Chapter 852 - 857: Defiance (Part 1)

Chapter 852: Chapter 857: Defiance (Part 1)

Rong Lin and Rong Xing, the brothers, were now standing not far behind Lin Xi and his group.

Rong Xing wasn’t really talking to Rong Lin; he was still brooding over what had just happened. He was even questioning whether he had trusted the wrong brother all along!

Where had that fearless and decisive brother gone, the one he had always admired?

How could one young fellow make him so scared?

Let him be slaughtered?

This really hurt his feelings!

Even if his strength surpassed the two brothers combined, if they truly wanted to escape, would he really pursue them relentlessly?

Besides, for warriors of the same level, it’s incredibly difficult to kill someone if they intend to flee.

Rong Lin didn’t need to guess his brother’s thoughts; he knew them well. But he couldn’t explain why; he just had a gut feeling that if they didn’t comply with the demands, the brothers might meet their end here today.

He’s always trusted this intuition of his.

This intuition has been one of the key factors in his survival amidst countless assassination attempts and power struggles as a big shot in Africa’s war-torn regions.

That’s why he’s temporarily swallowed this breath of air.

Of course, they weren’t leaving because they wanted to see what happened next, especially with the seven arrivals who he knew were incredibly strong and not benevolent people.

People who usually fear nothing and no one.

He’s certain they won’t follow Lin Xi’s orders and might even get provoked by his actions!

Then, when conflict breaks out, he’ll see where that unease came from.

If Lin Xi’s side barely holds an advantage, they’ll unhesitatingly turn on Lin Xi to seize back their Spirit Stones, maybe even taking a share of the spoils.

In the mist, the two opposing forces noticed each other, initially wary but after realizing no one else was around, a hint of greed flashed in their eyes!

Because from each other’s eyes, they could tell the other side must have procured some valuable items.

Was there a chance for murder and theft?

But after looking over each other, neither moved to act.

After all, one side had two Peak Soldier Kings and one Advanced Soldier King, while the other had two Peak Soldier Kings and two Intermediate Soldier Kings.

If they were to fight and reach a verdict, it wouldn’t be possible to conclude in less than half an hour.

And the winning side would also face severe injuries as a result.

Additionally, an uncertain factor was that previously, there were many powerful groups around, two of which could crush them with their power.

Just because there’s nobody here now doesn’t mean there won’t be soon.

They too were in the Secret Realm and suddenly found themselves back in the spot where they initially stood, out of a daze.

"Withdraw!" Both factions said simultaneously.

In the next moment, they walked a few steps and reached the edge of the fog.

But as soon as they stepped out, they were startled because a crowd was glaring at them.

The more critical point was that the young man sitting on the stone was the one who had single-handedly killed Howard and his associates earlier, wasn’t he?

Everyone knew Howard and his parties consisted of one Peak Soldier King and two Intermediate Soldier Kings. Though their strength wasn’t as high as theirs, they were still formidable!

At the same time, one of the groups saw Shangguan Nishang’s party and almost combusted with rage, emitting a palpable murderous intent; they naturally knew why.

But why hasn’t the Shangguan family’s party perished?

Weren’t the robed elders supposed to hunt them down?

Yes, earlier, Shangguan Nishang’s side obtained a secret manual, which had been caught by their four opposites, notifying the robed elders.

Did the robed elders fail to catch them, or did they fail to execute them?

"Now it’s a bit troublesome!" The leading person among the foursome muttered, while the faces of the other three looked unsightly.

However, seeing the banner planted next to Lin Xi, they couldn’t help but rejoice.

This was way too audacious!

Demanding a toll, does he think he owns this road!

Even if he did, they wouldn’t pay!

Given their combined forces didn’t outwardly appear much weaker than Lin Xi’s side.

The leaders of both sides exchanged glances and quickly decided, "Of course we won’t pay!"

They weren’t foolish; why would they pay a toll?

Knowing that the treasures they acquired had strong ties to breaking through to the Innate Realm.

So one leader among them turned to Lin Xi’s party, saying, "There’s no toll, not in this lifetime, so I advise you to let us pass now!"

"Or don’t blame us for barging through!"

"You should know there are two powerless beautiful women among you; the other is also the weakest in strength to us!"

"I’ll count to three, two, one. If you don’t let us through after three, don’t blame us for being rude!"

At this moment, almost everyone present looked towards Lin Xi, awaiting his decision.

Lin Xi didn’t respond directly, instead he turned to Shangguan Nishang and asked, "Was it because of those four in the Secret Realm?"

Shangguan Nishang knew Lin Xi was referring to their obtaining a secret manual and being secretly reported to the robed elders, which almost got them all killed.

"Yes!" She nodded.

The four elders, particularly the Second Elder, if Lin Xi weren’t sitting there, he would absolutely charge forward, it would be life or death!

"Okay!" Lin Xi replied.

With this word, he jumped down from the stone and looked at the foursome, "I’ll give you one last chance!"

"Leave everything you’ve obtained from the Secret Realm, even a blade of grass!"

"If you do, I might consider sparing your miserable lives!"

He then turned to the other three, "You, leave eighty percent of your gains from the Secret Realm and you can leave safely!"

"Of course, joining them is also an option!"

"Oh, wasn’t someone counting to one, two, three?"

"You can count now!"

Upon hearing these words, both sides’ faces turned grim. This kid really underestimated them!

Alright then, let’s fight and see who laughs last!

The next moment, instead of counting to one, two, three, the person who spoke earlier let out a loud yell as seven people charged towards Lin Xi’s side.

They had a clear purpose; two Peak Soldier Kings targeted Lin Xi, while two Peak Soldier Kings, one Advanced Soldier King, and one Intermediate Soldier King attacked the Shangguan family’s four elders, given the injuries visible on the Third Elder and the Fourth Elder.

The other Intermediate Soldier King targeted the three women, which posed no challenge.

Meanwhile, their plan was to first control the three women and then use them to threaten Lin Xi and others.

Then, not only would they not have to pay the toll, but they also hoped to compel Lin Xi to hand over all his gains from the Secret Realm.

"This kid is strong but he clearly doesn’t think well!" The leader of the faction who secretly informed the robed elders sneered inwardly, yet puzzled over why Shangguan’s five and the three other women would align themselves with Lin Xi in this situation!

Were they all fools?

Not far off, Rong Lin and Rong Xing were closely monitoring the dynamics. At this point, Rong Xing planned to act and said to his brother, "Brother, let’s seize those three women!"

"This opportunity is rare; we shouldn’t miss it!"

"If we miss out now, it won’t involve us later!"

But Rong Lin remained immobile and stopped Rong Xing, and Rong Xing was furious, "Brother!!!"

"You..."

Before he could finish, an expression of disbelief and shock crept over his face, chills running down his spine.

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