Chapter 678 Gaining Profit, Protecting Friends
Yang Haoran gazed at the five Demon Pills suspended before him. With just a slight perception, he confirmed that all five were indeed Demon Pills of Great Demons. However, because the former masters of these five Demon Pills varied in strength, the power fluctuations emanating from the pills also differed slightly in intensity. Still, it was certain that they were all genuine Great Demon Pills.
"Though these five Demon Pills vary in strength, they are absolutely all Great Demon Pills. I hope Envoy Yang won't nitpick," the fair-skinned man said with a smile.
"Haha, young man, you worry too much. I'm not picky; as long as it's a Great Demon Pill, it counts," Yang Haoran replied, smiling. Then he snapped his fingers, and the five Demon Pills floating before him vanished instantly, all absorbed into his independent space.
Witnessing Yang Haoran collect the five Demon Pills he had presented, the fair-skinned man showed no hint of heartache. His gaze shifted to Bai Xue, and a glint of excitement appeared in his eyes.
The reason he hadn't rushed to this location immediately today was his intention to wait until Yang Haoran had fought the two Great Demons to the death, then come to pick up the spoils. However, he hadn't anticipated the battle ending much faster than he imagined, dashing his hopes of capitalizing on the situation, which left him feeling somewhat frustrated.
Aside from his frustration, a few doubts lingered in his mind. He had sensed a total of three streams of Demon Qi at the time. After the battle ended, one of those streams had surprisingly not vanished. With this confusion in his heart, after Old Master Wu and the others left, he brought Ye Zhiqiu and the woman up the mountain. He wanted to understand what had happened, and at the same time, he sought an opportunity to acquire the Demon Pills and bodies of the two Great Demons from Yang Haoran.
Upon ascending the mountain, he was stunned the moment he first saw Bai Xue. Whether human or demon, he had never seen anyone so breathtakingly beautiful, capable of toppling cities. At that moment, only one thought occupied his mind: he had to acquire this female demon, no matter the cost.
He didn't make a move immediately because he perceived that Yang Haoran and the female demon shared an unusual relationship. If he suddenly attacked the female demon, Yang Haoran would undoubtedly intervene. So, at that time, he suppressed his inner impulse, refraining from rash action. Instead, he sought an opportunity to speak with Yang Haoran privately, hoping Yang Haoran wouldn't interfere in the matter.
On the way up the mountain, considering his desire to obtain the two Great Demons' corpses from Yang Haoran, he had specifically inquired about Yang Haoran with Ye Zhiqiu, so he could be somewhat prepared.
Ye Zhiqiu's answer at the time consisted of only four words: "Only interested in profit."
Although Ye Zhiqiu's reply was exceptionally simple and direct, it greatly satisfied the fair-skinned man.
In his view, individuals who were solely driven by profit were the easiest to exploit and deceive. Therefore, he believed that with his intelligence, obtaining the corpses of the two Great Demons from Yang Haoran would be no difficult task.
After seeing Bai Xue, the corpses of the two Great Demons immediately seemed unimportant. His main target had shifted to Bai Xue. Seeing Yang Haoran's good relationship with Bai Xue, he initially thought it might be troublesome, but recalling Ye Zhiqiu's assessment of Yang Haoran, he felt that the matter shouldn't be as difficult as he imagined; Yang Haoran could likely be exploited.
Under his self-important performance, he believed Yang Haoran was stepping, bit by bit, into the trap he had laid, and he himself was drawing ever closer to his goal.
However, what he hadn't expected was that Yang Haoran was even more insatiably greedy than he'd imagined, making an exorbitant demand for ten Great Demon Pills as payment for his intervention.
Though surprised in his heart at the time, his mind was still filled with delight. As Yang Haoran had said, Bai Xue's value was far more than just ten Great Demon Pills; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to multiply that by ten or even a hundred times.
The fair-skinned man's plan was simple: once he acquired Bai Xue, he would enjoy her himself first. When he eventually grew tired of her, he would sell her for a high price, at which point he would undoubtedly make a massive fortune.
However, he believed that a top-grade female demon like Bai Xue would never bore him, even if he were to play with her until his dying day.
Keeping her meant happiness; selling her meant wealth. Compared to these, what were ten Great Demon Pills paid to Yang Haoran?
Although ten Great Demon Pills were no small sum in the eyes of many Demon Hunters, his family certainly wasn't lacking for these ten Great Demon Pills.
Moreover, despite his solemn vows, once the matter was concluded, Yang Haoran would be of no further value to him. At that point, whether or not the final payment was made would be entirely up to him. He didn't believe Yang Haoran would have the audacity to come to his home and demand the debt.
The fair-skinned man considered himself very intelligent, his calculations flawless. Thus, he appeared extremely pleased at this moment, especially after looking at Bai Xue, his heart pounding uncontrollably with immense excitement. There was just one thing he hadn't accounted for, because he had never once imagined such a thing could happen to him.
"Envoy Yang, you've already collected the Demon Pills. Isn't it time to get to work?"
Forcibly suppressing his inner excitement and impulse, the fair-skinned man reluctantly tore his gaze away from Bai Xue and looked towards Yang Haoran.
"Heh heh, of course. Taking people's money to solve their problems, rest assured, I won't just take the payment and not deliver; that would ruin my reputation."
Yang Haoran said with a smile, then opened his Heaven Soul.
As his Heaven Soul opened, a powerful wave of energy erupted from his body, and a mass of Yin Qi swirled beside him.
Feeling such a formidable power fluctuation, the fair-skinned man was greatly startled in his heart. He hadn't expected Yang Haoran's strength to be so terrifying. During Yang Haoran's previous battle with the cat demon, he hadn't sensed Yang Haoran unleashing such a dreadful power fluctuation.
Of course, he couldn't sense it, because at that time, when Yang Haoran opened his Heaven Soul, he was also within a restraining barrier. How could he have possibly sensed it?
Yang Haoran's formidable strength far exceeded his imagination. Instinctively, he felt that something was amiss. Before he could even figure out where this ominous feeling originated, Yang Haoran spoke.
"First, stabilize the barrier! The barrier you set up is about to shatter!"
Yang Haoran hadn't even attacked the barrier; he had merely opened his Heaven Soul. Yet, even so, this sudden surge of power caused a dense network of cracks to appear on the barrier enclosing them both, threatening to shatter it immediately.
Ordinarily, if a mere broken barrier shattered, it would be no big deal. But at this moment, the fair-skinned man was stunned by Yang Haoran's formidable strength. Startled by Yang Haoran's sudden reminder, he didn't even have time to think further, hastily mobilizing the Star Spirit Power within his body and injecting a large amount of it into the barrier.
Reinforced by a large amount of Star Spirit Power, the barrier, which had been on the verge of shattering, gradually stabilized, and its myriad cracks rapidly healed.
Seeing the barrier gradually stabilize, the fair-skinned man's mind finally caught up. As he continued to inject Star Spirit Power into the barrier with both hands, a question suddenly popped into his head: Why did Yang Haoran want him to protect the barrier and prevent it from shattering?
Was it to avoid startling the snake?
Thinking this, the fair-skinned man considered it a possibility. Yang Haoran had just said that with his intervention, everything would be foolproof. It seemed Yang Haoran intended to catch Bai Xue off guard and then capture her alive at the fastest possible speed.
After all, the two were originally friends, and Bai Xue surely wouldn't have dreamed that Yang Haoran would suddenly attack her. Under such a shock, her reactions would undoubtedly fail to keep pace.
In this way, even if Bai Xue possessed life-saving techniques or means to call for help, they would be useless, as she simply wouldn't have the time to employ them.
Being able to figure this out in such a short time, the fair-skinned man felt proud of his intelligence, and even a little smug.
"Heh heh, if I'm not mistaken, is Envoy Yang planning to catch her off guard?"
The fair-skinned man spoke to Yang Haoran while continuing to inject Star Spirit Power into the barrier.
Yang Haoran smiled and nodded at him, then gave an affirmative reply.
"Yes, I do intend to catch *him* off guard, but my 'him' isn't your 'her. '"
These words left the fair-skinned man baffled. He still hadn't grasped the meaning of Yang Haoran's statement when, suddenly, a black light flashed within the Yin Qi beside Yang Haoran. Following this, he felt a chill in his waist, and then the barrier shattered with a loud crash.
The fair-skinned man had been facing Yang Haoran the entire time. Even as he was injecting Star Spirit Power into the barrier with both hands, he was still directly facing Yang Haoran. Furthermore, their proximity meant that both could see each other's every move, and even every expression, with crystal clarity.
However, Yang Haoran made no movements, nor did his expression change. Yet, the fleeting black light that had just appeared was undeniably caught by the fair-skinned man's eyes.
What exactly was that suddenly appearing black light? He couldn't grasp it in the moment. Why had the seemingly stable barrier suddenly shattered? He couldn't understand that either. And what did Yang Haoran's last remark mean? He was utterly bewildered.
A second later, he understood. But his consciousness was already blurring.
He widened his eyes, his expression terrified, glaring fixedly at Yang Haoran.
He tried to say something, but just as his mouth moved slightly, a gush of fresh blood suddenly sprayed from his waist.
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