A Turtle in a Jar, Settling Old Scores

The atmosphere in the sky abruptly froze.

Xie Miaojiang and Du Yunhe stared at Luo Wuya and Lin Jingshen, who had descended like divine soldiers from the heavens. Then they glanced at Qiu Qianchen below, brutally suppressed and utterly miserable. The color instantly drained from both their faces, leaving only boundless horror and disbelief.

"You... you..." Xie Miaojiang's voice was dry. Even the poisonous mist around him churned violently from the shock to his mind, thinning considerably. "Luo Wuya! Lin Jingshen! You clearly returned to your sects, so why are you here?! Going back on your word and lying in ambush—so this is how your righteous sects conduct yourselves?!" he roared fiercely despite his inner weakness, trying to seize the moral high ground, though even he knew how ridiculous that was.

"Lying in ambush?" Lin Jingshen's lips curved in a cold, mocking smile. His blade-sharp gaze swept over Xie Miaojiang. "Compared to you returning after leaving, joining forces to launch a sneak attack, and even intending to slaughter an entire city, we merely anticipated the enemy's moves and waited a while. Xie Miaojiang, at this point, do you still think such clumsy words can absolve you?"

Luo Wuya's gaze passed over Xie Miaojiang like two icy stars and locked firmly onto Du Yunhe, whose expression kept shifting. That gaze contained not only the stern killing intent of the present, but also a bone-deep chill that had accumulated over countless years.

"Du Yunhe." Luo Wuya's voice was calm, yet cold enough to freeze one's soul. "It has... been a long time. I thought you would spend the rest of your life hiding like a turtle in that stinking ditch called Haidong City in the south. I never expected you to dare set foot in the east, much less involve yourself in such an inhuman affair."

The instant Luo Wuya's gaze fell upon him, Du Yunhe's body trembled almost imperceptibly. At those words, the muscles in his face twitched, and undisguised fear and venom flashed through his eyes. That humiliating past, buried deep in his heart and never to be remembered, surged into his mind at once.

Several centuries ago, while traveling across the continent, he had relied on his cultivation and background to act wantonly. By chance, he encountered Luo Wuya's younger sister, who was still young and peerlessly beautiful at the time. Lust overtook him, and he attempted to force himself upon her... Had Luo Wuya not arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable. Enraged, Luo Wuya fought him to the death. Even then, he had been no match for Luo Wuya and was beaten to the brink of death. He fled like a stray dog, barely preserving his life through a bit of luck and a few life-saving trump cards. Afterward, Luo Wuya pursued him into the south, but that was Sea Whale Gang territory. Fighting on hostile ground carried enormous risks and might have sparked a massive conflict between the eastern and southern powers, so he had ultimately been forced to abandon the pursuit.

This grudge had always been a thorn in Du Yunhe's heart, and it was also why he had rarely set foot in the east for so many years. He had thought time would wash it away, but he never imagined that he would cross paths with Luo Wuya here, under such circumstances!

Damn it! Damn it! Why did I have to fall into his hands?! Du Yunhe screamed inwardly, regretting it so bitterly that his guts turned green. What divine artifacts? What benefits? All of it now felt impossibly distant. His only thought was how to escape this certain death! I was no match for him back then. Now his aura is even deeper and more vast—he may not be far from becoming a Third-Tier Deity... Fighting head-on means certain death! I have to pay a price, as long as I can stay alive...

"Luo... Brother Luo," Du Yunhe forced out a smile uglier than tears, his tone humbler than ever before. "What happened back then was the mistake of a hot-blooded young man. I committed a grave wrong! All these years, I have carried deep guilt... As for today, it was all because Qiu Qianchen and Xie Miaojiang, those two petty men, deceived me with promises of great profit. In a moment of foolishness, I... I came to aid them. As long as Brother Luo and the rest of you fellow cultivators will show mercy and let me leave, I, Du Yunhe, am willing to pay any price! The Ten-Thousand-Year Sea Soul Marrow and Water-Repelling Divine Pearl treasured by my Sea Whale Gang... whatever I possess, you may choose as you please! I only beg for a chance to live!"

Without hesitation, he pushed all responsibility onto Qiu Qianchen and Xie Miaojiang. To survive, he lowered himself to the utmost degree, completely unlike his earlier arrogant and greedy self.

"Du Yunhe! You—" Xie Miaojiang was so enraged he nearly spat out blood. He had not expected this old bastard to be so shameless, selling them out in the blink of an eye.

Yet Luo Wuya's expression did not change in the slightest. There was only cold killing intent in his eyes. "Guilt? If you truly felt guilty, you should not have come today. Setting foot in the east, participating in a divine battle, and seeking to commit an atrocity—was this how you intended to atone?" He slowly raised the Astral Staff in his hand. The Astral Gem at its tip began gathering heart-palpitating radiance once more. "As for the price... your life is the best price."

Lin Jingshen snorted coldly as well. "There is no use wasting words on such despicable people. Since you dared to come, you must be prepared to stay!"

Dongyue Xian held the Heavenly Heart Ring, its emerald radiance fixed on Xie Miaojiang. He sneered. "Xie Miaojiang, it seems your ally is not very reliable."

Li Yunming said nothing, but the golden radiance surging from the Sky-Piercing Divine Spear had already made his stance clear—blood debts had to be repaid in blood!

Without needing to speak, the four deities understood one another. As their figures flashed, they formed a perfect encirclement, trapping Xie Miaojiang and Du Yunhe firmly at its center. Surging divine power intertwined into an invisible net, sealing off every possible route of escape.

Qiu Qianchen had already been taken down. Next came the reckoning for Du Yunhe and Xie Miaojiang!

Feeling the four undisguised, frigid killing intents around them, along with the suffocating pressure, Xie Miaojiang and Du Yunhe's hearts sank completely into a bottomless abyss.

A flash of desperate madness crossed Xie Miaojiang's eyes. The poisonous mist around him churned fiercely again like a dying beast's final struggle. "Fine, fine, fine! Since you refuse to leave us a way to live, then we'll fight until both fish and net are destroyed!"

Du Yunhe's face had gone deathly pale, and his eyes flickered as he continued frantically searching for a way out. But looking at Luo Wuya's icy gaze, which allowed no room for compromise, he knew begging was useless. Today, he would likely truly fall here!

Four deities versus two deities!

A siege battle that seemed to hold no suspense, yet was destined to be even more brutal, was about to erupt! Above Heavenly Phoenix City, the atmosphere, which had only just eased somewhat, was once again shrouded in killing intent too thick to disperse. Everyone held their breath, awaiting the final conclusion of this God Rank judgment.