Chapter 289 - 204: Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf, a Rich Harvest

Chapter 289: Chapter 204: Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf, a Rich Harvest

"Brother Xie, calm down."

The people around saw that Xie Yuan still had strength to spare. He had acted without hesitation, instantly subduing the Second Transformation Jiang Chen in front of everyone. While it bordered on a sneak attack, his speed, Body Technique, concealment method, and decisive actions made every Second Transformation Realm expert wary.

Xie Yuan said coolly,

"Brother Qin, I am perfectly calm. It’s just that this Brother Jiang here seems to be plotting against me, so I’m not sure if I *should* be calm."

Jiang Chen shifted slightly, but the blade at his neck immediately pressed in deeper. Its edge broke his skin, leaving a faint line of blood, and he didn’t dare move again.

He felt the killing intent emanating from the blade and knew Xie Yuan’s threat to kill him was no joke.

Qin Zhenyang saw this as well and said in a low voice,

"Brother Xie, I’ve already guaranteed that Jiang Chen won’t act against you in this tower. Right now, even though the people from the Western Regions are without a leader, they are still over there, watching us like hungry tigers. Roto is also missing. We of Great Li should unite against a common foe. Brother Xie, please, lower your blade."

Xie Yuan met Qin Zhenyang’s gaze. Seeing his sincerity, and noticing how everyone else was looking at him, Xie Yuan lowered his eyes.

"Fine. I’ll give Chief Qin some face. Jiang Chen, if Grand Chief Qin weren’t vouching for you today, your life would already be forfeit. You wouldn’t be making it out of here."

Xie Yuan withdrew his blade, calmly repeating the threat Jiang Chen had just made. Then, he glanced at Qin Zhenyang before his figure abruptly dimmed, turning into a blurry shadow and rapidly retreating.

The crowd watched as a dark shadow departed with the Profound Weapon floating in mid-air. It became difficult to track after only a short distance, and they couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of his concealment technique.

Qin Zhenyang glanced at Jiang Chen, whose expression was ghastly, then looked past him toward the crowd from the Western Regions, who were in a standoff with them from across the room.

When the experts from the Western Regions saw Qin Zhenyang look their way, their hearts all tightened.

They were currently without a leader and had no Third Transformation Realm masters. Facing the organized lineup of Qin Zhenyang and his companions, they feared they would be unable to resist.

Just then, Qiu Ming, the disciple of the Black Wind Elder, walked to the front, bowed to Qin Zhenyang, and said,

"Brother Qin, we’ve been in these ruins for so long, yet all we’ve done is fight. We haven’t had a chance to explore properly. We don’t know when our time will be up and we’ll be sent out. If we leave empty-handed, won’t all this have been for nothing? Why don’t we call a truce? We can stay out of each other’s way and go look for treasures on our own."

Qin Zhenyang said flatly,

"From the moment you people from the Western Regions entered, you’ve been using your local advantage to act aggressively. Now that your leaders are one dead and one injured, you suddenly want a truce?"

"We had no choice; we didn’t dare disobey their orders. But now that they’re gone, we can naturally try a different approach. What do you say, Brother Qin?"

"What do I think? I think the best thing to do is take this chance and wipe all of you from the Western Regions out in one go."

Yuan Zhenying cut in, pointing her long spear from afar at Qiu Ming, who had trapped her downstairs for a good while earlier. She couldn’t let the grievance go.

Qiu Ming looked at Yuan Zhenying and smiled faintly.

"Miss Yuan, you may have the advantage, but not everyone on your side is as eager to slaughter us as you are. Look, many of your friends from the Central Plains are already getting restless, aren’t they? It’s better to let everyone get back to what they came for and explore on their own. And even if it really comes to a fight..."

Qiu Ming’s voice turned chilling.

"We may not be able to touch Brother Qin, Miss Yuan, or Master Huie Jue, but as for your other compatriots from Great Li... at least half of them will die. That much, I can guarantee."

Qiu Ming’s words were like the whispers of a ghost, boring straight into people’s hearts and causing the eyes of many Great Li experts to flicker with indecision.

’That’s right. The three of them—Qin Zhenyang and the others—are powerful and have strong backing. They have their own means of dealing with the Western Regions people.’

’But not all of us are disciples from top-tier Sects. If we had to face equally strong experts from the Western Regions fighting for their lives, we wouldn’t be very confident of the outcome.’

Qin Zhenyang knew Qiu Ming had struck a nerve. As weakened as the Western Regions faction was, it was still a large gathering of experts. If the Great Li faction truly tried to wipe them out, forcing them into a corner, it would be impossible to do so without suffering massive casualties.

Yuan Zhenying’s brows knitted in anger, but she had no good counter-argument and could only snort coldly.

Seeing the indecisive looks on the faces of the Great Li experts, Qin Zhenyang sighed and said in a heavy tone,

"In that case, let’s draw a line here. We will each explore on our own and not interfere with one another."

"Brother Qin is wise!"

Qiu Ming cupped his fists. With just a few sentences, he had extinguished the Great Li faction’s desire to attack, and he led his people to the other side of the area.

Qin Zhenyang gave Qiu Ming a long, hard look, thinking to himself, ’The Western Regions are not without their own heroes.’

He would have liked to take this chance to weed out the budding talents of the Western Regions, even if it meant forgoing the treasures here. Unfortunately, not every Martial Artist shared his broad perspective and sense of duty. Some of the Great Li Martial Artists on the periphery had already slipped away from the group to begin exploring.

Qin Zhenyang sighed and said to Yuan Zhenying and Huie Jue beside him,

"Let’s go look around as well."

「At the entrance to an armory.」

Jiang Chen appeared, his face expressionless. He carefully examined the floor tiles inside the room and let out a cold sneer.

"These traps are dangerous, I suppose, but they’re hardly anything special."

Many of the traps on the 3rd Layer were designed to be lethal to those in the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm—things like pitfalls in front of doorways and hidden arrows behind them. If not handled carefully, it was easy to fall prey to them.

However, the vast majority of the prodigies who had entered had proper training and worldly experience. They were well-versed in such matters. Moreover, anyone who had cultivated to the Qi and Blood Metamorphosis Realm was essentially a seasoned veteran.

This was especially true for Jiang Chen. He had traveled far and wide, seen a great deal, and stared death in the face. For an expert like him, considered strong even among those at the Qi Blood Second Transformation, these traps were no obstacle as long as he proceeded with caution.