Chapter 4701 — The One Who Stuck His Neck Out

"Have you lost your mind? You'd dare to believe a word out of a man like Scarface? That kind of man eats people whole and spits out the bones. Sure, there are treasures in the Million-Year Canyon, but do you really think those heaven-and-earth treasures are just lying around for the taking? You can't even imagine the horrors in there. Even if you make it in alive, whether you come out alive is another matter entirely—and you're still dreaming of recouping your losses?" Someone nearby immediately sneered.

"Exactly. Do you have any idea how big Scarface's appetite is? Even if you get in, even if your luck holds and you find something good, won't he just ransack you all over again on your way out? Do you think he'd let you walk away that easily? Use your head, would you?" another chimed in.

At these words, the faces of the trial participants in the vicinity turned indescribably grim. Every word was true. There was no way Scarface was some honest, upright fellow—he'd search you on the way in and search you again on the way out. Even a fool could work that out. You'd be working for him for free from start to finish, risking your life into the bargain—so what the hell was the point?

"Then what's left to say? We just have to keep clear of this cursed place. Even a smaller haul is better than walking right into Scarface's hands to be picked clean. I'm not stupid!" Someone immediately began to waver.

There were no few who harbored the same thought, but not everyone was willing to retreat so easily. After all, once you withdrew, you'd be searching for a needle in a haystack out in the desert. Better to take a gamble—fortune favors the bold!

Sure enough, even as the crowd murmured among themselves, a man in grey suddenly leaped out from their midst and in an instant drew every eye.

"I am Duan Wuzong of the Thousand Blades Sect of Nakajima. I carry no heaven-and-earth treasures worth mentioning—and precisely because of that, I must enter the Million-Year Canyon. I ask that you do me this convenience. I trust you'd rather not see things come to a life-and-death struggle over such a trifle; that would look bad for both of us." As he spoke, the grey-clad man radiated a fierce, overbearing aura—unmistakably a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

The moment this Duan Wuzong stepped forward, the scene erupted in an uproar. Every pair of eyes went wide. The reason they had all been milling about here, unable to advance or retreat, was precisely that they lacked a leader. And now, at last, one had appeared.

"Oh? Looks like we've got a tough one here, come to take on my turf single-handed?" Scarface said with utter contempt, glancing carelessly at Duan Wuzong.

"I wouldn't dare. Whether the others live or die is no concern of mine. I merely ask that you open a convenient door. After all, if we truly come to blows, mutual ruin benefits neither of us—and someone else might well fish in troubled waters. What say you?" Duan Wuzong's tone could not conceal its arrogance.

"Heh. This one's out to test the minefield," Wei Zhao said with a faint smile and a shake of his head. Judging by his aura, this Duan Wuzong of the Thousand Blades Sect was indeed a rare talent—among the crowd of Nascent Soul peak cultivators, he stood out as exceptional. Such pride and confidence were only natural. A pity that his opponent was, after all, a peak expert of the early Xuan Sheng stage—who would hardly be swayed by such posturing.

"You don't think much of his chances?" Huo Yudie asked, curious. In her view, this man was very strong; as he himself had said, if it really came to a fight, even if it wasn't mutual ruin, he would surely cause Scarface no small trouble—and with Scarface wary, he might well let him off.

"Of course. Scarface and his lot are few in number; deterrence is all that keeps so many people in check. If he lets this man set a precedent, think about it—would all these people here still be trembling and not daring to move? Once the situation spirals out of control, even someone of Scarface's strength couldn't hope to contain it, and then his reign as the local tyrant would be a complete failure," Wei Zhao analyzed.

"Then what will he do?" Huo Yudie asked thoughtfully.

"Naturally, he'll destroy this Duan Wuzong with the force of a thunderbolt. So long as he can establish his authority in one stroke, no one here will dare defy him again—they'll submit meekly to being picked clean." Wei Zhao smiled faintly. As he spoke, though, he left himself out of the reckoning: a peak expert of the early Xuan Sheng stage was an incomparable deterrent to others, but never forget that he had killed a Xuan Sheng cultivator long before this—and with a single strike, at that.

Scarface had no sooner heard Wei Zhao's words than he made his decision. He threw back his head and laughed. "Hahahaha! I've held this place for so many years, and precious few have ever dared threaten me to my face. You've got some nerve, fellow named Duan. A pity you've miscalculated—threaten me? Hmph. Do I look like the sort of coward who's afraid of threats?"

With that, Scarface let out a sudden long cry and struck without hesitation.

Duan Wuzong was aghast. He had stepped forward not to fight Scarface head-on, but simply to make the man think him not worth provoking—so that he would back off. Who could have imagined the other would dismiss him with utter contempt? Now he was stuck straddling a tiger and unable to get off; there was nothing for it but to grit his teeth and meet the attack.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Amid a burst of piercing metallic clashes, a host of divine weapons and sharp blades suddenly flickered into being around Duan Wuzong—sabers, spears, swords, halberds, one of every kind, thirteen in all by a rough count. How he carried them on his person was anyone's guess. All of them hovered around him, a formation to strike awe into any onlooker.

A wave of sharp intakes of breath swept the crowd. Though the fight had not yet truly begun, this Duan Wuzong was formidable indeed—by the look of it, he could control thirteen weapons at once, which was simply inconceivable. Against an ordinary expert, wouldn't he have them beaten to death by these blades in no time at all?

"I've long heard that the martial techniques of the Thousand Blades Sect of Nakajima are in a class of their own—that the stronger a disciple of the sect, the more blades he can command, until at the limit he might unleash a thousand blades at once. Seeing it today, the reputation is well earned," Huo Yudie sighed.

"Heh. It is rather interesting," Wei Zhao said, unable to suppress his interest at the sight. He had seen all manner of experts before, not a few of them practitioners of strange and cunning arts, but this was the first time he had seen anyone command a dozen-odd weapons at once.

"I'll say this one last time—let me pass, and there need be no trouble between us. Otherwise, when things descend into chaos, with so many people here, the situation will be beyond your control!" Unless there was no other way, Duan Wuzong still did not wish to draw his blade.

Though he was fully confident in his own strength, to claim he could truly defeat a peak expert of the early Xuan Sheng stage was plainly a fool's dream! (To be continued.)