Even the Bee King and the others noticed something from Huan Yushan’s panicked reaction, and the eyes of the man in floral clothes lit up slightly.
He took a step forward, walked to A Qing’s side, placed a hand on the shoulder of the captured Elder Qu, and asked Huan Yushan, “You actually dared to commit arson and murder in the Immortal Palace. Do you know your crime?”
Elder Qu, who choked up another mouthful of blood, panted heavily and finally recovered slowly from that strike.
With matters having reached this point, Huan Yushan did not know how to reply and instead asked, “How does the Great King wish to handle this?”
The man in floral clothes said, “I have always been lenient with others and dislike the act of wiping out everyone completely. If you acknowledge your crime and apologise, I can give you a way out.” A way out? Huan Yushan was shocked and uncertain, and asked again, “I wonder how I should apologise to earn the Great King’s mercy?”
The man in floral clothes said, “Sever your own arms, and I will spare your lives.”
Qin Fujun, who was being held hostage, suddenly widened her eyes. She had seen the inside story here and knew that the Bee King was currently just a figurehead. She did not expect them to actually pretend and use just a few words to make the Grand Elder cripple his own martial arts. How could this work?
Her eyes darted around, and she was extremely anxious. However, she could not move to warn them, nor could she make a sound, so she could only worry in vain.
Could they really be given a way out even in this situation? Elder Qu, who was panting, was also shocked and uncertain. His gaze darted left and right forcefully, trying to spot some clue. Yu Qing and the others naturally knew the Bee King’s intentions, but they did not know whether to be happy or worried. Falling into the hands of the Bee King later was not a good thing either.
Huan Yushan slowly raised his hands, looked at them, and had a difficult expression, seemingly weighing whether to cripple his own arms. At first, he was a bit hesitant, but later his expression gradually became resolute. He looked up and asked, “As long as I sever my own arms, will the Great King give all of us a way out?”
If this were truly the case, for him, under the current circumstances, severing his own arms would be the best choice. At least some people would still be alive. As long as there were people, there would still be opportunities, which was better than everyone dying.
The man in floral clothes snorted coldly, “If you talk nonsense again, do not blame me for going back on my word.” “Fine!” Huan Yushan shouted, his face showing a tragic heroism, his white beard trembling slightly. He slowly raised his hands, about to sever his arms in public to apologise.
Qin Fujun’s gaze flashed rapidly, and she was truly burning with anxiety.
Elder Qu cried out tragically, “Senior Brother Huan!”
The man in floral clothes raised an eyebrow and watched with anticipation.
Just as Huan Yushan was about to apologise after weighing the pros and cons, his gaze, sweeping across the crowd, suddenly paused on Xiang Lanxuan’s raised palm.
On Xiang Lanxuan’s palm was written a crude character for deception. She had just casually picked up a fallen flower from the tree roots nearby, crushed it to extract the juice, and secretly drawn it on her palm.
Those who were observant subconsciously followed Huan Yushan’s gaze but did not notice anything unusual. They only saw Xiang Lanxuan raise her hand to tuck her messy hair behind her ear.
Huan Yushan, however, gradually restrained his tragic emotions, lowered his head slightly, and remained silent. After a long while, he slowly looked up. This time, he saw Qin Fujun’s anxious and shaking eyes, as well as the captured Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie. His gaze then slowly fixed on Yu Qing, whom he believed had plotted against him.
His raised hands slowly clenched into fists and lowered. He took a deep breath and said to the Bee King, “Since you will spare us as long as I sever my arms, Great King, could you release them first?” He pointed at Elder Qu and then at Qin Fujun.
The man in floral clothes immediately said in a deep voice, “Are you bargaining with me?” “I am not bargaining with the Great King,” Huan Yushan replied, pointing at Yu Qing, who was holding a sword to threaten Qin Fujun, and made an excuse. “I naturally believe the Great King’s promise, but I do not trust him. This scoundrel is too cunning and might go back on his word. How about letting him release this female disciple of our sect first?” He harboured doubts about Xiang Lanxuan’s warning and did not believe she had good intentions, so he was carefully testing the waters.
The man in floral clothes looked at Yu Qing and Qin Fujun, appearing slightly thoughtful.
Yu Qing immediately shook his head slightly at him, indicating that this woman could not be released right now, or else it would ruin things.
The man in floral clothes also knew that this woman had heard their conversation earlier, and handing her over to the other party would be troublesome. He immediately turned back and refused, “I do not accept any bargaining.”
Huan Yushan pointed at Yu Qing again. “Great King, I still say the same thing. I do not trust him. Even if someone else holds our sect’s disciple hostage, it would be fine.”
Hearing this condition, the man in floral clothes felt it was acceptable and tilted his head to signal A Lan.
A Lan immediately went over, forcefully took Qin Fujun from Yu Qing’s hands, and held her hostage instead.
Yu Qing felt very helpless. Since his cultivation was not as profound as theirs, having a tough attitude was useless. Seeing this, Xiang Lanxuan, with her hair dishevelled, instantly lowered her brows and eyes, and a faint, imperceptible sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Seeing that the other party, who claimed not to accept bargaining, actually accepted his condition, Huan Yushan understood the result of his subtle test. His expression changed in an instant, his gaze gradually becoming unfriendly, and he increased the demands again.
“With the Great King’s divine might present here, we cannot escape anyway. As long as you release the two of them first, I will immediately sever my own arms. I beg the Great King to grant this request.”
As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Qing faintly felt that something was wrong.
This time it was the Bee King’s turn to be angry. “You are courting death!”
Huan Yushan said, “If you cannot even agree to such a small request, I truly find it hard to believe that the Great King will keep his promise. I earnestly beg the Great King to release the people first!” He cupped his hands in a pleading gesture.
Seeing him use soft tactics with a hard attitude and being so resolute, the man in floral clothes remained silent. He had also realised something and said coldly, “A Qing.” A Qing looked back at him, understood his intention, and suddenly slapped her palm towards the forehead of the hostage she was holding.
Smack! Elder Qu’s forehead caved in, his brains splattered, and blood flowed profusely. He widened his eyes, his face showing a look of shock and disbelief, and collapsed weakly.
The onlookers were all greatly shocked. Qin Fujun suddenly widened her eyes, and tears welled up again.
She truly regretted it. She regretted taking the initiative to break into this Immortal Mansion, otherwise she would not have to witness these tragedies with her own eyes.
Yu Qing also glanced at her. At this moment, a thought still flashed through his mind. Was the woman from last night really her?
Worried that she would follow in Elder Qu’s footsteps, he quickly braced himself and approached A Lan, who was holding Qin Fujun hostage, and said anxiously, “Great King, I still have great use for this woman. It is better to hand her over to me.”
Xiang Lanxuan watched his actions with great interest.
The Bee King turned his head, glanced lightly, and neither agreed nor disagreed.
So Yu Qing ignored everything else, reached out directly, and pulled the person back from A Lan’s hands, muttering, “The Great King has already agreed. Give her to me quickly.”
A Lan immediately looked at the Bee King. Seeing that the Bee King had no intention of objecting, she confusedly let go and allowed Yu Qing to drag Qin Fujun away. Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who were also being held hostage, watched this scene eagerly, but they did not see any sign that their Fifteenth Brother was going to rescue them like this.
Seeing his junior brother killed directly, Huan Yushan was also stunned. Although he had already prepared to give up this junior brother, he did not expect the other party to be so decisive. This made him feel a bit more apprehensive. Could it be that Xiang Lanxuan was setting him up? Could his judgement be wrong?
However, after the test just now, he had no way out. He could only brace himself and continue, his face turning grim. He suddenly flashed forward to give it his all.
A Qing’s figure flashed, and she also moved to intercept.
The two figures crashed into each other with a boom. The powerful aura wind overflowed in all directions. The shockwave was so fierce that it actually blew people in the Initial Xuan realm so hard that they could not even stand steadily. It was truly devastating.
If it were ordinary trees, they would definitely be uprooted. However, this Divine Tree remained completely motionless. Instead, a large area of the burning fire nearby was suddenly extinguished under the strong pressure.
Yu Qing quickly pulled Qin Fujun and jumped into the gaps between the tree roots for shelter. Most of the others did the same.
A Lan cast a spell to protect the Bee King, but the Bee King said, “You go up too.”
After speaking, he took the initiative to jump into the tree roots nearby and squeezed together with Xiang Zhen. He nodded at Xiang Zhen, implying a request. He seemed to believe that Xiang Zhen would try his best to protect him, and Xiang Zhen also nodded at him solemnly, seemingly giving a promise.
Trust between some people does not need thousands of words. A single look is enough.
The two people who had collided fiercely bounced away from each other. There was shock in Huan Yushan’s eyes, shocked by the profoundness of A Qing’s cultivation.
That kind of profoundness was not something his cultivation, which was boosted by spiritual pills, could compare to. Although both of their realms were at the peak of the High Xuan realm, her strength heavily suppressed him. Just as he could suppress Xiang Lanxuan, in terms of the profoundness of cultivation, Xiang Lanxuan was inferior to him.
Just as he felt fear in his heart, he saw the Bee King hiding in the gaps between the tree roots. He realised something, his courage swelled, and he wanted to catch the ringleader first. However, A Lan had already charged over.
The two of them fought fiercely together. A Qing quickly returned, and the two women joined forces to besiege him. Huan Yushan, who was entangled, wanted to break free, and the three of them fought all the way into the sky.
Yu Qing took the opportunity to stare at the Bee King’s side, wanting to take the chance to rescue his two senior brothers or capture the Bee King. Who knew that Xiang Zhen was already on guard against the people nearby. As soon as he saw Yu Qing’s look, he immediately tightened his grip on Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie’s necks, warning him that if he dared to move, he would kill the two of them first.
Yu Qing felt speechless and really wanted to ask him if he was sick. We are not standing together, so what is the meaning of you standing with the demons here?
However, he had let the other party down before, so even if he made sense, he could not express it. He could only watch and stare anxiously, regretting that he had not found an excuse to run away with Xiang Zhen earlier.
Unfortunately, he truly disliked Xiang Zhen before, and coupled with the need to do private matters without letting outsiders know, it led to the current situation. It was too late to regret it now.
Xiang Lanxuan’s gaze was almost always fixed on the fight in the sky. She wanted to find an answer as to why the cultivation of the Bee King’s two maids was not weaker than theirs, yet the Bee King still wanted to rely on external help.
Soon, she found the answer.
At the same time, Huan Yushan also found the answer. He discovered that A Qing and A Lan did not understand any fighting techniques and only knew how to fight directly with punches and kicks. He immediately felt it was a false alarm.
He, who was forced into a flurry at the beginning, quickly found the trick to deal with them and injured the two women in a short while.
The two women, with blood at the corners of their mouths, resisted stubbornly.
The Bee King, looking up, revealed a solemn look in his eyes. His two sleeves, which were rolled up and tied on his shoulders, had long been let down. He looked more serious than before, but a sense of powerlessness emerged in his heart.
High in the sky, on the canopy of the Divine Tree, the bee swarm suddenly surged, turning into a giant dragon and flying away. A Wei and A Cheng, who had revealed their true forms, mixed in among them and quickly took the opportunity to go far away.
Huan Yushan in the sky noticed it but had no time to pay attention to it.
Xiang Lanxuan also noticed it, frowned, glanced at the Bee King not far away, and returned to her calm state.
“A Lan!”
A Qing in the sky suddenly let out a tragic cry.
Unable to defeat Huan Yushan, she braced herself to take a heavy blow, desperately twisted and locked Huan Yushan’s arms, trying her best to bind his arms tightly, and immediately wrapped her legs around Huan Yushan’s body, shouting for A Lan to come quickly.
It was a reckless fighting style. She was truly risking her life.
A Lan, who had dodged earlier, immediately flashed back rapidly and threw a punch.
Huan Yushan was furious. His chest and abdomen contracted, and a streak of blood light burst out. A secret technique took shape, and a blood arrow shot straight into A Qing’s forehead, instantly turning both of her eyes blood red.
Bang! Huan Yushan shook his arms and directly tore A Qing into two halves.
This time he finally broke free, but it was already too late to dodge the attack from the other side. In a hurry, he swung his arm and blasted a palm strike back.
At the moment of the blast, two fingers popped out from A Lan’s punching fist, carrying a streak of green light that pierced into Huan Yushan’s palm like a nail.