Chapter 734: Desperate Pleas
As soon as these words fell.
Everyone present felt a jolt in their hearts.
Zhang Hu's eyelids twitched as he hastily shouted in anger, "Shut up! This is slander! How could the Demon Dragon Palace possibly be connected to the Demon Arrival Organization?!"
"Don't panic, I'm just guessing," Ling Zhan replied with a faint smile, seeing Zhang Hu's panicked reaction.
"But it doesn't matter anymore. Hand over that dragon scale—I can sense it's on you."
Zhang Hu spoke in a low voice, "If I hand over this dragon scale, will you spare my life?"
"Of course," Ling Zhan nodded with a smile.
Adolphus and Ansely, standing nearby, opened their mouths as if to speak but ultimately remained silent.
They both wanted to tell Ling Zhan not to spare Zhang Hu.
But since Ling Zhan had already spoken, they decided to let him handle it his way.
"You said it! A man's word is his bond!"
Zhang Hu replied in a deep tone.
"Naturally," Ling Zhan nodded, smiling calmly.
"Here, take it. This is the dragon scale. Keep it well!" Zhang Hu decisively pulled the dragon scale from his chest and tossed it to Ling Zhan.
He knew the dragon scale wasn't an ordinary item and was likely connected to the ultimate treasure trove of the Radiant Secret Realm. But this wasn't the time to care about that.
The most important thing was staying alive!
Only by surviving could he seek revenge in the future.
Ling Zhan caught the dragon scale and examined it closely, noticing that it indeed radiated an extraordinary and mysterious aura, along with a faint trace of dragon might.
"Can you deactivate the spiritual array and let me leave now?" Zhang Hu asked warily.
"Sorry, no," Ling Zhan replied with a mischievous smile.
"You… You're planning to go back on your word?!"
Zhang Hu's eyes widened.
"Yes, I'm going back on my word. What can you do about it?" Ling Zhan chuckled.
"You…" Zhang Hu was left speechless.
"You want to say we made an agreement, and everyone here is a witness, right?" Ling Zhan continued with a smirk.
Zhang Hu fell silent, his face darkening like ink.
"Sorry, I'm not a gentleman—I'm a scoundrel. So that whole 'a man's word is his bond' thing doesn't apply to me."
Ling Zhan shook his head slightly.
The reason he agreed earlier was that he feared Zhang Hu might destroy the dragon scale in a desperate move.
So he ensured he got the critical treasure first before dealing with Zhang Hu.
As for the so-called agreement...
What a joke.
At this age, who still believes in baseless agreements?
Only oaths sworn on one's soul were binding because violating them would cause one's soul to burn to ashes—a guaranteed death.
Zhang Hu had been too panicked.
He'd overlooked such an important detail.
"Damn it! Brothers! If we're going to die anyway, we might as well go all out! Let's take this bastard down!"
Zhang Hu finally snapped to his senses.
He realized he should've led his members in a desperate fight from the start—that was the only chance of survival.
The members of the Demon Dragon Palace and Ten Thousand Beasts Alliance, hearing his call, picked up their weapons, their faces brimming with fighting spirit as they prepared to unleash their Order-tier skills.
Adolphus, seeing this, raised his shield with a grim expression, ready to charge again.
Yet Ling Zhan remained completely calm, smiling faintly even as the crowd prepared for an all-out attack.
Just as everyone's skills were nearly charged, and a devastating battle that might collapse the entire stone chamber seemed inevitable...
Ling Zhan suddenly raised his hand toward Zhang Hu and the others.
Entangling Roots!
A beginner Druid skill!
But in Ling Zhan's hands, it was an SS-tier skill!
The ground rumbled as if a slumbering beast beneath it had stirred.
Crash!!
In an instant, massive tree roots broke through the ground!
Within moments, the roots engulfed Zhang Hu and all the members of the Demon Dragon Palace and Ten Thousand Beasts Alliance. The snake-like branches turned into predatory monsters, wrapping around their limbs and violently hoisting them into the air!
The attackers, caught off guard, were completely ensnared by the roots!
"Hmph!!"
Zhang Hu was also caught, but he remained unfazed, letting out a cold grunt as his power and martial intent erupted, ready to break free.
But in the next second...
"Huh!?"
His eyes widened in shock!
Something was wrong!
His arms and legs suddenly weakened, as if his strength were being drained away!
It turned out the roots were absorbing the energy he had unleashed!
Moreover...
Zhang Hu felt his life force being continuously sucked away by the roots!
What the hell!
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
These roots could absorb and devour all types of energy!
And as they absorbed life force, magic, and other energies, they grew larger. If not for the spiritual barrier of the array limiting their upward growth, the entire hall would've been transformed into a tree-covered realm!
In just a few seconds.
The once-energetic attackers now hung pale-faced, bound and dangling like silken cocoons!
"This..."
The sight left everyone in the stone chamber utterly dumbfounded!
Even Adolphus and Ansely were shocked!
What kind of skill was this?
Why had they never seen it before?
Not only could it create a forest-like domain on the spot, but the roots also drained energy!
No matter who it was, once ensnared by these strange roots, they'd be drained until utterly exhausted!
Looking at Zhang Hu...
His face had become gaunt and pale, and his body was visibly thinning!
It wasn't just him...
Everyone else was the same!
If this continued, they'd become dried-up husks!
"Spare me! Lord Ling Zhan! Spare me! I know I was wrong! Please, have mercy!"
"I was wrong too! Lord, please let me go!"
"I'll give you everything I have! I'll even serve you loyally! Just let me live—I don't want to die..."
At this moment.
The members of the Demon Dragon Palace and Ten Thousand Beasts Alliance cried out in desperation.
They could clearly feel their lives slipping away.
The feeling of watching themselves inch toward death was absolute torment!
Ling Zhan ignored these nearly lifeless people.
Instead, he calmly turned toward a corner of the stone chamber, speaking in a steady voice, "You've hidden long enough. It's time to show yourselves, don't you think?"