"Are you kidding me?" Yang Qiu stared fixedly at Li Yun, his tone unfriendly. Anyone finding out they've been played wouldn't be in a good mood. Moreover, as a practitioner of the demonic path, he currently refrained from taking action due to some concerns. What if the person in front of him was a hidden master?
"What?" Li Yun squinted, his tone equally unfriendly. "Are you suspecting the credibility of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion? The information Li has given you is all genuine!"
Anything could be endured, but the reputation of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion could not be tarnished. It was his bread and butter. If people thought the Heavenly Secret Pavilion sold false information, what would happen?
"Hehe!" Yang Qiu laughed sarcastically. He never doubted the authenticity of the information. What made him frustrated was that he seemed to have been manipulated. Yang Qiu said coldly, "So, you're going to be an enemy of the Nine Nether Demon Sect?"
He didn't say "enemy of himself." He was worried that with his own reputation, he couldn't suppress the person in front of him. However, the Nine Nether Demon Sect was different. It was a major demonic sect with profound heritage, standing for millions of years. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to provoke it easily.
"Surrender Liu Chengxue, and I may spare your life!" Yang Qiu said sternly.
"Sorry." Li Yun shook his head, saying, "The Heavenly Secret Pavilion only trades information, nothing else."
"You're asking for trouble!" Yang Qiu coldly exclaimed. He reached out with one hand, imagining a scene that didn't materialize. His hand grasped emptiness.
"What's going on?" Yang Qiu frowned. When he intended to retrieve the Demon Heaven Umbrella and confront the person in front of him, his cultivation had disappeared at some point. Not only did his cultivation vanish, but even the weapons stored in his Purple Mansion couldn't be utilized. Now, he was just like an ordinary person.
"What did you do to me?" Yang Qiu was incredibly shocked. When did his cultivation disappear? Why didn't he feel anything? If he hadn't intended to take action, he wouldn't have noticed that he had become an ordinary person. If this person wanted to kill him…
Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out on Yang Qiu's body, and he dared not think further. This person was too terrifying. He definitely wasn't a Saint and nor can he be a Saint King. According to his memory, even if it were a Quasi Emperor, it wouldn't reach this level. Could he be a Great Emperor? Or perhaps… an Immortal?
"Did you just intend to make a move?" Li Yun stood up, not answering directly but countering with a question. A strange light shimmered in his eyes. In this moment, the entire Heavenly Secret Pavilion seemed to come alive. An endless pressure descended from the sky, pressing down on Yang Qiu, and with a bang, he was forced to the ground. He lay there like a big character, completely powerless to resist.
As Li Yun walked step by step, he spoke, "You really have some courage. Since the establishment of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, you are the first person to try to make a move here."
Although the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had only been established for a day, Yang Qiu was unaware. Upon hearing Li Yun's words, his vision darkened, and he silently thought, "It's over."
He seemed to have kicked a metal plate. Who knew how terrifying the origin of this Heavenly Secret Pavilion was? Trying to make a move here was akin to seeking death.
"Even if you are an elder of the Nine Nether Demon Sect, you cannot act recklessly within the Heavenly Secret Pavilion!" Li Yun stood before Yang Qiu, looking down on him. His gaze swept over and quickly noticed a black ring on Yang Qiu's left index finger. If his guess was correct, this was Yang Qiu's storage ring!
Li Yun's expression changed slightly, and he was about to reach for the ring but stopped. Apparently, in the fantasy world, any magical item recognized its master. If he took it, how would he open it? The primary function of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was to explore the Heavenly Secrets, and protecting him was just a secondary effect. It couldn't help him open someone else's storage ring.
If he killed Yang Qiu… The ring would naturally be ownerless and could be opened. However, the reputation of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion would be ruined. For the sake of one transaction, cutting off all future dealings seemed like a loss. Li Yun found himself caught in a difficult decision.
"Senior… Senior!" At this moment, Yang Qiu shouted, "I have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Regarding the matter of Du Qianshang, I'll let it go. I won't pursue it!"
Just a moment ago, Yang Qiu once again felt a tremendous sense of crisis. This was the second time. Yang Qiu felt a chill in his heart. He knew that the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had likely harbored murderous intentions! If he didn't speak up, he might not even know how he died.
"Hmm…" Li Yun pondered. Liu Chengxue was only his first customer, and he needed to take care of her a bit. However, sparing this poor fellow for Liu Chengxue's sake still felt like a bit of a loss.
"Senior!" Yang Qiu saw this scene and felt a glimmer of hope. It seemed that what he said just now had some effect!
He shouted again, loudly proclaiming, "Here is a Heavenly Grade treasure, the Nine Profound Bead. It is a token of my respect, please accept it, Senior!"
With that, Yang Qiu took out a round bead radiating nine-colored brilliance from his spatial ring and presented it to Li Yun.
Heavenly Grade treasures were not common, and Yang Qiu didn't have many of them. Giving away one felt like tearing his heart apart. But for the sake of his life, he had to reluctantly part with it. What was even more crucial was that just a moment ago, when he opened the spatial ring, there was no hindrance. He could take out the treasures. What did this indicate? It meant that everything about him was under the control of this Senior!
"Cough…" Li Yun lightly coughed, calmly putting away the Nine Profound Bead, and pondered, "Li is not someone who resorts to robbery. The Heavenly Secret Pavilion specializes in the trade of information…"
"Senior, please spare the explanation. I'll buy!" Yang Qiu wisely interjected.