Reclaiming the Nether Hall

The dead silence in the valley did not last long.

Xiao Ruobai took a deep breath, suppressing his churning blood and qi. He slammed the Nine Heavens Dragon Soul Halberd heavily against the ground, producing a dull thud that shattered the quiet.

His sharp gaze swept over the messy battlefield as he said in a deep voice, "Junior Sister, Junior Brother, we cannot stay here for long! We must leave immediately!"

Ling Xi nodded slightly. Her cold eyes swept across the surrounding void; she could sense the greedy and malicious prying gazes that had not yet retreated.

Fang Hanyu silently sheathed his sword. His face was pale, but his eyes remained vigilant.

The three of them linked their auras, preparing to evacuate immediately, but Xiao Ruobai suddenly noticed that Fatty Wang had not kept up.

He turned his head abruptly, only to see Fatty Wang squatting where Nether Bone and Nether Soul had made their last stand. His fingers were quickly fumbling through the scorch marks and gravel on the ground, his expression exceptionally focused.

"Fatty!" Xiao Ruobai shouted in a low voice, a hint of urgency in his tone.

"Found it!"

Fatty Wang looked up at the sound. His face still bore the exhaustion and paleness from the fierce battle, but his eyes were unusually bright.

He explained rapidly, "Big Brother! This seems to be Old Ghost Xuanyin's spatial ring, along with the fragments of those assassins' weapons. Just looking at this material, you can tell it's good stuff!"

His breathing was still a bit unsteady as he spoke, evidently having suffered heavy injuries, but his movements were neat and swift.

Xiao Ruobai instantly understood his intention, a flash of approval in his eyes. "Alright, now that we have the items, let's go!"

Fatty Wang immediately stood up. Although his steps were a bit unsteady, he followed the three without any hesitation.

"Go!"

The four of them erupted with escaping light, like night owls skimming through a forest, silently vanishing into the deep mountain shadows.

Right after they left, an uncontrollable uproar broke out around the valley.

"They left... They actually survived the assassination attempt by the Netherworld Palace!"

"Four Celestial Realm cultivators forcefully repelled four peak Kings! This Battle Asura and Sword in White..."

"More than that! That Cyan Rakshasa is unfathomable, and that little fatty's method of drawing talismans in the middle of battle is simply unheard of!"

Suddenly, a hesitant voice rang out: "Wait... right before that Netherworld Palace assassin died, didn't he yell... 'Liuli Holy Land, you set me up'?"

The clamor instantly fell dead silent.

Countless divine senses subtly intersected in the air, but no one dared to speak lightly again.

Many people had heard that sentence.

It was just that the shock at the time was too great to think deeply about it. Now that someone pointed it out, a spine-chilling speculation surfaced in everyone's mind.

The Liuli Holy Land... paid off the Netherworld Palace... to kill Battle Asura and his group?

This thought made cold sweat instantly seep from the backs of all the eavesdroppers.

If this was true, the implications were too massive!

On one side was a top-tier Holy Land of the Eastern Region, and on the other was a killer dynasty with a fierce reputation. And those being assassinated were monstrous geniuses who had just displayed heaven-defying potential!

Who would dare to discuss this casually? And who would dare to bear the consequences of reckless speculation?

The cultivator who had just spoken also suddenly realized his slip of the tongue. He immediately shut his mouth tight, his divine sense scanning the surroundings in terror, afraid of being targeted by someone.

...

Liuli Holy Land, Core Secret Hall.

The Seventh Elder stood bowing below, sweat visible on his forehead. The Liuli Holy Lord stood with his back to him, hands clasped behind his back. The aura around him was dark and unclear, but the temperature of the entire hall seemed to have dropped to the freezing point.

"Trash!"

After a long time, the Holy Lord's icy voice echoed, devoid of any emotion.

"The Netherworld Palace... are all a bunch of trash! Unable to accomplish anything but good at ruining things!"

The First Elder stepped forward. "Holy Lord, please quell your anger. This matter... was indeed unexpected.

To think those four juniors actually possessed such combat power, and to think a Quasi-Saint would perish together with a Quasi-Saint assassin just to protect them. Such loyalty is truly rare."

There was actually a trace of sympathy and admiration in his tone.

"Loyalty?" The Liuli Holy Lord scoffed, cold light flashing in his eyes. "He was nothing but an old dog seeking his own death. He is not worth pitying!"

He pondered for a moment. "Seventh Elder, go investigate personally! The focus will be that Venerable Xuanyin! The backgrounds of Battle Asura and the others are mysterious, and their whereabouts are secretive.

But since this person was willing to risk his life for them, he must know the inside story! Dig down this line and make sure to find out their roots!"

"I will strictly obey the Holy Decree!" The Seventh Elder solemnly accepted the order, his figure slowly retreating from the hall.

Right at this moment, a pitch-black communication jade talisman in the First Elder's hand suddenly lit up, emitting a cold and gloomy aura.

The First Elder's divine sense swept over its contents, and his expression instantly became extremely ugly, even carrying a trace of unbelievable anger.

"Holy Lord!" The First Elder's voice was dry, carrying suppressed fury. "The Netherworld Palace... has sent a message!"

"Oh?" The Liuli Holy Lord's gaze condensed. "They still have the face to send a message first? Are they here to explain the mission's failure, or to beg for forgiveness?"

The First Elder took a deep breath and said with difficulty, "They... they claim that this operation suffered heavy losses. A peak Quasi-Saint avatar fell, and four ace assassins were severely injured. They demand that our side... pay an additional three Saint Weapons as compensation!"

"What?!"

The aura around the Liuli Holy Lord violently exploded. The temperature in the entire hall plummeted, and a layer of frost instantly condensed on the ground! He turned around abruptly, lightning seemingly erupting in his eyes!

"What a Netherworld Palace! What massive gall!"

His voice was bone-piercingly cold, containing monstrous fury. "Failing the mission and losing personnel is their own incompetence! Now, not only do they not reflect on their own faults, but they actually dare to make false countercharges and demand compensation from my Holy Land?!"

"That trash Quasi-Saint assassin's mad ravings right before his death have already poured dirty water onto the head of my Liuli Holy Land!

Now, all parties in the Eastern Region are guessing that my Holy Land hired assassins to kill people! I haven't even settled this messy account with them yet, and they actually dare to open their mouths to ask for money first?!"

Feeling the anger that almost froze his divine soul, the First Elder braced himself and said, "The Netherworld Palace also stated... if our side refuses to pay, it will be considered a termination of the mission, and the paid remuneration will absolutely not be refunded. Furthermore..."

He paused. "Furthermore, they claim that for the immense loss of their peak Quasi-Saint assassin falling, they will 'have to' recover it through other means 'by themselves'... Their words carry quite a bit of... a threatening tone."

"Recover it by themselves? Threatening me?"

The Liuli Holy Lord laughed out of extreme anger, his laughter filled with killing intent. "Good! Very good! A bunch of rats who hide their heads and show their tails are worthy of threatening me?"

He violently flicked his sleeve and said coldly, "Tell them! Compensation is wishful thinking! As for how they want to 'recover' it... I am at the Liuli Holy Land, waiting at any time!"

"I want to see if they have the guts to come to my Holy Land to 'recover' it!"

The First Elder's heart shuddered, knowing that the Holy Lord was extremely furious. He quickly replied, "Yes! Your subordinate will go reply right now!"

"Wait!"

Just as the First Elder was about to turn around to strictly refuse, the Liuli Holy Lord's icy voice rang out again, carrying a calmness suppressed to the extreme.

I don't have a single drafted chapter left, but I've finally finished typing out the second chapter. The third chapter will be very late; everyone can come check back after 9 o'clock.