Stranger Danger

"I'm not trying to deceive anyone though. I'm just saying it as it is." Xuan Youxuan beamed at them. "So long as you guys keep this a secret, then there is no Yuan Budong in the City of No Return. There is only Xing Luan. Am I wrong?"

"What do you mean by that?" Nine Blades of Sorrow, Son of Five Sounds and more suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just asking you guys to keep your mouths shut, that's all," Xuan Youxuan said casually.

"How dare you! Who do you think you are to say that?" Tang Yuan scoffed.

"I am the city lord of the City of No Return, and this is my domain."

Xuan Youxuan slowly spread his arms wide, and the Residence of Gods began shining brightly. As space twisted into all sorts of shapes and forms, the group of four felt as if they were being squeezed from all directions. Their energies were flowing intermittently, and they moved slowly like they were wading through a swamp.

Not only that, several figures appeared out of seemingly nowhere and locked onto them firmly.

"Your lives are in my hands, so what makes you thinkyouhave the right to deny me?"

"Xuan Youxuan! You dare?"

Tang Yuan, Disheveled Taoist and more exclaimed in shock and even more disbelief.

Right now, heaven and earth were sealed, and several powerful energies had locked onto them. Every single one of these energies was either on par with them or stronger than them. Therefore, they could not run even if they wanted to.

"The Profound Alliance will make you pay if you kill us!"

"The Profound Alliance?"

Xuan Youxuan slowly walked up to the four men with scornful, disdainful expressions. "Haha! Do you seriously think they will find out what happened today?"

"I told you that this is my domain. Forget killing you, I can kill everyone here and still keep it a secret from the Profound Alliance."

"Also, do you think we don't have moles in the Profound Alliance? In fact, many of them are powerful, influential, or both. Even if you manage to leave the City of No Return alive, I can promise you that not one soul will believe your words."

"That's impossible!"

Son of Five Sounds subconsciously yelled.

"Why not? Money can make the world go round, much less humans."

Xuan Youxuan retorted with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "And I have alotof money."

"Alright. It's your turn now. Will you shut up, or will you commit suicide?"

"... Even if we keep quiet about this, what about Floating Light Celestial Island?" The group of four exchanged glances with each other before succumbing to Xuan Youxuan's pressure.

They would love to stand tall before the city lord, but they just weren't strong enough, were they?

"Hah! You seriously think I'm going to allow Wei Duanliu and his people to leave this place alive?" Xuan Youxuan chuckled.

"You can't possibly be plotting to kill them!" Disheveled Taoist could not believe his ears.

"Of course I am. After all, we are the ones who're going to die if they live!" Xuan Youxuan replied casually. "That is why they must die."

"Floating Light Celestial Island will come after you with all they got if you kill them!" Nine Blades of Sorrow subconsciously argued.

Xuan Youxuan replied uncaringly, "That is for me to worry about, not you."

As if on cue, Moon Princess, Star Harvester and more warriors took off into the sky and joined the battle.

"Mad! They've all gone mad!"

The group of four exchanged disbelieving, stunned looks with each other.

It wasn't hard to imagine why Xuan Youxuan dared to threaten them. They had no background or strength. However, Wei Duanliu and his fellow deputy lords were anything but nobodies. Not only were they backed by the powerful Floating Light Celestial Island, one of the five major factions of the Profound Alliance, they were as powerful as they were influential. Even if Xuan Youxuan managed to kill them all, it would only earn him the eternal grudge of the Floating Light Celestial Island. Just what was he thinking?

That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was they would be dragged into this mess as well. Floating Light Celestial Island was famous for their madness and barbarism. They would hunt them down as well.

"Oh right, you best assist my men in killing Wei Duanliu and his men unless you want to catch the crazies from Floating Light Celestial Island."

As if he could read their thoughts, Xuan Youxuan added with a calm smile.

Everyone blanched when they heard this.

"Do not worry. If you succeed in killing them, then I will handle Floating Light Celestial Island myself. I promise that you won't be implicated in any way."

Xuan Youxuan fed them some carrots after whipping them. "When all this is over, I can make you a guest warrior of the City of No Return. When the time comes, beauties, wealth, influence, status, martial arts, Strange Artifacts... you may have anything you desire!"

"I..." The group of four exchanged glances with each other looking both hesitant yet tempted.

"Alright. You better remember your promise."

In the end, they couldn't hold back their greed. They took to the sky and clashed against Wei Duanliu and his men.

"Human nature is so fragile..."

Xuan Youxuan was wearing a warm smile on his face, but the undisguised scorn in his eyes was unmistakable. "How laughable... How amusing..."

"Hmm?" It was at this moment Xuan Youxuan suddenly frowned as if he picked up on something. "Someone intruded into the Lightless Hell."

"The sandpiper and clam go to war, and the fisherman takes it all. I knew this was a conspiracy."

Xuan Youxuan muttered to himself. Wei Duanliu and his men were just pieces. There was a player behind them who had been moving them according to their plan this whole time. If he wasn't mistaken, the player was aiming for Jin Manshan and Ming Yueying.

"Unfortunately for you, virtue is only one foot tall, and the dark ten foot[1]. I am the ultimate victor of this duel!"

Although he guessed that the mastermind's goal was the Jin husband and wife, and he knew that they had entered the place where they were being imprisoned, Xuan Youxuan did not look worried or anxious in the slightest.

After all, he was prepared for this.

When he discovered that the two Mud Morphs on Gold Island had perished, he immediately took action and threw the husband and wife into the Lightless Hell.

The Lightless Hell was both a place and a Strange Artifact. It was no ordinary Strange Artifact or place, however. One might say that it was the personification of terror and despair.

The Lightless Hell was an Ancient-class Strange Artifact. Legend had it that someone called the Realmless Dark Lord had created it using a fragment of the natural laws of the Nine Nethers Lightless Dark Realm over ten thousand years ago.

Physically, Lightless Hell was only the size of a Buddhist bead or a marble. However, a gigantic world existed inside its confines. It was why Lightless Hell was also called the Lightless Bead.

No sun, moon, light, hope, life, or death existed in the Lightless Hell. It was pitch black no matter where you went. Inside the Lightless Hell, one could not see, hear, or escape. Not only that, the victim would slowly forget everything until they had transformed into a mindless ghost puppet.

That was why he wasn't afraid of anyone. So long as the Lightless Hell was in his hands, he dared to fight even a Sage.

This was why he dared to say that Wei Duanliu and his men would not escape the City of No Return alive, and why he wasn't worried about the fisherman attempting to rescue Jin Manshan and Ming Yueying.

Entering the Lightless Hell was easy, but leaving? That was a completely different story.

That was what Xuan Youxuan thought when his pleased smirk suddenly stiffened without warning.

1. Meaning that evil is often victorious against good. ☜