Joining Forces

"Brother Mi Nan, look at those Demonic Path Cultivators. They've collected so many Dragon Qi Crystal. Once their cultivation level increases, they'll truly be a nightmare for all living beings. For the sake of the world, why don't we take action and seize their Dragon Qi Crystal? It would be a small contribution to the world."

Deep within the Hundred Emperors Tomb' Mausoleum, dense spiritual energy materialized into tangible smoke. A monk, using the Fa Wu, spoke to Zhuge Xiang, his words about seizing others' Dragon Qi Crystal tinged with compassion and empathy. To the uninitiated, he would have been seen as acting out of a sense of duty to the world.

"Master Fa Wu is right. I dare not presume to do such Merit. Please, Master, make the first move." Upon hearing Fa Wu's words, Zhuge Xiang nodded in deep agreement and gestured to Fa Wu to make his move.

Slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting Zhu Gexing's answer, Fa Wu's face remained impassive. He shook his head, looking troubled, and said, "This won't do. The precepts for monks primarily prohibit greed and killing. Brother Mi Nan should handle it, and I will simply stand by and watch."

"Master, you're being too serious. As the Buddha said, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' For the sake of all living beings, please, Master, take action. Besides, the Buddha is merciful and knows that you are acting for the sake of all living beings. I believe even the Buddha wouldn't blame you." Shaking his head, Zhuge Xiang still insisted that the other party make the first move. When it came to Buddhist principles, he had quite a set of theories.

Looking intently at Zhuge Xiang, his words and actions made Fa Wu. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "In that case, how about we make our move together?"

"Alright then. Let's leave it at that." Zhuge Xiang nodded, agreeing with the suggestion.

Clearly, Zhuge Xiang knew that the other party had begun to suspect him, and naturally, Zhuge Xiang remained vigilant.

Both sides harbored their own ulterior motives and attacked simultaneously. Fa Wu's cultivation was not weak, reaching the Divine Ability Stage Fifth Layer. Of course, Zhuge Xiang, at the Spell Control Stage Fourth Layer, was even more powerful, nearly a whole realm stronger than Fa Wu. The two joined forces and quickly killed several Demonic Path Cultivators who had just entered the Divine Ability Stage.

"Brother Mi Nan, look, what a huge Dragon Qi Crystal..." Just as they were collecting the Dragon Qi Crystal from these Demonic Path Cultivators, Fa Wu suddenly pointed to a Dragon Qi Crystal the size of an infant's fist and shouted loudly, his voice suddenly rising considerably.

Within the heart of the Hundred Emperors Tomb' Mausoleum, most of the Dragon Qi Crystal are granular, with only a few larger ones, about the size of a thumb or a longan, being collected. Dragon Qi Crystal the size of an infant's fist is naturally astonishing.

Zhuge Xiang looked in the direction Fa Wu was pointing, and sure enough, there was a huge Dragon Qi Crystal on the ground. Among those Dragon Qi Crystal that were only the size of a dragon's eye, it stood out like a crane among chickens.

Seeing Zhuge Xiang drawn to the enormous Dragon Qi Crystal, a cold glint flashed in Fa Wu's eyes. Then, a pair of gauntlets made of some unknown metal, radiating a hazy, precious light, appeared in his hands. He threw a punch with the power to shatter mountains and rivers, slamming it down fiercely towards Zhuge Xiang. Clearly, this punch was extraordinary.

However, just as his fist was about to land on Zhuge Xiang 'Zhuge Xiang back and injure him, suddenly, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he twisted his wrist and blocked the attack with the Mad Dragon Sword at an incredible angle.

The fist slammed into the Mad Dragon Sword, but Zhuge Xiang blocked it with a clang, sparks flying everywhere.

"Damn it..." Seeing that his sneak attack had been easily neutralized by his opponent, Fa Wu's expression changed drastically. He dared not continue to attack, withdrew his fist, turned around and fled. Dense Demonic Qi emanated from his body. With his sneak attack blocked, there was clearly no need for him to continue pretending.

"What, you want to leave now? Don't you want to say goodbye?" However, just as Fa Wu turned around and fled for his life, less than two breaths later, a cold touch appeared on his neck, and at the same time, Zhuge Xiang's voice rang out softly.

The Mad Dragon Sword was pressed against the other man's neck, and the icy aura of its blade made him stiffen, afraid to make the slightest excessive movement.

"Judging from his appearance, he seems to be Demonic Path Cultivator," Zhuge Xiang said calmly as he saw Fa Wu put away his cassock and exude an evil demonic aura. He did not rush to strike with his Mad Dragon Sword.

"Hmph, today I, Mo Wentian, am Bad Luck. I've been a wild goose all day, and now I've been pecked in the eye by one. Since you've seen through my disguise, do with me as you please." Hearing Zhuge Xiang's calm tone, although the threat of death instinctively instilled fear in Human Heart, this Fa Wu —no, he should be called Mo Wentian —raised his head defiantly, with the expression of a fearless hero.

"Really? You're not afraid of death? Let me test your neck; see if it's as hard as your mouth."

Zhuge Xiang pressed down on the Mad Dragon Sword in his hand. Its extremely sharp blade could easily cut through even steel, let alone flesh and blood. A sharp pain shot through him, and a Scarlet line of blood instantly appeared on Mo Wentian's neck, with drops of blood oozing out.

"No, please don't kill me! I was just pretending to be calm, hero, spare my life..." Mo Wentian had just been acting as if he was ready to die, but Zhuge Xiang's sword had barely pressed down half an inch when he instantly knelt on the ground, pleading for mercy with an exaggerated expression.

"I thought you were really fearless, but it turns out you were just pretending," Zhuge Xiang chuckled softly, looking at Mo Wentian's expression.

"Yes, yes, yes, I was just pretending. I never expected that you, hero, would be so insightful and see through my petty and ugly scheme. Someone as powerful and righteous as you would obviously disdain killing an insignificant nobody like me. Please, hero, don't stoop to my level and let me go. Heavenly Dragon Temple is a large Buddhist Path and Daoist Large Sect. Since you are a lay disciple of Heavenly Dragon Temple, you should understand the principle that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda."

Kneeling on the ground, Mo Wentian burst into tears, rambling on and on, almost unable to stop. His exaggerated manner was completely different from the demeanor of the enlightened monk he had just disguised Fa Wu.

"You're quite sensible..." Zhuge Xiang smiled as he looked at Mo Wentian. As he spoke, he slowly withdrew the Mad Dragon Sword that had been pressing against Mo Wentian's neck. Clearly, Zhuge Xiang did not intend to kill Mo Wentian directly.

Feeling the sword that had been hanging over his neck finally being removed, Mo Wentian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Mo Wentian, before he could fully relax, suddenly, a powerful and terrifyingly dense evil Demonic Qi erupted behind him. The terrifying Demonic Qi was like a hurricane, and under its Demonic Qi, Mo Wentian felt that he could barely stand.

"What is this aura?" Mo Wentian pupils shrinking slightly. Sure enough, behind him, Zhuge Xiang, who had originally exuded the most powerful and masculine Buddhist Power, underwent a dramatic change in temperament. Rolling Demonic Qi burst forth, making him look like a ferocious demon crawling out of the Nine Netherworlds.

"You... you..." Pointing at Zhuge Xiang, and feeling the Demonic Qi he was emanating, Mo Wentian was speechless for Mo Wentian, but his expression was very complicated, with surprise, horror, and of course, even more amazement and realization.

"That's right, just like you, I am also Demonic Path Cultivator," Zhuge Xiang said with a smile, nodding seriously as he looked at Mo Wentian's horrified eyes.

"No wonder," Zhuge Xiang's reply made Mo Wentian realize that his disguise had been easily detected. It turned out that this guy was just like him, a Demonic Path Cultivator in disguise. Naturally, he wouldn't trust him.

"I must say, your idea is very novel, but the effect is undeniable. Such a disguise can indeed easily seize the Dragon Qi Crystal of those Buddhist Sect and even Righteous Path Cultivator," Zhuge Xiang said admiringly, looking at Mo Wentian. Although his cultivation was not as good as his own, Zhuge Xiang still affirmed his idea.

"How about it? How about the two of us join forces? As Buddhist Sect Cultivator, we're more likely to gain the trust of others. We'll split the Dragon Qi Crystal we collect 30/70," Zhuge Xiang said, looking at Mo Wentian with appreciation.

With his cultivation at the Divine Ability Stage Fifth Layer, and with his disguise aiding him, gaining the trust of other Righteous Path Cultivator and Buddhist Sect disciples in the Hundred Emperors Tomb would be much easier. In a 30/70 split, Mo Wuyan was qualified to receive his 30%.

"30/70 split? Can you raise it a bit more?" Mo Wuyan asked cautiously after hearing Zhuge Xiang's words, his tone pleading. He had already agreed to the 30/70 split in his mind, but seeing how generous Zhuge Xiang was, he wanted to try and get more.

"Alright," to Mo Wuyan's surprise, Zhuge Xiang actually nodded in agreement. Mo Wuyan's face lit up with joy. However, what Zhuge Xiang said next froze the joy on his face.

"As you wish, then it'll be 20/80, you take 20% and I'll take 70%. It's rare that you're thinking of me and asking me to give you a raise," Zhuge Xiang nodded, looking serious as he spoke earnestly.

"No, that's not what I meant. What I meant was..." Hearing Zhuge Xiang's words, clearly having misunderstood him, Mo Wentian hurriedly tried to explain.

"Oh? You mean, you want to go for 19?" Before Mo Wentian could finish speaking, Zhuge Xiang interrupted him, looking at Mo Wentian seriously.

"..." Now, Mo Wentian understood Zhuge Xiang's meaning perfectly well, and dared not dwell on the matter any longer. He quickly changed his tone and said seriously, "No need. 28 it is, really, there's no need to raise it any further."

Mo Wentian's face was righteous and indignant, but in his heart, he felt like crying. If he had known this guy was so difficult and unreasonable, he would have just agreed when he proposed the 37% deal. Why was he being so greedy? (To be continued...)

P. S.: A group of brothers I've known since childhood spent the whole day together, and even went to karaoke tonight. I wasn't supposed to have time to update today, but I thought I'd never missed an update before, and I'd feel really bad about missing one today. So, while I was at karaoke, I secretly found an internet connection and wrote this chapter. I still owe one more chapter, which I'll make up for tomorrow. Okay, I'm heading back now. My brothers called several times to ask where I was~~