Chapter 205: The Meeting
The highest peak of the inheritance ground.
Lu Xiaoyao hoisted up several trees, each so thick it took two men to wrap their arms around, piled them together, then stepped off to one side.
"Holy Son, are you certain you can hold off this many cultivators?"
Just before they were to begin, Ye Wushuang started having second thoughts.
There were at least several hundred cultivators who'd come in, to say nothing of the fact that they were all the cream of the great forces.
If things went off the rails later, that would be no good at all.
But Lu Xiaoyao merely waved a hand, his face perfectly earnest.
"Since I've come up with the idea, naturally I have the means to deal with it."
"It should still take them some time to get here. Don't just stand there, Holy Lord — come help me set up the traps."
Seeing Lu Xiaoyao start setting traps, Ye Wushuang hurried over to lend a hand as well.
And before long, the entire peak had been rigged by Lu Xiaoyao with all manner of traps.
Having finished setting the traps, Lu Xiaoyao turned to that great pile of timber, took out a fire-starter, and set it alight.
In no time, thick flames roared up, the blaze visible even across an area of dozens of kilometers.
"Interesting. Is this meant to lure us over?"
Shen Shufeng, the Holy Son of Falling Phoenix Valley and ranked tenth on the Prodigy Rankings, stood atop a great tree, gazing at the blaze raging on the peak, his tone faintly playful.
"In that case, let's go take a look."
Shen Shufeng was not the only one; nearly every cultivator who had entered the inheritance ground saw the fierce flames burning on the peak.
And they all guessed that someone was luring them over — yet even so, they pressed on toward the peak without the slightest hesitation.
After all, immortal cultivators feared nothing, and besides, they didn't believe anyone could be so powerful as to stand against this many people single-handedly.
Not even Li Daoyi, ranked first on the Prodigy Rankings, could possibly do that.
And Li Daoyi, ranked first on the Prodigy Rankings, had naturally taken note of the commotion as well.
A playful smile hung on his face. "Oh? I didn't expect anyone to be so arrogant. I wonder who it could be?"
Thinking it over carefully, he couldn't guess who would be so brazen — at least, no one among the beings he knew.
"Still, let's go take a look. It'll be a fine chance to snatch up the other eight golden pearls while I'm at it."
Toying with two glittering golden pearls in his hand, Li Daoyi sped off toward the peak.
Soon, atop the peak.
Sensing someone approaching, Lu Xiaoyao opened his eyes, his expression solemn.
"Someone's coming. Get ready."
"If they have golden pearls, make them hand them over. If they have no pearls and want to snatch ours, then just kill them outright."
"Mm."
Ye Wushuang nodded, likewise poised and ready.
But when they saw clearly who had come, the two of them couldn't help but freeze.
For the ones hurrying over were none other than Chen Wangu and Xu Ruoshan.
"Uncle Chen, Headmaster — why is it you two?"
When Chen Wangu and Xu Ruoshan saw the two of them, they too couldn't help but freeze.
But they quickly caught on, somewhat taken aback.
"Xiaoyao, so this commotion was your doing?"
"Mm. To gather all ten golden pearls as fast as possible, the best way is to lure them all over, then snatch the pearls right out of their hands."
Lu Xiaoyao didn't deny it, nodding.
Chen Wangu and Xu Ruoshan thought it over and figured it made sense, but their faces still carried a trace of tension and unease.
After all, that was several hundred people.
"Xiaoyao, are you confident?"
"Of course. I've already prepared the traps; I'm just waiting for them to come."
"And besides, my Primordial Saint Body's physical strength has been partly preserved too — more than enough to handle them." Lu Xiaoyao nodded.
Hearing that Lu Xiaoyao's physical strength had actually been partly preserved, Chen Wangu and Xu Ruoshan finally let out a breath of relief.
"In that case, let's do it your way, Xiaoyao."
"I have one golden pearl here. I'll leave it to you."
Chen Wangu spoke, taking the golden pearl from his robes and handing it to Lu Xiaoyao.
Seeing this, Xu Ruoshan beside him hurriedly handed over his own golden pearl as well.
After all, in his hands the thing was nothing but a hot potato — and besides, apart from Lu Xiaoyao, he truly couldn't think of anyone more fitting to obtain the Tianyang Immortal Venerable's inheritance.
For the golden pearls the two had brought, Lu Xiaoyao gave his thanks and accepted them.
"By the way, where are Holy Lord Gu and Sister Luo?"
Seeing that two of them had yet to arrive, Lu Xiaoyao looked to Chen Wangu and Xu Ruoshan to inquire.
The two shook their heads. "We didn't see them after we came in either, but they should be fine."
"And besides, once they see the commotion here, they should come over on their own."
"That's true enough. Get ready — someone's coming."
Sensing something, Lu Xiaoyao spoke up in warning.
At this, Chen Wangu and Xu Ruoshan's expressions grew solemn, and they concealed themselves.
Lu Xiaoyao, meanwhile, stood right before that raging blaze, the four golden pearls on his body shining brilliantly, their glow impossible to hide.
Soon, a cultivator appeared before Lu Xiaoyao.
Upon seeing that Lu Xiaoyao actually carried four golden pearls, the cultivator's eyes lit up; he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and loosed it straight at Lu Xiaoyao.
The arrow was blindingly fast, reaching Lu Xiaoyao in an instant.
Just as that cultivator believed Lu Xiaoyao was surely doomed, Lu Xiaoyao proved faster still — he caught the arrow outright, then flung it back with a flick of his wrist.
So fast that it punched clean through the man's skull.
To his dying breath, he never imagined Lu Xiaoyao could be so formidable.
And Lu Xiaoyao, looking at the one who'd attacked him, found that the man didn't carry so much as a single golden pearl, and couldn't help but show a trace of disappointment.
But he soon reasoned it through: the golden pearls were few to begin with; if just anyone he ran into had one, he'd have gathered all ten and obtained the inheritance long ago.
Seeing that no one else had arrived yet, Lu Xiaoyao sat down cross-legged where he was and quietly waited.
Before long, cultivators came hurrying in one after another from all directions.
And when they saw that Lu Xiaoyao actually carried four golden pearls, every one of them had eyes blazing, itching to make a move and snatch them.
But seeing how calm Lu Xiaoyao was — even sitting down cross-legged with his eyes shut tight — they couldn't help but grow wary.
That's right — it was probably Lu Xiaoyao who'd lured them here. After all, to seize four golden pearls, Lu Xiaoyao was either a man of monstrous luck or a man of utterly terrifying strength.
Clearly, they all took Lu Xiaoyao to be a man of utterly terrifying strength, so one and all chose to hang back and watch rather than strike directly.