247: Chapter 247: Toll Fee

Quae Wangmang gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Xiao Ran patted his face; the force was neither light nor heavy, but his voice was mocking.

"Quae Wangmang, right? The Young Lord of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow Clan, right? Think you're pretty tough, right?"

Quae Wangmang trembled all over.

"From now on, when you see me, keep your head down."

"What are you acting tough for?"

Quae Wangmang suddenly raised his head, his blood-red eyes filled with killing intent.

He opened his giant beak and snapped at Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran was prepared.

He raised his hand, slapped Quae Wangmang on the head, and smashed him hard into the sandy ground.

Silvery-white sand flew everywhere, and a large crater was smashed into the ground.

"Still trying?"

Quae Wangmang struggled to crawl out of the pit, his head and face covered in sand, and there was even more blood at the corner of his mouth.

His gaze remained fierce, but he no longer had the strength to attack again.

"Stop!"

A voice rang out.

Xiao Ran turned his head and saw it was Shi Haokong.

That Golden Lion jumped down from the hill, its golden mane burning like flames, walking towards him step by step.

Its golden vertical pupils were filled with killing intent, but even more so with a repressed anger.

"Human Race, you have already won."

"That's enough."

Xiao Ran looked at him and smiled.

"What do you mean enough? He attacked first; I'm acting in self-defense."

"What, do you want to fight too?"

Shi Haokong stopped, his golden eyes fixed on Xiao Ran, and he said word by word:

"Do you want to start the war between the Human Race and the Yao Race ahead of time?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the plaza suddenly became tense.

en own source text reference to mythology mythology, Feng Qingyin, Lei Qianjun, and Chi Hanyuan stepped forward simultaneously, Demonic Qi soaring into the sky.

The six great Yao masters joined forces, their pressure like a mountain, forcing the Human Race Cultivators to retreat one after another.

Zhao Wudi gripped his broken sword, his expression looking quite grim.

Sword Dust pressed his hand on his sword hilt, ready to unsheathe it at any moment.

Li Qingyun frowned but did not move.

They all thought Xiao Ran would take the opportunity to back down.

After all, a war between the Human Race and the Yao Race was no joke.

Although one could kill in the Secret Realm, if a full-scale conflict were to erupt here, no one would benefit.

Xiao Ran did not retreat.

He stood up, brushed the dust off his robes, crossed his arms while looking at Shi Haokong, and a mocking smile hung on the corner of his mouth.

"And what if I do?"

Four words.

Like four claps of thunder, they exploded in everyone's ears.

The plaza was deathly silent.

Shi Haokong was stunned.

He did not expect Xiao Ran to answer like that.

In his expectations, the Human Race should have backed down.

After all, with the six great Bloodlines of the Yao Race joined together, even someone at the Body Integration Stage would have to think twice.

But Xiao Ran did not retreat; instead, he met them head-on.

"You..." Shi Haokong opened his mouth, unable to speak for a moment.

Xiao Ran did not give him a chance to speak.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the six great Yao masters, then over the Yao Race Prodigies behind them, and finally landing back on Shi Haokong's face.

"What are you acting tough for? Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

His voice was not loud, but it clearly entered everyone's ears.

"I may not have the ability to wipe you all out, but—"

He paused.

"I have plenty of ways to entangle you and keep you from entering the Secret Realm."

With a thought, the Yellow Spring Army dispersed from around Quae Wangmang and reformed into a phalanx.

More than a thousand corpses stood neatly behind him, their Long Halberds pointing at the sky, and silvery-white ghost fire flickering in their eye sockets.

"I'll put it this way today."

"Once a fight breaks out, if I can't enter the Secret Realm, not a single member of the Yao Race will get in either."

In the plaza, the expressions of the Yao Race Prodigies changed instantly.

They were not afraid of Xiao Ran, nor were they afraid of the Yellow Spring Army.

But what they feared was that what Xiao Ran said was true.

If he really brought over a thousand corpses to block the palace gate, they truly wouldn't be able to get in.

Even if the six Yao masters joined forces to break through the defense line, they would suffer heavy losses.

A trace of wariness flashed in Shi Haokong's golden vertical pupils.

He looked at en own source text reference to mythology mythology, Feng Qingyin, Lei Qianjun, and Chi Hanyuan.

The five Yao masters looked at each other, all seeing the hesitation in each other's eyes.

Quae Wangmang crawled out of the sandy pit, looking disheveled, but he dared not make another move.

He didn't even dare to say any harsh words; he just stood to the side with his head down, like a defeated rooster.

Shi Haokong took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

"What do you want?"

Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow.

He did not expect Shi Haokong to bow his head first.

He thought at least a fight would be needed to make these Yao Race members yield.

"What do I want?"

"Aren't you trying to enter the Secret Realm? Pay the toll fee."

Shi Haokong's expression darkened: "You are extorting us."

Xiao Ran spread his hands: "You don't have to pay; I'm not in a hurry."

Shi Haokong looked at the palace gate, then at the thousand-plus corpses behind Xiao Ran, and gritted his teeth.

"What do you want?"

Xiao Ran thought for a moment: "Half of the treasures you find in the Secret Realm."

"Impossible!"

en own source text reference to mythology mythology's nine heads spoke simultaneously, their voices shrill.

"Why should we share half of the treasures we worked so hard to find with you?"

Xiao Ran glanced at him: "Then one-third."

"Still no!"

"One-fourth."

"You—"

"If you haggle again, it will become all of them." Xiao Ran interrupted him.

en own source text reference to mythology mythology shut his mouth.

Shi Haokong took a deep breath: "One-fourth, deal."

He took a Storage Pouch from his bosom and threw it to Xiao Ran.

The items inside were not many, but they were all high-quality.

A few Peak Soul Transformation Stage Yao cores, a few thousand-year-old Spirit Medicines, and one Earth Rank High Grade Magic Treasure.

Xiao Ran took a look, put it away, and looked at the other Yao masters.

"What about you?"

Feng Qingyin descended from the five-colored auspicious clouds, gently shook her wings, and a Storage Ring flew toward Xiao Ran.

Inside was a bottle of five-colored divine fire seeds; it was nothing to her, but it was a rare treasure for the Human Race.

Lei Qianjun snorted coldly and also threw out a Storage Pouch.

Inside was a piece of Thunder Crystal, containing pure thunder power.

Chi Hanyuan said nothing and threw out a piece of Profound Ice Jade.

en own source text reference to mythology mythology grumbled and threw out a Storage Pouch, which contained a few bottles of snake venom.

Xiao Ran glanced at it and put it away.

The snake venom was useless to him, but it was a good thing for Poison Lady.

Quae Wangmang was the last one; he fished out a pitch-black bead from his bosom and threw it to Xiao Ran.

That was a replica of the Heaven-Swallowing Sparrow Clan's supreme treasure, the Heaven-Swallowing Bead; although not as good as the genuine one, it was still worth a fortune.

Xiao Ran caught the bead, sensed the spiritual power fluctuations inside, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Alright, I'll let you off this time."

With a thought, the Yellow Spring Army cleared a path.

Shi Haokong gritted his teeth and turned to walk toward the palace gate.

The other Yao masters followed as well. Quae Wangmang kept his head down, following at the very back, not even daring to glance at Xiao Ran.

In the plaza.

The Prodigies of the Human Race watched this scene, speechless for a long time.

Zhao Wudi put away his broken sword, walked to Xiao Ran's side, and patted his shoulder.

"Brother, impressive."

Xiao Ran smiled: "It's alright."

Sword Dust walked over and glanced at him: "You offended the Yao Race, aren't you afraid?"

Xiao Ran retorted: "So what if I offended them? In the Secret Realm, can they eat me?"

Sword Dust said nothing more.

Li Qingyun walked over and said in a low voice: "The City Lord asked me to look after you, but you don't seem to need looking after."

Xiao Ran smiled and said nothing.

He looked at the palace gate and took a deep breath.

"Let's go, it's time to go in."

He put away the yellow spring banner and retracted the Yellow Spring Army back into the banner.

Over a thousand corpses turned into black light and vanished into the banner.

He strode forward and walked toward the palace gate.

Moonlight shone on him, leaving only a string of deep footprints on the silvery-white sand.

Behind him, the Prodigies of the Human Race watched his back, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

This Patrol Guard captain was even more terrifying than they had imagined.