Seeing that everyone else was dead and only Wei Zhao had survived, Tagan Lon felt a twinge of displeasure. Had Wei Zhao simply died, he could have taken Sun Jingyan back with perfect justification—but no, Wei Zhao had to go and live!

So Tagan Lon shot Wei Zhao a thoroughly irritated glance and said with a frown, "What are you staring at? Lend a hand! Or have you decided you don't want those five Spirit Gathering Pills after all?"

The mission had failed, and by their agreement Wei Zhao was still entitled to five Spirit Gathering Pills—but the shares of those three dead men were forfeit. Who'd told them to be so unlucky as to get themselves killed?

"Oh." Wei Zhao answered indifferently and walked over to help as well, digging alongside the Eighth Protector and Lazi.

Soon the little Killer Gerbil's burrow was dug open, and there in the earth Wei Zhao's fingers brushed two hard round objects. He reached in and pulled them out—two spirit beast essence cores, just as expected!

"Haha, two! There are actually two—we've struck it rich!" Young Master Tagan Lon burst into laughter at the sight of the two essence cores in Wei Zhao's hands. "Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"

"Indeed, who would have thought," the Eighth Protector agreed, nodding. "An ordinary Killer Gerbil burrow is lucky to hold even one essence core—some freshly dug ones have none at all. Two in one burrow is a genuine windfall!"

Wei Zhao, however, was busy studying the two essence cores in his hands. What on earth was this thing good for, that it could make the Tagan family so excited? By now Wei Zhao already possessed two spirit beast essence cores—one given to him by that lion, and one from the Qianshan Sect.

And yet the Qianshan Sect, which specialized in breeding spirit beasts, had no idea what a spirit beast essence core was good for—while the Tagan family did? It seemed this little Tagan family was truly not to be underestimated!

Still, Wei Zhao understood that if he asked them now what the essence core was used for, they certainly would not tell him. But since it was a valuable thing, he could keep it and study it at his leisure; sooner or later he would uncover its purpose.

"Boy, what are you gawking at? Hand it over!" Seeing Wei Zhao turning the essence core this way and that, Tagan Lon grew annoyed. Over the years he had grown accustomed to playing the spoiled young master, so his tone was brash whenever he opened his mouth.

"My wife and I found this burrow, but we all pitched in, so everyone should get a share. I'll give you one and keep one for myself." Wei Zhao had no wish to wrangle with the Tagan family. By his own temperament, this thing was his discovery—why should the Tagan family get any of it?

But now was not the time for Wei Zhao to tear off all pretenses with the Tagan family, so he proposed this compromise of splitting the spoils.

"Everyone gets a share? Are you an idiot?" Tagan Lon stared at Wei Zhao as though at a fool. "You're nothing but a lowly mid-stage Yellow-rank fighter, and you dare talk to me about shares? You're a hired hand working for my Tagan family—and you still dream of taking an essence core for yourself? Keep dreaming!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhang, don't talk nonsense," Lazi hurried to remonstrate, afraid Wei Zhao might do something foolish. "Precious as these essence cores are, they'd be of no use to you anyway..."

Hearing Tagan Lon and Lazi, Wei Zhao did not grow angry—he laughed! Yes, he laughed. He had never imagined such shamelessness could exist in this world!

He and Sun Jingyan had stumbled upon this Killer Gerbil burrow by chance, and in the end it was he, Wei Zhao, who had dug out the essence cores! That he was willing to give them one of the two, an even split, was already showing them considerable respect.

But to his astonishment, they meant to swallow the whole thing—and to do so with such righteous indignation, as though the essence cores must belong to their family by right, and Wei Zhao were merely a hired hand brought along to help.

"So you mean to take it by force, then?" Wei Zhao's temper finally rose. He had been holding himself in check all this while, but this business was simply too infuriating.

"Take it by force from you? You're not worthy!" Tagan Lon cast him a look of contempt. "In my eyes you're nothing but a little ant—and you fancy yourself formidable? Let me tell you, this is the Wulong Haote Mountains of Ruileida Town, not some ordinary place! You think you're still back where Yellow-rank fighters like you are a rarity? I'll have you know, even the dogs at my side are Yellow-rank!"

Wei Zhao nearly laughed aloud at Tagan Lon's words. The dogs at his side were Yellow-rank? The dog at Wei Zhao's side was Mystic-rank—and at that, at the very peak of the late Mystic stage!

But just then Sun Jingyan tugged at Wei Zhao's sleeve, and he cooled down.

Precious as these two spirit beast essence cores might appear, the crux of the matter was that Wei Zhao had no idea how to use them. Giving them all to the Tagan family would do no harm; once he returned, he could trade with other great clans for more. Few people, he suspected, even knew how precious these things were.

"Fine. Take these two essence cores—we admit we're no match for you, and we'll forgo the five Spirit Gathering Pills as well!" With that, Wei Zhao took Sun Jingyan's hand. "Let's go!"

"Go? Too late for that!" Seeing Wei Zhao back down, Tagan Lon only pressed his advantage, his arrogance blazing. He stretched out a hand, pointed at Wei Zhao, and said to the Eighth Protector, "Kill that man. The woman stays with me—I still have use for her!"

"What is the meaning of this?" Wei Zhao's expression changed. He had not expected Tagan Lon to be so utterly unreasonable.

"No meaning at all. I've wanted you dead for a long time. Since you're so blind to your own interests, then go and die!" Tagan Lon said. "I'll be honest with you—I've taken a fancy to your woman, so you have to die!"

"Good. Very good. So this is how the Tagan family treats the adventurers who risk their lives for you." Wei Zhao looked at Tagan Lon and the Eighth Protector with a cold smile.

"No one will ever know. The other three adventurers are already dead, and everyone left here belongs to my Tagan family. So once you're dead, we can pin it on the Great Fire Lion—say you overestimated yourself and got yourself killed by it." Tagan Lon spoke with insolent confidence, secure in his impunity.

"Is that so..." Wei Zhao's face was very grim.

"I can't be bothered wasting words on a nobody like you! Eighth Protector, kill him!" Arrogantly, Tagan Lon pronounced Wei Zhao's death sentence.

Watching the Eighth Protector stride toward him, a sharp, fierce light flashed through Wei Zhao's eyes!

For the fastest updates, please read without pop-ups.