For a long while, Xiao Tian stood quietly where he was, his gaze distant and profound, as if he were pondering something.

The eyes of the crowd below the stage suddenly turned fervent, looking at Xiao Tian as if they were seeing a savior. However, he did not speak and appeared to be in deep thought, so no one dared to disturb him with a reckless word.

After some time, Xiao Tian’s eyes gradually regained clarity. As he looked again at the fallen Hidden Needle on the ground, he couldn’t help but sigh and then said, "I believe that among you here today, some of you have heard my promise deep within Kunlun."

As soon as he said this, the crowd below the stage became noisy, and the few who didn’t understand the situation began asking those in the know beside them, who then gave a brief explanation.

Once everyone understood the general context of the situation, the crowd once again fell into a deathly silence, unsure of the intention behind Xiao Tian’s words at this moment.

Fortunately, Xiao Tian did not keep everyone waiting too long and soon spoke again: "But, what I want to say is that this time, I might very well break my promise. Please convey my apologies to those who still hold hope!"

The death of Hidden Needle did not stir Xiao Tian too much; he had seen many experts perish by his hands, all lively lives withering away in front of him, and he had long since trained himself to remain imperturbable in the face of such things.

However, Xiao Tian believed that when a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out. Since Hidden Needle was dead, the past grievances should dissipate with his passing life, and there was no need to pursue redundant actions.

If Hidden Needle were alive, Xiao Tian could personally remove his mask and fulfill the promise he had made back then, and perhaps he would feel at ease. But since Hidden Needle was dead, it was best to let bygones be bygones!

After hearing Xiao Tian’s words, everyone nodded like pecking chickens, agreeing without any hesitation or even a moment of thought.

In fact, nobody at this moment cared about Hidden Needle’s true face; even if the face behind the mask was either exceptionally handsome or hideously ugly, it would have no bearing on the current situation.

Everyone’s concern now lay in how to escape this space, having long since abandoned any idea of seizing the Shaking Light Disc.

They were eager to escape and feared nothing more than this troublesome endeavor.

If one were to grab it and then get sucked into a space independent of the real world, it would indeed be laughter in tears!

Moments later, Qiao Guanyu, who had previously been lauded by the crowd, stepped to the front and bowed respectfully to Xiao Tian: "The situation is clear now, we’ve all been trapped here and can’t escape. Therefore, we wish to ask you to lead us and help everyone get out of this predicament."

After speaking, Qiao Guanyu and everyone else under the stage began to feel a varying degree of unease. Before arriving, these people had come with plundering intentions, aiming for Xiao Tian, the Hunter.

But now, having to seek help from the enemy was a truly ironic twist.

Therefore, even if Xiao Tian were to refuse outright, these people would have to swallow the bitter fruit with no alternative.

Nonetheless, something unexpected for everyone unfolded.

After listening to the request from the crowd represented by Qiao Guanyu, Xiao Tian agreed without a second thought. He even didn’t mention the ownership issue of the Shaking Light Disc or any conditions for an exchange.

Seeing the somewhat surprised expressions of the crowd, Xiao Tian explained: "First of all, the Shaking Light Disc is a masterless object and doesn’t belong to anyone present, so there’s no need for anyone to be concerned. I hold no blame over this matter."

After speaking, Xiao Tian paused for a bit before asking: "I suppose you all saw the messages on the Dark List forum, which brought you to this place?"

More than half of the people nodded in acknowledgment after hearing Xiao Tian’s question, while the few who didn’t nod had been lurking here from the beginning, unaware of the Shaking Light Disc, only knowing that a treasure was about to emerge.

Xiao Tian nodded and continued, "Now, we’re all in the same boat. If I were to rely solely on my strength to get out, I might succeed, but the cost would probably be considerable."

People nodded in agreement again, feeling that the doubts they had before had significantly dissipated.

"Therefore, cooperation is our best option right now!"

Then Xiao Tian made the decision: "Since you trust me, I will do my best to lead us all out of this predicament, and I hope each of you brings forth your talents and work together!"

As they listened to Xiao Tian’s reasonable and apt speech, the crowd finally dropped their last bit of doubt and started seriously contemplating the current situation, suggesting their strategies.

Unlike the chaotic and unrealistic ideas from before, Xiao Tian’s presence seemed to anchor everyone’s hearts, allowing for more thoughtful problem-solving, and the impulsive remarks decreased significantly. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Watching as the crowd fell into deep thought, Xiao Tian couldn’t help but sigh at the fickleness of the human heart. Those who had been fighting to the death now appeared united at the sight of danger, showing forgiveness and unity.

At least until greater danger was averted, personal grudges seemed unimportant, painting a harmonious picture!

Shaking his head, Xiao Tian gestured with his hand, and a small bell spun through the air, slowly yet steadily returning to his grasp.

However, just as Xiao Tian was about to put the bell away, his eyes caught sight of Tao Zhenghao lying on the ground, his face stained with dark blood—the very person who had helped report his actions not long ago.

Seeing this, Xiao Tian had to interrupt the crowd’s contemplation on the stage and asked, "Can anyone explain what’s going on with this person?"

After all, this was someone who had saved him before, and Xiao Tian would never let such a person die. Helping those who helped him was his consistent principle.

Furthermore, Xiao Tian didn’t harbor much hostility toward Tao Zhenghao. Although the latter’s stubbornness sometimes rendered him speechless, it didn’t affect Xiao Tian personally, so there was no unpleasantness between them.

Moreover, based on Xiao Tian’s assessment of Tao Zhenghao’s strength and the details of his every move, this person was at least on par with Thunder King Salon and Hidden Needle.

And that was just the strength Tao Zhenghao exhibited. Customarily, it was conservative to estimate an additional thirty percent of upward potential.

In other words, no one present could pose a threat to him; not even if they all attacked together would they likely be a match!

This made the situation quite peculiar, given that no one around could harm Tao Zhenghao, yet he was clearly wounded, there must be an explanation, right?!

Could it be...

Suddenly, Xiao Tian thought of the elderly man with the greying beard from the beginning, the one responsible for bringing them all into this predicament.

If it were him, everything would make sense.