13: Humans in the Wilderness

“This… didn’t we agree before that we would start collecting heavenly spirit stones after you helped me get my revenge?”

Wang Xiangui’s Face flashed with panic, and he quickly said.

“While that’s true, what if the Shen Xi you mentioned is already dead? In the swamp, visibility is so low, with no body to be seen whether he’s alive or dead. How much time are we going to waste?”

“Don’t worry. Since I promised to help you get revenge, I will definitely keep my word. Let’s collect the heavenly spirit stones first.”

“Could it be that your so-called method of collecting them without injury was just a trick?”

At this, the Martial Artist’s Face clearly showed a hint of displeasure.

He was, after all, a master of the Initial Stage of Yuanqi Realm. If he were to be played for a fool by someone in the Blood Refining and Energy Transformation Realm, where would his Face go?

If it weren't for Wang Xiangui still having value, he would never speak to him so politely.

“Of course, I wouldn’t deceive you.”

Wang Xiangui quickly said.

He did indeed have a method to collect heavenly spirit stones without injury.

However, to achieve this, he needed a stealth potion, which was the amber-colored liquid.

But his storage bag, along with the stealth potion, had already been taken by Shen Xi. Even if he wanted to help the Martial Artist collect the heavenly spirit stones, he was powerless.

It was precisely for this reason that Wang Xiangui insisted that the Martial Artist help him get his revenge before starting to collect the heavenly spirit stones.

Otherwise, without the stealth potion, he would have no right to negotiate with the Martial Artist.

And these words, Wang Xiangui naturally wouldn't tell the Martial Artist.

If he knew that only a stealth potion was needed to solve the problem of the demon spirit guarding the heavenly spirit stone, then Wang Xiangui would have no value.

“Hmph!”

The Martial Artist snorted in dissatisfaction.

He stared intently at Wang Xiangui for a long time before retracting his gaze.

“I’ll give you three more days. If you still can’t find your enemy within three days, we’ll immediately collect the heavenly spirit stones. If you still refuse to cooperate then, our cooperation will be immediately canceled, and you will pay the price for wasting so much of my time.”

The Martial Artist issued his ultimatum.

If it weren’t for the prospect of collecting heavenly spirit stones without injury, he would never have tolerated Wang Xiangui again and again.

There was no other way; the threat of the demon spirit guarding the heavenly spirit stone was simply too great.

Every time they collected, there were casualties, and even the Martial Artist himself had been injured several times.

Originally, the Martial Artist’s team had a full twenty people, but due to the demon spirit, only ten remained, a death rate of half.

This also severely affected their efficiency in collecting heavenly spirit stones.

If they could collect them without injury, the speed would at least more than double, and it would also be much safer.

“This…” Wang Xiangui hesitated. He couldn't be sure if he could find Shen Xi within three days.

“What, unwilling?” The Martial Artist glared, his patience clearly wearing thin.

“No problem, three days it is. I will give you a satisfactory result by then.” Under duress, Wang Xiangui could only bite the bullet and agree.

This scene was fully observed by Shen Xi, who was hidden in the shadows.

He was somewhat shocked by the origins of the Martial Artist and his group.

This place was known as a Forbidden Ground where ten out of ten would die, yet the Martial Artist and his group had brazenly ventured in.

Moreover, the other party was clearly different from him.

He was still in a state of high alert, filled with apprehension about the unknown Forbidden Ground, and was actively searching for a way to leave it.

But the Martial Artist and his group were clearly more familiar with the Forbidden Ground.

They were not worried about being unable to leave the Forbidden Ground, and their purpose for entering the Forbidden Ground was very clear: they were after the heavenly spirit stones.

This also meant that the Martial Artist and his group might know how to leave the Forbidden Ground.

Realizing this, Shen Xi’s eyes lit up.

He simply appeared openly before the Martial Artist and Wang Xiangui.

“Wang Xiangui, I heard you were looking for me?”

Shen Xi grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.

“Oh my god! You, how could you be here?”

Wang Xiangui was startled. Although he had been yearning to find Shen Xi, when he actually encountered him, his subconscious still wanted to flee.

“Brother Wang, is this the enemy you were looking for?”

The Martial Artist immediately reacted, drawing the saber from his waist.

Not only that, he also let out a sharp whistle.

Immediately, several masters of the Blood Refining and Energy Transformation Realm emerged from the camp.

There were ten in total, cooperating extremely well, and they surrounded Shen Xi at the first opportunity.

“Kill him! As long as you kill him, I will help you.”

Wang Xiangui also recovered and quickly shouted.

“Don’t worry!” The Martial Artist gave him a reassuring look, then laughed at Shen Xi: “Kid, you certainly made me search for a long time! Now you’ve finally shown yourself.”

To the side, several of his subordinates also spoke up.

“There was a path to Heaven, but you didn’t take it; there was no door to Hell, yet you barged in. Since you’ve shown your Face, don’t expect to leave today.”

“As long as we kill him, we can continue to collect heavenly spirit stones.”

“I wonder how many rounds of our attacks this kid can withstand? Don’t die too quickly, or it’ll be no fun.”

In everyone’s eyes, Shen Xi was already fish on a chopping board, only to be slaughtered at their will.

The Martial Artist was in the Initial Stage of Yuanqi Realm.

And the nine subordinates were all in the Blood Refining and Energy Transformation Realm.

Not only that, the nine subordinates had cooperated for many years, showing great tacit understanding. The effect of one plus one was far greater than two, and with all nine working together, they could also unleash the combat power of the Initial Stage of Yuanqi.

In this situation, dealing with a single Shen Xi was as easy as picking something up.

“I’m here to discuss cooperation with you.”

Shen Xi replied without changing his expression.

“Cooperation? What do we have to cooperate with you for? We wilderness people have always kept our word. Since we’ve already formed an Alliance with Wang Xiangui, it’s impossible for us to discuss any cooperation with his enemy.”

The Martial Artist scoffed, curling his lips.

However, from his attitude of not immediately ordering his subordinates to attack Shen Xi, it could be seen that he was waiting for Shen Xi to make an offer.

Cooperation requires value.

Once Shen Xi could offer more value than Wang Xiangui, then loyalty was meaningless.

Shen Xi naturally understood the Martial Artist’s meaning.

However, what surprised him even more was the identity of the Martial Artist and his group.

He had originally thought the other party were masters from some city, but now he realized that the Martial Artist and his group were actually wilderness people.

Were there still traces of human activity in the wilderness?

Shen Xi had always believed that the wilderness only contained Yao Beasts, and all humans lived in the forty-seven safe cities under federal jurisdiction.

Now it seemed the wilderness was far more complex than he understood, with humans still living within it.

They even gave themselves a name: wilderness people.

He just didn't know how many humans actually resided in the wilderness.