Chapter 3549: A Blade Between Fingers

Yue Susu gave a bitter smile that epitomized her misery. Yi Shang was right. She had thought that all of her sacrifices were helping the Sima Chamber of Commerce to achieve its goal, but she herself had gotten lost in the process. She had managed to plot against everyone, including even a former Seraph, but she had overlooked one person: Yue Ting.

The man had already disconnected from the call. He had already made it clear that he would have nothing to do with whatever happened next. Whether or not Yue Susu apologized to Yi Shang or even whether she survived were no longer Yue Ting’s concern. All he knew was that, going forward, the Sima Chamber of Commerce would monopolize all the materials for constructing sequence bases. The Daquan Domain’s Chamber of Commerce would stop trying to compete in that sector, which would clear the board for the Sima Chamber of Commerce.

A daughter? If he wanted, he could have many more. She was far from unique.

There was a loud bang as Shan Xian crushed the spirit cloudstone. “That beast!”

Zhan Ming coldly said, “Enough, Shan Xian. Return to the Gate of Laws. This matter no longer concerns you.”

He then turned to Yi Shang. “Although this current selection has been disrupted, I hope to see the Hundred Leaf Trade Association be chosen as one of the official trade associations. There’s no need for them to participate in another selection.”

Yi Shang glanced over at Lu Yin and his group, who were all in a corner. “Naturally.”

Zhan Ming looked over and smiled at Lu Yin. “Are you satisfied, Third Boss?”

Behind Lu Yin, Ye Laogui felt very odd. While the selection had been ruined, it did not affect them at all. This was the strength of the Grandverse Manor.

As for Yue Susu, Ye Laogui quite admired the girl. She was only a Spirit Warrior, yet he, a sequence powerhouse, could never replicate her accomplishments.

The woman’s courage and bearing were quite remarkable.

Such a pity

.

Ye Yan’er also felt sympathetic, and she looked at Yue Susu with pity.

Lu Yin met Zhan Ming’s gaze. “This is fine. I don’t mind.”

Zhan Ming nodded.

“Shan Xian, are you still not leaving?”

Shan Xian kept a tight hold of Yue Susu. “Child, your master will take you away.”

Yue Susu immediately clutched Shan Xian’s arm as she wiped away her tears. “Master, you go.”

Shan Xian urged her in a whisper, “Hurry and come with me! Your master will take you away from here.”

"Master, we can't escape. You should go alone. I have a way to get out of this," Yue Susu whispered back.

Shan Xian felt quite confused. "How?"

Yue Susu looked over at Yi Shang. "Senior Yi said it quite well. I am insignificant, no more than a rabbit surrounded by a pack of wolves."

Yi Shang’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Yue Susu, but the woman showed no fear. "Don't forget, the greatest advantage of rabbits is their numbers. If I can't leave, my message will instantly spread across the entire Spirit Nidus."

"Miss, all of your people have been arrested." The person who had handed Yue Susu the spirit cloudstone suddenly spoke up.

Yue Susu’s heart dropped, and she looked over. "What did you just say?"

The person stared back at Yue Susu with cold eyes. "Your people have been under control for a long time now..."

Yue Susu’s heart was aching.

Father! Again, it's you!

No one but Yue Ting had known about Yue Susu’s subordinates.

Father, how could you be so ruthless?

Shan Xian killed the person with a slap as he also grabbed hold of Yue Susu. "Let’s go!"

Zhan Ming's eyes bulged. "Shan Xian, you are seeking death!"

A dark-yellow pattern surrounded Shan Xian’s body, enveloping and protecting Yue Susu as well. As soon as the pattern appeared, Zhan Ming struck it with a palm, producing a deafening bang.

Ripples spread across Biyu City, and countless people vomited blood as they passed out. All of the nearby buildings shattered.

Shan Xian protected Yue Susu and held her tightly. His dark-yellow pattern started to crack apart, but the old man ignored that entirely. He embraced Yue Susu and shot into the sky. "She's just a child! Why must all of you push her so mercilessly?"

Zhan Ming's eyes were ice cold. A small throwing knife the size of his palm appeared in front of him before shooting at Shan Xian.

The old man pressed one hand down, causing his dark-yellow pattern to hit the knife with another loud bang. Cracks spiderwebbed across the pattern from the point of impact.

"Master, above you!"

Shan Xian looked up, only to see that Yi Shang was already there, his golden pen pointed out. Then, the pen fell.

Shan Xian’s face turned pale. He was only barely strong enough to hold back one Seraph, and he had never expected to survive the encounter. However, he was actually being targeted by two Seraphs. How many people throughout the entire history of the Spirit Nidus had ever faced two Seraphs at the same time without being crushed? Only the invincible High Seraph and the Primal Beastland’s Emperor Wu had ever accomplished such a feat.

The golden pen touched the dark-yellow pattern, instantly transforming the pattern into a golden color.

Shan Xian separated from his pattern. He kept a hold on Yue Susu as they fell back into Biyu City.

Yi Shang gave a snort of contempt. He was not going to kill Yue Susu out of revenge, but rather because the woman knew too much.

Yue Ting had already killed the woman’s people, which had eliminated any future troubles. This was also Yue Ting’s demonstration of his own sincerity in the matter. Yi Sheng would deal with the other potential threat himself.

When Shan Xian landed on the ground, he coughed up blood. Yue Susu’s eyes were already bloodshot. "Master, go! Stop worrying about me!"

Shan Xian waved her concerns away. "Your master is already about out of time, but I will risk what life I have left to take you away."

As he spoke, a dark-yellow light left his body, and sequence particles enveloped him before shooting upwards. "Out of my way!"

Yi Shang frowned. "Old friend, since you have chosen death, allow me to send you on your way."

With that, the golden pen dropped down once more, creating a streak of golden light that fell from the sky.

Lu Yin watched everything from within the ruins of the building that had been destroyed in the earlier exchange.

Old Tao sighed. Regardless of Shan Xian’s strength, he could not avoid the inevitable. His defenses might be strong enough to resist a Seraph’s attacks, but only to a point. On top of that, his lifespan had nearly run out, and after already blocking two of Zhan Ming’s attacks, Shan Xian would truly die if he attempted anything further.

The entire scenario was too tragic. For Yue Susu, death might even be some sort of relief.

At this moment, Lu Yin’s hand was grabbed. Qing Yun had snatched it.

She stared at him with brightly flushed eyes.

Lu Yin glanced at the woman. "You pity them?"

"Please," Qing Yun begged softly.

Up above, the pen’s golden light broke through the sequence particles. Shan Xian’s eyes flared as his dark-yellow light condensed to form a barrier in the air that was no bigger than a palm. Its only purpose was to stop the golden streak.

Yi Shang stared at the familiar power. This power had once saved him. He had never thought that he would one day be forced to break it.

Shan Xian's defenses were truly formidable, and not even Yi Shang could easily break through the old man’s barriers.

Shan Xian tore through the void, intending to toss Yue Susu away.

He failed to notice the knife that had been thrown at him through the void. It appeared right in front of the old man, but by the time he saw it, the blade was mere inches away.

At that moment, time seemed to stop.

Shan Xian stared at the knife thrown at him. Death was so, so close. He had long since known that he was approaching his end, and he had already seen through life and death. Why then, when the knife was so close, did he still feel fear? Had he still not come to terms with his own demise?

Yue Susu also stared at the knife. Its icy glint seemed to split her skin, giving her the impression of being imprisoned by blades. There was no escape. Death was reaching out for her. It was just about to snatch her.

It was just an instant, yet it felt both short and eternal.

The two people saw the knife and felt death’s touch, but then they also saw two fingers suddenly appear, and they stopped the blade in mid-air.

No matter how sharp the blade might be, it was unable to advance another inch.

A blast of wind swept past Yue Susu's face, lifting her long hair. The wind howled as it spread away, sweeping over Yi Shang, Zhan Ming, and all of Biyu City.

Yi Shang's eyes narrowed as he looked down. In the end, that man had still intervened, the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss.

Zhan Ming looked over at his knife that was unable to move at all. This man’s strength was so absurd that one could only gain some idea of it by experiencing it firsthand. It truly felt invincible.

Qing Yun sighed with relief, as did Ye Laogui, Ye Yan’er, and even Old Tao, despite all that he had experienced throughout his life. If possible, none of them wished to see such a tragic scene play out.

Lu Yin stepped out from the void and retracted his hand. He examined the throwing knife. "A technique meant to shatter the heart and rupture the veins—an impressive blade."

He then looked over at Zhan Ming’s distant form and casually flung the knife back. "Here, take it back."

Zhan Ming's eyes focused intensely as he raised a hand to catch the knife. The hilt trembled in his grip, the force spreading out from the blade. Beneath his clothes and unseen, his entire arm was torn open. The force of Lu Yin’s throw had taken advantage of the knife’s sharpness. A warning had been given.

Zhan Ming quickly healed his arm and stored the knife away.

Everything appeared to be calm.

The atmosphere between the people present was peaceful enough that an outsider would not be able to tell that there had just been a conflict.

As for Zhan Ming, his wariness of Lu Yin rose yet again. The Seraph was not sure he could handle the young man, as he was impossible to get a clear read on.

"What do you mean by this, Third Boss? Are you involving yourself in this matter?"

Yi Shang dropped to the ground. Zhan Ming was on Lu Yin’s left, and Yi Shang was on his right, which meant that Lu Yin was surrounded.

He looked at Zhan Ming, and then at Yi Shang, smiling at both men. "Gentlemen, your current positioning could easily cause a misunderstanding. You look like the two of you are trying to flank me and attack."

A cold wind howled through the city, carrying dust with it.

The city was silent, as most people had lost consciousness after failing to withstand the shockwave of Zhan Ming’s earlier attacks on Shan Xian. Only a few remained conscious.

However, as soon as they saw the three men, those few conscious people immediately fled. Even if they did not recognize Zhan Ming and were unable to see Lu Yin's face, it was clear that even the shockwaves of this next battle would be more than what they could handle.

Shan Xian let out a long breath, feeling death’s fingers slip by.

Is this the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss?

Lu Yin’s back was to Shan Xian, and yet the old man could feel that the young man before him would not be moved by anything. It was clear that Lu Yin’s defences surpassed Shan Xian’s. The old man’s instincts could not be wrong. This person undoubtedly was a highly skilled fighter who had killed many.

Yue Susu stared at Lu Yin’s back in a daze. Why was he helping her?

Lu Yin's comment caused Yi Shang and Zhan Ming to exchange glances before they reflexively shifted their positions so that they were both standing in front of Lu Yin. "Third Boss, don’t misunderstand things. That absolutely was not our intention."

While they would both readily eliminate Lu Yin if at all possible, neither of the two men were confident about their chances.

During the battle at the Umbral Deep, so many experts had ganged up on Lu Yin, yet they had still failed to defeat him. On top of that, just a short while later, he had gone to the Roaming South Realm and defeated Yi Nan. Against such unfathomable strength, let alone the two of them, even if two more Seraphs were present, the two most likely would not be willing to risk trying to eliminate Lu Yin.

He smiled at the two men. "What a shame."

Some distance away, Rong Xiang and a few others exchanged glances. A shame? There was no making sense of this man’s thoughts.

Rong Hua warily eyed Lu Yin.

He’s here!

Rong Hua then looked over at where Qing Yun was standing.

How can such a detestable person still be alive?

Zhan Ming asked, "Why help them, Third Boss? You have no connection to this matter."

Lu Yin casually replied, "The murders in the Hundred Grasses Domain still haven’t been solved, so why are you so eagerly attacking these two? Are you trying to keep the truth from me?"

Yi Shang spoke up, "We’ve conducted our own investigation and have determined that the Sima Chamber of Commerce had nothing to do with Yue Cheng’s death."

"Are you sure of that?" Lu Yin challenged.

Yi Shang nodded. "My Chamber of Commerce has long been competing against the Sima Chamber of Commerce in the market of sequence base construction materials. Of course we are constantly keeping an eye on them. Truthfully, even we don't know who took Yue Cheng to Hundred Grasses Domain, as he was incapable of going there on his own. Someone had to have taken him there."

Lu Yin looked over at Yi Shang. "So, you were aware of all of that, and yet you never informed my Grandverse Manor?"

Yi Shang briefly froze.

What an unreasonable accusation!