Chapter 653: Sweeping Everything Away

“They are buying the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon together!?” Lu Yuanxi’s expression flickered slightly, as he hadn’t expected that the Heaven Palace Sect and the Heaven Expanse Sect would make such a move.

Never had they mentioned in their previous meetings that any two sects could purchase an item with their combined contribution points.

Since the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon was priced at one-and-a-half million contribution points, no one except Nie Tian would be able to purchase it alone. Because of that, Lu Yuanxi had deemed that it was already an apple in the hand.

Who would have thought that such changes would occur so soon after the opening of the victory convention?

“Sectmaster Zhao, we never said that different parties could purchase the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon together,” Zong Zheng from the Ice Pavilion Sect said in a stern voice.

Dong Wangling let out a cold snort. “If the Heaven Palace Sect can do it, so can we. We from the Realm of a Hundred Battles would like to buy the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon with our combined contribution points as well!”

“The Spirit Condor and Ice Pavilion Sect would like to the purchase the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon too!” Zong Zheng said hastily.

“The Yin Sect and the Yang Sect would also like to buy the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon with our contribution points!” Li Muyang said with a stern face.

Just like that, almost every sect expressed their strong desire for the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon.

Even the patriarchs of the Poison Sect and the Spirit God Sect exchanged a glance and called out, saying that they would like to buy the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon as well.

Originally, the Poison Sect and the Spirit God Sect had only targeted the Fiends’ and Phantasms’ corpses, tools, and scrolls, since neither of them had enough contribution points to purchase the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon alone.

However, upon seeing that the Heaven Palace Sect and the Heaven Expanse Sect had changed the rules by joining up to buy the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon, they changed their minds as well.

An uproar then broke out in the square. Every sect or clan leader focused their longing gazes on the storage ring that sat on the first stone table. No one was willing to give up the opportunity to obtain the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon.

“If everyone wants it, then we’ll have to draw lots for it,” Zhao Luofeng said, his eyes narrowed, as if he had long since thought the whole thing out. “We’d better count the parties that want to buy the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon, and then arrange for a lot-drawing. The cannon will go to whichever party or parties draw the right lot.”

“Umm... alright,” Lu Yuanxi said with a frustrated tone.

That was when he realized that the Heaven Palace Sect and the Heaven Expanse Sect had done all this to minimize Nie Tian’s chance of getting the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon.

If they didn’t join up, Nie Tian would be the only party that had enough contribution points to purchase the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon, which meant he would get it as long as he wanted to.

However, if it came down to drawing lots, the Heaven Palace Sect, the Heaven Expanse Sect, and the other sects would all have a chance at obtaining it.

Considering the Heaven Palace Sect’s lofty status and profound reserve power, if any of the Heaven Expanse Sect, the Thunder Mountain Sect, the Poison Sect, or the Spirit God Sect were lucky enough to win the rights to buy the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon, they would end up studying it together.

The discussion went on for a bit longer before all of the leaders eventually agreed to decide this issue by drawing lots.

However, before they could finish with the lots, a gruesome laugh came from the distance.

“How come you’re having such a grand convention, yet no one invited me?” With these words, a figure entered everyone’s view and started walking towards the center of the square in a fashion as if he were the only one who mattered.

After coming to a stop in front of the five long stone tables, he glanced over at the Soul realm experts with a defiant smile, and asked, “Do I qualify to take my share of the spoils?”

All of the Qi warriors that were gathered in this place gasped with nervous looks in their eyes. “Zhao Shanling!!”

Both the Heaven Palace Sect’s alliance and the Dong Clan’s alliance had intentionally ignored Zhao Shanling when they had calculated the contribution points.

In their eyes, even though Zhao Shanling had made significant contributions, he had harbored ulterior motives.

Furthermore, he was known to be a lone wolf who wouldn’t stay long in any place, and he hadn’t shown any interest in mixing with the sects. Therefore, no one had taken his contribution into consideration or bothered to inform him.

Who would have thought that he would actually come to the victory convention without being invited?

Many Worldly realm and Profound realm Qi warriors, who were gathered around the center of the square, discussed him in a low voice while gazing back and forth between Zhao Shanling and the other Soul realm experts.

“The guy first helped end the crisis in the Realm of Flame Heaven, and then sealed the spatial rift in the Realm of a Hundred Battles, laying the foundation for the victory in the Realm of a Hundred Battles. If we didn’t win the battle of the Realm of a Hundred Battles by eliminating those seventh grade outsiders, the outsiders wouldn’t have been forced to focus all of their forces on the Heaven Palace Sect.”

“That’s true. If we’re talking about contributions to our victory, I’m afraid that guy’s contribution wasn’t any less than Nie Tian’s.”

“But he only did all those things because Qi Bailu from the Tool Sect gave in to him. Qi Bailu even promised to give him the position of the sectmaster of the Tool Sect. What else does he want?”

“What on earth is he doing here?”

Zhao Luofeng’s eyebrows gradually knitted as he saw Zhao Shanling, as if he was also at his wits’ end when it came to this younger brother of his.

All of the other Soul realm experts were well-aware that Zhao Shanling had made a significant contribution to their victory, and that they were in the wrong by not inviting him to the convention. Therefore, they all remained silent.

Smiling, Zhao Shanling walked up to the stone tables and said, “I’m the one who sealed the spatial rifts in the Realm of Flame Heaven and the Realm of a Hundred Battles. If those two realms fell into the outsiders’ hands, I’m afraid that things would have been completely different, right?

“Without me sealing those spatial rifts, you people wouldn’t have been able to take out those seventh grade outsiders and their troops like turtles in a jar, and force the remaining outsider forces to gather in the Realm of Mystic Heaven.

“What would you have done if they had escaped through those spatial rifts and regrouped?”

After Zhao Shanling explained the crucial part he had played in their victory, everyone present had to admit that he had indeed made significant contributions in ending this crisis, no matter how much they might detest him.

“I didn’t come until now because I was in the Realm of Split Void, sealing those six spatial rifts,” Zhao Shanling continued at a slow pace. “Even if the outsiders recover their vital energy after hundreds of years, with those spatial rifts sealed, they won’t be able to invade the Domain of the Falling Stars again.

“But since I can seal them, I can reopen them as well!”

Hua Mu’s expression flickered as he instantly asked, “What do you want, Brother Zhao?”

The others’ expressions also flickered drastically upon hearing his words.

They knew that Zhao Shanling was capable of anything. If he actually reopened those spatial rifts, the people in the Domain of the Falling Stars would eventually be plunged into another calamity. Therefore, they all looked very uneasy.

Zhao Shanling laughed wildly. “What do I want?” 

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, every single storage ring on the first three stone tables flew into his sleeve.

“Zhao Shanling!” Lei Zhenyu from the Thunder Mountain Sect thundered. “Don’t you dare!” 

Di Ruyun from the Heaven Expanse Sect also grew furious. “You’re taking too much!” 

Zhao Luofeng, his older brother, was also angered. “Give them back!” 

Hua Mu, Dong Wangling, and Zong Zheng also lost their composure upon seeing Zhao Shanling sweeping all of the first, second, and third ranked spoils away.

“Time to go.” With a casual move of his other arm, Nie Tian was pulled to him, into his void realm. “I’ll split these spoils with Nie Tian. None of you qualify to take these valuables.

“If it weren’t for me and Nie Tian, you lot would already be corpses. How dare you tell me what to take and what not to?”

FIZZ!

With a casual move of his hand, a spatial rift appeared in front of him, and his void realm instantly disappeared into it.

Standing by the spatial rift, Zhao Shanling glanced over at the experts, who were now panting with fury. With a mocking tone, he said, “In fact, I respect the rules more than someone. What did you do after Xia Yi took that Heavenly Flame Beast’s eye? He didn’t make any contributions in this battle. What right did he have to take the Heavenly Flame Beast’s eye?

“Nie Tian and I are the ones who set the foundations for our victory. It’s only right that we take the most valuable spoils.”

With these words, he also disappeared into the spatial rift.

Immediately afterwards, the spatial rift closed up and vanished into thin air.

All of the powerful experts, who had come with the intention of purchasing the items they had eyes on with their contribution points, stood aghast.

None of them had expected that Zhao Shanling would swoop in and take all of the valuable spoils away, including the Heaven-shattering Crystal Cannon, seventh grade outsider corpses, and tools, scrolls, and materials that the Domain of the Falling Stars had never seen before.