Asura Mad Emperor

Suddenly, a gloomy and cold voice rang out.

"These natural treasures are claimed by our Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps."

As soon as he finished speaking, several figures emerged from the darkness. These people were none other than those from the Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps, who had just brushed past Qinchuan and the others. The speaker was a thin, tall martial artist with a sullen face, who stared intently at Qinchuan and his companions like a venomous snake.

"Hmph, how did these annoying guys manage to follow us here?"

Because of what had happened earlier with Lao Qi, Ji Huo'er held no good feelings towards this group and frowned as she huffed.

Ling Xian'er, with a graceful and ethereal figure, dressed in white, stood tall and elegant, but even her face now showed a trace of anger, like an iceberg, and she coldly snorted, "Where did these ignorant creatures come from?"

Lei Wuyin stepped forward. His stature was burly, like a wall blocking everyone's path. His gaze was sharp and cold as he stared at Ling Xian'er and Ji Huo'er, his eyes filled with chill, and he said word by word, "Don't let any of these people go."

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As he spoke, the remaining eight members of the Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps quickly scattered, forming a half-circle and surrounding Ling Xian'er, Ji Huo'er, Qinchuan, and Ding Hao.

Their Qi surged powerfully, True Qi rolled tumultuously, Dao Magic ran unrestrained, and divine light flickered. The cultivations of these people were profound, their True Qi vigorous; each one of them possessed at least the cultivation of the Spirit Martial Nine Layers. Their intense and heavy Qi pressed down on the four people's heads from all directions like overwhelming ocean waves crashing against the shore.

Certainly, the Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps had verbally targeted Ling Xian'er and the others, but in reality, they were coveting the Spiritual Treasures on the Jade Altar, planning to eliminate Ding Hao and Qinchuan as well.

Before the crowd, Ji Huo'er and Ling Xian'er were undaunted, as strong auras of ice and fire erupted from them. Ling Xian'er was cold as the Ice Immortal, her Qi frosty; everyone shivered involuntarily as if plunging into an icy abyss at that moment.

Ji Huo'er's body burst into blazing flames, her Fire Qi burning fiercely as scorching waves surged forth, lashing against everyone's faces.

Just a moment ago, the crowd seemed to be inside an icy cave that had stood for ten thousand years, and now it was as if they were trapped in an endless sea of molten lava, the heat unbearable.

The atmosphere on the field instantly became tense, as everyone's palms sweated in anticipation, their Dao Magic fluctuating wildly and Mysterious Techniques ready to burst forth. Dao Qi crisscrossed in the air, and Dharma Patterns rampaged, a vicious battle seemed on the verge of breaking out.

Ding Hao, acquainted with the people from the Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps, noticed that something was wrong and immediately stepped forward to ease the tension, "Brother Lei, Miss Xian'er, could it be that there is some misunderstanding? We are all in a dangerous situation and should work together to overcome this challenge. Any grievances can be settled after we leave this small world."

"Hmph, misunderstanding? There are no misunderstandings. These two killed the seventh member of our Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps. As their leader, if I do nothing, how could I face my departed brother?"

Ling Xian'er's frosty beauty was like sculpted jade, and with her bright eyes and white teeth, she said, "You dared to insult Thousand Fox Mountain, and I have already shown great magnanimity by not slaughtering all of you. Yet, ignorant of death, you still dare to come seeking trouble."

Upon hearing the name Thousand Fox Mountain, the members of the Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps were visibly startled.

They hadn't expected to have provoked an immortal from Thousand Fox Mountain, and fear began to creep into their hearts.

Lei Wuyin seemed to sense the wavering courage in their hearts and suddenly roared, "What is there to fear? Even if it's Thousand Fox Mountain, so what? There are only four of them, and we have nine. Are we really afraid of her?"

Upon hearing this, everyone came to their senses, remembering that their numbers were twice those of their opponents. Even with the presence of Thousand Fox Mountain, they once again swelled with Qi and closed in.

Ding Hao did not know what had transpired between Ling Xian'er and Lei Wuyin, nor why they had ended up killing the seventh member of the Burning Heaven Mercenary Corps.

He knew the seventh brother's temperament and, upon hearing Ling Xian'er's words, instantly deduced the reason. It must have been that the seventh brother made some offensive remarks towards Ling Xian'er and Ji Huo'er. The two of them were on par with the others, and both were immortals of Thousand Fox Mountain. How could they tolerate any insult from a mere lackey of the Burning Heaven Mercenary Group?

Ding Hao began to speak, wanting to mediate, "Brother Lei, it wasn't intentional on Miss Xian'er's part, so perhaps..." He wanted to continue playing the peacemaker, but at that moment, Qinchuan suddenly spoke up leisurely, interrupting him.

"Ding Hao, you are sincere, but far too naive. Do you really believe that even without this incident, these people would let things go?"

Ding Hao was taken aback once more, not understanding the meaning of Qinchuan's words: "Young Master Qin, Brother Lei is straightforward and friendly. We hit it off at first sight, and I understand the brothers from the Burning Heaven group, too. You should also persuade Miss Ling'er and the others..."

"Are you still not understanding what this Young Master means, saying you're naive? And yet you regard this Way of Thunder as your 'big brother'." Qinchuan shook his head, glanced at Lei Wuyin and the people of the Burning Heaven Mercenary Group whose breaths were heavy, and said lightly, "Don't you wonder why you encountered them so coincidentally at the beginning, and what he intended by bringing you to the Demon Cave?"

As Qinchuan's words fell, Lei Wuyin and his group's expressions suddenly became strange.

"We thought we had covered our tracks flawlessly, even fooling this idiot Ding Hao. How did this kid find out?" Lei Wuyin pondered secretly.

In fact, during the standoff, Qinchuan's Innate Pupils had opened, the power of cause and effect surfaced within them, and his gaze settled on Ding Hao and Lei Wuyin.

To his surprise, he saw on both of them a faint, inexplicable aura, interlinked and entwined.

That was the power of karma.

Qinchuan, who had devoured karma before, had most of his Dao Magic suppressed by the Emperor Soul. However, now, with the operation of his Innate Pupils, he was able to detect the existence of certain karmic forces.

At this moment, he detected the entangled karma between the two. Although unclear about the specifics, he knew it was by no means simple; Ding Hao was clearly being used by the members of the Burning Heaven Mercenary Group.

When Qinchuan mentioned this, he did not expose the truth, but to the ears of the Burning Heaven Mercenary Group, it sounded like a thunderclap.

The group, of course, vehemently denied it, showing guilt like a thief. One round-faced youth shouted excitedly, "You little wretch, what nonsense are you spouting? If you try to slander the Burning Heaven Mercenary Group, be careful I punch your head in."

Qinchuan did not clarify further, but the overreaction of the group was a clear admission of guilt. Any astute observer could see through their subterfuge.

Although Ding Hao did not believe that the Burning Heaven Mercenary Group had any ulterior motives, his expression became grave: "Young Master Qin, is there a hidden truth in all this?"

Qinchuan stood calmly, the karmic cycles and moral justice clear in his mind. He believed his judgement could not be wrong. Indifferently, he looked at Lei Wuyin, "This small world is full of opportunities but also fraught with dangers, not a place where any cat or dog can just barge in. If it were only the weaklings of your group, I'm afraid they would have all perished long ago. To still have nine survivors till now, I bet you've made many innocent people cannon fodder, haven't you?"

A lonely, desolate aura burst forth from him, spreading in all directions.

As soon as Lei Wuyin made contact with this karmic force, his whole body shuddered. Under Qinchuan's scrutinizing Innate Pupils, he could clearly see the entwined karmic forces on Lei Wuyin and Ding Hao beginning to grow.

Hearing Qinchuan's words, Ding Hao's face changed drastically. With the conversation having reached this point, if he still didn't understand, then indeed he would be a fool.

According to Qinchuan, Lei Wuyin's befriending people in the secret realm was not out of goodwill, but an attempt to use the strength of others to pave the way for his own mercenary group.

Shocked, Ding Hao looked at Lei Wuyin, stammering, "You... Brother Lei, is what Young Master Qin saying true?"