Shadow Hack

Chen Xiu, who had retreated to the side, was watching the four young masters standing in four directions, negotiating about how to battle each other.

Luo Tian first suggested a four way battle royale, but in the end, this proposal was shot down by the other three young masters. If the four of them engaged in a battle royale and one of them focused on dealing with one particular opponent, then it would influence the fairness of the competition.

Or perhaps, it would be better to say that if two of the four had already allied with each other, they could easily take out the other two from the battle royale and then fight among themselves to decide the winner.

Thus, the impartiality when using this sort of method was extremely low, and what’s more, the four young masters did not trust each other.

Afterwards, Domingle suggested using ballots to form two pairs that would fight each other. The winners of the two pairs would fight each other and then the stronger one would obtain the children releasing the five-colored light.

After Domingle finished speaking, Jasmine, who was still reclining in her palanquin, opposed it. After all, her combat strength in one on one battles was weaker than that of the other three, so it was also not completely fair.

As soon as this proposal was also shot down, Luo Tian rushed forth, leading his subordinates into the plaza to forcefully snatch the children for himself.

The other three young master did their utmost to stop him.

In the end, the four young masters entered a deadlock once more. Each of them was on alert that the others might not follow the rules and would try to kidnap the children.

Chen Xiu, who was watching the four young masters from the side, patted his monster lizard to advance forward and calmly said, “If you four cannot choose method for your battle, then why not allow your subordinates to act as chess pieces for you. Whoever’s subordinate can become the final victor will obtain the children.”

When Luo Tian and Domingle heard this, they found it somewhat reasonable and nodded their heads in approval. Ming Xiu coldly looked at the talking Chen Xiu and said with distaste, “This is also not fair, I only have eight subordinates while the other three have nine. In a league battle, I would be the first one to lose!”

“That’s easy to resolve. Every person will only dispatch eight subordinates and draw lots to determine their opponents. If this still isn’t fair, then it would be better if your four fought among yourselves. But each of you is distrustful of the other, so who knows when this deadlock would be resolved.”

Before his words could fade away, Jasmine let out a tinkling laugh from the palanquin while the complexions of the other three turned poor.

The meaning behind Chen Xiu’s words was that the four of them were in a deadlock not because they were greedy for life, but because they were paranoid and completely distrustful of the other. No one acknowledged it though, pretending that they had not heard it. Chen Xiu’s suggestion was the most impartial, and the subordinates chosen by the four of them were the best among their clan, so if they lost, they could not blame others.

“Then this method is good.”

The four sent people to draw ballots and determine their battle order and opponent.

While busy with that, no one paid any attention to the Pipa Clan at the center of the plaza. Liu Bailing bit her red lip and looked at the four young masters battling with each other without any regard for her people. It suffocated her.

Without the protection of Ancient God Lakshmi, the people of music clans turned into targets whom no one cared about.

She was absolutely sure that the four young masters had treasures bestowed to them by their families, which were similar to Pipa Clan, and could provide them an instantaneous burst in strength, raising their cultivation to the god realm.

It was because of it that the four young masters did not pay any attention to the possible counterattack of Liu Bailing.

In an instant, her heart filled with regret. Why did she have to be so weak? If she had become a god, then even if Ancient God Lakshmi perished, the four young masters would not have dared to come to her Pipa Clan.

Liu Bailing could only blame herself for being useless.

She turned around to look at the children and silently prayed in her heart while looking at the five-colored light being released by the children, Lord Lakshmi, protect the new blood of Pipa Clan and let them escape.

After she finished praying, she looked at the old and sick in the circle and sighed. The four young masters had come with four treasures so it was impossible for everyone to escape. Someone had to remain behind to stop them.

Liu Bailing as the holy daughter of Pipa Clan was naturally the first person to stay to stop the four young masters. The encircling old and sick also had to remain behind. In truth though, besides the few people who would need to lead the escaping children to Lakshmi City, everyone else would have to stay and keep the enemy occupied.

Liu Bailing began to play the jade pipa in her hand, asking the old and sick to choose who exactly would remain behind. When the crowd heard her tune, they began to discuss in whispers.

Before long, successive pipa sounds echoed in the plaza, and grief began to spread.

Right then, the four young masters were focused on the competition between their subordinates, but they still heard the grief-filled melody, and sneers appeared on their faces. They had a feeling that it was the final melody before Pipa Clan was exterminated.

When Liu Bailing heard two cheerful notes concealed in the grief-filled melody, she turned around to see that the majority of the old and sick were expressionless. Their eyes were filled with determination, and all of them were prepared to stay behind.

She then turned around and looked at the battle before her before shifting her gaze to Chen Xiu standing at the plaza. When their eyes met, a cold chill passed through her body, and she lowered her head. From the corner of her eyes, however, she still followed the battle, waiting for an opportunity for the children to escape.

As long as they reached Lakshmi City, everyone would be safe.

Chen Xiu watched the competition happening in the plaza for a time, but he soon felt bored and shifted his gaze to Pipa Clan. A distressed melody played around them, and he closed his eyes to listen, but suddenly, he sensed two cheerful notes concealed in the grief-filled melody and instantly felt that something was wrong.

The twelve music clans of Lakshmi City were specialized in different music instruments and naturally had the ability to converse using sound without the need to talk directly.

Could Liu Bailing still want to lead her clansmen out?

Chen Xiu thought about it, then glanced away and saw that the attention of the four young masters was still focused on the battle. If the Pipa Clan found a good opportunity to escape, they might really get away.

But that was completely unrelated to him.

Chen Xiu had thought that his task was to obtain the children from Pipa Clan, so he was surprised when conflict arose, his master secretly transmitted a different command to him. All of a sudden, he was turned into a spectator from a hunter, and he no longer needed to eliminate the four young masters or fight for the children. His only task was to stand there and watch.

Although Chen Xiu has complete trust in his master Li Yunmu and naturally followed his orders to the point, he was still suspicious in his heart about what exactly his master wanted to do.

Everyone had their own goal.

For example, he spent a large price to come to Lakshmi City to fight for the soul of Ancient God Lakshmi to become a god. The four young masters, on the other hand, had brought out the treasures of their clans to snatch the children and obtain the acknowledgement of Ancient God Asura.

But only his master acted as if... everything depended on his mood.

It was like that when he destroyed the reverence for gods in the hearts of mortals, then when he arrived in Pipa Clan but hadn’t tried to fight for the child possessed by Ancient God Lakshm’s soul.

Chen Xiu could not make sense of any of his actions.

“Alright, I win. Ha ha ha ha, these children are mine,” Luo Tian, who sat on an elephant, roared loudly, then followed his words by a thunderous laugh.