Lu Qingxuan stared at He Zhentian, then glanced at Li Hongtian, Su Wen, and the others pinned to the ground. His face darkened further. After a moment's silence, he said cautiously, "He Zhentian, I suggest you hand some of the hostages over to us. Jiang Bei is no ordinary man. He held his own against Qin Xun and Gao Mu together and even made the Emperor Flame Seed choose him as its master. Do you think someone like that will be easy to control? If you keep all the hostages to yourself, you might not be able to hold him down when he comes out. If he rescues them instead, won't all three of our factions have worked for nothing?"
"Hahaha! You don't need to worry about that. If I, He Zhentian, dared to take hostages, I have a way to make Jiang Bei obey. However powerful he is, he's only at God-Annihilation Realm Minor Refinement. Do you think he can snatch them from Heavenly Eagle Fort? Palace Master Lu, you'd better look after your own people. Don't fail to seize the flame seed and lose your men in the bargain."
He Zhentian stood with his hands behind his back and threw back his head in laughter.
Lu Qingxuan's face darkened another shade, anger flashing through his eyes, but he said nothing more.
He flung his sleeve and strode beneath the Bronze Gate without a word.
The disciples of Profound Clarity Palace followed silently and spread into formation across the plain, sealing off the area so tightly that not even water could pass through.
Pinned to the ground, Su Wen struggled to turn his head. His lips trembled as he sent Li Hongtian a secret transmission. "Deputy Mansion Lord, what do we do? He Zhentian has taken us hostage, and