"Fellow Daoist Xugeng, can you truly satisfy any condition?" Ying Wu asked tentatively.
"Of course."
Xugeng looked at Ying Wu expectantly, as though waiting for him to demand the lion's share.
He looked every inch a man of boundless wealth, afraid only that the benefits he offered might not be generous enough.
Ying Wu's eyes shifted slightly, settling on the Blood Skeleton Lord behind Xugeng.
"What if... I asked for his life?"
Ying Wu's condition was an obvious probe.
He wanted to know how far Xugeng would go for the Void Dragon Vine, and to "please" him.
Hearing this, Xugeng turned to look at the Blood Skeleton Lord standing behind him to one side.
The Blood Skeleton Lord instantly felt as though thorns were digging into his back, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Patriarch, you must not listen to this man's slander... He has had some disagreements with your subordinate before. He clearly wishes to use you to settle a personal grudge..."
Then he glared at Ying Wu and shouted harshly.
"Ying Wu, don't even think of sowing discord! I have always been utterly loyal to the Divine Blood Sect and the patriarch. How could the patriarch possibly, on the strength of a few words from you..."
"Oh?"
Xugeng's lips moved slightly, and his airy voice brought the Blood Skeleton Lord's bluster to an abrupt halt.
"So you offended Fellow Daoist Ying Wu before. Then I cannot let you live."
His voice grew noticeably colder as he spoke the final words.
A vast, overwhelming pressure erupted from his body.
Like mountains collapsing and seas surging, that pressure instantly engulfed the Blood Skeleton Lord.
"Pfft!"
As though struck by an ancient savage beast, the Blood Skeleton Lord spat out a great mouthful of blood and hurtled