Chapter 171 - As the Young Master of the Yang Family, You Should Be Worth Quite a Bit of Money, Right?

“Brother Meng, help me!”

An overwhelming aura bore down on them. The person had yet to arrive, yet the violent gale already whipped Gu Han’s robes into a frenzy.

Closing to within ten zhang of Gu Han, Meng Xing roared furiously, “Die!”

Gu Han whirled around instantly and met Meng Xing with a sword strike, unleashing the killing intent he had long suppressed. “Kill!”

Meng Xing posed a far higher threat than Yang Lin. Naturally, Gu Han didn’t dare to lower his guard in the slightest.

In a flash, they collided. Meng Xing’s hands flared silver, almost reaching peak brilliance. He caught Gu Han’s fatal blow with his bare hands. This was the first time someone could block his Kill Sword head-on.

Meng Xing stared fixedly at Gu Han. “Some skill you got there! What a pity, it’s not enough!”

No one had ever split through his knuckle until now. Even Murong Yan would find it very difficult to do so.

Gu Han’s killing intent surged once more. “Not enough?”

The Kill Sword rose in power again. A grating, teeth-on-edge sound rang out as the sword slowly advanced.

Right at that moment, Yang Lin also went on the offense. Gu Han seemed to have a method to counter his deadly poison, stripping him of his greatest strength. Regardless, Yang Lin had no choice but to attack.

Gu Han’s growth rate far exceeded Yang Lin’s expectations. A one-on-one victory was nearly unthinkable. Only by joining forces could they hope to prevail. Furthermore, Gu Han was preoccupied with Meng Xing, making it Yang Lin’s best chance to strike.

Upon seeing the imminent attack, Gu Han knew retreating was impossible. He decisively unleashed all his remaining cultivation, meeting Yang Lin with a palm strike.

Yang Lin grew greatly anxious. “Brother Meng, help me!”

If Gu Han blocked this strike, finding such a good opportunity again would be difficult.

Clearly, Meng Xing also understood this. With a hint of ruthlessness, he released his grip, allowing the sword to pierce him. His hands erupted with brilliant silver light, striking at Gu Han’s front.

A loud crash sounded, and Gu Han was sent flying back several dozen zhang. Upon landing, he went pale, spewing blood. Their combined force broke through the robe’s protection, leaving him gravely wounded.

Meng Xing was also vomiting blood continuously. Threads of killing intent and sword qi churned ceaselessly inside him. Had it been Yang Lin, that blow would’ve robbed half of his combat power.

Meng Xing stood up unsteadily. “I admit that you have some skill, but the victors today will still be us!”

Gu Han wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “He already said that!”

Sinister coldness gleamed in Yang Lin’s eyes. “You still don’t know that you’re knocking on death’s door! Sure, your sword techniques are impressive, but what about the consumption? I imagine you know better than we do. Even with your dual Supreme Stages, you don’t have much spirit power left, right?”

His guess was correct. Repeatedly using the Great Evolution Sword Qi consumed enormous spirit power. Gu Han now had less than ten percent left.

After a moment of silence, Gu Han sighed with some feeling. “You even calculated that? You really came fully prepared today!”

The two slowly advanced.

“Of course. You likely understand the secret realm’s anomaly as well. In such a situation, still not cherishing your spirit power is just foolishness—”

Just then, right before their eyes, Gu Han casually fished out a bottle of pills and stuffed it into his mouth. Their pupils constricted, a flicker of heartache passing through their eyes. The Essence-Replenishing Pills! They were extremely valuable, excellent for cultivation and restoring one’s foundation.

Gu Han casually discarded the pill bottle, giving them an odd look. “Go on, why did you stop?”

Having taken the pills, his aura swelled once again.

Yang Lin took a deep breath. “One bottle of Essence-Replenishing Pill can’t save your—”

Gu Han took out another bottle of pills and poured it into his mouth.

Yang Lin immediately recognized that it was the Profound Clarity Powder, which was even more valuable than the Essence-Replenishing Pills.

With an earnest expression, Gu Han expressed his gratitude, “Thank you for the reminder. I almost forgot pills are indispensable within this secret realm.”

He took out yet another bottle of pills! This time, it was the Clear Spirit Pills, which was no less valuable than the previous two.

Finally, the two could no longer hold back. “Enough!”

To them, Gu Han’s pills were already as good as theirs. Seeing him consume them pained their hearts greatly.

The two charged toward Gu Han side by side, only to be greeted with dozens of Great Evolution Sword Qi. Gu Han’s spirit power had recovered significantly. With a single sword strike, he sealed off their assault for the moment.

He said sincerely, “Wait a moment. I need to restore my cultivation first.”

Saying so, he rapidly took out seven or eight bottles of pills. Paying no heed to grade or effect, he dumped them all into his mouth. The two instantly concluded that Gu Han had stashed far more pills than they had imagined.

And they would be right. Of the pills Gu Han had obtained from the last loot distribution, about a quarter remained. Previously, when Yang Ying said Gu Han didn’t have enough pills, it was only in comparison to himself. For others, even a quarter of those pills represented a massive amount of resources.

“Stop!”

“That’s ours!”

Originally meant to replenish spirit power, the pills had become more precious than ever amid the secret realm’s current anomalies. In the two’s eyes, they were the capital to continue surviving.

Their heads throbbed as they charged at Gu Han, eyes bloodshot.

Gu Han’s spirit power had recovered significantly now, so he felt no fear. Lifting his sword, he charged to meet them. “Perfect!”

The three fought inextricably for a while. However, as time passed, the situation gradually reversed. With his abundant spirit power, Gu Han had the upper hand. Meanwhile, Yang Lin and Meng Xing’s spirit power was starting to run short.

The duo, who should've held the advantage, were backed into a corner. They nearly lost their lives several times. A loud crash sounded. The two narrowly blocked Gu Han’s strike as they shot backward. In the end, they had to retreat, unable to hold on anymore.

Meng Xing stared fixedly at Gu Han. “Brother Yang, we absolutely must get the pills from him!”

Yang Lin grimly glanced at the several transparent holes on him. “Right! They’re all ours!”

Heartache aside, the two no longer hesitated, each taking out a bottle of pills and swallowing them. If they didn’t replenish their spirit power now, they would be killed.

“Kill him, and our consumption will be replenished!”

“Right! Replenished tenfold!”

“Kill me?” Gu Han scoffed. “Those two bottles are far from enough!”

Saying so, he actually took out several more bottles of pills. Again disregarding their type, he stuffed them all into his mouth in one go.

Then, he charged at the two once more. “Kill!”

This battle continued once again. Soon, Gu Han’s words were proven to be right. Two bottles of pills couldn’t sustain such a high-intensity battle for long. The two couldn’t hold on again.

Through a moment of carelessness, Yang Lin lost an arm to Gu Han. “

AAH!

”

Meng Xing wasn’t faring well either. He was covered in large and small cuts, his silver bones clearly visible.

Of course, Gu Han’s consumption far exceeded theirs, but he did not press the advantage. Instead, he suddenly halted his offensive. “Wait a moment.”

Under their wary gazes, he turned his hand and took out five more bottles of pills. Instantly, the two snapped, feeling the urge to curse out loud.

Locked in a battle of attrition, they simply couldn’t fight rashly. Whoever couldn’t hold on first would die. With Gu Han’s seemingly infinite supply of spirit herbs, the losing side was obvious. He could literally drag the two to their deaths at this point.

The only option left was to kill Gu Han instantly, without giving him any chance to replenish his spirit power. Of course, had they been capable of it, they would have acted long ago.

For a moment, the two exchanged a glance, thinking of retreating. They didn’t dare to use their leftover pills, lest they met a fate worse than death.

Sensing their intent, Gu Han’s expression became earnest. “Don’t worry. These are the last five bottles, really, there are no more!”

So far, he had only managed to keep up with the two thanks to his abundance of pills.

The two didn’t believe Gu Han’s words at all. A final glance passed between them, and then they turned and fled without the slightest hesitation.

“Let’s go!”

Gu Han looked dissatisfied. “Who said you can leave?!”

His aura surged as he gave them a chase.

Mid-escape, Meng Xing noticed that Gu Han was targeting Yang Lin. He didn’t hesitate for even a moment before dashing off in a different direction.

Yang Lin nearly exploded with rage.

Brother Meng, how could you!!!

The accusatory words ultimately didn’t leave his mouth. He was well aware that their relationship was merely one of mutual cooperation and utilization, without a shred of genuine camaraderie. In fact, he should be grateful Meng Xing didn’t kick him when they were down.

Several bursts of fierce wind suddenly assailed Yang Lin from behind.

This is bad!

His heart tightened. He could no longer afford to think about Meng Xing’s affairs, forcibly twisting himself. Instantly, several strands of sword qi pierced through him. After consecutive battles, he had sustained many injuries, plus the arm. He slowed down considerably.

He couldn’t help but cry out in despair, “Brother Meng, help me!”

In the distance, Meng Xing heard his call, but he ran even faster.

Yang Lin was filled with despair.

Gu Han’s voice, saturated with killing intent, rang. “Kill!”

The Kill Sword struck again.

Seeing no hope left, a flash of madness appeared in Yang Lin’s eyes. “You want me dead? Dream on!”

In the blink of an eye, the dark green qi spread around him once more. However, before he could fully erupt, Gu Han’s sword had already pierced his heart meridian. The remaining sword force didn’t diminish, nailing him firmly to the ground

Upon seeing him struggle, Gu Han stared blankly at him. “Don’t move. Move, and you’ll really die.”

Yang Lin’s eyes were bloodshot. “If you dare kill me, the Yang family will definitely fight you to the death!”

Gu Han shook his head. “Kill you? Didn’t I say that I’m keeping your life for use?”

Several strands of sword qi entered Yang Lin, roaming ceaselessly through his meridians, only leaving him barely enough spirit power to maintain his spirit light.

Yang Lin stared fixedly at Gu Han. “What exactly do you want?!”

Gu Han glanced at him. “Young Master of the Yang Family, chief disciple of the Qixia Court, innate mutated Green Wood Spirit Physique. No matter which identity you use, your value is significant, and you should be worth quite a bit of money, right?”

Yang Lin widened his eyes. “You want to use me to extort them?”

Gu Han sighed. “You can’t really call it extortion. I just want to use you in exchange for someone.”

“Who is it?!”

Gu Han smirked. “Don’t worry. It’s someone who is completely insignificant to all of you. In this transaction, the Yang family stands to gain immensely.”