"Fellow Daoists, wait! Let's talk!" Cold sweat dripped down Daoist Hun's forehead. He knew that if they continued fighting, they wouldn't win.
"Master, this boy is also one of those who made the move," Xuanlong reminded him.
"Hmm, let's see how this guy wants to negotiate."
Xiao Tian gazed at Daoist Hun and smiled, "Sir, what is your name?"
" Daoist Hun of Lishan, my master Dao Lord of Mount Li."
"Do you know each other?" Xiao Tian asked, looking at Xuanlong and the Big Black Bull.
"What? I've never even heard of that in Dazang." Big Black Bull said with a disdainful expression.
"Master, I've never heard of it either," Xuanlong said honestly.
This silenced Tianxuzi Biyou, who were about to speak up to explain.
Daoist Hun didn't seem embarrassed at all, and smiled, "Fellow Daoists, there was a lot of misunderstanding before."
"What misunderstanding? You're kidding me! Stop talking nonsense. If you don't want to fight, then pay compensation!" Xiao Tian said, looking annoyed.
Daoist Hun's face stiffened. Upon hearing the word "compensation," he knew things were going badly; it was clear he was going to be ripped off.
"Um... Your Excellency, what about this compensation?"
"Kid, you're pretty savvy. The compensation should start with mental anguish damage, medical expenses, energy replenishment costs, and damage to the magical artifacts. As for me alone, let's talk this over!"
Daoist Hun and the others were horrified; it was clear that this was going to be a thorough and ruthless extortion!
"One person does the deed, one person takes the blame! I was one of the people who participated. The compensation you mentioned is ambiguous. This is all I have: what I obtained from the previous spiritual energy vortex eruption, what I acquired at Mount Tai, and some of my collection accumulated over the years. I wonder if this satisfies you?"
Xiao Tian checked and found that the Daoist Hun was fairly well-off.
"Alright, we won't bother you anymore. You can choose to leave, or you can choose to stay and continue searching for the treasure," Xiao Tian said to Daoist Hun.
Upon hearing this, Daoist Hun felt a complex mix of emotions.
It's a pity to lose the treasure, but for now, we've gained a chance to survive!
He clearly understood that if war broke out, even if he didn't die, he would be crippled. A powerful figure of his caliber would definitely be targeted and attacked.
Thank you, sir.
"Kid, you're smart to know your place." Big Black Bull glared at Master Daoist Hun.
Seeing this, Dao Lord Longxin smiled bitterly to himself. Without Daoist Hun's powerful assistance, it would obviously be even more difficult to continue fighting.
"Gentlemen, this is my personal fortune."
Xiao Tian told the Big Black Bull to keep it.
"Wow, a lot of stuff. You've brought out everything you got from the spiritual energy vortex. Old man, you're quite sensible." The Big Black Bull was somewhat satisfied; there was plenty of food in there.
"Since Brother Niu is satisfied, then you, old man, and Daoist Hun, can choose freely."
"Thank you all." Dao Lord Longxin sighed inwardly and went to the side.
The two bigwigs had no choice but to pay compensation, and the others had no choice but to continue. As one by one, the Evolver paid their compensation, they completely lost any thought of resistance.
"The ten who made the move have all paid their fees. The rest of you, come on over. Don't think you're safe now. I know you're all in cahoots," Xiao Tian sneered.
"Why should we?! We didn't even lift a finger!" one of them shouted angrily.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" The powerful figure who paid the fee had an icy expression and was extremely displeased.
Why should those people be exempt from punishment just because they paid the fees?
Xiao Tian yawned and said to the Big Black Bull, " Brother Niu, this is really interesting."
"Hahaha... that's very interesting. Hopefully, the compensation these people receive won't disappoint us."
"Clearly, these people aren't very capable, and they might really disappoint us!" Xiao Tian said, pursing his lips.
In the end, the remaining Evolver from the Free Carefree Realm paid the fees, and the compensation did indeed leave Big Black Bull and Xiao Tian dissatisfied.
"Oh right, I almost forgot, there's another kid hiding!"
Xiao Tian turned his gaze to a deep pit.
"What's the use of hiding? Do you think you can escape? You'd better come out quickly, or don't force me to take action!" Big Black Bull sneered.
Hiding in the deep pit was none other than the Black Peng King, who was somewhat bewildered at the moment.
Black Peng King hadn't expected things to develop this way; clearly, he could no longer maintain this identity.
"Compensation! What the hell! How could I possibly have that!"
As the Black Peng King failed to appear, the Big Black Bull lost patience.
"Kid, looks like you don't want to see the moon tonight! In that case, I'll send you down there so you'll never see it again!"
The Big Black Bull transformed into a beam of light and sped away, arriving at the deep pit.
Inside the deep pit, the Black Peng King's face was ashen.
"You want me to pay compensation? I've never been treated like that before!"
Black Peng King stopped pretending and stopped holding back.
A terrifying burst of black energy erupted, and a terrifying pressure swept across the area, distorting the space around it, accompanied by thunderous roars.
"What?" The Big Black Bull was shocked and subconsciously unleashed its full power.
" Brother Niu! Be careful!" Xiao Tian kept his eyes on the Black Peng King. Since the Black Peng King was no longer hiding his abilities, he would no longer hide his Visualization Realm level either.
Clang!
A dazzling sword light flashed, blinding everyone present. They felt as if they had lost all senses. When they recovered and turned their heads, they saw a terrifying ravine below the Big Black Bull, still emitting purple-gold flames.
"Damn it! This guy is actually at the Visualization Realm! Not human! I almost got tricked!" The Big Black Bull was furious.
The words of the Big Black Bull sent chills down the spines of Dao Lord Longxin, Daoist Hun, and the others, leaving them utterly shocked.
Daoist Hun couldn't even imagine what it was like.
"That fellow Daoist is actually at the Visualization Realm! And not even human!" Daoist Hun thought of how he had given the clothes to the other party earlier, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"This guy really is at the Visualization Realm!" Dao Lord Longxin stared at Xiao Tian, and the regret and resentment he felt about the loss of the treasure completely disappeared.
"We actually had the audacity to unite against them! A mere Visualization Realm is enough to annihilate us! No wonder the powerful figures, Biyou Palace Master Eight Sceneries Palace, are willing to play second fiddle."
" Brother Niu, are you alright?"
"It's alright, thank goodness you acted quickly, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. I'd like to live a few more days and eat more of your roasted meat."
"Harmful!"
Xiao Tian returned to Xuanlong, glanced at Dao Lord Longxin, Daoist Hun, and the others, and smiled, "Everyone, were you scared?"
The smiles of Dao Lord Longxin and the others were extremely forced.
"Alright everyone, the farce is over! You've all paid your compensation, thank you for your cooperation. As long as you don't do anything reckless, we won't make things difficult for you anymore," Xiao Tian said with a smile.
To Dao Lord Longxin, that smile was as terrifying as a demon.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, we will certainly not antagonize you from now on." The Daoist Hun's smile was rather forced.
They wouldn't dare cause any trouble now; that was Visualization Realm! They hadn't even seen clearly what the previous sword strike had done, as it had temporarily deprived them of their sight and hearing.
Daoist Hun was unwilling to leave so easily and planned to stay and collect some treasures to make up for his losses.
After Xiao Tian unleashed his Visualization Realm power, the situation within the spiritual energy vortex became somewhat comical.
Dao Lord Longxin and the others showed no intention of snatching the treasure and were extremely courteous, which made Xiao Tian feel rather embarrassed.
The Black Peng King, who had fled far away, looked very grim; it had underestimated the protagonist of the Primordial Hongmeng Plan.
"This kid is quite strong. He's only just entered the Visualization Realm and he's already this powerful. If he's given more time, he'll be even stronger! I need to speed up my plans! I must quickly transform into a demon and strengthen myself! I must defeat that bastard with absolute power!"
Black Peng King clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming.
The vortex of spiritual energy was still erupting, but its momentum was waning. In the end, the remaining energy was not only worthless but also a waste of time, which pleased many Evolver.
"What the hell! Bro, this vortex hasn't spewed anything out for ages, should we just blow it up!"
"Wait for the next wave. If that doesn't work, Brother Niu, you go and blast it."
Xiao Tian wasn't sure if that thing would be able to spit out anything good next.
After a long while, a new wave erupted!
This time, although it wasn't a complete waste, the spiritual energy level was even worse than before, with only a few spirit stones of average purity being thrown out.
"Brother, shall we smash it?" Big Black Bull couldn't take it anymore.
Dao Lord Longxin and the others were overjoyed, their inner wounds finding immense comfort.
"Fellow Daoists, it seems this vortex of spiritual energy has reached its limit."
Big Black Bull snorted coldly, clearly displeased.
" Brother Niu, smash it!"
The Big Black Bull took to the air, but instead of approaching the vortex of spiritual energy directly, it raised its arms and did something unusual.
"Is this about to unleash a wave?" Xiao Tian asked in surprise.
" Demon King's Soul-Shattering Wave!"
Xiao Tian exclaimed, "Wow!"
The powerful shockwave that erupted from Big Black Bull's hands instantly slammed into the spiritual energy vortex, which then began to devour energy like a black hole.
Big Black Bull's attack lasted a full two minutes!
The vortex of spiritual energy gradually contracted. Xiao Tian frowned, secretly sighing that this guy really had a big appetite.
" Brother Niu, let me help you!"
The Adamantine Staff sword, appeared. As Xiao Tian poured in his energy, it unleashed a continuous barrage of light waves that crashed into the vortex of spiritual energy.
Soon, the vortex of spiritual energy began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"This is bad, what if it explodes?" one of the Evolver from the Carefree Realm asked doubtfully.
"Everyone be careful, stay back," Daoist Hun whispered a reminder.
Seeing how powerfully the spiritual energy vortex was absorbing energy, the Big Black Bull said somewhat unhappily, "Brother, what's going on with this thing? Is it going to devour all the energy in our bodies?!"
"It's hard to say. It depends on the situation. Brother Niu, if you can't hold on, you should leave in time. Don't push yourself too hard."
"Hahaha! Don't underestimate me, brother. This is nothing. I've only used up half of my energy."
"Hehehe... Brother Niu, well done!"