"A word from you?" Xue Shitian, who held no sentiment for outsiders, curled his lip into a sneer. His icy gaze fell upon Mu Chen as he mocked, "Heh, I think you’re mistaken. What you’re about to give me won’t be ’a word,’ it’ll be your last words!"

Mu Chen didn’t get angry at his words. Xue Yan placed a hand on Xue Shitian’s shoulder and sent a voice transmission, "Shitian, calm down. Don’t forget our objective for coming here."

"Ugh..." Xue Shitian mulled it over for a moment before suddenly relaxing. "Fine. I’ll hear what you have to say."

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "I am Mu Chen, and the young woman beside me is Feng Shanshan."

Mu Chen said nothing more, only introducing his and Feng Shanshan’s aliases. Xue Yan’s brow furrowed, but he remained silent. Xue Lie, however, snorted coldly. "Have the members of the Ninghun Family completely changed their surnames? Mu? Feng? It seems you’ve decided to turtle up for good."

Feng Shanshan’s brow furrowed in secret upon hearing this, but the temperament she had cultivated over many years in her noble family prevailed. She betrayed no emotion, but in her heart, she seared Xue Lie’s words into her memory. It was an insult to her family.

Mu Chen shook his head. "You’re mistaken. We are not from the Ninghun Family. We were only able to reach this place because we happened upon a scroll and a vial of blood. Coincidentally, that scroll detailed the method to open the Senluo Tomb."

Xue Nie sneered, "Do you think we’ll believe that?"

Mu Chen replied with a helpless tone, "Believe it or not, I am merely stating a fact. Moreover, we only entered to seek the Spiritual Technique of Myriad Manifestations, which the Blood Python Family has hyped up so much." At this point, Mu Chen glanced at the expressions of those around him. Seeing their eager anticipation, he nodded. "And in fact, just as the rumors claimed, the Spiritual Technique of Myriad Manifestations is indeed hidden inside."

As he spoke, Mu Chen’s ring flashed. A stunningly beautiful and exquisite, milky-white scroll shot up from his hand. SNAP! He snatched the scroll from the air. At the same time, the Soul Concentration Mirror in his hand vanished from sight; everyone guessed he had likely returned it to his Storage Ring. He scanned the participants, who looked ready to swarm him, and continued, "And this is the Cultivation Scroll for the Forest of Myriad Manifestations."

"So it’s real! Such a Spiritual Technique really exists." A skinny man with a horse-like face chuckled sinisterly, rubbing his palms together. It looked like he was about to charge right up.

"Hmph, don’t be fooled by this brat. Even though they came out of the Senluo Tomb, maybe the scroll they’re holding is just a fake? So I advise you all not to act rashly." Xue Shitian snorted coldly. He sounded calm, but his eyes were glued to the scroll in Mu Chen’s hand.

"Heheh, your Blood Python Family claims it’s a fake, but do you have any proof? If you don’t have proof, how can you declare it’s a fake?"

A coarse, low shout came from the side. Mu Chen turned his head and saw that it was none other than the red-faced man with the Fire Attribute. At this moment, his fiery red hair was moving as if in a wind, and wisps of scorching aura gushed from his body, causing the space around him to warp.

"Well said. If that’s what you’re saying, then I must get in on the action. It’s even better if it’s real, but I don’t mind if it’s a fake. Better to kill an innocent man than to let a prize slip by."

No sooner had the red-faced man spoken than a gentle voice emerged from beside him. The red-faced man turned, his expression one of disgust. "You again, Xiao Ming. Why are you like a stubborn rash, appearing everywhere I go?"

The man known as Xiao Ming gently waved the folding fan in his hand. "Isn’t it just because it’s so safe around Brother Huo Lie?"

"Enough with the nonsense. You can get in on the action, fine. After we take care of these two little kids, it’s every man for himself." Huo Lie took a few steps away from Xiao Ming before speaking in a deep voice.

’Huo Lie...’ Mu Chen paused, momentarily stunned. The name was familiar. He remembered when he had just entered the Blood Soul Empire, overhearing two strangers at a neighboring table say that Huo Lie was the one person who feared the Blood Python Family the least. ’It’s just that the direction this discussion is heading isn’t exactly what I was hoping for. But...’

"I believe you’ve all misunderstood. The reason I dared to reveal this Forest of Myriad Manifestations is precisely because I don’t wish to fight any of you. To be perfectly honest, after entering the Senluo Tomb, the two of us spent six whole days and endured many hardships to obtain this scroll—oh, and that seemingly extraordinary mirror from earlier. We anticipated this exact situation before we came out. So, how about I make a proposal to you gentlemen?"

Mu Chen clutched the Forest of Myriad Manifestations, his expression growing solemn. He swept his gaze over the crowd below him and continued, "If... I were to hand over this Forest of Myriad Manifestations and that mirror to you, would you be willing to spare our lives?"

Before they could answer, Mu Chen continued, "Of course, you can also choose not to. But if you do that, this mirror and this long-fabled Spiritual Technique might just truly become the stuff of legends."

As his words faded, Mu Chen’s expression suddenly shifted to one of reckless abandon. He handed the milky-white scroll to Feng Shanshan, then took out the White Jade Color mirror himself. "If they dare to rush us," he said, "destroy the scroll immediately."

Feng Shanshan calmly took the scroll, nodded, and looked at the crowd.

Xue Yan’s face darkened. "Are you threatening us?"

The expressions of the other twenty-four people also turned grim. This was a blatant, naked threat, but one they found themselves unable to counter. That was the Forest of Myriad Manifestations, the Spiritual Technique every Martial Artist dreamed of obtaining! And then there was that unknown mirror... judging by the Blood Python Family’s reaction, its value might even surpass that of the Spiritual Technique!

"This deal you’re proposing is baseless," Xiao Ming said coolly, his face dark. "First of all, we have no idea if this Forest of Myriad Manifestations is real or fake. Secondly, even if it is real, who exactly do you plan on giving it to?"

Mu Chen adopted a thoughtful expression, a glint flashing in his narrowed eyes. ’This Xiao Ming fellow is quite sharp. But is that enough to stump me? Of course not.’ "This gentleman has a point," he said. "It’s understandable that you don’t believe this Forest of Myriad Manifestations is genuine. But... what if I told you this mirror is a Sacred Artifact, a treasure that surpasses even the Spiritual Technique of Myriad Manifestations?!"

"A Sacred Artifact?!"

Sure enough, as soon as Mu Chen’s words fell, the members of the Blood Python Family all took a step forward. Xue Shitian shouted, "You’re courting death!"

Seeing Xue Shitian about to rush him, the palm of the hand Mu Chen used to grip the Soul Concentration Mirror suddenly erupted with a heaven-shattering wave of Primordial Power. The fluctuation stunned everyone present.

"Stop!! Don’t!" The four members of the Blood Family instantly froze in their forward charge, and Xue Yan shouted in a panic.

When the others saw the Blood Python Family’s reaction, they immediately came to a conclusion.

’It really is a Sacred Artifact! That means the Cultivation Technique that brat showed us is very likely the real Forest of Myriad Manifestations! What should we do?!’ Many of them were growing anxious.

Hearing Xue Yan’s urgent shout, Mu Chen decisively cut off the Primordial Power in his hand. Of course, even though it was cut off, the participants could still feel a faint wisp of Primordial Power lingering in his palm.

"I have always been a proponent of fairness," Mu Chen said, his expression gradually relaxing. "So, as long as you promise to let the two of us leave, I will toss both of these items into the air. As for who manages to get their hands on them... that will depend on your individual skills. What do you say?"

"Haha, not a bad idea! I like it! What do the rest of you think?" Huo Lie let out a hearty laugh. For some reason, he was starting to feel a sliver of admiration for Mu Chen, though it was just a sliver.

"Heh, since Brother Huo Lie has spoken, I’m certainly happy to play along," Xiao Ming said with a small grin, suddenly flickering from a distance to appear beside Huo Lie once more. "The items are in their hands, after all. Letting them go is no big deal. It’s not like we have some deep-seated feud with them. Besides, if we *don’t* let them leave, we won’t get anything at all."

The movement was so fast that even Mu Chen could only perceive a faint blur. He was inwardly astonished. ’The Extreme Martial Continent is truly full of all kinds of geniuses.’

Seeing that neither Huo Lie nor Xiao Ming had any objections, the rest of the crowd naturally kept quiet. In their eyes, the lives of Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan were incomparable to the Forest of Myriad Manifestations Cultivation Technique.

Only the members of the Blood Python Family wore dark expressions. If things went this way, wouldn’t the four of them have to contend with twenty-four other people for the treasures?

Xue Yan shot a glare at the people around them before saying, "Mu Chen, is it? You want to live, fine. Our Blood Python Family doesn’t mind letting them have the Forest of Myriad Manifestations. They can each make a copy, and we can consider that everyone has obtained the Cultivation Technique. But could you give the mirror to us?"

Mu Chen frowned upon hearing this. "That... would be inappropriate. You could even make twenty-eight copies of this Forest of Myriad Manifestations, one for every person here. But if I were to give this mirror exclusively to the Blood Python Family, wouldn’t that be terribly unfair to everyone else?"

Huo Lie burst out laughing. "Good kid! I’m really starting to like you! In a minute, you just leave with your mind at ease. With me here, no one will dare to touch a single hair on your head!" With that, Huo Lie turned to the other twenty-three participants and said with a laugh, "The kid’s right! Even though there’s only one scroll of the Forest of Myriad Manifestations, we can all make a copy. But there is only one Sacred Artifact! Giving it to the Blood Python Family would be incredibly unfair to the rest of us!"

Seeing Huo Lie step forward, everyone chimed in to agree, "Right, it’s unfair! Since it’s a treasure from the Senluo Tomb, everyone should have the right to fight for it!"