Splitting the Heave

In mid air, Shang Xia stared at the 5 of them around him with his arms folded in front of him. 

“Last year, Hai Pei brought along another companion to infiltrate the Jingxiu Peak to steal a stalk of Glass Daisy Chrysanthemum Duan Liufeng had been carefully nurturing. May I ask if you’re the one who came with her?” Someone among them asked. 

After some introductions by Yin Wanxiang, Shang Xia learned that the person who asked the question was Jiang Weiyun of the Flowing Cloud Lagoon. As the leader of the Flowing Cloud Lagoon, the other experts of the Sixth Pass would refer to him respectfully as Lagoon Master Jiang.

Shang Xia chuckled in response, “I wasn’t the one who came to the Taihang Mountains the previous time. A senior in my clan came instead.” 

The expressions of the experts from the Sixth Pass changed the moment the words left his lips.

A simple reply from Shang Xia managed to reveal a lot of information. Everyone felt their brains spinning rapidly as they tried to make sense of what they had learned.

The appearance of this young Martial Extermination Realm would mean that Hai Pei had 2 other companions in the Martial Extermination Realm. In some barren land, a faction with that amount of fighting strength could be considered the strongest power in the region!

Moreover, it was possible that their faction had more than 3 Martial Extermination Realm existences! 

Now, everyone started to get a little curious about Hai Pei’s identity.

From the way Shang Xia addressed the other person who appeared in the Taihang Mountains a year ago, they seemed to hail from an exceptionally strong faction!

Finally came the question that truly mattered. What the hell was Hai Pei doing in the Sixth Pass of the Taihang Mountains with such tyrannical backing?! 

Shang Xia looked at their reactions after speaking and he was greeted with a round of silence. Even though all of them were experts in the Martial Extermination Realm, they had many considerations running through their minds. 

Naturally, Shang Xia wouldn’t be able to experience the conflict they were facing at the moment. They couldn’t possibly turn to leave after hearing what he said, but they couldn’t possibly start attacking the youngster either!

Eventually, Gu Lingyu, the only female cultivator among the 5, broke the silence. She was the Valley Master of the Mermaid Valley, and her status was comparable to Jiang Weiyun who spoke earlier. She sounded a little annoyed when she addressed Shang Xia. “Even if all of you hail from a powerful faction, you can’t go around stealing resources from the Jingxiu Peak as you wish!” 

“Hehe, since when did the Sixth Pass care about reason?” Shang Xia burst out laughing.

“You…” Glaring at Shang Xia, Gu Lingyu couldn’t refute his argument.

Finally, Yin Wanxiang interrupted, “Fellow cultivator, you don’t seem concerned about offending us. Aren’t you afraid that we’ll join hands to kill you right here and now? Even if you come from a powerful faction that has the power to hunt us down after today, you’ll still be dead.” 

Killing intent filled the skies above the Jingxiu Peak the moment he spoke. It was especially so for Zhonggu and the hemp clothed expert. 

Completely unaffected by their change in mood, Shang Xia took a step in Yin Wanxiang’s direction and snorted, “You can try to kill me. Let’s see if you have the ability to make me leave my life behind today.” 

A strange light surrounded Shang Xia’s body and the aura that rolled off him became extremely weird. None of them could see through his cultivation base as the situation above the Jingxiu Peak became even more tense.

Resisting the pressure coming from all 5 experts from the Sixth Pass, Shang Xia managed to maintain his composure as a cold light flashed in his eyes. 

Shang Xia couldn’t be more clear about what was happening at the moment. The longer he could hold out against their combined might, the less likely it was for them to try anything funny. Moreover, he could take the chance to scare them off and steer them away from their questionable thoughts.

He was right. A moment later, Jiang Weiyun coughed lightly and addressed the others. “Everyone, is there really a need for us to form a grudge against him? The Jingxiu Peak has already fallen and there’s nothing we can do to change that. Even if we kill him, we can’t restore the Jingxiu Peak to its original state.” 

He spoke in such a timely manner that the others were quickly able to use it as an excuse to change their attitude towards the matter. 

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Shang Xia quickly felt the pressure on him receding. Even though it seemed like the danger had passed, Shang Xia still kept his guard up while looking at the others. Naturally, he wouldn’t try anything stupid at that juncture. He obediently restrained his divine perception and inner qi like the others.

As a smile returned to his face, Shang Xia cupped his fists towards the others. “Thank you all for not making things difficult for me today. I am in a hurry to save my fellow comrade in the Cloud Water Gorge and I shall be leaving soon. As soon as I completely destroy the Jingxiu Peak, I’ll take my leave.” 

The moment he completed his sentence, he raised his arm and drew a short horizontal line in the air before him.

The expressions of the 5 changed immediately. Everyone except for Gu Lingyu managed to restrain themselves and she cried out in fright, “Hey, stop right there!” 

Unfortunately, her yell came a little too late. Shang Xia’s strike was like a formless blade that tore into one of the faces of the Jingxiu Peak, causing massive landslides that destroyed yet another portion of herbs.

A look of mockery flashed in Shang Xia’s eyes, but he managed to change it into one of shock before addressing Gu Lingyu, “Valley Master Gu, is something wrong? Why would you stop me from destroying the Lingxiu Peak?” 

Gu Lingyu didn’t know how to put it but luckily, Jiang Weiyun piped up from the side, “The Jingxiu Peak is filled with precious herbs. Isn’t it a waste to destroy it all?” 

Shang Xia complained helplessly, “I don’t have a choice, do I? Now that I have attacked the Jingxiu Peak, I have already angered Duan Liufeng. There’s no point for me to leave the herbs here so that he can return for them in the future. I don’t have a habit of giving free benefits to my enemies after all…” 

Shang Xia could feel slight fluctuations in the air and realized that the Martial Extermination Realm experts from the Sixth Pass were communicating with each other in secret.

It didn’t take long for Yin Wanxiang to speak up. “This… It’s truly a waste for you to destroy heavenly resources like that. I hope you can do it for my sake, but please stop destroying the Jingxiu Peak. Of course, we won’t make things difficult for you either. You might not know, but Duan Liufeng has been friendly with a lot of powers in recent years. Your faction might possess an array of experts, but you might not be able to do anything to Duan Liufeng if he cashed in on all his connections. As they say, it’s better to squash enmity than to keep it alive. If you can leave without destroying the Jingxiu Peak today, we might be able to help you mediate your conflict with Duan Liufeng. What do you think?” 

The other experts from the Sixth Pass remained silent, indicating their support for whatever Yin Wanxiang said.

Shang Xia snorted inwardly. There were too damn many resources on the Jingxiu Peak that he couldn’t bring away and those Martial Extermination Realm experts from the Sixth Pass probably wanted to split it after he had left. They were clearly trying to benefit from the remnants of the Jingxiu Peak at his expense, and Shang Xia wasn’t dumb enough to let them do as they wished.

Observing the 5 experts around him, Shang Xia could tell that Yin Wanxiang, Jiang Weiyun, and Gi Lingyu were on the same side. Zhonggu and the hemp clothed cultivator seemed to not be a part of their group, but from how they were communicating with each other and the fact that they appeared to stop Shang Xia earlier, it wasn’t difficult to conclude that the two of them were on better terms with Duan Liufeng. Naturally, their friendship with Duan Liufeng was limited to a certain extent. Otherwise, they would have joined him in hunting down Shang Pei in the Cloud Water Gorge.

Since everyone was planning to put up a show, Shang Xia was obviously willing to play along. After ‘thinking’ for some time, he seemed to realize that it wasn’t right to destroy the Jingxiu Peak. “Hmm, you’re right! However, I can’t possibly take advantage of your goodwill to help me mediate my conflict with Duan Liufeng. Why don’t you buy the remnants of the Jingxiu Peak from me at a low price and get Duan Liufeng to pay you guys back for your service? That way, I won’t have to destroy the Jingxiu Peak and you guys can get Duan Liufeng to owe you a favor. At the same time, I’ll use the resources to placate the Youyan Stronghold Leader so that she won’t continue to make things difficult for Duan Liufeng. You guys won’t have to act as a mediator between us and you can even gain some benefits from the transaction. What do you say?” 

Before they could say anything, Shang Xia continued, “Naturally, if you guys are unwilling, there’s nothing more to say. I’ll destroy the Jingxiu Peak right now!” 

He raised his hand and pointed at the 3 courtyards in the manor at the top of the Jingxiu Peak where the rank four herbs were located as soon as he spoke.

If not for the fact that he couldn’t bring them away, he wouldn’t even bother giving them a choice to stop him from destroying the Jingxiu Peak.

“Please stay your hand!” Yin Wanxiang yelled.

Like an obedient child, Shang Xia lowered his hand slowly. The smile on his face remained as he stared at the cultivators around him.

With their years of experience, how could they not understand Shang Xia’s intentions? Luckily, none of them wanted to tear open the final layer of pretense.

“Young friend, what would it take for you to leave the Jingxiu Peak alone?” Yin Wanxiang returned to his original cold appearance quickly and Shang Xia couldn’t help but praise his award-winning performance.

Chuckling softly, Shang Xia replied, “Since it’s a fire sale, I won’t ask for too much. Yep. The 3 rank four herbs should be worth a complete rank four advancement formula. The other herbs on the Jingxiu Peak are probably worth an extermination origin. As for the rest of the mountain…”

A light flashed in Shang Xia’s eyes as he looked at the 5 of them. “Forget it. I’ll throw in the rest of the mountain for free.” 

Zhonggu roared angrily as soon as he heard Shang Xia’s terms. “A rank four advancement formula and an extermination origin?! Why the fuck don’t you go rob other factions for it?” 

A crafty smile appeared on Shang Xia’s face and he looked at the Jingxiu Peak under him. “What the hell does it seem like I’m doing now?” 

“You…” 

With a smile returning to his face, Shang Xia forced himself to look a little more serious. “Since we’re conducting a proper exchange, I’m not forcing you to buy it from me. Brother Zhonggu, you can choose not to accept. I’ll just destroy the Jingxiu Peak as per my original intentions.” 

Before Zhonggu could yell at Shang Xia again, he was interrupted by Fang Ruhai, his companion in the hemp clothes.

Jiang Weiyun played the good guy card once again and he took over the negotiation process. “Young friend, you’re obviously not wrong to say that this is a proper exchange, however, all proper exchanges go through rounds of negotiations! That’s a rank four advancement formula and extermination origin you’re asking for. Even if we had it, we might not be able to give it to you.” 

“Oh? What are you willing to give me then?” Shang Xia asked.

Once again, the five of them started to communicate with each other in secret.

A look of irritation appeared on Shang Xia’s face now that they were eating up his precious time to save Shang Pei. In her current situation, she could be attacked by a group of Martial Extermination Realm experts at any time!

Sensing Shang Xia’s irritation, the five of them quickly threw out their offer. “We’re willing to give you a high-grade weapon and a mid-grade weapon in exchange.” 

A snort left Shang Xia’s lips as the Scarlet Star Spear appeared in his hand. Stabbing it into the void in front of him, he sneered, “Do I look like I lack weapons?” 

The moment his spear appeared, waves battered against the hearts of the 5 Martial Extermination Realm experts from the Sixth Pass. They knew that Hai Pei was also a spear user! Moreover, the person who barged into the Jingxiu Peak with her a year ago also used the spear! Now, the youngster who was claiming that he was here to save her also wielded a spear…

That further confirmed the guess in their mind. The only thing they couldn’t think of was a faction in the Azure Origin World that focused on the way of the spear.

Shang Xia didn’t realize that his unintentional actions increased his bargaining power.

After another round of discussions, Shang Xia agreed to their second offer. 

In the end, he obtained an extermination origin and a damaged White Bone Talisman Brush in exchange for leaving the rest of the Jingxiu Peak alone.