Chapter 761: Life and Death in a Stick of Incense

"I can allow your friend to leave the trade fair area," he said. "How far she gets is up to her fate."

Lan Ling replied seriously, "You know that it is precisely because you are Tai Xu that we do not want to cause too much bloodshed, leading to this situation. However, it is precisely because you are all Gui Shou, including Hong Yi, that we cannot allow any of you to escape."

Hei Ying fell silent.

Only the qualification to leave the trade fair area...

This was far from sufficient for him.

Because he knew that outside, there would definitely be a cordon of Hong Yi and Bai Yi.

Whether Xie Wei Yue Xie could truly break through at that time was still uncertain.

Yet, even though this concession from Hong Yi seemed far from sufficient to Hei Ying, it was already shocking news to everyone present.

"Hong Yi and Gui Shou can negotiate?"

"Isn't that right? From what I see, with such a massive setup by Bai Yi and Hong Yi, is it possible that there are no Tai Xu present?"

"Why not just take them down directly? Why all this talk? Our lives are still on the line here!"

"Shut up! Didn't you see that one Hong Yi has already been captured by them?"

"The other side is clearly not simple..."

As the old saying goes, mind your own business and let things take their course.

But when Gui Shou truly appeared at the trade fair site, and one was even at the Tai Xu level, the Ling Lian Shi present were united in their outrage, all wanting to first eradicate this tumor that threatened the order of human society.

"Roar..."

In the private room, under the suppression of several Zhan Dao experts, the Xie Wei Gui Shou had no strength left to resist. She could only let out a low roar to express her protest.

However, Hei Ying ignored all this.

He listened to the chattering people beside him without getting angry, and said to Lan Ling again, "Just leaving the trade fair site is far from enough. I could achieve that easily with a casual move, and even allow two to leave together."

Lan Ling frowned. "From what you're saying, you have other demands?"

Hei Ying pointed at Xie Wei. "Let her leave, and give her the time of one incense stick. As for what Hong Yi does afterward, I won't interfere."

"Impossible!" Lan Ling flatly refused.

The time of one incense stick—Zhan Dao experts fleeing at full speed could escape from Dong Tian Wang Cheng... no, from Dong Tian Jie, all the way to another realm!

Hei Ying saw Lan Ling refuse and said nothing more.

He suddenly pointed toward the sky.

In the next second, without any sign of Ling Yuan fluctuation, the several heavy arrays covering the trade fair site exploded with a boom.

"Rumble—"

After a thunderous blast, the crystalline barrier fragments slowly fell and dissipated from the sky.

The scene suddenly quieted.

Everyone stared in shock at this sight.

The multiple Ling Arrays that they had bombarded with all their might and still couldn't break— and this Gui Shou shattered them with a single finger?

"The Ling Arrays are broken..."

When someone finally stated this, everyone's hearts began to itch with anticipation.

With the Ling Arrays broken, based on the strength of those present, as long as they scattered and ran, Bai Yi and Hong Yi couldn't possibly intercept them all. Even if they caught some, others could surely slip away from the trial trap.

But earlier, with the Ling Arrays blocking them, no one dared to rebel.

Now that the arrays were shattered and the Hong Yi guard had been captured, everyone looked at Lan Ling and Hei Ying confronting each other in the private room, and suddenly, no one dared to act rashly.

People are often like this...

When there is an absolute barrier, everyone dares to open their mouths wide, shout, curse, fight, and clamor.

But once the barrier is lifted and it is face-to-face, things that were forgotten in the frenzy of protection rush back to mind.

Like order.

Or like the guard's earlier words: "Anyone who stirs up trouble will be treated as a Gui Shou accomplice and have their nine clans implicated!"

"Run! What are you waiting for? The barrier is broken..."

"Yeah, run! This is a great opportunity, so why not?"

"Charge!"

"Go!"

"As long as we all scatter and escape, Bai Yi and Hong Yi can't stop us. The law doesn't punish crowds, and besides, I'm innocent—why should I accept their Hong Yi trial?"

"Yes, let's run!"

"Okay, I'll count down—everyone go on three, two, one..."

"Charge!"

No one moved.

Some lifted a leg, spurred on.

But turning back, they saw everyone waiting, waiting for that first one to lead.

But there was no one to lead!

So, even if someone was tempted and actually lifted their foot, the next second, they pulled back with a grimace, muttering curses as they put their foot down.

"Cold Zongzhu, you lead the way!"

Someone grew indignant—if no one leads, who dares move?

Earlier, when the barrier wasn't broken, Cold Zongzhu of Da Xuan Tian Zong was the first to resist.

Now, he didn't even want to lift a foot.

How could that be?

"Want to morally blackmail me?" Leng Qi laughed upon hearing this. "If you want to run, then run. I'm not moving anyway."

"You weren't saying that earlier!" Someone immediately angrily retorted.

Leng Qi swept a cold gaze over them. "That's right, I didn't know back then if Cheng Dianzhu's actions were just an excuse. Now, the Gui Shou has appeared—go ahead, you try running?"

Try...

Everyone frowned and fell silent.

Trying would mean death!

The noise of this interlude at the trade fair formed a stark contrast with the heavy atmosphere of the confrontation in the private room.

Lan Ling had indeed worried that once the barrier broke, everyone present would riot.

But seeing that everyone had chickened out together, she couldn't help but feel relieved.

This time, Hei Ying couldn't stir up a riot among the crowd—it all relied on the weakness of human nature.

"What a grand setup!"

At this moment, with the barrier broken, Hei Ying glanced upward, his expression turning grave as he spoke.

He had clearly seen just how vast the encirclement of Bai Yi and Hong Yi was.

Looking back at Lan Ling, Hei Ying said sternly, "You have three breaths to consider. Either give her the time of one incense stick, and I'll surrender and go with you, or everyone here... will perish together!"

Lan Ling's eyelids twitched at his words.

She had already overestimated the strength of the Gui Shou here, but his ability to break the barrier with one finger still astonished her.

"One incense stick is absolutely impossible," Lan Ling replied seriously.

"Three!"

Hei Ying ignored her and began counting down.

This panicked those outside.

Someone cried out in alarm, "Hong Yi seniors, if you can't protect us, at least let us leave first! Why should we be the stakes in the war between Hong Yi and Gui Shou?"

"Two!"

Originally, some people were still calm.

But as this death knell sounded relentlessly, no one could bear the pressure.

Even Leng Qi involuntarily stepped back a bit.

"Hong Yi seniors!"

Someone had already flown up in panic. "Either agree to his demand, or I'm leaving first! What the hell is this? I've lived this long without even touching a woman, and now you want me to die here?"

Lan Ling turned back and shouted angrily, "Shut up!"

But now, the scene only grew more agitated with cries of rebellion, curses flying everywhere and unstoppable.

"One!"

Hei Ying's face turned stern as he raised his hands high.

At that moment, everyone tensed up, as if ready to flee on wings the next second.

"The time of one incense stick—I agree!"

Lan Ling closed her eyes heavily and said, "But I can only give you the time of one incense stick. As for the rest, I'll bear the punishment alone."

Seeing Hei Ying's hands still raised, unmoved, Lan Ling quickly added, "I'm the Hong Yi commander—this is the limit of my authority. If you don't agree, no one can give you more."

Hei Ying finally stopped his motion upon hearing this.

At that, everyone in the scene breathed a collective sigh of relief.

However, in the next breath, Hei Ying struck again.

In a flash of lightning, a dark shadow shot into the sky, blooming into the shape of a black eight-clawed creature in the blue void.

"Fog grass!"

Someone jumped in fright, quickly flying away.

Halfway, realizing it wasn't Hei Ying attacking to make everyone perish but just a signal, they sheepishly returned.

"Signal..." Lan Ling said with anger in her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Hei Ying responded calmly, "I agreed to your deal—the time of one incense stick."

Lan Ling looked up at the black eight-clawed signal. "And what about that?"

Hei Ying remained unfazed. "Our deal is just between us; it doesn't involve other methods. I never said that if I don't act, others cannot."

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat at his words.

He was calling for reinforcements?

"Don't worry, there are no more Gui Shou," Hei Ying smiled, as if reading their thoughts. "Do you really think a mere Dong Tian Wang Cheng could hide any more Gui Shou besides us?"

Lan Ling furrowed her brows.

At that moment, a message from Bai Yi came to her ear: In the east district, south district, and north district, the highest forces of various great realms had rioted almost simultaneously with the rise of the eight-clawed signal.

Lan Ling suddenly understood.

This was Hei Ying's long-accumulated plan—to draw out forces to share part of the pursuit when defeated.

"A drop in the bucket..." Lan Ling shook her head regretfully.

Hei Ying said indifferently, "Consider it my final gift to you. No need for you to waste more effort searching and eradicating them."

Lan Ling retorted, "Do you really think she can escape in the time of one incense stick?"

Hei Ying replied, "At least I tried."

With that, he looked toward the Xie Wei Gui Shou.

At that moment, the Xie Wei Gui Shou with blood-red eyes even had tears welling up, shocking everyone.

Could Gui Shou have emotions?

"Go now. In the time of one incense stick, we may meet again if fate allows," he said.

As Hei Ying spoke, his figure suddenly solidified.

He transformed into a middle-aged man, strikingly handsome, with black hair casually scattered.

Dressed entirely in black, exuding a stern and evil aura, the only trace of gentleness was in his eyes as he glanced back at the Xie Wei Gui Shou.

"Roar!"

The Xie Wei Gui Shou roared in fury, causing the surrounding space to collapse instantly.

Cheng Ji quickly acted to prevent the shattered space from harming those at the trade fair site.

Then, everyone watched as the Xie Wei Gui Shou, after a deep gaze, turned without reluctance and vanished into the spatial fragments.

No matter how reluctant, there was no turning back.

Everyone watched with a sigh.

Some lamented the self-interest of Gui Shou, where deep affection only led to final abandonment.

But most knew deep down that any delay would mean neither Gui Shou could escape!

"Come on," the black-haired man said, watching his companion leave as he rose into the air.

This movement startled everyone, putting them on high alert.

Yet, he didn't attack. He simply clasped his hands behind his back, flying higher and higher, gazing longingly at the majestic Dong Tian Wang Cheng below.

More than ten years...

Even humans can develop feelings, let alone Gui Shou?

"The time of one incense stick," the black-haired man withdrew his gaze and said. "Once it's up, I'll go with you."

Lan Ling grew anxious—this was nothing like what was agreed.

But at that moment, the black-haired man ignored her, turning to the endless void. "A word once spoken—I trust you on that, Rao Yao Yao?"

The void rippled, revealing a woman.

Rao Yao Yao carried the Xuan Cang Shen Jian on her back and smiled. "Of course. The time of one incense stick—I can wait."

In private room number 209.

When the black-haired man appeared, Xin Gu Gu could no longer sit still.

"Senior Wu Xia..."

He recognized him.

This was one of the elders from Xu Yue Hui Gong before.

But because he violated the palace's orders, he chose to defect and hadn't returned to Xu Yue Hui Gong for over ten years.

In that case, the other one must be his companion, Elder Yue Xie...

"Do you know him?" Mo Mo asked via voice transmission at that moment.

Xin Gu Gu had acted strangely twice now.

This was very odd!

Of course, he knew him—more than just knew; it was all too familiar!

Wu Xia and Yue Xie were taboo figures in Xu Yue Hui Gong, also legends.

At the beginning of Xu Yue Hui Gong's establishment, its purpose was to protect the remaining Gui Shou on the continent.

Of course, only the good ones.

But as it developed, more Gui Shou joined, and Xu Yue Hui Gong became a mix of all sorts.

As its power grew, factions inevitably formed within the palace.

Eventually, it split into two factions.

One was the conservative faction, still adhering to the original purpose.

The other was the militant faction, dissatisfied with Hong Yi's suppression, trying to recruit more powerful Gui Shou to join and resist.

As things progressed, Hong Yi's suppression intensified.

By now, few in the conservative faction of Xu Yue Hui Gong could still hold to their principles.

Although the palace master's position was still held by a conservative heir,

In reality, most of the palace's power was in the hands of the militant faction.

Wu Xia and Yue Xie were elders of the conservative faction more than ten years ago.

However, after the militant faction seized power, they kept issuing orders to corrupt the conservative elders.

Some chose to submit.

Others chose to leave.

Wu Xia and Yue Xie were representatives of the latter group.