CHAPTER 577: SOLD FOR 577!

"Miss Shen Xingmou, how can you be so certain that the Blood Moon Jade is definitely on me?"

Yun Xiao spread his hands and spoke the words that caused a flicker of dangerous light in Shen Xingmou’s eyes, yet she had to admit that what he had said made a lot of sense.

"Speaking of which, when I first encountered Miss Shen Xingmou, the Blood Moon Jade was indeed on me. But since you know that your target is the Blood Moon Jade, do you think I would still carry it on me?"

Sure enough, Yun Xiao clenched his right hand, speaking eloquently, causing Shen Xingmou’s countenance to grow increasingly unpleasant. In the next moment, she reached out and snatched Yun Xiao’s Waist Storage.

"Indeed it’s not here!"

After inspecting Yun Xiao’s Waist Storage, Shen Xingmou couldn’t help but feel extremely disappointed. Inside, it was filled with only low-rank items, not a single decent treasure, let alone the Blood Moon Jade.

It is worth mentioning that while Yun Xiao was slightly worried, Shen Xingmou actually threw the Waist Storage back to him, which he found rather peculiar.

After all, within Yun Xiao’s Waist Storage, there was a Dragon Summoning Tree; coming from the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, he could recognize it, so how could Shen Xingmou, coming from the even higher Plane of Li Yuan Realm, not recognize it?

In fact, Shen Xingmou’s mind was entirely focused on the Blood Moon Jade. How could she possibly take an interest in these Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures of the Hidden Dragon Continent?

Moreover, the Dragon Summoning Tree has currently undergone some special changes, something that even Yun Xiao himself has not discovered. Right now, he obviously did not have the spare attention to think about these things.

"Hand over the Blood Moon Jade, and I may consider giving you a swift end!"

Shen Xingmou’s face was grim, and the words she uttered also contained a hint of threat, the repeated mission failures making her somewhat irritable.

Although she hadn’t interacted much with Yun Xiao, Shen Xingmou was well aware of this youngster’s temperament. If she were to force him, chances are she wouldn’t be able to get what she wanted.

"Miss Shen Xingmou, I have a condition. If you can fulfill it, then I’ll willingly hand over the Blood Moon Jade to you. How about that?"

Yun Xiao did not pay any heed to Shen Xingmou’s threat, instead, he smoothly continued speaking with a turn of his eyes. However, his words made Shen Xingmou frown even deeper.

"If you’re thinking about sparing your life, I advise you to stop dreaming right now!"

Shen Xingmou thought she had already guessed Yun Xiao’s intentions. On this continent, what could possibly be more important than one’s own life?

"No, no, no, Miss Shen Xingmou, you are mistaken!"

Just as Shen Xingmou finished speaking, Yun Xiao immediately started waving his hands and then pointed around in a circle, saying, "As long as Miss Shen Xingmou is willing to kill all these invaders of the Jade Pot Sect, then whether it be the Blood Moon Jade or me, Yun Xiao, I am all yours!"

Towards the end, Yun Xiao’s tone even carried a hint of banter, causing Shen Xingmou’s expression to abruptly darken. As the esteemed daughter of the Star-picking Tower, who had ever dared to speak to her in such a manner?

Yun Xiao’s words were hardly concealed, and as soon as they were uttered, Li Feng, Guan Yu, and the others all had drastic changes in their expressions. It seemed as if something was slipping out of their control.

Although they did not know what this so-called Blood Moon Jade was, it was obvious to any discerning eye how important it was to Shen Xingmou. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come from the Li Yuan Realm to the lowest-ranked Hidden Dragon Continent.

Now that Yun Xiao had a firm grip on this crucial bargaining chip, Yan Chun and the others really couldn’t be sure if Shen Xingmou would agree. If it came to the worst moment, it’s likely that none of those who had come to attack the Jade Pot Sect today would leave with their lives.

After all, she is a Heavenly Rank Expert, and with just a word, she can deeply injure Yan Chun, who is at the Peak of the Spirit Vein Realm. Killing them all would probably only take a flick of her finger, wouldn’t it?

"Fellow disciple Yun Xiao..."

On the other hand, the disciples of the Jade Pot Sect had moist eyes. Although Yun Xiao spoke lightly, he was exchanging his life for the future of the Jade Pot Sect.

At this moment, whether it was the disciples of the Medical Pulse who had always admired Yun Xiao or those talented individuals of the Poison Vein who had not betrayed, they all developed tremendous respect for Yun Xiao. How many could do so much for the Jade Pot Sect?

Including the Sect Master Yu Shu and several Great Elders of the Jade Pot Sect, who had already lost hope, they didn’t expect that with a few words from Yun Xiao, there suddenly appeared a sliver of chance for the Jade Pot Sect’s revival.

And this opportunity was originally one that might have allowed Yun Xiao to escape with his life. Even though Shen Xingmou had just said that Yun Xiao’s wish to save his own life was a dream, they could all hear that her words were not too firm.

It goes without saying that if Yun Xiao truly used that so-called Blood Moon Jade to trade for his life, the likelihood of success would not have been small.

Yet this young man did not hesitate the slightest, immediately abandoning any notions of self-preservation, instead using the only opportunity to secure the stability of the Jade Pot Sect.

"How about it, Miss Shen Xingmou, with your strength, this condition isn’t too difficult, right? And I have to tell you, aside from me, even if you turn the Hidden Dragon Continent upside down, you won’t be able to find the trace of the Blood Moon Jade!"

When Yun Xiao spoke these words, he did so with a hint of confidence, then he clenched his slightly warm palm again, the Blood Moon Jade that had turned into a blood-red mark indeed could not be found by anyone.

Yun Xiao had considered using the Blood Moon Jade to exchange for his life, but to let go of the Jade Pot Sect and do nothing was also impossible — this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.

Since Shen Xingmou was solely focused on the Blood Moon Jade, on the journey to find it, there could also emerge countless opportunities. By leveraging this Heavenly Rank Third Realm expert, he could eradicate the enemies of the Jade Pot Sect all at once, an effort that would reap permanent rewards.

"I cannot agree to your terms!"

However, just when Yun Xiao was quite certain Shen Xingmou would agree, the girl in black shook her head, causing his heart to sink involuntarily.

Upon hearing Shen Xingmou’s refusal, Yan Chun and Li Feng all breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, their backs were soaked with sweat, afraid that the word "yes" would come out from beneath the black veil of the woman in black.

For some reason, the cultivators of the Jade Pot Sect felt a twinge of disappointment mixed with joy upon hearing Shen Xingmou’s rejection.

After all, using one’s own life to deny Yun Xiao any chance of survival would cause anyone with the slightest conscience to feel guilty, including Xue Gong who had always looked upon Yun Xiao with disdain.

"However..."

Shen Xingmou disregarded the expressions of the onlookers, and right after her refusal, she changed her tone, which made Li Feng, Guan Yu, and others draw a sharp breath once again.

"The most I can do is to make them all retreat and stop attacking the Jade Pot Sect!"

Without pausing, Shen Xingmou stated her plan and added, "Moreover, I can assure you that for one month, no one will dare to touch the Jade Pot Sect!"

This was the limit of what Shen Xingmou could promise. Even as a Heavenly Rank Third Realm expert, she couldn’t recklessly slaughter on the Hidden Dragon Continent.

Killing a few insignificant underlings was acceptable; after all, with the backing of the Star-picking Tower and her powerful background, other forces from the Li Yuan Realm usually turned a blind eye.

Yet, if Shen Xingmou agreed to Yun Xiao’s previous terms, which was to eradicate all the Family Heads and Elders of the three great families of the Xuanyue Empire, along with the experts of one of the three great sects, the Qingshan Sect, even the Star-picking Tower would be unable to cover for her.

Moreover, Shen Xingmou was not a bloodthirsty person. Killing one or two was one thing, but a massacre was not in her character; Yun Xiao’s earlier conditions were unreasonably demanding.

"Fine, it’s a deal!"

Yet, just when Shen Xingmou was pondering whether Yun Xiao would compromise, the youth agreed without a moment’s hesitation, catching her off guard.

But a quick glance at the fleeting smugness in Yun Xiao’s eyes left Shen Xingmou in a mixture of laughter and tears. How could she not realize that she had been played by this young man?

Obviously, what Yun Xiao had initially said was not his true intention, merely the best possible condition. It was the classic tactic of asking for the sky to return it to the ground — he had clearly left room for Shen Xingmou to bargain.

Indeed, this was the case. After a deep conversation with Yun Wei that night, Yun Xiao had gained some understanding of the Li Yuan Realm, a plane even higher than the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.

Even the experts of the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud couldn’t easily descend to the Lower Realm to kill the low-level practitioners of the Middle Three Realms and the Lower Five Realms. Not to mention the Li Yuan Realm, as the plane that sets the rules, it was even less likely to tolerate such recklessness.

The ultimate goal of Yun Xiao was to ensure that the Jade Pot Sect would not be annihilated today. As for Shen Xingmou’s guarantee of "not letting anyone lay a finger on the Jade Pot Sect for one month," it was an unexpected bonus.

This time the Jade Pot Sect was unprepared and suddenly attacked due to the betrayal of Fu Du and others from the Poison Vein branch. Had they known beforehand about the enemies’ assault, they would not have ended up in such a plight.

After all, aside from the Luoyi Sect, the Jade Pot Sect had many allies. As a Meridian Refining Master’s sect, the time had come to return the favors accumulated over the years.

"I hope you won’t go back on your word!"

Even though she felt somewhat exasperated at being tricked by Yun Xiao, Shen Xingmou didn’t dwell on these minor issues. After speaking softly, she turned her head, her aura suddenly turning colder.

"All of you, get off Jade Pot Mountain now! If I see any of you within a month, don’t blame me for being merciless!"

The cold command issued from beneath Shen Xingmou’s black veil resonated within and beyond the Jade Pot Sect, carrying a formidable momentum that made one’s eardrums tingled.

The various family and sect experts who had come to attack, upon hearing Shen Xingmou’s command, all had extremely unpleasant expressions — for they knew that this time, their plan had ultimately failed.