Chapter 483: Stood Up

Xie Ya kept her eyes shut, unwilling to open them.

Not until something hard touched her cheek did Xie Ya finally open her eyes, pushing away the boot in front of her face.

“You spared our lives, so you must want something from us.” Xie Ya rolled over and sat up, calm and composed.

Qin Ziwen looked at her with appreciation. “It’s always easier talking to smart people. One hundred Marvels per person. Hand them over, and you can go.”

“Why don’t you just rob us?” Xie Ya blurted out.

“Isn’t that what I’m doing right now?” Qin Ziwen said, amused. “Or did you think we were playing house?”

Xie Ya was speechless.

Qin Ziwen smiled. “I’ll repeat myself. One hundred Marvels per person. The first to hand them over gets to leave.”

“Would one hundred Level 1 Marvels work?” Chen Jinming scrambled up from the ground.

“Yes.”

Someone nearby asked, “Can a Level 2 Marvel count as multiple Level 1 Marvels?”

“I said one hundred Marvels. Not one more, not one less. If you can produce them, you leave.”

“But High-level Marvels and Low-level Marvels aren’t worth the same,” someone tried to argue.

“Fine. I’ll pay,” Xie Ya said.

The others turned their heads in disbelief.

‘There are people trying to get ahead even now!?’

Xie Ya got up from the ground. “However, I don’t have that many Marvels on me. They take up a lot of space; no one would carry so many around. You can understand that, right?”

Someone’s eyes darted around. “I have Marvels in my Home. Why don’t you come back with me to get them?”

“All our Marvels are in our Homes, not on us.”

The captured members of the Alliance of Realms all started clamoring.

Qin Ziwen saw right through their little scheme.

There was only one Mogu. If Mogu went with them to retrieve the Marvels, there would be no one left to watch the rest.

If Mogu didn’t go, any regular Extraordinary who rashly entered another’s Home would end up just like the person who was crushed earlier.

“All of you, follow me,” Qin Ziwen said, then turned around.

The members of the Alliance of Realms got up one by one and followed him.

They formed a long line in the dark of night.

In the crowd, some people’s eyes darted about, some secretly scanned their surroundings, and others fixed their gazes on Qin Ziwen’s back.

Qin Ziwen swaggered at the very front, his back completely exposed and unguarded.

Someone in the crowd made a move, lunging for the center of Qin Ziwen’s back with the speed of a thunderclap.

The air distorted. A fist, though thrown second, landed first, and the attacker’s head instantly exploded into fragments.

A fan-shaped spray of blood mist erupted.

“Who else is from the same Home as him? Anyone who can tell me gets a ten-Marvel discount on their ransom.”

A man with a grog-blossomed nose and yellow robes hastily raised his hand. “Sir, I know! I know! Him, him, and him. Those three are all from the same Home as him.”

“Kill them.”

“Traitor.”

Someone drew a dagger and lunged at the yellow-robed man, but the moment he moved, three clouds of blood erupted.

Mogu’s movements were so fast that by the time most people realized what was happening, the men were already dead.

The rest of the crowd was as silent as cicadas in winter.

“This will do.” Qin Ziwen stopped. In front of them was a massive building.

The building was shrouded in darkness, only its vague silhouette visible.

The main doors stood open, leading into a pitch-black, silent entrance. Only the sounds of breathing and footsteps remained.

Yan Guihen was mixed in with the crowd. He no longer cared about getting his Heart of the World back. Though it was important, as long as he was alive, there would always be other chances.

He suddenly lifted his head and sniffed the air.

He thought he could smell something strange.

Like a faint, fishy scent.

Chen Jinming secretly sidled up to Xie Ya and whispered, “Sister Ya, do you have any extra Marvels? I’ll trade you for them.”

Xie Ya glanced at Qin Ziwen, then shook her head. “No.”

Chen Jinming winced, then gritted his teeth. “I can’t scrape together a hundred Marvels from my Home. I have one Level 6 Marvel in there. If you’re willing to trade, I’ll take just twenty Level 1 Marvels for it.”

Xie Ya didn’t answer him, merely reaching out to gently stroke the large, golden beetle beside her.

“Sister Ya, Sister Ya…” “What are you two muttering about? You, you’re first.” Qin Ziwu came over and glanced at the pair.

The expression on Chen Jinming’s face was a sight to behold.

Chen Jinming was stunned. ‘Me?’

“That’s right, you.” Qin Ziwu nodded.

Standing before Qin Ziwen, Chen Jinming wore a pained expression. “Bro, big bro, really, I can’t scrape together a hundred Marvels. Even if I pry the ones embedded in my buildings, it’s not enough. I have a few High-level Marvels, can one count for multiple?”

“Why do you think I’m asking for a hundred items, regardless of Level?” Qin Ziwen asked in return.

Chen Jinming’s mouth fell open. He understood.

He wanted to cry but had no tears.

‘He’s specifically targeting me!’

‘Who did I ever offend? My Bloodbone Flowers were stolen, so I just came here to beat the war drums, bolster our numbers, and maybe recoup some of my losses.’

‘Now, not only have I not recouped anything, I’m about to get myself killed!’

“Mogu, you go with him.” As Qin Ziwen spoke, quite a few people raised their heads.

‘He seems to be the only Ascendant they’ve revealed so far.’

‘Their one and only great god of slaughter is gone, so doesn’t that mean…’

Soon, Chen Jinming opened a Node, and Mogu followed him through the Node-gate, which did not close.

With Mogu gone, the atmosphere on the field underwent a subtle change.

But for the moment, no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out.

‘This Lord of the Homeland doesn’t seem like an idiot. If he dared to let the Ascendant leave, he must have an ace up his sleeve.’

A moment later, Mogu returned to the Home through that gate.

Shortly after, the Node-gate belonging to Chen Jinming quietly closed.

Many people felt a little more at ease. The Node-gate had closed on its own, which meant Chen Jinming had closed it himself. He was still alive and hadn’t been double-crossed.

Mogu placed a large box he was carrying on the ground. Qin Ziwen opened it. The box was filled with all sorts of Marvels, mixed with some Extraordinary Fruits.

He glanced inside, then closed it.

“You’ve all seen my credibility. Who’s next?”

“Me.”

“Me!”

Everyone present eagerly volunteered.

Soon, a second Node-gate opened. Mogu followed the person into their Home. Suddenly, the open gate slammed shut.

Yan Guihen slowly rose from the ground.

“His Ascendant Recruiter can’t return now! It takes time for him to open a Node. Are you all willing to just let him extort you like this?”

Hearing Yan Guihen’s words, everyone present looked at each other in uncertainty.

A few people got to their feet one after another.

But many more chose to wait and see.

“Don’t give him the chance to open a Node,” a man in red said sharply.

“Is that all of you? No more?” Disappointment appeared on Qin Ziwen’s face.

“You’re bluffing!” the man in red raised his hand.

The next second, the building behind Qin Ziwen suddenly moved.

Like a mountain.

A massive, dark mountain, right there in the Home, rose to its feet in front of the several hundred members of the Alliance of Realms.