Upon his order, more than thirty disciples in fine robes rushed out from the main hall.
Without a word, these people silently circled an area of the open space before the hall with wooden stakes and ropes, creating a death-dueling arena. From their deft movements, it was clear they were all well-trained, not ordinary low-level disciples of the Seven Mysteries Sect.
Watching the duel ground being marked out, Li Feiyu asked Han Li with some unease, "Are we just going to stay hidden here, doing nothing and watching them fight? That doesn't seem right!"
"What's not right about it? Your little sweetheart isn't in any danger at the moment; she's perfectly safe. Once their duel is over, we'll use the chaos of the Wild Wolf Gang's retreat to sneak Miss Zhang out. Then the two of you can run away together and hide somewhere they'll never find you, so the higher-ups won't make you the scapegoat and force you to carry that black pot you can't bear," Han Li said lightly, showing he had no deep attachment to the Seven Mysteries Sect.
"Isn't that eloping? No, Xiuer would never agree!" Li Feiyu shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum.
"Then just knock her out, force her to leave with you, and once the rice is cooked—so to speak—what's done is done," Han Li replied nonchalantly.
"You..." Li Feiyu was rendered speechless and furious by Han Li's words.
Just as the two were going back and forth, Sect Master Wang solemnly received two blood-red documents from a disciple—these were the life-and-death contracts. He kept one for himself and had the other delivered to Jia Tianlong on the opposing side.
When Jia Tianlong received the document, his expression became serious as well. He carefully opened it, cautiously scanned its contents to confirm there were no issues, then nodded and closed it again. After that, he began selecting the death-warriors who would fight.
After a round of selection, he chose thirteen elite experts from the Wild Wolf Gang. To minimize losses, he also picked over a dozen capable members from the smaller sects. Regardless of whether these people were willing, once they signed the death contract, they would have to fight with all their might for their own survival. The remaining positions were filled by his personal elite guards who excelled at teamwork; naturally, Golden Light Shangren would also have to enter the arena—Jia Tianlong was counting entirely on this man's extraordinary flying sword technique!
While Jia Tianlong was busy, Wang Juechu, who had retreated into the stone hall at some point, still hadn't reappeared. Presumably, he was also racking his brain for participants for the death duel.
When the death-dueling arena was finally completed, Sect Master Wang finally emerged from the hall with three to four hundred people.
These people included men and women, old and young, but each had a sharp gleam in their eyes and steady steps—clearly the elite of the Seven Mysteries Sect. What caught Jia Tianlong's attention most were the three men following closely behind Wang Juechu.
One of them was dressed in flowing scholar's robes, with a refined, bookish air; another was tall and robust, his chest bare, with a thick, bristly beard that made him look incredibly fierce; the last was a cold-faced man in gray clothes with a long sword strapped to his back.
At first glance, they all appeared to be middle-aged, around thirty or forty years old. But upon closer inspection, one would notice a weathered quality in their brows and eyes, a sense of vicissitude usually found only in those seventy or eighty years old—giving the impression that they were not as young as they appeared.
Jia Tianlong understood in his heart that these three must be Wang Juechu's three grand-uncles. It seemed the other side was truly prepared to risk everything to keep him here.
Thinking this, he turned and pointed at the three men, addressing the dwarf Golden Light Shangren beside him: "Shangren, what do you think of those three? Can you handle them?"
"They're just ordinary mortals. Once my flying sword is unsheathed, their lives are over! What's there to worry about? Do you not trust me?" Golden Light Shangren glared, clearly displeased, his tone unfriendly.
"I wouldn't dare! I was just asking casually. Please don't take it to heart, Immortal Master," Jia Tianlong hastily put on a smile, afraid of offending his greatest reliance at this moment.
"Hmph!" The dwarf's anger subsided slightly after hearing this.
Jia Tianlong felt relieved only then. This great immortal was really not easy to serve!
He gave a bitter, silent laugh, then quickly turned around and shouted loudly, "Are you ready? Begin signing the life-and-death contracts!"
Following this command, the participants from the Wild Wolf Gang began solemnly writing their names on the death contracts, signing the agreements to demonstrate their fighting spirit.
At the same time, Wang Juechu responded coldly, not to be outdone, "Sign the contracts!"
Immediately, dozens of pre-selected death-warriors stepped out from among the Seven Mysteries Sect members, preparing to sign the contracts.
As these people emerged, Han Li naturally turned his gaze to that spot, wanting to see if there were any acquaintances in the crowd. He also noticed Sect Master Wang's three grand-uncles, but he didn't pay them much attention—a brief glance and he looked away, focusing instead on an elderly man in a blue robe.
The moment he saw this old man's face, Han Li couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, "Elder Li!"
This was none other than the man whose life Han Li had once saved—Ma Rong's master, Elder Li. He was actually one of the participants in the death duel. This was completely unexpected.
After coming back to his senses, Han Li quickly turned and gave Li Feiyu's shoulder a hard slap, saying, "Did you see that? Elder Li is over there too, and he's going to sign the death contract!"
Li Feiyu stood motionless in place, his gaze fixed on the distance as if he hadn't heard a word, his expression completely blank.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Han Li was somewhat surprised.
"Even if Elder Li is going to sign the death contract, there's no need to react like this!" he asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Li Feiyu finally retracted his gaze and stared blankly at Han Li, uttering a sentence that made Han Li momentarily lose his composure as well.
"Xiuer... Xiuer, she is also over there. She is going to participate in the death duel!"
After saying this, Li Feiyu's face immediately became extremely ugly.
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(End of Chapter)