Chapter 178: The Negotiation Collapses

“Two thousand jin of Yuan stones? That’s quite a generous offer,” Dongbo Xueying remarked.

Wuyun Huomoshen said, “You should understand that now I am in the Dark Abyss… it’s extremely difficult to send treasures to your Xia Clan’s world, so a gift worth two thousand jin of Yuan stones is already quite significant.”

“I know, usually it must be delivered through the Temple of Time and Space, right?” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

Both the Divine Realm and the Dark Abyss were far removed from the Material World.

It was also extremely difficult to descend there. Previously, when demons invaded, it was only due to a rare coincidence that a channel was formed. If a Demon God or Deity wished to send some resources to the Material World… the cost of ‘transport’ usually far exceeded the value of the goods being transported.

Divine beings could not descend, and world projections could not carry items either.

Therefore—

Only through the legendary ‘Temple of Time and Space’ was it possible. This was a legendary existence; members of the Temple of Time and Space could travel across countless worlds… they could help deliver some items to the Xia Clan’s world, but they would demand an exorbitant fee.

“Exactly, it must go through the Temple of Time and Space,” Wuyun Huo said. “So, a gift worth two thousand jin of Yuan stones, you should understand my sincerity now.”

“I find it strange.”

Dongbo Xueying held his wine cup, “This main altar has already been destroyed by me to this extent, and the demon-possessed envoys you painstakingly cultivated have all been killed by me. Only a few figures like the altar master and elders remain. You offer a gift of two thousand jin of Yuan stones just to save them? Is it worth it?”

Beside him, the leader in the silver robe held the wine jug and stood quietly, secretly glancing at Dongbo Xueying.

“No, they are certainly not worth it,” Wuyun Huo explained. “But after a long period of infiltration, the entire underground network spanning the Anyang Province is valuable! Once this main altar is completely destroyed, your Xia Clan’s Longshan Pavilion will investigate from this main altar to uncover numerous branch altars, and will uproot the entire underground network.”

“They can die, but the underground network must not be destroyed,” Wuyun Huo continued, “they are the ones truly contributing faith.”

“Is that so?”

Dongbo Xueying exclaimed, “Your reasoning is truly flawless, I can hardly find any flaw.”

Wuyun Huo’s expression slightly changed, then he grinned, “You should understand, what I say is the truth. Faith is the most important to me! What, do you think a gift of two thousand jin of Yuan stones is too little? Sigh, fine then, a gift worth three thousand jin of Yuan stones! If you were in the Dark Abyss, even ten thousand jin of Yuan stones wouldn’t be a big deal for me to give you. But you are in the Material World, and it’s too difficult for me to send treasures there. I’m just an ordinary Demon God, one among many evil gods and demons, why make things difficult for me?”

“Deliberately acting pitiful?” Dongbo Xueying smiled, “Demon God, indeed cunning.”

“So, do you agree to this transaction?” Wuyun Huo was secretly growing anxious.

“Sorry, I disagree,” Dongbo Xueying shook his head.

Wuyun Huo’s amber-like eyes faintly showed a furious flame; he was truly angry, damn this human Transcendent! With his power… he could easily crush this little pest! But his true body was in the Dark Abyss now, and his world projection was suppressed by the Xia Clan’s world to the ‘limit of mortals,’ so it could not threaten the Transcendent before him at all.

“Why do you disagree?” Wuyun Huo anxiously asked.

“Because of your main altar master,” Dongbo Xueying smiled, “I have to thank him.”

“Him?” Wuyun Huo turned his head toward the leader in the silver robe beside him.

The silver-robed leader was also astonished.

“Yes.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded, “Revered Demon God, only when you descended did I realize this was the main altar of an evil god demon! And from countless records I have read… under normal circumstances, when a Xia Clan Transcendent attacks the main altar of an evil god demon, the main altar should quickly scatter and flee, not daring to resist at all.”

“But this main altar master gave orders to kill me at all costs,” Dongbo Xueying exclaimed, “Isn’t that strange? After all, I am a Xia Clan Transcendent, I can immediately summon Xia Clan’s Demi-gods for support. The possibility of killing me is very low! Yet he still insisted on a desperate battle.”

“Revered Demon God, tell me, isn’t that strange?” Dongbo Xueying looked at Wuyun Huo, “And at a critical moment, you actually descended. Out of nineteen provinces, just one province’s main altar being destroyed… you could easily afford that. From what I know, even among the cases where main altars were attacked and destroyed, the divine world projections descending were only a minority.”

Dongbo Xueying chuckled, “These aren’t the main reasons though.”

“The most important reason is…” Dongbo Xueying looked at the Demon God, “That you, an evil god demon, also want me, a Xia Clan Transcendent, to compromise?” Dongbo Xueying sneered, “Dream on!!!”

Historically, Xia Clan Transcendents never cared about these evil gods and demons.

So what if they are powerful?

They couldn’t truly enter here with their real bodies; no matter how strong they were, it was all empty talk. After all, the vast majority of Xia Clan Transcendents could never become gods! When they become divine beings in the future and have the hope of stepping into the vast world, it wouldn’t matter much. The divine realm is too vast… in the divine realm, those evil gods are probably just the rulers of some obscure little place, and the possibility of encountering them is about as likely as a pie falling from the sky.

As for Demon Gods? Humans who cultivate normally will eventually enter the divine realm. Demon Gods are even less to be feared.

“Human!” Wuyun Huo suppressed his anger, “I advise you, don’t make an enemy of a god!”

“Revered Demon God, this is the Xia Clan’s world, don’t try to show off your power here, okay?” Dongbo Xueying smiled.

Wuyun Huo’s eyes burned with flames as he forcefully suppressed his anger, “Five thousand jin of Yuan stones! This is the maximum I can offer! You’ll be happy, and I’ll be happy too, right?”

“No!” Dongbo Xueying shook his head.

Boom!

Wuyun Huo abruptly stood up; flames burned on his body, and a terrifying pressure spread outward, as if an entire world were being set ablaze and destroyed. His amber eyes fixed on Dongbo Xueying with murderous intent: “I cannot truly descend here, but you have enraged me, and you will pay a price you cannot bear. Human, I’ve already shown you plenty of respect.”

“Are you threatening me, intimidating me?” Dongbo Xueying’s mighty flame Transcendent battle aura suddenly surged outward in all directions.

The table in front of them exploded instantly, and Wuyun Huo was directly knocked backward by the impact of the Transcendent battle aura. His body became blurred, but the continuous power transmitted from the distant Dark Abyss caused his form to solidify again.

“You, an evil god demon, dare to threaten a Xia Clan Transcendent?” Dongbo Xueying sneered.

Wuyun Huo was furious.

In the Dark Abyss, he was a true overlord who ruled an immensely vast territory, with billions of lives bowing to him. Today, this Xia Clan Transcendent had the audacity to show him so little respect. Yet he was helpless.

He really wanted the negotiation to succeed because… he truly could not afford the loss here; the cost of losing this place was too great.

If it weren’t for the fear of arousing Dongbo Xueying’s suspicions, he would rather offer one hundred thousand jin of Yuan stones, just to have Dongbo Xueying leave.

He offered five thousand jin, and Dongbo Xueying was already quite surprised. If he dared to offer one hundred thousand jin of Yuan stones… Dongbo Xueying would surely guess that this place must have something special! And he would definitely refuse even more.

“Really not willing to agree?” Wuyun Huo stood there, his voice seemingly calm.

Dongbo Xueying also understood that this Demon God was no longer willing to negotiate and had begun issuing his final ultimatum. If he refused, he would truly offend this Demon God.

Offend?

It would be a joke for a Xia Clan Transcendent to fear evil gods and demons!

“I won’t agree,” Dongbo Xueying also stood up.

“Very well, excellent,” Wuyun Huo coldly stared at Dongbo Xueying, “Human, remember this, you will regret this decision today!”

At the same time—

In the inner fortress, besides the silver-robed leader, a group of elders, and Nanmen Xin, there were other subordinates and servants.

One of the servants was plump, with a simple face and a pair of mustaches. He looked ordinary, but now a ripple reached his mind: “The negotiation has collapsed; this damned human, Dongbo Xueying, refuses to compromise at all. I really can’t afford to lose this place, it’s your turn now. Kill Dongbo Xueying!”

“Revered Demon God, I just consumed over ten thousand human souls you provided, and you want me to take such a huge risk?” the servant responded in his mind.