The Devil's Tribulation

Chapter 967 Bride Price

Saint Flame Island in the Southern Continent, within the Saint Flame Realm.

Yu Shaoqing was scared away by Pan Chengfeng, but there were still two people staring at him expectantly.

Pan Chengfeng sighed inwardly and beckoned the two over to talk.

Li Ke and Ye Bufan were already impatient. Before they even sat down, Li Ke asked, "Junior Brother Pan, the Demon-Companion Grass..."

Pan Chengfeng raised his hand to stop Li Ke from speaking, saying, "Don't rush, sit down and talk slowly."

Upon hearing this, the two of them panicked.

Ye Bufan was the first to lose his composure, his face grim as he asked, "Could it be that you failed?!"

Pan Chengfeng took out tables, chairs, and benches, as well as some food and drinks, and asked, "I would like to ask you two, if the Demon-Companion Grass were in my hands, how would you plan to distribute it?"

Or what if I don't obtain the Demon-Companion Grass?

Li Ke's already pale and handsome face turned even paler.

Pan Chengfeng's tone was neither good nor bad; he asked the two questions in a normal, casual manner.

Ye Bufan had been fooled by Pan Chengfeng once before, but Sect Master Shangguan had already given the Ye family a lot of compensation that time. Those resources were enough for the Ye family to train three more Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, cultivating Nascent Soul cultivators takes time, and no matter how many Nascent Soul cultivators there are, they can never compare to Mahayana cultivators.

Ye Bufan understood the implication and said in an unfriendly tone, "I saw you steal the Demon-Companion Grass with my own eyes, and more than ten thousand of us cultivators covered for you... Pan Chengfeng, I'm warning you, don't try anything funny!"

Pan Chengfeng scoffed, "Ye Bufan, don't talk to me like that! I don't owe you anything, much less the Ye family. If you're so capable, why don't you go and rob me yourself?!"

"You!" Ye Bufan was speechless after being rebuked, but he still said unwillingly, "Stop with the beating around the bush, just tell me whether you got the Demon-Companion Grass or not!"

"Didn't succeed~"

Pan Chengfeng spread his hands and said, "The Demon-Companion Grass is currently in Nangong Tian's hands. If you're so capable, go and snatch it back."

Seeing Pan Chengfeng's nonchalant reply, Ye Bufan got angry again.

But Li Ke had already calmed down and tugged at Ye Bufan, saying, "Don't rush, let's hear what Junior Brother Pan has to say."

Pan Chengfeng said indifferently, "There's nothing much to say. We had already obtained the Demon-Accompanying Grass."

But when I was running away, I ran into Xue You, and during that time both Nangong Tian and I were captured by Xue You and made to work as laborers.

The demon-accompanying grass was Nangong Tian's payment, but I received additional benefits. That's all.

"What have you been doing?!" Ye Bufan roared, "You handed over the Demon-Companion Grass to Nangong Tian! Don't you know..."

With a loud "bang!", Pan Chengfeng shattered the stone table, exuding a chilling aura as he said, "I've put up with you for a long time! What do you think I should know?!"

Who do you think you are, questioning me like this?! Who do you think you are?!

Pan Chengfeng turned on him in an instant, and his powerful magical energy surged, sending Ye Bufan flying more than ten meters away.

Li Ke was also caught in the crossfire and was directly blown away by the surge of magical power.

After Ye Bufan stopped, his eyes widened in shock, and he thought to himself, "This kid has advanced again? He has such profound magical power at the second level of the Nascent Soul Realm?!"

Li Ke fared even worse, being thrown more than a hundred meters away. Standing in mid-air, he stared at Pan Chengfeng in disbelief, thinking to himself, "I've also advanced to the second level of the Nascent Soul Realm, so why is the gap between us even greater?!"

Pan Chengfeng suppressed his surging magical power and softened his tone, saying, "That's how it is. If you're not satisfied, you can report it to the sect. I have a clear conscience!"

Ye Bufan snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and left. He had no choice but to leave; he couldn't beat the other person now, and besides, the other person was the captain.

Although Li Ke was also unwilling, he still cupped his hands to Pan Chengfeng before riding away in his escape light.

After the two left, Pan Chengfeng gradually calmed down and said, "Damn it, do you really think I have a good temper? Why should I risk my life for you guys!"

Time passed slowly, and the passage would open in three days.

At this moment, Pan Chengfeng was holding Xue You's wrist and closing his eyes to sense her presence.

Half an hour later, Pan Chengfeng opened his eyes and said happily, "Good, much better than I expected!"

Xueyou's face lit up with surprise and delight: "Is it good news?!"

Pan Chengfeng laughed and said, "Good news. According to my estimation, the sealing time for the cold poison should be around fifty years each time."

If you don't fight with anyone during this time and just focus on your cultivation, it will take even longer.

But if we use our full strength like last time, the cold poison will flare up prematurely.

Xueyou's pretty face showed a slight hint of regret, but she quickly recovered and continued to ask, "Then how can I control this degree?"

Pan Chengfeng stroked his chin and replied, "About 70%. I can only use 70% of my magic power at most; any more would be dangerous."

With 70% of her magical power, Xue You could easily handle a cultivator in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm.

However, it would be dangerous if they encountered a cultivator in the mid-stage of the Integration Realm.

Xueyou was quite satisfied with the result.

The fifty years that Pan Chengfeng mentioned was actually a period of safety.

The cold poison in Xueyou's body has been slowly generating and accumulating. Sealing the accumulated cold poison once every fifty years is a relatively safe time.

Xueyou doesn't need to suffer too much pain, and Pan Chengfeng doesn't need to exert his full strength.

However, if more than fifty years have passed, or if Xueyou has used more than 70% of her magical power in a battle with someone during that time, the rate at which the cold poison is generated will accelerate.

With three days left until the passage opens, almost all the sects and families participating in this grand competition have returned.

Originally there were more than 13 million cultivators, but now there are only about 5 million left.

Five million cultivators may sound like a lot, but when concentrated on this vast plain, they appear sparse.

Pan Chengfeng once again personally experienced the cruelty of the cultivation world.

People die suddenly, and most of them die without a complete body or a proper burial.

The cultivators from the three sects of the Eastern Continent gathered together, totaling more than 11,000.

The Beast Taming Sect still has over 6,000 people, the Thunder Taming Sect has around 3,500, and the Ghost Taming Sect is in the worst situation, with less than 2,000 people.

During this period, none of the three sects participated in the competition for other treasures; instead, they all went to collect ores, spiritual herbs, and materials from demonic beasts.

Overall, the results were quite good.

Xin'er was the luckiest, obtaining five Boundary-Breaking Stones and hunting down two seventh-tier demon lords and one seventh-tier demon plant.

The Thunder Control Sect was also quite good. They obtained a lot of high-grade alchemy herbs, dozens of high-grade spirit-gathering stones, and even hunted down a seventh-tier peak demon plant. The demon plant's heart is the main ingredient for refining the Dao Integration Pill!

The Ghost Control Sect fared worse, failing to obtain any high-level materials or spiritual herbs, and only managing to hunt down a seventh-tier early-stage demon lord.

Yun Feiyang recounted his gains over the past few years to Pan Chengfeng. Since they had stopped competing for treasures, only a dozen or so disciples of the Yu Lei Sect had perished in the past few years.

Compared to the gains, Pan Chengfeng felt a pang of heartache at the loss of more than a dozen people, but he could still accept it.

After tallying up our spoils, it was time to wrap things up.

A loud bang tore open a crack in the plain, which grew wider and longer until it stopped at five meters in length and width.

The black spatial passage caused a sense of unease, and many aristocratic families and sects were already eager to enter it.

These sects that are so eager to leave the world must have received some great opportunity.

They are a vulnerable group here, and since the passage has been opened, there is no question of whether they dare to take action.

As long as you don't do anything inside the passage, it won't affect the normal use of the passage.

Many minor families and sects have already banded together for mutual support, intending to leave the Holy Flame Realm together.

The entrance to the passage is the final hurdle. Once inside, the family or sect may very well prosper because of the treasures they bring out.

If you can't take it out, then it's a matter of fate.

Surprisingly, the first group to leave were from the Zijin Mansion in the Southern Continent and the Hehuan Sect in the Western Continent.

The two large groups, numbering tens of thousands, entered the passage with their heads held high and chests puffed out.

Yun Feiyang walked up to Pan Chengfeng and whispered, "It seems that the Hehuan Sect of the Western Continent and the Zijin Mansion of the Southern Continent are now in cahoots."

Pan Chengfeng sneered, "The cultivators of the Hehuan Sect are nothing special. As for the male cultivators, they are all sallow-faced and emaciated, with weak magical power."

The female cultivators are more powerful, but as long as you're careful of their seductive arts, it's not a big deal.

The main force of the Hehuan Sect is female cultivators, while male cultivators can be considered secondary. Almost all male cultivators are used as vessels for female cultivators, and are the objects of their sexual exploitation.

Tens of thousands of people left in just a quarter of an hour. Following closely behind the Zijin Mansion and the Hehuan Sect were the Jinguang Temple and Xuanji Sect of Xizhou.

These two sects have a small number of members, only a little over 8,000. The main reason is that the Jin Guang Temple has very few monks, only about 1,000 in total.

At the end of the two sects' lines, a handsome young monk walked to the entrance of the passage, suddenly turned around and bowed to Pan Chengfeng in a Buddhist salute, then silently recited a few words.

Pan Chengfeng recalled Huineng's words, chuckled, and replied telepathically, "Little monk, you're too kind. I'll visit when I have time."

Yun Feiyang, who was standing next to Pan Chengfeng, asked in surprise, "That's Huineng. What did he say to you?"

Pan Chengfeng said casually, "It's nothing. Just tell me to visit Jin Guang Temple when I have time."

Yun Feiyang said coldly, "Junior brother, you must not go. These hypocritical monks are no good."

"Oh? How did Senior Brother Yun know?"

Yun Feiyang replied, "I have been to Xizhou and dealt with them. They often say, 'You have a connection with Buddha,' and ask me to become a monk."

"There's nothing wrong with that, is there? Aren't all monks like that?"

Yun Feiyang sighed and said, "If it's just like that, then it's fine, but those monks will use underhanded tactics to force you to shave your head and become a monk!"

Pan Chengfeng became interested as soon as he heard this and wanted Yun Feiyang to elaborate.

Yun Feiyang replied, "I'll tell you about this later. Anyway, those monks are all hypocrites. If it weren't for Uncle Yao, I really wouldn't have made it back that time!"

"Uncle Yao? Yao Qianchi?"

This Uncle Yao Qianchi has a very low profile within the sect.

Pan Chengfeng first met him because of Yan Baifeng's matter.

If he hadn't come to Nanzhou with the team this time, Pan Chengfeng really wouldn't have exchanged more than a few words with him.

Since Yun Feiyang didn't want to talk about it, Pan Chengfeng didn't force him, presumably because it was a bad memory.

After the major sects left, Pan Chengfeng wondered if it was time for him to leave as well.

Just as he was about to leave with the Thunder Control Sect and the Beast Control Sect, the Ghost Control Sect flew over first.

After about two thousand people flew to the exit, they neatly blocked the exit of the passage.

Ge Siqin was the first to stand up and shouted loudly: "The sects or families that are going to leave next will all have to pay a fee!"

Otherwise, leave your souls to nourish my Soul-Nourishing Banner!

Everyone was shocked.

Of the twelve major sects across the four continents, only ten sects came, and four have already left, leaving six sects remaining.

Needless to say, in the Northern Continent, with Xue You of the Jade Maiden Sect, no one dares to provoke them.

In the Southern Continent, the Sword Sect and the Sea-Turning Sect are still there, and in the Western Continent, the Corpse Demon Sect, the number one sect, is still around.

The Ghost Control Sect actually dared to rob them?!

"Oh ho~" Pan Chengfeng exclaimed in surprise, "Is the Ghost Control Sect trying to make a name for itself? Or is it trying to make amends? Two thousand people dare to stop millions of people?"