"Chu Feng, did I not make myself clear, or did you simply fail to understand?"
"Or perhaps you feel the offer I've presented isn't generous enough?"
"In that case, so long as you're willing to join my Soul Infant Sect, I can help you wipe out the Ying Heavenly Clan that has placed a bounty on your head." The True Immortal of the Soul Infant Sect spoke once more, attempting to persuade him.
His words sent another shock through the crowd. After Chu Feng had made his refusal so explicitly clear, this True Immortal still hadn't given up — instead, he was raising the stakes, continuing to try to win Chu Feng over. The sincerity of it was enough to move even the onlookers.
After all, the man was a True Immortal powerhouse — a being standing at the absolute pinnacle of the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, a figure as legendary as a god. Calling him divine would not have been an exaggeration.
"If you want to kill me, then do it. But I have one condition. This whole affair started because of me — only I need to die. Please let them go." As Chu Feng spoke, he glanced toward Wang Qiang and the others.
His mind was made up. Even if it meant death, he would not change it.
He had made a promise to his father to destroy the Soul Infant Sect. If he were to bow his head to them today, that would be far too disgraceful. Chu Feng felt that doing so would betray his father, betray his grandfather, and betray his mother. So even if it cost him his life, he would never yield.
"This—" But just then, something suddenly tugged at Chu Feng's heart. He could sense that something had changed inside his Universe Bag.
It was the Evil God Sword. That half-finished Emperor Armament, the Evil God Sword, was devouring other weapons. It was not only swallowing and refining all of the Emperor Armaments inside Chu Feng's Universe Bag — it hadn't even spared the half-finished Ancestral Armaments.
The speed of its refinement was simply staggering.
It was as though it weren't a weapon at all, but a ravenous beast that fed on armaments. Before it, even half-finished Ancestral Armaments were fragile and helpless.
By the time Chu Feng reacted, the Evil God Sword had already refined every single weapon inside his Universe Bag.
Immediately after, it began to tremble violently, clearly on the verge of bursting out of the Universe Bag — as if it could barely contain its eagerness to unleash its full power.
"I didn't expect that even now, you'd still be worrying about their lives. Fine. Even if you won't join my Soul Infant Sect, I respect you as a man of backbone. I'll accept your condition."
"However, since you've refused me, I must take your life." As the True Immortal of the Soul Infant Sect spoke, his eyes suddenly flashed, and an icy chill erupted forth.
In an instant, dark clouds surged into being, coalescing into a horrifying giant face that churned across the sky.
At the same time, that overpowering aura — the aura of one who brooked no rival — was released in its entirety, as though with a single thought, he could slaughter all living things beneath the heavens.
"A True Immortal — so this is the power of a True Immortal!!!"
Feeling the aura radiating from the Soul Infant Sect's True Immortal, many people began trembling uncontrollably. Those with weaker constitutions were so terrified by the pressure that they collapsed onto the ground, unable to move.
"It's… it's over. This time, it's really over. M-miss… wife, what are we going to do?" Wang Qiang panicked — truly panicked — because he could feel just how powerful that True Immortal was.
"Don't ask me! Who am I supposed to ask? I'd love to know what to do myself!" Zhao Hong snapped, and it was clear that with Chu Feng in danger, she was worried about him too.
"D-damn it, even if there's no way out, we've got to fight! I can't just leave my brother to face this alone!"
With those words, Wang Qiang defied the crushing pressure and launched himself into the air, soaring up to the sky to stand in front of Chu Feng.
"Wang Qiang, what are you doing? Get out of here!" Chu Feng said quickly.
"Hehe, brother — if you think I, Wang Qiang, would run, you're really underestimating me! What does it mean to be brothers? We w-w-were not born on the same day, same m-m-month, same year, but we can die on the same day, same m-month, same year."
"Joy shared is joy doubled. Trouble shared is trouble halved. That's what brothers are for." Wang Qiang said with a grin.
"You..."
Hearing Wang Qiang say that, Chu Feng felt warmth fill his chest. When Chu Feng had been successful and famous, there had been no shortage of people trying to curry favor with him. But when Chu Feng had fallen into peril, those willing to share his hardship — to even die alongside him — were vanishingly few.
Wang Qiang's actions had truly moved Chu Feng once again.
But even so, Chu Feng still didn't want Wang Qiang to die with him. He wanted to persuade him to leave.
Swoosh— But before Chu Feng could finish speaking, yet another figure flew through the air and landed in front of him.
Chu Feng looked more closely and was even more stunned — because the person was Zhao Hong.
"My husband is right. We share hardship together. Chu Feng, don't you even think about playing the hero all on your own." Zhao Hong said with a faint smile.