Chapter 180: Section 181: I’ve really had enough of you guys!


    Lightning struck down relentlessly, casting an uncertain glow across the faces of the survivors.


    The mana reserves in the Mana Pool were being rapidly depleted.


    Following Zi Di’s warning, the survivors had retreated to the vicinity of the Blood Core, where they found temporary safety.


    But those man-made magical beasts were not so fortunate, as they turned on one another and fell, one by one, to the lightning strikes.


    However, the number of Magic Beasts did not seem to diminish significantly, because the Tower Spirit was still incessantly summoning reinforcements.


    Zi Di’s complexion changed, “Tower Spirit, stop the summoning now!”


    ...


    Tower Spirit: “Request denied, eliminating intruders, protecting the Central Tower is the highest… priority…”


    No matter how Zi Di called out, the Tower Spirit forced itself into hibernation again.


    “Damn it!” Zi Di’s expression grew heavy as the situation became dire.


    Jia Sha, that crafty old fox, seemed as if a single breath could knock him over, but he still had strength in reserve. Zi Di’s surprise attack to snatch full control of the weather manipulation authority had failed.


    What’s more fatal was the Tower Spirit’s interference, resolutely intent on eradicating everyone but Zi Di.


    The three parties each had their schemes, entangled with one another, leading to a deadlock.


    Panic was evident on Zhenjin’s face, and he quickly urged Zi Di and Jia Sha to stay calm, “We’re on the same side; there’s no need for things to escalate like this.”


    “Hehehe,” Jia Sha sneered, “It’s too late. The lightning has escaped both mine and Zi Di’s control and is striking indiscriminately. She also reclaimed a substantial part of the summoning authority. If it were in my hands, the Tower Spirit wouldn’t have the capacity to summon so many Magic Beasts!”


    Sweat formed on Zhenjin’s brow.


    Between the lightning and summoning, the reserve in the Mana Pool would soon be exhausted. And then, no one would be able to leave!


    “Zi Di, my fiancée!” Zhenjin turned to look at Zi Di, his eyes filled with urgency and a hint of pleading.


    Zi Di shook her head, her gaze cold, “I can’t return the authority. If I deliberately lose to Jia Sha, the covenant will take my life. Only when Jia Sha has no control at all can I free myself.”


    “When the Tower Spirit hibernates, I’ll be able to stop controlling the weather, halt the lightning and Magic Beast summoning. Then we can win!”


    Zhenjin looked towards Jia Sha, “Priest, take a step back for vast possibilities. The Green Jade Gold Coffin is yours; we won’t intervene anymore!”


    “Hahaha!” Jia Sha laughed wildly, “On what grounds? I have led you all this way, healed you, provided you with food, and shielded you with Divine Arts. Without me, you wouldn’t even be able to enter this underground alchemy factory!”


    “Why should I relinquish other credits to you?”


    “What have you contributed?”


    “Despicable merchants, cowardly nobles! Do you think you can control me now just because you turn traitor at the last moment and threaten me?”


    Zhenjin’s eyes widened, “Lord Jia Sha, could you please calm down? If no one yields, we all die! Only you can compromise, my fiancée is bound by a covenant.”


    Jia Sha sneered, a scornful look in his eyes as he stared at Zhenjin and Zi Di, “Why can’t your fiancée yield and I have to?”


    “Besides, who knows the exact terms of the covenant? Holy Temple Knight, are you sure your fiancée hasn’t deceived you?”


    Zhenjin was stunned.


    In the end, a severe lack of trust marked the relationships among the three parties.


    Initially, it was just a struggle for benefits, but now all parties were unable to back down, and the situation had slipped beyond everyone’s control.


    They were all riding a tiger, unable to dismount.


    “Lords Jia Sha and Miss Zi Di, please, both of you be rational.”


    “Yes, such pointless infighting will only benefit the Tower Spirit!” Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “The War Merchant is already dead; we can escape. It would be too senseless if the outcome is mutual destruction.”


    The Guardian Knights were also panicking.


    Jia Sha sneered, his bloodshot eyes filled with a heavy intent to kill, “Then let’s kill Zi Di first! As for Zhenjin, he just has to stay alive!”


    The Guardian Knights hesitated, their loyalty wavering.


    As Guardian Knights, their duty was to protect the sect, and they had no desire to battle the Holy Temple Knights.


    Yet in the current tense situation, eliminating Zi Di, as long as Zhenjin’s life was spared, seemed like the best option.


    After all, they had always followed Jia Sha’s orders.


    Zhenjin looked at the restless Guardian Knights, growing tense; if they really started fighting, he would be outmatched and unable to fully protect Zi Di.


    “Zi Di, let my voice be heard!” Zhenjin said to Zi Di.


    And so, the next moment, the survivors heard Zhenjin’s call, “Zong Ge, Sanda, Lan Zao, and all crew members, I, Zhenjin, in my capacity as Holy Temple Knight and sole heir to the Hundred Needle Family, summon you, I call to arms.”


    “The Empire’s flag waves above our heads, glory will be bestowed upon you.”


    “Come forward, fight at my side!”


    “I, Zhenjin, swear on my honor, that I will not fail you.”


    The crowd stirred.


    Before, the conversation between Zi Di and Jia Sha had not been broadcasted and was limited to the fourth floor. The people saw only the continuous strikes of lightning and summoning, completely unaware of the internal situation.


    Now, with Zhenjin’s sudden summoning, everyone was astonished and uncertain.


    “What’s happening? What exactly occurred upstairs?”


    “Did they encounter an enemy? Could it be that an augmented Magic Beast was teleported there?”


    Zhenjin’s hasty call to arms was ineffective; not a single survivor moved.


    “It’s useless.” Zi Di’s complexion was ashen, “That’s why I had to resurrect a substitute.”


    “Damn, I am Zhenjin, a proud Holy Temple Knight!” Zhenjin gritted his teeth, deliberately vague in his words to motivate the crowd to stand against Jia Sha and the Guardian Knights.


    Yet the crowd remained unmoved, filling Zhenjin with a sense of humiliation and shame.


    Now, having lost the authority to control the weather, Jia Sha could no longer direct lightning at a specific target. However, the indiscriminate lightning strikes seemed even more threatening in the eyes of the survivors.


    “To reach the fourth level, one must risk their life!” Zi Di said.


    Zhenjin, seemingly deep in thought, spoke dejectedly, “If the substitute were still alive, he would definitely incite these people, wouldn’t he?”


    “Not necessarily.” Zi Di shook her head, “You’ve exposed your true identity, and his prestige has fallen to rock bottom, making it very difficult for people to believe him. Lord Zhenjin, I’ve reminded you time and again, you must remain hidden! Once your identity is revealed, the loss to us is truly too great.”


    “It’s all my fault!!” In this moment, Zhenjin was filled with regret.


    He wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead, “Is the Mana Pool about to dry up? We better open the Teleportation Gate right away. You four can go first!” Zhenjin said to the four Guardian Knights.


    The Guardian Knights, originally restless, hesitated upon hearing this.


    Because the teleportation privileges were largely in Zi Di’s hands, the current situation had spiraled out of everyone’s control. If they left early and saved their lives, it would also be a good choice.


    Jia Sha’s heart suddenly sank.


    At the moment, he and Zi Di were at a deadlock. Although he was continuously losing ground, he still had the strength to resist.


    Even if Zi Di eventually won and took full control, it would take a long time. By then, the Mana Pool would be completely dry, and no one would be able to teleport.


    Neither Jia Sha nor Zi Di wanted this to happen, so both had to change the situation ahead of time.


    After Zhenjin’s failed attempt at a last-minute conscription, the decision of the four Guardian Knights became the biggest factor in changing the circumstances.


    The Guardian Knights were in a difficult position.


    They wanted to live and gain credit. They didn’t want to confront Zhenjin but also didn’t want to defy Jia Sha’s orders.


    Seeing the Guardian Knights’ hesitation, Zi Di’s heart leapt with joy, and she immediately upped the stakes, “Can’t you see? Father Jia Sha has gone mad! Maybe he was backlash when seizing control, and he’s not in his right mind anymore. In fact, he’s not afraid of death. Because even in death, his spirit could be summoned by the Holy Emperor and enter the Divine Country, even becoming a Heroic Spirit.”


    “But what about you? Do you have such an honor? You’re actually in the same situation as us!”


    The Guardian Knights’ hesitation grew stronger.


    But in the next moment, Zhenjin spoke in terror, “Zi Di, my dear fiancée, I don’t want to die. A Believer’s soul entering the Divine Country has its standards, and my faith in the Great Emperor still falls short of true devotion. Open the Teleportation Gate and send me away first!”


    Zi Di was stunned.


    She had thought that Zhenjin was suggesting opening the Teleportation Gate to stabilize the Guardian Knights, not realizing he truly wanted to open the gate.


    Under the great pressure of death, Zhenjin’s true nature was revealed, his reasoning was being crushed, and a strong desire to survive was prevailing.


    Jia Sha and the Guardian Knights again shifted subtly in color, as Zhenjin’s panic allowed them to instantly grasp a major flaw in Zi Di’s side.


    Zi Di quickly tried to remedy the situation, speaking coldly to Zhenjin, “My fiancé, if you leave, do you mean to leave me here alone? The reason I agreed to the Tower Spirit and accepted the contract was for our future, wasn’t it?!”


    Zhenjin stammered, “I will find a way to resurrect you! I swear!!”


    Zi Di sneered, “Even if you could resurrect me, if I die at their hands, all the tremendous credit would belong to them! Would you be content with that?”


    “My fiancée, why talk about credit now? Let’s save our lives first! I can see now that Jia Sha has gone mad, he doesn’t care about life or death! This is actually quite normal; he’s not a merchant, he’s a Believer, a devout follower of the God of Victory!” Zhenjin cried out, his face filled with pleading.


    Zi Di closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, completely disappointed in Zhenjin at this moment.


    The Guardian Knights once again became restless.


    Zi Di suddenly opened her eyes and laughed coldly, “Killing me wouldn’t allow you to escape. Jia Sha, do you think I don’t understand your state?”


    “You already have no strength left!”


    “Even if I die, you would still have to expend Divine Power and Spirit to seize control. Do you have that much Divine Power? Your Spirit has also been heavily damaged in our struggle.”


    “Which means, if I die, no one will be able to open the Teleportation Gate!”


    The Guardian Knights hesitated again.


    They wanted credit but even more, they wanted to live!


    Jia Sha laughed out loud, deliberately using a bright tone to highlight his state, “You underestimate me too much, Miss Zi Di.”


    “How could you, a mere Black Iron, understand the Silver Level?”


    “I have plenty of strength left! Your alarming words only show your weakness.”


    “My Spirit is still vigorous, and my Divine Power is even enough to perform a Resurrection Technique. But I won’t resurrect the substitute!”


    “To resurrect him and let him incite the people below to attack me? I have already seen through your plot!”


    The Guardian Knights were moved once more.


    Zi Di also sneered, “Spirit still vigorous? Then why are you continuously losing ground, with control being gradually taken back by me…”


    The Guardian Knights hesitated again.


    “Enough! The two of you! I’ve really had enough of you!!” Suddenly, Zhenjin burst out.


    He grabbed his own hair, his face flushed with rage as he roared, “What on earth are you two damned people doing?! We could’ve escaped already, what are you playing at?”


    “Ah! Now the Mana Pool is about to dry up, and you still refuse to yield!”


    “Do you want to die?”


    “If you want to die, why not do it earlier? Why not die on the road? Why not deliver yourselves into the mouths of the beasts? Why even bother coming here?”


    “The longer time drags on, the less credit we’ll have, and the smaller our hope for survival. Don’t you understand this simple truth?”


    “You two fools!!!”


    Zhenjin roared again and again, venting the anger and panic in his heart.


    “Lord Zhenjin is absolutely right!!” The four Guardian Knights nodded in agreement, more convinced than ever.


    “Since I’m right, then you four damned fools listen to me, don’t let these two people’s words affect you again!!” Zhenjin raged furiously.


    The Guardian Knights looked at each other, then nodded firmly at Zhenjin.


    Jia Sha and Zi Di’s expressions changed simultaneously.


    The situation suddenly turned, Zhenjin’s outburst had actually changed the circumstances!


    Now, his attitude and choice became key.