"That's even more than I expected."
Watching the battered group leave in disgrace, Zhao Xuan's smile grew brighter.
"Seven hundred billion. They actually had over seven hundred billion worth of Life Stones."
"If every foreign team carries around that much…"
"Then just collecting tolls at the gate, I could take in nearly five trillion."
"Five trillion… that's enough for me to reforge my skull five times."
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
He glanced casually at the departing group, then sat down cross-legged on the spot.
Eyes closed, he began circulating his meditation technique.
Not a single second would be wasted.
He wasn't worried at all about letting them go.
He didn't care if they ran off to join forces with other teams in the city.
After all—
Zhao Xuan could now fight off thirty to forty Eighth-Rank mid-tier Golden Guards and still win. These foreign ability users were only Seventh Rank.
Yes, they had many tricks and secret arts. Some of them, when fully boosted, could match an Eighth-Rank mid-tier Golden Guard.
But only some.
Even if all of them could, Zhao Xuan wouldn't care.
Because—
He had absolute confidence in his strength now.
"I'll only give you one chance to live. Whether you treasure it or not is up to you."
With that thought, he immersed himself in cultivation.
Time passed quietly.
Meanwhile…
"What?! That brat Zhao Xuan is hiding near the gate?!"
"No wonder! No wonder we couldn't find him that day! We practically searched the whole city!"
"We have ten minutes before the gates open. Move! We can't let him escape!"
The moment this was said—
Everyone's eyes turned cold.
Greed.
And killing intent.
They remembered clearly—Zhao Xuan was carrying resources worth over a trillion.
Yes, after three days, each team had gathered several thousand billions worth of Life Stones.
But—
Eighty percent had to be handed over.
Meaning, in the end, each team would only keep five to seven hundred billion.
Split among members, each person got sixty to seventy billion at most.
That wasn't much.
So they were eager to grab more before leaving.
As for the killing intent—
That was even more natural.
They had seen Zhao Xuan's monstrous talent.
They were afraid.
Truly afraid.
They dared not let him continue growing.
They had to kill him here.
Under Neps's lead, a 37-man alliance rushed toward the city gates.
On the way, they ran into George's group—the ones Zhao Xuan had just robbed.
"George!"
Seeing their injuries, Neps frowned. "What happened?"
"What happened? Can't you see for yourself?" George replied coldly.
Why did they hate Neps instead of Zhao Xuan?
Simple.
They had been utterly crushed by Zhao Xuan.
They didn't dare hate him.
So their resentment shifted to Neps.
If Neps hadn't convinced them to join forces, they wouldn't have offended Zhao Xuan.
They wouldn't have lost seven hundred billion.
After handing over eighty percent, each of them could've walked away with over 230 billion.
And now? Nothing.
"Did you run into Zhao Xuan?" Neps asked.
"What do you think?" George shot back.
Neps tried again. "We're going to deal with him. Join us. Whatever happened before, you'll feel much better after he's dead."
"His death?" George recalled being crushed effortlessly by Zhao Xuan.
He suddenly laughed mockingly.
"Heh… good luck."
He waved and left with his team.
Neps frowned, unease creeping into his heart.
A dark-skinned burly man spoke.
"Something's wrong. George looked… afraid of Zhao Xuan."
"Not just afraid," he continued grimly. "He looked like he believed we couldn't deal with him."
Silence fell.
Then someone suggested, "Maybe Zhao Xuan met up with Shi Xuefei's group?"
Neps' face darkened.
"If that's true, her Door-Door Fruit could help him escape us easily…"
"Doesn't matter," the burly man sneered.
"He can run, but he can't leave the city. The gates only open for half an hour. He'll have to come back."
"We block the gate. That's it."
"And even if he joined Shi Xuefei, so what? They're five. We're thirty-seven."
"Fifteen of us handle them. Twenty-two surround Zhao Xuan."
He added coldly,
"They say in Jiuzhou: better safe than sorry."
"When we reach him, everyone goes all out immediately. Kill Zhao Xuan first."
"If possible, kill Shi Xuefei's group too."
"Jiuzhou is already too strong."
Killing intent flooded the air.
They moved again.
1,000 meters.
800 meters.
600 meters.
400 meters.
200 meters.
100 meters.
The moment they crossed into the 100-meter range—
All 37 exploded with full power.
"Kill!"
They charged like cannonballs toward Zhao Xuan.
In the distance
George heard the commotion and grinned viciously.
"It's started…"
"You won't fare any better than we did. Zhao Xuan will rob you clean too!"
They almost looked forward to seeing Neps' face afterward.
Elsewhere in the city
Shi Xuefei heard the noise and her expression changed.
"Damn it—we're late!"
She waved her hand and a spatial door appeared.
"Hurry! We might still save Zhao Xuan!"
But the sword-wielding young man hesitated.
"If we rush in and fail, we risk losing the Life Pearl. Senior Taishi's life depends on this."
Shi Xuefei glared at him.
"Never abandon anyone. That's Jiuzhou's creed."
He replied firmly,
"I haven't forgotten. But delivering this Life Pearl to Senior Taishi is more important. It concerns the life of a Ninth-Rank Emperor."
Shi Xuefei paused.
"Then you hold the Pearl. I'll go."
"No. You hold it. Your Door-Door ability is safer."
He added quietly,
"I still owe that kid a favor."
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