Chapter 3306 — No Escape

Gu Mengyao and the Grand Elder soon arrived outside the mountain gate of the Dark Night Palace. By then, Xiao San and the others had grown impatient. Xiao San leapt up and struck a palm at the mountain gate of the Dark Night Palace—at the great plaque inscribed with the three large characters "Dark Night Palace"!

"Stop!" Just then, Gu Mengyao and the Grand Elder arrived. Seeing Xiao San make his move, the Grand Elder's heart lurched; she leapt up and struck out at Xiao San!

"Bang!"

The two palms met and then quickly parted. Naturally, both had merely been testing the waters, not clashing head-on. Even so, the Grand Elder was deeply shaken—this Xiao San truly did possess the strength of a Heaven Rank late-stage peak expert. He was no simple opponent!

If it came to a fight to the death, the Grand Elder had no confidence at all that she could kill the man before her; she herself would be gravely injured. That realization left her somewhat disheartened. Where on earth had these people come from?

"I am the Grand Elder of the Dark Night Palace. Might I ask where you heroes have come from, and what business brings you to our Dark Night Palace?" After landing, the Grand Elder cupped her fists and asked. Though she was furious at these people's wicked conduct, the situation was what it was; the Grand Elder did not dare give vent to her anger—to do so would be to court death.

"We brothers want to found our own sect, but right now we're a bit short on resources, so we've come to ask your Dark Night Palace for some. I wonder, honored Grand Elder—will you agree, or will you agree, or will you agree?" Xiao San asked with a chuckle.

"Might I ask what you heroes want?" the Grand Elder asked, rather helplessly. Found a sect? Short on resources? Wasn't that just robbery? Robbery—why not simply say so, instead of manufacturing so many reasons and excuses?

But even though the Grand Elder knew this perfectly well, she could only grit her teeth and keep asking. This cultivation world was different from the secular world; over a robbery there was nowhere to seek justice. The strong preyed on the weak; the Dark Night Palace was weak, and so these people naturally came to bully the Dark Night Palace.

"What do we want? Didn't I just say it? We brothers want to found a sect, but we're a bit short on resources right now!" Xiao San said.

"What resources do you want?" the Grand Elder asked.

"To found a sect, you need cultivation resources, don't you? Heavenly treasures and rare materials, those are a must!" Xiao San said.

"You mean we're to give you our heavenly treasures and rare materials?" The Grand Elder had in fact already guessed as much. These cultivators had come to rob; naturally, it was not for money—if they wanted money, they would never have come to rob an ancient sect. They could simply have gone to the secular world and robbed some financial group or other, and they would have had all they wanted! Their coming to an ancient sect was, of course, aimed at cultivation resources.

"That's right. Whatever your Dark Night Palace has, hand it all over to us!" Xiao San nodded and said.

"All of it?!" The Grand Elder's expression changed at once. She had not expected these people's appetites to be so vast—they actually wanted all of the Dark Night Palace's cultivation resources. Was that not the same as demanding the Dark Night Palace's life?

"Heh, of course. But don't be in a hurry—I'm not finished yet!" Xiao San waved his hand and went on: "We also need a place to found our sect. I'd say the Dark Night Palace's location is quite good. From now on it belongs to us—you can move out!"

"Don't you dare!" The Grand Elder was trembling with rage at Xiao San's words. "This is too much, too much! Do you not realize that your conduct has already broken the cultivation rules of the Ancient Plane?"

"Broken them? Hahahaha—old woman, is your head waterlogged? You're talking to a bunch of robbers about the rules of the Ancient Plane? Are you out of your mind?" Xiao San laughed derisively. "If you've got the ability, use it; if not, then endure it. We'll give you a few days to think it over. In a few days, when we come here again, we'll be taking over the Dark Night Palace. Don't blame us then for showing no mercy!"

"In your dreams! There's no need to wait—I can tell you plainly: this is the birthplace of our Dark Night Palace, and we will absolutely never give it to you. That is the honor of the Dark Night Palace, and I will absolutely not permit you to defile it! As for the cultivation resources you want, I can give you some. I hope that once you have them, you will leave and not push things too far!" the Grand Elder said resolutely.

The Grand Elder would absolutely never yield the Dark Night Palace's territory. That was the Dark Night Palace's honor, and she would defend it to the death! She would not allow the Dark Night Palace to be destroyed in her hands; the birthplace handed down by their forebears must never be lost!

The Grand Elder could yield a portion of the cultivation resources, and she could endure the humiliation of insults and mockery—but if anyone sought to do something that would undermine the Dark Night Palace's foundations, that was absolutely out of the question, even at the cost of death!

It must be said that although the Grand Elder was a snobbish, calculating woman, she was utterly sincere toward the Dark Night Palace. Anything that benefited the Dark Night Palace, no matter how undignified it might be, she was willing to do; but anything that did not benefit the Dark Night Palace, she would not do even if it killed her!

"Old thing, I see you won't drink the wine of courtesy—you'd rather drink the wine of punishment!" Xiao San had been waiting for exactly these words. He was about to establish his authority! With a cold laugh, he said to Xiao Si and Xiao Wu, "Second Brother, Third Brother, let's teach this old woman a lesson together!"

"You bet!" Xiao Si and Xiao Wu answered, and the three of them closed in on the Grand Elder together from three sides!

The Grand Elder's heart turned cold. She had not expected the three of them to launch an attack the moment they said the word, with no regard at all for the rules of the Ancient Plane! But now, whatever happened, she must stiffen her resolve and fight on. She could not let her stance weaken; if she weakened, if she lost the birthplace of the Dark Night Palace, she would be an eternal traitor to the Dark Night Palace, and beneath the Nine Springs she would have no face to meet the past Patriarchs of the Dark Night Palace!

Gu Mengyao was frantic with worry, but at this moment there was simply nothing she could do. Her strength was low—the early Earth Rank—and before these people she had no advantage whatsoever. It could be said that all she could do was stand by and fret, unable to help in the slightest!

And if she were to go help, she might well only make things worse. After all, the Grand Elder would still have to look out for her, and would hardly be able to focus fully on dealing with the enemy.

But the outcome was never in doubt. Never mind that the Grand Elder was merely a run-of-the-mill expert of Heaven Rank late-stage peak strength—even a top-tier, outstanding expert of Heaven Rank late-stage peak strength, facing the combined attack of three experts of the same level, would have no escape! (To be continued...)