Chapter 666

Chapter 666: Bold Division of Spoils

Though each girl had merely pressed nineteen acupoints, sweat poured down their faces like rain afterwards, their formidable magic completely drained.

The masked man struck by their technique froze instantly, losing even his ability to fly. He crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, rigid as a wooden puppet.

The fallen man showed little pain, merely forcing a bitter smile. "The True and Reverse Nineteen Paths Celestial Star Sealing Art! Truly an unpassed secret of Mo Sect. You must be Mo Lanyun and Mao Mao? Mere Qi Sea cultivators yet daring to ambush this Thunder Tribulation Immortal! Worthy adversaries for Celestial Roots like you. This defeat brings no shame!"

"Keh!" Mao Mao and Mo Lanyun exchanged relieved smiles. Praise from a Thunder Tribulation Immortal came rarely indeed.

Truthfully, their victory came through sheer luck. Without Fang Lie’s initial ambush, how could two juniors approach such a mighty figure? Had they possessed ordinary spiritual roots, even their exquisite sealing art couldn’t have contained a Thunder Tribulation Immortal’s fearsome magic.

But these were no ordinary roots. Mo Lanyun’s Guan Yin water magic transformed into nineteen aqueous dragons rampaging through meridians, dissolving all magic into mere moisture. Mao Mao’s Plague Spirit Immortal Root conjured toxic barriers that paralyzed flesh and corrupted emerging magic.

These opposing forces – one dissolving, one corrupting – completely sealed their captive. Magic became unusable, flesh turned numb, reducing the mighty immortal to helpless prisoner.

With Fang Lie’s watchful presence, the man knew resistance futile. Yet even with his surrender, Fang Lie remained wary. Thunder Tribulation Immortals from major sects always kept hidden cards.

Determined to prevent surprises, Fang Lie commenced thorough searching – stripping clothes, dismantling hair ornaments. The girls fled blushing to inner chambers as Mo Lanyun protested, "Must you be so crude?"

"No choice!" Fang Lie retorted while disheveling the prisoner’s hair. "This is Li Fanghe – Abbot Mountain’s Thunder Tribulation Immortal and master of refining techniques! Should he hide treasures…" His hands revealed a Seventh-rank jade storage treasure nestled in the man’s bun.

Li Fanghe’s eyes widened. "How know you my name, boy? We’ve never met!"

"Your crafted jade token betrayed you," Fang Lie smirked. "Mo Sect birthed refining techniques. Did you think blending styles could fool us? Amusing, this ‘teaching ancestors’ you attempted."

The captive inhaled sharply. "That token was flawless! How…"

Fang Lie merely chuckled, withholding secrets. As he reached for the man’s undergarments, Li Fanghe finally protested: "At least spare my dignity!"

"What need has a corpse for dignity?" Fang Lie sneered.

"You’ll not kill me," the prisoner countered confidently. "This capture aims reconciliation with Abbot Mountain!"

"Presumptuous worm!" Fang Lie scoffed. "Why reconcile?"

"Foolish child!" Li Fanghe hissed. "Your strength brought Mo Sect profit, but also deadly foes – Ghost Realm Sect, Ten-Thousand Gu Sect, Shi Shen, Zhu Xian, East Kunlun, Great Thunder Sound Temple, Ximen clan… All thirst for your destruction! Add Abbot Mountain’s wrath, and your sect becomes all realms’ enemy!"

The ancient fox’s words struck true. Fang Lie knew his actions multiplied Mo Sect’s enemies. Hence planning only extortion, not murder – a Thunder Tribulation Immortal’s death would ignite war.

Yet the youth showed no weakness. "You err gravely," he retorted coldly. "My Shadow Record Stone captured everything – your masked robbery attempt for Ten-thousand-year Phoenix Blood Lingzhi. Slaying a bandit needs no justification!"

Li Fanghe’s old face immediately flushed red. He forced a bitter smile and said, "Alright, let’s speak plainly! This was my mistake. I’ll compensate you. Let me go, and we’ll stay out of each other’s business from now on. Deal?"

"Hmph!" Fang Lie sneered. "You bribed a Mo Sect traitor with a Ninth-Rank lifespan spirit pill for treasure information. For over twenty years, you’ve ambushed and killed two to three hundred Cultivators, tarnishing Qingyu Island’s reputation. And you dare talk about compensation?"

"Well…" Li Fanghe froze momentarily before giving a strained smile. "What do you propose then?"

"I won’t negotiate with you!" Fang Lie grinned. "I’ll take this matter to your sect!"

"Wait!" Li Fanghe panicked. "Let’s settle this privately! No need to involve others!"

Banditry was considered deeply shameful. As an Elder of Abbot Mountain, having such deeds exposed would bring him utter disgrace and stain the sect’s honor. He’d operated in secrecy precisely to avoid this.

While his sect would protect him if informed, Li Fanghe knew he’d face harsh consequences afterward.

Seeing his reaction, Fang Lie immediately understood this was unauthorized work – a fatal weakness.

"Keeping Abbot Mountain in the dark is possible," Fang Lie chuckled, "depending on your cooperation."

Grabbing the captive, Fang Lie dragged him into the cabin while steering the Flying Boat back. Out of courtesy for the women present, he left Li Fanghe in shorts with a blanket covering him, leaving the man sprawled on the floor.

Meanwhile, Fang Lie merrily began dividing the loot with his two companions. Capturing a Thunder Tribulation Immortal meant claiming all his possessions – no small haul.

As a refining master and senior Thunder Tribulation Immortal from a major sect, Li Fanghe’s wealth was staggering. They found eight storage treasures immediately.

The two most-used containers held mountains of spirit stones, spirit pearls, low-grade Herbs, Minerals, spirit pills, and common supplies. Though valuable, these barely interested the trio, who roughly split them after a cursory count.

Next came a Herb Garden spanning tens of thousands of acres with sixth-grade spirit soil. While inferior to Seventh-Rank Ten-Thousand-Year Fields, its value remained astronomical. Filled with spirit herbs and pills centuries to millennia old – though lacking the supreme Ten-Thousand-Year Phoenix Blood Herb – it could trade for one or two Eighth-Rank Treasures.

The final storage treasures contained refining materials. One held sub-Seventh-Rank items, the other exclusively Eighth-Rank and above – thousands of materials painstakingly gathered over centuries.

The Mo Sect disciples’ eyes shone. Without discussion, they split the lower-grade items casually but meticulously divided every high-rank material into three equal portions.

Watching this, Li Fanghe’s heart shattered. "Leave me something! Just a scrap! Don’t take everything!"

Fang Lie kept dividing while scoffing, "Why fuss over trifles? Just rob more Juniors to restock."

"Exactly!" Mo Lanyun giggled. "Ill-gotten wealth comes easy – no need to mourn its loss!"

"Rubbish!" Li Fanghe wailed. "These were earned through honest trade! You’re stealing my life’s savings!"