Chapter 747: The Bountiful Reward

Lord Xiu Xiang had effectively seized the lifeline of the Divine Wood lineage, for he held in his hands a direct descendant of divine blood—meaning the Divine Wood lineage's divine blood was highly likely to spread beyond their ranks.

Thus, the Grand Priest Mu Wu's face instantly darkened.

He absolutely would not permit another branch of divine blood to emerge upon this ancient land—it was betrayal of the ancestors and a direct threat to the foundation of the Divine Wood lineage.

The warriors of the Divine Wood lineage had endured for countless generations without weakening because their divine blood shared the same origin as the Divine Tree, relying on the tree's protection and the golden leaves it bestowed to ensure their eternal prosperity.

Xiu Xiang understood this perfectly, so he was not satisfied with a hundred golden leaves—he needed more, even if it meant utterly alienating the Divine Wood lineage.

He could always relocate his entire household to Chishan Mountain.

There, under the dominion of the Great Yi, Xiu Xiang would thrive like a fish in water, living in great wealth and peace.

"The blood of the Divine Wood lineage must not flow in the veins of outsiders. The divine-blooded warrior Mu Tuo must return to Divine Wood City. Lord Xiu, you have treated our warriors as rare goods to be traded—indeed, you have great audacity. As the wealthy city of Divine Wood, I am willing to pay five times the original price to redeem Mu Tuo and Mu Shu." The Grand Priest Mu Wu could no longer contain himself and revealed his offer.

He raised the price fivefold at once, for he refused to haggle like some base merchant.

But Xiu Xiang still shook his head: "Five hundred golden leaves are not enough to redeem those two rare goods."

Grand Priest Mu Wu's face turned icy. His massive frame rose instantly from his seat, golden patterns on his body—like leaves of the Divine Tree—glowing with radiant light, filling the entire hall with golden radiance.

This golden light was sacred and brilliant, yet brimmed with lethal danger—just a little stronger, and it would completely dissolve the merchant before him.

As if he had never existed in this world.

"Your greed angers me."

⊙￠O

"As a merchant, greed is essential. I have sold goods worth one gold for a hundred gold, and items worth a thousand gold for two hundred gold."

Xiu Xiang no longer feared—he spoke seriously: "Grand Priest, do you know why?"

Grand Priest Mu Wu said: "Goods hold different values in different eyes. I understand your meaning—you truly possess two exceptionally precious rarities. I will suppress my rage this once and grant you the right to name your price."

He saw that this merchant feared neither death—he knew he had no leverage left.

Mu Tuo and Mu Shu must be rescued, even setting aside their status as divine-blooded warriors—they themselves were Mountain Lord-level Qiangzhe. Such warriors were not numerous within the Divine Wood lineage.

The Divine Tree's leaves were precious, yes, but they fell annually—of negligible consequence to the Divine Wood lineage.

Warriors were the most important.

Xiu Xiang spoke: "I require one thousand golden leaves of the Divine Tree, and one branch of the Divine Tree—at least thicker and longer than I am."

"What?"

Upon hearing this demand, everyone else in the hall was stunned.

This man truly dared to ask for a branch of the Divine Tree.

Grand Priest Mu Wu's eyes blazed with fury, shimmering with divine light, his fists clenched tightly, desperate to crush this greediest of men right there.

But reason told him he could not.

As Mu Sang Gong had said, killing this merchant would cause all merchants across the world to refuse trade with the Divine Wood lineage—and it would signal to others: do not rescue our warriors, for we will kill those who save them.

The consequences of such an act were far too grave for the Divine Wood lineage to bear.

"I'll kill you." But the divine-blooded warrior Mu Yan could no longer endure this—he roared, his body instantly transforming into a streak of golden light as he lunged at Xiu Xiang.

His crimson-gold halberd slashed downward.

At that moment, space itself seemed torn open; the entire hall shook violently.

"Stop!"

But Grand Priest Mu Wu moved at once—he roared, intercepting Mu Yan before he could kill Xiu Xiang, and delivered a punch straight to Mu Yan's face.

Boom!

Mu Yan was flung backward, crashing into the ancient hall.

Yet Mu Wu's power was exquisitely controlled—he sent Mu Yan flying without inflicting serious injury, merely swelling his face.

"Grand Priest, let me kill this merchant—he is humiliating our Divine Wood lineage…" Mu Yan immediately rose, shouting loudly.

He did not feel anger toward Grand Priest Mu Wu's punch.

Within the Divine Wood lineage, the Grand Priest's status and authority were supreme—even if that punch had killed him, no one would say a word.

"Be silent."

Mu Wu barked: "Killing a merchant is simple. But rebuilding the Divine Wood lineage's reputation is exceedingly difficult. He rescued our warriors. If we kill him, no one in the world will ever believe our promises again. The golden blood flowing in our veins will be stained with baseness and ugliness—something that can never be washed away through countless lifetimes."

"Mu Yan, do you wish to bring shame upon your ancestors alongside you? Or do you want your descendants to one day be ashamed of the golden blood in their veins?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yan's impulsive fury was instantly doused with cold water—he calmed down.

His eyes flickered, unsure how to respond to the Grand Priest's words.

"But… but we can't let a base merchant take away a thousand golden leaves and a branch of the Divine Tree!" He gritted his teeth, filled with resentment.

He possessed such immense power, yet could not kill a merchant as insignificant as an ant.

It made him feel suffocated.

Mu Wu said nothing, but turned to look at the merchant Xiu Xiang. He asked: "Is this your demanded reward?"

"Yes. This is my demanded reward: one thousand golden leaves of the Divine Tree, one branch of the Divine Tree—neither can be omitted. If the Grand Priest refuses, take my life—I will not resist." Xiu Xiang spoke with absolute resolve.

Mu Wu asked again: "Can you guarantee Mu Tuo and Mu Shu will return alive?"

"I give my word: the two divine-blooded warriors will return safely." Xiu Xiang said.

The fury on Mu Wu's face gradually faded. He spoke again, his expression grim: "Very well. In my capacity as Grand Priest of the Divine Wood lineage, I accept your terms. I will pay one thousand golden leaves and one branch of the Divine Tree to redeem Mu Tuo and Mu Shu."

"Thank you for your generosity, Grand Priest. All merchants across the world will sing your praises. In the future, when Divine Wood warriors fall into peril, countless others will gladly lend aid."

Xiu Xiang exhaled slightly, then bowed respectfully.

Hearing this, Grand Priest Mu Wu's expression eased slightly.

At least, this lavish reward had secured the return of two divine-blooded warriors—and earned a reputation that would echo across the world, greatly aiding the Divine Wood lineage's legacy. Many would now be willing to aid their warriors, gaining them many allies.

As a wise man, he understood these benefits well.

But the price… it pained him.

With the matter settled,

Quickly,

Warriors of the Divine Wood lineage brought forth two chests.

Both chests were forged of crimson gold. One small chest held golden leaves, neatly arranged—exactly one thousand. The other was long and rectangular, containing a segment of the Divine Tree's branch.

Even within the crimson-gold chest, the branch radiated boundless energy, like a fragment of the sun—sacred and extraordinary.

Even among the Divine Wood lineage, they rarely cut the Divine Tree's branches; only under special circumstances did they prune excess growth—and this segment was a piece trimmed centuries ago.

After receiving his due reward, Xiu Xiang immediately ordered the Divine Wood warriors to go to the designated location in the city to rescue Mu Tuo and Mu Shu.

Not long after,

The two severely wounded, unconscious divine-blooded warriors were carried into the governor's mansion and brought once more into the great hall.

Grand Priest Mu Wu's expression shifted slightly upon seeing Mu Tuo and Mu Shu.

Though they still lived, their injuries were grave.

Mu Tuo's arm was nearly broken, still bearing a peculiar force—another divine-blooded lineage's power.

"The aura of lightning…" Grand Priest Mu Wu mused.

He recalled ancient bamboo slips that recorded: In the Northern Wastes, a god wielded lightning, perished in the Great Mountains, his divine blood severed.

Had a divine-blooded warrior imbued with lightning's power reappeared?

In the Wildlands, every source of divine blood was a god.

Through the power contained in the divine blood, one could immediately trace the lineage: which god's descendant, where they resided, their abilities, and whether any divine-blooded family still endured.

"Take them to be healed. When they awaken, I will question them: what great calamity befell them? Why did ten of our warrior elders die? Why has Mu Xi vanished?"

Then, Grand Priest Mu Wu added, his voice laced with anger.

"We must find the killer, take his head, and wash the shame of the Divine Wood lineage with his blood."