Chapter 10: Rebellion (Part 1)

Si Debing said, “We just need to set up a siege and seal off the area with restrictions so they can’t open the rune gates. Then we can act together and kill them outright.” He already considered Guo Shier and the others dead. The self-destruct attacks of the Soul Beasts had left him seriously injured, and he wouldn’t be able to vent his anger unless they were killed.
Zhen Wuji had no objections. He had killed professionals from the Eighth-Level Altar before, so he said, “Alright, you take care of it.”
Lei Yuan asked, “Is it because we can’t recruit them? It’s a shame to kill professionals from the Eighth-Level Altar.”
Lei Zhenhuo replied, “There’s nothing we can do. They’re too strong; we simply can’t recruit them. Moreover, they threatened that if we can’t kill them, they’ll come after us. That forced Si Debing and me to kill them to feel at ease.”
Lei Yuan nodded. “Well then, since they’re seeking death and daring to threaten us, if we don’t kill them… I’d also feel uneasy.”
Si Debing said, “This time, we must kill them cleanly. One of them can control a large number of Soul Beasts and use their self-destruct attacks to clear a path—it’s really troublesome.”
Lei Yuan said, “That’s not a problem. With the four of us, experts from the Ninth-Level Altar, I don’t believe they can escape.”
Zhen Wuji felt a slight stir inside, but he said nothing, only lowering his head in thought.
…
No matter how Guo Shier and the other two tried to escape, they remained within a small area, so it wasn’t surprising that they fell into their opponents’ trap. Two days later, they finally stumbled into it. Si Debing, Lei Zhenhuo, Lei Yuan, and Zhen Wuji surrounded them from all four directions.
Si Debing laughed loudly, “Where else can you run?”
Lei Zhenhuo said triumphantly, “I wonder how many more Soul Beasts you have to use for self-destruct attacks!”
Lei Yuan asked, “Just these three little guys?”
Zhen Wuji was stunned. He pointed at Guo Shier in surprise, “It’s you! You… how are you here?” He had met Guo Shier at the Great Abyss Pool, and he knew Guo Shier had an amazing elder brother—a master beyond the Ninth-Level Altar, a peak expert in this world.
Lei Zhenhuo was also shocked. He asked, “Brother Wuji, you know them?”
Zhen Wuji wore a strange expression. He knew Guo Shier and his elder brother were two extremely terrifying experts. He would never dare to provoke them. He said, “I know them… Shier, you… um, I…” He didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Si Debing’s expression darkened as he said, “Whether we know them or not, we can’t let them leave alive…”
Zhen Wuji turned and said, “Not let them leave? Hehe, you probably don’t know… What you’ve caused isn’t just trouble; you’re about to face disaster. I suggest… stopping now. If you can gain their forgiveness, there’s still room for a solution.”
Si Debing’s face instantly turned cold. He said calmly, “Zhen Wuji, we didn’t invite you here to speak for the enemy!”
Zhen Wuji flicked his robe sleeves and also grew cold, saying indifferently, “So what if I said that?”
Lei Zhenhuo hurriedly asked, “Brother Wuji, who are they?” He was puzzled—given Zhen Wuji’s usual pride, such behavior was unexpected, and he felt a bit panicked.
Guo Shier and the other two were fully focused on defense. They couldn’t move recklessly; if their defenses weakened, their opponent could deal heavy blows to all three at once. Seeing Zhen Wuji, Guo Shier felt slightly relieved. He knew that even if Zhen Wuji didn’t help him, he wouldn’t join the others in attacking.
Zhen Wuji sneered and said, “He’s my younger brother. I originally wanted to intercede for you, but now… Hmph, Si Debing, do you think… they’re easy to bully?”
Si Debing flew into a rage. He said, “If you don’t want to help, step aside! I don’t care who they are—those who dare provoke me… I’ll make them die!”
Zhen Wuji laughed heartily. “Haha, so impressive! Sorry, Old Lei…”
Lei Zhenhuo felt extreme headache. He said, “Brother Wuji, since you’re unwilling to help, then please step aside to rest or leave…”
Zhen Wuji smiled slightly and said, “By saying sorry… I mean I’m joining them.” With that, he teleported to Guo Shier and the others, unleashing his altar. He added, “I know him, and I know his elder brother too. I intend to help them!” Suddenly, the situation reversed.
Lei Zhenhuo laughed in anger. He said, “Zhen Wuji! Fine, fine! I was blind! From now on, we’re enemies!”
Zhen Wuji said, “It doesn’t matter!” In fact, he and Lei Zhenhuo weren’t close friends—they had only met a few times. Lei Zhenhuo was good at socializing, and after a few encounters, it seemed like they were old friends. Zhen Wuji simply thought it was good to have more acquaintances, and since Lei Zhenhuo was at the same rank as him and spoke casually, they became acquaintances.
Guo Shier was overjoyed. With Zhen Wuji’s help, things would be much better—at least they wouldn’t be in mortal danger.

Zhen Wuji wasn’t really that friendly with Guo Shier. They did develop a certain rapport in Dayuan Tan, but the main reason was Li Ran’s presence. If Guo Shier were hurt or killed and Li Ran took revenge, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. He dared not face the wrath of a master who surpassed the ninth-tier altar, so he immediately changed his stance. People of the Gu family always prioritized their family’s survival.

At this point, Si Debing and Lei Zhenhuo found themselves in a difficult situation. To kill Guo Shier and the others, they first had to eliminate Zhen Wuji. What annoyed them the most was that Zhen Wuji was actually someone they had brought in themselves—it was simply unreasonable. Lei Yuan said, “Even if we have to fight to the death, we must eliminate these threats.” She glared fiercely at Si Debing and Lei Zhenhuo, her disapproval obvious.

Lei Zhenhuo’s face turned red and blue alternately—he was both angry and embarrassed. What had seemed certain now, with Zhen Wuji changing his stance, had its chances of success reduced by half, and their good prospects were completely ruined. Worse still, Zhen Wuji knew the Gu Bing family and Gu Lei family well, including where their families were located. The thought of their opponents turning against them made him shudder.

Si Debing gritted his teeth silently and whispered, “What should we do?”

Lei Zhenhuo said, “Kill them! We must not let these three go under any circumstances. If we kill them, I believe… Zhen Wuji won’t be able to do anything either.”

Lei Yuan said, “But with Zhen Wuji interfering, it will be hard for us to defeat them. Ah Huo, can we get Zhen Wuji to stay neutral?”

Lei Zhenhuo smiled bitterly. From Zhen Wuji’s decisive stance just now, it was clear that getting him to stay neutral would be extremely difficult. But he wasn’t willing to give up without trying. He stepped forward slightly and said, “Zhen Wuji, how about we make a deal?”

Zhen Wuji asked, “What kind of deal?”

Lei Zhenhuo said, “Our Gu Lei family and Gu Bing family will each provide some resources. In addition, our two families will ally with the Gu Zhen family. Myself and Si Debing… will serve as honorary ancestors of the Gu Zhen family for ten years… no, twenty years. How about that?” When friendship wasn’t enough, they would offer an irresistible condition to buy loyalty outright.

Si Debing said, “Zhen Wuji, I don’t know what you’re afraid of. Maybe they have strong backing, but if we kill them all and keep our secret, then… no one will know it was us…”

Guo Shier, Halechi, and Wang Keer watched them perform in silence, their expressions unchanged. As long as they could buy time, even a little bit would help.

Zhen Wuji chuckled and said, “The terms are generous—not bad, not bad… But sadly, I can’t agree.” He thought to himself, “If only you knew who’s behind Guo Shier, you probably wouldn’t be so reckless.” Since they were already at odds, he had no intention of reminding them. He had originally wanted to act as a mediator, but now he no longer had such thoughts.

Guo Shier was also deeply moved. There had been no hatred between them at first, but things escalated until they became mortal enemies. It was truly amazing how strange this world was. At this point, the other side wouldn’t spare him, and he didn’t intend to spare them either. Having been on the brink of death several times and losing many Spirit Beasts, it was impossible not to hate them.

Lei Zhenhuo’s face was twisted in rage. He deeply regretted bringing in that bastard Zhen Wuji. With the negotiations failing, he had no choice but to go all in. With a dark expression, he said grimly, “If that’s the case… then let’s fight! Kill! Kill! Kill!” He frantically launched flaming spears and roared, “Kill them all!”

Si Debing faced Zhen Wuji, Guo Shier faced Lei Zhenhuo, while Halechi and Lei Yuan fought together. Wang Keer immediately went to Guo Shier’s altar. With her strength, she couldn’t withstand a single strike from any expert at the ninth level, so she had to rely on Guo Shier’s defense to survive.

Zhen Wuji raised his hand and unleashed a phantom giant hand, swinging it fiercely at her. Si Debing, filled with rage, pulled and pushed with his hands, turning the blue sphere into a blue long sword before slashing forward. He cursed, “Bastard!”

Lei Yuan held her walking stick and sneered, “Kid, running into me… means bad luck for you!”

Halechi cursed, “Old witch, it’s so unlucky for me to run into you… I’m absolutely doomed, encountering you this old witch—making me feel like I’m rotting from the inside…” He didn’t even know what he was cursing about as he wildly swung his Thunder Axe. With his strength, it was difficult for him to fight back; he could only fight desperately.

Guo Shier’s Moon Blades transformed into countless foot-long blades, swirling around the altar. The Soul Calming Cauldron spun above his head, with the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasures below. Countless tentacles extended from beneath the altar. He wished he could unleash all the sacrificial treasures, but in reality, he could only control two of them—the Moon Blades and the Soul Calming Cauldron. Gu Xi Bi and the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasures were under the control of Old Shuai.

Lei Zhenhuo hated Guo Shier the most. Last time, he had been badly damaged by a Spirit Beast. This time, he had finally found two helpers, but one of them had become an enemy because of this guy right in front of him. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Kid, you’re dead… Let’s see who can save you.”

With the combined strength of Guo Shier and the old hero, plus nearly a million spirit beasts inside the Soul-Stabilizing Cauldron, Guo Shier was not afraid of a professional from a ninth-tier altar. He turned around and shouted, “Halechi… don’t fight head-on, fight tactically!”
Lei Zhenhuo’s flaming spear instantly transformed into a red beam, shooting straight at him. He laughed loudly and said, “Kid, worry about yourself first! Fight!”
Guo Shier’s moon blade turned into a whirlwind, with a whirl of blade light spinning wildly to block in front of the altar.
Boom! Ding! Ding! Ding…
Like rain hitting banana leaves, the foot-long moon blade slashed frantically around the flaming spear. Lei Zhenhuo roared as he wielded his spear as a sacred weapon; countless flaming spear tips pierced through the moon blade’s blockade and headed toward Guo Shier’s altar. In an instant, countless tentacles swayed, and the Umbrella Tower Sacred Weapon also emitted layers of light.