Asura Mad Emperor

Just at this moment, laughter suddenly came from afar once again.

"Hahaha, this is truly interesting. Two great saints have actually made the effort to personally join the contest for treasure, this is indeed the first time I've seen such a scene. Fascinating! Fascinating!"

Following that, the hearty voice asked rhetorically, "Elder Chen, do you think these two great saints have no shame?"

"Indeed, they have no shame."

An elderly voice responded.

Han Shan's face turned cold, "Hmph, what skill is there in hiding your head and showing your tail? If you have the ability, show yourself!"

Upon hearing the dialogue between the two from a distance, Qinchuan's Emperor Soul quietly receded, and Black Lotus returned to the depths of his sea of consciousness.

Two figures appeared in the distance, one of whom was emitting the distinct aura of a saint.

The two of them flew through the air, their speed on par with Han Shan, and in no time, they stood atop the city walls, positioned between Qinchuan and Han Shan and the others, separating the two sides.

"Another saint has arrived!"

The people of Northern Desolate City became agitated.

"Could it be, they have also come for this young man?"

Northern Desolate City had never witnessed the arrival of a saint, and yet today, three saints had consecutively made their appearance. All of this happened after Qinchuan's arrival to Northern Desolate City; the crowd could think of no other reason.

"Regardless, to be targeted by three saints at the same time, even if the young man dies today, it would be an honor."

Upon recognizing the newcomers, both Han Shan's and Sun Hao's faces showed a trace of surprise.

Han Shan took a step forward, his expression unpleasant as he called out.

"Li Zhi! What is the meaning of this?"

He naturally knew the Eldest Prince of the Tianyuan Nation; although the Tianyuan Royal Family held absolute authority in Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom, his Jiuli Ghost Sect was no mere pushover. Although Li Zhi had not revealed his intentions, his words were not kind, clearly indicating he wasn't on the same side as him.

"Li Zhi? Who is this person?"

The city's populace had not heard of this name and asked each other.

"You never heard of him, do you know who he might be?"

"I don't know…"

The surname Li was that of the Tianyuan Kingdom, but the people never imagined a member of the royal family would come to this desolate Northern Desolate City; and so for a while, no one made the connection to the Tianyuan Royal Family.

Meanwhile, someone thought to themselves in hiding, "Li Zhi... this name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before...?"

Li Zhi looked cheerful, maintaining a smooth and amiable appearance, and cupped his fist saying, "So, it is an elder from the Jiuli Ghost Sect. Li Zhi has spoken out of turn; please forgive me."

Seeing his demeanor, Han Shan wasn't as tense, and his expression relaxed a little. He spoke again, "Ignorance is no sin. I will not pursue your previous offensive words, but this young man has insulted my Jiuli Ghost Sect multiple times. Today, I must take his life to vent my anger; I ask the Eldest Prince to make way."

After Han Shan finished speaking, Li Zhi, however, remained silent, a smile on his face, showing no intention of moving aside.

A thought crossed Han Shan's mind; he suspected that Li Zhi was also eyeing the Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact in Qinchuan's possession, then said again, "A Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact, though precious, might not mean much to the Tianyuan Royal Family, right?" Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Hearing the words 'Tianyuan Royal Family', cultivators who had been pondering over the name 'Li Zhi' suddenly exclaimed, "I remember now! Li Zhi, the Eldest Prince of the Tianyuan Royal Family!"

"He is the Eldest Prince of the Tianyuan Royal Family!"

"What exactly is this young man's identity that even the Eldest Prince has come for him?"

Seeing Li Zhi still standing between the two factions, not showing the slightest intention of stepping aside, Han Shan said discontentedly, "If the Eldest Prince takes a liking to this Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact, we can join forces to kill this young man and take one Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact each, how about that?"

In his eyes, defeating Qinchuan, a mere cultivator of the Meridian Opening Nine Layers, would be easy, and his offer was already a generous gesture of sharing the spoils with the Eldest Prince.

Meanwhile, Sun Hao's face turned red with anger.

He was the first to arrive, but now, if the Jiuli Ghost Sect and the Tianyuan Royal Family joined forces, he wouldn't get even one Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact. Unfortunately, Northern Desolate City was within the sphere of influence of the Tianyuan Ancient Kingdom. The Jiuli Ghost Sect and the Tianyuan Royal Family were the local powers here, so he had no chance to benefit under their influence, which truly filled him with frustration.

Qinchuan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke indifferently, "Do you also want to commit murder for treasure?"

Li Zhi's expression changed uncertainly.

When Han Shan proposed this plan, he did feel a moment of hesitation. Although a Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact was not particularly tempting to him, if he chose to stand with the Jiuli Ghost Sect, he would undoubtedly mend ties with Han Shan, which would be greatly beneficial to him.

But then he recalled what Chen Baidao had mentioned, and considering Qinchuan's various performances in Exquisite Pavilion, it was quite possible that Qinchuan was a descendent of a Great Emperor.

Moreover, Han Shan currently held an absolute advantage. Taking his treasures might offend him, whereas Qinchuan was being targeted by two Great Saints and had no chance of survival.

Adding flowers to brocade was never as good as sending charcoal in snowy weather, yet this wasn't even adding flowers to brocade!

After hesitating for a split second, he made up his mind.

Li Zhi cupped his hands, smiling, "Brother Qin jests. I happened to learn in Tianqing City that the Saint Heir of the Jiuli Ghost Sect was seeking news about Brother Qin everywhere. Seeing that Daoist Ye and the people from the Burning Heaven Sect also left, I was worried that Brother Qin might fall into the Jiuli Ghost Sect's trap, so I followed them here to Northern Desolate City."

It was clear that the Eldest Prince was on Qinchuan's side. Qinchuan had exceptional talent, and though his Realm was currently low, his future achievements would be boundlessly great.

Unbeknownst to Li Zhi, because of this gamble of his, the reward he would receive would be the entire Divine Wilderness Continent.

The crowd, hearing Li Zhi speak, instantly gasped in astonishment.

"Hiss!"

"What? The Eldest Prince actually came all this way to rescue this young man?"

"What is the background of this young man?"

"Even if he has some talents, is it really worth the Eldest Prince personally making the trip? Even at the risk of offending the Jiuli Ghost Sect!"

The people were completely bewildered; Qinchuan had brought them too many surprises.

Qinchuan nodded without a word; he had mostly guessed as much.

Northern Desolate City was desolate and barren, but the Jiuli Ghost Sect had arrived just before the Eldest Prince. Clearly, what the Eldest Prince said was true.

He had been merely tempted by the sight of the Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact, lured by Han Shan, and Qinchuan had merely reminded him of the reality.

Li Zhi turned again and addressed Han Shan, "Elder Han, could there be some misunderstanding between you and Brother Qin? Why not mend our forces, sit down, drink and be merry, and turn enmity into friendship?"

Han Shan frowned deeply, unable to understand—had Li Zhi gone mad? Asking me to drink and be merry with a mere Meridian Opening Realm cultivator?

No matter what plans Li Zhi had, today, this young man would die, and Han Shan was determined to obtain the Half-Step Supreme Dao Artifact.

Han Shan's expression darkened instantly, his voice sinister, "Are you saying, Great Prince, that you intend to help this lad? Don't forget, this place is Northern Desolate City, not Tianqing City."

The threat in his words was clear, implying, "Although you are the Eldest Prince, you best not meddle in things that don't concern you."