Divine-level Base

Chapter 309 - 308: Negotiation

The moment Zhu Huan saw the Steel Beast appear, a chill of fear ran down his spine. He roared, "A terrifying monster that can manipulate steel! Shu Feng! Xingchen, you’ve defected to Shu Feng!"

"That’s right, Zhu Huan! You guessed correctly! I have pledged my loyalty to a great master! And I have you to thank for it! If you hadn’t sent me to assassinate my master and I hadn’t failed, I never would have submitted to him and seen the light!"

Hiding behind the Steel Beast, Xingchen smiled faintly, channeled his Spiritual Power, and fired three Starlight Beams directly at the Giant that Tuck had become.

Tuck’s expression changed drastically. He immediately crossed his arms in front of his head and deployed an incredibly powerful, earth-yellow Spiritual Membrane. A faint mirage of a mountain range materialized behind him.

This was the Mountain Spirit Shield Technique, a top-tier Spirit Shield Technique that Tuck had mastered. Once he activated his Spiritual Power, it allowed him to absorb the Power of Earth from the ground, causing the Defense Power of his Membrane of Spiritual Power to skyrocket.

The three Starlight Beams slammed into the earth-yellow Spiritual Membrane. The first beam shattered it instantly, the second obliterated Tuck’s arms, and the final one punched straight through his head.

Within ten meters, Tuck could have instantly killed Xingchen. But beyond that range, Tuck was the one to be annihilated. Such was the fighting style of Xingchen, the third-ranked member of the Assassin’s House.

Ripples shimmered in the sky, and one after another, Hundred-Colored Dragon Eagles emerged. In an instant, four hundred of them had appeared.

The four hundred Hundred-Colored Dragon Eagles opened their mouths, unleashing a rain of white Dragon Breath that blasted down toward Zhu Huan and the other Zhu Clan experts.

"This is bad!"

Great Mage Lei Xin’s expression changed drastically, and he tore apart an incredibly precious Magic Teleportation Scroll.

A mysterious flash of spatial light flared, and Lei Xin instantly vanished.

’A Spatial Teleportation Scroll? Looks like I’ll have to learn some Space Interference Magic, or maybe synthesize some Synthetic Beasts with that ability. Otherwise, these top Mages are just too hard to pin down.’

Watching this scene unfold while invisible, Shu Feng frowned slightly.

Spatial Teleportation Scrolls were extremely rare. Only Legendary Mages with mastery of Space Teleportation Spells could possibly create them. They could only be used by Mages, and each one was priceless—an ultimate life-saving tool.

On Blue Star, aside from the Seven Great Holy Spears, there were few Secret Treasures capable of interfering with Spatial Teleportation Scrolls. This made Mages who possessed them the most difficult targets to hunt down.

Under the terrifying, relentless bombardment of Dragon Breath, the fifty Zhu Ya experts were engulfed in flames one after another, their agonized screams filling the air as they were turned into human torches.

Sheng Xin, however, executed an incredibly strange Body Technique. Moving like a slippery fish, he weaved through the torrent of Dragon Breath and tried to flee.

BANG!

Three beams of Starlight shot directly toward Sheng Xin.

Sheng Xin twisted his body frantically in an attempt to dodge, but a beam of Starlight still slammed into his right arm, blowing it to pieces. The terrifying force of the impact sent him plummeting to the ground.

"No! Don’t kill me! I surrender! I am willing to serve Lord Shu Feng!"

The moment Sheng Xin hit the ground, his expression changed drastically, and he began to scream frantically. Although he was a Tributor for the Zhu Clan and enjoyed a life of luxury, he did not want to die. With his Spirit Venerable Realm cultivation, he could live a life of wealth and glory in any major faction.

Globes of Dragon Breath descended upon Sheng Xin. He quickly deployed a blue Spiritual Membrane, which formed a Turtle Shield to block the attack.

The globes of Dragon Breath struck the blue Spiritual Membrane with a series of sizzling sounds before immediately disintegrating.

Meanwhile, a golden Spirit Talisman appeared on Zhu Huan’s body. It emanated a terrifying Holy Might, and a Golden Protective Shield instantly formed around him.

The volleys of Dragon Breath slammed against the Golden Protective Shield, causing faint ripples to spread across its surface.

’A Half-Saint Spirit Talisman?’

Shu Feng stared at the Golden Barrier, his expression turning grave.

That golden Spirit Talisman had been created by a Half-Saint Level Talisman Master, who had poured a vast amount of Spiritual Power into it. It could project a portion of its creator’s power to protect a chosen individual.

A transparent figure emerged from behind Zhu Huan. It was none other than Zhu Guangsheng, the Patriarch of the Zhu Clan.

Zhu Guangsheng said slowly, "I am Zhu Guangsheng, Patriarch of the Zhu Clan. Patriarch Shu, please show yourself so we may speak."

"Patriarch Zhu, if you have something to say, then speak plainly."

Shu Feng appeared on the back of a Hundred-Colored Dragon Eagle, looking down at Zhu Guangsheng as he spoke with a detached air.

"The feud between my Zhu Clan and your Shu Family began with the death of Zhu Hao. I have had the matter thoroughly investigated. Zhu Hao was instigated by a man named Zhang Keji; that is why he made an enemy of you. Moreover, Zhu Hao himself died a tragic death at Zhang Keji’s hands."

"This man is malicious and has a mysterious background. After successfully sowing discord, he vanished without a trace. All records of his past have been erased. I suspect he is a spy planted among the Human Race by the leadership of the Void Demon Association, for the sole purpose of inciting us to kill one another."

"I don’t think our two families should be slaughtering each other over this, which would only play into the hands of the mastermind pulling the strings!"

"I ask you to do me this one courtesy: return Zhu Huan to me. What do you say we let this matter rest?"

Zhu Guangsheng said slowly, his hands clasped behind his back.

Shu Feng laughed coldly, his voice laced with ice. "Let the matter drop? Zhu Huan sent men to destroy my territory and then to assassinate me. If not for my good fortune, I’d be a corpse by now. And with a few careless words—’let this matter drop’—you expect me to forgive the man who tried to have me murdered? So the Zhu Clan’s honor is important, but the honor of my Yuanhai Shu Family is not?"

At this point, the conflict between the Zhu Clan and the Yuanhai Shu Family was like an arrow nocked on a bowstring; it had to be released. Whichever side took a step back would be seen as weak, and countless hungry wolves would immediately pounce, eager to feast on the loser’s flesh and blood.

Of course, Shu Feng’s Yuanhai Shu Family had already displayed terrifying power in this battle, enough to make others wary. However, Shu Feng’s enemies were the great powers of Blue Star. If he showed the slightest hint of weakness, many of those factions would pounce and tear him to shreds.

Shu Feng’s family, friends, and lover would all become targets for those powerful factions. Even if he had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t protect them all. Only by projecting an image of strength would he make those great powers hesitate, giving him the time he needed to grow.

"Patriarch Shu, if you insist on killing Zhu Huan, then there will be no room for reconciliation between our two families. How about this? You hand him over to me. Within a month, I will personally deliver his head to you!"

"Furthermore, the Zhu Clan is willing to privately compensate you with one hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones and offer a daughter’s hand in marriage. Our two families would be joined in alliance. What do you say to that?" said Zhu Guangsheng.