144: Chapter 144 Once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever.

"I don't know." The Grand Elder truly could not be certain at this moment.

But he could not rule out the possibility either.

Because Ye Liuli was the Sect Master's precious darling; as long as they captured her, Tiansha Valley could practically be blackmailed at will by the other party!

"Then what are the kidnapper's demands?" an Elder asked worriedly.

The Grand Elder slowly shook his head, a chill in his voice: "It would be fine if there were demands, but I'm afraid... he has none!"

For a moment, a deathly silence fell over the Flying Vessel, with only the heavy breathing and the anxious pacing of the Elders; the air was thick with the oppressive feeling of a gathering storm.

...

Meanwhile, on the side of the Hundred Sect Alliance, the atmosphere was equally heavy to the extreme.

They had received a total of six image-recording stones!

Two of them featured the biological sons of the Alliance's Elders, while the other three were the sons and daughters of other Sect Masters, even including Lu Yunfei of the Shenxiao Sect and Gu Shuangshuang of the Guyue Sect.

But these were not the most important.

Most importantly, Qin Ruoxue of the Mystic Ice Palace was also among them!

Others might not know Qin Ruoxue's identity, but Envoy Zhang was absolutely clear!

Rumors in the outside world claimed she was the daughter of the Mystic Ice Palace Master, but that was simply a huge joke!

The Mystic Ice Palace Cultivated the "Jade Maiden Heart Sutra," which required remaining unmarried for life under strict Sect rules; where would a daughter come from?

Qin Ruoxue's identity was far more noble than that of a so-called princess's daughter!

Even the Mystic Ice Palace Master treated her far better than a Personal Disciple!

According to the top-secret information he had obtained, this Qin Ruoxue came from a true behemoth beyond the Eastern Border!

"Preposterous! Simply preposterous!"

Envoy Zhang finally could not help but fly into a rage. The terrifying pressure belonging to a Nascent Soul True Monarch erupted, causing the entire Flying Vessel to shake violently!

The surrounding Elders and Sect Masters were so suppressed they did not even dare to breathe loudly.

But in order to curry favor, an Elder still braved the pressure and echoed with rage.

"This Tiansha Valley is too shameless! To think they would dare to resort to such low-down dirty tricks as kidnapping the children of Sect Masters and Elders!"

Hmm??

Envoy Zhang suddenly turned his head, his sharp gaze stabbing like a knife at the Elder who had spoken: "How do you know Tiansha Valley did it?"

"Uh!" The Elder was momentarily stunned and said subconsciously.

"Weren't they blackmailing us before? This familiar scent, this familiar routine—besides them, who else would dare..."

To be honest, Envoy Zhang did not believe for a second that Tiansha Valley could pull off something like this.

This was no longer just kidnapping; involving Qin Ruoxue was equivalent to declaring war on the Mystic Ice Palace!

Although Tiansha Valley had some allies, to simultaneously oppose two behemoths like the Hundred Sect Alliance and the Mystic Ice Palace—unless they really did not want to live anymore.

But the weirdest part was that these image-recording stones only contained their cries for help, without mentioning any conditions at all!

Therefore, he could not judge at all who had kidnapped this group of well-connected scions.

Calling them well-connected scions, it was obviously for the sake of blackmail.

But Envoy Zhang could not figure out for the life of him why Tiansha Valley, no matter how bold, would do something so suicidal.

The kidnapper's motive had become an unsolvable knot.

But even though his heart was filled with sky-high fury and he had the urge to rush over and tear the kidnapper into ten thousand pieces immediately, he had to endure it.

Because he could not afford to lose a single one of these "Sect Second-Generation"!

Take the sons of those two Elders, for instance; those were not ordinary Elders, but Grand Elders whose every step could cause an earthquake in their Sects, each one a Nascent Soul Master!

Not to mention Lu Yunfei, who was the only son of the Shenxiao Sect Master!

If anything happened to him, the powerful Shenxiao Sect would be the first to turn hostile, and this Thousand Sects Alliance, which had been so difficult to bring together, would probably fall apart on the spot!

Envoy Zhang gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words one by one from between them.

"Since they are still alive, it means the kidnapper must have something in mind! Now, we just need to wait! As long as we wait, we will eventually find out who did it!"

That was the only way.

The Elders suppressed their anger one by one and nodded helplessly.

However, this kind of waiting was undoubtedly the most difficult torture in the world.

Every minute and every second felt like being fried in a pan of oil. As time passed, the anxiety and tension grew thicker, almost swallowing people's reason.

Finally, someone could not take it anymore.

The first to jump out was the core Elder of the Qingyun Sect, Lu Qingshan.

This trial mission was originally spearheaded by their Qingyun Sect, with various Sects responding. If something really happened to these "Sect Second-Generation," his Qingyun Sect would definitely not be able to escape responsibility!

At this moment, he could only brace himself to step forward, cupping his hands and saying, "Envoy Zhang, I feel that this does not quite seem like the work of Tiansha Valley?"

His Qingyun Sect had already thoroughly understood Tiansha Valley before setting out. After all, Tiansha Valley was not actually part of the Demon Race and still had to survive in this territory; how would they dare to offend those super Sects?

"Wait a moment!" Envoy Zhang cut him off with a wave of his hand.

He could not take this risk now.

No matter who did it.

If it could be solved with money, that would be the best outcome—at least it would preserve his current position.

But in case of blind suspicion, if they pushed the other side too hard and they flipped the table and killed the hostages, not only would his position be lost, but the entire Alliance would have big problems!

This was no longer a small matter, but a major issue truly involving the Alliance's Foundation!

Thus, the two groups of people suffered through every minute and second in this anxious, angry, and helpless torment.

But as time trickled by, no news came at all.

Out of necessity, they could only continuously send out Disciples to brace themselves and enter Wanling Mountain, hoping to find some clues.

...

Meanwhile, inside the cliffside Immortal Cave.

Chun Xiaobai was leisurely looking at the intelligence Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang had brought back from outside, which detailed the two groups' plight—anxious as ants on a hot pan, yet afraid to act rashly for fear of harming the hostages.

"Not bad, not bad!"

Chun Xiaobai slapped his thigh, a smile of a successful scheme appearing on his face.

This was exactly the effect he wanted!

Bargaining with those stingy Elders earlier was just an appetizer.

Now, it was time to play a psychological game with them!

Whether this trial could make him a fortune in one go depended on whose psychological quality was stronger and who would crack first!

Only by making them completely unable to sit still, with their psychological defenses on the verge of collapse, could he take all the ransoms offered by these "Rich Scions" into his pockets without losing a single cent!

After all, once this opportunity is gone, it won't come back.

After leaving Wanling Mountain, he certainly would not return to the Sect unless absolutely necessary.

Since he would not return to the Sect, he would inevitably have to find a mountain to establish himself as king.

A "godsend" trial like today's would never be encountered again.

"Great King, those Elders and Sect Masters are already so anxious they're about to smoke. Should we send them the list?"

Fang Yuan rubbed his hands, asking with an impatient face.

"No need." Chun Xiaobai just waved his hand, "As a person, one must have ambition."