Chapter 33

Over the past few days, Zhang Yan and his companion had repeatedly delayed time, not just to wear down Du Bo's strength. Luo Xiao had taken advantage of the cave's true essence of the king clam and the Great Yuan Pill obtained from Du You to fully recover, and now he had regained about forty to fifty percent of his strength.

However, facing the impending confrontation with Du Bo, Luo Xiao was still on high alert, not daring to be careless. He thought to himself that once they engaged in battle, he must use all his magical treasures with overwhelming force to kill the opponent. Otherwise, if the other side reacted, there was no telling what other means they might employ.

His gaze shifted, and he noticed Zhang Yan's calm and composed demeanor, which made him feel a bit annoyed. He said, "Du You mentioned that Du Bo still has magical treasures in his possession. Zhang Daoist, you are known for your wisdom. Why don't you think of a way to make Du Bo hand over his treasures?"

Initially, he only intended to provoke Zhang Yan with his words, but to his surprise, Zhang Yan nodded and said seriously, "I have been thinking about this for the past two days. I have a plan, and I will share it with you. Please come closer."

Luo Xiao's lips parted, unsure of what to say. Could this person really have a plan?

Approaching with some doubt, he listened to Zhang Yan's whispered words. Soon, his eyes gradually brightened. Although the plan had not yet been put into action, he felt that it was highly likely to succeed.

Zhang Yan suddenly sensed that Du Bo's aura outside was unstable. He turned his head and smiled, saying, "Luo Daoist, we need to keep Du Bo in check. I think he is about to lose his patience."

Luo Xiao responded with a "hmm" and called out loudly, "Du Bo, Du You is now under our control. If you release the king clam now, we will leave, and Du You will surely die. Think carefully about this."

Du Bo was startled. At this moment, he indeed had this intention.

When he heard Du You speak, his mind was clear and logical, which did not seem like a problem during the refinement of the mystic pearl. Instead, it seemed like he was coerced by others. However, he could not figure out the details.

Moreover, his own strength was almost depleted, and he was gradually losing control over the king clam. He was about to give up and investigate, but after hearing these words, he dared not act rashly. He asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

"Du Bo, why do you ask when you already know? The sect master has already granted you the use of the true essence of the king clam to open your meridians. However, you and your companions secretly consumed the mystic pearl. How will the Du family explain this to the sect master?"

These words were like a ray of light in the fog, and Du Bo immediately understood.

This was a challenge from someone in the sect master's faction to the Du family!

The internal struggles and power plays between factions within the sect were not uncommon. Disciples from the master's lineage always harbored hostility towards those from noble families, resenting their ability to enjoy various benefits of the sect without effort. Secretly taking action against them was also a possibility.

Especially after the Du family used the deaths of several true disciples to make a big fuss, accusing Ning Chongxuan of deliberately not providing assistance, and joining forces with several other families to pressure the sect master. To appease the noble families, the sect master reluctantly agreed to let Du You use the true essence of the king clam from the Yingyun Clam Field to open his meridians.

It was easy to imagine that this would cause dissatisfaction within the sect master's faction.

Especially now, in the Yingyun Clam Field, he could not think of anyone else who could enter besides those from the sect master's faction.

Moreover, the most critical point was that the other party was a female cultivator!

Everyone knew that the sect master favored female cultivators, not only to use marriage to attract talented disciples but also because they could act without as many reservations. Therefore, he was eighty percent convinced of the other party's identity.

After some thought, he realized that this matter could not be used as an excuse to suppress the Du family. It seemed that he had to take responsibility for it.

He sighed inwardly and said, "Your Excellency, I must clarify that this was entirely my idea. Du You is young and naive, and he mistakenly listened to my words. This has nothing to do with the Du family. Moreover, I am not a member of the Du family, but..."

Before he could finish, he was rudely interrupted, "Hmph, do you think it matters to us whether you are a member of the Du family? What a joke!"

Du Bo frowned, sensing that the other party was not letting go. He felt a surge of anger and his voice turned cold, "If so, why say so much? Do you think I am so easy to bully? Why don't you come out and we can settle this with our skills!"

Hearing Du Bo's voice, the other party laughed, "Du Bo, to be honest, there are more than one cultivator in the Yingyun Clam Field with cultivation higher than yours. Moreover, Du You is in our hands. I advise you not to have any ulterior motives. If you make a move, we will kill you on the spot and take Du You back to the sect, which will be exactly what the senior disciples want!"

Du Bo was startled and frightened. It was possible that there were other Mingshan Sect disciples outside the clam field, otherwise the other party could not have entered.

As the other party said, if the secret of the mystic pearl was exposed, and he dared to make a move, it would give the other party a reason to kill him. Moreover, if he failed to protect Du You, his family would also suffer the consequences, and his death would be in vain.

After considering the severity of the situation, he immediately abandoned his original plan to fight to the death and softened his tone, "What do you want, Your Excellency?"

The other party's voice echoed, "It all depends on Mr. Du's decision."

Du Bo was puzzled. If the other party wanted to harm him, they would have already made a move. Why were they delaying? Was it because their cultivation was not as high as his? That didn't make sense. They could have left with Du You, which would still make the Du family submit.

Decision...

His mind raced, and after combining this with the other party's words, he finally realized the truth.

The other party had this goal!

This way, everything made sense.

Thinking about it, he believed he understood the other party's intentions and was no longer anxious. He said, "Can we negotiate, Your Excellency?"

"Speak."

Du Bo probed, "We are all seeking immortality and enlightenment, coming from the same source. Why must we fight to the death? Moreover, since my nephew has already consumed the mystic pearl, I can offer you some benefits. Will you let us go?"

The other party fell silent for a moment before responding, "What benefits?"

Hearing this, Du Bo was delighted and felt more confident. "I have used up all my pills, but I still have many spirit clams. If you let us go, I will give you everything I have. What do you think?"

The other party laughed coldly, "Du Bo, you underestimate us. What value do a few spirit clams have?"

Du Bo's expression remained unchanged, thinking that as long as the other party was willing to negotiate, it was not a problem.

"I am willing to swear an oath. If you let us go, I will repay you generously."

"Oaths are fine, but I do not plan to meet you again. To me, only what I can hold in my hands and consume is reliable. Those distant promises are not worth mentioning."

Zhang Yan looked at Luo Xiao with a smile, surprised that she had used his original words to pressure her, showing a bit of assertiveness.

Recalling the miserable situation, Luo Xiao glared back at him.

Du Bo continued, "What do you mean, Your Excellency?"

Luo Xiao said calmly, "I have heard that you have a 'Heart-Piercing Arrow' and a 'Mystic Bird Shield.' These two treasures, one offensive and one defensive, complement each other. If you hand them over, I will let you and the Du family go."

Du Bo fell silent, clearly considering the other party's suggestion.

Zhang Yan and Luo Xiao were not in a hurry. The longer they delayed, the more Du Bo's strength would be drained. They were not worried about anyone coming to check on them, as the process of using the true essence to open meridians took about a month, and no one would disturb them in the first half of the month.

After a long wait, Du Bo finally spoke, "I only brought the 'Mystic Bird Shield' this time. The 'Heart-Piercing Arrow' was damaged in a battle last month and has not been restored."

Luo Xiao immediately said, "I am not alone. One 'Mystic Bird Shield' is not enough."

This was a clear indication that she was not alone and that one treasure was not enough to divide.

Du Bo fell silent for a moment and sighed, "Very well. I have a Purple Hidden Feather Cloak, made from Yuqing silk, which can block ordinary magical treasures and flying swords. It was intended as a gift for my nephew after he opened his meridians. I will give it to you as well. What do you think?"

Luo Xiao was about to speak when Zhang Yan whispered something to her.

Luo Xiao was taken aback, looking at Zhang Yan with a strange expression, then coughed and said, "This plan is good, but my companion does not need a magical treasure. He just dislikes the Du family's attitude. Initially, he only wanted to prevent Du You from opening his meridians, but now the boy has gained a great benefit, which makes him even more angry. He wanted to break Du You's limbs, but since he is just a young man, it would be beneath his dignity. So, Du Bo, if you hand over both treasures and cut off your own legs, he will let the matter go."

To their surprise, Du Bo responded very quickly, "Why wait? I can agree to it now!"

There were two loud slaps as he broke his own legs, then asked, "Is that satisfactory?"

This was not because he was mentally unstable or enjoyed self-harm. As a Xuan Guang cultivator, he could fly and move using Xuan Guang. Although his Xuan Guang was not abundant, he could recover his legs in less than half an hour if he sat down to rest.

However, he soon regretted it.

"Good, Mr. Du, you are trustworthy. Please remove the essence blood from the shield and send it over."

"Wait, how can I trust you?"

"Mr. Du, I can swear to the heavens and the earth. If anyone leaks any information about this matter, they will be struck by lightning and burned by fire. What do you think?"

Du Bo felt that the other party was sincere. Once a cultivator made a vow, it had immediate consequences and could not be false. He immediately agreed.

Luo Xiao swore to the heavens and the earth, which she would not have done if she intended to leak the information.

After the other party made the vow, Du Bo felt reassured and immediately took out his magical treasures, biting his lip to remove his essence blood, feeling a pang of pain. He then took out the feather cloak and used his Xuan Guang to wrap the shield and the cloak, throwing them outside the cave.

He had a hidden intention to see who the other party was, so he threw them closer to the cave entrance. However, before they landed, a black Xuan Guang flashed, and the Mystic Bird Shield and the feather cloak were caught.

He was startled, realizing that the other party was also a Xuan Guang cultivator!

He then felt reassured, thinking that the other party did not intend to go to extremes and just wanted some benefits. Otherwise, with their cultivation, they could have already killed him.

He did not realize that he was falling into a trap.

With the two treasures in hand, Zhang Yan and Luo Xiao exchanged a glance, feeling more confident.

Without his treasures, Du Bo was like a toothless tiger, much less of a threat.

The key to this plan was to use the momentum to pressure Du Bo, making him believe they were from the sect master's faction and that he could not resist, forcing him to seek a compromise.

In Zhang Yan's original plan, if Du Bo refused, they would have to use their magical treasures to fight. If that failed, they would use Luo Xiao's Xuan Guang to escape.

Of course, this was the worst-case scenario.

From Du Bo's behavior on Cangwu Mountain, Zhang Yan believed that Du Bo was not a rash and impulsive person but rather conservative. Therefore, he had some confidence in this plan.

He first eliminated Du Bo's companions, then tricked him into handing over his treasures and cutting off his legs. Now that Du Bo's defenses were gone, it was the perfect time to take advantage of him!

Zhang Yan stood up and said solemnly, "Luo Daoist, if we don't act now, when will we?"

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