Lin Ming coolly divided the Shattered Demon Heart Crystal into thirds, and then gave one third to the Golden Bell Mountain Elder and another to the Arctic Ice Palace Elder. These two were still confused about what was happening, so Elder Jin asked, âLin Ming, whatâs the meaning of this?â
Lin Ming faintly smile and said, âOnce you swallow this Shattered Demon Heart Crystal, you will be able to feel the energy of the Netherworld Great Emperor. When that happens, you two will discover that this energy is the same as Lei Mubaiâs!â
âMm!?â Elder Jinâs expression chanced. If Lin Ming was willing to use his life as the stake in this matter, he was most likely confident in this!
Elder Jin gave Lei Jingtian a deep look. After he saw the ugly expression of Lei Jingtian, he already had certain conclusions made up within his mind.
Lin Ming bowed and said, âSince this matter is related to my life, I would like to kindly request that two seniors take a pledge to their heart of martial arts that their words will ring true.â
Taking a pledge on oneâs heart of martial wasnât truly effective for any situation. When it came to matters that were extremely important to oneself, one could still break it. But in this situation, the two Elders naturally wouldnât renege on their word.
âThatâs understandable here. Then, this old man will swear on his heart of martial arts that every word I say will be true.â Elder Jin frankly said.
After Elder Jin made his pledge, the female Elder from Arctic Ice Palace followed him.
The two of them fused their blood with the Shattered Demon Heart Crystal and prepared to swallow it. The Shattered Demon Heart Crystal only had a very small effect on a Revolving Core elder. But, it would still be able to slightly increase their cultivation.
After the two of them swallowed the Shattered Demon Heart Crystal thirds, they sat in meditation and steadily breathed. The two of them had a cultivation at the middle Revolving Core realm. Naturally, once the Shattered Demon Heart Crystalâs energy was released into their bodies, it wouldnât be dangerous at all.
The two Elders had agitated expressions. They too had seen the same scene as Lin Ming. They saw the Netherworld Great Emperor as he fought against countless demons. This sort of boundless and unreachable magnificence and momentum that resounded through the universe really made oneâs mind tremble in awe.
A moment later, Elder Jin let out a long breath; he was the first to open his eyes.
Mu Yuhuangâs eyebrows rose. Mu Qianyuâs heartbeat also quickened. At this moment, everyoneâs eyes were focused on Elder Jin.
Lin Ming was silent. He only quietly watched Elder Jin, waiting for his final judgement.
Elder Jing meaningfully looked at Lin Ming. He didnât directly respond, instead asking, âLin Ming, have you swallowed the Shattered Demon Heart Crystal? Otherwise, there is no way you would have known this so clearly.â
Lin Ming nodded, acknowledging this.
âHaha! You are truly a thousand year talent of the South Horizon Region. You only have a cultivation at the mere Pulse Condensation period, yet you can swallow the Shattered Demon Heart Crystal. This old man is too surprised!â
Elder Jin heavily sighed, and then spoke in a clarion tone that resounded through the square, âWhat Lin Ming said is true. This old man truly felt the energy of the Netherworld Great Emperor come from Lei Mubaiâs body. This kind of energy can only originate from a bloodline legacy. If this old man guesses correctly, then this so-called Lei Mubai is most likely a direct descendant of the Netherworld Great Emperor!â
As Elder Jin spoke, the entire audience was petrified. Lei Jingtianâs face was already colored like liver. As for Shi Zhongkun, he also had a very ugly expression. He had come up to antagonize Lin Ming, but he was once again humiliated by him.
Arctic Ice Palaceâs Elder Bai also opened her eyes at this moment, slowly nodding, fully agreeing with Elder Jinâs words.
Mu Yuhuang was finally able to relax, her heart calming down. She looked at Lei Jingtian and coldly asked, âLei Jingtian, do you have anything to say about this? Lin Ming just asked you a question a moment ago, and you said that his parents had been mortals.â
âBut according to this old woman, the Netherworld Great Emperorâs descendants had all ran away to the South Sea Demon Region, now becoming the core of that evil sect. This old woman had never once heard that there were any mortals that had this bloodline, and had also died in the chaos of mortal wars!â
Lei Jingtian was forced speechless by Mu Yuhuangâs words, he simply had no way to respond to this. He finally clenched his teeth and said, âEverything that I knew about Mubaiâs background was told to me by him, how was I supposed to know what is true or false? Moreover, even though Elder Jin was likely correct in his assumption, that doesnât mean that it is absolutely true.â
Elder Jin glanced at Lei Jingtian with contempt. At this time, he was still speaking his useless sophistry and attempting to leave a way to back out by saying that he may have been wrong.
Compared to Lin Mingâs fuzzy judgement, Elder Jin was much more clear in his assessment. Lin Ming had swallowed the Shattered Demon Heart Crystal a long time ago. As for Elder Jin, he was able to contrast the energy within the Shattered Demon Hearty Crystal with Lei Mubai in front of him. Naturally, his assurance of the facts was much greater.
Seeing Lei Jingtian quibble over such minor issues, Lin Ming grinned and said, âThunder Sovereign, I just happen to know some methods of torture that are good at extracting information. If Thunder Sovereign isnât opposed, I can attempt to try these methods on Lei Mubai, and perhaps we may be able to obtain some âunexpectedâ information.
As Lin Ming bit out the word âunexpectedâ, Lei Jingtian suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine. This boy, he was actually threatening him!
As Lei Jingtian looked at this dead-eyed Lei Mubai who was lying on the ground like a dead dog, he felt fear grip him. He wasnât able to guarantee that this fellow wouldnât randomly bite him in his desperate state.
The South Sea Demon Region had a very vile reputation. If Lei Jingtian was known to have formed an alliance with the South Sea Demon Region for his own personal gain, then everything he had ever done would be vilified. He would lose any face he had, and he would be held in contempt by everyone.
Lei Jingtianâs face changed colors, alternating between red and blue. As he stood on the stage, there wasnât a single word he could say!
Lin Ming whispered some words into Mu Yuhuangâs ear, and Mu Yuhuang suddenly smiled. She waved her hand to release the true essence sound transmission inhibiting enchantment, allowing Lei Jingtian to speak.
âBoy, what do you want to do?â Lei Jingtian asked with a true essence sound transmission. At this time, Lei Jingtian was fuming with outrage. He was a proud and dignified Sovereign of a fourth-grade sect, and yet he was actually pushed to this point by Lin Ming. He even had to humbly talk conditions with Lin Ming; how could he not be angry?
âThunder Sovereign, perhaps you can speak with Senior Mu about creating the alliance again. How about it?â
Although Lin Ming hoped that he would be able to cripple Lei Jingtian, this was only a fanciful thought. Even it was proven beyond a doubt that Lei Jingtian had secretly made deals with the South Sea Demon Region, he wouldnât be able to do anything to him. At most, he could only ruin his reputation forever.
After all, Lei Jingtian was the Thundercrest Sovereign, and also an almighty Revolving Core Supreme Elder. What could Divine Phoenix Island do against him? If they killed him here, that would rouse retaliation from the Thundercrest Sect.
âAre you threatening this old man!?â
âThreatening you?â Lin Ming smiled. âDoes the Thunder Sovereign still believe that your deal with the South Sea Demon Region can continue in these circumstances?â
Lei Jingtian grit his teeth.
As for Mu Yuhuang, she was smiling. She had never expected that this banquet competition would have such a dramatic result. Lei Jingtian had fallen into his own trap. Just thinking about made her feel extremely satisfied.
Mu Yuhuang intentionally spoke in the presence of everyone, âIt seems as if Thunder Sovereign has been deceived by Lei Mubai. If I were the Thunder Sovereign, I would immediately kill Lei Mubai here and clean the sect of this trash.â
Mu Yuhuangâs words had instantly placed Lei Jingtian into a dilemma. If he killed Lei Mubai, that would directly make him an enemy of the South Sea Demon Region. If he didnât kill Lei Mubai, everyone would suspect that he had an unclear and dangerous relationship with him.
Lei Jingtian clenched his teeth, and sent a true essence sound transmission to Lin Ming and Mu Yuhuang, âDonât push things too far! Early tomorrow morning I will speak to the Five Element Regionâs Elders again about forming the alliance! Now, give me Lei Mubai!â
Now that matters had devolved to this point, Lei Jingtian only wanted to obtain the ancient Devil Tome in Lei Mubaiâs spatial ring. Although it was only the first volume and the rest would be impossible to obtain, it was still better than nothing.
Lin Ming said, âLei Mubai can be handed to Thunder Sovereign, but he cannot be brought down the mountain. As for Lei Mubaiâs Thunder Soul and spatial ring, these will be left behind.â
Lei Jingtian frowned, âYou still want to loot in this chaos? Most of what is in Lei Mubaiâs spatial ring belongs to my Thundercrest Sect! Why should I give anything to you!?â
Lin Ming smiled. âThunder Sovereign is really forgetful. Before, didnât Thunder Sovereign say that Lei Mubaiâs Thunder Soul and cultivation method were found in some ancient ruins somewhere? Thunder Sovereign also added that since ancient times, geniuses had always had great destinies fall on their bodies. Since what Lei Mubai has doesnât belong to the Thundercrest Sect, and Lei Mubai is also a spy who was captured by me, then according to this, it stands to reason that everything he has should belong to me. What does Thunder Sovereign think of this?â
As Lin Ming leisurely spoke, his words almost caused Lei Jingtian to vomit blood on the spot.
Lei Jingtian felt that today he had been made into a complete fool, being led in circles all day. He pointed at Lin Ming, his fingers shaking, but ultimately didnât say anything. Finally, he grit his teeth and turned around to leave. As the Thundercrest Sect disciples saw Lei Jingtianâs anger that was like a billowing inferno, none of them said anything, only quickly following behind him.
Only Zhou Xiaoling was left, slumped over on her chair. She watched Lei Mubai, who was lying prone on the ground like a dead dog, and her eyes glazed over.
Lei Mubai was defeated by Lin Ming⌠Lei Mubai was a spy⌠Lei Mubaiâs meridians had all been wasted by Lin MingâŚ
As her mind echoed with these thoughts, she felt as if she was going crazy.
Zhou Lie glanced at his little sister and deeply sighed, not saying anything. He knew that at this moment, no matter what he said, she wouldnât listen to him.
On the stage, the only Elder left was Shi Zhongkun. His expression wasnât much better than Lei Jingtianâs. He also felt like he had been made into a clown. He had stupidly jumped onto the stage to get some revenge, but not only did he fail, he also attracted scorn and ridicule.
âElder Shi, is something wrong?â Lin Ming asked with a smile.
Shi Zhongkun coldly humphed, âTruly, heroes come from the young. Young Hero Lin, this old man admires you very much!â After Elder Shi said this, he quickly walked offstage. As for the Deep Earth Sect disciples, they began to file out of the square. At this time, there were only disciples of the four other sects left over. Because of the fight between Lin Ming and Lei Mubai, all of the tables had been overturned and the dishes had all been shattered. Naturally, there was no way to continue the banquet celebrations.
The other four great sects bid their farewells and also left.
Mu Yuhuang was in an extremely good mood. Even if tomorrowâs alliance didnât work out, the fact that she could ruin Lei Jingtianâs face today also made her feel fabulous.
Not only that, now that she had his weakness, it was highly likely that Lei Jingtian would yield tomorrow. The reason that the last meeting with the six great sects from the Five Element Region hadnât worked out was because Lei Jingtian had bit down and wouldnât let go, not allowing concessions anywhere. Since the other sects didnât want to lose out, the whole negotiation had broken down.
But as long as Lei Jingtian would seal his loud mouth, the negotiations could smoothly proceed.
Mu Yuhuang looked at Lin Ming, revealing a grateful and happy smile. Lin Ming was truly Divine Phoenix Islandâs lucky star. At todayâs banquet celebrations, Lin Ming had single-handedly earned the greatest merit!
Lin Ming had not only displayed a magnificent performance as he defeated all the heroic elites that challenged him, allowing Divine Phoenix Island to gain face, but he had also made Lei Jingtian eat his own sh*t, making it so that he had no choice but to renegotiate with Divine Phoenix Island. This reversal of fortune that was impossible for Mu Yuhuang to accomplish had actually been accomplished by Lin Ming.