Chapter 694: Foggy Killing Array

“Forget it…” Chen Cheng sighed softly and carefully put away the Demon Heart.

With that sigh, he gave up on the idea of robbing Ning Hao.

After all, there was only one way to rob Ning Hao: kill him.

But killing Ning Hao was simply too risky.

Having witnessed the power of Ji Lingxiao’s Lingxiao Sword, Chen Cheng had a nagging feeling. ‘It seems I’ve underestimated the power of the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword’s self-destruction.’

Even while suppressed by the grotto-heaven’s Array, the Lingxiao Sword could still unleash a Realm Power of nine thousand.

The Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword was a tier lower than the Lingxiao Sword, but it was a Spiritual Artifact nonetheless. If its Artifact Spirit were to self-destruct, it could at the very least unleash a Realm Power of over ten thousand.

If truly backed into a corner and forced to take his opponent down with him, the power of Ning Hao’s desperate final move would still be absurdly strong.

Ji Lingxiao, wielding the Lingxiao Sword, had absolutely no sense of martial honor!

Ning Hao, carrying around the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword, was just as much of a scoundrel!

Besides, Ning Hao had joined the Dali Alliance, putting him on the same side as the members of the Great Dao Sect. They were partners, and he would definitely be expected to contribute during the upcoming struggle for the Central Palace Array Hub.

If Chen Cheng killed him for his loot, he would inadvertently be weakening the Dali Alliance and reducing their chances of capturing the Central Palace Array Hub.

Moreover, Chen Cheng wasn’t currently operating under his alias, Xiu Chen. To ambush and kill an unsuspecting Ning Hao would be a deliberate strike against the unaware. By any reasonable measure, such an act was rather despicable!

‘How small-minded would that be!’

Chen Cheng would be the first to admit he was no saint, but he lived by his own principles. He could never bring himself to backstab an ally like a common rat.

Therefore, even though Ning Hao was a fine ‘fat sheep’ and killing him wouldn’t cause any psychological burden, Chen Cheng was still unwilling to make a move.

Little did Ning Hao know that he’d just had one foot in the grave, only to be pulled back by that very sigh from Chen Cheng!

He had clearly misunderstood. He thought Chen Cheng had sighed because he felt the distribution of spoils was unfair.

After all, the horn of the Sky-Splitting One-Horned Thunder Rhinoceros was a superior material for refining Thunder Attribute Spiritual Artifacts and was slightly more precious than its Demon Heart.

Ning Hao was in desperate need of this horn. He wouldn’t have been at a loss even if he had to trade two Demon Hearts for it. With this distribution, he had truly gotten a huge bargain.

“COUGH COUGH…” Ning Hao let out a light cough to hide his awkwardness and said with a smile,

“Brother Chen, we worked together to kill this Sky-Splitting One-Horned Thunder Rhinoceros, and I admit I’m getting a slight advantage by taking its horn. But don’t worry, Brother Chen. There are many more Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beasts in the region around the Central Palace Array Hub. With your help, the two of us will be able to kill many more of them. I’ll make sure you get the largest share of the materials from our next kill.”

The man was so sincere that Chen Cheng found it even harder to justify robbing him. He gave a slight nod and said casually, “Fine.”

“I knew you were a straightforward man, Brother Chen!” Ning Hao laughed, drawing his Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword to cut off the Sky-Splitting One-Horned Thunder Rhinoceros’s horn.

He struck up a warm conversation with Chen Cheng as he worked.

“You may not know this, Brother Chen, but there’s a massive lake beneath the peak where the Central Palace Array Hub is located. The area around the lake is shrouded in fog and filled with Killing Arrays. Only those who control the Array Flag Jade Stones can perceive the Killing Arrays’ existence… The Demon Beasts in that lake are incredibly powerful, especially the Green Water Evil Flood Dragon. Even when all of us from the Dali Alliance worked together to deploy the Eight Desolates Returning to the Source Array, we couldn’t do a thing to it! That Evil Flood Dragon might have already formed a Demon Core…”

Chen Cheng listened quietly, occasionally adding a word or two.

Seeing his casual and detached demeanor, Ning Hao took an immediate liking to him and became even more loquacious.

“Brother Chen, now I finally understand why Brother Ke has always been so concerned about you. To be honest, I really admire your easygoing nature… Over the past few days, the various alliances have scouted the territories of both the southern and northern main peaks, which are connected to the ley lines. But no one has dared to split up near the Central Palace Array Hub because of that incredibly powerful Green Water Evil Flood Dragon, so many areas there remain unexplored. Brother Chen, with your True Dragon Lineage Realm and superior Body Technique speed, you could escape unscathed even if we encountered the Green Water Evil Flood Dragon. If we team up, we can explore all the areas outside the Killing Array on our own. We can use the same strategy as before: you draw the Demon Beast’s attention, Brother Chen, and I’ll find an opportunity to kill it from the shadows. We’ll definitely reap the biggest rewards that way…”

As he listened, Chen Cheng found himself frowning.

‘It sounds like Ning Hao is treating me like hired muscle,’ he thought. ‘Worse, like cannon fodder who charges headfirst into danger.’

‘Meanwhile, he gets to lie in wait and become a professional Demon Beast harvester!’

Noticing Chen Cheng’s apparent displeasure, Ning Hao quickly explained,

“Don’t get me wrong, Brother Chen! I wouldn’t put you in danger. This arrangement is only because my Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword is incredibly sharp and can easily break through a Demon Beast’s defenses. We’ll split whatever we get equally, of course.”

Chen Cheng was used to taking all the spoils for himself. Why would he ever agree to partner up? He put on an indifferent expression and said, “Fine!”

Ning Hao was overjoyed. “Does that mean you agree, Brother Chen?”

Chen Cheng shook his head, his expression turning serious. “There’s strength in numbers. I think it’s much safer for us to stick together with Senior Brother Ke and the others!”

Just as he finished speaking, a thunderous rumbling suddenly erupted from the mountain forest not far away.

Ke Dali came crashing through in his Mountain-Suppressing Xuanwu Armor, smashing through rocks and trees as he rushed over in a flurry.

Overjoyed to see that Chen Cheng was safe and sound, he recalled the Mountain-Suppressing Xuanwu Armor and strode over!

Laughing heartily, he opened his arms wide, about to give Chen Cheng a huge hug.

“HAHAHA… Junior Brother Chen, you finally showed up! It’s great to see you’re safe and sound!”

Chen Cheng had no desire to be hugged by that mountain of a man, so with a quick flash of movement, he dodged aside.