Chapter 497: Didn't Expect That, Did You?

"You!"

Confronting Qi Chengan coldly, Bai Heng did not retreat in the slightest. This was something concerning the future of his family and his own future; how could he possibly hand it over?

Even if the Qi Family members present were stronger than them, if he was determined to run, he believed the Qi Family would have no way to stop them.

"This item belongs to my Bai Family, don't you even think about getting it!"

"This item is yours? I don't think so. This was originally an ownerless object; naturally, whoever gets it keeps it!"

"I see this item has no affinity with your Bai Family, but rather has an affinity with our Qi Family. It is only right that it belongs to our Qi Family!"

The experts of the Qi Family surrounded them from all sides; both in quantity and quality, they were all superior to the people of the Bai Family.

Qi Chengan was acting under the orders of the Qi Family, and the Qi Family experts were also there to assist him under the Family Head's command; the number of experts dispatched was truly significant.

Bai Heng, however, was in a much more miserable state. Coming to Xiaozhou was his own stubborn decision; if not for the sake of the face of this eldest son, the Bai Family Head would never have sent his own trusted aides.

Moreover, the strength of the Qi Family was already above that of the Bai Family; the disparity in strength between the two sides was immediately obvious. Before this battle had even begun, the Bai Family had already lost.

"Give up the struggle. You really are as foolish as they say. Do you think you can escape?"

Smiling with disdain, he had heard of this eldest young master of the Bai Family—arrogant, self-opinionated, and never using his brain when doing things.

Since they dared to show themselves, they must have a foolproof plan. If Bai Heng still stubbornly wanted to keep the item for himself, he was simply courting death, and the result would be nothing more than total annihilation.

Lacking the ability to assess the situation, if such a person were to become the Bai Family Head, then the Bai Family would truly be finished.

"Bai Heng, it is not just our Qi Family that has its eyes on the Bai Family. We could find you, so others can naturally find this place too!"

"They aren't jumping out only because the timing isn't right yet. Do you really think you can protect what you have in your hands?"

"Even if I can't protect it, I must!" Gripping the item tightly in his hand, Qi Chengan looked coldly at the opposite side.

"The item is right here, if you have the ability, come and take it!"

"Indecisive at the critical moment—the eldest young master of the Bai Family is nothing more than this!" Shaking his head, Qi Chengan had already passed a death sentence on Bai Heng.

He had made his words so clear, yet he still could not see the situation clearly.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; everyone wants to be the oriole. The Bai Family used a Beauty Trap; many people knew about it, and even more were watching.

Those who were watching had been there all along. The reason they didn't jump out was simply because they all wanted to be the oriole.

But they overlooked one point: he who strikes first gains the advantage. No matter what, he had to get the item into his own hands first. The reason he dared to make a move was because he had a trump card!

With the strength of the Qi Family alone, they naturally could not withstand the surrounding wolves and could not protect the item in his hand, but the Black-Clad Guard of Xiaozhou could.

His current status, Qi Chengan, besides being in the Xiaozhou state capital, also held the authority to command the Xiaozhou Black-Clad Guard.

Ordinary Black-Clad Guards were naturally not feared by these people from various major factions; they even held them in some contempt.

But the Xiaozhou Black-Clad Guard was nominally under the command of Lord Shen Yu. To go against the Xiaozhou Black-Clad Guard was equivalent to going against that Lord Shen.

For this group of martial artists to flood into Xiaozhou, saying they had ulterior motives was putting it mildly; finding any excuse to target them was too simple.

He didn't believe these people would still have the guts to resist!

They could resist, sure, but then they would have to bear the price of Lord Shen's fury. They were welcome to try!

Calculating back and forth, he was still the one who was more skilled, knowing the principle of borrowing the tiger's might to intimidate the foxes. As long as he could succeed, it wasn't shameful!

If the future of the great Qi Family wasn't handed to him, who else could it be handed to!

"Bai Heng, I have said all the polite words I can. Since you are unwilling to give it, we can only take it ourselves!"

"Wait, we can cooperate!" Seemingly realizing Qi Chengan's determination, Bai Heng also understood that his words were not empty, so he proposed another method.

They couldn't even block the Qi Family experts alone, let alone the countless other experts watching like tigers eyeing their prey. Relying just on these people from their Bai Family, it was indeed difficult to resist.

Therefore, Bai Heng immediately assessed the situation and changed his strategy. No matter what, he had to protect himself first to plan for the future!

"Cooperate? Based on your Bai Family, what qualifications do you have to cooperate with me!"

"Young Master Qi, based on the fact that only we know the whereabouts of Evil Man City, is that enough!"

"Although we got the map of Cannibal Valley, we don't have the one for Evil Man City. Only we know the whereabouts of Evil Man City; this is the foundation for our cooperation!"

"Once we find the treasure trove, how about our two families split it equally?"

"Is that so? Still want to split it equally? You're dreaming!" Sneering at him with disdain, this eldest young master of the Bai Family really had such limited vision.

"Who said only you know the whereabouts of Evil Man City? Doesn't Lord Shen know? How come I heard that the girl named Qiu Ruoyu who follows Lord Shen Yu also knows!"

"Qi Chengan, Qiu Ruoyu is now a person by Lord Shen's side; do you dare to make a move on her?"

"We naturally wouldn't dare to make a move on her, but I wonder what kind of expression Lord Shen would have if he knew she had ulterior motives?"

"Young Master Bai, do you think Miss Qiu Ruoyu would be afraid? Tell me, if I use this secret to trade for the location of Evil Man City from Miss Ruoyu, that wouldn't be too much, would it!"

"You, you!"

"You what you, Bai Heng, I have already said enough nonsense to you!"

Seeing that the experts around him had completely surrounded the opposite side, Qi Chengan tore off his mask, and there was no longer any intention of negotiation in his tone.

"Bai Heng, give me the item, and I can still give you a way to live. Otherwise, even if you are the eldest young master of the Bai Family, I will show no mercy!"

"Fine, since that's the case, let's see who has the real skills!"

"Alright, this farce should come to an end!"

Seeing the two sides at daggers drawn, about to start a great battle, suddenly, a voice came, causing both people in the standoff to be shocked.

They were very familiar with this voice, and it was also the one they were most afraid to hear.

"Lord Shen, why are you here?"

"Why, you are allowed to be here, but I am not?"

"No, that's not what I meant, I, this...!"

"Bai Heng, do you know that your Disguise Technique is really poor, and your acting is not even as good as Qiu Ruoyu's. A mere Beauty Trap, do you really think everyone else is a fool!"

"Lord Shen, I, I..." The moment he saw Shen Yu, Bai Heng knew that all his schemes had come to nothing.

Finally, gritting his teeth, Bai Heng raised the book in his hands with both hands, "Lord Shen, I am willing to offer up the item in my hand!"

"No need, why don't you take a look at what you're holding?"

With a faint smile, Shen Yu said indifferently, "You found what you were looking for so quickly, it's suspiciously smooth; haven't you noticed anything yourself?"

"The dignified Cannibal Valley, let alone an Array, doesn't even have traps or a Mechanism?"

"This, this..." Reminded by Shen Yu, Bai Heng finally recalled. That's right, it was too smooth, so smooth it was unbelievable.

Subconsciously looking at the object in his hand, Bai Heng's eyes widened instantly.

What was in his hand was no longer a travelogue, but clearly a rock; had he just been happily clutching a rock?

"What is going on?"

"Just an Illusion Array; things you want to see will appear here. The more you dwell on something, the more it will appear here."

"Didn't you all notice that this place is very similar to the Cannibal Valley you imagined?"

As Shen Yu's voice fell, in the blink of an eye, everything around them underwent a heaven-turning and earth-shattering change; where were the pavilions and towers, where was the lingering Sword Qi?

All that remained were overgrown weeds and jagged rocks.

Even a fool would know they had been played, but they dared not make a sound; at a time like this, who the hell would dare to show their face?

"Didn't expect it, did you? After working so hard and preparing for so long, in the end, it was all for nothing!"