Chapter 378

Chapter 378: Is the Lord of the Sacred Forest Really This Shameless?

Is the moon-returning dragon dead?

Not only was he alive, but he was livelier than anyone else, having achieved his Holy Body and even brought back the woman he cherished most. He looked like the happiest person in the world.

Bing Yuyan and Gu Qianmu stood beside him, radiant and entirely unharmed.

And yet Zhang Yang had just announced, with a straight face, that they were all dead, and even demanded compensation.

Is this how the game is played now?

The four Holy Sons were utterly bewildered.

Prince Yan Chihuo looked just as confused.

Even the people from Zi Tian Pavilion; Wind Dragon, and Ji Shaolong were at a loss, never expecting such a bizarre turn.

Even Jin Liuli, known for her pride and fierceness, wondered if she’d misheard.

“You! You! You!” she stammered, so furious she could barely speak, pointing at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang replied casually, “What? I’m perfectly fine.”

Jin Liuli was truly on the brink of madness.

Lu Hengkong, Yun Tianhuang, and the other Holy Sons finally snapped out of their daze, all staring at Zhang Yang with peculiar expressions.

Yan Chihuo held his forehead, thinking back to Zhang Yang’s antics in Liu Town. He realized this youngest-ever Lord of the Sacred Forest was, without a doubt, a Con Artist, what a scam!

“One Crown Prince of a dynasty is dead, one Great Boundless of the Southern Region is gone, one top intelligence expert from the Western Desert is out, and the Lord of the Sacred Forest has been frightened into illness,” Zhang Yang said while shaking the Black Cloaked Strategist’s limp hand. “Look, he’s trembling. This definitely calls for compensation.”

Jin Liuli’s fury reached a boiling point. She nearly rushed forward to tear Zhang Yang apart.

This was bullying!

No one had actually died, what illness was he even talking about?

How could the proud princess of the Taixu Dynasty endure such humiliation and threats?

Everyone from the Taixu Dynasty within Zi Tian Pavilion ground their teeth in frustration, filled with hatred. They were used to bullying others, not being humiliated at their own doorstep.

“Oh, right,” Zhang Yang suddenly slapped his forehead, “I almost forgot! I’m the Lord of the Sacred Forest, the Lord of the Sacred Forest of the Vast Forest. As one of the great Lords, I represent the dignity of the sacred grounds. And to think I was frightened, never mind. Let’s just say I have a habit of trembling when I’m angry. Yes, that explanation works. The dignity of the Lord of the Sacred Forest must not be challenged!”

Jin Liuli felt a surge of blood rush to her throat. She nearly coughed it out.

Your dignity as the Lord of the Sacred Forest?!

Those few words were enough to kill.

The four Holy Sons stared in disbelief.

Was the Lord of the Sacred Forest really this shameless?

Wasn’t he supposed to be a symbol of sacred dignity?

Yan Chihuo muttered, “So you’re using your identity as the Lord of the Sacred Forest again… Show it when convenient, hide it when not. This is seriously troublesome. The Taixu Dynasty is going to cough up blood this time.”

At that moment, the prince of the Crimson Flame Dynasty came to a sobering realization:

When someone has no shame, they are invincible in this world.

Everyone understood what Zhang Yang was doing—it was an open ploy.

You scheme against me? I’ll respond with open manipulation, drive you mad, and extort you to the bone.

The worst part? You still have to bow your head and accept it.

Because that man… was the Black Cloaked Strategist.

A single man’s anger could shake the Western Desert. One person could stand against three hundred Saints. That wasn’t an exaggeration, it was a fact.

The existence of the Black Cloaked Strategist was what kept countless forces from acting recklessly against the Taixu Dynasty’s control of the Western Desert.

As for the invasion by more than eighty Saints into the Taixu Imperial Capital, did anyone truly believe they retreated just because Jin Xunxian, the Second Generation Ancestor, threatened them with the Immortal Gourd?

Absolutely not.

The Saints had many considerations. One of them, perhaps the most crucial, was the “mysterious” death of the Black Cloaked Strategist ten years ago.

His value was beyond measure.

Grinding her teeth in fury, Jin Liuli asked again, “What will it take for you to release the Strategist?”

"Ah, now you’re speaking properly," Zhang Yang replied. "Keeping such a useless person around serves me no purpose. But since he’s of value to your Taixu Dynasty, you’ll need to negotiate properly. Otherwise, if my hand slips out of anger, I might accidentally choke him to death."

Jin Liuli trembled with rage.

The four Holy Sons and the prince of the Crimson Flame Dynasty watched with great interest, clearly eager to see how things would unfold.

They weren’t just watching idly, they had all secretly communicated with Zhang Yang. Not out of goodwill, but to exploit this rare opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Taixu Dynasty through Zhang Yang’s hands.

It was a perfect chance, too perfect to pass up.

Through these exchanges, Zhang Yang learned many things he hadn’t known before. With that knowledge, he now understood how to negotiate effectively with Jin Liuli.

Jin Liuli slowly calmed herself. It was time to accept reality. Taking a deep breath to suppress the violent killing intent churning inside her, she said, “What do you want? Speak.”

Zhang Yang grinned and said teasingly, “I heard your Hunters’ Guild has a treasure called the Mother Bead, right? I quite like that one. So I’ll be taking it, please. Hmm, how benevolent I am, only asking for a sacred treasure.”

Jin Liuli, who had just cooled down, nearly exploded again.

Even Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths, silently pinching themselves to resist the urge to curse out loud.

Sacred treasure?

That was not just a sacred treasure, it was a national treasure, more valuable than even most holy artifacts.

This was the same Mother Bead lost by the Cold Moon Dynasty three hundred years ago.

And what was a national treasure?

It was said to have the power to suppress the fortune of a nation.

Though the claim’s validity was uncertain, it was firmly believed by the people of the Cold Moon Dynasty. Over time, it had become their spiritual symbol.

When they lost the Mother Bead, the dynasty suffered a massive blow in morale. Since then, it had steadily declined over the past three centuries.

If the Mother Bead were returned, it would be nothing short of a divine blessing for them.

And yet, Zhang Yang’s claim that he was being “benevolent” for only asking for that made everyone’s blood boil.

“Jin Liuli, hurry and thank me for my kind heart. I’m only asking for one sacred treasure as compensation,” Zhang Yang said with a teasing smile.

“You’re going too far!” Jin Liuli roared.

Her voice thundered through the air, infused with terrifying power that distorted the space around her.

In that exact moment, a shadowy figure suddenly charged at Zhang Yang.

The figure moved with blinding speed.

Most onlookers couldn’t even get a clear look at who it was.

Yan Chihuo, Lu Hengkong, Yun Tianhuang, and the others instinctively shouted, “Be careful!”

Their warning was genuine, they still wanted Zhang Yang to thoroughly punish Jin Liuli and bleed the Taixu Dynasty dry.

But no one had expected Jin Liuli, who had seemed so desperate, to be using her tantrum as a cover while secretly arranging for a rescue.

The attacker was clearly a natural-born assassin, too fast for ordinary eyes to follow.

Even Zhang Yang had to admit this one was faster than Wind Dragon.

Of course, the assassin’s cultivation was at the Small Boundless level.

Unfortunately for him, Zhang Yang had never let down his guard.

He understood the value of the Black Cloaked Strategist and had positioned himself between Yan Chihuo and the four Holy Sons, blocking any chance of being flanked from behind or the sides. They would unknowingly form a protective line behind him in moments like these.

All he had to do was watch the front.

As Jin Liuli screamed, the Mother Bead at Zhang Yang’s waist suddenly flared with light.

Buzz!

A powerful force surged outward, suppressing everything within a twenty-meter radius.

In an instant, the attacker’s speed dropped drastically as his cultivation was suppressed down to the second level of Opening the Sky.

Zhang Yang raised a brow in mild surprise, this guy really was quite the talent. A lesser cultivator would have been forced down to the first level.

The attacker resembled a thin monkey, but his face was twisted like a bloodthirsty executioner.

Bang!

Zhang Yang sidestepped the boundless sword strike with ease and grabbed the man by the neck, lifting him effortlessly.

Then, with a burst of his domineering Nine Extremes True Essence, he destroyed the man’s meridians, leaving him limp as a noodle.

Finally, someone in the crowd cried out.

“He’s Ye Wolf!”

“One of the top assassins among the thirty greatest talents of the Western Desert!”

Gasps rippled through the venue.

Zhang Yang now held the Black Cloaked Strategist’s neck in his right hand, and Ye Wolf’s neck in his left. His voice was cold and mocking.

“Jin Liuli, do you think I lack leverage? So you send me another useless pawn as a bargaining chip?”