Chapter 479: Trade

Zu An snorted coldly, "Surrender? That word isn't in my dictionary."

Qiu Honglei wasn't annoyed. She continued, "Don't be so quick to refuse. Take a look for yourself; even if you keep fighting now, you can't beat us. And even if, by some long shot, you have some hidden cards or a way to escape, they won't be able to."

Following her gaze, Zu An noticed that the others on the field were in perilous situations. The Eight Wanderers of the Demonic Cult were all peak sixth-grade, and some had even reached seventh-grade.

Pei Mianman was only sixth-grade, and Zheng Dan was merely peak fifth-grade, and wounded besides. They were truly struggling against these long-renowned masters.

If not for Pei Mianman's extraordinarily strange black flames, which somewhat tied their enemies' hands, the two women would likely have been captured long ago.

Even so, their situation was still precarious.

As for the Sang father and daughter, they were in an even sorrier state, barely holding on thanks to the severely injured Sang Hong. Neither Sang Qian nor Sang Qian's practical combat ability was anywhere near Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan's.

On his side, he knew that facing the Gold, Wind, and Ice Wanderers, simply protecting himself was difficult enough, let alone counterattacking.

Sigh, if only Yun Yuqing had left a little later. With her here, the situation would have been much easier.

However, he quickly dismissed that thought. He knew countless people would be hunting him in the future; Yun Yuqing could save him once, but could she save him for a lifetime?

At this point, Qiu Honglei continued, "As for surrendering, you don't need to worry. We definitely won't harm you. You should have felt during the recent fight that they all held back against you."

Zu An snorted, "Ultimately, your Cult Master just wants the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra from me."

Qiu Honglei smiled faintly. "I won't deny that point. But the entire world is looking for you now, so our Cult Master is just one more. However, our Holy Cult is different from other factions. If other factions catch you, they'll certainly torture you for information and then kill you to silence you. But our Cult Master has always valued talent and eagerly seeks like-minded individuals to join. With your abilities, you're bound to achieve great things in the Holy Cult."

Zu An frowned, "Ultimately, it still means I have to hand over the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra to your Cult Master."

Qiu Honglei looked at him silently for a moment, then said, "A'Zu, you should understand the saying 'a valuable item invites trouble.' Unless you are strong enough to contend with all the various factions, which you clearly aren't yet, our Cult Master can offer you protection and, at the same time, save your life. This is the best arrangement I could secure for you."

Zu An understood her meaning. In everyone's eyes, he was currently facing a desperate situation, and her terms could be considered very generous. After all, whether he fell into the hands of the Emperor or other factions, he wouldn't even be able to save his life.

If his relationship with Qiu Honglei hadn't been quite close, even if he fell into the Demonic Cult's hands, it would likely have been a dead end.

To refuse such terms would be truly unappreciative.

"Thank you, Miss Qiu. Although you didn't say it, I understand the effort you've put in," Zu An said, cupping his hands. Unfortunately, he had his own plans and didn't believe the Demonic Cult Master would truly spare his life.

"As long as you know," Qiu Honglei lightly snorted, the playful tone in her voice making the other three men present gape in astonishment. She immediately realized this, quickly cleared her throat, and suppressed her smile. "So, do you agree?"

Zu An shook his head. "I'm accustomed to living freely and truly don't want to be someone's subordinate."

Qiu Honglei's expression turned cold. She immediately turned and ordered the Eight Wanderers, "Kill them all!"

The ruthlessness she displayed in that instant made everyone realize that she wasn't the enchanting courtesan from the Immortal's Dwelling they once knew, but the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Cult, a killer who wouldn't bat an eye.

"Good!" Both the Gold Wanderer and the Ice Wanderer had long been itching for a fight. Now, receiving the order, they grinned menacingly and charged at the others.

Zu An was truly detestable, but unfortunately, with the Cult Master's orders and the Holy Maiden's protection, they couldn't do anything to him directly. However, they could vent their frustration by killing his friends.

Seeing three more Wanderers charging in, Sang Qian immediately panicked. Their group was already in a perilous situation, and now it was a dead end.

He never expected the goddess he had once adored so much to order their deaths so readily, as if he were just an ordinary passerby in her eyes. His heart filled with sorrow, despair, and fear, alongside extreme anger towards Zu An.

"You, Zu! It's all your fault!"

Rage value from Sang Qian +1024!

Zu An couldn't be bothered to spare him a glance. His greater concern was the safety of Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan. He instinctively wanted to go to their aid but was blocked by Qiu Honglei.

"If you want to get past, you'll have to get past me first," Qiu Honglei said, holding her lantern and quietly blocking his way.

Zu An immediately felt a headache coming on. Qiu Honglei had always been mysterious; her cultivation was likely between fifth and sixth grade, or even more possibly sixth-grade. Combined with that mysterious lantern, breaking through her defenses would certainly not be a quick task.

Seeing Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan both wounded on the other side, he didn't dare to delay any longer. He quickly said, "Alright, I promise you. I'll go with you. Let them go."

"That's a good boy~" Qiu Honglei's frosty face instantly bloomed into a smile, the stark contrast like ice and snow beginning to melt.

Looking at the beautiful woman smiling like a flower before him, Zu An's last shred of anger vanished. Sigh, he still couldn't overcome his flaw of judging people by their appearance.

Qiu Honglei turned and ordered the Eight Wanderers to release Pei Mianman and the others. However, the Thunder Wanderer frowned and said, "Holy Maiden, letting these people go would expose the information that Zu An has fallen into our Cult's hands. That would lead to endless trouble."

The Ice Wanderer immediately chimed in, "Exactly. If we don't silence them, countless masters will soon come rushing towards the Holy Cult."

The other Wanderers also nodded, clearly not agreeing to release them. After all, they had the complete advantage and no reason to let them go.

Qiu Honglei was also in a difficult position. Rationally, she knew these witnesses should be eliminated, but emotionally, she had just promised Zu An. Moreover, given the intimacy between those two women and Zu An, if they were truly killed, her relationship with Zu An would likely be irreparable afterwards.

Sensing her hesitation, Zu An immediately pressed his sword against his own throat. "If you dare to touch them, I'll die right here in front of you. Then we'll see how you explain that to the Cult Master!"

"A'Zu!" Seeing this, Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan's faces turned pale with fright. Unfortunately, they were blocked by the Thunder Wanderer and couldn't get through.

Qiu Honglei wanted to stop him, but Zu An quickly stepped back a few paces. "Don't try to take my sword. While I can't defeat you, I still have the power to decide my own life or death."

The Ice Wanderer said sinisterly, "I don't believe you'd actually kill yourself, kid."

"Shut up!" Qiu Honglei glared at him. Although, based on her understanding of Zu An, she didn't think he would truly commit suicide, she didn't want to take that risk. Besides, she now had a good reason to overrule the objections, so there was no need to complicate matters further.

She stated in a low voice, "Our primary mission on this trip is to bring Zu An back. Compared to that, everything else is insignificant. Release them!"

The Eight Wanderers exchanged glances. Although their strength surpassed Qiu Honglei's, her status was special, being the Cult Master's disciple, and they didn't want to offend her.

Moreover, if any harm truly came to Zu An, they certainly didn't want to incur the Cult Master's wrath.

Thus, even the most unyielding Thunder Wanderer and Ice Wanderer ceased their efforts, signaling that Pei Mianman and the others could leave.

Sang Qian felt as if he had received a great pardon and quickly helped his father run out. Sang Qian hesitated, turning back to look their way several times, but ultimately said nothing.

"A'Zu!" Pei Mianman and Zheng Dan clearly didn't want to see Zu An taken away by the Demonic Cult members and cried out, attempting to rush over.

Zu An quickly stopped them. "Don't come over! You can't save me by staying here; you'll only risk your own lives. Don't make my sacrifice meaningless."

Seeing that the two women still had something to say, he quickly sent a spiritual message: "Silly girls, why don't you leave first and then find help to rescue me?"