For an instant, the four guild leaders all turned sharply to look at Cao Yuan.
Although Cao Yuan was looking down at them from above, he felt as if he were the one being ground under the feet of these four living Buddhas.
Plop~
Without any hesitation, Cao Yuan dropped straight to his knees.
He shouted, “Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding! I already know I was wrong!”
It was a relatively conventional way of begging for mercy.
But in reality.
The four guild leaders hadn’t actually planned to annihilate Sifang Stronghold.
The four major guilds of Dragon Xia weren’t just simple guilds; they couldn’t act with complete lawlessness, killing indiscriminately everywhere.
Of course.
The situation with the Liang family back then was different; they were the ones in the wrong first.
Now, although Sifang Stronghold had made a mistake, they hadn’t actually done anything serious yet.
The four major guilds wouldn’t act lightly.
Especially Yu Qingcang, whose status was even more special. As the president of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, if he ordered the complete destruction of Sifang Stronghold over this incident, public opinion alone would probably bury him.
In Dragon Xia, the vortex of public opinion is even more severe than in other countries!
Yu Qingcang understood this deeply.
But Cao Yuan didn’t know that!
Seeing that he had provoked people he absolutely shouldn’t have, and that the four guild leaders had brought their forces to punish him, he was already scared out of his wits.
At the same time.
The other professionals from Sifang Stronghold behind him also quickly fell to their knees.
Although they didn’t speak, each one trembled uncontrollably, not daring to move.
The only person left standing foolishly was Wang Yujiao!
Whether she hadn’t reacted in time or was shocked by Lu Ran’s current status and position, it was hard to tell.
The four guild leaders were actually this close with Lu Ran!
In that case, who in Dragon Xia would dare to provoke Lu Ran?
But…
Why?
How on earth!
He’s just a Necromancer, a regular class, so how on earth did he manage this!
Her heart was filled with extreme resentment, as if she were constantly searching for reasons to justify having abandoned Lu Ran back then, trying to prove that her choice hadn’t been so terribly wrong.
“Wang Yujiao! What are you standing there for? Kneel down!” Cao Yuan shouted anxiously.
He absolutely didn’t want to be implicated because of Wang Yujiao.
Wang Yujiao gritted her teeth and looked at Lu Ran.
He didn’t avoid her gaze, merely looking back at her calmly, with no other emotion whatsoever in his eyes.
Lu Ran was someone who could pick things up and put them down. Having seen Wang Yujiao’s true colors, he wouldn’t dwell on it any longer.
If Wang Yujiao provoked Lu Ran, Lu Ran could treat her just like anyone else and kill her!
Without hesitation!
Meanwhile, the four guild leaders were also watching Wang Yujiao.
Ye Hongyi had heard about Lu Ran and Wang Yujiao’s situation from Qin Wuyao.
She teased, “Little bro, your ex-girlfriend? Tsk tsk tsk… what a coincidence.”
There was no real need to explicitly reveal Wang Yujiao’s identity.
But Lu Ran understood Ye Hongyi’s intention – she wanted to save face for Lu Ran in front of Wang Yujiao, to make not only Wang Yujiao regret her decision herself, but also let everyone else know just how foolish this Wang Yujiao had been back then!
Plop~
Wang Yujiao finally couldn’t bear the pressure anymore; she knelt to the ground, lowering her head, not daring to look at Lu Ran again.
She felt as if her heart was spasming.
Yes, no matter how many reasons she tried to find for herself, abandoning Lu Ran was a fact. Losing such an extraordinary boy, whose eyes were once full of her, was also a fact!
Regret!
For the first time, the regret in Wang Yujiao’s heart reached its peak!
She wished she could turn back time!
Lu Ran, on the other hand, was indifferent. He slowly exhaled and looked at Cao Yuan.
He said in a deep voice, “The cause of this matter started with the grudge between you and Uncle Qin. I don’t know what that grudge is, but given the current situation, you…”
“Misunderstanding! It’s also a misunderstanding!” Cao Yuan quickly interjected.
“Uh… If it’s really a misunderstanding, would you have gone this far? Even going so far as to kidnap Qin Wuyao.” Lu Ran asked.
“It doesn’t matter, none of that matters anymore! Really, from now on, the grudge between me and Qin Lie is settled, water under the bridge!” Cao Yuan shouted loudly.
You could tell.
This Cao Yuan was truly terrified.
Come to think of it, anyone facing this situation, this show of force, facing the four major guilds – and with the guild leaders themselves personally leading the forces – would probably be scared.
Compared to that, any grudge was just old news, no need to mention it further!
Qin Lie felt a bit amused and exasperated, but hearing this, he still breathed a sigh of relief.
He mused, “It was indeed my fault back then. We used to be good friends, and for it to come to this current situation is truly embarrassing. I will give you compensation for the wrong I did back then. After that, we can consider it truly settled, how about that?”
“Alright! No problem! We’ll do it your way!” Cao Yuan quickly shouted.
In fact, this was already a perfect resolution to the matter.
But Ye Hongyi wasn’t quite satisfied yet.
So she casually taunted, “The grudge between you and Qin Lie is settled, but you wanted to kill my little bro. Now we’ve stepped in, and you failed. If we hadn’t shown up, you wouldn’t have stopped. Do you think kneeling and apologizing now makes it all go away?”
Hearing that Ye Hongyi didn’t plan to let him off, Cao Yuan’s face instantly turned pale.
But he immediately shouted again, “I… I also have compensation! I obtained a Treasure Map last month, I can gift it to… to your little bro!”
Oh?
Ye Hongyi’s eyes lit up. This was a pleasant surprise?
She was just venting a bit of anger, making things difficult for Cao Yuan, never expecting an unexpected bonus!
As he spoke, Cao Yuan tossed out an item.
It was indeed a Treasure Map scroll.
Although she hadn’t opened it to look, just the quality of the Treasure Map scroll alone made Ye Hongyi’s eyes sparkle.
A Red Epic quality Treasure Map scroll!
This was a rare and highly sought-after treasure!
“Seems you have some discernment after all,” Ye Hongyi said satisfiedly, casually handing the Treasure Map scroll to Lu Ran, and then asked, “Little bro, are you happy with this? If you’re still angry, just say the word, and sister here will annihilate Sifang Stronghold right now!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Cao Yuan and all the professionals of Sifang Stronghold shuddered violently.
Everyone’s eyes turned hopefully towards Lu Ran.
Lu Ran knew Ye Hongyi was just messing around and felt a bit amused inwardly.
Actually, after Cao Yuan and Qin Lie had just clarified their grudge, Lu Ran himself didn’t have any further thoughts on the matter.
Now, he simply took the opportunity to go along with it, picking up the conversation: “Qin Wuyao is fine, let’s leave it at that.”
The entire body of professionals from Sifang Stronghold felt as if they had received a pardon!
“Alright then, retreat!” Ye Hongyi waved her hand grandly.
It had been a grand spectacle, but without any fighting, the four major guilds withdrew.
On the way back.
Lu Ran curiously unrolled the Treasure Map scroll.
He was surprised to find that this thing was actually a Level 70 difficulty, and the location area displayed was black and grey.
“A Treasure Map scroll from a Forbidden Zone? No wonder Cao Yuan didn’t use it himself.” Liu Xinxin remarked.
“What is a Forbidden Zone?” Lu Ran asked curiously.
“It’s the general term professionals use for areas where the wild monsters’ levels exceed sixty. Once wild monsters are over level sixty, professionals no longer venture deep into them; that’s a Forbidden Zone,” Liu Xinxin explained.
Furthermore.
“For Level 70, does that mean I can’t use it?” Lu Ran asked again.
“Treasure Map scrolls have no level restrictions; they just indicate that the difficulty and rewards are for level seventy, that’s all. If you take the Treasure Map scroll to the Forbidden Zone, the Treasure Map quest will trigger. Complete it, and you’ll get the rewards,” Liu Xinxin shook her head, explaining.
“A Level 70 Epic Treasure Map scroll, oh my god, just how generous must the rewards be!” Ye Hongyi exclaimed admiringly.
Lu Ran, however, was staring at a strange marking on the Treasure Map scroll.
None of them recognized the marking.
After all, it was from a Forbidden Zone.
But suddenly.
The Dark Elf Queen beside him noticed Lu Ran’s curiosity.
She spoke up, “That is the mark of the Hill Dwarves’ holy relic, the Dwarven Furnace.”
