C2657 Refuse to Negotiate
C2657 Refuse to Negotiate
A member of the Red Mark Clan said, "We must find a trustworthy royal from your clan. Be careful not to complicate things. I can reach out to other clans to gather more allies for a major discussion."
The clan leader responded, "Let's not do that just yet. Stay here for now and don't wander around. I'm worried you might lead the Slayer Clan here. Once things are settled, it won't be too late to contact them. Gathering too early could lead to disaster."
"Alright, the three of us will stay at the Mountain of Gods and wait for good news from the clan leader. In this situation, we just want to survive. If we can get through this crisis, our clan will owe you a favor and will repay it in the future."
"There's no need to mention that now. At least you've thought of a plan and helped out. If we can truly divert the trouble, all the clans will remember your efforts."
After the Red Mark Clan left the hall, the clan leader turned to the Purple Jade Eagle. "Do you have any trustworthy royals on your side?"
The Purple Jade Eagle shook its head. "Our Eagle Ridge doesn't need those folks to serve us. They're mostly just prey, and they avoid us whenever they can."
The patriarch grumbled, "Fine, I'll find someone myself."
"It's up to you now."
The patriarch whispered a few words to the elder, who nodded and then left the hall with long strides.
After the elder left, a Purple Jade Eagle Clan elder spoke up, "The suggestion from the Red Mark Clan is good, but it carries risks. Maybe we can think of other solutions along these lines."
"We'll all think about it. Meanwhile, I'll have our people set up the formation. Worst case, we can lead our clan into hiding in the Nine Wildernesses. The warriors there are strong, but it's better than staying here and facing certain doom. If we can't win, at least we can hide. Plus, we might find a chance to recover your spiritual bodies."
Hearing this, the Purple Jade Eagle Clan's patriarch nodded, clearly agreeing with the idea.
...
In the Nine Wildernesses, the Golden Eye Clan had already established a settlement within the Human Emperor Sect's territory. The sect's cultivators weren't particularly opposed to this and hadn't caused any trouble.
During these days at Myriad Clouds Mountain, Jiang Fann hadn't given much guidance to his three disciples. The news brought by the Golden Eye Clan had made him worry about the situation in the greater world. It wasn't chaos in the greater world that concerned him, but the possibility that the turmoil might spill over into the Nine Wildernesses. The aura that Xiao Mo sensed was definitely not imagined. If a cultivator of that level entered the Nine Wildernesses without restraint, it could lead to its collapse, not to mention the impact on the cultivators there.
He even considered venturing into the vast world to see what was happening, but his rational side held him back.
In the blink of an eye, another two weeks passed. Everything in the Nine Desolations remained calm; nothing happened, and no rifts to the vast world opened. Yet, Jiang Fann found it hard to stay calm, sensing that something was about to occur. His intuition had always been spot-on. Nearby, Xiao Mo sensed Jiang Fann's emotional shift and asked, "Master, did you sense something?"
Jiang Fann replied, "I feel uneasy, but I can't pinpoint what's about to happen. It's been years since I've felt this out of control."
"Don't worry too much; maybe it's not as bad as you think."
Meanwhile, in the vast world, the Ancient God Clan was either gathering or on the run, hiding and hoping to find a way to survive. Fortunately, there weren't many of the Godslayer Clan, which occasionally gave them a breather. However, what terrified them the most was the feeling that these Godslayers had marked them somehow, finding them no matter where they hid.
Several clans had gathered at the Mountain of Gods, their expressions grave. Two members of the Godslayer Clan were approaching, and according to the scouts, they would arrive in less than half a day. A monk from the Red Mark Clan looked anxious, "Chief, haven't we arranged for reliable monks to make contact with the Godslayers yet?"
The chieftain of the God Clan said, "They've already been sent out."
At that moment, three figures were moving toward the direction of the God-Slayer Clan. These were the cultivators dispatched by the God Clan. The three were quite tense, each hailing from different royal families, all having reached the peak of the Mortal Separating Stage.
"Are we really going to face such terrifying beings? Isn't this just a death sentence?"
"This has nothing to do with us. The so-called God-Slayer Clan isn't interested in royal bloodlines. Why should we listen to the God Clan? Maybe we should change course now, hide, and wait for this catastrophe to end. We can come out when it's over."
"What about our people? My son is still on the Mountain of Gods."
The three argued, clearly not in agreement, and none of them had come willingly.
Two hours later, they looked into the distance. It seemed like a storm was brewing in that direction, as if the world was on fire, like the end of days.
Even with their courage, they couldn't stay calm after witnessing this. They had seen this phenomenon before in the Yellow Sand Domain, but now it was on a much more terrifying scale.
"No way. Even though our cultivation isn't low, facing the God-Slayer Clan, which even the God Clan fears, would be certain death for us. Sorry, but I'm out."
With that, the cultivator turned and left without a moment's hesitation.
The remaining two furrowed their brows, with one clearly starting to hesitate, leaving only one concerned about their people's safety.
One of them said, "If you're worried too, you can leave now. I can go alone; it's not a problem. According to the plan, the three of us were supposed to go together as a precaution. If one of us gets taken out, the others could still communicate. Now, with just the two of us, it's no different from me going alone."
"Can you really handle it? If things work out, you better not tell the others I bailed at the last minute!"
"You want all the benefits! But I’m not in the mood for tattling. I might not even make it back alive. If I don't, try to help my people get out of the mountain."
Hearing this, the other one gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll go with you. We can watch each other's backs. I don't want to promise you something and then end up against the others, which would be as good as a death sentence. Maybe if we team up, we can both make it out alive."
Without further discussion, they flew toward the storm ahead. As cultivators at the peak of the Mortal Separating Stage, they had some confidence in their ability to protect themselves, at least enough to confront the hidden threat within the storm.
As they plunged into the storm, scorching heat engulfed them. They quickly raised their defenses and headed toward the center, their powerful spiritual strength causing them to tremble involuntarily, clearly in awe.
"How can the aura of the God Slayer Clan be this powerful?"
Just as the royal figure finished speaking, a massive red silhouette appeared in view. Its fiery red eyes flickered like flames, clearly aware of their presence.
One of them wasted no time and spoke up, "The Ancient God Clan sent us to deliver a message. They hope to negotiate a deal with you!"
The enormous figure continued moving forward, ignoring the speaker.
The other one was more direct, shouting, "It concerns the Innate Dao Fruit. Are you interested?"
The God Slayer, who initially dismissed them, halted slowly, turning back to look at them.
Then a voice echoed, "Do you know where the Innate Dao Fruit is?"
"We do know. The Ancient God Clan wants to use this information to save themselves. They hope you and your clan will stop disrupting the foundation of the world. If you agree to their terms and discuss it with the others, they'll arrange a meeting place and personally open the path to the location, guiding you there."
The figure didn't answer directly but questioned them instead, "So it's not in this world. But do you two know the place they mentioned? Do you have a way to open the path?"
"We don't understand what you mean."
The God Slayer responded, "They don't dare show their faces and send you to talk to me instead. Aren't they just avoiding me on purpose? Since they sent you, maybe you know the secret behind all this. If you can take me there, why should I even bother working with them? Once I deal with them, you two can personally lead me to the Innate Dao Fruit. I don't need their cooperation at all."
The two royal experts were completely caught off guard by the God Slayer's words, which clearly indicated he had no intention of negotiating with the Mountain of Gods.
Seeing the two stunned, the powerful being continued, "You follow along. Once I've dealt with those resources, you can take me to find the Innate Dao Fruit."
With that, he ignored them and moved forward without any hesitation.
The two exchanged glances, struggling to remain calm.
They communicated silently, "This is bad."
"The God Slayer treats the Ancient God Clan as mere resources, clearly not intending to negotiate with them, and now it's obvious we know about the Innate Dao Fruit."
"What do we do now? Should we notify the Mountain of Gods? If this guy heads there, the Ancient God Clan is in serious trouble."
"Damn it! We never expected this."
"Thinking about it, ants really have no grounds to negotiate with elephants, especially after the secret's out."
The monk pondered for a moment before finally taking out the Spirit Attached Jade from the God Clan's leader.
"My clan's monks are all on the Mountain of Gods. I can't let them suffer unnecessary harm. This is my last effort to help the God Clan, hoping it can buy my people their lives!"
After speaking, he used the Spirit Attached Jade to inform the God Clan about the situation with the opposing clan, allowing them to prepare in advance.