Chapter 832: Such Generosity Is Hard to Refuse

Sha Rulai emerged from his thoughts.

He drew a deep breath, stared at the list, and said, "The number of Spirit Seeds this time is lower than in the previous gathering."

Bai Yulou replied, "Yes. Almost half as many."

Sha Rulai asked, "How could the difference be so large? Why isn't Jin on the list?"

Bai Yulou reported, "Almost none of the people from Jin or Zhao came out."

"Oh!" Sha Rulai was somewhat surprised.

His gaze swept across the valley.

There truly were no cultivators from Jin.

This was the first time Jin had suffered complete annihilation while participating in the Tiandu Secret Realm gathering.

He asked again, "How many people came out?"

"Ten thousand entered. Only around three thousand emerged."

The number was accurate.

With Jin and Zhao gone, two thousand people disappeared in one stroke.

The four groups Niu Youdao had lured out and killed, together with Lingjian Mountain's losses, accounted for roughly another thirteen or fourteen hundred.

The Four Seas contingent had entered with two thousand and likewise lost around thirteen or fourteen hundred.

Han and Song each lost one contingent after being lured into ambushes, then suffered another round of devastation at Jin's hands and lost more than half their remaining people again.

Once the scattered casualties from fighting among the other factions were included, only around three thousand people remained.

Sha Rulai raised his brows slightly.

Compared with previous gatherings, where attrition usually exceeded half, the losses this time were particularly severe.

He turned his head. "Investigate it. Find out how Niu Youdao took first place."

"Yes!" A blank-faced man beside him accepted the order.

Bai Yulou understood what this meant.

Misty Pavilion's hidden forces were about to investigate the entire process by which Niu Youdao had taken first place inside the Secret Realm.

Sha Rulai handed the list back to Bai Yulou.

"If there are no problems, post the results. There's no need to keep a crowd blocking this place and getting in the way."

"Yes!" Bai Yulou accepted the order and left.

Not long afterward, several Misty Pavilion cultivators carried a prepared sheet of paper to the rock wall outside Tiangu and posted it there.

The rankings of the various sides, together with the quantities of Spirit Seeds they had obtained, were displayed clearly before everyone.

First place: Niu Youdao.

Spirit Seeds obtained: sixteen million, six hundred sixty-six thousand, six hundred sixty-six!

"What? Niu Youdao is first?"

"Niu Youdao took first place as an individual?"

The instant the list went up, a wave of uproar swept through the crowd.

Almost everyone outside Tiangu wore a look of disbelief.

Taishu Feihua's expression twitched violently.

Jin had been annihilated, while a mere Niu Youdao had somehow taken first place. Taishu Feihua had come here with enormous expectations. How was he supposed to endure such an outcome?

Long Xiu, Meng Xuan, and Gong Lince exchanged stunned looks.

They almost wondered whether they had misread the list.

Niu Youdao was actually first?

Dachan Mountain Sect Leader Huang Lie stood there dumbfounded.

He blinked hard, looked again, then listened to the cries of surprise around him.

Only then did he confirm that he had not seen incorrectly.

There were, in fact, many people left speechless.

Fei Changliu, Xia Hua, and Zheng Jiuxiao stared at the list for a long while.

Only then did they begin looking at one another.

"Master Dao has always liked keeping a low profile. Isn't taking first place this time a little too high-profile?" Xia Hua muttered quietly to the other two.

Wasn't that exactly the problem?

Fei Changliu and Zheng Jiuxiao instinctively glanced at the reactions of those around them.

They felt that merely emerging alive would have been enough. Coming out with first place really was going too far.

Worse, he had personally suppressed every major faction in the rankings under his own name.

What was the State of Yan supposed to think?

The three did not know the truth.

They had no idea Niu Youdao had never wanted to touch such an eye-catching first place either. Sha Rulai had forced him into a corner.

Otherwise, even if beaten to death, he would never have reached for first place.

Mr. Yucang pressed one hand to his chest.

At last, the heart that had been hanging in suspense dropped back into place.

At the same time, he could not help marveling inwardly.

First place!

That fellow had actually taken an impossible first place.

What a man!

Mr. Yucang was excited.

Truly excited.

The great undertaking could now be expected to succeed.

Xiaoyue Pavilion's enormous investment had not been wasted!

Inside Tiangu, those who had entered the Secret Realm were finally released.

Everyone who had participated in the Tiandu Secret Realm expedition began filing out one after another.

Yan Baoru quietly slipped out along the edge of the crowd.

She looked at the ranking list only once before grief and fury surged through her entire chest.

She had known it!

She had warned them long ago.

She had told those fools that the three neutral sects were secretly colluding with Niu Youdao and would carry a huge quantity of Spirit Seeds out for him.

Yet those idiots had refused to believe her.

They had actually allowed that dog thief to take first place so easily!

The thought that Niu Youdao, who had brutally tormented her, would now receive an enormous reward as well made her want to cough blood.

Even now, she still believed the three neutral sects had colluded with Niu Youdao.

This result meant Niu Youdao's life had been preserved.

Even if it had not been, Yan Baoru no longer dared stay here.

Of everyone present, she was the first to leave.

While the crowd's attention remained fixed on the ranking list, she quietly and rapidly fled.

She had no choice.

If she did not leave now, once the three neutral sects fixed their attention on her, it would be strange if they did not kill her.

As for the Spirit-Torment Pill, she no longer expected Niu Youdao to spare her.

The thought of his methods still filled her with dread.

She fled without even staying to see the final result...

Niu Youdao had taken first place?

The very thing they feared had happened.

When Dong Jinhuan, An Miao'er, and Lin Feiyan saw the ranking list, their legs truly went weak.

Their final hope that the Secret Realm itself might eliminate Niu Youdao had now been shattered.

The three women instinctively searched the crowd.

They found Niu Youdao.

And at the same time, they saw the leaders of their own sects squeezing toward Niu Youdao with broad smiles plastered across their faces.

The sight of their Sect Leaders frightened all three women almost out of their souls.

They could barely breathe.

They immediately whipped their heads around, searching for the men who were supposed to save them.

"Brother!"

Mr. Yucang hurried over to Niu Youdao in high spirits.

He seized Niu Youdao by the arm and shook it forcefully, then slapped him hard on the shoulder.

Niu Youdao was injured.

Mr. Yucang's unrestrained enthusiasm made him bare his teeth in pain.

"Oh..." Mr. Yucang finally remembered.

He had seen Niu Youdao emerge earlier after being blasted out and badly injured.

He quickly apologized.

He was just about to exchange a few words with Niu Youdao when Bai Yulou's voice rang out.

"Everyone who entered the Tiandu Secret Realm has endured hardship for the sake of cultivation resources beneath Heaven! According to the rules, Misty Pavilion will reward merit accordingly!"

"First place, Niu Youdao! Step forward to receive your reward!"

His name had been called.

Niu Youdao could only temporarily leave Mr. Yucang.

Under the eyes of the entire crowd, he walked over at an unhurried pace.

Even Fei Changliu and the others, who were trying to approach him, failed to get a chance to speak.

Niu Youdao reached the table outside Tiangu and cupped his hands in greeting.

Bai Yulou gave him a meaningful look.

Then he produced a voucher specially authorized in Misty Pavilion's name and held it up for everyone to see.

His voice rang out loudly.

"First place: a reward of three hundred million gold coins!"

The surrounding expressions varied.

Some showed unmistakable envy.

Long Xiu, Meng Xuan, and Gong Lince exchanged another look.

Something strange lurked in their eyes, almost as though they were asking one another whether Niu Youdao was truly going to be allowed to swallow such an enormous fortune by himself.

Bai Yulou offered the voucher.

Niu Youdao accepted it calmly with both hands, neither elated by favor nor shaken by disgrace.

Inside, however, he was somewhat surprised.

According to precedent, when the rewards were distributed after each gathering, the person presiding over Misty Pavilion's affairs should personally appear.

Why was Bai Yulou handling it instead this time?

The thought only turned once through his mind.

Then he quietly relaxed somewhat.

Sha Rulai had not appeared.

Sha Rulai had not personally presented the reward.

At the very least, that meant the man had decided to let him go for now.

After receiving the prize and thanking Bai Yulou, Niu Youdao headed directly toward the Four Seas group.

"What exactly happened with this first place? Did it have something to do with you?"

The Great Sage of the Eastern Sea, Demon King of the Western Sea, Dharma King of the South Sea, and Nether Lord of the Northern Sea had been questioning Fuhua and the others in low voices after watching Niu Youdao receive the prize.

"My King, the whole affair was extremely complicated. This isn't a good place to explain it. I'll tell you after we leave..." Fuhua had only just murmured her answer when she abruptly froze.

Niu Youdao was approaching with the reward voucher in hand.

Under everyone's gaze, he walked directly in front of them and cheerfully cupped his hands.

"Big Sister. Three Big Brothers. These four must be the sovereigns of the Four Seas. Niu Youdao pays his respects."

Big Sister?

Big Brothers?

The four sovereigns of the Four Seas exchanged looks.

Why was he addressing them so intimately?

The surroundings gradually fell silent.

Everyone watched and listened.

Most people had heard clearly.

Fuhua looked around.

Seeing the entire crowd staring toward them—even Bai Yulou was watching—she became anxious.

Her voice carried severity as she lowered it.

"What are you doing coming over here now?"

Niu Youdao, however, made no effort to conceal anything.

He said openly, "We agreed that if I took first place, the reward would belong to all of you! I keep my word. I will never break my promise!"

He extended the reward voucher in both hands.

Under the eyes of the crowd, Fuhua, Lang Jingkong, Hong Gaitian, and Duan Wuchang all wore black expressions.

Not one of them reached out to accept it.

Earlier, the four had still harbored a little worry.

They had wondered whether Niu Youdao might renege on his promise.

Instead, not only did he keep it, he immediately turned around and publicly gave them a surprise.

He truly was not merely ordinarily trustworthy.

But under the gaze of so many people, the pressure on all four was enormous.

None could make themselves extend a hand.

Three hundred million gold coins, all given to us?

The four sovereigns of the Four Seas were astonished.

They exchanged another look.

It appeared their people truly had put in enormous effort to help Niu Youdao take first place.

The Demon King of the Western Sea immediately became cheerful.

"You're truly giving all of it to us? You really won't regret it?"

He looked around at everyone.

"Everyone here saw it. You're offering this to us willingly. We aren't using our power to bully you into handing it over!"

Fuhua suffered in silence.

She desperately wanted to tell her own sovereign to shut his mouth, but she could not refuse either.

If she rejected it publicly, could she still expect Niu Youdao to give it to them afterward?

Since the Demon King of the Western Sea had spoken, Niu Youdao simply held the voucher out to him with both hands.

"A word once spoken must be honored. I will never regret it!"

"Heh, now that's good. Gentlemen, allow me to accept it on our behalf." The Demon King of the Western Sea chuckled and stretched out his hand.

Whether he would divide it later did not worry the Great Sage of the Eastern Sea, Dharma King of the South Sea, or Nether Lord of the Northern Sea.

If the three joined forces, the Demon King of the Western Sea could not swallow it all himself.

From Yan's side, Long Xiu suddenly called out.

"Niu Youdao! You are still a cultivator of Yan. Before making any decision, you'd best think it through carefully!"

The reward had been earned under Niu Youdao's individual name.

Before everyone's eyes, who he gave it to was naturally his decision.

How the matter might be handled afterward was another question.

At least here and now, Yan's three great factions could not openly force him to do otherwise.

This was Misty Pavilion's territory.

If Niu Youdao insisted on giving it away, Long Xiu could not simply attack him.

Lingjian Mountain Sect Leader Meng Xuan spoke as well.

"There's no need to rush your decision. You are a cultivator of Yan. If anyone is coercing you into doing something against your will, we will naturally stand behind you!"

His implication was obvious.

Whatever promises you made before do not matter now.

Do not fear the Four Seas people.

Yan's three great factions will support you.

Three hundred million gold coins!

Gong Lince's expression twitched.

His heart ached at the thought of the money.

He was just about to use his secret relationship with Niu Youdao to offer a pointed reminder when someone behind him tugged lightly on his sleeve.

Gong Lince glanced back.

Yan Li gave him a tiny shake of the head.

Gong Lince immediately understood.

There had to be something strange behind this affair.

He closed his mouth.

The Demon King of the Western Sea's eyes rolled.

Then he suddenly moved with astonishing speed.

Swish!

He snatched the voucher worth three hundred million gold coins directly into his hand and chuckled.

"Such generosity is hard to refuse! Since that's the case, gentlemen, I'll hold it for now and we'll divide it later!"

As for whether he truly would divide it later, the Great Sage of the Eastern Sea, Dharma King of the South Sea, and Nether Lord of the Northern Sea were not worried.

The three of them together were more than enough to prevent the Demon King of the Western Sea from keeping everything for himself.

[End of Chapter 832]