Yang Qing's expression shifted repeatedly; that wisp of fluctuation had actually pierced through Xutian Palace's grand barrier and vanished without a trace.
A moment later, a report from the sect's assassins came through the old man's jade slip.
"Reporting to the Grand Elder, there are teleportation array fluctuations within the Lin family manor! The auras of the cultivators inside are rapidly disappearing!!"
Lin Jinting stood his ground, looking calmly at the elder as he let out a low, gravelly growl.
"Do we talk... or not?!"
The man's eyes shifted toward Li Guanqi, who was on the verge of suffocation.
His meaning was clear.
If they talked, he had to release Li Guanqi.
If they didn't, he could simply slaughter them all right here!
What would follow was the Lin family's cultivators unleashing frenzied vengeance upon Xutian Palace.
The tension in the hall reached an absolute peak. Whether it would be war or parley hung entirely upon a single thought from the old man.
Only when Li Guanqi was truly about to asphyxiate did the old man slowly loosen his grip.
Li Guanqi fell to the floor with a thud, prostrating on the ground as he gasped desperately for air.
As the immortal primal energy circulated through his body once more, the suffocating agony finally eased.
A distinct, deep-purple handprint was bruised into his neck.
Li Guanqi gritted his teeth and said nothing. In the face of absolute strength, any harsh words were utter nonsense.
Lin Jinting also breathed a quiet sigh of relief, producing another jade slip and gripping it tightly in his hand.
By now, the Lin family manor was completely empty; they had evidently prepared for whatever might follow. This was also the intelligence relayed back by Xutian Palace's assassins.
Yang Qing's eyes flickered. He tucked his hands slowly into his sleeves, his gaze lingering briefly on Lin Jinting and the pale-faced Ran Shiming.
The old man sat down slowly and gave a soft chuckle. Crushing the immortal crystal beneath his foot, he said with a placid expression, "Since Clan Head Lin wishes to talk, then let us have a proper discussion.
"Bring seats."
Luo Cheng pushed open the doors and stepped in from outside, fetching fresh chairs for the group.
Once everyone was seated, Lin Jinting waved his hand, sweeping the immortal crystals scattered across the floor into a neat, towering wall.
Lin Jinting's expression remained composed. As the head of the Lin family, he naturally possessed the bearing of a sovereign ruler.
Even before a genuine Golden Immortal, he did not display the slightest trace of cowardice.
After taking his seat, Lin Jinting methodically straightened his robes, then picked up his teacup and took a light sip.
By contrast, Ran Shiming sat as though on a bed of needles, his eyes darting back and forth, looking profoundly ill at ease.
Li Guanqi stood behind Lin Jinting, appearing considerably calmer than Ran Shiming.
Li Guanqi's creed was simple: fight if you can win, run if you can't, and risk your life if you can't run.
However, in this situation, he still had to wait for Lin Jinting to speak.
Yet to Li Guanqi's surprise, before Lin Jinting could say a word, the placid old man spoke up first.
"Qisha, the traitor who fled our Xutian Palace—he is at the Lin manor, isn't he?"
Lin Jinting frowned slightly, but did not deny it.
"He is."
The elder smiled and continued, "Lin Wujiu, along with this Li Congxin behind you and their companions, killed a total of twenty-two disciples of our Xutian Palace. Among them were twelve Heavenly Immortals.
"And ten Mystic Immortals.
"Clan Head Lin, am I correct?"
Hands tucked in his sleeves, the elder lowered his gaze, his voice eerily calm.
Lin Jinting made no attempt to deny facts laid bare before them, and the old man continued:
"Such losses are practically the most severe Xutian Palace has suffered in thousands of years.
"Harboring Han Sijin, a man on Xutian Palace's bounty list, slaughtering twenty-two of my disciples, and now you dare threaten me with the Xutian Stone?!
"Lin Jinting, is your Lin family looking down on my Xutian Palace a bit too much these days?!"
Lin Jinting's expression darkened noticeably at those words, leaving him momentarily at a loss for how to retort.
Just then, however, Li Guanqi placed a hand gently on Lin Jinting's shoulder.
Instantly, every gaze in the room converged upon Li Guanqi.
Li Guanqi took a slow step forward, looking calmly at the elder, and said in a mild voice, "Senior, some matters can simply be discussed with me."
Yang Qing scoffed, casting a cool, mocking glance at Li Guanqi.
"You?
"A mere stripling who has just stepped into the Heavenly Immortal realm—what right do you have to negotiate with me?"
Li Guanqi gave a slight smile. He casually pulled up a chair, planted it right in the center between the two sides, and sat facing the elder directly!
Such sheer audacity startled even Lin Jinting.
Just moments ago, Li Guanqi had been dangling in the man's grip, yet now he brazenly pulled up a chair and sat directly across from him!
The distance between them was barely three feet; Li Guanqi's knees almost brushed against the elder's.
Yang Qing's expression steadily darkened.
Elder Luo Cheng's brows knitted even deeper, and with a cold snort, his fingers shot out like lightning in an eagle's claw toward Li Guanqi!
Terrifying pressure whipped through the air with a howling gale, hurtling toward Li Guanqi!
Lin Shengwu's right hand lashed out like lightning, his fist crashing directly into the man's fingers.
Bang!
Both figures recoiled instantly. Luo Cheng's fingers were bent at a grotesque angle, while Lin Shengwu's fist was a mangled mess, a large chunk of flesh violently torn away.
Throughout it all, Li Guanqi's expression did not waver in the least.
Such composure caused even Yang Qing to look at him with newfound regard!
Lin Jinting marveled inwardly: *This kid must have occupied a high position in the Spirit Realm, or perhaps once ruled a domain of his own, to possess such presence!*
Li Guanqi fixed his white eyes placidly upon the white-browed elder before him.
"In the struggles of the Immortal Realm, losing a few disciples is trivial; it hardly harms your foundation.
"Coming here today, we brought a full fifty million immortal crystals right here. With that amount, one could pile resources together and foster several Heavenly Immortals."
The elder narrowed his eyes slightly. Inside his sleeves, his hands folded together as his index finger tapped gently.
The temperament of this young man before him was exceedingly rare. In all his life, he had never seen a young cultivator in the Heavenly Immortal realm remain so calm in front of a Golden Immortal!
Had Li Guanqi known what the elder was thinking, he would likely have scoffed in disdain.
*A Golden Immortal? Did my grandfather kill few of those back in the Human Spirit Realm?*
Seeing the elder remain silent, Li Guanqi gave a soft chuckle, glancing up at Xutian Palace's grand hall as he continued on his own:
"Xutian Palace has vast assets and deep foundations. Exchanging dead disciples for compensation seems like a rather profitable bargain to me. What do you think?"
Yang Qing smiled coldly, seeking to crush Li Guanqi's arrogant swagger.
"Do you... not understand what Xutian Palace represents in the Fuyu Lands?"
Li Guanqi raised a hand, cutting off the elder mid-sentence.
"If you want to negotiate, then negotiate properly. Don't bother playing these games of intimidation.
"Though I may not know exactly what the Xutian Stone means to Xutian Palace, I know one thing... that thing is undoubtedly of paramount importance.
"If it weren't, you wouldn't have agreed to meet with us. You could have easily brought Xutian Palace's cultivators to suppress and slaughter every last one of us!"
Li Guanqi rose slowly to his feet, looking down at the elder, and said in a cool, hostile tone, "Old geezer, the item is in my hands. The terms are simple.
"For the dead cultivators, we will compensate you with fifty million immortal crystals and a pot of Soul-Nourishing Spirit Nectar."
Yang Qing took a deep breath, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
The terms Li Guanqi offered were immensely tempting; after all, it was a massive sum of compensation.
Most importantly, he could retrieve the Xutian Stone that had been missing for so many years!
Just as he was about to voice his agreement, Li Guanqi spoke once more.
"Of course, for me to hand over the Xutian Stone, I have one more condition."
Bang!!
The elder shot to his feet, a majestic pressure instantly crashing down upon Li Guanqi!
Boom, crack!
The chair beneath Li Guanqi instantly disintegrated into a cloud of ash. He slammed flat against the floor, shattering the bluestone tiles into a deep crater!
"Little bastard, don't you think you're pushing your luck a bit too far?"
Chapter 1695