Chapter 312: Each More Ruthless Than the Last

“Congratulations?”

“But why does it look so much like the opposite to me?” Lin Fan said disbelievingly, then turned to a disciple of Jiuxiao Sect, “Let me know what gifts these people brought for congratulations. Tell me about them.”

Make an example of someone.

Lin Fan wasn’t bloodthirsty enough to kill indiscriminately at the slightest provocation. These sect leaders might have deserved death, but their disciples couldn’t all be evil.

Moreover, just now, one sect leader had stepped forward as a scapegoat. Although Lin Fan wasn’t fond of killing, he still had no problem killing one person casually.

At this moment, when the various sect leaders heard these words, their faces changed.

They hadn’t expected the other party to ask about this matter.

Especially the sect leader who previously gave a chest of gold, his face turned as pale as paper.

“Congratulations?”

“But no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it,” Lin Fan feigned disbelief, then turned to the disciples of the Nine Heavens Sect. “What did these people bring as congratulations? Tell me.”

Making an example to warn others.

Lin Fan wasn’t so bloodthirsty as to slaughter at the slightest provocation. While the sect leaders might be seeking death, their disciples couldn’t all be evil.

Moreover, it was just as well that one sect leader had jumped out to be the scapegoat. Though Lin Fan wasn’t fond of killing, taking out one person casually was no issue.

Hearing this, the faces of the sect leaders changed.

They hadn’t expected him to ask about this.

Especially the sect leader who had earlier presented a chest of gold, whose face turned as pale as paper.

Had he known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have dared to offer a chest of gold even with ten times the courage.

To ordinary people, gold might be precious, but to sects, it was as worthless as scrap metal.

Sect Leader Hu also breathed a sigh of relief, thinking about the gifts they had brought—some jewels, some gold. At least he had offered a ten-year Vermilion Fruit.

At this moment, a disciple of the Nine Heavens Sect stepped forward, his face filled with excitement as he looked down at the previously haughty sect members and loudly announced:

“Red Cloud Sect, one ten-year Vermilion Fruit.”

“Fire Path Sect, one chest of gold.”

Sect Leader Hu listened to the list of gifts, pleased to find his name at the top. Though a ten-year Vermilion Fruit was a modest gift, compared to the others, it was certainly more valuable.

When he heard that Sect Leader Liu had offered a chest of gold, Sect Leader Hu couldn’t help but glance at him, thinking, what a tragic fellow.

Though he had only offered a ten-year Vermilion Fruit, in comparison, he was much better off.

But then Sect Leader Hu was puzzled—why had the Nine Heavens Sect disciple only announced two names and stopped?

Sect Leader Hu was still curious about what the others had brought. He remembered someone mentioning a coffin, wondering how tragic that would turn out.

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu smiled at the crowd, and the crowd smiled back at him and Sect Leader Liu.

“Senior Brother Lin, that’s all. Only Sect Leader Hu and Sect Leader Liu brought gifts,” the Nine Heavens Sect disciple said.

Hearing this, Sect Leader Hu was utterly dumbfounded. How could this be? Earlier, during casual conversation, everyone had mentioned what they had brought. How could it only be him and Sect Leader Liu?

“What? You all came to congratulate, yet didn’t bring any gifts? Do you look down on the Nine Heavens Sect?” Lin Fan’s tone was calm, but to the listeners, it was chilling, sending shivers down their spines.

“No, no, our gifts are still here. We were planning to present them personally to Sect Leader Xin at the end,” the sect leaders hurriedly explained, sighing in relief. It was fortunate they hadn’t presented their gifts earlier, or it would have been a disaster.

Originally, they had seen the Nine Heavens Sect as a piece of meat on the chopping block, with no time for gifts.

When Sect Leader Hu and the others had mentioned their gifts, it seemed like they were competing to see who could offer the least valuable item, and they had all exaggerated wildly.

One sect leader had even mentioned a coffin, which had been met with approval from the others.

Now that the situation had changed, they were immensely relieved.

As for Sect Leader Hu and Sect Leader Liu, in their eyes, these two were doomed.

“Oh, that’s fine. But what about Sect Leader Hu and Sect Leader Liu? A ten-year Vermilion Fruit and a chest of gold? Are you insulting my brother? How about this, I’ll help you with the gifts, shall I?” Lin Fan said, staring directly at the two.

At this, Sect Leader Hu’s face changed, and he turned sharply to his disciples, shouting, “Who made the mistake?”

The Red Cloud Sect disciples looked at each other, and finally, a quick-witted disciple stepped forward, immediately wailing, “Sect Leader, I made a mistake. You told me to bring a ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit, but I misread it and brought a ten-year one. Please forgive me, Sect Leader.”

Seeing a disciple step forward, Sect Leader Hu felt somewhat relieved and made a mental note to reward this disciple later. But upon hearing the latter part, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

A ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit?

Holy crap…

A ten-year Vermilion Fruit was worthless, a hundred-year one had some value, but a thousand-year one was exponentially more valuable. Now, a ten-thousand-year one? That would bankrupt the sect.

Sect Leader Hu’s body trembled uncontrollably, but he dared not speak out directly. Instead, he gave the disciple a meaningful look, signaling him not to mention the ten-thousand-year part.

But the disciple, misunderstanding the sect leader’s look, thought he meant to increase the number and inwardly marveled at the sect leader’s generosity.

“Wrong, wrong…” the disciple cried out again.

Hearing this, Sect Leader Hu breathed a sigh of relief. Good, smart enough.

“Not one ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruit, but two.”

Just as Sect Leader Hu was beginning to recover, hearing this, a surge of blood rushed to his head, and he forcibly swallowed it down.

Two ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruits… this… this…

“Sect Leader Hu, you’re too kind,” Lin Fan said at this moment.

Lin Fan knew about ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruits. The Holy Sect had some, but only four.

They were extremely precious.

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu felt as if he were about to die, but he could only grit his teeth and reply, “Not at all, not at all, it’s only right, only right.”

The other sect leaders, seeing Sect Leader Hu go to such lengths, were all dumbfounded.

Two ten-thousand-year Vermilion Fruits—that was no joke.

Was the Red Cloud Sect planning to sell everything?

How were they supposed to match that?

“Sect Leader Liu, your chest of gold is quite something…” At this moment, Lin Fan turned his gaze to Sect Leader Liu.

Sect Leader Liu also panicked, turning to look at his disciples.

But one disciple stepped forward on his own. Sect Leader Liu nodded in relief.

“Sect Leader, I misheard. You told me to bring a chest of Yellow Essence Spirit, but I heard it as a chest of gold…”

“Pfft…”

Before the disciple could finish, Sect Leader Liu spat out a mouthful of blood, nearly collapsing to the ground.

If someone hadn’t been there to support him, he might have fainted on the spot.

Lin Fan, watching this scene, inwardly laughed. “Sect Leader Liu, why are you spitting blood?”

“I’m so happy I’m spitting blood, congratulating Sect Leader Xin on his ascension,” Sect Leader Liu managed to say, catching his breath. He was inwardly cursing the disciple, wondering if he was a spy sent by the other side.

A chest of Yellow Essence Spirit—what did that represent? If they were to exchange it for the Fire Path Sect’s assets, it would cost a full tenth of their resources.

“Well, we must thank Sect Leader Liu. Brother Xin Feng, you take it from here,” Lin Fan said with a smile.

“Alright,” Xin Feng said, giving Lin Fan a grateful look, a single glance conveying a thousand words.

At this moment, the sect leaders were all pondering. The gifts these two had given were increasingly extravagant. What were they supposed to do?

Damn it, they had come to divide territory, and now they were expected to offer gifts that would make them bleed. The change was too drastic.

But the person from the Holy Sect was terrifyingly powerful, far beyond anything they could handle.

To ordinary people, gold might be very valuable, but to sects, it was no more useful than scrap metal.

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu also relaxed a bit, thinking about the congratulatory gifts they had brought—nothing but jewels and gold. At least he had given a ten-year Zhu Gu (red fruit).

Then a Jiuxiao Sect disciple stepped forward, his face filled with excitement, looking at the various sect members who had been arrogant moments ago, and shouted loudly.

“Hongyun Sect, a ten-year Zhu Gu.”

“Huodao Sect, a chest of gold.”

As Sect Leader Hu listened to these congratulatory gifts, he noticed his was listed first. Although the gift was light, compared to other sects, it was definitely quite impressive.

When he heard that Sect Leader Liu had given a chest of gold, Sect Leader Hu couldn’t help but glance at him. What a tragic fellow.

Although he had only given a ten-year Zhu Gu, comparatively, he was much better off than them.

But at this moment, something puzzling happened to Sect Leader Hu: why did the Jiuxiao Sect disciple only announce two names and then stop?

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu smiled toward the crowd, while everyone else also smiled at Sect Leaders Hu and Liu.

“Senior Lin, that’s all. Only Sect Leaders Hu and Liu gave gifts,” said the Jiuxiao Sect disciple.

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu was completely stunned upon hearing this. How could this be possible? Earlier when chatting casually, everyone had said what they gave. How could it be only himself and Sect Leader Liu?

“What? You all said you came to offer congratulations, so why didn’t anyone bring a gift? Are you looking down on Jiuxiao Sect?” Lin Fan said in a calm tone, but his words carried a chilling coldness that made everyone’s hearts tremble.

“No, no! Our congratulatory gifts haven’t been presented yet. We’ve kept them here and were planning to give them to the new sect leader in person at the end,” the various sect leaders hastily explained, while also sighing in relief. Fortunately, they hadn’t presented their gifts when they first arrived. Otherwise, they would have faced a tragedy.

Originally, they thought Jiuxiao Sect was like meat on a chopping block, with no time for any gifts.

When Sect Leaders Hu and others mentioned giving gifts earlier, they seemed to be competing over whose gift was the least valuable, so naturally they all talked nonsense.

Even one sect leader mentioned a coffin, which received approval from the others.

Now that the situation had changed, they were very grateful indeed.

As for Sect Leaders Hu and Liu, in their opinion, these two were about to face a tragedy.

“Oh, that’s fine too. But what about Sect Leaders Hu and Liu? A ten-year Zhu Gu and a chest of gold? Are you trying to insult my brother? How about this, let me pay the gift for you?” Lin Fan said, staring directly at the two.

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu’s face changed, then he glared at his disciples behind him and shouted fiercely.

“Who took the wrong item?”

At this moment, Hongyun Sect disciples looked at each other in confusion. Finally, one clever disciple stepped forward and immediately cried out, “Sect Leader, I took the wrong item. You asked me to bring a 10,000-year Zhu Gu, but I was too blind and brought a ten-year one instead. Please calm down, Sect Leader!”

Seeing a disciple step forward, Sect Leader Hu felt relieved and even decided to reward this disciple after returning. However, upon hearing the second half of the disciple’s words, Sect Leader Hu almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

10,000-year Zhu Gu?

Oh my God…

A ten-year Zhu Gu wasn’t valuable, a hundred-year Zhu Gu was worth something, and those over a thousand years old increased in value exponentially every thousand years. Now a 10,000-year Zhu Gu would be worth selling the entire sect.

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu’s body trembled continuously, but he dared not speak openly. Instead, he gave the disciple meaningful glances, trying to tell him not to mention the 10,000-year Zhu Gu.

Unfortunately, the disciple didn’t understand the meaning behind his sect leader’s glance. He thought the sect leader meant the number was too small. Then he sighed inwardly, thinking, “My sect leader is really generous.”

“Wrong, wrong…” the disciple cried out again.

Hearing this, Sect Leader Hu relaxed a bit, thinking, “Good, clever boy.”

“Not one 10,000-year Zhu Gu, but two.”

When Sect Leader Hu, who had just slightly recovered, heard this sentence, he instantly felt a surge of blood rush to his head. He barely managed to swallow it down.

Two 10,000-year Zhu Gus… this… this…

“Sect Leader Hu, you’re really too polite,” Lin Fan said at this moment.

Lin Fan knew about the 10,000-year Zhu Gu. Even the Saint Sect had only four of them.

They were extremely precious.

At this moment, Sect Leader Hu felt like he was about to die, but he could only grit his teeth and reply, “No, no, it’s only appropriate, appropriate.”

Seeing Sect Leader Hu’s extravagant gift, the other sect leaders were all stunned.

Two 10,000-year Zhu Gus were no joke.

Could it be that Hongyun Sect was planning to sell everything they had?

This made them wonder how they would present their own gifts.

“Sect Leader Liu, your chest of gold is quite impressive…” At this moment, Lin Fan turned his gaze to Sect Leader Liu.

Sect Leader Liu panicked at this moment. Just as he turned around to look at his disciple behind him.

But one disciple stepped forward voluntarily. Sect Leader Liu nodded in satisfaction.

“Sect Leader, I misunderstood. You asked me to send a chest of Huang Jing Zhi Ling (golden essence spirit), but I misunderstood it as a chest of gold…”

“Pu…”

Before the disciple could finish speaking, Sect Leader Liu instantly spat out a mouthful of blood and almost fainted to the ground.

If someone hadn’t supported him just now, he might have collapsed completely.

Looking at this scene, Lin Fan was secretly laughing in his heart and asked, “Sect Leader Liu, why are you spitting blood?”

“I’m so happy that I spat blood. Congratulations on Sect Leader Xin’s ascension,” Sect Leader Liu took a breath. Inwardly, he wanted to tear this disciple into pieces. Could this disciple be a spy sent by the enemy?

A chest of Huang Jing Zhi Ling represented what? If exchanged for the foundation of Huodao Sect, it would be equivalent to a full tenth of their entire foundation.

“Ah, thank you, Sect Leader Liu. Sect Leader Xin can handle the rest,” Lin Fan said with a smile.

“Alright.” Xin Feng gratefully looked at Lin Fan. In that one glance, there was infinite gratitude, beyond words.

At this moment, the various sect leaders were also pondering in their hearts. The gifts from these two were getting more and more severe. What should they do?

Damn it, they originally thought they were coming to divide the territory, but now they had to bleed to give gifts. The change was just too great.

But the people from the Saint Sect were terrifyingly powerful, far beyond what they could provoke.