Those words were no doubt viewed as an insult by the Overlord Legion members. One of them shouted unhappily, "Bullshit. You should be our overlord's subordinate instead."
Right after that person spoke, Zhan Wushuang shot him a sharp gaze. The speaker had an illusion that a barbaric dragon was pouncing on him. He was sent flying away, spewing blood from his mouth. By the time Xiang Shaoyun realized what was happening, the one who had spoken up was already seriously injured.
"Trash," said Zhan Wushuang, his voice laced with contempt. He refocused on Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Sure, you have decent combat strength, but it's still not enough to be my enemy. You should be honored to be my deputy."
At this time, An Lulu chipped in, "Xiang Shaoyun, what are you waiting for? Kneel down and thank the chief!"
Xiang Shaoyun roared with laughter, "Haha, bold words. However, I don't have the habit of being someone else's subordinate. This time, we are here to seek cooperation. Me and Brother Lei have a stone key each. You have one as well. We only need two more to open the secret door. This is our common goal."
Xiang Shaoyun's actions were befitting of someone who had awakened the Light of Wisdom. In a pragmatic way, he changed the topic back to what they had come for.
"Why should we work with you? Hand over your keys, and I will spare you. Otherwise, our Crushing Sky will trample over you," said Zhan Wushuang with contempt.
In his eyes, Lei Bao and Xiang Shaoyun were unworthy of his attention. Perhaps only that sword-wielding fellow could stimulate the fighting intent within him.
"Zhan Wushuang, you are too arrogant," Lei Bao said unhappily.
Xiang Shaoyun persuaded, "Brother Lei, calm down. Let me have a talk with him."
He looked at Zhan Wushuang and said, "Zhan Wushuang, you are strong. That is publicly acknowledged. But have you thought about it? Even if you manage to open the secret door alone, with just the Crushing Sky, can you handle all the dangers hidden within? Even if you are confident, the brothers and sisters behind you definitely aren't capable of that. Or perhaps you're confident you can take care of everyone? Or are you planning to keep everything there for yourself?"
"With our strength, we can deal with any danger thrown our way. The treasures inside are enough for us, so we don't need too many people sharing them with us. Trying to sow dissent like this is pointless," replied Zhan Wushuang with no trace of politeness.
"Yes, you're right. Looks like all my words are pointless," said Xiang Shaoyun with a sigh. He could see that Zhan Wushuang was an incomparably stubborn person. He had thought that he could convince him with his glib tongue, but he was mistaken.
"It's good that you're aware of your limits. Now, time to hand over your keys," demanded Zhan Wushuang with a tone that allowed no refusal.
"Haha, since we can't work together and chances are slim that we will be able to snatch your key, I will just destroy my key. None of us will get anything," said Xiang Shaoyun as he laughed with insanity. He took out a key, and it looked like he was really going to destroy it.
"You dare?" Zhan Wushuang roared and dashed at Xiang Shaoyun.
Zhan Wushuang had terrifying speed. He moved like a barbaric dragon and instantly reached Xiang Shaoyun, trying to snatch the key.
Alas, Xiang Shaoyun was not as weak as he had expected, and it was especially true in terms of speed. Xiang Shaoyun was confident he wouldn't lose to anyone when it came to speed. Before Zhan Wushuang could even get near him, he moved hundreds of meters away.
"Your combat strength might be greater than mine, but it definitely won't be easy to catch me," said Xiang Shaoyun with a sneer.
At this moment, Lei Bao seemed to have understood Xiang Shaoyun's intention. He voiced his agreement, "That's right. Since we can't cooperate, everyone shall end up with nothing!"
Zhan Wushuang was placed in an awkward position. He knew that behind the secret door were great treasures that could help him enter the Soul Foundation Realm. If the stone keys were destroyed, he would need much more time to reach the Soul Foundation Realm.
Left with no choice, his tone softened as he asked, "How do you want to cooperate?"
Even if he was confident he could capture Xiang Shaoyun relatively quickly, he had no confidence he could do the same for Lei Bao. After all, Lei Bao had the same cultivation level as him and cultivated the power of lightning. If Lei Bao decided to destroy the stone key with lightning, Zhan Wushuang would have no hope of saving the key.
Although he could see that Xiang Shaoyun and Lei Bao were merely boasting, it was still better to be safe. Even a cornered dog would jump over the wall. If he pushed them too hard, things would be troublesome.
Hence, he had no choice but to concede. After all, he was confident he would hold the advantage over others after opening the secret door.
"You should say it, Brother Lei," said Xiang Shaoyun. He did not wish to waste his breath speaking to someone that so obviously looked down on him.
Lei Bao repeated what he told Xiang Shaoyun to Zhan Wushuang, who then agreed when he found the plan feasible.
And thus, an alliance of three parties was formed. They continued their search for the remaining stone keys. Of course, they still killed a large number of devilish plants during their search to increase their points, and they gathered any rare materials they found.
It was practically impossible for the three parties to actually work together. They maintained a certain distance from each other. That way, they could avoid friction between their members.
After a few days of searching, the fourth key revealed itself. This time, the key holder was also heading toward them. Thus, they were able to quickly meet the holder. The holder was none other than Yu Ziyang from the Flaming Sun. Behind him was a group of Flaming Sun members, and they looked as impressive as the Crushing Sky.
When Yu Ziyang saw that the keys he detected were actually held by three different parties, he realized that things did not look well for him. Once again, Lei Bao acted as the ambassador and proposed his plan to Yu Ziyang. Without any hesitation, the decisive Yu Ziyang agreed.
After the agreement, Yu Ziyang gazed at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "After the door is opened, I will personally teach you a lesson."
Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "I'll be waiting."
Xiang Shaoyun had noticed that Yu Caidie wasn't with the Flaming Sun's group. Perhaps she was still hiding somewhere and had yet to gather with the Flaming Sun people. The thought of her made him recall his previous life's memories.
Yu Caidie looked exactly the same as the woman he loved most in his past life. It was no wonder that he had the feeling of love at first sight the moment he had first seen her. In his past life, she was fiercely loyal to him. During the great war, they fought side by side. Ultimately, they died together. He still remembered how she had promised to still be with him in the next life.
"Are they really the same person?" Xiang Shaoyun couldn't help wondering.