Still Want to Threaten Me

“Looks like this is the true ruin. I never expected that you would be the one to bring us in.”

Dorothea walked toward Xu Mu.

“Just luck. I happen to know a little about formations.”

Xu Mu shrugged indifferently.

“Luck is a kind of strength, too.”

With that, Dorothea turned to Rael beside her. “Stand guard here. No one is allowed to leave.”

Rael nodded lightly.

When Li Hongdou heard this, her face gradually paled. “What do you mean? If it weren’t for us, you wouldn’t have found this place at all. Are you saying you intend to stop us, too?”

“Granny, this is reality. You don’t actually think we’re playing house, do you? Without Xu Mu, we could still have won with Rael’s strength.”

Dorothea clearly didn’t take Li Hongdou seriously.

After all, that old woman was only at the second stage of the Realm-Breaking level, while Dorothea herself had only advanced to the second stage a few days ago.

“That’s right. Besides, all the treasures here belong to the Inner Realm. You people are from the Outer Realm. The fact that we’re even allowing you to take anything is already generous enough.”

Rael chimed in as well. “Don’t worry. We’re not bandits. We only want the high-grade items. We won’t take everything from you.”

“Xu Mu, don’t worry. We’ve already reached an agreement. We won’t inspect your spatial ring. Any treasures you find will belong to you.”

Tian Yunchu added, “Of course, that only applies to treasures you find yourself. If you’re carrying someone else’s items, they won’t count.”

“As expected of the Four Great Races.”

Xu Mu sighed. Whenever something like this happened, they would band together and divide up the treasures others had found.

Although the four factions fought fiercely among themselves in private, they were far more united than the other races.

“Xu Mu, we won’t take your things, but I still have to inspect your spatial ring.”

Dorothea grinned. “You should consider yourself lucky. You’re worth a Heaven-grade cultivation technique, yet we have no intention of handing you over to the Black Moon Clan.”

“Heh, how interesting. Should I be bowing down and thanking you for your mercy?”

Xu Mu sneered.

“Of course. You relied on a spiritual technique to launch a sneak attack. Surely you don’t really think you’re stronger than Rael?”

Dorothea glanced at Xia Jiang beside her. “What’s more, we have a sixth-stage expert from the Celestial Clan here. If we really attacked you, do you think the second-stage person beside you could get you away safely?”

“That isn’t the main point.”

Rael looked at Xu Mu and said coolly, “You’re currently wanted by both the Black Moon Clan and the Nine Nether Clan. If you dare defy us, the Radiant Clan and the Celestial Clan will hunt you as well. By then, there will be nowhere for you to hide in the Inner Realm.”

Rael was practically hoping Xu Mu would defy them.

That way, he could restore his pride after Xu Mu had humiliated him with that spiritual technique.

If he didn’t get even, what would the others think of him in the future?

Li Hongdou gently patted Xu Mu on the back. “Xu Mu…”

“It’s fine.”

Xu Mu flashed a brilliant smile. “Since they’ve put it that way, I’d better go look for treasures first.”

With that, he ran toward the foot of the mountain.

Dorothea had truly narrowed her own path. She actually wanted to take his treasures.

She claimed that she wouldn’t rob him, yet she still wanted to inspect his spatial ring. If there really was something inside that she wanted, she would surely show her true colors.

Xu Mu hadn’t originally intended to cause trouble for her, but she had taken the initiative to provoke him. Wasn’t that just asking to die?

When Li Hongdou saw Xu Mu leave, she followed him.

The two of them continued all the way to the foot of the mountain before Li Hongdou finally spoke. “Xu Mu, if you aren’t confident that you can kill them, we’ll have to swallow this insult for now.”

“This doesn’t sound like the Li Hongdou I knew before.”

Xu Mu looked at her with a smile.

“Then was then, and now is now. We have geniuses from the five major sects here. If we can’t kill them, then even if you and I manage to escape, the others may die.”

Li Hongdou grabbed Xu Mu firmly by the shoulder. “When you need to endure, you must endure. We have no other choice.”

“Are your injuries serious, Senior?”

Xu Mu changed the subject. He didn’t take those few people seriously at all.

Besides, if he wanted to deal with them, he might not even need to fight.

He still had that chicken-dinner video saved.

Li Hongdou glanced at the front of her clothes, which had been stained red with blood, and gently shook her head. “The wound isn’t deep. It’s nothing serious.”

“Then let me treat it for you.”

Xu Mu smiled and raised his hand. “It wouldn’t be good if it left a scar.”

“No need. I’m an old woman already. Who would care about scars?”

Li Hongdou immediately took two steps back and covered her chest with a laugh.

“Heh. Then I’ll give Senior a healing pill.”

Xu Mu merely chuckled and didn’t expose her. One shouldn’t embarrass someone by pointing out the obvious—perhaps she had her own difficulties.

“Thank you.”

Li Hongdou naturally knew how powerful the healing pills Xu Mu possessed were.

After taking the pill, she swallowed it in one gulp. Its potent medicinal effect immediately flowed toward the wound, and the painful skin gradually returned to normal.

[ Favorability +10 ]

By the time Xu Mu began searching for treasures, some people were already preparing to leave.

Clearly, their demands were not high. As long as they found a few treasures, they intended to withdraw.

Even so, Rael stopped them at the cave entrance.

Xu Mu paid little attention to it and continued picking up the rings scattered around.

Whenever he found a ring, he would give it a casual glance before tossing it into his storage space.

“Brother Mu, I found something good!”

Suddenly, Chen Xuan’s voice came through Xu Mu’s ears.

Xu Mu immediately hurried over. When he arrived, he found that Chen Xuan had picked up a hand bone. Judging from the cut surface at the wrist, it had apparently been severed from someone’s arm.

The hand bone was clenched into a fist with tremendous force. The flesh had long since vanished, leaving only the bones exposed, and the object inside was clearly visible.

It was a Boundary Flame.

The flame burning within it was especially fierce.

“Isn’t this just a Boundary Flame?”

Xu Mu walked over, removed the Boundary Flame from the bone, and examined it in his hand.

“I think it has to be a treasure. Look at this corpse. The hand bone clearly belongs to it, but the hand was hidden underground while the rest of the body is still lying above.”

Chen Xuan explained.

“The body is still up there?”

Xu Mu rubbed his chin. “Was it hidden to keep anyone from finding it?”

“Most likely.”

Chen Xuan nodded.

“Forget it. We’ll put it away for now.”

Xu Mu placed the Boundary Flame into his storage space. “Did you find any other treasures?”

“Some natural treasures, spirit stones, and an Earth-grade cultivation technique.”

Chen Xuan said with a smile.

“Not bad.”

Xu Mu looked around at the others. Most of them had already returned, and nearly every corpse in the area had been searched.

However, most of them were being held up at the cave entrance.

Xu Mu returned with Chen Xuan and discovered that Li Hongdou and the others were all standing there.

“We already made ourselves perfectly clear. Every spatial ring you’re carrying must be inspected by us. As for the spirit stones and natural treasures, we and the Celestial Clan will each take forty percent, while you two will get twenty percent.”

Rael said to everyone, “We only want the cultivation techniques of Earth rank and above. You can keep the rest.”

“Why should we?” Shi Yao asked, his fists clenched.

“Because we’re stronger than you! Because even if we kill you, the treasures will still be ours!” Rael said coldly.

Jiang Cisui, Yun Yao, and the others had never been treated this way before, but they also knew that they stood no chance against the seventh-level experts before them.

Some of the mixed-bloods around them had already begun handing over their spatial rings. For those who had lived in the Inner Realm for years, this sort of thing was all too common.

As long as they kept some treasures for themselves, their trip would not have been in vain.

“Brother Xu Mu, are you willing to hand yours over as well?” Jiang Cisui asked Xu Mu with a smile. “I’ll follow your lead. If you don’t hand yours over, neither will I.”