?28: Chapter 28: Phoenix Spirit Flower 28: Chapter 28: Phoenix Spirit Flower “Indeed there’s something fishy, I’d like to see what this Peng Shi is up to.”

    Long Yan continued to drink without reacting, since the poison in the alcohol could be completely ignored by him.

    Soon, over a hundred men had drained several jars of wine, still unsatisfied.

    They rarely had a chance to drink such good wine.

    Ghost Tiger drank quite a lot as well.

    “Hahaha...”

    At that moment, Peng Shi laughed aloud and shouted towards the depths of the canyon: “Tiger Slayer, it’s your turn to appear.”

    “Tiger Slayer?”

    Ghost Tiger’s face changed, muttering under his breath; he immediately rebuked Peng Shi.

    “Peng Shi, what are you doing?”

    The Sky Tiger Bandit Gang is the biggest bandit group in the Sky Tiger Mountain Range, with Tiger Slayer as its leader, a formidable Earth Martial Level Six expert.

    Among his men, there are over a dozen Earth Martial Realm beings, it is a force to be reckoned with.

    “What am I doing?”

    Peng Shi looked at Ghost Tiger with amusement: “Even at this step, you still don’t get it?”

    “Peng Shi, I treated you well, why betray me?”

    Qin Wuque’s face darkened, looking coldly at Peng Shi, expressing deep resentment.

    “Your Highness the Crown Prince, I’m sorry, Peng Shi has always been on His Highness Wudi’s side.”

    Peng Shi proudly said, and his eyes became reverent as he mentioned His Highness Wudi.

    “So it’s the Crown Prince of the Tianwu Dynasty, no wonder he has Ghost Tiger as his ace.”

    Long Yan was secretly surprised, he suspected that Qin Wuque could be a prince of the royal family, but he didn’t expect Qin Wuque to be the current crown prince.

    “Traitor, I’ll kill you.”

    Ghost Tiger shouted coldly, and was about to kill Peng Shi.

    “Damn it, the wine is poisoned.”

    However, just as he was gathering up his true qi, he suddenly discovered that he had been poisoned: “Peng Shi, you despicable scoundrel, you actually poisoned the wine!”

    “What, the wine is poisoned?”

    Hearing this, everyone erupted into chaos.

    This news hit them like a thunderbolt.

    “You’re only just realizing?

    Unfortunately, it’s too late!”

    Peng Shi gloated, “To tell you the truth, you’ve been poisoned by the Nightmare Flower.

    For the next six hours, you can’t use your true qi.”

    “The heavens want to destroy me.”

    Qin Wuque looked up at the sky, his voice tinged with despair.

    “We should run.”

    Ah Man quietly said to Long Yan.

    Among those present, apart from Long Yan, Ah Man was the only one who hadn’t been poisoned by the wine.

    The Nightmare Flower’s poison had no effect on him.

    “Run?

    We haven’t got the Ten Thousand Spirit Stones yet.”

    Long Yan murmured, with no intention of fleeing.

    “Hahaha, Brother Peng, you’re doing well.

    His Highness Wudi will definitely reward you handsomely.”

    At this moment, a burly voice came from the depths of the canyon.

    Behind the voice, dozens of men holding torches walked up from behind.

    The man leading them was a burly man with a noticeable scar on his face and a Wolf Tooth Stick over two meters long on his shoulder.

    He didn’t look like someone to mess with.

    This was Tiger Slayer, the leader of the Sky Tiger Bandit Gang.

    “Damn it, we’re screwed this time.”

    “If I had known this would happen, I would have rather died than come here for the Ten Thousand Spirit Stones.”

    “Mother, I’m unfilial, I won’t be able to take care of you in your old age.

    Damn this traitor, even as a ghost, I won’t let him off.”

    ...

    On sight of the Sky Tiger Bandit Gang approaching, everyone felt a sense of despair.

    Putting Tiger Slayer’s powerful Earth Martial Level Six aside, there were dozen others from the Earth Martial Realm behind him, and the rest of the men had spiritual powers ranging from Spiritual Martial Level Six to Spiritual Martial Level Nine.

    They were all poisoned by the Nightmare Flower, rendering them unable to utilize their True Qi.

    They could only wait for their turn to be slaughtered.

    “Your Highness the Crown Prince, no offense intended.

    This is His Highness Wudi’s command; we must carry it out.”

    Tiger Slayer stepped forward and, although addressing Qin Wuque as ‘Your Highness the Crown Prince’, showed no respect in his voice.

    “How did Wudi get wind of my plan this time?”

    Qin Wuque’s expression remained calm as he voiced his most pressing doubt.

    The plan was executed with utmost secrecy; even Peng Shi and Ghost Tiger were only informed after he left the Imperial City of Tianwu for Tianshui City.

    Peng Shi was with him at all times and definitely had no chance to tip Qin Wudi off.

    “Your Highness the Crown Prince, now that things have come to this, I’ll help you understand why you are dying.”

    Peng Shi sneered, “His Highness Wudi knew long ago that you wanted to get your hands on the Phoenix Spirit Flower.

    Unfortunately, there is one in the Blazing Flame Grotto.

    Therefore, he deliberately had the news of the Phoenix Spirit Flower leak to you, forcing you to leave Tianwu Imperial City and thereby providing him with the opportunity to get rid of you.

    Haven’t you realized that it was too easy for you to get the Phoenix Spirit Flower?”

    “The Phoenix Spirit Flower...it’s actually the Phoenix Spirit Flower!”

    Long Yan’s eyes twinkled with resolution as he quietly decided to acquire the Phoenix Spirit Flower at all costs.

    The Phoenix Spirit Flower is an uncommon celestial essence from heaven and earth itself, containing a breath of the Phoenix Spirit, thereby making it extremely precious.

    More importantly, this Phoenix Spirit Flower is an indispensable ingredient in making the Nirvana Pill.

    “Then why didn’t you attack in the Blazing Flame Grotto?”

    Qin Wuque asked again.

    In his view, the Blazing Flame Grotto would have been the best place to ambush him.

    “The Blazing Flame Grotto holds His Highness Wudi’s secrets.

    If you were to die there, His Highness Wudi’s secrets would be exposed.

    On the other hand, the Sky Tiger Mountain Range is the ideal burial ground for you.”

    If Qin Wuque died in the Sky Tiger Mountain Range, the royal family’s wrath would naturally fall on those bandits.

    No one can associate this matter with Qin Wudi, no matter how hard they try.

    “Qin Wudi, you’re indeed despicable!

    Coveting my position as the Crown Prince is one thing, but you actually intend to put me to death.

    I despise you, I utterly despise you!”

    In the biting cold wind, Qin Wuque let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with lifeless grey amidst his fluttering robe.

    After inhaling deeply, Qin Wuque said, “You can take my life, but these people are innocent; they are only ordinary mercenaries.

    Please, let them live.”

    “Your Highness the Crown Prince, are you joking with us?

    None of them may live.

    They will accompany you to the netherworld, so you won’t be alone.”

    Peng Shi’s face was filled with a sinister smile.

    “Regrettably, I cannot comply.

    If news gets out, our own lives will be at risk.

    Prince, I’m sorry.”

    With a swing of his Wolf Tooth Stick, Tiger Slayer created a huge pit in front of him.

    He exchanged glances with Peng Shi and shouted loudly, “Brothers, after completing this job, we shall enjoy endless wealth and prosperity.

    Don’t let anyone escape, take action.”

    The situation was critical; they mustn’t delay.

    “Do you really think you’ve got everything under control?”

    At that moment, a faint voice resounded through the crowd.

    The soft voice was like a heaven-shattering thunderclap, causing everyone to simultaneously look towards the source of the voice, eventually falling on Long Yan.

    At this point, Long Yan stood up, dusted off his robe, and then casually walked to the front of the group.

    In the instant he passed by Ghost Tiger, he secretly tapped Ghost Tiger’s body with one finger.

    Ghost Tiger’s eyes brightened momentarily, but he managed to keep it well under wraps, going unnoticed.

    Now, as Peng Shi and Tiger Slayer locked eyes, they both saw the surprise in each other’s glances.

    Upon Tiger Slayer’s indication, a bandit at Spiritual Martial Level Six stepped out from the crowd.

    “Damn it!

    Where’s this damn fool from, thinking he can stand against us?

    I can crush you to death with a single finger.”

    The Spiritual Martial Level Six bandit mocked Long Yan.

    Lifting his hand, he made a powerful swipe at Long Yan, intending to kill him with a single blow.

    “There will always be some who are too full of themselves, sigh.”

    Long Yan sighed, and a striking cold light flashed across his eyes as his words fell.

    At the same time, he took a step forward, his fist charging forward like a flood dragon.

    It carried an overwhelming power and struck the Spiritual Martial Level Six bandit before he could even react.

    “Thud.”

    The Spiritual Martial Level Six bandit flying straight out.

    He coughed up a cloud of blood mid-air before crashing heavily in front of Tiger Slayer.

    A single blow, and he was killed.