Chapter 4707 — The Million-Year Canyon

He had sent Scarface, a peak early-stage Profound Ascension expert, flying with a single slap—and even Kang Jingming, who looked every bit as savage and terrifying, had not dared to challenge Wei Zhao, slinking away in disgrace instead. That scene had snuffed out any thought of resistance in the crowd. They had no idea Xu Lingchong had simply lost his patience; they took it for pure fear.

Even if these hangers-on were desperate men with nothing to lose, none of them was willing to be cannon fodder—least of all when not a shred of hope was in sight. If even their leader Scarface could only play the meek grandson, then his underlings naturally had to play the meek grandson too. Otherwise they would die for nothing at all.

After taking Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian along, Wei Zhao swept the crowd one last time with his gaze, then under all those awed eyes took the lead and entered the Million-Year Canyon.

No sooner had Wei Zhao and the others gone than people at once wanted to follow them in. Scarface had taken a heavy loss this time and could only play the meek grandson; to the crowd, he no longer held any real terror.

But before that man was even halfway there, Scarface suddenly blasted him with a Dragon-Tiger Killing Fist, striking him dead on the spot and leaving not even a speck of remains. In an instant he was back to his former ferocious, hideous self. The brutality and ruthlessness of the method made everyone else fall back a step in unison, shocked beyond measure.

"I'll leave you all with one word: either pay up enough heavenly treasures before you go in, or hand over half of everything you bring back out! Two choices—take your pick. Don't say I didn't warn you fair and square. Anyone thinking of using the confusion to slip through and muddle past me—dies!" Scarface roared, his face twisted with menace.

In his original plan, he had intended to set his rates by the market and extort them coming and going—shake them down once when letting them in, and shake them down again when letting them out. Or, if the pickings looked good, simply kill them outright and swallow their treasures whole. That was the true business with no capital outlay.

But now he had taken loss after loss. Wei Zhao's slap in particular had smacked away every last bit of his intimidation. With so many people here eyeing him like tigers, if he did not lay down the rules quickly, he would land himself in serious trouble before he knew it. So he had no choice but to give ground a step, rather than drive these people to desperation.

That was how people were: once they had no other choice, they might well close ranks and fight to the death; but the moment you gave them hope, that little spark of defiance would dissolve into nothing. Even if the occasional hothead remained, the great majority would never risk it.

Sure enough, one hand killing to establish his authority and the other offering a sweet date, Scarface's performance immediately brought the half-out-of-control scene back under his thumb. Hearing his words, some in the crowd did a quick calculation and nodded on the spot. The first option was plainly a trap, but the second was not necessarily unacceptable—losing half was far better than searching for a needle in a haystack out in that desert.

Once there was a first, a second and a third followed in short order. Quite a few accepted Scarface's proposal on the spot. Some, of course, weighed it over and decided it was unreliable, and turned away nursing their resentment. The Million-Year Canyon was fine enough, but who knew whether Scarface would go back on his word when the time came…

After passing through the little oasis, a vast, majestic canyon opened up ahead, and an ancient, desolate, killing air rushed at them head-on, making them shudder from the very depths of their souls.

"So this is the Million-Year Canyon. A place coiled with dragons and crouching tigers, as expected—there should be no shortage of heavenly treasures," Wei Zhao said, nodding as he took in the sight. Though the vast canyon was not entirely covered in oasis, every kind of plant grew everywhere, far more full of life than the desert outside. The spiritual energy was abundant too, refreshing to body and mind.

"Yes. But it is a hundred times more dangerous than outside as well. Every step in here has to be taken with care, or you die," Huo Yudie warned.

"Mm. Profit is always proportional to risk. Brother Qi, Miss Xia, you two be careful—don't let yourselves get so lost in sweet affection that you forget," Wei Zhao said, looking at the two of them with a teasing expression.

At his teasing, Qi Wenmo and Xia Qianqian both flushed crimson at once. And truth be told, after the troubles they had been through, their feelings for each other had advanced by leaps and bounds. Right now they were already holding hands—clearly the happy match had come together.

"Brother Ling, you two be careful as well. We'll be going on ahead," Qi Wenmo said, sneaking a glance at Xia Qianqian and taking his leave of Wei Zhao. The two of them were at the very peak of their budding romance, with eyes only for each other, eager to continue their world for two.

"All right. When you come back, if that Scarface is still blocking the way, wait for me here," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

So he said, but in his view Scarface was no fool. Judging by the style he had shown so far, anyone he could chew up he would chew to the bone, never letting go until the bones were ground to powder. But when he ran into someone he could not handle, the man was quick to read the room, slinking off to play the meek grandson without the slightest thought of resistance.

In a sense, this Scarface could be counted a man who could bend and stretch as circumstances demanded. Of course, if you wanted a more precise term for it, it was bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

"Mm, I've got it. Brother Qi, Miss Huo—until we meet again," Qi Wenmo said, cupping his hands to the two of them, then turned and left with Xia Qianqian.

Watching the two of them recede into the distance, Wei Zhao turned his head to Huo Yudie and said, "So how do we go from here? Is there a shortest route?"

"Of course there is. It's one canyon straight through, but the Million-Year Canyon is several hundred li wide, and there are quite a few death zones inside where you must never take a single step. If we don't plan our route, we'll be taking a great many detours—and it's dangerous besides," Huo Yudie said.

"All right, then where do we head now?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Over there!" Huo Yudie pointed to the right front, suddenly brightening with excitement, her face full of delight. "There's a pool of clear spring water over there—I want a good bath!"

"Uh…" Wei Zhao was speechless for a moment. It would waste a bit of time, true, but girls always had their privileges, and after so long on the dusty road, wanting a bath was only human nature. He could only nod. "Over there, then. But time is limited—don't bathe too long."

"I know!" Huo Yudie cried in sweet delight, her heart blooming, and then like a sprite she went dashing off toward the spring, cheering as she ran.

Wei Zhao followed at an easy distance behind her, all the while spreading his divine sense to guard against everything around them, lest something unexpected happen. (The Campus Belle's Close-Range Bodyguard web series launches on iQiyi on August 10; for more news, follow Yuren's official WeChat 22.) (To be continued)