Even though his words didn't make sense, it sounded like it did. Logic was always determined by how one's words were phrased, and most importantly, from the audience's perspective.
Miao Yi was unperturbed and maintained a blank expression as he asked, "You wish to have the Mystic Yin Mirror?"
"I'm not the one who wants the Mystic Yin Mirror." Zhao Lingtu had obviously prepared his elegant speech beforehand. He raised his hand and pointed to the crowd, "Rather, all of us need the Mystic Yin Mirror to protect ourselves! Junior Brother Lu told me that when they obtained the Mystic Yin Mirror, everyone had originally intended to draw straws to come to a fair decision regarding its ownership, but Alliance Master was unwilling to do so. And if Alliance Master were still in the Red Scarves Alliance, then it would be fine to leave it in your hands since it would benefit the alliance. However, now that you're leaving, the Mystic Yin Mirror naturally has to stay, and we will draw straws to decide its ownership!"
Everyone intended to keep quiet at first. After all, Miao Yi was the one who single-handedly created the Red Scarves Alliance, and he was the Alliance Master himself. However, he ended up making a powerful enemy, and everyone didn't want him to drag them into the scuffle. They would be lying if they said they didn't feel the slightest bit guilty for doing this.
Not to mention, from the looks of things, it was obvious that Zhao Lingtu intended to take over the Red Scarves Alliance. Earlier on, they all saw what he could do. It seemed like he was even more powerful than Miao Yi. It didn't matter who was the Alliance Master as long as everyone could stay alive, so they weren't particularly bothered about following behind Zhao Lingtu.
They originally meant to keep their true feelings to themselves, which was why they had kept quiet the entire time. It was fine to let Zhao Lingtu play the villain by himself. However, his final sentence caught the attention of Dong Quan and the others—'Keep the Mystic Yin Mirror so that everyone can draw straws for it?'
"Alliance Master, we won't stop you if you wish to leave. But please leave the Mystic Yin Mirror behind!" Dong Quan voiced out his agreement.
"Yes! We don't wish to part with you on such bad terms either." Yu Baixing and the rest echoed their sentiments as well.
Zhao Lingtu was overjoyed to see those who had kept quiet were finally speaking up. The prospect of treasure was alluring indeed.
Earlier, when he'd seen that everyone remained silent, he hadn't felt very confident. Miao Yi was still the Red Scarves Alliance Master after all. If he were to attack Miao Yi and the others were to retaliate against him, then he would be in deep trouble. With such a short distance between them, he wouldn't be able to handle most of them with the Mountain Suppressing Hammer, whereas the Spirit Illusion Greatsword was temporarily out of commission. He couldn't risk losing his life without even being able to obtain the transcendent artifact, so he had to play it safe.
Now that all of them were standing on his side, everything was fine.
There was a vicious glint in Sikong Wuwei's eyes as he glared at the crowd. However, he didn't dare to do anything rash because they currently had the upper hand.
Miao Yi's gaze instantly turned cold as he slowly swept it across the crowd. With a flip of his hand, the Mystic Yin Mirror appeared in his grasp. He slowly asked, "What will you do if I won't hand it over?"
Miao Yi's tone carried a sense of hostility, and with the emergence of the Mystic Yin Mirror, everyone's expressions drastically changed. Dong Quan and the others quickly retreated further away because they had seen the terrifying might of the Mystic Yin Mirror. All that was left were Lu Siping and his fellow disciples, who quickly fell into a defensive formation behind Zhao Lingtu.
Other than Lu Siping, Zhao Lingtu and his other fellow disciples had never seen what the Mystic Yin Mirror could do. They only heard stories about it. When they saw how terrified everyone was, even they suddenly felt a sense of anxiety as an immense pressure fell upon them.
Zhao Lingtu's Mountain Suppressing Hammer shone with a blue radiance and instantly expanded. Even though it wasn't as large as when he'd killed Ba Wenjing, it was enough to block his entire body.
He placed the hammer before his body and readied the Spirit Illusion Greatsword with his other hand. Keeping a vigilant eye on Miao Yi, he said, "I know that you can contend against whole armies with the Mystic Yin Mirror. However, my Mountain Suppressing Hammer is enough to block the Yin aura from reaching me. As long as you miss the first strike, I will be able to pummel you into a bloody pulp. Not to mention, I have the Spirit Illusion Greatsword as well. You will definitely lose! Miao Yi, I suggest you obediently hand over the Mystic Yin Mirror. As a member of the Red Scarves Alliance, I'd rather not be forced to kill the Alliance Master! Miao Yi, I'll give you one last chance. As long as you leave the Mystic Yin Mirror behind, we definitely won't stop you from leaving."
Even though he sounded confident, he was still a little fearful of Miao Yi's Mystic Yin Mirror at such a close distance. If he didn't absolutely have to, he wouldn't dare fight head-on against it. The giant hammer stood before his entire body like a wall, ready to block the Mystic Yin Mirror's Yin aura at a moment's notice.
As for the Spirit Illusion Greatsword, it was merely for the sake of intimidating Miao Yi. The current Spirit Illusion Greatsword was but an empty shell. Zhao Lingtu couldn't use it at all as he'd had no chance to replenish its energy.
However, it was enough to pressure Miao Yi and deter him from acting rashly. After all, he had never touched the Spirit Illusion Greatsword and thus, didn't know that it was not in its optimal condition at the moment.
Granted, even without the Spirit Illusion Greatsword, Miao Yi wouldn't dare act rashly either way. He knew his limits; he couldn't use the Mystic Yin Mirror for too long. His transcendence energy reserves wouldn't be able to keep up once time passed. If he missed the first strike, that giant hammer would definitely crash onto him like a thunderbolt and pulverize him into a bloody pulp.
Both sides were wary of the other. However, the 'tide' was in Zhao Lingtu's favor.
Zhao Fei and the others exchanged glances, and after a brief moment of silence, Miao Yi said, "I can give you the Mystic Yin Mirror, but will you swear you will allow us to leave in peace?"
Seeing as the other party was willing to compromise, Zhao Lingtu was overjoyed, thinking that Miao Yi must really be afraid of him. All he wanted was the Mystic Yin Mirror, and even more so after he saw how afraid everyone was. It didn't matter to him whether or not to kill Miao Yi, so he had no problem letting him go. He immediately vowed, "I swear upon the heavens, so long as you leave the Mystic Yin Mirror behind, we will let all of you leave in peace. If I go back on this promise, I will die a terrible death!"
"Alright!" Miao Yi agreed to his terms.
Zhao Lingtu was still worried and said, "Don't make any sudden movements. Toss the Mystic Yin Mirror over."
Miao Yi looked at the Mystic Yin Mirror in his hands and smiled, "Truth be told, only Ghost Cultivators can wield this transcendent artifact. Anyone else won't be able to use it at all. It's useless to me even if I keep it."
He tossed out the Mystic Yin Mirror as he said so.
Zhao Lingtu caught the mirror artifact with one hand and finally felt relieved. He tucked the Spirit Illusion Greatsword away into his storage ring. Holding the Mountain Suppressing Hammer with one hand just in case, he flipped the Mystic Yin Mirror over with the other and couldn't help asking suspiciously, "Only Ghost Cultivators can wield it?"
Miao Yi nodded.
Suddenly, as he held onto the Mystic Yin Mirror, Zhao Lingtu's eyes became hazy. With his mind in a daze, the Mountain Suppressing Hammer in his other hand abruptly shrunk back to its original size as well.
Miao Yi's eyes suddenly narrowed as they shone with an almost undetectable, yet terrifying glint.
"Kill!" He suddenly shouted, and Charcoal shot out like an arrow, carrying Miao Yi along with him. A dragon's roar echoed forth from the Inversed-Scales Spear in his hand.
Sikong Wuwei, Zhao Fei, and Wang Yuetian quickly followed his charge whereas Qi Xiuhong turned her dragon steed around and swiftly departed.
Lu Siping and the rest were astonished; the change had happened so suddenly. They thought, 'How can Brother Zhao be so careless that he'd deactivate the Mountain Suppressing Hammer and lower his defenses at such a crucial moment?'
When their gazes fell upon Zhao Lingtu, they discovered that he was completely frozen, his whole body instantly encased in a layer of white frost. Each of his hands held onto a transcendent artifact and were utterly still.
With such a short distance between both sides, Miao Yi's spear struck out like a shooting star and viciously pierced the area between Zhao Lingtu's throat and chest. There wasn't a single trace of blood. It was like stabbing into a dead piece of wood. He was truly frozen still.
Having failed to react in time, Lu Siping and the others frantically attacked. Then Sikong Wuwei and Zhao Fei swooped in from both sides and quickly assisted Miao Yi. Together with Wang Yuetian, they withstood the attacks of Lu Siping and the others. The three Blue Lotus Ninth Grade experts didn't have a problem keeping these people at bay.
Zhao Lingtu had already fallen. Lu Siping was the only remaining Blue Lotus Ninth Grade cultivator nearby, and Zhao Fei restrained him, while Sikong Wuwei and Wang Yuetian held the others back.
As soon as Miao Yi landed his strike, he pulled back his spear. Then the reversed blade on the speartip dragged Zhao Lingtu along as Miao Yi turned around and ran.
At the back, Dong Quan and the others felt dumbfounded by the sudden change and even found it a little difficult to realize what just happened. How could Zhao Lingtu, with all his transcendent artifacts, die to Miao Yi in just a single confrontation? This was a little too sudden, so much so that everyone couldn't possibly react in time.
When Dong Quan and the rest saw Miao Yi carrying Zhao Lingtu's corpse and the transcendent artifacts away, they finally realized what had happened and rushed forward to help Lu Siping and the rest to retake those transcendent artifacts.
"Kill!" Several Blue Lotus Ninth Grade experts immediately charged along with a great number of troops.
"Harrumph…" Charcoal came to a stop a short distance away from the battlefield. Holding his spear at an angle, Miao Yi turned Charcoal around and shouted, "Don't engage! Run! I will stop the pursuers myself!"
Zhao Fei and the other two knew they couldn't stop such a large force either. It would be disastrous if they were held at bay by the enemy. They immediately launched an all-out attack to create an opening to escape, then turned around and ran.
When they turned around, they saw Miao Yi holding his spear with one hand, and the Mystic Yin Mirror with the other.
When the three of them passed him by, they could hear the swishing sound of rushing wind from behind. Sikong Wuwei gulped out of reflex when he heard this sound, as an unforgettable memory etched deep into his mind suddenly resurfaced.
The three of them quickly turned their steeds around and saw the cold Yin aura gushing out of the Mystic Yin Mirror in Miao Yi's hand. The piercing chill of the Yin aura instantly spread out and blasted towards Lu Siping and the rest who were charging towards Miao Yi.
Lu Siping and the others were dismayed when they saw the Yin aura coming at them, as though wanting to say, 'Didn't you say that only Ghost Cultivators can wield the Mystic Yin Mirror?'
They had only dared to give chase because they saw Zhao Lingtu falling under the Mystic Yin Mirror's trap and thus believed what Miao Yi said. Not to mention, Miao Yi had only just managed to obtain the other two transcendent artifacts and hadn't figured out how to operate them yet. Obviously, they had to take advantage of this opportunity to kill him as soon as possible and retake those transcendent artifacts.
As though they were experiencing a rush of adrenaline, Dong Quan and the others who charged forth with their forces had the same idea as well. While Miao Yi was still unable to use those transcendent artifacts, now would be the best time to take them back. How could they let such an opportunity slip by?
However, the sight before them reminded them of the Mystic Yin Mirror's terrifying might once more.
The frosty Yin aura quickly retracted back into the Mystic Yin Mirror. Lu Siping and the rest were completely frozen, and they all fell to the ground from the sudden drop in momentum. Encased in a layer of frost, they lay completely still and stuck in whatever movements they were performing before they fell.
"If you dare take another step, don't blame me for disregarding our past relationship and showing you no mercy!" Miao Yi waved the Mystic Yin Mirror in his hand and shouted at the forces chasing after him.
The galloping hastily came to a stop. Dong Quan and the others stared wide-eyed at Miao Yi, then towards Lu Siping and the others on the ground. Against Miao Yi with the Mystic Yin Mirror in his hands, no one dared to make any sudden movements and stood in place, completely terrified.
After running off to a safe distance, Qi Xiuhong waited for the others to catch up. When she saw that the battle was over on the other end, she felt a heavy sense of relief. She bit her lips when she gazed upon the sight of Miao Yi intimidating an army numbering almost thousand-strong on his own.
Seeing as the crowd no longer dared to make any sudden movements, Miao Yi immediately flipped Zhao Lingtu's corpse over from Charcoal's back. He would be punished by heaven if he still acted courteously now.