Chapter 277: Still Unwilling

There was no response, of course, there could be no response.

Shangguan Huanling still didn’t know that Chu Ling had entered the Human Emperor Banner, nor would she know that Chu Ling’s last words were for Lu Ye to spare Shangguan Huanling.

But she would find out eventually.

They wouldn’t ascend without coming to find Lu Ye.

The Fourth Heaven.

In a place where no trace of Shouren Daoist appeared.

Seven or eight figures gathered.

"Boundless Celestial Lord, these treacherous merchants, these scoundrels! I used to think we had a decent relationship, but when it came down to it, they really bled us dry!"

Many sects had now realized they had overestimated themselves.

Two million pure Supreme Spirit Stones—how could they possibly gather such an amount in one go?

They had no choice but to sell treasures to scrape together the Supreme Spirit Stones, but since everyone was selling, prices plummeted, allowing factions unaffiliated with Lu Ye to profit immensely. It was utterly shameless.

They gritted their teeth in frustration, but there was little they could do.

"Mark my words, I won’t forget this. If the opportunity arises in the future, I’ll make them pay back double what they took from us!"

"Two hundred and thirty thousand Supreme Spirit Stones—my sect is practically drained. If we hand these over to Lu Ye, I doubt we’ll even need an enemy to destroy us; we’ll collapse on our own!"

"Tell me about it. My sect is emptied too, but what can we do?"

The group exchanged complaints.

"Enough, everyone. I didn’t summon you here to listen to grievances. We have serious matters to discuss!"

The grumbling ceased.

All eyes turned to one person.

"I assume you all already have an idea in mind."

"Indeed—it’s about killing Lu Ye."

A ripple of unease spread through the group. There were less than seven hours left before the peace talks.

They had nearly gathered the spirit stones, and now this? Kill Lu Ye?

It’s impossible!

If they could have killed him, Lu Ye would have died a hundred times over by now.

"In the past, we couldn’t kill him because his escape skills were formidable. But this time, if we cut off all his escape routes and bombard him with powerful treasures, what chance does he have of surviving?"

"But he has formations!"

Someone spoke up, their voice trembling with fear and excitement.

"That’s why I’ve arranged for a formation master to accompany us. The stronger the formation, the larger the area it covers, and the more conditions it requires."

"If the formation master detects a massive formation ahead, we halt our advance and submit peacefully."

"If there's no formation..."

"Go all out to kill him?"

"Exactly!"

"No, this matter is too significant. I can't decide on my own. I must go back and discuss it!"

"Two million three hundred thousand Supreme Spirit Stones—not high-grade, not mid-grade, all Supreme Spirit Stones. Handing over such an amount, do you truly feel no pain at all?"

"Countless years of savings, all falling into another's hands!"

"After compensating with this batch of Supreme Spirit Stones, how will our faction survive? Can we even survive?"

"He just wants to push us to our deaths!"

"No, no. I think reconciliation is the way. Reconciliation is best. I truly don’t want to be enemies with this Lu Ye anymore. At his current level, he’s already this powerful. If we give him more time, the entire Fourth Heaven will be under his control!"

"Precisely because he’s this strong at such a low level, we must act with full force now. Otherwise, when he grows even stronger, we’ll have no hope left at all."

A secret discussion quietly unfolded.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The value of Supreme Spirit Stones had skyrocketed to astonishing levels due to the compensation from these thirty-odd sects.

Originally, one Supreme Spirit Stone could buy one Divine Comprehension Pill.

Now, one Supreme Spirit Stone could even buy three or four.

There was no helping it—scarcity drives up prices.

With Supreme Spirit Stones rapidly disappearing from the market, their price surged quickly.

The group gathered once more.

Grandmaster Shouren had been waiting here all three days.

Watching one Heaven and Earth Grandmaster after another arrive, his eyelids twitched.

"Brother Shouren, can you now tell us where to deliver the Supreme Spirit Stones to Lu Ye?"

Grandmaster Shouren took a deep breath.

"I must emphasize once again—this reconciliation must not have the slightest mishap. If any of you intend to strike at Lu Ye during this process, let me be blunt: I will act against you, with lethal force!" His expression was deadly serious.

"Brother, over these three days, all our sects have exhausted ourselves gathering Supreme Spirit Stones. You’ve surely seen this."

"If we still wanted to act against Lu Ye, why would we go to such lengths to collect Supreme Spirit Stones?"

"Indeed, indeed. To gather these two million Supreme Spirit Stones, our sect nearly sold off our ancestral treasure."

Everyone hurried to declare their stance.

Grandmaster Shouren’s expression remained unchanged—stern as ever.

"This is your last chance for reconciliation. If it fails, and you dare move against Lu Ye, your sects will all be annihilated. This is no exaggeration!"

"Rest assured, Brother. We would never go back on our word."

The crowd repeatedly voiced their stance.

"Good, remember your words. Let's go!"

A group of Heaven and Earth realm experts, totaling fourteen, with the rest being Reincarnation realm cultivators.

There was no other way—some sects had their Heaven and Earth realm experts completely wiped out by Lu Ye, directly downgrading them from first-rate to second-rate sects.

In truth, as Wang Yi had previously mentioned, it was indeed accurate.

Lu Ye's demand for such a massive amount of Supreme Spirit Stones—one to two million from each sect—was staggering. If one could get their hands on that many Supreme Spirit Stones, they could cultivate all the way to the peak of the Fifth Heaven without any issues.

The temptation was immense.

Some Heaven and Earth realm experts had been eyeing it early on.

But when they saw a dense crowd of over a dozen Heaven and Earth realm cultivators emerge, the hidden ones paled and instantly vanished.

If it had been just Shouren Daoist alone, they would have prepared to kill and seize the treasure.

But with so many Heaven and Earth realm experts gathered at once, attempting to rob the Spirit Stones would be nothing short of a fool's dream.

Along the way, various auras continuously appeared but ultimately chose to retreat.

There were simply too many powerful figures.

If a fight broke out, it would likely drag on, and if the other side called for reinforcements, everything would be over.

Thus, the journey could be described as perilous yet ultimately safe.

The ruins of the Jiang family.

Still a considerable distance away.

"We're here. Everyone can hand the Spirit Stones to me now. Wait here—do not approach any further," Shouren Daoist said.

"Understood. We appreciate your efforts, Daoist Brother."

Some began passing storage rings to Shouren Daoist.

Others had already begun inspecting the surroundings.

No traces of formations were detected.

"Daoist Brother, are you certain Lu Ye is here? We haven't sensed him at all—we can't help but feel uneasy!" someone spoke up.

Shouren Daoist's expression instantly darkened.