“Good!” A sharp glint flashed in Henry Grant’s eyes as he was about to take the sword, but suddenly, a sword aura whooshed in from the side, landing heavily on the long sword. The fierce force shattered the entire sword in an instant, turning it into fragments of iron that scattered in all directions...

The sudden turn of events startled everyone present. As they came to their senses, nearly a thousand cultivators simultaneously looked in two directions.

Some gazed at a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl in blue within the crowd, who appeared delicate and frail. Others, naturally, looked at Emily Carter, who had unleashed the sword aura and sent the green long sword flying.

Those looking at the girl in blue had eyes full of hostility, coldness, and cruelty, while those looking at Emily Carter mostly showed relief and gratitude... though faintly, there seemed to be a trace or two of disdain mixed in.

The girl in blue, seeing this scene, had a flash of panic in her eyes, but she still stubbornly held her head high. Her eyes, still carrying a hint of childishness, sparkled with spirit as she met the gazes of those around her whose cultivation was clearly higher than hers. Clearly, she did not regret what she had just done.

Seeing the many cultivators around the girl in blue with murderous intent in their eyes, Samuel Hayes frowned and immediately said, “Junior sister, don’t make trouble. Come here.”

The girl in blue was slightly stunned, looking at Samuel Hayes not far away with some confusion in her bright eyes.

Samuel Hayes’s expression turned cold: “Come here!”

Olivia Frost, witnessing this, seemed to understand something and sneered, “Sword Saint Samuel Hayes, I didn’t know you had a junior sister.”

Samuel Hayes gave her a cold glance. “What, do I, Samuel Hayes, need to report my actions to you?”

Olivia Frost snorted in displeasure and turned her head away. Although they were both at the Forging Qi level, there were still differences in strength among those at the same level. If it really came to a fight, even two of her might not be a match for Samuel Hayes. The title of Sword Saint—who in today’s cultivation world would dare ignore it?

To avoid any further unexpected incidents, Olivia Frost’s treasured sword flashed with a cold light as she shouted, “Henry Grant, it seems you really intend to resist to the end. In that case, I’ll grant your wish.”

The surrounding cultivators clearly understood the danger of delay and immediately echoed her:

“Miss Frost, there’s no need to waste words with such a selfish scoundrel.”

“That’s right. Since none of us can get this treasure, don’t think you can keep it for yourself.”

“Still talking tough at death’s door. Miss Frost, kill him!”

“Kill him and avenge my senior brother and the friends who died here!”

...

“Emily Carter!”

Amid the noisy shouts, Henry Grant’s voice rang out clearly.

“Master Gu, what are your instructions?”

“You all keep saying that making the Immortal Sect’s legacy public is for righteousness, for the benefit of Shenzhou... Fine! I can agree to that! But I’ve worked hard, spent seven days and nights without rest, exploring the Pre-Qin ruins. It’s impossible for me to walk away empty-handed. As a condition, each of you here must pay me ten thousand Alliance Coins! Righteousness, the future of Shenzhou, even national honor have all been invoked—I think you won’t mind a mere ten thousand Alliance Coins, right?”

As soon as he finished, a huge commotion erupted among the crowd.

Olivia Frost, Emily Carter, Samuel Hayes, and the others were all somewhat dumbfounded.

“There are over a thousand of us here. Ten thousand Alliance Coins each—that’s ten million Alliance Coins. Ruthless, ruthless, too ruthless.”

“I used to think Henry Grant was an extraordinary sword master, with amazing talent and a heart for the world, upright and unyielding, an idol. I never thought he’d turn out to be a filthy money-grubber.”

“Hmph, I saw it long ago. This Henry Grant is just a professional player. Everything he does is for money. Even holding onto the Immortal Sect’s legacy from the Pre-Qin ruins, he’s just afraid others will catch up in cultivation and devalue him. Talking to him about morality and righteousness is a waste of time.”

Henry Grant’s gaze swept over the crowd. Although these people looked at him with contempt and disgust, he showed no sign of evasion, nor did he feel any shame in measuring their so-called righteousness with money.

“So? Ten thousand Alliance Coins each, and this storage ring is yours.”

As he spoke, an ancient-looking ring appeared in his hand, covered in mysterious and ancient patterns, exuding an aura of mystery—clearly no ordinary item.

“Ten thousand Alliance Coins...”

Emily Carter was able to form the Shenzhou Alliance, so she naturally had her means in the real world. Ten thousand Alliance Coins was nothing to her, but...

If everyone else also paid, the treasures and cultivation techniques from the Immortal Sect ruins might have to be made public on the spot...

This...

Fortunately, because of the ten thousand Alliance Coin price, many of the cultivators at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining were already quite dissatisfied.

“What is Henry Grant up to now? A trick—this must be one of his tricks.”

“Yeah, maybe he’s just stalling for time to recover from his injuries.”