NOVEL NEXT Chapter 296_1
"I understand."
The First Hammer's gaze swept over the faces of the people before him, some resentful, others pleading, and he replied in a calm tone.
After that, he turned his head directly to look at Zhang Jing on the other side.
At this moment, this Qingyun fellow was still inspecting the body of the Patrol Yaksha on the ground, seemingly indifferent to the recent dispute among the others.
"Fellow Qingyun."
He called out gently, and seeing no response, the First Hammer couldn't help but raise his voice.
"Fellow Qingyun!"
Zhang Jing, who had been contemplating the time Tao Intent contained within the corpse of the Patrol Yaksha, immediately snapped back to reality and responded with a smile,
"Does fellow have something to discuss?"
In the midst of speaking,
his gaze drifted towards the iron chest gleaming with resplendent treasure light, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.
"River of Time Gold Crystals, judging by its size, should be over ten jin, right? It's indeed a fine treasure, worth at least ten billion luck movements to start with at the Auction Field of All Worlds! To encounter such a thing upon first entering the depths of the River of Cosmos, I suppose there must be even more treasures further in."
For a time, Zhang Jing's thoughts surged.
No wonder so many cultivators fervently seek the Extreme River of Time; he had indeed come to the right place on this trip.
Of course, the River of Time Gold Crystal before him, a mere ten billion luck movements, was not something Zhang Jing placed much importance on.
After all, just the luck movement he had accumulated over the years through the Taiyi Dao Intent and the small Xiantian Yuan Early Immortal Light legacy far exceeded this amount.
Not to mention the various treasures and resources in his original body's possession, which were countless and far more valuable.
But this allowed him a glimpse into the abundant opportunities within the River of Cosmos, beyond his imagination.
And if this was just the downstream, then the midstream of the River of Cosmos, and even further upstream, and the River of Cosmos' Source Domain—where only Heavenly True Monarchs could survive—must contain treasures of unimaginably astonishing value.
"Fellow Qingyun, they do have some reason in what they are saying. Perhaps it would be best if you were to make a concession this time," the First Hammer said indifferently.
No sooner had his words fallen,
than a smug smile appeared on Lei Hong's face, which was visibly discernible. Ji Xiaoyun and Chang Zizai, however, showed no particular reaction, their expressions remaining as tranquil as usual, as if they had anticipated this outcome.
"Brother, how can you do this? Even if Fellow Qingyun didn't work hard, he still suffered hardship," Su Lingling quickly and anxiously spoke up for Zhang Jing.
"Little sister, just listen to me first," the First Hammer said with a helpless chuckle, then continued,
"However, I will take half of my 60% share and give it to Qingyun as compensation. How about that, Fellow Qingyun?"
He looked at Zhang Jing with a grin, persuasively saying,
"Moreover, you've seen everyone's strength. Rather than going at it alone, why not simply join us in the exploration?"
"Haha, fellow, I truly appreciate your kind offer. As for the spoils this time, I think it's best if you keep them to yourselves. After all, they're right; I really didn't contribute much," Zhang Jing gently shook his head, declining graciously with a soft tone.
These people were quite capable, probably local talents, but the places he planned to go next were simply too dangerous for them.
On the other side,
upon hearing the latter part of the First Hammer's words, the others' expressions suddenly became blank.
What had the First Brother just said?
He was going to give half of his own share to that Qingyun?
Chang Zizai and Ji Xiaoyun looked uncontrollably towards the First Hammer, their eyes suddenly revealing an unbelieving gleam, as if they were seeing him for the first time.
"The First Brother has always been proud and arrogant; since when has he been so courteous to a Golden Core Realm Loose Cultivator?"
"Wait, what does he mean by 'alone'?"
Ji Xiaoyun felt a sense of unrest, especially after hearing Zhang Jing's refusal, which stirred up a huge commotion within her.
Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them.
"What's the meaning of this? What merits does this Qingyun guy have to deserve the First Brother's compensation? And it's as much as 30%!"
Thinking back to her own pathetic struggle against the Dharma Phase Realm Patrol Yaksha, and remembering how she flattered the First Hammer only to be completely ignored, Lei Hong couldn't help but feel a surge of resentment.
However, this resentment quickly morphed into hatred towards Zhang Jing.
"Had it not been for Qingyun, would I have ended up in such a wretched state? How wonderful it would have been if he had died at the hands of those Patrol Yakshas! I should have pretended to be careless and lured that Dharma Phase Realm Patrol Yaksha towards Qingyun."
Regret began to thicken in Lei Hong's heart.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider?"
The First Hammer glanced at Su Lingling, whose complexion was ashen, and attempted to persuade Zhang Jing once more.
But at that moment,
"Tsk, you fellows sure are lucky, eh? We brothers saw this towering treasure light from a great distance. 'Finders, keepers' they say, so could you spare a share for us? It shouldn't be too excessive a request, right?"
From behind, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
The crowd turned around to look.
Four figures dressed in grey robes with evil spirit masks as their magical treasures solemnly entered their field of vision.
The moment the words ended, an overwhelmingly powerful mana fluctuation descended like a landslide.
With a thud!
Lei Hong, who stood at the front, was the first to falter, his legs giving out as he knelt down hard.
His knees shattered the stone slabs, oozing crimson blood.
Simultaneously, protective fairy lights rose spontaneously on Su Lingling and the others, as they struggled against this terrifying force.
"Four people, all at the middle stage of the Dharma Phase Realm, this is going to be troublesome," the First Hammer's eyes flashed as he hefted the enormous wolf-tooth hammer and slowly stepped to the front of the group.