Dongbo Xueying smiled faintly. “So the Xia Clan intends to monopolize this tome and forbid me from sharing it externally? If it’s a monopoly, my terms will naturally be different.”
“Speak,” the Xia Emperor said calmly, gazing down from above.
The Xia Emperor, the Cang Emperor, and Patriarch Fan were all mentally prepared to be fleeced. No matter the cost, even if it was steep, it would be worth it! At the very least, this tome would henceforth belong to the Xia Clan!
“First, one hundred thousand jin of Hunyuan Sand!” Dongbo Xueying declared directly, looking at the three invincible existences.
“One hundred thousand jin?”
Though the Xia Emperor and the others had braced themselves, their expressions still twitched, and their hearts sank.
“Do you know how rare Hunyuan Sand is? It can only be obtained sporadically when harvesting Hunyuan Essence from higher spatial layers,” the Xia Emperor said in a low voice. “Each grain is precious, and you demand a full one hundred thousand jin? The entire Heart Realm Continent’s reserves combined wouldn’t amount to much more. Surely you can lower your request.”
Even as the de facto strongest figure on the Heart Realm Continent, the Xia Emperor found himself bargaining—Dongbo Xueying’s demand was simply too staggering. The Xia Clan’s entire stockpile of Hunyuan Sand fell far short of one hundred thousand jin!
“If you want exclusive rights to the tome, one hundred thousand jin of Hunyuan Sand is non-negotiable,” Dongbo Xueying stated firmly. “Not a single grain less! Otherwise, I’ll have to sell the tome to other ancient nations to gather the sand.”
The Xia Emperor was taken aback. “Why do you need so much Hunyuan Sand? Have you gained some insight into the power of Hunyuan?”
“Thanks to your *Hunyuan Inquiry*, Xia Emperor,” Dongbo Xueying said deliberately, not wanting to reveal his *Hunyuan Seven Strikes*.
“Xia Emperor, Patriarch Fan, Cang Emperor, I trust you all understand that if I sell this Void Tome to multiple ancient nations, gathering one hundred thousand jin of Hunyuan Sand shouldn’t be difficult,” Dongbo Xueying said with a faint smile. “This is non-negotiable for me. Otherwise, I’d rather not sell the tome at all.”
The three hesitated.
“What do we do? Our Xia Clan only has about fifty thousand jin of Hunyuan Sand in total. And that’s only because I, as a master of the Void Path, have been harvesting Hunyuan Essence for countless years,” the Xia Emperor transmitted mentally. “To gather one hundred thousand jin, we can’t rely solely on harvesting—we’ll have to purchase from other ancient nations.”
“Let’s buy it.”
“The Wanderer is on good terms with me,” Patriarch Fan transmitted. “He’s also a consummate master of the Void Path and must have a sizable stockpile. We can buy from him. The World Clan and the Snow Clan should also have reserves. Those three old monsters from the Snow Clan have indestructible bodies and frequently tear through space to harvest Hunyuan Essence. They must have accumulated plenty.”
“Very well, it’s settled,” the Xia Emperor agreed.
Hunyuan Sand.
Its utility across the Heart Realm Continent was limited, but its rarity made it exorbitantly valuable. If Dongbo Xueying had asked for ten or twenty thousand jin, the Xia Emperor might have acquiesced without much fuss. But one hundred thousand jin? That would deplete the majority of the entire continent’s reserves!
—
“It will take time to gather the Hunyuan Sand,” the Xia Emperor said. “But within a hundred million years, I will ensure it’s delivered.”
“Good,” Dongbo Xueying replied, pleased.
This was non-negotiable for him.
The weapon designed for *Hunyuan Seven Strikes* required Hunyuan Sand for ninety-nine percent of its materials, with the remaining components being trivial to acquire. According to the forging method accompanying the technique, a weapon crafted from Hunyuan Sand would allow him to manipulate Hunyuan power with a hundred or even a thousand times greater ease, enabling him to unleash far more advanced techniques.
The weapon was a conduit—a medium to effortlessly wield Hunyuan power.
“What else?” the Xia Emperor asked, certain Dongbo Xueying wouldn’t stop there.
“A weapon,” Dongbo Xueying said with a smile.
Even if he gathered the materials for a Hunyuan Divine Weapon, forging it would take an immense amount of time. Moreover, wielding such a weapon would draw suspicion from the invincible existences, possibly leading to complications. After all, one couldn’t overestimate their moral limits—they were fully capable of ganging up to eliminate a threat. Thus, he needed another formidable weapon—both to enhance his strength and to provide a plausible explanation for his power.
“The ‘Voidfire Lotus’ you forged, Xia Emperor,” Dongbo Xueying said.
“The Voidfire Lotus?” The Xia Emperor frowned. “You ask for too much.”
“I have no choice. I’ve lost all my weapons and need a top-tier treasure,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
The Voidfire Lotus!
In Dongbo Xueying’s view, it was the most suitable Void Path supreme treasure on the entire Heart Realm Continent. Supreme treasures varied in value—defensive ones were naturally the most prized. The Voidfire Lotus was worth two or three ‘Twin Realm Blades.’ With this treasure and his nine avatars, his combat prowess would soar to new heights.
“Very well, I agree,” the Xia Emperor said. “But that should suffice.”
“Not nearly enough,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “If I sold this to multiple ancient nations, the rewards would far exceed this.”
The Xia Emperor, Patriarch Fan, and the Cang Emperor winced inwardly.
One hundred thousand jin of Hunyuan Sand would require trading precious treasures with other nations. And now, a supremely rare world-class Void treasure—the Voidfire Lotus—was also on the table.
“Additionally, I require a trillion years of cultivation beneath the Heartsearing Divine Tree,” Dongbo Xueying added.
Patriarch Fan exhaled in relief.
Though the nominal cost was high—a single million years of cultivation beneath the tree was priced at ten thousand grand merits—in reality, the tree suffered no harm from such use. A trillion years was merely a matter of time, costing the Xia Clan little.
“One final request,” Dongbo Xueying said. “Five hundred thousand grand merits! My losses in the Heart Realm Palace were severe, so I need compensation. That’s all. Xia Emperor, Patriarch Fan, Cang Emperor, if you agree to these terms, this Void Tome will belong solely to the Xia Clan! You may teach it to whomever you wish—even sell it to the Mo Heaven Monarch!”
Though the three rulers ached at the cost, they understood: if Dongbo Xueying sold the tome to other nations, each would pay handsomely, and the total might even exceed what he was asking now.
“Agreed,” the Xia Emperor said after exchanging glances with the other two. “We accept.”
Dongbo Xueying smiled. “My thanks, Xia Emperor, Patriarch Fan, Cang Emperor. On the path of cultivation, one must seize every advantage.”
Patriarch Fan chuckled. “Your demands are harsh, but not unreasonable.”
If the Xia Clan wished, selling the tome to the Mo Heaven Monarch alone could recoup nearly half the cost! The World Clan’s previous offer to Patriarch Fan had been even more extravagant. Though Dongbo Xueying’s requests were steep, Hunyuan Sand—while rare—was difficult to utilize. The Xia Clan could still acquire it at a relatively lower cost.
—
With the deal struck, the Xia Emperor and the others relaxed, and Dongbo Xueying was equally pleased. None could guess that, in secret, the three rulers had once considered capturing all of Dongbo Xueying’s avatars. After all, if they seized them all, unless he was truly willing to die rather than submit, he would have no choice but to yield.
“This matter must remain confidential,” the Xia Emperor declared. “I need time to gather the Hunyuan Sand. Until then, no one outside this room can learn of the Void Tome’s existence. If word spreads—combined with my sudden acquisition of Hunyuan Sand—the difficulty of gathering it would multiply.”
Even now, the task was daunting, hence their reluctance. But if the trade became public knowledge, the World Clan and the Mo Heaven Clan might refuse to sell Hunyuan Sand altogether. None were fools—if Dongbo Xueying traded the Void Tome to the Xia Clan, and the Xia Clan suddenly sought vast quantities of Hunyuan Sand, suspicions would inevitably arise.
“Understood,” the Tearing Heaven Great Venerate below acknowledged.
“I swear not to reveal it. Until the Xia Emperor completes the gathering, I will refrain from using Void Illusion techniques in public,” Dongbo Xueying vowed. He couldn’t afford any mishaps—this Hunyuan Divine Weapon was crucial to him, even if he reached the consummate realm.
Turning to the Tearing Heaven Great Venerate beside him, Dongbo Xueying added, “Brother Tearing Heaven, please keep news of the Voidfire Lotus confidential for now.”
“Oh?” The Great Venerate’s eyes gleamed with realization. “Brother Flying Snow, are you planning revenge?”
“Naturally!”
Dongbo Xueying nodded faintly.
The Black Monarch…
The Eternal Night Primogenitor was beyond his reach, but the Black Monarch? He had never intended to let him go. In the Heart Realm Palace, only two outsiders had known about his acquisition of the Domain Sea Source—the Swordfiend Venerate and the Black Monarch. The Swordfiend was a Xia Clan expert, inherently opposed to the Primogenitor Clan.
Moreover, the Black Monarch had deliberately stalled for time with his words.
When the Eternal Night Primogenitor arrived, the Black Monarch hadn’t shown the slightest surprise—proof that he had summoned the Primogenitor to ambush Dongbo Xueying. Had it not been for his avatar technique, he would have perished!
Still, the Black Monarch was a Venerate-level expert, no easy foe. Even with his current strength, defeating him would be difficult—but with the Voidfire Lotus, the scales would tip.
“The Black Monarch is a Venerate with shadow avatar techniques. He won’t be easy to deal with,” the Tearing Heaven Great Venerate remarked.
“I’ll manage,” Dongbo Xueying said lightly.
The Great Venerate nodded. He knew Dongbo Xueying had witnessed the Black Monarch’s combat prowess firsthand. If he dared to act, he must have some confidence. The thought sent a chill down his spine—this Ying Shan Xueying’s strength was far beyond expectations.
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