Let Bygones Be Bygones

The elders were all seething with rage.

If the disappearance of these demon cores had been due to some other reason, they might have been able to accept it.

But if it was done by someone, then they absolutely could not tolerate it.

"Who could have done this?" one elder couldn't help but ask.

"Hmph, no matter who it is, anyone daring to snatch food from our mouths deserves to die," said the elder from Tianbi Sect, his face filled with killing intent.

"Could it be that other sects, noticing the disappearance of the demonic creatures, came to investigate and took these demon cores?" another elder speculated.

"Hmph! So what if it was another sect?" the Tianbi Sect elder said coldly. "If they’ve taken so many of our demon cores and don’t return them, they’re just asking for war!"

"Listen to my orders. Head to the next location immediately. Secure the remaining demon cores first, and then we’ll deal with them later."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The top priority now was not to find the culprit but to secure the remaining demon cores first.

The spirit ship sped through the air, heading toward the cremation site of the Mondor Beasts.

When the spirit ship arrived, they immediately noticed several figures collecting the demon cores from the Mondor Beasts.

"It seems to be a person accompanied by a few demon beasts. Who are they?" one elder asked, squinting through the hazy view ahead.

"Hmph, whoever they are, they sure have some nerve!"

The Tianbi Sect elder was instantly furious.

"We were just wondering how to find them, and here they are, right in front of us."

"They’ve got some guts, taking the demon cores from one location and still daring to continue. Now they’ll pay the price for their audacity!"

Hearing this, the other elders were also filled with anger, their killing intent surging.

As for Lu Benwei and his group, standing alone in the black mist, they didn’t seem to care.

Having dealt with the black mist for so many years, the major sects all had methods to temporarily withstand it, so this wasn’t anything special.

"Fire the cannon. Blast them to death," the Tianbi Sect elder immediately ordered.

"Elder Zhao Qi, isn’t it a bit hasty to attack directly? Without knowing their identity, isn’t it inappropriate to kill them so rashly?" the sole representative from the Yunjie Sect couldn’t help but express concern.

"Hmph, I don’t think it’s hasty at all."

"Daring to take our demon cores already seals their fate," Zhao Qi said with a ruthless expression.

"But..."

The Yunjie Sect elder wanted to say more, but Zhao Qi cut him off, saying sternly, "Your Yunjie Sect has always been timid and indecisive. No wonder you can’t accomplish anything significant. In this black mist, we don’t need to know their identity. If they don’t provoke us, we can ignore them. But if they dare to cross us, they’ll be killed, even if they’re from the Dao Sect."

"Fire the cannon!"

Zhao Qi made the decision firmly.

The elders from the other sects mostly agreed with Zhao Qi’s decision.

The spirit ship, as a formidable weapon of the major sects, naturally had such capabilities.

This cannon was powered by a massive accumulation of energy through the ship’s internal formations.

Of course, the source of this energy was none other than the demon cores.

A single shot from this cannon would consume thousands of demon cores, but its power was equally immense—so immense that any elder caught in its blast would undoubtedly perish.

After thousands of demon cores were fed into the cannon, a powerful energy began to stir within the cannon’s barrel.

There wasn’t even a warning shouted at Lu Benwei and his group.

With a deafening roar, the Spirit Cannon unleashed a devastating blast toward Lu Benwei and his companions, who were still collecting demon cores.

"Boom!"

The massive energy briefly dispersed the black mist, tearing the very air into fragments.

"Hmph, daring to take what’s ours? Die!"

On the spirit ship, the elders gritted their teeth, their faces filled with malice.

As the Spirit Cannon’s blast drew closer, the lone humanoid figure among the demon cores suddenly turned its head.

It revealed a skeletal face, devoid of flesh.

Of course, from their perspective, they couldn’t see its true appearance clearly.

"Where did these ants come from, daring to ambush this scoundrel?"

Lu Benwei stretched out a hand and casually caught the massive energy blast from the Spirit Cannon, squeezing it into a ball.

This scene.

Left the elders on the spirit ship with their jaws hanging open, wide enough to fit an egg.

They felt a chill run down their spines.

What kind of terrifying power was this?

To catch the Spirit Cannon’s attack with bare hands?

Keep in mind, a single shot from this cannon would obliterate any one of them, let alone catching it barehanded.

Could he be a high-level Tribulation Realm cultivator?

If that were the case, things just got a lot more complicated.

After all, a high-level Tribulation Realm cultivator would be on par with the strongest members of their sects.

"What do we do?"

The elders were panicking, all turning their eyes to Zhao Qi.

This was partly because Tianbi Sect was the main organizer of this expedition into the black mist, and partly because Tianbi Sect owned this spirit ship.

Even among the sects, there was a clear distinction between those who possessed a spirit ship and those who didn’t.

So naturally, everyone looked to Zhao Qi for guidance.

"What’s there to panic about?"

Zhao Qi’s face was dark as he said, "So what if he’s a high-level Tribulation Realm cultivator? At most, he’s just a bit more troublesome. Besides, he can’t do anything to us as long as we’re on this spirit ship. It’s as solid as a fortress. Unless a Dao Realm expert attacks with full force, there’s nothing to fear."

Hearing this.

The other elders let out a sigh of relief, giving Zhao Qi a thumbs-up.

Only a sect like Tianbi Sect, with its spirit ship, could have the confidence to face a high-level Tribulation Realm cultivator and still speak so boldly.

Of course.

Their spirit ship wasn’t like the ones from the immortal realms of old.

Ordinary spirit ships were nothing more than transportation tools, capable of simple flight to save energy for the disciples.

But this true spirit ship was a masterpiece crafted at an astronomical cost, a superweapon that combined both defense and offense.

In Yunxing.

The measure of a sect’s strength was whether or not they possessed a spirit ship.

And spirit ships were divided into nine grades.

One being the lowest.

Nine being the highest.

Although Tianbi Sect’s spirit ship was only a first-grade ship, as long as they were inside it, they could escape unscathed from anything below the Dao Realm.

As for a ninth-grade spirit ship, that existed only in theory.

Legend had it that such a ship could travel freely between worlds, and a single attack from it could destroy Yunxing.

Because of the spirit ship’s protection, Zhao Qi was only slightly surprised by Lu Benwei’s feat of catching the cannon blast. He wasn’t afraid.

Instead, he stepped forward, his voice infused with energy as he called out.

"Sir, it’s not that we wanted to attack you, but your actions were rather discourteous."

"These demon cores here, as well as the ones from the valley earlier, were all stored by us. Yet you took them without our permission, so you can’t blame us for retaliating."

"Of course, given your strength, it would be best to resolve this peacefully. So if you hand over the demon cores you’ve taken and leave immediately, we’ll let bygones be bygones."

Zhao Qi’s voice boomed out, reaching Lu Benwei and his group.

???

Lu Benwei’s face was filled with confusion.

"Let bygones be bygones?"

"Who do you think you are? How dare you say such a thing to this scoundrel?"

Hearing this.

Zhao Qi’s brows furrowed deeply, his face contorted with anger.

"It seems you’re refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit?"

"While I don’t deny your strength, you’d better weigh the consequences. If I decide to go all out with this spirit ship, even a Dao Realm expert wouldn’t dare to face it head-on. Do you really think you’re stronger than a Dao Realm cultivator?"

His words were heavy with threat, leaving no room for misunderstanding.