"Ocean Severing Wave Art, Duan! Qian! Kun!"
Gritting his teeth, he spat out the three words "Duan Qiankun" one by one from between clenched jaws.
One hand clutched his neck as blood continued to seep out uncontrollably.
Amid the brilliantly lit surroundings, an old man, ancient beyond measure and like a guttering candle in the wind, slowly emerged.
He reached out, and the azure Flying Sword landed in his hand.
Faintly, it seemed as if stormy waves were held within his grasp.
Looking up at the shocked and furious Mi Shuhua, Duan Qiankun gave a bitter smile. "Sorry, I promised someone I would act for him once."
"Someone? Who is this someone? Does he outweigh the friendship you and I have shared for a hundred years?"
Like an enraged demon beast, Mi Shuhua roared.
The next moment, howling winds rose from all around.
A familiar voice entered his ears.
"Fellow Daoist Mi, it has been a long time. I trust you have been well!"
Mi Shuhua looked at that smiling face. In the past, he too had greeted people with just such a smile.
"Elder Zhou!"
"I ask myself, when have I ever offended your Connecting Cloud Commerce Alliance? Even after the Mountain Shattering Gang won the Dao Discussion Stage match last time, I increased my cooperation with you. I even lowered the supply price by ten percent."
Elder Zhou sighed. "I was indeed very satisfied with your sincerity. Unfortunately, the other elders in the Merchant Alliance were not quite so satisfied. And besides..."
"Besides, a common man commits no crime, yet is punished for carrying jade!"
Another figure came walking over the waves beneath the night sky.
Wang Haichao's expression was solemn. "Hand over the Storage Ring you obtained in the Golden Core Remains, along with everything inside it!"