Chapter 2697, Under Control Translator: Silavin & Danny Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys No one who could reach the Emperor Realm was a fool. They were smart enough to judge that it was beyond their means to intervene in the grievances between Yang Kai and Tan Jun Hao. At that moment, someone cupped his fists, “Elder Tan, this one still has important things to do and will take his leave first.” He then turned around to leave after speaking. The others glanced at each other and quickly followed in this man’s footsteps, bidding their farewells before trying to escape. In the blink of an eye, more than half of the crowd dispersed, leaving the other half frowning slightly, hesitating. They seemed to have sensed that whatever the outcome, it was out of their control. With Tan Jun Hao having summoned them here, already having set up a Spirit Array in advance, it was obvious he wasn’t just going to let them leave. To insist on leaving at this time would probably just offend Tan Jun Hao. For a while, they felt extremely annoyed at this situation. They already felt that they should not have come to Flowing Shadow City to participate in this bogus auction, and now they were inexplicably involved in someone else’s messy dispute, unable to leave even though they wanted to. Sure enough, Tan Jun Hao snorted and bellowed loudly at the sight of the dispersed Emperor Realm Masters, “Do you really think you can leave?” Those Emperor Realm Masters stopped one after another, turning their heads to look at Tan Jun Hao. The person who left first spoke with a frown, “Elder Tan, what is the meaning of this?” There was a faint demanding tone in his voice. Even if Tan Jun Hao was a Star Soul Palace Elder with a noble status and superior strength, there was no reason for him to restrict the freedom of this many Emperor Realm Masters. Yang Kai was his enemy, not these people. But… Something felt wrong with what Tan Jun Hao had said. Tan Jun Hao remained indifferent, “It’s nothing much, it’s just that this Old Master has already set up a Grand Spirit Array here, and no one can leave without this Old Master’s permission.” Their faces changed abruptly at his words. The person who had spoken before frowned, “Elder Tan, we respect you as a Star Soul Palace Elder, and Star Soul Palace is the hegemon of our Southern Territory, protecting billions of cultivators in our Southern Territory. So please enlighten us, what can we do in order to leave here?” If it was another Emperor Realm Master who did this, he would right now be receiving a harsh beating. Who would tolerate having their freedom restricted for no reason? But Tan Jun Hao was different. He was not just a powerful Third-Order Emperor Realm Master, but also held the title of Star Soul Palace Elder. No one dared to be presumptuous in front of him, so even if this man was infuriated, he forcefully suppressed his anger and asked carefully. “Yes, Elder Tan, please enlighten us,” someone else immediately echoed. Tan Jun Hao smiled slightly, “You just need to do a simple thing if you want to leave this place,” He pointed his finger at Yang Kai and said, “Help this Old Master to kill him, and this Old Master will set you free.” Everyone’s eyes widened instantly, and bitterness as if they ate a hundred kilograms of bitter melon spread in their mouths… Everyone saw Yang Kai’s previous murders and knew that this young man’s strength was beyond their ability to handle, not someone they could provoke. None of the Emperor Realm Masters present were confident they could defeat Yang Kai. Tan Jun Hao asking them to kill Yang Kai was equivalent to pushing them into the fire pit! Was he really a Star Soul Palace Elder? Instantly, the image of Star Soul Palace, a tall and majestic symbol in their hearts, collapsed, not to mention the disappointment they had for Star Soul Palace. Star Soul Palace was the overlord of the Southern Territory, but if their Elders were so unreasonable and so abusive of their power, who would respect it? “Elder Tan… Are you making a joke? I have no grievances with this little brother…” “Yes, Elder Tan, please don’t be hard on us and let us go.” For a while, the crowd was stirred up, but in the face of Tan Jun Hao, everyone still suppressed their anger and did not dare to be too rude. Tan Jun Hao was unmoved, merely shouting, “This boy was extremely disrespectful towards this Old Master. He not only insulted this Old Master but also injured this Old Master’s disciple. He even went so far as to steal this Old Master’s treasure. If you can help this Old Master subdue him, this Old Master will reward you generously.” “Such a thing happened? Then it is really his fault.” “Yes, Elder Tan is an Elder of Star Soul Palace after all. It’s far too much for him to insult and steal from Elder Tan.” “Apologize. He must apologize.” They were just a group of people blustering. It seemed like they were all on Tan Jun Hao’s side, but none of them took action as they were not fools, and it was not like they were seeking death. They would not cause trouble with Yang Kai with just a blank statement from Tan Jun Hao. Yang Kai watched them happily and could not help shouting, “Old Dog Tan, you are a Star Soul Palace Elder, and your strength is two Minor Realms higher than this Young Master’s, yet you shamelessly ask for help to deal with this Young Master? If you have the capability, don’t involve innocent people and come fight this Young Master one on one!” As soon as this statement came out, everyone’s impression of Yang Kai drastically improved, feeling like what he said was reasonable. Why did they have to be involved in the grievances between these two? This Elder Tan was really unreasonable. Tan Jun Hao’s face sank as he glared at Yang Kai bitterly before sweeping his eyes across everyone and asking, “You really don’t want to help this Old Master?” Everyone had an embarrassed expression and avoided his eyes, but no one responded aloud. The person who initiated the discussion spoke up again with a look of indignation, “Elder Tan, please don’t make things difficult for us. Everything should be settled with reason. It’s better for you to solve the problems you have with this little brother by yourself. With Elder Tan’s cultivation, it should be a simple matter for you to defeat him. Our help should be unnecessary.” This man had a face full of beard and a heroic demeanor about him. He did not seem like one who used schemes and his statement had a sting because he was disapproving of Tan Jun Hao’s various deeds. Tan Jun Hao glanced at him coldly then suddenly formed a certain hand seal. The big bearded man screamed as if he was suffering terrible pain, his whole body trembling violently as a bump immediately appeared under the skin of his neck, squirming around rapidly. “What happened?” Everyone was shocked and jumped away from the bearded man, for fear of getting involved. “Brother Liu, Brother Liu!” Shouted a cultivator who was friendly with this bearded man. However, the cultivator surnamed Liu continued to scream his head off. After a while, his face became pale and his body was soaked with sweat. Ci la… He suddenly tore the front of his clothes, and looked down at his bare chest, watching the little bump swim its way towards his heart with a pair of bloodshot eyes. “This… what is this?” The cultivator surnamed Liu took a deep breath with difficulty and stared at Tan Jun Hao, “You…what did you do to me!?” “Heart-Strangling Insect!” Yang Kai’s expression changed as he growled in a low voice. The hand seal on his hand still intact, Tan Jun Hao threatened lightly, “This is the fate of those who disobey this Old Master!” After a pause, he warned, “By the way, don’t try to circulate your Emperor Qi, otherwise you will only die faster.” It was already too late though as the cultivator surnamed Liu had already pushed his Emperor Qi when he felt that his life was in danger. Sure enough, as Tan Jun Hao said, the more he pushed his Emperor Qi, the more fiercely the Heart-Strangling Insect moved. In the blink of an eye, the insect had gouged its way into his left chest. A heart-piercing pain spread throughout his body! The cultivator surnamed Liu shrieked, stabbing two fingers into his chest, causing blood to gush out. It seemed that he was trying to gouge the foreign object out of his body. But before he could do anything, he heard a faint popping sound, and his pulse was cut off. His pupils enlarged, and his body collapsed. “Ssii..” Everyone gasped with shock, feeling chills up their spines. There was not a trace of movement by Tan Jun Hao at all. All he did was perform a hand seal, and the cultivator surnamed Liu had fallen to the Heart-Strangling Insect. This Heart-Strangling Insect was obviously already placed in his body long ago. If this happened to the cultivator surnamed Liu, what about them? The answer was quickly revealed as the hand seal in Tan Jun Hao changed again, his eyes sweeping across the audience. The more than twenty Emperor Realm Masters present grunted in unison as a small bulge appeared under their skin and began quickly swimming toward their chests. “Elder Tan, you…” “When?” The Emperor Realm Masters could not believe their eyes, they did not even know when they were implanted with the Heart-Strangling Insect. They recalled every detail after entering the auction, then someone suddenly realized, “The tea…” Tan Jun Hao nodded lightly and confessed, “Yes, this Old Master did something to the tea.” Yang Kai was shocked too, but at the same time felt relieved. It was good that he had been cautious and only drank some tea prepared by Ye Jing Han using her own tea leaves and tea set, otherwise, he too would have been infected with a Heart-Strangling Insect like the rest of these people, and would have no choice but to be manipulated by Tan Jun Hao. The Heart-Strangling Insect was extremely hard to deal with as even an Emperor Realm Masters could not detect its presence until it became active. It seemed that Tan Jun Hao had cultivated these Heart-Strangling Insects for many years, otherwise they would not be so numerous and formidable. This old dog was indeed cunning. He actually resolved to use these methods even with his Third-Order Emperor Realm cultivation. “Elder Tan, you’re crazy!” Someone looked at Tan Jun Hao furiously. There were as many as thirty Emperor Realm Masters from all over the Southern Territory present here, so once rumours of what happened today spread, there was no doubt Tan Jun Hao would be placed at the top of the kill list of Star Soul Palace. How could Bright Moon Great Emperor tolerate such devastating damage being done to Star Soul Palace’s reputation? But thinking about it, who would dare to spread the word about there being a Heart-Strangling Insect inside their bodies? As of today, these people were destined to become Tan Jun Hao’s slaves, and had no choice but to obediently serve him. Devastation flooded their hearts at this thought, together with unwillingness and fury, but they had nowhere to vent. They did not know that Tan Jun Hao was willing to do anything in order to snatch Yang Kai’s treasures, for as long as he could get the Immortal Tree, he could completely cast off Star Soul Palace and find a place to hide and refine it. Once he gained an immortal and indestructible body, what could Bright Moon Great Emperor do to him? When that time came, he would have nothing to fear even if his wicked deeds were exposed. It was exactly because of this that Tan Jun Hao did not hesitate to use the Heart-Strangling Insects and even killed the bearded man directly to serve as a warning. “Whoever helps this Old Master to kill him will be greatly rewarded!” Tan Jun Hao pointed at Yang Kai once more. He had already taken down his disguise, and there was no need for him to worry about anything anymore, so he immediately ordered the Emperor Realm Masters to take action. Hearing this command, everyone looked at each other with deep helplessness and bitterness.