Chapter 106: Confrontation
With spiritual items discovered everywhere, disciples from various sects quickly dispersed to avoid early conflicts.
Leo's team, besides Sylas, included Mist's disciple, Flint, and his nominal disciple, Dime. These two were the most hostile toward Leo.
The remaining six were Yak and Luna, nominal disciples of Foundation masters. The other four, Bally, Lucid, Nyx, and Zay, like Leo, had entered the Palace from loose cultivator backgrounds.
Passing through a forest, they found patches of first and second-grade herbs, now ignored. At a cliff base, a strange, alluring fragrance emanated from a dark cave.
"Soul Nourishing Grass! The scent is so strong—at least several hundred years old!" Flint, in the lead, smelled it and exclaimed, momentarily entranced.
Leo's eyes flickered. Soul Nourishing Grass was a key ingredient for the Soul Severance Blade.
"Soul Nourishing Grass?" Sylas shot forward, blocking the others. "Flint, Dime, go in. Collect it. Be careful."
Flint and Dime exchanged glances, nodded, and entered. As Mist's son and disciples, they worked together, having already agreed on how to split spoils. If others got it, they'd lose their share.
"Captain Sylas, that's not fair. We're a team. If you claim every find, we're just collecting herbs for you. With no benefit, why risk our lives in the Bloody Battlefield?" Luna frowned, displeased.
"Exactly. If you want it all, let's disband now."
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Others frowned. Several-hundred-year-old Soul Nourishing Grass was valuable even to Golden Core elders. Herb value directly affected Foundation Establishment Pill allocation—fifty thousand low-grade stones worth could trade for one pill. Sylas grabbing the first find, despite his strength, threatened their chances.
Sylas's face darkened, but seeing everyone's discontent, he forced himself to relent. "I'm the strongest, so I have priority. Later finds, I'll assign others."
Displeasure lingered, but when Sylas produced black shears radiating an artifact's aura, shock silenced them. They recognized their weakness and backed down.
"That old fiend Mist gave Sylas the Black Flood Dragon Shears." Leo's eyes narrowed. He remembered them well from the mine. Next time, he'd surprise their wielder.
Screams from the cave.
Flint and Dime fled, disheveled and terrified. Dime's leg was clamped by two black second-grade demon scorpions, bloodied.
Clang! Yak and Nyx, closest, drew their blades, striking the foot-long scorpions. Metal clanged—the shells were incredibly tough. They killed them, but their faces showed shock.
"What happened?" Sylas demanded.
"Dark inside. Hundreds of scorpions. Individually weak, but fast and armored." Dime, wounded, stammered.
"Did you see the grass?" Sylas pressed.
"No. Almost there, but they swarmed us. We barely escaped." Flint, pale, shook his head.
Useless. Sylas cursed inwardly. But he needed allies. Alone, he couldn't control the team.
A sly smile. He pointed at Leo. "You, Leo. Go in and check."
"Captain Sylas, you're strong and have an artifact. Why not go yourself? Maybe you'd get the grass in no time." Leo shrugged.
Others chuckled. They feared Sylas but resented his methods. Younger, with a Foundation father and an artifact, he was stronger, but not respected. His grab for the grass showed his arrogance.
"You defying me?" Sylas threatened. "I'll expel you. Alone, you'll be a ghost in this land."
"You're the captain. Expel who you want. Allocate spoils as you please. Our feelings don't matter." Leo smiled. "Good finds go to your people. Danger, send others. You've made that clear. Expel me if you like. Better a ghost than dead in that cave."
"Leo's right. You can't take everything and send us to die. Disband if that's your plan." Luna backed him.
Leo glanced at her, surprised by her courage.
"So what do you propose?" Sylas suppressed his rage.
"Flint and Dime went in and barely made it back, one of them wounded. Knowing full well how dangerous it is inside, you still want me to go in alone? If that's not sending me to my death, what is? As the captain, when danger comes, you should be the first to face it, not the first to stand in the way of everyone else when there's profit to be taken. Now there's danger, and I won't shirk my share—but your actions just now were truly despicable. If you don't do something to make up for it, no one will be convinced. I dare to go in—the question is, do you dare to come with me?"