Chapter Forty-Eight: The Deal Is Done

In the end, Lingxiao Immortal agreed. After all, if the egg was lost, another could be laid, but if the adult Scarlet Vermillion Bird was gone... No, if the adult bird was lost, that would be irreplaceable.

Next was Jin Sheng, the Master of the Divine Armament Valley.

Before Jin Sheng could speak, Master Liuguang interjected, “Enough with the nonsense. It's true that the Shangxie Twin Swords are your sect's prized treasure, but no one in Divine Armament Valley has ever pulled them out. Each year, Pure Yang Temple sends disciples to try; you can do the same. Whoever draws the swords gets to keep them. How about it?”

Jin Sheng thought it over and nodded in agreement.

If the Scarlet Vermillion Bird was Lingxiao Immortal’s lifeblood, then the Shangxie Twin Swords were the Divine Armament Valley's ancestral legacy—yet since the sect's founding, no one had been able to wield them.

Jin Sheng agreed to Liuguang's terms with his own calculations in mind. If by chance someone from Pure Yang Temple managed to draw the Twin Swords, there would always be ways to make that person part of Divine Armament Valley.

Liuguang was oblivious to Jin Sheng's little scheme and turned to Qiu Wanli. “The Heart of the Ocean forms once every ten thousand years. A new one will soon emerge at the East Sea Abyss. Your sect only needs one; what harm is there in giving me another?”

Qiu Wanli nodded in resignation. “Fine, you win. I admit defeat!”

“I’m not taking advantage of you all. Everything I’ve requested won’t affect your sects’ foundations. I’m exchanging useless things for the survival of your sacred arts—what’s there to be dissatisfied about?”

Liuguang looked to Master Lieyang and Master Zhengqi. “What do you two think?”

Master Lieyang nodded. “The Supreme Yang Infinity Technique is the source of all orthodox sects’ arts. Giving you a copy is no harm. However, some sections on divine sense are missing. I’ve heard Wang Li has a gift for perfecting techniques. If you manage to complete it, Pure Yang Temple must give Zhengyang Holy Land a copy of the full, perfected version.”

Liuguang clapped his hands. “Deal!”

“And you, Master Zhengqi?”

Master Zhengqi considered for a moment. “I can give you the diagram for the Tenfold Heaven-Locking Array, but be warned: this is an array of cosmic design, beyond mortal comprehension. The diagram was drawn by an array master and is not the same as the true formation; there’s a considerable gap. If you find it lacking after setting it up, don’t say Wan Mountain Expanse gave you a fake.”

“Naturally,” Liuguang nodded. “As long as the formation you set up achieves thirty percent of the Tenfold Heaven-Locking Array’s power, I’ll accept it.”

“I have a copy on me now. Though it’s not top-tier, it achieves about thirty-five percent of the original’s power. Liuguang, you’re getting a bargain here.”

“Don’t act so magnanimous. Of all the items offered here, yours is worth the least. Make it up to me with a million premium spirit stones later!”

“You... truly shameless!”

“We’re all the same—pot calling the kettle black.”

With the alliance secured, Master Liuguang turned to the leaders of the Seven Demonic Sects.

Youqing said, “Don’t look at me like that. The most valuable item in the Infinity Sect is the Myriad Phenomena Compass. If you want the real thing, forget it. I’ll give you a replica. It’s no worse than the array diagram the old Zhengqi handed over. In addition, the Infinity Sect will give you ten premium Infinity Pills and a million mid-grade spirit stones.”

Liuguang laughed. “A generous offer! It’s always straightforward doing business with the demonic sects.”

Master Tianmu and the others rolled their eyes. To think these infamous villains were now seen as the good guys in your eyes?

We suspect your sense of right and wrong is deeply flawed!

But as Liuguang said, bargains with the demonic sects were indeed simple—if your strength was sufficient, there was little haggling. The demonic lords simply named their price.

Liuxu from the Sect of Ecstasy offered the recipe for Tribulation Crossing Pills, a top-grade heaven-rank elixir.

In the world of Tianxuan, all techniques, pills, spirit artifacts, and arrays were classified by the four heavenly ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.

A heaven-rank pill, like a heaven-rank artifact, was a sect’s greatest treasure. The Tribulation Crossing Pill was one of the few that could help high-level cultivators survive their tribulations. A single completed pill could be traded for a heaven-rank technique, and if a sect desperately needed one to save their lives, it might even fetch a heaven-rank artifact. Its value was immeasurable.

Such a pill was nearly impossible to refine. The ingredients and catalysts required were so rare that few could even attempt it. Liuxu agreed to trade the recipe because Ecstasy Sect currently lacked the means to produce the pill. She believed Pure Yang Temple would be no more successful, so rather than hoard an unusable recipe, she preferred to gain some practical benefit. Besides, unlike techniques, a recipe could be copied with no real loss to her own sect.

Youqing from Infinity Sect added two hundred pounds of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Essence to secure the first chance to copy the Pure Yang technique.

This rare celestial material was highly coveted by cultivators of ice-based arts, useful in both cultivation and artifact refinement. However, for the Infinity Sect, which ruled the entire northern Ice Kingdom, obtaining it was just a matter of digging through the ice. Although scarce, a little hard work would always yield some. Two hundred pounds was a lot, but Youqing knew if she didn’t make a generous offer, Liuguang would never let her off easily.

King Dongshan of the Ultimate Path, overlord of the South Sea, was wealthier than the other demonic lords and generously offered fifty Water-Avoiding Pearls, a dream artifact for countless cultivators. Master Liuguang was so moved, he nearly grabbed Dongshan’s hand to swear brotherhood on the spot.

Wherever they go, the wealthy are always the most popular, and they prefer befriending other wealthy people, not mingling with the poor.

The two nearly clicked instantly; if not for Xiaoyaozi reminding Dongshan of the generational gap, he might have gained a new brother right then.

Fire Phoenix also had fine offerings, trading a complete set of seventh-grade Flood Dragon bones.

Xiaoyaozi’s offer was not low, either. He promised Pure Yang Temple three opportunities to use the Book of Freedom to alter destiny or spiritual roots, infuriating the other six demonic lords.

The Book of Freedom could only change someone’s fate or roots once every five hundred years. With three slots given to Pure Yang Temple, it meant the Seven Demonic Sects would have no access to this fortune for the next fifteen hundred years. How could they not be angry?

Still, the Book of Freedom belonged to Xiaoyaozi, and no one else could dictate how it was used. They could only express their frustration.

As for the conditions set by the Sect of the Enigmatic Deity and the Corpse-Taming Sect, though generous, their offerings were so sinister and unorthodox that righteous cultivators could not use, or dared not touch them. Liuguang refused and asked them to make up the difference with spirit stones.

Jitian and Xieke Daoist agreed through gritted teeth.

However, they needed to delay payment. Unlike other sects, their practices—one in ghost-cultivation, one in corpse-cultivation—did not require spirit stones for cultivating spiritual power. Thus, their reserves were small, and to meet Liuguang’s price, they would have to trade with other sects for enough spirit stones.

Overall, the exchange was a huge success. Master Liuguang swung his metaphorical blade, selling an almost worthless player at a sky-high price, while the other sects finally resolved their age-old problem of preserving their sacred techniques. It was a win-win for all.

Of course, that is, if you ignored the dark faces of Jitian and Xieke Daoist, and Lingxiao Immortal’s barely contained rage...

“This was a friendly and mutually beneficial collaboration. I hope we can all continue making such outstanding contributions to the cultivation world in the future!”

Master Liuguang delivered a brief, incisive closing statement for the transaction, which was met with a chorus of endless mockery and jeers.

Liuguang, however, seemed to relish the abuse, smiling as if drawing nourishment from every harsh word...