Yan Beihan's attention was focused solely on the unfolding battle, not even sparing a glance up at the cloud in the sky. In her mind, the Cloud Water Heavenly Fruit was already hers. Sure enough, her faction easily secured the overall victory after the ten rounds of battle, but the fruit still hadn't taken shape yet. "Please pardon my intrusion," Yan Beihan said as she cupped her fist in a salute toward Jiang Shangyun and the Lei Brothers. "Congratulations, Mistress Yan," the three men sighed in unison as they returned the salute. This was the expected outcome, so they weren't disappointed. They were standing at the forefront of their respective factions, situated right under the white cloud, so they would benefit the most from the floral fragrance in the air. Hence, they still had something to gain. "If you don't have anywhere else to be, how about we cultivate here together until the fruit ripens? We'll have a chance to get to know each other, and we can look out for one another in the future," Yan Beihan proposed. Jiang Shangyun and the Lei Brothers were naturally all smiles, and all of a sudden, the three factions became one, with warm greetings being exchanged left, right, and center. Latest content published on novel~fire~net This was an ideal opportunity to be building connections, and this was what Jiang Shangyun and the Lei Brothers had been waiting for all along. They knew that they had no realistic chance of claiming the Cloud Water Heavenly Fruit, but if they could forge connections with all of these Generals from the main church and Yan Beihan in particular, then that would still be a valuable prize. Yan Beihan was somewhat obligated to raise this proposal, given that she was by far the biggest beneficiary out of everyone here, and Jiang Shangyun and the Lei Brothers had been eagerly awaiting this very moment. As for the hunting parties that had left the basin, they would not be so fortunate. For the Generals supporting Jiang Shangyun and the Lei Brothers, as long as they survived the Parasite Ascension Project, they would be sure to be grateful to the three men for this opportunity. Perhaps they wouldn't necessarily be indebted to the three men, but they would certainly view the trio in a better light. On the surface, this was just a battle for a spirit fruit, but there was far more at stake than just that. Yan Beihan was aware of all of this, and she was happy to play along. She had obtained the one and only fruit, the coveted crown jewel, so she had to ensure that everyone else also reaped some benefits. Hence, she had made the proposal in a rather begrudging fashion. She didn't want to do this, but given the circumstances, she had to temporarily bend to the will of others, and that was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow for someone as proud as her. Even Fang Che couldn't help but be impressed with the foresight and wisdom of the faction leaders. Regardless of the outcome, all of them stood to benefit. All of them wore earnest smiles as they said things like: "We've all come in here fully prepared to die, so if our paths cross in here, then there's no need to hold back. If we survive, we'll still be brothers, and even if I die by your hands, I only have myself to blame." It seemed like a gesture of generosity and sincerity, but in reality, it was all just redundant nonsense that really didn't need to be said. Regardless of whether something like that was said or not, there was going to be no mercy anyway. All of the main church Generals were also happy to make acquaintances with their subsidiary church counterparts. After all, they were all going to need lackeys to do their bidding, and if these people could survive the Parasite Ascension Project, then they were sure to have bright futures ahead. They were undoubtedly going to have to compete with others in the main church, and these were all going to be valuable connections for them to draw upon in the future. There were no idiots here, so no one truly had delusions of claiming the Cloud Water Heavenly Fruit for themselves. Anyone that hadn't been dropped on their head as a child could see that the fruit belonged to Yan Beihan. In fact, if anyone else were to obtain the fruit, that would only be a curse as they most likely wouldn't be able to leave this place alive. All of the eight hundred or so remaining Generals in the basin were truly as cunning as foxes. While everyone was socializing, the Cloud Water Heavenly Fruit gradually took shape. The flower petals were visibly wilting away, and a round fruit was forming, while the floral fragrance in the air slowly faded away. However, everyone still remained. They all knew that the fragrance released in the instant that the fruit ripened was going to be the most poignant of all and provide the greatest benefits. Thus, everyone watched eagerly as the flower completely wilted, leaving behind only a single fruit enshrouded in the white cloud. The energy in the cloud was also being injected into the fruit, causing the cloud to shrink at a discernible rate. Everyone knew that the moment the cloud completely disappeared would be the moment that the Cloud Water Heavenly Fruit ripened. Finally, the final wisp of mist disappeared into the fruit, which had turned a translucent red color at this point. It hovered peacefully in mid-air, as if it were still connected to some invisible vine hanging down from the heavens. "Go!" Fang Che instructed, and the Golden Horn Flood Dragon immediately set off. An incredibly fragrant aroma spread through the entire basin, and the fruit began to glow radiantly. "Looks like it's finally ripened," Jiang Shangyun remarked with a hint of envy in his voice. "Congratulations, Mistress Yan," everyone congratulated in unison. Yan Beihan waved a hand as a gesture of gratitude, then made her way to the fruit and raised her head to wait for it to fall. There were no longer any competitors in her path, so it would be unbecoming of her to claim the fruit with excessive zeal and eagerness. The fruit wobbled slightly, then fell out of the air. A faint smile appeared on Yan Beihan's masked face. It was the confident smile of one who had everything firmly under control. No one in the entire Church of the Self-Righteous would dare to try and take anything from me! She calmly reached out and placed a hand under the fruit in an elegant fashion, waiting for it to fall into her grasp. However, the fruit in the air only descended for about ten centimeters before abruptly veering away to the side! In the blink of an eye, it had already flown several hundred feet through the air! All of the Generals down below: "???" Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Yan Beihan was the first one to realize what was happening, and she immediately swung around in an enraged manner. At the same time, she hurriedly withdrew her hand as her face became flushed with embarrassment. She was already posing and waiting to catch the fruit, yet the fruit had suddenly disappeared! Her rage was further fueled by her embarrassment, and she drew her sword as she sprang up into the air. Meanwhile, the fruit had already darted into the tall grass on the nearby mountain face. Immediately thereafter, Fang Che sprang out of hiding, then unleashed the Blood Incineration Technique without any hesitation as he fled the scene. "Thank you for guarding the fruit for me, everyone!" he chortled as he raced away into the distance. Before anyone else had a chance to react, he was already several thousand feet away. "Get him!" Yan Beihan screeched, and a lethal storm of thousands of hidden weapons was instantly sent hurtling toward Fang Che, but with his speed enhanced by the Blood Incineration Technique, he had already vanished out of sight. By the time everyone stormed out of the basin after Yan Beihan, Fang Che was already long gone, leaving everyone to gawk at one another, at a complete loss for what to do. Yan Beihan stood on the summit of the ridge with palpable killing intent radiating from her body. The Cloud Water Heavenly Fruit had been stolen right out of her hand! It was said that the fruit had unmatched beautifying properties, but she would never get to find out if that was true! She was so enraged that she was feeling a little faint, and even though she was standing in silence, everyone around her was feeling very fearful and uneasy. No one dared to try to speak to Yan Beihan in her current state, and those standing closest to her were praying that the ground beneath them would open up and swallow them whole! No one dared to offer her any words of consolation as that would almost certainly spell instant death! Indeed, Yan Beihan would've killed anyone who dared to speak to her in this moment. She had never been so furious and embarrassed in her life! She had just been humiliated in front of so many people, and her coveted prize had been taken from right under her nose! Yan Beihan felt as if she had been slapped repeatedly across the face. No one dared to leave, nor did anyone dare to move or speak. They waited with bated breath as Yan Beihan fumed in silence, wondering if this were going to be their final moments in this world. "Did any of you get a good look at him?" Yan Beihan asked in a cold voice. Everyone exchanged a few glances with one another, following which Jiang Shangyun worked up some courage and answered, "It looked like the man who was provoking everyone outside. I can't say for certain, but he has a very distinctive beard and voice, so it should be him." Jiang Shangyun had been standing very close to the elevated platform when Fang Che was openly provoking everyone, so he had a very clear recollection of Fang Che's voice and appearance. "I knew it was him! I'm going to tear him to shreds once I get my hands on him!" Yan Beihan spat through gritted teeth as her nails dug into the palms of her hands. "This motherfu..."