Chapter 1271: Seeking a Backer

On the street.

Haishan's figure flickered, appearing beside Wang Jianqiang.

He had just spoken to Tianyu, but the other party had failed to respond for a long time, which made him feel a sense of humiliation at being ignored.

Fury burned in his heart, but a cold sneer hung on his face as he mocked, "No wonder a tiny Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator like you could escape back unscathed."

"If you had abandoned your clansmen to flee the moment the Octopus Clan cultivators appeared, it wouldn't be so surprising."

Wang Jianqiang's consciousness withdrew from his mind.

A gloomy look spread across his face, "Haishan, what do you mean by this? Are you saying... I am a deserter? You are slandering me!"

Haishan gave a disdainful laugh, "Of the team sent to find the Mermaid Tear, only you and Elder Qingyun returned alive."

"However... Elder Qingyun was rescued."

"Which means, only you escaped back alone."

"The Spirit Transformation, Integration, and even Void Refinement Stage Elders in the team were unable to escape; what right does a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like you have to escape?"

"Other than being a deserter who fled while the team held off the Octopus Clan cultivators, I can think of no other reason."

Wang Jianqiang's expression faltered, "I was just lucky; I wasn't found by the Octopus Clan cultivators while fleeing."

"Luck?"

Haishan scoffed, "Usually, those two words can be seen as a mere excuse."

Wang Jianqiang's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, "Haishan, I have neither the obligation nor the time to explain myself to you. If you have any suspicions, you are free to report them to the clan and let the clan's powerhouses investigate."

"I am in a very bad mood right now and don't want to waste my breath on you."

Having said that, Wang Jianqiang lifted his foot and continued walking forward.

Just then, Haishan's mocking voice suddenly came again, "I heard Elder Qingyun was severely injured? Those Octopus Clan cultivators are truly detestable to have injured Elder Qingyun so badly; they truly deserve to die!"

"It's a pity for Elder Qingyun's purity..."

"How is Elder Qingyun supposed to live after this!"

His words seemed indignant, but as he spoke, the tone of ridicule and mockery was not concealed in the slightest.

Wang Jianqiang's footsteps paused, and he turned around abruptly.

His gaze turned icy, "Haishan, Elder Qingyun suffered this humiliation for the sake of our Mermaid Clan."

"You know very well how much Mermaid Clan women value their reputation."

"You should also know how great a blow this will be to Elder Qingyun."

"You should not gloat over this."

Haishan put on an innocent expression, "I'm not, I am very indignant; I am speaking up for Elder Qingyun."

As he spoke, he gritted his teeth fiercely, "Damn Octopus Clan, they are too detestable to have treated Elder Qingyun like that."

"Elder Qingyun was pure and untainted, and now... tsk tsk... alas..."

Haishan appeared to be speaking up for Elder Qingyun, but anyone could see how fake the indignation on his face was.

Seeing this, Wang Jianqiang's eyes turned red, "Haishan, you have gone too far. Elder Qingyun has been a benefactor to me; you are not allowed to humiliate her like this!!"

"Tsk tsk, humiliation? Where does that come from?"

A flash of mockery crossed Haishan's eyes, "First, I already said, I am just speaking up for Elder Qingyun. Second, if you care so much about Elder Qingyun, why don't you vent your temper on the Octopus Clan? You are clearly just a coward."

"You!"

Wang Jianqiang's fists were tightly clenched, and his body trembled as if he were angry to the extreme.

Haishan's gaze flickered, "What? Want to make a move?"

"You can try if you like."

"I can give you a chance; I will suppress my cultivation to fight you fairly."

"You..."

"Do you dare or not?"

Hearing Haishan's words, Wang Jianqiang gritted his teeth, his eyes flickering.

He stared fixedly at Haishan for a long while before snorting coldly, "Trying to force me to attack you so I violate clan rules? Your provocation is a bit too low-level."

Haishan's expression flashed, "What a joke, do I, Haishan, need to rely on clan rules? Do you dare to fight me at the Clan Arena?"

Wang Jianqiang sneered and ignored him.

He continued walking forward.

Seeing this, Haishan narrowed his eyes, then continued to sneer, "Tsk tsk, it's truly a pity to have managed to sneak into the mission team only to get nothing of what you imagined."

Wang Jianqiang's footsteps paused, but he did not look back.

However, his fists were already tightly clenched.

The next moment.

He continued forward and walked away quickly.

In the blink of an eye, he disappeared without a trace.

Seeing this, a look of regret flashed across Haishan's face.

This Tianyu was as calm as ever.

In the Mermaid Clan, killing one's own kind is strictly prohibited.

Once discovered, it is a capital offense.

This meant that although he had always wanted to slaughter Tianyu, he could never find the opportunity.

He could only use the clan rules to deal with the other party.

Like this time, it was not the first time he had tried to lure Tianyu into a duel at the Clan Arena.

As long as Tianyu was impulsive enough to agree, he could finish the other party off at the Clan Arena.

Yet, facing every one of his enticements, Tianyu displayed a patience inconsistent with his age.

Causing every one of his plans to fall through.

Elder Qingyun valued Tianyu extremely highly.

For the sake of Tianyu, she disregarded the dissuasion of several Elders of the Black Scale Lineage and insisted on gifting a precious spot in the Mermaid Tear team to Tianyu.

Her kindness and favor toward Tianyu were profound.

This person, Tianyu, was also one who valued loyalty and affection.

He grasped Tianyu's personality accurately and deliberately made veiled criticisms of Elder Qingyun in front of Tianyu.

He had thought that this time, it would surely be foolproof.

Never expected...

That Tianyu's temperament would be so remarkably steady.

Causing the scheme he thought was certain to succeed to fall completely flat.

Immediately following that.

A cold sneer appeared on his face again.

It does not matter.

After this battle, even if Elder Qingyun does not die, she will likely fall into a state of decadence.

She will certainly be in no mood to concern herself with whether Tianyu lives or dies.

Within the Black Scale Lineage, Tianyu only had Qingyun as a backer.

Now, this backer can be considered to have collapsed.

Without Elder Qingyun's obstruction, he would like to see.

How this Tianyu can still fight against him.

He still had one final move, a move that could be called a killing blow.

Next time, Tianyu will absolutely not be able to escape.

Among the Black Scale Lineage, the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator most respected by the clansmen, the one standing at the peak of their peers, is only one person...

And that is him.

There will not, and cannot, be a second one.

After returning to Tianyu's residence, Wang Jianqiang thought of the aggressive stance Haishan had taken earlier.

His brows furrowed slightly.

This Haishan had practiced for much longer than Tianyu, his cultivation had already reached Nascent Soul Stage Perfection, and his Will Power had manifested and reached the Eighth-tier.

Such achievements placed him among the top prodigies within this Black Scale Lineage.

If it were just Haishan himself, he naturally would not care.

But...

Tianyu had the support of Elder Qingyun.

Since this Haishan dared to use her to provoke Tianyu after Elder Qingyun suffered a mishap, and dared to pressure Tianyu like this, how could there not be a powerful figure supporting him from behind?

Being targeted by him was not a good thing.

Elder Qingyun had suffered a mishap and could no longer be relied upon.

In the future.

If Haishan were to trip him up again, it would be a very troublesome matter.

Thinking of this, Wang Jianqiang's gaze flickered.

"No, I must find a backer."