CHAPTER 923: CHAPTER 695: GENEROUS REWARD

Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang can be said to have grasped the lifeline of the Divine Wood Lineage because he holds a Divine Blood Direct Lineage Warrior, which means there is a significant chance that the Divine Blood of the Divine Wood Lineage could spread out.

These words immediately darkened Mu Witch, the High Priest’s, face.

He absolutely cannot allow another branch of Divine Blood Warriors to appear on this ancient land, as it is a betrayal of the ancestors and shakes the foundation of the Divine Wood Lineage.

The reason why the warriors of the Divine Wood Lineage have been able to pass down for countless years without decline is that their Divine Blood and the Divine Wood share the same origin. With the protection of the Divine Wood and the Golden Leaves it provides, they have been able to prosper forever.

Xiu Xiang understands this point very well, so he is not satisfied with a hundred pieces of Divine Wood Leaves; he needs more, even if it means completely offending the Divine Wood Lineage.

At worst, the whole family could move to Red Gold Mountain.

That place is the territory of Da Yi, where Xiu Xiang would definitely thrive like a fish in water, living a life of prosperity and peace.

"The blood of the Divine Wood Lineage cannot flow in outsiders, the Divine Blood Direct Lineage Mu Tu must return to Divine Wood City. Merchant Master, you treat the warriors of our Divine Wood Lineage as commodities for sale, truly audacious. As the wealthy Divine Wood City, I am willing to pay five times the previous price to redeem Mu Tu and Mu Xi." High Priest Mu Witch could no longer contain himself and offered his price.

He quintupled it in one breath, as he didn’t want to haggle endlessly like a lowly merchant.

But Xiu Xiang still shook his head, "Five hundred Divine Wood Leaves are not enough to redeem those two pieces of Miracle."

The High Priest Mu Witch’s face turned cold, his burly figure stood up directly from his seat, the patterns like Golden Leaves on his body now shimmered with golden light, causing the entire great hall to glow in golden radiance.

This Divine Light was sacred yet brilliant, but it also hinted at a deadly crisis. With just a bit more intensity, it could completely dissolve the Merchant Master before him, as if he had never appeared in this world.

"Your greed makes me angry."

"As a Merchant Master, a heart of greed is necessary. I have sold goods valued at one gold for as much as a hundred gold before, and also sold items worth a thousand gold for just two hundred gold."

Xiu Xiang was no longer afraid and seriously said, "Does the High Priest know why?"

The High Priest Mu Witch said, "To different people, the value of goods varies. I understand your point; you indeed have acquired two very precious Miracle items. I can restrain my anger this time and give you the chance to name your price."

Seeing this Merchant Master fearless even in the face of death, he knew he had no other choice.

Mu Tu and Mu Xi must be rescued, even setting aside their identities as Divine Blood Warriors; they themselves are Mountain Lord Level powerhouses, such warriors are not many within the Divine Wood Lineage.

Although the leaves of the Divine Tree are precious, some fall every year, and it means nothing to the Divine Wood Lineage.

Warriors are the most important.

Xiu Xiang spoke, "I need a thousand pieces of Divine Tree Leaves, and also a branch of the Divine Tree, at least thicker and longer than me."

"What?"

The moment this price was named, everyone in the hall was shocked.

This person really dared to ask for it, wanting to demand a branch of the Divine Tree.

At that moment, the High Priest Mu Witch’s eyes were also blazing with anger, flickering with Divine Light, unable to help but clench his fists tightly, wishing to punch this extremely greedy fellow to death right there.

But reason told him he could not do that.

Just as Mu Sangong said, killing this Merchant Master would lead all the Merchant Masters in the world to refuse to trade with the Divine Wood Lineage. It would also send a message to others that when encountering danger, not to rescue the warriors of the Divine Wood Lineage, because they would kill their saviors.

Such severe consequences are something the Divine Wood Lineage simply cannot bear.

"I will kill you." However, the Divine Blood Warrior named Mu Yan could no longer bear such matters. He roared, and his figure instantly turned into a stream of golden light attacking Xiu Xiang.

The Red Gold Halberd in his hand had already been slashed down.

At this moment, it was as if space itself was being torn apart, the entire great hall violently shaking.

"Stop."

But at this moment, the High Priest Mu Witch acted. With a loud shout, he managed to intercept Mu Yan before he could kill Xiu Xiang, and landed a punch on Mu Yan’s face.

Boom!

Mu Yan was instantly sent flying, crashing into the ancient great hall.

But the High Priest Mu Witch controlled his strength very skillfully, though he knocked Mu Yan back, he did not cause him much harm, only making his face swell up.

"High Priest, let me kill this Merchant Master, he is insulting our Divine Wood Lineage..." Mu Yan immediately stood up and shouted loudly.

He did not feel anger for the High Priest’s punch.

In the Divine Wood Lineage, the High Priest’s status and identity are supreme, even if that punch had killed him, no one else would have said anything.

"Shut up."

The Mu Witch shouted, "Killing a Merchant Master is easy, but rebuilding the reputation of the Divine Wood Lineage is extremely difficult. He rescued our warriors from the Divine Wood Lineage. If we kill him, no one under the heavens will ever believe our promises again. The golden blood flowing in our veins would be tainted with disgrace and ugliness, something that cannot be washed away for generations."

"Mu Yan, do you want your ancestors to be shamed along with you, or for your descendants to one day be ashamed of the golden blood in their veins?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yan’s impulsive heart was doused with a cold bucket of water and instantly calmed down.

His eyes flickered, uncertain of how to respond to the High Priest’s words.

"But, but we can’t just let a lowly Merchant Master take away our thousand golden leaves and a branch of the Divine Tree." He gritted his teeth, feeling very unwilling.

He clearly possessed such great power, yet could not kill an ant-like Merchant Master.

This made him feel very stifled.

The Mu Witch did not reply but instead turned to Merchant Lord Xiu Xiang and said, "Is this the reward you requested?"

"Yes, that’s the reward I requested, a thousand leaves from the Divine Tree and a branch, nothing less. If the High Priest disagrees, you can take my life, I won’t resist," Xiu Xiang said resolutely.

The Mu Witch asked again, "Can you ensure that Mu Tu and Mu Xi will return alive?"

"I can make a promise, the two Divine Blood Warriors will certainly return safely," Xiu Xiang said.

The anger on the Mu Witch’s face gradually disappeared, and he solemnly said, "Fine, as the High Priest of the Divine Wood Lineage, I agree to your request. I am willing to spend a thousand leaves from the Divine Tree and a branch of the Divine Tree to ransom back Mu Tu and Mu Xi."

"Thank the High Priest for your generosity. Merchant Masters across the world will extol your great name. In the future, should warriors of the Divine Wood Lineage face hardship, countless warriors will surely extend their hands to offer assistance."

Xiu Xiang breathed a slight sigh of relief and then said respectfully.

Upon hearing this, the High Priest Mu Witch’s expression eased a bit.

At the very least, this generous reward redeemed two Divine Blood Warriors and spread fame across the world. This was highly beneficial to the legacy of the Divine Wood Lineage. Many would certainly be willing to help its warriors in the future, garnering many friends.

As a wise person, he certainly understood these benefits.

It’s just that the price... was heartbreaking.

After the negotiations were settled.

Soon after.

Warriors from the Divine Wood Lineage brought two chests.

Both chests were cast in Red Gold. Inside the small chest were leaves like gold, neatly arranged, a whole thousand of them. The other chest was long, containing a branch of the Divine Tree.

That branch, even inside the Red Gold chest, still radiated endless energy, as if a part of the sun, sacred and extraordinary.

Even for them in the Divine Wood Lineage, it’s rare to chop a branch of the Divine Tree, only under special circumstances would they trim the excess branches, and this section was part of that pruned hundreds of years ago.

Once Xiu Xiang received the deserved reward, he immediately sent warriors from the Divine Wood Lineage to the designated place in the city to rescue Mu Tu and Mu Xi.

Before long.

The two severely injured and unconscious Divine Blood Warriors were sent into the City Lord Mansion, arriving again in this great hall.

The High Priest Mu Witch’s expression changed slightly upon seeing Mu Tu and Mu Xi.

Although they were still alive, their injuries were indeed severe.

Moreover, one of Mu Tu’s arms was almost broken, with a special force lingering on it, which was another Divine Blood Lineage’s power.

"The breath of thunder..." The High Priest Mu Witch was thoughtful.

He recalled that ancient bamboo scrolls recorded a deity with power over thunder in Beihuang, perishing in the great mountain, severing the Divine Blood.

Could it be that the Divine Blood Warriors containing thunder power have reappeared?

In the Barbaric World, every source of Divine Blood stems from a deity.

Through the power inherent in the Divine Blood, one can quickly investigate which deity’s offspring they are, where they reside, their abilities, and whether the Divine Blood Family’s legacy remains.

"Take them to be treated. Once they awaken, I need to inquire about what calamities they encountered, why ten of our Divine Wood Lineage’s Warrior Chiefs died, and why Mu Xi disappeared."

The High Priest Mu Witch then added with a touch of anger.

"We must find the culprit, retrieve the culprit’s head, and use their fresh blood to wash away the shame of the Divine Wood Lineage."