"Nothing much," Nan Sheng replied with a cold smile in response to Kang Zhan's inquiry. "I'm just saying that as long as we hold the cards, even if the four seniors fail, we can still maintain the upper hand. Whether Yang Kai would surrender on their behalf—I don't know, probably not—but we can withdraw safely. Young Master Kang, you've already witnessed the power of his mysterious-grade Artifact. If he decides to keep us all here, who could stop him?"
Kang Zhan's expression shifted as he carefully weighed Nan Sheng's words, and he couldn't help but admit there was some logic to it.
It was clear that Yang Kai genuinely cared about this group from Lingxiao Pavilion. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered negotiating. Given his temperament, if someone dared to block his path, he would have attacked without hesitation long ago.
Use these people as leverage to force Yang Kai to comply? At the very least, they could retreat in an orderly fashion!
"Young Master Kang, don't tell me you're still fretting over that verbal agreement with Yang Kai?" Nan Sheng saw his hesitation and let out a mocking laugh.
Kang Zhan's face turned grim, but he didn't deny it. Though the agreement had been merely verbal, for a young master from Zhongdu, one's word still carried significant weight. He had agreed with Yang Kai not to touch anyone from Lingxiao Pavilion, and going back on his word would be unseemly.
"Those who accomplish great things don't fret over trifles, Young Master Kang. Would you rather watch Yang Kai use that Artifact to trap every last one of us here?" Nan Sheng pressed on, seizing the momentum.
Xiang Chu, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up: "Young Master Kang, please think carefully. Perhaps you believe we're using this as an excuse to settle personal scores. I won't deny that I despise Yang Kai to the extreme, but both Brother Nan and I are planning for everyone's benefit."
Kang Zhan took a deep breath, his hesitation hardening into resolve. He nodded. "Fine. Let's do it!"
He truly feared Yang Kai and placed little hope in the four Shenyou Realm cultivators.
Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu were elated, their spirits lifting immediately.
From the moment they had joined the succession battle until now, they had finally seized an opportunity to truly retaliate against Yang Kai. The thought filled them with satisfaction.
"Don't be too harsh—just grab two of them," Kang Zhan frowned and instructed.
"Understood." Nan Sheng nodded with a sinister grin, his gaze sweeping over the Lingxiao Pavilion crowd. He pointed at one of the senior-generation disciples. Immediately, several of his men rushed in and dragged the person out.
The man—a senior uncle—offered no resistance. He even restrained the younger disciples who were itching to fight, slowly shaking his head at the group.
They were clearly outmatched. If a real fight broke out, it would be no surprise if every last one of them was wiped out here. Sometimes it was better to endure.
Seeing that the Lingxiao Pavilion disciples put up no resistance, Nan Sheng and Xiang Chu couldn't hide their disappointment. They spat contemptuously: "Cowardly dogs!"
Kang Zhan's brow furrowed. He disliked the way they were taunting the Lingxiao Pavilion people, but said nothing.
Nan Sheng continued scanning the crowd, seeking suitable targets. Suddenly, he caught a fierce, hateful glare directed at him. He sneered and pointed. "Grab that one too!"
Before his words even faded, several of the Nan family's strong fighters seized the young Lingxiao Pavilion disciple and hauled him over.
The young man didn't look old—perhaps even younger than Yang Kai. His strength wasn't particularly impressive either, only at the fifth layer of the Zhenyuan Realm, though his aptitude was clearly above average.
That was precisely why Nan Sheng had chosen him.
An elder and a youth, both Lingxiao Pavilion disciples, were now brought before Nan Sheng. The older disciple remained calm and composed, neither servile nor haughty. The younger one, however, was sneering coldly, his eyes locked on Nan Sheng with stubborn defiance.
"Nice look in your eyes!" Nan Sheng nodded, then suddenly backhanded him across the face.
The crack of the slap echoed through the air. A red handprint bloomed on the young disciple's cheek, and a tooth went flying. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as his head snapped to the side.
He turned back, still fixing Nan Sheng with that same venomous gaze, saying nothing.
A vein pulsed on Nan Sheng's forehead. He had never expected someone this stubborn. Fury boiled inside him, and he delivered another slap. "Know your place!"
Two slaps, and the young disciple's cheeks swelled grotesquely, his mouth full of blood. But the look in his eyes hadn't changed in the slightest. There wasn't even a hint of fear—only a fierce determination, the look of a man who would rather die than be humiliated!
Kang Zhan couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise, seemingly caught off guard by this Lingxiao Pavilion disciple's bearing.
"What's your name?" Kang Zhan asked.
The young disciple cast him a cool glance and replied with pride: "Su Mu!"
"Su Mu…" Kang Zhan inhaled deeply, murmuring the name, then nodded. "Lingxiao Pavilion truly is extraordinary."
Even an ordinary young disciple possessed this kind of backbone. What about the rest? These people—even if you killed them, they would never kneel and beg for mercy.
For some reason, Kang Zhan was utterly certain of that.
Su Mu sneered: "You can only act tough in front of me. Wait till my Senior Brother Yang comes out—try acting tough in front of him!"
Kang Zhan's face darkened. As Su Mu had said, he truly didn't dare act tough in front of Yang Kai.
Nan Sheng was humiliated into a rage. He kicked Su Mu viciously in the knee. Su Mu made no attempt to resist and collapsed to the ground with a grunt. In the next instant, Nan Sheng's palms rained down like a storm.
Kang Zhan didn't even have time to intervene before Su Mu had been slapped over a dozen more times.
The sharp, rhythmic crack of palm against flesh was deafening.
Not a single person from Lingxiao Pavilion moved. But the sound of their breathing grew heavier and heavier. Every pair of eyes was bloodshot, fixed on Nan Sheng like predatory beasts about to tear a man apart.
The silent, heavy atmosphere hung like the calm before a storm, and it sent a chill down Kang Zhan's spine. He barked: "Enough!"
Only then did Nan Sheng stop. He caught his breath, then seized Su Mu's jaw with one hand. With the other, he drew a sword from the person beside him and pressed the blade against Su Mu's throat. His voice was icy: "You think I don't dare kill you?"