"If you want me to stop running, then stop chasing me!" Yang Kai called out with a technique while fleeing at full speed.
Yuan Xiaoman said, "Stop running and we'll stop chasing." As she spoke, she shot a meaningful glance at Zhang Qi and Ji Tianxing. The two understood and nodded slightly.
"You stop chasing first, and I'll stop running!"
Yuan Xiaoman gave a light, cold laugh. "Little brother, you're refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit. I don't know where you came from, but you probably don't know how formidable we are. With your strength, there's no way you can escape."
Ji Tianxing bellowed in fury, "Boy, hand over the Golden Crow's corpse and you'll be spared!"
"Fine, fine, fine, I'll hand it over, I'll hand it over!" Yang Kai nodded hastily, then hesitated. "But there are three of you—who should I give it to?"
"Give it to me!" Unsurprisingly, all three shouted in unison. Afterward, they exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with hostility, each wishing he could slap the other two into oblivion with a single palm.
Yuan Xiaoman's eyes darted around craftily. "Little brother, give the Golden Crow's corpse to me, and I'll recommend you for entry into Mirror Flower Water Moon. Judging by your strength, you only recently arrived in the Outer Expanse, didn't you? Out here, danger lurks at every turn. Having connections versus having none makes all the difference. Come to my Mirror Flower Water Moon, and I'll guarantee you live out your days in peace."
"You can recommend me to join Mirror Flower Water Moon?" Yang Kai's tone sounded thoroughly tempted.
Yuan Xiaoman smiled. "Don't underestimate me just because of how I look—I'm an Elder of Mirror Flower Water Moon! What's the big deal about recommending one person? And let me tell you, there are plenty of beautiful female Disciples in our Mirror Flower Water Moon. Once you join, if one catches your eye, I can even play matchmaker for you!"
Shameless wench! Zhang Qi and Ji Tianxing cursed inwardly at Yuan Xiaoman's brazenness—using seduction like this over a Golden Crow corpse, utterly disgraceful for a mid-grade Open Heaven cultivator.
Still, when they thought about it more carefully, it wasn't so surprising. How rare was a Golden Crow corpse? If she could get the young man to hand it over willingly, what was a little sacrifice?
"Are those female Disciples as pretty as you? What if I've already set my sights on you?"
Yuan Xiaoman's face turned cold, silently cursing the brat for not knowing a good deal when it was offered, but she maintained her sweet smile. "Then that depends on your own ability. If you can win this lady's heart, what would be wrong with me giving myself to you?"
"You're not lying?" Yang Kai was overjoyed.
"Of course not."
Seeing these two shameless people chattering away even while chasing and fleeing, Zhang Qi sneered, "Young man, if you believe her words, I guarantee you won't live to see tomorrow's sun. Why not join my Abhorred Land instead? We don't have many pretty female Disciples, but I can give you this guarantee—nothing else is certain, but I have great confidence in helping you advance to Fourth-Order Open Heaven in your lifetime!"
"Fourth-Order Open Heaven!" Yang Kai exclaimed.
Zhang Qi said, "For us martial cultivators, a lifetime of cultivation—everything external is illusory. Only one's own strength is the true foundation. Once you hold power in your own hands, what kind of woman won't be yours?"
"This gentleman speaks very wisely!" Yang Kai nodded repeatedly.
Yuan Xiaoman twisted around to glare at Zhang Qi in fury. "Why are you undermining me?"
Zhang Qi gave a cold snort, too lazy to bother with her, and continued in a coaxing tone. "Young man, give the Golden Crow's corpse to me. I can swear upon my own Dao Seal that everything I've just said is the truth!"
Now that carried some sincerity. Swearing upon one's own Dao Seal—no one could take that lightly. If one broke such a vow, it was highly likely to tarnish the Dao Seal and obstruct one's Great Dao.
Yuan Xiaoman hadn't expected Zhang Qi to go this far. For a moment, she forgot to berate him.
Yang Kai's voice drifted back from far ahead. "I appreciate this gentleman's sincerity, and I must say it's quite tempting. But there are three of you—I'd still like to hear what the third gentleman has to offer!"
Ji Tianxing grinned savagely. "How about I offer you a way to stay alive?"
Yang Kai replied, "This gentleman's words carry no sincerity whatsoever. Don't even think about the Golden Crow corpse. I'd sooner throw it away than give it to you."
Yuan Xiaoman nodded quickly. "Absolutely don't give it to him! This fellow is ruthless and vicious—if you hand the Golden Crow corpse to him, you're dead for sure!"
Zhang Qi added, "Boy, I've said my piece. You know what choice to make—decide quickly!"
"Slow down a little, let me think about it! You're too close—I can't even focus with you breathing down my neck," Yang Kai called back.
Zhang Qi said in a deep voice, "I can see you have no sincerity at all—don't play these childish games! I'll say it again: hand over the Golden Crow corpse. This Expanse is vast, but there'll be no place for you to hide!"
Yuan Xiaoman snorted coldly. "Stubborn fool!"
As they spoke, their speed hadn't slackened in the slightest, steadily closing the distance to Yang Kai. But that young man was truly infuriating—every time they reached a critical distance, his body would flicker with the undulations of the Dao of Space, and he would blink a vast distance away in an instant, leaving them unable to even launch an attack to disrupt him.
They simply couldn't figure it out—when had the Three Thousand Worlds produced a Emperor Realm cultivator this good at running? A whole crowd of Open Heaven Realm masters chasing after him and eating his dust.
After a full day, Old Hong had also caught up, and from far away, Madam Lan's rapidly approaching aura could already be felt.
Madam Lan had expended the most energy during her battle with the Golden Crow earlier, so she had been the last to set out. But her strength was simply too great, and even though she had fallen far behind at first, she had gradually closed the gap.