Chapter 144

Nalan Qiu Sha didn't answer Land Fan's question at all; instead, she was quite urgent and asked about this matter.

"Yin Sha Nether Hammer? What do you want this for?" Land Fan's expression stalled; he hadn't expected the other to speak like that, "Could there be some place in the secret realm that urgently needs this thunder-attributed mystic treasure? Is it for the Dragon Tower's true treasure?"

He said it offhand; rather than asking, he was guessing. In just a few words, Nalan Qiu Sha's face turned pale with fright, as if she had seen a ghost.

"You're indeed formidable!" She nodded with a wary expression, "This Yin Sha Nether Hammer, if you're willing to hand it over to me, before the Dragon Tower I can assist you with all my strength, and I won't take a single bit of any gains!"

Upon hearing this, Land Fan didn't even think, directly shaking his head: "You wouldn't really try to get something for nothing, thinking that with just these words I'd hand over this mystic treasure to you, would you?"

"The Yin Sha Nether Hammer is of no use to you; if you give it to me, you can earn my favor." She wasn't giving up at all, instead speaking earnestly: "Inside the secret realm, you already have plenty of enemies. If I assist you, we can divide tasks and achieve great ambitions!"

Land Fan furrowed his brows, quite speechless, glanced at her slightly, really didn't expect Nalan Qiu Sha to be this naive, truly wasting his time!

"I have no interest in your favor at all. I still have things to do, I'm leaving first!"

As soon as his words fell, he turned and left, "pa-la pa-la", a few leaps, and it looked like he was about to leave this water area.

"Wait a moment, let me finish what I have to say!"

"Wang Yicai and his sister, together with Nie Xingli and Qing Shan, four people have already joined forces, their true target is you, Land Fan!"

"Wan Ling Tang's Wan Li and that dark symbol master Xiulan also seem to have declared they want a fight to the death with you!"

"Wang Wu and Zhan Xiao have already met up; if I'm not mistaken, their final target is also you, Land Fan!"

Nalan Qiu Sha said up to this point, paused slightly, seeing Land Fan stop his steps, she again emphasized her tone: "Not to mention other outsiders, you previously ransacked them; they probably now, upon seeing you, would hate to flay and dismember you. In the entire Dragon Tower secret realm, you basically have no friends to speak of; now I, Nalan Qiu Sha, can be considered your sole ally you can develop, you must seize this opportunity!"

Land Fan slowly turned, wearing a carefree expression, laughing heartily: "Do I really provoke that much hatred?"

He had a carefree, indifferent demeanor; all the young talents and masters in the secret realm were practically his enemies, yet he maintained this attitude. Such a mindset truly astonished Nalan Qiu Sha!

"You reap what you sow; naturally you must bear the consequences. Now I give you a chance: hand over the Yin Sha Nether Hammer, and I can guarantee your safety within the secret realm!"

Nalan Qiu Sha snorted coldly; having said all that in one breath, Land Fan showed no reaction at all, really leaving her unsure where to start.

"Hehe!"

Land Fan gave a noncommittal smile, flipped his wide sleeve, and a palm-sized thunder hammer appeared, lightning patterns coiling around it, an awe-inspiring aura spreading outward.

He gripped it tightly, his true qi flowing into the hammer, then he hurled it hard, blasting into the water before him.

A "zila" strange sound rang out, bolts of lightning like electric snakes crisscrossing wildly in the water, and in an instant they reached Nalan Qiu Sha's front.

Nalan Qiu Sha's expression changed; she hadn't expected Land Fan to say he'd attack and then actually do so. She gathered her strength, leapt up, and retreated rapidly!

The lightning fire made ordinary lightness skills useless for dodging. Seeing a net of electricity about to envelop Nalan Qiu Sha, a chant filled with mysterious aura suddenly arose.

"Spring wind transforms rain, star flow thunder strike!"

In an instant, a gentle breeze rose, condensing out of thin air into threads of rain that spread around her. The lightning net covered it, following the direction of the rain threads, dissipating and spreading. In a moment it extended over ten zhang of empty space; as for Nalan Qiu Sha within, not a single corner of her clothing was touched.

The thunder and lightning momentum vanished in an instant. Land Fan had intended to use the abundant water-attribute qi here to guide the current and lightning, but he didn't expect Nalan Qiu Sha to skillfully evade it.

The "zila" sound in the air hadn't yet faded; Land Fan nodded and praised: "Going with the flow, turning danger into auspiciousness, your grasp of the essence of power is not bad; in the entire Bright Moon Empire, among the younger generation you are the strongest!"

He spoke in such a manner possibly on purpose, shaking his head and swaying, adopting an old-fashioned tone. Hearing this, Nalan Qiu Sha felt especially uncomfortable, yet unexpectedly she didn't flare up; guessing she had something to ask of him, she instead endured patiently and said:

This Yin Sha Nether Hammer is powerful, but it doesn't do much for increasing your strength. I see your true power isn't in sheer force; far surpassing peers in vision and observation, seizing fleeting battle opportunities, that's what makes you most fearsome. There's no need to cling desperately to this mystic treasure; better to let me have it!

Land Fan felt both amused and exasperated, but he had to admit her words were quite apt.

"Looks like you're quite troublesome; giving this mystic treasure to you would pose no problem at all!"

"Hmph! What are you saying?" Upon hearing this, Nalan Qiu Sha's expression changed, and she said coldly: "So you've been playing me all along; I said all that, and you really didn't take in a word!"

"Hehe!" Land Fan shook his head, gathered his thoughts, and said lightly: "You've said all this nonsense, unwilling to give up even a bit of benefit—how overly wishful thinking! You opened your mouth wanting to trade treasures with me, yet so far I haven't seen a trace of that treasure!"

Had it been anyone else, they'd likely have flown into a rage already. The Yin Sha Nether Hammer is a thunder-attributed mystic treasure, its attack power overwhelmingly mighty, even a Qi Refining expert would treat it as a treasure. In the eyes of a young junior like Land Fan, it could be considered a peerless marvel; even bankrupting one's family couldn't match its value.

Nalan Qiu Sha spouted a basketful of words, all empty talk. Had it been anyone else, they'd have flicked their sleeves and left long ago!

"Hmph! Don't be clueless. I, Nalan Qiu Sha, am willing to assist you; what treasure can't you get? Don't think I don't know—your usual Arcane Refining Crystal Furnace seems to be in someone else's hands now. If you hand over the Yin Sha Nether Hammer, I can help you seize it back; that would count as a treasure, right? Even that Demon Hand, I have a way to deal with!"

Upon saying this, Nalan Qiu Sha's expression finally turned solemn. Especially when mentioning the two words "Demon Hand", the black eyes beneath her gauze flickered with a sharp light, showing she cared deeply.

Upon hearing this, Land Fan gave the other a meaningful glance, involuntarily adding a hint of doubt: "Just now I asked you, requesting the Yin Sha Nether Hammer, whether it was for the Dragon Tower's true treasure, and you never denied it. Now it seems your real target isn't that thing, is it?"

Nalan Qiu Sha this time didn't hide anything, speaking frankly: "All of Wan Li's schemes, I won't let him succeed. The Yin Sha Nether Hammer is a thunder-attributed mystic treasure, most suitable for dealing with someone like him, a shady, petty villain who avoids the light!"

Her tone carried a faint chill, clearly showing her deep hatred for Wan Li, even deliberately strengthening her tone as if fearing Land Fan might not know.

"Oh? Really?" Land Fan slightly shook his head; the other was playing mind games with him, actually having other thoughts, disguising them fairly well, but before Land Fan they were completely transparent.

"Stop acting with me; you wanting the Yin Sha Nether Hammer definitely isn't to deal with that Wan Li fellow. Inside the Dragon Tower secret realm, there probably isn't any urgent place needing this thunder-attributed mystic treasure. Otherwise, outside the secret realm, those senior experts would surely have already coveted this treasure of mine, and they couldn't help but show some trace."

Saying this, he then gave a light chuckle, faintly seeing through the other's tricks.

"Your information is so thorough; even my experiences in the Dragon Tower these past few days, I estimate you know them pretty well. If I'm not mistaken, what you're really plotting is either that within the beast tide a monstrously valuable demon beast has been born, which the thunder-attributed mystic treasure can counter, or..."

He said this, then his voice cut off with a gloomy smile. The thunder hammer in his hand trembled slightly, and a cluster of light reappeared.

At the same time, his other hand formed a seal, and the Desolate Seal instantly condensed.

At that moment, both hands slammed together fiercely; that mass of lightning struck the Desolate Seal. The familiar scene didn't occur; the seal's devouring power hadn't even been activated before the lightning crushed and deformed it, leaving no mystical change whatsoever.

Seeing this, Nalan Qiu Sha's expression changed drastically, and she exclaimed in shock: "You know..."

Just moments ago she had been elated, but now she felt dejected. She had thought she'd uncovered a secret these past days, yet she hadn't expected that despite all her effort, she'd still come up short, completely seen through by Land Fan.

"So you're trying to deal with that fellow! It seems I've been lying low these days, and the Desolate Beast has caused you quite some trouble! I think you, like Wan Li and Zhang Heng, truly want that Dragon Seal!"

Land Fan lightly clapped his hands, understanding the other's scheme, and even unintentionally discovered a small secret. The Desolate Beast, that troublesome fellow, actually has its true weakness in Thunderbolt Divine Ability—this was indeed an unexpected gain.

Nalan Qiu Sha's face turned ashen. Her previous plans and ideas have mostly dissipated; she stared blankly at Land Fan for a moment, then turned and prepared to leave.

"Hold on! Wait!"

Land Fan's words reached her ears; her expression stalled, then she flared up in anger: "What, do you think humiliating me isn't enough?"

Land Fan gave a light smile and said gently: "Although I can't give you the Yin Sha Nether Hammer, I don't really care about that True Dragon Seal Seal; if I happen to obtain it, I wouldn't mind trading it with you!"

He emphasized the word "trade" heavily; Nalan Qiu Sha immediately snapped to attention and urged eagerly:

"What do you want?"

"For now there's no rush; I haven't gotten hold of that thing yet. Maybe you'll snatch it away later, so discussing it now would be too hasty."

Land Fan shook his head, not wanting to dwell on this topic further, then shifted the conversation: "I think the time is about right; you should know quite a bit about this secret realm! Take me to the Dragon Tower!"

"Take you to Dragon Tower?" Nalan Qiu Sha gave a slight start, then immediately exclaimed in disbelief: "You have refined so much Dragon Origin Purple Qi, and can even actively deploy it, suppressing my Heart-Wish Seal—could it be that you still haven't sensed the Dragon Tower's summons? This is impossible!"