fellow Daoist Li, if you release He Manhua now, they will surely turn on you in an instant. If they let go and stop the pursuit, they will be breaking the rules of 'Thorn-Shadow' and will also be severely punished. Given this outcome, how could they betray 'Thorn-Shadow'?" the hunchbacked old man also quickly chimed in. His current state was not good. Li Yan's sudden appearance had changed the situation in his favor. As long as the two opposing groups no longer joined forces, he might not necessarily win against one of them, but he wouldn't be defeated either. He could make further plans then.
Moreover, Li Yan's cultivation was truly unfathomable. If he really was a Qi Condensation cultivator who had only managed to capture He Manhua by a fluke, then it was even more imperative not to release the hostage.
Hearing the hunchbacked old man's words, He Manzi's killing intent soared. But when he turned to look at Li Yan again, his face was full of bitterness. "He's right. A 'Thorn-Shadow' mission cannot be easily abandoned. It's just that my brother is in your hands. I'm also a person of some standing. Since I've said I won't interfere, I won't interfere. My brother and I just hope that this Huchen Wuding can keep his word. We'll go on the run for a while, hide from 'Thorn-Shadow' until this blows over. At that time, when Huchen Wuding has won the position of successor, we will go and collect our reward. Then we'll find a place to enter seclusion and cultivate."
As he said this, his face showed a trace of helplessness and sorrow, as if he had thought of the consequences of betraying "Thorn-Shadow."
"Little brother, you can't..." The hunchbacked old man still said in a deep voice upon seeing this. But just as he spoke, Li Yan waved his hand and then looked at the hunchbacked old man with a faint smile. "If this method doesn't work, then there's another way. I can join them and attack the two of you, and then the three parties can divide the spoils." The hunchbacked old man and the purple-robed youth were stunned and fell silent.
Although Li Yan heard Huchen Wuding's anxious warning, he had already made up his mind. He actually began to slowly withdraw the hand he had placed on He Manhua's head.
And at the same time, he said, "Alright, then it's a deal." From the bottom of his heart, Li Yan did not want to provoke an assassination organization. If news of this leaked out, he would likely be caught in their endless pursuit in the future.
Seeing Li Yan actually withdraw his hand, Huchen Wuding was so anxious he almost jumped up. But with Bloodhand Flying Sickle in between, he didn't dare to cross. The hunchbacked old man could only sigh in his heart. 'Such a good situation, wasted just like that. Is this kid too clever for his own good, or does he really have some trump card that makes him so confident?'
Bloodhand Flying Sickle, whose face had been so gloomy it looked like water would drip from it, now had a change of heart. He shifted his gaze to He Manzi. On the other side, He Manzi saw Li Yan withdraw his hand. With a smile on his face, he cupped his hands to Li Yan again. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li. My brother and I will be leaving now." As he spoke, he gestured with his eyes for He Manhua to come over quickly.
After withdrawing his hand, Li Yan watched with a blank expression as He Manhua quickly stood up and staggered forward. He also said faintly, "I hope you two brothers will do as you say."
Looking at He Manhua who had rushed over, He Manzi's face still held a smile. He put a hand on his brother's shoulder, and his Divine Sense quickly swept over his entire body. After confirming that Li Yan had not done anything to He Manhua, he stepped in front of his brother, the smile on his face growing wider, but now it was tinged with killing intent.
"Fellow Daoist Li, my brother and I are of course people of our word. We'll let the Huchen family matter go. However..." As he said this, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"However, my brother and I still have a personal score to settle with you, Your Excellency."
"So it was you, you scoundrel! Big Brother, kill this kid! Damn it, he ambushed me when I was weak!" At this time, He Manhua's furious voice also came from behind him. His expression was twisted, his face full of ferocity. He had now clearly seen who had ambushed him. To think that he had been at the mercy of a mere Qi Condensation cultivator... if word of this got out, he would be disgraced for life. He would surely be ridiculed to death by his peers.
Bloodhand Flying Sickle showed an "as expected" expression, but he didn't move an inch. He floated between the hunchbacked old man and Li Yan, sneering inwardly. All he had to do now was stop the hunchbacked old man from moving. As soon as He Manzi made a move, he would know if this suddenly appearing kid really had an expert hidden nearby.
Hearing the He brothers' words, Li Yan couldn't help but frown and sigh inwardly. Even after he had presented evidence that the purple-robed youth had a great chance of winning the inheritance position and had forced the youth to promise an even more generous reward, it still didn't work. The matter at hand was truly not something he could stop with simple means. It seemed that in the future, he should just act according to his own heart and not be so hesitant. In fact, he had approached this with an attitude of just giving it a try.
Li Yan's actions in this matter were fundamentally related to his nature. Although he was no longer as kind as he once was, deep down, he was still unwilling to kill more than necessary. He was not some bloodthirsty demon lord.
He Manzi looked at Li Yan's unchanging face. Although he was a little surprised and uncertain, he was no saint. How could he betray "Thorn-Shadow"? Besides, today's matter was about to succeed. His own brother had even self-detonated his life-bound magical treasure, and this kid had almost ruined everything. How could he let this suddenly appearing kid send him away with just a few words? That would be the joke of the century. Who did this kid think he was, a Golden Core expert? A regional hegemon?
With a wave of his large hand, the huge emerald green abacus he had been holding in his hand once again emitted a piercing "crackling" sound. Then, a dragon-eye-sized bead actually detached from the main body of the abacus and rose to the top of He Manzi's head. As it spun continuously, circles of green waves shot out in all directions.
He Manzi's eyes showed a vicious color. "Kid, I was originally going to use this move on that old dog. Now you get to be the first to taste it." He was telling the truth. This was his killing move, which he had intended to use as a final blow against "Demondog Moonshadow." Now, he was not hesitating to expose it early. This was partly due to his hatred for Li Yan, but more so due to his unease about Li Yan's mysteriousness. He always felt that this person before him might have come alone. In that case, Li Yan's cultivation must be extraordinary. He wanted to kill him in one blow. Even if he failed, he would immediately know the other party's depth. As for the hunchbacked old man, if he thought that this was all his magical treasure was capable of, he would definitely suffer a great loss later.
After speaking, He Manzi looked at Li Yan, who was still standing calmly in front of him, as if he hadn't reacted at all to his sudden turncoat. This made He Manzi even more furious. He thought to himself, 'You'll show your true colors soon enough.' Then he immediately raised one hand in front of his chest, about to form a seal and strike. And just at this moment, he heard a cry of pain from behind him. This sound made his heart skip a beat.
Because this voice, he was more than familiar with it. It was his brother He Manhua's voice. He quickly activated his spiritual light shield to protect his whole body and then turned to look. The scene that met his eyes made his eyes almost pop out of their sockets. At this moment, He Manhua was on the ground, his body painfully arched like a bow. His exposed arms and face seemed to have had their life force drained, presenting a grayish, defeated color. He was gasping for breath with his mouth wide open, like a dead fish on the shore. With every breath, he would suck in a large amount of air, but it seemed it was not enough to sustain his body's consumption.
He Manzi flashed and was back in front of his brother. With a beckon of his hand, he had He Manhua in his arms. He quickly sent a stream of spiritual energy into his brother's body. The moment his spiritual energy entered He Manhua's body, He Manhua's figure trembled, as if he had been replenished, and his expression immediately eased a little. But in the next moment, He Manzi's face changed dramatically. The vigorous spiritual energy he had just injected, the moment it entered his brother's body, seemed to be completely absorbed by a powerful suction force in his flesh and blood. And it even seemed to want to follow the spiritual energy to its source. This made him quickly cut off the connection with that stream of spiritual energy. But the moment his spiritual energy was cut off, He Manhua was like a drowning person again, his hands and feet flailing wildly, as if looking for a life-saving straw.
He Manzi suddenly raised his head and hissed at Li Yan, "What did you do to him? Hand over the antidote, quickly!"
This series of changes, happening in the blink of an eye, left the three of them—Bloodhand Flying Sickle and the others—stunned. For a moment, they didn't understand what had happened. But then they realized. It was Li Yan who had done something to He Manhua. But they had clearly seen when He Manhua returned, a powerful Divine Sense had swept over his body inside and out. They had all seen that it was He Manzi checking if Li Yan had done anything to He Manhua. They had not expected that even a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had not detected it. And He Manhua was also a powerful mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if he was seriously injured, if someone wanted to leave a mark or brand on his body without him noticing, it would be almost impossible, unless the other party was a Golden Core stage cultivator or above.
How could the three of them believe this result?
But Huchen Wuding, after being stunned, quickly showed a look of excitement on his face. He thought to himself, 'There's another possibility, there's another possibility. This person is a master of poison.' His eyes actually showed a look of excitement. His cultivation was average, but he considered himself to be unrivaled among his peers in the art of poison. If that He Manhua had really been poisoned, this person's skill in using poison should be top-notch.