"Brother Jia Ye, Lord Guangdu summoned you and not only did you refuse, you even sought to wash your hands of the whole affair — that might be one thing, but now you're actually helping the Eternal Sacred Land. Whose side are you really on?" A Divine Dao cultivator with a sallow complexion and a few sparse hairs on his chin fixed An Jia Ye with a sinister glare.
"It's my pleasure. What's it to you?" An Jia Ye clearly was no pushover, and his contempt for the other's interrogation was plain as day.
"Very well, very well. Since you're dead set on opposing Lord Guangdu, don't blame us for not being polite." The sallow-faced cultivator was seething with anger.
He exchanged a glance with his companion. Clearly, the two of them had been unable to bring down An Jia Ye, and their impatience was showing.
At that moment, another cultivator — bald, with eyes as large as bronze bells — glared fiercely at An Jia Ye. "Brother An, I've always held you in high regard. But this kind of uncooperative behavior, defying Lord Guangdu at every turn — it really is going too far. I'll give you one piece of advice: it's not too late to turn back. If you're willing to reconsider now, Brother An, I'll put in a good word for you."
An Jia Ye threw his head back and laughed. "Enough with the empty talk. I have zero interest in this Lord Guangdu you worship. Never mind the two of you — even if he came here himself, what would I have to fear?"
The sallow-faced cultivator let out a cold, chilling laugh at these words. "There's a limit to big talk. If Lord Guangdu were to come in person, could you still be this stubborn?"
An Jia Ye smiled faintly. "Why isn't he here, then?"
"Hmph, don't get cocky! Lord Guangdu is occupied at the moment, but sooner or later he'll come to deal with you personally. Lord Guangdu may not have come himself, but his two great guardians have already received our call for reinforcements and are on their way here right now. An Jia Ye — I do hope you can keep up that tough talk once the guardians arrive!"
Hearing this, An Jia Ye felt a jolt in his heart. He knew that Lord Guangdu wielded enormous prestige within the Endless Prison.
That prestige had not been built on virtue, but on his martial prowess and ruthless methods.
And those two guardians were Lord Guangdu's twin hounds — the ones who carried out the bulk of his dirty, vicious work.
It was precisely their cruelty and cunning that had cemented Lord Guangdu's fearsome reputation. It might not have earned him many admirers, but it had certainly won him no small amount of dread and respect.
Upon hearing that the two guardians were on their way, An Jia Ye could not suppress a flicker of shock. If it came to a one-on-one duel, he was confident he could defeat either one of them.
But against both guardians together, he would find himself in serious difficulty.
And if the two guardians joined forces with the pair of cultivators standing before him — four against one — An Jia Ye would have no choice but to retreat and put as much distance between himself and them as possible.
Fighting one against four was simply impossible unless he could break through to the mid-stage of the Divine Dao. Without that breakthrough, there was no chance whatsoever.
Seeing the subtle shift in An Jia Ye's expression, the sallow-faced cultivator bared his teeth in a wolfish grin. "An Jia Ye, if you've got the guts, you can stay right here and be buried together with the Eternal Sacred Land."
An Jia Ye had no more interest in trading barbs with the man.
With a cold snort, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot. In any case, the Eternal Sacred Land's mountain-protecting grand formation was still intact, and the enemy would not be breaking through it any time soon.
An Jia Ye quickly gathered Huang'er and her family together and gave them a broad overview of the situation outside.
"Huang'er, your grandfather isn't one to shy away from trouble. But once those two guardians arrive, I can't guarantee I'll be able to keep you all safe. The Eternal Sacred Land looks like it won't hold — you'll have to leave with me right now." His tone was grave.
Huang'er was a sensible young woman, and hearing her grandfather's words, she understood exactly how dire the situation had become.