Chapter 116: Negotiating Terms?

After trading a few blows with Chen Xiang, the young man clearly realized that his opponent was no simple adversary. He decided to employ a stalling tactic, waiting to see if Chen Xiang would take the bait.

Upon hearing the mention of a deal, Chen Xiang became interested.

"Oh? What kind of deal? Let’s hear it," Chen Xiang said with a faint smile.

He found it quite strange. He had killed so many of the man’s subordinates, yet the man showed no sign of anger and was even offering to negotiate. This piqued his curiosity.

"I see that you possess extraordinary talent. Why not join my Heavenly Yin Sect? If you do, we will be fellow sect members, and I naturally wouldn't raise a hand against you. Besides, the Heavenly Yin Sect is currently in need of geniuses to prepare for an upcoming grand event," the young man said calmly.

This condition was indeed seamless. The centennial sect assembly was approaching, and with major sects participating, the quality of their disciples would determine the allocation of resources, making the matter highly significant.

If Chen Xiang were to join the Heavenly Yin Sect, the man would have hundreds of ways to eliminate him and claim every treasure on his person.

Chen Xiang was stunned. Join the Heavenly Yin Sect? What kind of bizarre turn was this? I’ve killed so many of your fellow disciples, and you want me to join your sect? Besides, what even is the Heavenly Yin Sect? I've never heard of it!

He thought for a second and rejected the offer. "Not interested. What kind of trash sect is the Heavenly Yin Sect? I've never even heard of it. Oh, by the way, if you’re interested, you’re welcome to join my sect!" He added with a smirk.

"Your sect?" The young man frowned, thinking to himself that his suspicions were correct—the brat belonged to a school or faction and had likely been sent out for experience.

"That's right, the Dog-Beating Gang! We specialize in beating dogs like you! The Dog-Beating Gang is dedicated to beating dogs!" Chen Xiang brandished his coiled dragon staff and sneered.

The young man's face darkened; the last shred of his patience evaporated.

"I intended to let you live for a few more hours, but since you don't cherish the opportunity, don't blame me for what happens next!" the young man said calmly.

Those who knew him understood that the calmer he appeared, the more his rage had reached an uncontrollable point.

"Cut the crap. I’ve had my eye on you for a while now. See this dog-beating staff? Today, I’m going to beat some dogs," Chen Xiang said with a cold laugh.

With that, Chen Xiang executed the Three Thousand Lightning Movement, charging toward the young man at a speed that broke the sound barrier. He swung his staff rapidly, unleashing the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, transforming it into a dense web of shadows.

The young man was unfazed. He produced a folding fan—jet black, gleaming with a metallic luster, and tipped with a blade as sharp as a sword’s point. It was a terrestrial-grade spirit weapon!

Holding the handle, the young man easily parried all of Chen Xiang’s attacks. Although Chen Xiang was fast, the young man possessed the Heavenly Yin Sect’s unique movement technique, the "Shadow Strategy." Even though it was a fragment, it was still of mid-tier terrestrial grade, whereas the Three Thousand Lightning Movement was only low-tier. Thus, he could easily keep pace with Chen Xiang.

"Mountain-Splitting Seal! Sea-Covering Seal! Earth-Covering Seal! Heaven-Obliterating Seal!"

Seeing that he couldn't land a hit, Chen Xiang stopped holding back and unleashed four massive seals at once.

Since the first move didn't work, he tried a second. The young man’s heart tightened as he faced the four incoming seals. He snapped his fan open, and with a surge of spiritual energy, he fanned it toward the four imprints.

"Blazing Fire Consumes the Sky!"

In an instant, a sea of flames erupted, expanding with the power to incinerate the heavens and boil the earth.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rocked the Li family’s outpost! The defensive arrays protecting the area shattered instantly. The surrounding red-tiled, white-walled buildings collapsed into heaps of rubble, most pulverized into fine powder. The bluestone floor was left riddled with cracks and craters.

Just then, another handprint, radiating an ancient and contemptuous aura, appeared in the sky.

"Ancient Emperor Seal!"

A soft shout echoed from somewhere. The handprint shot rapidly in one direction.

"Black Fiend Blood Shield!"

Nearby, not far from the ten-thousand-man altar, a figure suddenly appeared. The young man’s clothes were disheveled, and his face was slightly pale, but he couldn't afford to be distracted as the powerful seal flew toward him. He quickly formed a series of strange hand seals.

Instantly, the black-red mist gathering in the sky surged, and the blood and death energy flowing toward the mist shifted direction, rushing toward the young man. A transparent black-red shield formed before him, enveloping him completely.

Almost simultaneously, the Ancient Emperor Seal struck.

Bang!

A muffled sound rang out. The young man felt a powerful force slamming against his blood shield, causing it to flicker.

"Crack!"

With a faint sound, the young man’s pupils contracted—a fissure had appeared on the Black Fiend Blood Shield.

"Crack, crack!"

The cracks multiplied, as if the shield were about to give way.

"How is this possible?" the young man muttered in disbelief, though he didn't stop moving. He slashed his palm, drawing lines across the shield, and then bit the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood. The Black Fiend Blood Shield flared with intense light, and the cracks were instantly repaired. The force of the Ancient Emperor Seal dissipated at that moment.

Chen Xiang’s figure reappeared. His condition was far better; other than a slightly pale complexion, he was no different than before.

The "Blazing Fire Consumes the Sky" was a mid-tier terrestrial technique. Executed at his cultivation level, it was at full power, and in such a massive sea of flames, Chen Xiang should have been hit. Yet, at that moment, a fire within his own body had reacted—the Crystal Flame he had absorbed in the Valley of Frozen Ice!

The Crystal Flame was an area-of-effect attack, and its power was usually unremarkable, so Chen Xiang rarely used it. But the moment it touched the sea of flames, it acted like a sovereign, absorbing all the fire near Chen Xiang. It seemed unsatisfied, as if it wanted to surge out of his body to consume the flames further away.

Chen Xiang was dumbfounded. First it absorbed cold energy in the Extreme South, and now it absorbs fire here? It really was a flame with a chilling edge, but why did this characteristic feel so familiar?

Oh! Chen Xiang suddenly realized.

Isn't this just the Bone-Chilling Cold Flame? That flame had this exact characteristic, identical to the Crystal Flame!

"System, give me the description of the Bone-Chilling Cold Flame!" Chen Xiang thought, his heart racing.

"Bone-Chilling Cold Flame: An exotic flame from another continent, ranked eleventh on the Exotic Flame Ranking. Formed by the combination of extreme cold and extreme heat, it is unique and immensely powerful. It only appears once every hundred years when the sun and moon alternate, with a chance of manifesting in the extreme cold or extreme heat of the Endless Fire Domain. It can absorb cold and fire to strengthen itself. Price: 3,000 Reputation Points!"

Chen Xiang read the description carefully; only the last part mattered. The Crystal Flame possessed the same traits.

"To be continued..."