Chapter 319: Chapter 319

The curse was stuck in his throat, and Yuan Liyang was so angry his face turned green.

He thought to himself, no wonder evil cultivators are always hunted by the righteous wherever they go—they know nothing about unity, keeping promises, or maintaining a good reputation!

Who raises prices right before action?

Fueled with both rage and resentment, he thought, if it weren’t for the heavenly level cultivation technique that couldn’t be leaked, if it weren’t for being ostracized as an evil cultivator with no reliable people to use, if it weren’t for making numerous preparations just in case—would I even bother spending a fortune on you?

Evil cultivators are just that—unworthy of trust!

"Everyone, we already settled the price before; now you suddenly want more..." he coldly said, displeased, "This makes me seriously doubt your capability. What if you run away when it’s time to act?"

The other party remained nonchalant, "That won’t happen. After all, you’ve only paid a deposit, not the full amount. Even if the price is higher, it won’t matter. My friend, you skipped the middleman and directly hired us, saving quite a bit—don’t be so stingy."

"Exactly. When it’s time to act, you’ll see how worthwhile this money was!"

"Make your decision quickly; our time is valuable."

"If you don’t need us to back you up, just settle the travel expenses and we’ll leave..."

Facing the powerful pressure released by the six of them, Yuan Liyang’s expression changed repeatedly.

Once fallen to the evil path, this is what it’s like—no one can be trusted. That’s why he didn’t go through those slippery-tongued evil cultivator intermediaries but chose a competent mercenary squad, not expecting them to be so troublesome!

The awakening of the bloodline inheritance requires some time, so there was no immediate rush, but faced with an unknown realm cultivator named Jiang and numerous uncertainties...

He weighed his options and then coldly asked, "How much more do you want?"

"Not much, just another 20,000 Spirit Stones per person." The leader waved a hand with a smile, "It’s not that we’re asking for an exorbitant price, it’s just that the conditions here are too harsh to go uncompensated."

Yuan Liyang thought about the small tricks used to build the Silent Cultivation Tower, believing he could teleport into the tower and then use a Teleportation Talisman to whisk that kid away.

If you’re unkind, don’t blame me for being unjust. I’ll run away with the little treasure and disappear for good, and you want a price hike? I won’t even pay the remaining balance. Find your own way back!

"Alright then, since I urgently need people and you’ve got me in a bind." He mentally prepared himself and then verbally agreed, "Just know, it’s a bit unethical to raise the price so last minute. I can only pay the balance and add more after the job is done."

The other party exchanged glances, thinking that they’ve already marked him and can find him even at the ends of the earth. Six against one, what does this old guy fear about being tricked into not paying? Whatever treasure he finds, it’s ours!

"Then it’s settled. Let’s go!"

Finally reaching an agreement, Yuan Liyang, while holding his anger, took out a Teleportation Talisman and deliberately informed the others that there would be a slight difference in teleportation coordinates, ensuring that he could enter the tower directly, whereas the mercenary squad would only be transported outside.

At that time, he’ll swiftly teleport the person and make his escape!

As soon as the seven landed, apart from Yuan Liyang who hit the Chaotic Heaven Bell hard, causing it to buzz, the other six barely found their footing before sensing that something was amiss!

The sense of danger stemmed from their years of experience as mercenaries, prompting the leader to shout, "It’s an ambush!"

Yuan Liyang’s head was buzzing from the collision, and upon looking up, he saw the Silent Cultivation Tower was tightly sealed by a large black bell, making it impossible for him to enter. His mind was a jumbled mess, and in a fit of urgency and anger, he instinctively shouted, "Descendants of the Lin family, are you not coming to pay respects to your ancestor?"

However, what answered him were the swirling black thunderclouds that filled the sky and the indiscriminate lightning attacks.

Yun Shu triggered the talisman as soon as unfamiliar auras touched it, remotely controlling the meticulously placed talismans that soared into the air. As talisman papers ignited in midair, each burn completed an attack.

"Roar!" The mercenary squad showed their strength; realizing the unfavorable situation, one of them roared, growing taller and spewing a torrent of water from his mouth, destroying the unburned talismans and rendering them unusable.

Jiang Yuanjian whistled upon seeing this.

With the whistle’s long note, the paper figures stationed atop the Chaotic Heaven Bell stretched and happily leaped down to pounce on the uninvited guests.

Paper cranes and eagles danced in the air, the soil was dug into deep pits, randomly dragging one lucky person. Paper-made wolves, tigers, and leopards, as well as paper humans riding paper horses wielding Big Sabers, and paper bulls that charged without fear, came attacking from all sides.

The howling of wolves, the roaring of tigers, the mooing of bulls, and the screeching of cranes; the area around the Chaotic Heaven Bell instantly became a bizarre melee between humans and paper creatures.

"There’s actually someone feeding off the Underworld around here!" Yuan Liyang was furious, held back by the paper horse and rider.

The evil technique he cultivated worked on living beings, whether cultivators or spirit pets. As long as there was life, he could use the Secret Technique to devour their lifespan. Despite its many side effects, it was an unmatched and ruthless move in times of emergency.

But what rotten luck, encountering someone who feeds off the Underworld!

Paper horses and riders feel no pain, fear, or have any lifespan to be forcibly devoured. As long as they were not damaged to a significant degree, they could continue fighting, while he was not adept at fire attacks, leaving him unable to break free from the endless paper horse and rider formations.

Jiang Yuanjian saw that the paper warfare effectively restrained the intruders, immediately jumped forward wielding a Blade and locked onto the one with the longest health bar, unleashing Vast Mountains and Rivers!

Heaven-Burning Flame and Black Flame Storm could easily harm his paper army, but Vast Mountains and Rivers was perfect, as it targeted and drew spiritual energy from the selected target, causing no harm to the paper creatures.

Yuan Liyang’s vision was filled with paper figures; without even seeing where the enemy was, he was struck head-on.

Red numbers floated up above his health bar, his ears rang, and he felt like a fish out of water, unable to harness any spiritual energy. The move he was about to unleash lost some of its power even before it was executed.

"Vast Mountains and Rivers!"

Once controlled, Jiang Yuanjian’s Blade struck—"Puchi!"

A stab in the side, followed by instantly teleporting away with the Instant Teleportation Technique, reappearing at the side for a seamless three-hit combo.

Having brushed up on dungeons recently, Jiang Yuanjian had honed this optimal skill combination to a masterful level.

Even though Vast Mountains and Rivers had not leveled up, and it was challenging to land a critical strike even with equipped gear, its control ability was superb. Coupled with the short cooldown of the Instant Teleportation Technique, it was an absolute trump card!

Battle-hungry Bai Yunqi couldn’t bear to miss out on the fun.

Lacking his Lifebound Weapon, he showed his true form, targeted an opponent entangled by paper figures, and lashed out with his snake tail for a heavy hit;

Yun Mo, fully aware of his own limits, dared not advance recklessly and instead hid off to the side, waiting for a chance to shoot a stray arrow;

Hu Zhile wielded colorful ribbons and found an opponent of similar strength, coordinating with the paper figures to crush them through power;

Yun Shu calmly drew a Talisman and threw it at an opponent, adhering to the principle that any hit was a gain, opportunistically causing trouble wherever possible.

The sudden eruption of battle from the Silent Cultivation Tower, complete with the rolling thunderclouds and the menacing shouts of the paper figures, alarmed everyone in the Lin Mansion.

Despite being instructed to stay in their rooms and not leave their courtyards, regardless of what happened, their curiosity was unstoppable, and they all peeked outside through door and window cracks.

The call from deep within the bloodline grew ever stronger, but upon witnessing the unprecedented combat scene, almost everyone was rendered stunned, left with no room for impure thoughts.