Chapter 385: Snow People Arrive

Soon after, Xiao Lu was sent to the Endless Sea Trench; having previously greeted the Dragon People Priest, the Myriad Dragon Palace had also prepared to receive her.

According to the message from the Dragon People Priest, after Xiao Lu went to the Endless Sea Trench she went straight down to the inner seven layers; it seems her so-called family really is there.

"However, do these heaven-and-earth nurtured rare beasts also have a notion of family?" Yan Buji found it strange; logically speaking, even if they are of the same species, as beings nurtured by heaven and earth they do not necessarily live together from childhood, so why would Xiao Lu know that she has family's existence?

Putting it bluntly, Yan Buji didn't really believe what Xiao Lu called her family; perhaps it was just an excuse for going to the Endless Sea Trench.

But no matter what, if a rare beast can stay still, it will. Yan Buji is no longer a novice cultivator who knows nothing; the many books he has gathered over the years have increased his knowledge. Such heaven-and-earth nurtured rare beasts, lacking strength, should not be thought of badly.

However, with the construction of the Snow Island Inner City underway, Yan Buji also received an invitation from the Snow People, saying they wanted him to visit the Golden Light Coral Realm.

As a guest from afar, they did not come directly to visit the Dragon People, but instead made a detour through the Shark People; regardless of what they were thinking, they certainly placed importance on the existence of the Dragon People.

After all, the Dragon People are not insignificant; they likely also heard some things about the Dragon People from the Shark People, knowing they had trade with the Shark People, so they conducted this exchange via Shark People territory.

For Yan Buji, this was also a good opportunity to make contact with the Snow People and the so-called Otherworldly Alliance.

Having only heard so much from the Shark People Queen Ruyin, Yan Buji actually does not clearly understand what the Otherworldly Alliance under Snow People management really is.

Moreover, whether joining or not, one must still express an attitude.

Considering the Dragon People's current situation, Yan Buji feels they find it hard to show a tough attitude outwardly; if the Shark People had any intention to probe, they could see that the Dragon People are merely strong on the outside but weak within.

The key is that Dragon People Ancestor; the present Heavenly Demon King cannot come out to back them up, so as long as they secure a resource tribute method acceptable to the Dragon People, joining the Otherworldly Alliance can spare them much trouble.

Yan Buji plans to go, but does not intend to bring anyone.

In fact, Yan Buji also wants to see how big the Snow People's appetite is.

From the standpoint of race, they are all Otherworldly beings; their relation with the Monster Race is not exactly good, but not bad either. However, the Frigid Winter Ocean is ultimately the domain of the Monster Race; even if no Monster Race is seen nearby, trouble may still arise later.

At that time, having the name of the Otherworldly Alliance would at least make the Monster Race wary.

In the midst of his thoughts, Yan Buji had already arrived again at the Golden Light Coral Realm.

Having reached the palace, Yan Buji stepped forward, looked around, and discovered several silver‑white‑haired beings emanating cold from head to toe; these were the Snow People.

The Snow People come from the Northern River Ice Region; they are innately able to control ice and snow, possess exceptional talent in the Way of Ice and Snow, and have long lifespans.

However, since they could not get by in the Northern River Ice Region and drifted to the Dongxing Sea Region, this indicates that the Snow People's reputation there is probably not good, or perhaps someone has taken a dislike to them, or maybe the human inhabitants of the Northern River Ice Region simply hate other races.

Regardless, the Snow People have a Heavenly Unity Stage elder ancestor holding the fort, making them far stronger than most powers in the Dongxing Sea Region.

But precisely because of that, as the nation's stabilizing divine needle, they cannot act casually.

These Snow People visiting the Shark People saw the Dragon People's city and had likely already consulted the Shark People Queen Ruyin about many questions.

Yan Buji smiled, clasped his hands, and said, "I am Yan Buji of the Dragon People; greetings, fellow cultivators."

"This is the King of the Dragon People, Yan Buji, Fellow Daoist." Queen Ruyin, seated above, laughed as she said.

The few Snow People beside them rose, clasped their hands, and said, "I am Xue Qing of the Snow People; greetings, Fellow Daoist."

"Xue Rou; greetings, Fellow Daoist."

"Please have a seat, Fellow Daoist Yan." Ruyin laughed, gesturing for Yan Buji to sit opposite the Snow People.

Yan Buji nodded, walked over, and sat down.

"I have long heard of the Snow People's great name; seeing them today, the reputation is indeed deserved." Yan Buji smiled.

These three Snow People who came are all Golden Core‑stage powerhouses, their cultivation level equal to mine, but they are merely here on an external assignment; this shows that the Snow People's overall strength surpasses that of the Shark People.

At least, at a glance, Yan Buji saw that the Shark People have far fewer Golden Core cultivators than he had imagined.

The Dragon People's problem lies here: they have just emerged, with no territory, no time, and no resources, so everything must be fought for themselves.

But their overall strength is too weak to seize territory from other races.

Besides that, in the Frigid Winter Ocean region, provoking either the Otherworldly Alliance or the Monster Race is more than the current Dragon People can bear.

But not pushing Yan Buji too hard, he even considered using the Myriad Dragon Palace as a base to act as pirates plundering merchant ships, or looting some group's treasures; however, that would make the Dragon People utterly despised by everyone.

That too is a helpless method; at present these few Snow People are all smiles, suggesting they still value the Dragon People relatively highly.

"We have already heard from the queen the details; does the Dragon People now have a means to travel to and from the Endless Sea Trench and the outside world?"

"Indeed there is." Yan Buji asked curiously, "What do you all ask about this?"

"It is like this: the Snow People have some things they want the Dragon People to help cultivate in the Endless Sea Trench; if possible, we wish to sign a long‑term purchase agreement. Naturally, the resources and technology are provided by us, so the exchange condition for the Dragon People is that, if they intend to join the Otherworldly Alliance, they need not pay the membership fee." Xue Qing said with a smile.

Yan Buji frowned: "What if we do not join the alliance?"

"Then we would take an eighty‑twenty split: we take eighty percent of the harvest, the Dragon People keep twenty percent, which they could also sell to us for cash in Spiritual Stones." Xue Qing laughed.

Yan Buji nodded: "Then may I ask what the Dragon People would have to do after joining the alliance, or what they could gain?"

"The obligations within the alliance are naturally not few." Xue Qing said: "First, the Otherworldly Alliance holds several large meetings each year, mainly to gather resources from various Otherworldly peoples and to host the venue of major trade fairs; thus during this period, if any people experiences a major incident, they can also seek help from other peoples or directly from the Snow People, and we will provide a platform for everyone to consult."

So the Otherworldly Alliance is not run solely by the Snow People?

Then what is the tribute to you for?

Isn't it just so that the Snow People can lend a hand when something happens?

Yan Buji looked at them somewhat strangely.