Chapter 1554: Negotiation

North Qin City.

This was a border city where the territories of the two great Heavenly King lines met, and because it was not far from where the Calamity had erupted, both sides had chosen this place to negotiate their pact.

The city was somewhat sparsely populated, with only a handful of figures on its wide streets, and the atmosphere within the city felt oppressive and heavy.

All of this was because of the eruption of the Calamity Tide.

The Calamities that had erupted over the past two years at the border between the two great Heavenly King lines had caused tremendous destruction. The many neutral forces that had once existed in the neutral zone had all been destroyed by the Calamity Tide; countless people had lost their cities and homes, leaving ten thousand miles of dead land, looking utterly desolate.

This had caused many forces and cultivators to choose to flee this dangerous region.

Therefore, these neighboring cities no longer possessed their former prosperity.

And at this moment, in the City Lord's residence at the center of the city, a negotiation concerning the two great Heavenly King lines was taking place.

"Same as before: the pact can be formed, but after the Calamity Tide recedes, of the three hundred and eighty-two cities in the original neutral zone, three hundred cities must belong to our Qin Heavenly King line."

"And of the thirty-two mountain ranges running through this zone, the twenty in the north also belong to our Qin Heavenly King line. The Li Heavenly King line's garrison here must withdraw."

Inside the great hall, a slightly sharp, forceful woman's voice rang out.

Bang!

The teacup in Dantai Lan's hand slammed directly onto the table; the teacup instantly vanished into nothingness, not even a drop of tea spilled out, though the table itself remained perfectly intact.

Her gaze swept coldly toward the one who had spoken—a middle-aged woman with fiery red hair, a gaunt face, and lips thin as a blade's edge.

The middle-aged woman was named Qin Qu, the Palace Master of Divine Melody Palace, one of the Six Great Divine Palaces of the Qin Heavenly King line, a One-Crown King in strength.

"Why don't you just have the Li Heavenly King line throw in their lot with your Qin Heavenly King line altogether?" Seated beside Dantai Lan was Li Li Qingying, the Line Head of the Dragon Scale Line. Though she was normally even-tempered, at this moment her brows also held a murderous aura, clearly angered by Qin Qu's outrageous demand.

"Line Head Li Qingying speaks too harshly. These neutral zones were never the property of the Li Heavenly King line to begin with—how can the two be lumped together?" To Qin Qu's left, a black-robed elder spoke up. His voice was low and carried a sense of pressure; one of his pupils swirled with lightning, the other blazed with fire.

This was Qin Qin Zhiming, Palace Master of Thunder Fire Divine Palace.

"Your Qin Heavenly King line is as shameless as ever. Bullying the smaller with your greater strength back then was one thing, but now, as the instigators of this calamity, you still have the nerve to brazenly demand benefits—truly an eye-opener for me." Dantai Lan spoke flatly.

This verbal attack was so sharp that it immediately drew an angry glare from Qin Qu, who shouted: "Dantai Lan, I spared your life back then, and you still don't know what's good for you?"

Dantai Lan stared at Qin Qu, a faint killing intent stirring in her words: "Old woman, you should be grateful that I've taken over the position of Line Head of the Dragon Fang Line, otherwise I would definitely make your Qin Heavenly King line lose one more Palace Master."

Back when the Qin Heavenly King line had been pursuing her and Li Taixuan, it was precisely this Divine Melody Palace's Palace Master Qin Qu who had set aside all propriety to strike, forcing them to flee the Outer Shenzhou heavily wounded.

So there was considerable old enmity between the two sides.

And her words were not false—if not for her identity as Line Head of the Dragon Fang Line, Dantai Lan would certainly have, after arranging matters for Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge, found an opportunity to secretly slay this Qin Qu and avenge the grudge of those years.

And sensing Dantai Lan's undisguised killing intent, Qin Qu's face couldn't help but change, a flicker of anger and wariness rising deep in her eyes. She could never have imagined that the insignificant little marquis she had once looked down upon would, upon her return, have already achieved the rank of Grand Non-Pair Marquis.

In terms of combat power, the current Dantai Lan was comparable to a peak Two-Crown King, while she herself, after years of effort, had only advanced from her initial entry into the One-Crown realm to its peak.

"The past is past; why must Line Head Dantai bring it up again? Palace Master Qin Qu showed mercy back then—otherwise how could you have kept your life at the hands of a King-realm powerhouse?" A voice rang out in the great hall. It was the middle-aged man seated at the head of the Qin Heavenly King line's side who had spoken.

The middle-aged man wore a grey-black long robe, his face composed. This man was precisely the current new-generation Line Master of the Qin Heavenly King line, Palace Master of Heavy Abyss Palace—Qin Zhongyuan.

Dantai Lan let out a cold laugh and said: "I'm not that magnanimous. Your Qin Heavenly King line should just pray I never reach the Heavenly King realm, or else I'll settle the old grudges with you properly."

Her words were direct and forceful, causing even Qin Zhongyuan's eyelids to twitch a few times, because Dantai Lan's threat carried considerable pressure.

If anyone else had spoken of advancing to the Heavenly King realm, Qin Zhongyuan and the others might have treated it as a joke, but Dantai Lan truly had some possibility of doing so—after all, she was now already a Grand Non-Pair Marquis.

Qin Zhongyuan was silent for several breaths, then said slowly: "The grudges of those years—who was right and who was wrong no longer matters. That feud was started by Qin Qin Lian and you two as a couple, and now... Qin Qin Lian has been killed by your son Li Luo."

"And right in front of her daughter."

Dantai Lan's gaze shifted, her eyes involuntarily turning toward one part of the great hall. Within this great hall, only the top-level members of their two great Heavenly King lines were qualified to enter, yet at this moment, a girl was still seated there.

The girl sat quietly, a pale blue cloud-gauze long dress outlining her slender, graceful curves; pure water-attribute power flowed across the surface of her dress, shimmering like ripples, lending her an especially unique charm.

Her skirt spread out like lotus leaves, her smooth black hair cascading like a waterfall, flowing gently like a surging tide.

Her eyes resembled a lake beneath moonlight, shimmering with rippling light, enchanting to behold.

She was the girl called Qin Yi, Qin Qin Lian's daughter.

She merely sat there quietly, not participating in the discussions of those present. Only when Qin Zhongyuan mentioned the names Qin Qin Lian and Li Luo did a faint ripple stir in her eyes.

In the end, Dantai Lan said nothing more. No matter how much she loathed the Qin Heavenly King line, she did not wish to discuss a mother's past misdeeds in front of a child who had lost hers.

"This old fox..."

Li Li Tianji, who had not spoken until now, saw this scene and muttered inwardly. Qin Zhongyuan's methods and ability were in fact no weaker than Qin Jiujie's; that casual remark had caused even Dantai Lan—whom he himself often found impossible to deal with—to rein in her presence somewhat.

Moreover, in the two years since taking charge of the Qin Heavenly King line, Qin Zhongyuan had already fully suppressed the negative fallout from Qin Jiujie's defection.

And now, he had even seized the opportunity to try to snatch food from the Li Heavenly King line's mouth.

The Qin Heavenly King line, after all, still had its foundations.

"Line Head Li Tianji, this is hardly the atmosphere for negotiating a pact. The Calamity Tide on the Li Heavenly King line's side has yet to subside; many of your forces are engaged in fierce battles with the Aberrations. Every day this drags on, your casualties grow by another measure." Seeing Dantai Lan rein herself in slightly, Qin Zhongyuan turned to Li Li Tianji and spoke in a grave tone.

Li Li Tianji frowned slightly and said flatly: "You're asking for too much."

"This Calamity is an enormous burden for both of us. I imagine the Li Heavenly King line has poured massive manpower and resources into this over the past two years—especially those top Marquis-level cultivators, who are extremely costly to recruit, yet they are indispensable to this Calamity. After all, our King-realm powers cannot penetrate the Black Rain's range; the Black Rain Watchtowers must be broken down by them."

"But this Calamity is extremely perilous. Not long ago, one of your clan's top Marquis nearly suffered a grievous injury and died, didn't he? When word of that got out, it frightened some of the top Marquis who had originally wanted to join your side into coming over to our Qin Heavenly King line instead."

"After all, over these two years, our Qin Heavenly King line has handled the Calamity Tide's eruptions with seeming ease, our casualties far fewer than yours."

"If the Li Heavenly King line is willing to agree to this condition and bring the pact to fruition, our Qin Heavenly King line will surely give its all to help you resolve all subsequent Calamity Tide eruptions. Once the Heavenly King ancestors of our respective clans return, this crisis will be resolved."

"Line Head Li Tianji, exchanging some territories that were never originally part of the Li Heavenly King line for reduced losses is not a losing deal. After all, those lands have been eroded by the Calamity Tide; even after acquiring them, you would still need to sort out the ley lines and restore vitality—that too is an enormous investment."

Qin Zhongyuan spoke with composure, every word brimming with persuasiveness, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Li Li Tianji was briefly silent, then said: "It seems we still cannot reach a consensus this time."

Qin Zhongyuan smiled faintly, unhurried. He picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip, saying: "No matter; we still have time."

Negotiations were like this—gradually wearing down the other side's bottom line, until eventually they would yield.

After all, every extra day dragged on, the more the Li Heavenly King line was worn down by the Calamity Tide. As for asking them to back down, that wasn't likely either—there was no helping it; the Qin Heavenly King line's losses this time were too great, and they had to use the resources and minerals from these vast territories to recoup.

And just as the negotiations between the two sides once again reached an impasse, suddenly a young, laughing voice came from outside the great hall.

"If we can't talk it out, then let's not talk at all. Everyone go home."

The sudden voice caused the King-realm powerhouses on both sides to be taken aback. They then raised their gazes toward the doorway, only to see two young figures stepping in through the light.

"Li Luo? Qing'e? You've finally returned!"

When that earlier voice rang out, Dantai Lan had already known who was coming. Now, seeing those two young faces she had been yearning for day and night, delight immediately welled up in her eyes. She could not help rising to her feet, striding quickly to the young man and woman, and reaching out to embrace them both.

"Mother!"

Looking at Dantai Lan's joyful face, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e's faces broke into broad smiles as they called out in unison.

At this moment, Qin Yi, who had been sitting quietly in a corner of the great hall, also lifted her pretty face at this moment, her beautiful eyes turning toward those two figures.

"Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e?"

The two branch leaders, Li Li Tianji and Li Li Qingying, were also somewhat surprised. They had not expected that this pair of young people, who had left the Li Li Tianwang branch for over two years, would actually return at this moment.

As for Qin Qu, he merely lifted an eyelid, and his flat voice rang out, grating harshly within the great hall.

"Childish words, no manners at all — is this how your Li Li Tianwang branch teaches its juniors? Is this a place where he can interject?"