C3 Death Monarch
"Little Grappling Hand?"
As it turned out, Su Li's concerns were somewhat superfluous.
In the presence of so many witnesses, particularly under the uncertainty of whether Su Li was a renegade disciple, Yang Qian dared not deploy his ace in the hole.
Yang Qian resorted to a peak first-grade battle skill, the Little Grappling Hand.
Though the Little Grappling Hand was indeed a battle skill, its purpose wasn't to slay foes but to pilfer items.
Yang Qian's reasoning was straightforward.
If Su Li were truly a renegade disciple, then Su Li's cultivation level would undoubtedly fall below that of the Oceanic Wheel.
In that scenario.
His Little Grappling Hand would be nearly infallible; Su Li wouldn't stand a chance at evading it.
Moreover.
To better gauge Su Li's abilities.
During the execution of the Little Grappling Hand, Yang Qian subtly concentrated his Genuine Qi into the middle finger of his right hand.
Should he manage to seize the cultivation technique successfully, he planned to teach Su Li a harsh lesson, showing him the consequences of deceit!
"What a vicious intent."
Did Yang Qian really think his subtle maneuver would go unnoticed by Su Li?
"Great Grappling Hand!"
Su Li's right hand curled slightly as he instantly unleashed the Great Grappling Hand!
While the Little Grappling Hand was a peak first-grade battle skill, the Great Grappling Hand was an early second-grade battle skill!
In comparison.
The Great Grappling Hand had a deadly suppressive effect on the Little Grappling Hand!
Su Li didn't just employ the Great Grappling Hand; he also channeled all the Genuine Qi in his body to his fingertip, launching a direct assault on Yang Qian's palm.
Bang!
The next moment.
Su Li's palm inevitably collided with Yang Qian's.
Upon impact.
It appeared that Yang Qian had the upper hand.
But as the one directly involved, Yang Qian was acutely aware.
He was being utterly overpowered by Su Li!
And.
The Genuine Qi he had amassed in his right middle finger began to surge into Su Li's body!
The Devouring Technique!
Almost instantly.
Yang Qian concluded that Su Li was set to devour the technique!
"Damn it!"
Cursing under his breath, Yang Qian attempted to forcibly withdraw his palm.
Crack!
Naturally, Su Li wasn't about to completely sever ties with Yang Qian at this moment.
He forcefully channeled a surge of energy into Yang Qian's middle finger before deliberately retracting his own hand.
"What a shame."
Su Li wasn't one to passively endure bullying.
The energy he injected into Yang Qian's middle finger served as a minor reprimand.
"I won't be greedy. I'll take ten Spirit Fortifying Pills, five Origin Cultivating Pills, and three Celestial River Demonic Beast cores."
Su Li didn't dally.
He aimed to advance his cultivation to the Oceanic Wheel realm before Yang Qian could fully retaliate.
Hiss!
At his words...
The entire banquet hall gasped in astonishment.
Trading these resources for the fourth-rank battle technique, Streamcloud Sword Technique, seemed neither a loss nor a bargain.
Both the Spirit Fortifying Pills and Origin Cultivating Pills were top-tier third-level elixirs.
Celestial River beasts were also third-level demonic creatures.
Swish!
Suddenly.
All eyes converged on three figures.
Yang Qian, Crown Prince of the Mollukya Empire; Xie Yan, Deputy Pavilion Master of the Coldhammers; and Mo Wentian, the Mo Family's steward.
These were the only factions that could afford the Streamcloud Sword Technique.
As Su Li concluded,
Mo Wentian subtly shook his head at Yang Qian, hinting that the price was somewhat steep.
Previously,
Mo Wentian would have unhesitatingly bid for the Streamcloud Sword Technique.
It was, after all, a fourth-level battle skill.
But now,
Aware of Su Li's dire straits, Mo Wentian had no intention of buying it and would not allow Yang Qian to either.
Conveniently,
He would have Xie Yan purchase the battle skill on behalf of the Coldhammers.
In doing so, once they received word from the Trembleglades, they could also seize the pills from the Su Family.
Killing two birds with one stone.
They could annihilate the Su Family and simultaneously weaken the Coldhammers' power. Why not seize the opportunity?
"Fine!"
Yang Qian's fists tightened.
Hiss!
The searing pain in his right middle finger caused him to sharply inhale.
With the situation as it was...
Whether or not Su Li was affiliated with the Trembleglades, he and Su Li were now adversaries.
Regardless of whether Su Li was a castaway from the Trembleglades or not, he and Su Li had become sworn enemies! He refrained from lashing out only because he was waiting for concrete information. Once he received confirmation, he would waste no time in annihilating the Su family!
Su Hai, Su Li's father, was merely at the early stage of the Oceanic Wheel Realm. With their strength, both Mo Wentian and Xie Yan could easily take him down.
On Xie Yan's end, he was somewhat perplexed when he noticed that neither Yang Qian nor Mo Wentian placed a bid. A Rank Four Battle Technique was invaluable and irresistibly tempting for powers like theirs. After pondering for a moment, Xie Yan simply shook his head, deciding to confront the issue when necessary. His priority was to secure the cultivation method for the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. He wasn't interested in the hidden agenda of Yang Qian and Mo Wentian.
"Young Hero Su, our Coldhammers will take the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. Unfortunately, we were in a bit of a rush this time and only brought three Fortifying Pills, one Origin Cultivating Pill, and a demonic beast's inner core from the early stage of the Celestial River Realm," Xie Yan said as he rose and respectfully gestured to Su Li. "Could you possibly give me one day to gather the remaining pills and cores?"
"No problem," Su Li replied with a nod.
With the Fortifying Pills and demonic beast cores provided by Yang Qian, Su Li now had a total of four Fortifying Pills, one Origin Cultivating Pill, and two Celestial River Realm demonic beast cores. These resources were more than sufficient for his attempt to advance to the Oceanic Wheel Realm!
"Thank you," Xie Yan said, his face brightening as he quickly retrieved two golden boxes and handed them to Su Li. After saying goodbye to Yang Qian, he immediately set out to arrange for the collection of the remaining pills and cores.
"Farewell!" After Xie Yan departed, Yang Qian and Mo Wentian rose and left the Su residence with grim expressions.
As Yang Qian and Mo Wentian left, it seemed to set a precedent, and the remaining guests quickly followed suit.
"Ah, Li, you've really managed to offend the crown prince with your actions," Su Hai said to Su Li, his face showing a mix of concern and resignation.
Su Hai watched Su Li with a complex expression, sighing softly.
Apart from Su Hai, the Su Family elders all wore looks of confusion. They had believed that the Su Family would rise to great heights by leveraging the crown prince. Little did they expect that shortly after Su Li's return, he would sever ties with the crown prince.
"It's of no consequence. Even if I hadn't offended the crown prince, he would have found a reason to offend me," Su Li said dismissively. "I'm going into seclusion now. Without my permission, no one is to set foot in my room. Father, if the Su Family is attacked tomorrow, your task is to fall back. Do not engage the enemy; wait for my return from seclusion before taking any action."
With that, Su Li moved towards his room, taking with him the Fortifying Pills and Revitalizing Pills.
Simultaneously, in a secret room in Suuton City, Yang Qian smashed a teacup on the table, his voice icy, "This is outrageous! Su Li has crossed the line!"
"Why should the crown prince be so upset?" Mo Wentian, sitting across from him, lifted his teacup for a sip, his smile faint. "Su Li and the Su Family are like grasshoppers after autumn; their days are numbered."
"Are you certain that Su Li is a castaway from the Trembleglades?" Yang Qian asked, regaining his composure.
He stared at Mo Wentian, his voice grave, "You realize if this turns out to be false, we'll both be in deep trouble."
"Absolutely certain," Mo Wentian affirmed with a nod. "A month ago, Su Li's cultivation began to decline, from the late stage of the Oceanic Wheel to the early stage. Recently, he's fallen to the Body Tempering Realm. Moreover, I've received reliable information that Su Li was expelled from the Trembleglades for attempting to violate Shen Qiang's daughter, Shen Ning."
At these words, Yang Qian slapped his thighs, exclaiming, "Excellent! Just excellent!"
He then turned to the man beside him, his voice chilling, "Lin Xiong, you're at the early stage of the Oceanic Wheel. Tonight, find a way to test the Su Family and see if Su Li is merely feigning weakness."
Yang Qian glared at the middle-aged man beside him, his voice chilling, "Lin Xiong, you're at the early stage of the Oceanic Wheel. Tonight, find a way to pay a visit to the Su Family. I want you to test Su Li and see if he's truly a wolf in sheep's clothing!"
The incident at the Su Family, where Su Li had outsmarted him, still gnawed at Yang Qian.
To this moment, his right middle finger trembled slightly.
Back then, he hadn't dared to make a lethal move, but now things were different.
Lin Xiong was his loyal bodyguard, with the cultivation of the early Oceanic Wheel stage, making him the perfect candidate for the task.
"That's not wise. If I'm not mistaken, Xie Yan from Coldhammers is likely guarding the Su Family," Mo Wentian cautioned, shaking his head.
"So what do we do? We can't just let Su Li roam free, can we?" Yang Qian asked, his tone icy.
Mo Wentian's eyes narrowed, a hint of frost in his gaze, "I've already reached out to the Death Monarch. With him involved, the Su Family will be plunged into turmoil tonight!"
Death Monarch!
Hearing Mo Wentian's words, Yang Qian's face paled.
He was well-acquainted with the Death Monarch.
Legend had it that the Death Monarch had advanced to the middle stage of the Oceanic Wheel.
Moreover, the Death Monarch was notoriously ruthless and vindictive; crossing him meant certain death for one's entire family!
Currently, the Death Monarch was among the most wanted criminals in the Mollukya Empire.
Mo Wentian, perceiving Yang Qian's alarm, took another sip of his tea and added with a cold edge, "By tomorrow morning, news from the Trembleglades will arrive. The Mo Family's experts are tied up with a critical endeavor. Once they're finished, they too will join the fray. By then, the Su Family will be utterly decimated!"
