Chapter 268: Do You Think You're Actually Worth That Much?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Both He Hanqing and Venerable Lord Saber still had doubts in their hearts.
There had never been any connection between the Concourse of the Underworld and the Four Seasons Tower. There had even been a martial arts world covenant between them that listed all the higher-ups of the Four Seasons Tower in the exemption list of the Concourse of the Underworld.
The so-called martial arts world covenant was, of course, simply a letter and could easily be disregarded. However, for it to be so, the prerequisite was that the strength of the particular party must be strong enough to bear the consequences of a breach. If one did not consider thoroughly, it was better to comply with the covenant and not tempt fate by breaking the rules.
After all, to always be on guard against the Four Seasons Tower's counterattacks, plots, ambushes, and revenge were by no means a good or simple matter. It was particularly so when the Concourse of the Underworld knew that despite their formidable force and undeniable capabilities, they still paled in comparison to the Four Seasons Tower.
Thus arose the confusion over the happenings today.
These actions could not be possibly have been sanctioned. Even if the Concourse of the Underworld managed to kill both He Hanqing and Venerable Lord Saber, the clues the Concourse of the Underworld would leave behind were too obvious. It would be impossible for the Four Seasons Tower not to find out eventually. Being as they were, the Four Seasons Tower would fight endlessly until death came to one of the parties. For the Concourse of the Underworld, who was at a disadvantage in terms of strength, defeat would only bring about death.
Emperor Song had said that Venerable Lord Saber was unwise, but in Venerable Lord Saber and He Hanqing’s view, the Concourse of the Underworld was the unwise one!
No matter how doubtful He Hanqing and Venerable Lord Saber were, the battle would not stop just because of their doubts and hesitation. In the blink of an eye, a few screams could be heard. The remaining subordinates of Venerable Lord Saber had died tragically in the hands of the other Yama Kings.
Besides He Hanqing and Venerable Lord Saber, there were only a few of survivors from the Four Seasons Tower. It was an irreversibly, serious loss, and defeat had almost become a concluded outcome!
This was tantamount to having all the elites of the Hall of Spring slaughtered simultaneously.
The King of Equality's face was full of compassion. Appearing in the air, he murmured, "Ah, sin... Sin..."
His mouth moved as he muttered softly, "For this life was full of evil, so here we come for salvation, between life and death, there is no injustice and hatred. This life has ended, be there for the next. Go now, quickly; the gate to the afterlife is open..."
Venerable Lord Saber took a deep breath, "Emperor Song, the Four Seasons Tower will never forgive today's actions. Concourse of the Underworld, you shall regret this. Even if you have money, you will need your life in order to enjoy it!"
He then turned around and shouted, "Let's go!" "
"If Venerable Lord Saber would like to leave, we will not hinder you." Emperor Song’s face was indifferent, "However, Supreme Lord Spring Frost here has to stay."
He smiled faintly, "Well, we don't actually need all of him to stay behind, just his head will suffice."
He Hanqing chuckled even as a glance of violence flashed across his eyes. Chillingly, he uttered, "It appears that there are only the Seven Kings and two envoys from the Concourse of the Underworld who are here today. At most, you brought along a few Gold-ranked assassins. With such combat might, this old, useless one and the Venerable Lord Saber will have to admit defeat. However, if you want to keep this old man here just by relying on these, you are merely hoping in vain, and probably suffer from some form of delusion as well."
Emperor Song had both of his hands behind his back, as he lightly uttered, "Whether it is possible or not, we will have to do it in order to know. What do you say, Supreme Lord He?"
With a brazen flash of the saber, Venerable Lord Saber moved to He Hanqing’s side. In a cold voice, he whispered, "Even if this reputed one has always been at odds with He Hanqing, at this juncture of life and death, this reputed one shall as we are both of the Four Seasons Tower! "
He uttered icily, "Emperor Song, I believe that you can see it yourself. Although we are somewhat disadvantaged, one of your brother’s life will be the price to kill He Hanqing! And if you were to add me to the equation also... well... "
Venerable Lord Saber continued to sneer, "Even if you managed to kill He Hanqing in the end, the ten Yama Kings of the Concourse of the Underworld would have three members less, at the very least. I can even guarantee it. After all, unlike He Hanqing, I am uninjured."
"How could Emperor Song not see such a clear and distinct situation?"
"It's alright if you kill the ordinary members of the Four Seasons Tower. However, if you kill one of the four Supreme Lords, you have to think about the consequences!"
Emperor Song hovered in the air with his arms behind his back. His eyes were resolute, but he did not speak.
He naturally knew that what Venerable Lord Saber had said was but the truth.
Since everyone had already reached such levels, a lie would not be able to deceive anyone. There was no feeling each other with simple deception.
The situation was so simple and clear.
In this battle, his side had undoubtedly occupied an overwhelming advantage.
If He Hanqing had been alone, the ten of them working jointly would definitely be able to take He Hanqing down, albeit at a sore price. However, there was Venerable Lord Saber now. They would have to sacrifice at least two to three people’s lives to kill He Hanqing alone.
Yes, it was entirely possible!
Moreover, it was impossible to keep the Venerable Lord Saber behind!
They were all experts of the same level. Working together to block or defeat the other party was not difficult at all. However, if they really wished to kill the other side by not paying the same price, the difficulty level would have surged up more than ten-fold. By comparing their current combat power, it was an impossible feat.
Emperor Song’s expression was unreadable, while he coldly calculated the situation, a person from his own camp could be seen rushing forward without leave.
"There's nothing much left to say. He Hanqing's time is up and he must be returned to the afterlife today!"
First Court King Qinguang had already made his first move.
Following that, the King of Equality, King Taishan, and King Chujiang had simultaneously acted. The four of them instantly enveloped the whole sky with the underworld's fog.
Two silhouettes could be seen looming elusively within the mist, seeking for an opportunistic attack.
They were Ox-Head and Horse-Face, the two envoys of the Underworld.
He Hanqing was extremely angered and bitter. It was indeed the first time in his life he had encountered such dire enemies.
What sort of the price had the person that bought his life offered to the Concourse of the Underworld to have them act in such a desperate manner against him? For a person as wily and crafty as He Hanqing to be so confused, it was difficult for him to imagine the possibilities.
However, since the other side had initiated the attack, He Hanqing had no time to keep on pondering. He let out an extensive roar and charged into the fray.
"What kind of price could get me killed?" wondered He Hanqing in amazement as he came up against First Court King Qinguang.
While they had been talking earlier, First Court King Qinguang was the first to rush forward. It meant that he was the most desperate. It was often the case that the most desperate person was also the one who accepted the money for executing the task for other people.
Since he could not figure it out himself, he decided to simply ask about it.
"Do you really wish to know?" First Court King Qinguang let out a strange laugh.
Within the eyes of He Hanqing, ice and fire burned and flared at the same time. His arcane magic had been ignited into execution. Countless Force of the Soul that he had swallowed over the years had all been activated, "Are you going to tell me or not?
First Court King Qinguang chuckled, "He Hanqing, your old life wasn't cheap. It came at the price of one million silver taels and I had just given the man a twenty-percent discount, making the deal worth eight hundred thousand silver taels in total."
"Eight hundred thousand silver taels... " Cultivating his skill at this critical juncture in addition to being besieged by the three Kings, He Hanqing was so angry that he was bursting with dizziness the moment he heard the price.
I, He Hanqing, am only worth eight hundred thousand silver taels?
If you said that it was three or five taels, I would know that you were trying to humiliate me and I wouldn't get angry. Alternatively, you could have said that it was tens of millions of silver taels or millions of gold taels or even hundreds of thousands of mystical crystals.
Eight hundred thousand silver taels? What was the matter with you people?
The Concourse of the Underworld had dispatched dozens of Gold-ranked killers, as well as the ten Yama Kings and two messengers to execute him. All this for a mere eight hundred thousand silver taels?
Would you have me sold for eight hundred thousand silver taels? This was the greatest insult of all!
A gush of sword energy rushed up into his body.
As he was vaguely absent-minded, he could no longer suppress Ling Xiaozui’s sword air. With a shriek, He Hanqing vomited three mouthfuls of fresh blood. The black fog surrounding his body had disappeared altogether.
All the Force of Souls that he had ingested over the years had fully collapsed instantly.
Eight hundred thousand silver taels...
That had He Hanqing defeated immediately.
"He Hanqing, do you think you're actually worth that much?"
First Court King Qinguang Wang chortled, "For your lowly life, eight hundred thousand silver taels was terribly overpriced."
He Hanqing’s rage rushed into his heart. He continued to spit mouthfuls of blood, desperately parrying the ensuing attacks. However, King Qinguang and the other three had been attacking with gusto, forcing He Hanqing into a tight spot, landing him into an awful situation where it was almost certain that he would be taken soon.
"First Court King Qinguang, you are looking for death!" The flash of a saber flickered and Venerable Lord Saber rushed forward madly.
A silhouette appeared and Emperor Song courteously blocked the descending saber with his sword energy that threw sparks into the sky. "Venerable Lord Saber, we have yet to finish our reunion."
Venerable Lord Saber furiously uttered, "Emperor Song, you will regret this."
The incandescent light of the saber could be seen shimmering forcefully. The body of Venerable Lord Saber suddenly vanished, leaving only the saber hovering in mid-air.
The Blade that Hung from the Sky had displayed its true capacity for the first time!
A thick saber that was hundreds of feet long could be seen soaring across the sky. It gleamed as brightly as the sun. Appearing unexpectedly, it had lit up the sky for hundreds of leagues around while filling them with radiant colors in an extraordinary style.
Emperor Song sucked in a breath, " Stop him! Let the four of them finish He Hanqing first!"
King Yama and the King of Cycle answered the call and moved towards Venerable Lord Saber. While waving his sword, Emperor Song charged straight at the Venerable Lord Saber.
However, by virtue of their cultivation bases, Emperor Song was roughly the equal of Venerable Lord Saber. It was difficult to distinguish the winner and loser in such a short period of time as they fought mano a mano. At the very least, Emperor Song would not be at a disadvantage. However, to be evenly matched was one thing, to be able to kill the other was another. To totally constrain the other’s actions were not a similar matter, but an impossibility!
Even with the joint efforts of King Yama and the King of Cycle, it was possible to have Venerable Lord Saber completely restrained!
The current situation was clear. If the Kings did not manage to stop Venerable Lord Saber and allowed him to rush over and reunite with He Hanqing, tonight’s operation of the Concourse of the Underworld would be tantamount to failure.
The Concourse of the Underworld had pulled no punches this time. They had made several practice sessions prior. This victory was compulsory to them. He Hanqing had to die, with no chance of survival.
However, they had not accounted for Venerable Lord Saber, whose cultivation base was above He Hanqing, being here in Tiantang City!
It was a fatal oversight to the perfect assassination plan of the Concourse of Underworld.
For so many years, the Venerable Lord Saber had never appeared in this area. According to the Concourse of Underworld’s intelligence, the five Venerable Lords and four Supreme Lords had major disagreements with each other. Although they did not interfere with each other's affairs, they were wholly incompatible. Yet at this moment, both of them had banded together to ward off the attack. It was an event that went beyond their expectations. Unfortunately, it had happened during such a critical operation.
The hearts of the ten Yama Kings from the Concourse of Underworld were full of bewilderment.
Little did they understand what was the true problem that they faced.