Kill the young man before them?
Neither the Wanxiang Sect Master nor the Grand Elder dared to.
Not executing envoys during war was a matter of martial virtue, but for the side with a blade pressed to its throat, it was an indispensable survival skill.
The crystals in Xu Yuan's possession came in a pair, single-use items.
Crushing this one would release a distinct pulse of Source Qi, triggering a resonance in the paired stone within range.
A simple, short-to-medium-range communication method that had been in use for thousands of years.
The Wanxiang Sect Master recognized it, yet he did not pause his hands. Even as he desperately channeled power to sustain his daughter's life, his eyes remained fixed on Xu Yuan's.
The deathly silence was finally broken by a sigh.
It was the Grand Elder beside them, who seemed ready to offer a price to buy Zhou Xiaohe's life:
"Young Master, may I ask..."
"There is nothing to discuss," Xu Yuan cut him off.
After several breaths of silence, the Grand Elder slowly rose from his prayer mat and bowed toward Xu Yuan.
"Pardon my impropriety, Young Master."
Xu Yuan wasn't sure if these two old bastards were playing a double act or showing genuine emotion, but seeing this, he gave a nod of tacit consent to their actions.
In the dead silence, the Grand Elder's aged figure turned and walked step by step over to the Sect Master.
The Sect Master knelt on the floor holding the dying Zhou Xiaohe and looked up.
Then, he saw the coldness in the Grand Elder's eyes.
The Sect Master seemed to age years in an instant, yet he still shielded Zhou Xiaohe.
"Nie Gongxu, what are you trying to do?!"
Zhou Xiaohe had not lost consciousness; on the brink of death, the look in her eyes held a touch of relief alongside the fear.
After a brief silence, the Grand Elder spoke in a resolute tone:
"Sect Master, I agree to your previous decision."
"......"
Hearing this, the Sect Master visibly froze for a moment.
He naturally understood what decision the Grand Elder was referring to.
Xia Wenlin.
Perhaps a millennium ago the Sect Master had possessed absolute authority within the sect, but a thousand years later, it would hardly be an exaggeration to describe Wanxiang Sect's current power structure as a council of elders—much like the term used by those golden-furred monkeys from across the sea.
Today, his influence as Sect Master was only marginally greater than that of an ordinary elder. Trying to enforce measures that harmed short-term sect interests for the sake of long-term foundation was practically impossible.
Centralizing authority.
An ideal he had envisioned countless times, yet could never put into practice.
Yet with the Grand Elder's support, everything would proceed far more smoothly.
Taking a deep breath, the Sect Master's voice trembled slightly:
"What do you mean?"
The Grand Elder glanced at Zhou Xiaohe in the Sect Master's arms, his expression calm:
"I know everything about Xiaohe. While she is vain about looks, she harbors an obsession with that Li Zhu. With Li Zhu dead, she might still remain under his sway. What has happened today may well be a release for her."
"......" The Sect Master fell silent.
Sitting to the side, Xu Yuan listened to them speaking aloud without using voice transmissions, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Perhaps the Sect Master was truly displaying genuine emotion right now, but Xu Yuan dared not trust it.
The dialogue between these two old foxes certainly ran deeper than the surface.
They were definitely transmitting voice messages in secret.
And if they were transmitting messages, he couldn't hear them.
Pausing, Xu Yuan asked softly in his mind, "Old Man Luo, can you hear their transmissions?"
Under the current circumstances, the two old men of the Wanxiang Sect hardly dared to probe Xu Yuan with their intent-souls, so the Saint's remnant soul spoke freely:
"Both of them are at or above the Origin Realm. How could an old man like me, reduced to a mere soul, intercept their voice transmissions?"
"Don't you know the Heaven-Deducing Art?" Xu Yuan asked.
The Saint's remnant soul rolled his eyes and sneered, "This old man only managed to steal the Heaven Character True Words Chapter! If you want to eavesdrop, go ask that sweetheart of yours—she learned all four chapters."
At these words, Tianyan's stunning face floated into Xu Yuan's mind, and he sighed faintly:
"Don't mention her. By now, I can hardly remember anything at all..."
The Saint's remnant soul chuckled. "Get her to teach you the Divine Soul Chapter, and you'll naturally remember."
Xu Yuan snorted inwardly, "If I run into her alone again, I might just be locked up, but an old codger like you who stole their sacred art would probably pay with his life."
The Saint's remnant soul grinned. "The Overseeing Heaven Pavilion isn't having an easy time right now. If the world finds out they still exist, they'll be the very first faction targeted for annihilation. Think about it, kid Xu: who would want an organization capable of divining the future hanging over their heads? At least your Chancellor's Manor can be plotted against; the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion is impossible to outcalculate unless a great catastrophe looms. In a situation like this, where would they find the time to bother with me? Let alone lock up you, the Third Young Master of the Chancellor's Manor."
Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment. "Still, you stole their proprietary art."
The Saint's remnant soul didn't care in the slightest. "To learn that art, one can only do so through the Heaven-Transmitting Stone Stele."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed. "The Heaven-Transmitting Stone Stele?"
The Saint's remnant soul had no intention of keeping it a secret and said with a smile, "Even if the Heaven-Deducing Art were transcribed by normal means, it would be impossible to cultivate. Why else would I have only cultivated the Heaven Character True Words Chapter? You can think of it like comprehending the Dao Charm of a Meishen cherry tree. Under normal circumstances, the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion maintains at least two to four Holy Sons or Saintesses. Rumor has it that beyond the four standard chapters, there is a fifth chapter that only the Pavilion Master can cultivate. If that Tianyan girl has mastered the fifth chapter, she might actually be able to teach you the Divine Soul Chapter."
Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "What is the fifth chapter?"
The Saint's remnant soul scoffed, "This old man hasn't even figured out all four standard chapters of the Heaven-Deducing Art, let alone that mysterious fifth one."
"......"
Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment. Just as he was about to ask further, the two old men opposite him seemed to have concluded their internal trade of interests.
The Grand Elder slowly turned around, and the Sect Master, his face dark, let go of the dying Zhou Xiaohe.
Witnessing this, Xu Yuan felt a strange sense of mocking amusement.
Political creatures experienced human emotions and desires, but when it came to what they wanted or the ambitions they sought to realize, all other sentiments took a back seat.
Watching the last breath fade completely from Zhou Xiaohe on the ground, Xu Yuan felt a complex swirl of emotions, but smiled faintly and said, "Have the Sect Master and the Grand Elder finished talking?"
The Sect Master remained silent with a sullen face, while the Grand Elder chuckled:
"The Young Master jests. As you heard, I was merely advising the Sect Master."
Noncommittal, Xu Yuan said, "Is that so? Then may we get straight to the real topic of today?"
At this, the Grand Elder smiled faintly, his tone carrying more weight:
"Young Master, upon careful consideration, your Chancellor's Manor has spared no effort in this military exercise. Five million taels may indeed be a bit meager. It should be doubled. What do you think?"
"......"
Hearing this, Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned.
He had not expected the Grand Elder of the Wanxiang Sect to still have no intention of dropping all pretenses, even at this point.
He had already killed the Sect Master's daughter, and the Sect Master's words had essentially admitted to what happened at Shengshan County.
Yet the Grand Elder's behavior now offered a textbook definition of what it meant to endure insults and let spit dry on one's own face without taking offense.
This was something Xu Yuan had never experienced.
In his past life, even if you were Party A in business negotiations, if you dared insult someone's personal dignity, they might roll up their sleeves and fight you on the spot.
After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan gave a soft chuckle, took a sheet of paper from his Sumeru ring, laid it gently on the tea table, and tapped it:
"Since the Grand Elder puts it that way, these are our terms. Have a look."
"......"
The Sect Master picked up the paper in silence, glanced at it, and his breathing instantly destabilized.
And this time, even the Grand Elder's breathing fell slightly out of cadence.
Four simple characters in regular script.
Ninety million taels.
In Xu Yuan's previous life, that would be 135 billion.
For the entire Great Yan imperial court, this was only around a tenth of a single year's military budget, but for a single sect, it was enough to break bones and shatter foundations.
Taking a deep breath, the Grand Elder whispered, "Young Master, you... must be joking?"
Xu Yuan smiled and placed the bead in his hand onto the tea table:
"Is this enough?"
Forty thousand Black Scale soldiers who had already entered Wanxiang City.
Seeing this, the Sect Master, who had remained silent since Zhou Xiaohe drew her last breath, finally spoke:
"It is enough. But the Chancellor's Manor will likely be unable to bear the consequences."
If they wiped out Wanxiang Sect, the sects as a collective whole would make the Chancellor's Manor pay dearly.
Xu Yuan shook his head and set another object onto the table with a thump:
"This, plus that—is it enough?"
"......"
Silence.
The Sect Master and the Grand Elder stared in silence at the "object" Xu Yuan had produced from his Sumeru ring.
It was a severed head.
A head frozen in ice, exceptionally well preserved.
With their formidable cultivation, even through the ice they could clearly hear that the head was still alive.
Xu Yuan poured himself a cup of wine and said with a chuckle, "This was something our Chancellor's Manor picked up near Shengshan County. I wonder if the Sect Master and Grand Elder recognize it?"
Neither spoke.
The scenario they dreaded most had unfolded before their very eyes. Xia Wenlin's prediction in the grand assembly hall had come true: the person in charge of the array had been captured alive.
Seeing their silence, Xu Yuan smiled and said, "If you want to silence me, you're welcome to try. After all, this junior is merely a sixth-rank Iron Body."
Hearing these sarcastic words, the Grand Elder demonstrated composure honed to the utmost limit. Faced with such evidence, his expression did not shift in the slightest:
"Young Master, we do not know this person."
Xu Yuan let out a sigh. "Forty years ago, Wanxiang Sect's late prodigy Cao Guxin supposedly passed away. Who would have thought he cultivated an immortality technique and survived all this time?"
Hearing this, even with a blade at his throat, even with incontrovertible evidence before him, the Grand Elder's voice remained calm and measured, even carrying a hint of surprise:
"To think the Young Master could find Cao Guxin. I was once close to him and grieved for a very long time."
Severing ties at the speed of light.
In an era without surveillance cameras or audio recordings, when the survival of a sect was at stake, relying on a witness for a conviction would only end in a stalemate of conflicting testimonies.
After all, no one could prove that Cao Guxin had still been serving Wanxiang Sect over these past decades.
Evidence like this was enough to launch a thorough investigation, but not enough to justify destroying a sect.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan sighed. "If you cut ties like that, your Wanxiang Sect will probably have to purge a few senior figures, won't it?"
In this era, once you entered an interrogation room, no one cared about human rights.
Torture, disorienting arrays, and illusions deployed in rotation were practically impossible to withstand.
The Grand Elder's expression was calm as ever. "That is an internal matter for our sect. The Young Master need not trouble himself."
"......"
Xu Yuan was struck speechless.
He suddenly felt glad that he had agreed to Yuan Hao's proposal to storm the city first.
Because he truly hadn't expected that even with a blade pressed to their throats, the sect's leadership would still act as if they were confident he wouldn't dare strike.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan looked back at Xu Xinyao behind him.
Xu Xinyao's gaze was complicated, but she maintained her cool silence.
Slowly exhaling the breath he had taken in, Xu Yuan picked up the crystal from the tea table.
The Sect Master and Grand Elder watched without speaking, seemingly certain that Xu Yuan wouldn't dare crush it.
After all, if they truly intended to wage war, why bother sending someone to negotiate?
If Wanxiang Sect truly perished, the Chancellor's Manor wouldn't be the only one carving up the assets left on its carcass.
Once the sect headquarters fell, Wanxiang Sect's power structure would lead its subordinate merchant houses and various businesses to swiftly seek new masters.
Put simply, the other factions in Xize Province would descend like vultures and devour everything in sight.
Unless the Chancellor's Manor swept through the entirety of Xize Province, it would be left with nothing but scraps, aside from whatever stock remained in the sect's mountain vaults.
Yet beneath the gaze of the two old men, the solid crystal deformed under Xu Yuan's grip before detonating with a pop.
And with it came the start of the second phase of the sect-extermination plan.
Above the city gates, sensing the distinctive ripple of Source Qi transmitted from his military Sumeru ring, Yuan Hao trembled all over with excitement.
What did this signify?
Expanding from a line into a plane, conquering the entire city from the eastern sector.
And what did conquering the entire city signify?
It meant the sect disciples would exploit the city's intricate streets and the city-protecting array to entangle them.
In other words, the common folk would become their human shields.
Although the orders were to disturb the populace as little as possible, if they were used as shields, he would have every excuse to show no mercy.
If he didn't kill them, was he supposed to let his own soldiers die for the sake of morality?
Humming a tune atop the gate tower, Yuan Hao unhurriedly drew a fresh crystal from his Sumeru ring and crushed it without hesitation.
This signaled the second wave of aerial strikes by flying demonic beasts.
After all, fighting along city streets was unsuited for deploying battle formations, and a city-protecting array could still inflict massive casualties on army formations. Unless there was no other choice, the defensive array had to be neutralized first.
Having done all this, Yuan Hao paced back and forth across the gate tower in his boots with a touch of impatience.
The remaining thirty thousand Black Scale troops had not yet entered the city and reorganized, and the current ten thousand soldiers were not enough to control the entirety of Wanxiang City.
He could not rush this.
Inside the black eagle's pavilion, disbelief showed in the eyes of both old men.
You make an exorbitant demand, and I haggle down—wasn't that common fucking sense?
Yet seeing their reactions, Xu Yuan said with a smile:
"Sect Master, Grand Elder, I forgot to mention: phase two and phase three are linked."
The blade at their throats began to press down; blood slowly seeped from the Wanxiang Sect Master's neck.
Yet the Grand Elder still insisted, "Young Master, do you have any real evidence?"
Xu Yuan grinned. "Grand Elder, I suggest you clean up the materials used to construct the Ghost-Capturing Grand Array before you say that. Besides, do you truly believe your ledgers are clean?"
At these words, the Grand Elder's fist tightened slightly.
These two points were their true fatal vulnerabilities.
The ledgers were manageable—they were prepared for scrutiny—but the mountain of array materials could not possibly be cleared away on short notice.
After a brief silence, the Grand Elder whispered quickly, "Ninety million is too much."
Xu Yuan chuckled. "It doesn't matter. The Black Scale Army is already in motion. Don't bother claiming you can't produce it, either. If you don't have hard silver, pay in assets."
With that, Xu Yuan leisurely handed a densely written statement to the Wanxiang Sect Master:
"It will still take a bit for the Black Scale Army to fully enter the city.
"Right now,
"you have about two quarters of an hour to think it over."
Chapter 182