In a valley outside Vacant City:
The Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, and the Chang Clan elders fought a group of Divine Blood Army soldiers.
“That is the Bat Ancestor, the prime of my Yuan Nation’s national beast! Save me, Bat Ancestor!”
“Archduke Xi Kang? That’s Archduke Xi Kang! Save me, Archduke!”
Some of the citizens who managed to escape rushed over with wild joy on their faces when they saw the Bat Ancestor and the others.
These people had been sneaking around in fear over the past few days, experiencing life on the edge.
The Divine Blood Army soldiers were all Heavenly Palace Realm experts. How could these ordinary citizens flee from them? Once discovered, only death awaited.
The citizens had been living in fear, not knowing when they would be discovered and die a death like that of their countrymen.
Although the Bat Ancestor and the others were fleeing from the Divine Blood Army, they had a group of zombies to protect them, and they were still powerful experts.
The survivors had no other choice but to rush over.
At this moment, the Bat Ancestor was covered in injuries. He felt extremely anxious, no longer caring about the life and death of these citizens.
“Hurry! Kill them. We should leave quickly,” the Bat Ancestor said urgently.
“Bat Ancestor, how are your injuries?” Archduke Xi Kang asked anxiously from nearby.
“After running into Ma Sanyan yesterday, we both suffered heavy damage. He is in no better shape. I can still endure my injuries. Hurry!” the Bat Ancestor said with a tense expression.
“Inform the battalion commander! Hurry!” the Divine Blood Army soldiers said eagerly.
“You bastards!” the Bat Ancestor threw a palm strike, feeling anxious.
Boom!
The figures of the Divine Blood Army soldiers trembled as they were knocked back. Their souls were shaken, sustaining severe injuries.
“Stabilize them and provide them with blood. Hurry!” The remaining Divine Blood Army soldiers caught their injured comrades as they quickly fled into the distance.
“Let’s go. We can’t remain here any longer. Hurry!” the Bat Ancestor cried out anxiously.
“Let’s go!” Archduke Xi Kang shouted.
The zombies and vampires immediately followed.
“Bat Ancestor, save me! You can’t just leave us here!”
“Archduke! Archduke, save me! Our clan has been loyal to you for generations!”
The citizens who managed to flee cried out in horror.
The Bat Ancestor and Archduke Xi Kang did not even look at the citizens. They just led their subordinates and zombies away. If they lingered, many Divine Blood Army soldiers would come.
The citizens revealed expressions of despair. Clearly, the Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, and the Chang Clan elders would not be saving them. Were they going to be eaten?
It looked like the Bat Ancestor would disappear into the distance when his figure froze. The expressions of Archduke Xi Kang and the Chang Clan elders changed.
“Gu Hai?” Archduke Xi Kang suddenly called out with a ferocious expression.
They saw Gu Hai, Bing Ji, and a trembling man standing on a nearby mountain peak.
“Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, it has been a long time,” Gu Hai said with a faint smile.
“You…you are alive?!” The Bat Ancestor goggled.
Archduke Xi Kang showed an even fiercer expression. After all, Gu Hai had killed his son, Xi Yong.
“These are your Yuan Nation’s citizens. You could easily bring them with you, but you refused to? Do you intend to use them to divert the Divine Blood Army’s attention so that you can escape?” Gu Hai said with a cold smile.
Buzz!
The citizens who came to seek help got shocked to their senses, showing horrified expressions.
After the Bat Ancestor’s group left and the Divine Blood Army returned, they—the people who were the slowest—would die for sure. However, that would buy the Bat Ancestor’s group time.
“Ha! You can’t bear to see them die? Do you want to save them? How about you go and divert the Divine Blood Army’s attention?” Archduke Xi Kang said coldly.
Archduke Xi Kang’s words verified Gu Hai’s guess.
The Vacant City citizens showed horrified expressions. We are Yuan Nation citizens, yet you plot against us like that?
“Bing Ji, is the ice mountain with you?” the Bat Ancestor asked coldly with wide eyes.
“Hah! Even at this moment, you are still thinking of the ice mountain?” Gu Hai sneered.
“Humph!” the Bat Ancestor snorted coldly.
Indeed. They were currently trapped. Saving themselves was more important.
“Since you pity these people, then stay behind and accompany them. We are leaving!” the Bat Ancestor shouted.
“Yes!” the Bat Ancestor’s subordinates answered.
Just as the Bat Ancestor was about to go, Gu Hai shook his head and said, “Everyone, don’t you want to leave the Nine-by-Nine Sun Sealing Ritual Array?”
“Huh?” The Bat Ancestor stopped, his expression stiffening.
“Lea…leave? You know how to leave?” Chang Ming’s second uncle’s eyes immediately lit up.
Leave? Everyone would be safe once they left the Nine-by-Nine Sun Sealing Ritual Array. No one could find them outside the Nine-by-Nine Sun Sealing Ritual Array. If they flew far away and hid, it would be even safer. Now, no one could escape, as they were trapped here. This was the scariest.
“Leave? You know how to leave?” the Bat Ancestor exclaimed in shock.
“I have a way, but I need you to cooperate with me,” Gu Hai said.
“Oh?” The Bat Ancestor’s eyes lit up.
“Humph! Why should we trust you?” Archduke Xi Kang said coldly.
“If you don’t trust me, you are welcome not to work with me. Please, go ahead,” Gu Hai said while shaking his head.
Archduke Xi Kang’s expression curdled.
“Gu Hai, do you really have a way out?” The Bat Ancestor’s expression appeared grave as he stared at Gu Hai menacingly as though he would immediately kill Gu Hai if Gu Hai said no.
“Bring along these citizens, and we can find a place to discuss this,” Gu Hai said after taking a deep breath.
The Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, and the Chang Clan elders narrowed their eyes.
Discuss?
They would lose nothing from a discussion. Given Gu Hai and Bing Ji’s strength, not only could the Bat Ancestor suppress the two, but so could the group of zombies with them. Gu Hai could not escape.
“Alright. Let’s go, then,” the Bat Ancestor said.
Clearly, they ignored the citizens.
“I said earlier, bring these citizens as well.” Gu Hai shook his head.
The Bat Ancestor narrowed his eyes at Gu Hai. Then, he snorted coldly, “Bring them.”
“Yes!”
The zombies, vampires, and bat spirits immediately brought over the citizens.
“Many thanks! Many thanks! Many thanks, Mister Gu!”
“Many thanks, Mister Gu!”
Many of the citizens bowed to Gu Hai out of gratitude.
These citizens were no fools. They understood that if not for Gu Hai’s insistence, they would be killed by the returning Divine Blood Army for their blood.
While the Bat Ancestor had given the command, the citizens felt grateful only to Gu Hai.
Whoosh!
Shortly after everyone left, the Divine Blood Army arrived.
To escape safely, the group could only leave behind some zombies to block the Divine Blood Army and attract their attention, allowing everyone to flee.
Soon, everyone stopped in an isolated valley.
The ordinary citizens were left to the side; no one bothered with them.
After instructing their subordinates to keep their guard up, the Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, and the Chang Clan elders surrounded Gu Hai and Bing Ji.
“You said that you have a way to leave. What is it?” the Bat Ancestor said anxiously.
“How many spirit stones does everyone have? I need all of them,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Are you going to lay a ritual array? The ritual array that broke the Nine-by-Nine Sun Sealing Ritual Array in Major Metropolitan City?” Chang Ming’s third uncle’s eyes lit up.
“That was the Thirty Line-Pair World Ritual Array. It required thirty billion superior-grade spirit stones. Does everyone have that much?” Gu Hai said with a smile.
Everyone: “…”
Under Gu Hai’s request, everyone counted what they had. Added together, they had one hundred million superior-grade spirit stones.
“There’s only one hundred million superior-grade spirit stones? It’s not even enough for the Twenty-Nine Line-Pair World Ritual Array,” Archduke Xi Kang said coldly.
Gu Hai ignored Archduke Xi Kang. After doing some mental arithmetic, he took a deep breath and said, “It is not enough. However, we can make do with it first.”
Hope flashed in everyone’s eyes as they looked at Gu Hai.
Who would care about spirit stones at this moment? As long as they survived, they would not mind spending everything they had.
“Now that we have spirit stones, what’s next?” the Bat Ancestor asked.
“We speak directly to the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor and get him to open the Nine-by-Nine Sun Sealing Ritual Array,” Gu Hai replied seriously.
The Bat Ancestor: “…”
Archduke Xi Kang: “…”
The Chang Clan elders: “…”
“Are you crazy?” the Chang Clan elders immediately exclaimed.
Archduke Xi Kang glared and said, “Are you trying to sabotage us?”
Speak directly to the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor? To think you can even think of that! Isn’t that just like sending a lamb to the tiger’s mouth? It’s simply seeking death!
However, the Bat Ancestor gazed at Gu Hai with a sullen expression and said, “Speak directly to the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor? Hah! How about you go?”
Everyone looked at Gu Hai with a hostile expression.
“Of course, it will be me!” Gu Hai said.
“Huh?” The expressions of the previously furious crowd congealed.
You are going to meet the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor? Well, since you are the one going, it does not matter. If you want to die that much, then go on.
“Before I do that, I still need to set three conditions with everyone,” Gu Hai said.
“Huh?” Everyone frowned at Gu Hai.
“First, Imperial Emperor Xi Yu once promised that he would let Bing Ji and me leave if I was alive. Even with the ice mountain in my body, he would let me leave. I know that you have been pursuing me over the past few days. After we escape…,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“We will not pursue you or target you anymore,” the Bat Ancestor immediately said.
Gu Hai looked at the rest.
“Rest assured. As long as we can leave, we absolutely will not pursue you anymore,” Archduke Xi Kang and the Chang Clan elders said while patting their chests.
Gu Hai nodded.
As everyone looked at Gu Hai, cold amusement flashed imperceptibly across their faces. After we leave, we can still do whatever we want.
“Second, if I obtain anything from the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor, it is mine. You are not to demand it,” Gu Hai said.
Everyone looked at Gu Hai in shock.
Are you sure that you are not crazy? It is already excellent if we can get out, yet you still want to snatch things from the Slaughter Heavenly Emperor? What a joke!
“You are not lying to us, right?” the Bat Ancestor said coldly.
“Do you agree or not?” Gu Hai countered in a deep voice.
“We agree. No matter how precious the treasure is, we will not bother with it. What you obtain is yours,” the Bat Ancestor immediately said.
Everyone nodded. However, they still had cold smiles as they looked at Gu Hai.
“Third and last, I hope you will cooperate with everything you have. This is our only chance to get out. I do not want any resistance or holding back,” Gu Hai said seriously.
“Alright. We will do whatever it takes to get out. However, what if we cannot get out?” The Bat Ancestor looked at Gu Hai coldly.
“Do you think I will survive if we can’t get out?” Gu Hai smiled.
The Bat Ancestor, Archduke Xi Kang, and the Chang Clan elders nodded only after that.
