Chapter 425 - 401: Return and Harvest

Chapter 425: Chapter 401: Return and Harvest

"No!"

The Cultivators from the Heaven-defying Alliance and the powerhouses from the Beast Alliance let out terrified screams before they died, but it was utterly useless.

Not even their Nascent Souls or Demon Pills escaped. Zhang Chi, controlling Master Taixuan, collected them all with a wave of his hand.

"This..."

Qin Yushan and the other Cultivators were stunned by the sight.

They had been in a wretched state while being pursued, facing one perilous situation after another. They had already used many of their trump cards and thought more of their companions would be sacrificed. They never dreamed such a turn of events would occur.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Senior. May we be so bold as to ask for your esteemed name? We are the Direct Disciples of the three Palace Masters of the Desert Divine Palace. We will never forget this kindness. If there is a chance in the future, we will surely risk our lives to repay you."

Despite their shock, Qin Yushan and the other Cultivators didn’t just stand there dumbfounded. They quickly spoke up in unison and bowed in thanks.

Clearly, they were all very clever.

They could all tell that this person was likely a Divinity Transformation Powerhouse, but one who was not from the Heaven-defying Alliance or the Beast Alliance. Furthermore, he was very likely the owner of this Immortal Mansion; otherwise, he wouldn’t have attacked the Cultivators from those two factions.

While they were overjoyed that their enemies had been killed, they were also very nervous, afraid that this person would kill them next.

At the same time, they were also puzzled, wondering why he had killed all their enemies but spared them.

Therefore, while speculating wildly in their minds, they immediately revealed their identities, hoping to increase their own importance.

"Hehe, you juniors are quite clever. Rest assured, even if you hadn’t said anything, I would have known you were from the Desert Divine Palace. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have spared your lives."

"However, my name is not for you to know. Now, leave at once. But remember this in the future: serve the Human Race well. Don’t be like the Heaven-defying Alliance, colluding with the Beast Alliance. It is utterly shameless!"

Zhang Chi, controlling Master Taixuan, responded with a slight smile.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Hearing this, Qin Yushan and the others couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, joyfully expressing their thanks.

They also finally understood why this senior had only killed their enemies and not them.

"Senior, have you seen our other companion? He has a Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivation and wears a Desert Divine Palace disciple’s Token at his waist, just like us. Right, he looks like this..."

At this moment, Qin Yuyan mustered her courage and spoke up. The other Cultivators also looked at Master Taixuan, their faces filled with worry and anticipation.

Qin Yuyan then waved her hand and performed a bit of Magic. A screen of light immediately appeared in the air, revealing the specific appearance of "Chen Bufan."

Clearly, they were looking for Zhang Chi.

"You mean this kid?"

Master Taixuan also waved his hand, and another screen of light appeared in the air, this one showing a different scene on the periphery.

In it was a tall, upright young Cultivator in black robes—it was Zhang Chi. He was trapped in a white fog of a Restriction, trying hard to fly but actually just going in circles.

"So Third Brother was trapped by a Restriction! No wonder we couldn’t find him!"

"Yeah."

Seeing this, the Cultivators were all delighted.

"Senior, you must be the master of this Immortal Mansion. Could you rescue our companion for us?"

At this, Qin Yuyan continued, her expression quite tense.

"Fine."

Master Taixuan nodded slightly and waved his large sleeve. Zhang Chi immediately vanished from his original spot.

When he reappeared, he was already right in front of them.

"Thank you for saving me, Senior!"

Zhang Chi wore a bewildered expression, while Qin Yushan and the others were overjoyed and quickly bowed in thanks once more.

"Alright, all of you, get out. Don’t come back again, because I am leaving with this Immortal Mansion."

But Master Taixuan waved his hand impatiently. The group immediately felt themselves enveloped by a powerful yet gentle force, and then they all vanished.

When they reappeared, they were already hovering above the lake.

However, the powerhouses from the Heaven-defying Alliance and the Beast Alliance had already left, so they didn’t encounter any danger.

Zhang Chi was with the group, still wearing a look of shock and confusion.

In truth, he was undoubtedly faking it, because he had been putting on an act the entire time.

This way, Qin Yushan and the others wouldn’t suspect him, and neither would the Beast Alliance or the Heaven-defying Alliance.

Of course, he could have also chosen to stay in the Immortal Mansion for Cultivation in Seclusion and never return to the Desert Divine Palace.

But that was clearly not the best option.

For one, Qin Susu and the others were in the Desert Divine Palace.

For another, the Desert Divine Palace was a good channel for exchanging resources. It would be a real shame to give that up.

"Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, what on earth happened before? And where are Senior Brother Yu and Senior Brother Yue?"

"Who was that powerhouse just now? He couldn’t be a Divinity Transformation Powerhouse, could he? Was he the one who rescued me from the Restriction Array..."

At this, Zhang Chi immediately fired off a series of questions.

"It’s a long story. Let’s leave this place first and talk on the way."

"Right. We don’t know where the two Divinity Transformation experts and the other powerhouses from the Heaven-defying Alliance and Beast Alliance went. It would be trouble if we ran into them, so leaving is our best bet."

"Okay!"

"Here’s what happened..."

Qin Yushan and the others immediately summoned a Flying Boat, brought Zhang Chi aboard, and then worked together to power it. It turned into a streak of azure light and vanished over the horizon in an instant.

Once they were far from the lake, the group began to recount the details, each person adding a piece to the story.

It turned out that after they separated from Zhang Chi, they had gone their separate ways but soon ran into powerhouses from the Beast Alliance and the Heaven-defying Alliance and were hunted down.

Yu Zili and Yue Ting had both been killed by the powerhouses from the Heaven-defying Alliance and the Beast Alliance. Yue Ting had been killed on the spot by a vicious sneak attack from an enemy Nascent Soul while fleeing with the group.

As for Yu Zili, he hadn’t even had a chance to regroup with them before he was personally killed by the Divinity Transformation expert from the Heaven-defying Alliance.

This truth only came out unintentionally when the Heaven-defying Alliance Cultivators and Demon Beasts were hunting them; otherwise, they never would have known the real reason for Yu Zili’s death.

Hearing this, Zhang Chi couldn’t help but sigh softly. There was nothing he could have done.

After all, when those two were sacrificed, he hadn’t yet completed the Refinement of the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion and probably hadn’t even obtained the Token.

The only reason the rest of them survived was, in fact, all thanks to him.

If he hadn’t come on this Exploration, they would have all certainly been killed by the two Divinity Transformation Powerhouses in the end.

The two Divinity Transformation Powerhouses might even have killed them all first before going to explore the interior of the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion.

It was because he had killed quite a few Demon Beasts and Heaven-defying Alliance Cultivators at the beginning that the two Divinity Transformation Powerhouses had temporarily let Qin Yushan and the others go.

Next, Zhang Chi recounted his own experiences, though none of it was true.

He said that after they split up, he went to explore his assigned location. Later, when he wanted to explore other places, he was careless and got trapped in a confusing array. The next thing he knew, he was suddenly teleported in front of them.

"You were really lucky, Junior Brother!"

"True. You were trapped, but that also meant you weren’t in danger of being hunted down."

"Mhm, but we really have that senior to thank this time. Otherwise, whether it was us or you, none of us would have met a good end."

Hearing this, no one thought much of it or had any suspicions. For one, Zhang Chi’s emotional fluctuations were perfectly normal, and for another, his story was very reasonable.

Besides, they had all "personally" seen Zhang Chi trapped in the Array Restriction.

"Yeah. I wonder if the two Divinity Transformation Powerhouses from the Beast Alliance and Heaven-defying Alliance are dead. It would be for the best if that senior has already killed them!" Zhang Chi nodded and said with a straight face.

"The chances of that aren’t very high. After all, as Divinity Transformation Powerhouses, they must have powerful life-saving techniques."

"Indeed. But since that senior is the master of the Immortal Mansion, those two definitely didn’t get off easy. And the losses for the Heaven-defying Alliance and the Beast Alliance this time were clearly immense."

Everyone began to speculate. Thinking of the heavy casualties their enemies had suffered, their spirits finally lifted from the gloom of their companions’ sacrifice.

Then, they all started to take stock of their spoils.

Broadly speaking, their gains came in two parts. The first part was from the periphery of the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion.

The other part was from the powerhouses of the Heaven-defying Alliance and the Beast Alliance.

That’s right. Although they had sacrificed two people, their enemies hadn’t gotten off easy either—they had managed to kill four of them in return.

They didn’t hide any of these spoils. It wasn’t that they weren’t selfish, but that everyone had signed a Spirit Contract before entering the Immortal Mansion.

The Spirit Contract stipulated that all gains had to be pooled and then distributed according to the specific circumstances.

However, this Spirit Contract clearly had no binding effect on Zhang Chi.

Therefore, Zhang Chi only took out a small portion of what he had harvested from the Medicinal Garden on the periphery, and it didn’t even include the Erosion Yin Fruit.

No one suspected a thing. For one, this was consistent with Zhang Chi’s story. For another, they believed it was impossible for Zhang Chi to ignore the Spirit Contract.

After that, the group distributed the loot. In the end, everyone undoubtedly received a great haul and was quite satisfied.

Zhang Chi was even given some preferential treatment because of his excellent performance during the Five Elements Gates trial.

Moreover, it was because of Zhang Chi that Qin Yushan and the others had gotten the opportunity for this Exploration in the first place.

In addition, the group set aside some of the gains, as well as Yue Ting’s belongings, as compensation for their two sacrificed companions, planning to give them to their relatives and descendants after returning.

Wang Chongming also received a relatively large share.

After all, he was the one who had provided the opportunity, so everyone was willing to give him a little extra.

Even Zhang Chi had no objections.

In truth, Zhang Chi could have easily killed them all, or at least taken their spoils and Magical Treasures.

But he obviously didn’t do so. After all, they were fellow sect members, he had a good relationship with Qin Yushan and the others, and he had already gained so much this time that he didn’t mind letting them have a small share of the fortune.

In any case, while their gains were decent, they were merely a drop in the bucket compared to his.

And his gains included not only the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion but also the spoils from killing the members of the Heaven-defying Alliance and the Beast Alliance.

In addition, the gains and compensation left behind by the two Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs, as well as that black Spirit Treasure Peak, were also a major part of his haul.

BOOM!

At that moment, as the Flying Boat carrying Zhang Chi and the others continued on its way, the Supreme Profound Immortal Mansion on the other side suddenly shrank rapidly. It tore through the void, broke through the lake’s surface to descend into the Endless Desert, then bypassed their Flying Boat and flew ahead toward Bixue Green Oasis.