Hu Ben's expression shifted dramatically.
That was an arm! Losing it would undoubtedly affect his combat strength!
This was the rainforest, and brutal battles lay ahead; a decrease in strength would directly impact his chances of survival and obtaining treasures.
However, a problem arose: if he didn't leave an arm behind, he would likely die right now!
With that thought, Hu Ben looked at Ye Cangtian, wanting to negotiate further.
Even if it meant signing some unequal treaties, he had to try his best to keep his arm.
"We were indeed in the wrong first, but Huang Shan didn't suffer much damage!"
"So, could you consider changing your demand? Why offend the Tiger King Sect because of us? Don't you think?"
Hu Ben had no choice but to bring up the Tiger King Sect.
While not a top-tier force in this grand gathering, the Tiger King Sect was not weak.
Moreover, they were just a small team from the Tiger King Sect; many companions were outside.
If the Tiger King Sect knew they had died here, they would definitely engage in an unending feud with Huang Shan!
He believed this was not something the other party wished to see.
Heh, this foolish Hu Ben. If he hadn't mentioned the Tiger King Sect, perhaps things would be better.
Upon hearing him, Yao Bao'er's face showed a playful smile.
Before departing, the Tiger King Sect had mocked Ye Cangtian and the Hidden Group, showing signs of joining forces with Xue Feng against the Hidden Group.
Bringing up the Tiger King Sect now was likely to be counterproductive!
On the other side, Ye Cangtian smiled faintly and said playfully, "Did you think I was negotiating with you?"
You...
With those words, Hu Ben's face darkened completely.
Just as he was at a loss, hurried footsteps approached.
Ye Zhenghao of the Blazing Fire Institute, along with other members of the Blazing Fire Institute, rushed into the great hall.
Seeing this, Hu Ben immediately stepped forward and hurriedly said, "Young Master Ye, please help us! The people from Huang Shan not only robbed us of our treasures but also intend to silence us!
Now that you've stumbled upon this, if you don't intervene, you'll be their next target!"
Robbed?
Ye Zhenghao looked at Hu Ben in confusion and asked, "Are you joking with me? There are only two of them here, and your group was robbed by just two people?"
"It's true! All the treasures in this pavilion have been taken by Huang Shan!"
"And the members of the Flying Cloud Pavilion were all killed after failing to resist..."
After a pause, to prevent Ye Zhenghao from disbelieving him, Hu Ben quickly added, "Don't underestimate them. One is a Heaven-tier expert, and the other specializes in poison and has strong spiritual power. Hun Qi was poisoned to death by her!"
Hm?
Hearing this, Ye Zhenghao glanced at the deceased Hun Qi on the ground. Seeing Hun Qi's purplish skin, he understood everything.
The next moment, he looked at Ye Cangtian with a darkened expression and said, "Your Huang Shan disregards the agreement and attacks others. What do you intend to do?"
Ye Cangtian glanced at Ye Zhenghao and said irritably, "You only saw Hun Qi, did you not see the others? I'm not talking about the Tiger King Sect, but the Flying Cloud Pavilion!"
Hm?
Ye Zhenghao paused again, then surveyed the bodies of the other Flying Cloud Pavilion disciples. These individuals had no obvious wounds, nor did they appear to have died from poisoning.
Frankly, their deaths were rather inexplicable, but it was unlikely to be the work of the other party.
The reason was simple: from their words, it was clear that the Tiger King Sect members present were all killed by the other party.
And those individuals had obvious wounds, which was completely different from the Flying Cloud Pavilion disciples.
"What's going on?" Ye Zhenghao asked Ye Cangtian curiously.
In response, Ye Cangtian said indifferently, "The Flying Cloud Pavilion made a deal with us to deal with the demons here, but they died from spiritual backlash, leaving only Hun Qi..."
Ye Cangtian briefly explained the situation.
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhenghao's expression turned cold, and he angrily said, "Hu Ben, so it was you who broke the rules and tried to provoke a conflict between the Blazing Fire Institute and Huang Shan. You're tired of living!"
As his voice fell, Ye Zhenghao's fist, carrying a scorching aura, already slammed forward.
Boom!
Hu Ben dared not be careless and met the attack with a punch, only to be instantly sent flying by the immense force.
His face was filled with horror; he hadn't expected Ye Zhenghao's punch to be so ferocious.
The next moment, he hurriedly said, "Stop, stop, stop! It's all our fault. As long as you two families let us go, we are willing to accept any conditions!"
"An arm."
Ye Cangtian uttered four words.
As his voice carried, Ye Zhenghao's face turned cold, and he said grimly, "And cripple the cultivation of all of you!"
The other party trying to frame them and incite a battle between the Blazing Fire Institute and Huang Shan for their own gain was something Ye Zhenghao would never tolerate.
This...
Upon hearing this, Hu Ben was filled with regret. If he hadn't spoken up with false accusations, he would have only lost an arm at most.
But now, his cultivation was to be crippled; this was practically a death sentence for him.
After all, their treasures had all been traded to Huang Shan, and what they had obtained here wasn't even enough for a single Nine Revolutions Golden Pill.
Therefore, if their cultivation were crippled, they would have no way to recover.
Without cultivation, their chances of survival in the rainforest would be slim, unless they got lucky and managed to reunite with other members of the Tiger King Sect.
"It seems you don't want to do it yourselves, so I'll help you!"
Seeing their hesitation, Ye Cangtian snorted coldly and unleashed palm strike after palm strike.
Spiritual energy formed into palms rapidly struck the chests of the Tiger King Sect disciples, instantly filling the entire great hall with a chorus of agonizing screams.
"I'll do it myself, you don't need to!"
Seeing his disciples' cultivation crippled and hearing their pained cries, it was clear that the other party's actions went beyond simply crippling their cultivation.
Therefore, Hu Ben hurriedly stopped Ye Cangtian. Then, he brought his large hand down heavily on his own chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
He truly dared not let the other party make a move. If the other party left any hidden injuries, he might never recover in his lifetime.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian revealed a faint smile, then pointed his finger at the other party's arm and said, "Don't hesitate, please continue!"
Ah...
Hearing the other party's words, Hu Ben's face turned crimson with rage; he wished he could tear the other party limb from limb.
But there was no other way. He could only prioritize saving his own life. Thus, he picked up his great saber and walked towards his own brethren.
As the great saber was swung, the screams in the great hall intensified.
After dealing with all his brothers, Hu Ben then looked at Ye Cangtian and Ye Zhenghao and asked, "Can we leave now?"
Hearing this, Ye Zhenghao said nothing.
Ye Cangtian, standing beside him, said indifferently, "You can scram, but you'd best remember that everything that happened today is your own fault. Behave yourselves from now on!"
Hu Ben gritted his teeth upon hearing this, daring not to speak out in anger.
The next moment, he clasped his hands, and with his severed arm, along with the Tiger King Sect disciples, he left the pavilion and exited the secret realm.
To survive, they had to quickly rendezvous with other members of the Tiger King Sect, and if they acted quickly, their arms might still be reattached.
On the other side, Ye Zhenghao, still in the pavilion, looked at Ye Cangtian and fell silent.
After a long while, he clasped his hands and said, "Since the demons here have been eliminated by you, we shall meet again someday!"
Although he was envious of the greatest benefits Huang Shan had obtained from the secret realm, he couldn't bring himself to try and seize them by force.
Therefore, Ye Zhenghao chose to leave. What you don't see cannot hurt you.
"You're quite upright, kid. Here! Take this!"
Ye Cangtian smiled, very pleased with Ye Zhenghao's demeanor, and directly took out two Qiankun bags, tossing them over.
These two Qiankun bags contained the treasures obtained from the second and first levels, respectively.
In his opinion, the treasures in the earlier pavilions were mere trash, incomparable to the treasures found here.
Based on the principle of allies sharing the spoils, Ye Cangtian shared the treasures with him.
This...
Ye Zhenghao looked at the Qiankun bags in his hands and was stunned.
After all, the Blazing Fire Institute had no relationship with Huang Shan, and the other party had no reason to give him benefits.
Moreover, he was the strongest person from the Blazing Fire Institute who had come this time, with no Heaven-tier experts accompanying him, whereas the other party was a Heaven-tier expert.
In that case, the other party had no need to bribe him for protection...