Li Hanqiu, Yaoguang, and all the Golden Core cultivators watched Jiang Tianzun, who had arrived in haste and now departed just as hastily with a hint of panic. They knew very well in their hearts that this matter was far from over.
For a dignified true disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect to lose face so thoroughly in the Cangwu Great World... Given how superiors on Beihai Star treated subordinates, annihilating the entire Cangwu Great World in retaliation would hardly be out of character.
Although the likelihood of Jiang Tianzun destroying the Cangwu Great World was low because they both hailed from the Cangwu lineage, this outcome still left Susan, Yang Han, Hela, and the others both shocked and furious.
"You... How dare you..."
"To share the same Cangwu lineage with you is our utmost disgrace!"
"Nine Cauldrons Sect, you..."
These Golden Core cultivators shouted fiercely, their expressions utterly devoid of the composure and detachment befitting Golden Core True Persons. Instead, they looked hideous and twisted.
Before they could continue, Li Hanqiu barked in a low voice, "Silence!"
As a Void Piercing Realm expert with exquisite mastery over space, when his divine consciousness transmitted this command, it carried an almost tangible spatial pressure. The rolling force crashed against the Golden Core cultivators, making them feel as though an entire world had slammed into them, uncontrollably blasting their figures tens of thousands of li backward.
Only then did these Golden Core cultivators realize in horror that the Li Hanqiu before them was no longer a Golden Core like them.
He was a Void Piercing cultivator!
A top-tier existence who had made a triple leap across three stages—Radiant Sun Golden Core, Incandescent White Golden Core, and Deep Blue Golden Core—leaping into the Void Piercing Realm in a single breath!
In an environment like Beihai Star, had the few of them dared provoke a Void Piercing expert, they would likely be corpses by now.
For a time, Susan, Yang Han, Hela, and the others fell silent as cicadas in winter. Even though their hearts burned with endless resentment and indignation toward Li Hanqiu and Yaoguang of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, they dared not show the slightest hint of it at this moment.
In contrast, Miller, Lu Xi, Qiao An, and those who had never lived on Beihai Star still found the courage to speak up: "Jiang Tianzun basically represents the will of our Cangwu lineage. But as things stand, it seems the Nine Cauldrons Sect is unwilling to stand alongside our Cangwu lineage any longer. If so... we request that the Nine Cauldrons Sect leave the Cangwu Great World and seek your fortunes elsewhere."
Li Hanqiu swept his gaze over these Golden Core cultivators.
Before leaving, Wan Liugui had hurriedly transmitted a message to him.
It urged them to leave the Cangwu Great World as fast as possible and head for Beihai Star.
Only by going to Beihai Star could one grow rapidly, until the day one truly attained the Void Piercing Realm and gained genuine power to protect oneself.
The message contained a set of coordinates and a map.
The coordinates marked the location of Beihai Star.
The map... was an escape route Wan Liugui had scouted when he first entered Beihai Star.
Such retreat routes were also prepared by people from other major immortal sects, all to ensure they had a refuge should they fail in the Taiyi Immortal Sect and get expelled.
Such an escape route was an utmost secret to any Void Piercing cultivator.
Now that Wan Liugui had shared it with Li Hanqiu, he seemed to already be preparing for the worst.
Realizing he had very likely implicated his master, Li Hanqiu was in a foul mood. After sweeping a cold gaze across the assembled Golden Core cultivators, he said in a heavy voice, "We will leave on our own. You need not concern yourselves with that."
He nodded toward Yaoguang.
Yaoguang also used the Virtual Spirit Realm to pass the message to Li Qingshan.
Within ten days, everyone willing to depart was to assemble in Chicheng for an organized evacuation.
However, after relaying this order, he looked at the Nine Cauldrons Sect's numerous properties, the cities, the modified spirit-gathering formations that produced six hundred million spirit stones annually, as well as the equipment and sky-patrol warships that could not be taken away...
Shifting his gaze, he looked directly at Miller, Lu Xi, Qiao An, and the others who were preparing to leave. "Since our Nine Cauldrons Sect plans to leave, the foundation we leave behind will ultimately fall into your hands. Shouldn't you offer our Nine Cauldrons Sect some compensation?"
Li Hanqiu glanced at Yaoguang in slight surprise. Just as he was about to speak, Yaoguang's divine thought surfaced in his perception.
"True Person Li, please play along with me. Next, I will..."
He quickly outlined his plan.
After hearing it, Li Hanqiu gave a slight nod.
At this moment, Qiao An could not help snorting coldly. "Compensation?! You have the nerve to ask for compensation?! You—"
Before he could finish, Susan hurriedly stopped him with a divine consciousness transmission.
She cast a fearful glance at Li Hanqiu, coming to a profound realization of just how reckless these Golden Core elders from back home were.
If people like them went to Beihai Star, sooner or later their words would offend some great figure. They would be slaughtered on the spot, their Golden Cores gouged out and sold on the market, and their sects might even be wiped out because of them.
After stopping Qiao An, she immediately spoke up: "Enough. What the Nine Cauldrons Sect leaves behind is indeed of considerable value, so offering some compensation is only fair. We all belong to the Cangwu lineage after all, and there is still some shared history between us. Let us not push things to extremes."
Though Qiao An was somewhat bewildered, he held his temper and asked in a low voice, "What compensation do you want?"
"Then let us settle the accounts," Yaoguang said calmly. "We will only take one flying sword production line. The warship production lines... will essentially all be left behind, including the line for fourth-generation sky-patrol warships. Add to that the Nine Cauldrons Sect's territory, vast workforce, affiliated worlds, and astounding annual spirit stone yield... Counting the spirit stone revenue for just fifty years, all combined... I'll offer you a discounted price: forty billion. How about buying the Nine Cauldrons Sect for that?"
"Forty billion?!"
Hearing the number Yaoguang quoted, Qiao An almost thought he had misheard.
"Is forty billion a lot? It's not as if Wuji Astral Palace is paying alone; every sect planning to carve up the Nine Cauldrons Sect in the future will share the cost," Yaoguang said indifferently. "Given the current value of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, even excluding its most precious talents, forty billion is quite a bargain."
"Impossible!"
Lu Xi could not help retorting, "Do you have any idea what the spirit stone production capacity of the entire Cangwu Great World even is when you quote such a price? All the spirit stones produced across the Cangwu Great World annually add up to just over three billion. Forty billion?! That's equal to more than a decade of the entire Cangwu Realm's total spirit stone output!"
"Do you even hear what you're saying? How dare you name a price of forty billion?! Why don't you just rob us?!" Linden also could not resist shouting.
Watching the fierce reactions of the Golden Core and Dharma Idol cultivators from each sect, Yaoguang calmly said, "I tried to negotiate a transaction and do business with you properly, but you refused. In that case, I regret to inform you... you guessed correctly."
His calm expression instantly turned frosty. "That's right. I am robbing you."
The moment the words left his mouth, Li Hanqiu stepped forward from behind him. Void Piercing-level devouring power diffused from his fingertips as a darkness that seemed capable of tearing and crushing everything rapidly coalesced.
The mere formation of it severely disrupted and distorted the surrounding starry sky.
Even the numerous Golden Core cultivators standing tens of thousands of li away felt their bodies being dragged by the dark devouring force at his fingertips, pulled toward it and tumbling into its depths.
At this moment, Miller, Qiao An, and the others suddenly snapped back to reality. The man standing before them was no longer a Radiant Sun Golden Core of their own caliber, someone who had to resort to mutual destruction just to fight them to the death.
He was a Void Piercing cultivator!
A Void Piercing powerhouse who could slaughter all thirty-odd of their Golden Core cultivators without breaking a sweat.
What was more, with his might, even after slaughtering all their Golden Core cultivators, the chaotic cavity within his body might not collapse on the spot and lead to his death.
At most, it would only shorten his already limited lifespan a little further.
Once they realized this, the Golden Core cultivators quickly regained their senses.
After quite a while, nudged by subtle glances from many Golden Core cultivators, Ye Lin, a Golden Core cultivator from the Myriad Beasts Sect who was on relatively good terms with the Nine Cauldrons Sect, sent a divine consciousness message: "True Person Li... we are all part of the Cangwu Great World. Must it... must it really come to this?"
"We merely wish to evacuate the Cangwu Great World, not throw our lives away," Li Hanqiu said.
He then added, "Besides, Yaoguang is right. Is our Nine Cauldrons Sect's vast foundation truly not worth these forty billion?"
Do you really have no clue whether it's worth that much?!
Over a dozen Golden Core cultivators simultaneously cursed inwardly.
Yet... the man had already made it clear: he was robbing them. What could they possibly do?
The Nine Cauldrons Sect was already preparing to pull out of the Cangwu Great World. If they genuinely enraged them, Li Hanqiu certainly had the power to destroy the Cangwu Great World outright. When that happened, they would have nowhere to cry.
"Forty billion... I'm afraid no faction can produce that many spirit stones," Ye Lin said.
"If you lack spirit stones, you can make up the difference with spirit treasures. In addition, precious artifact-crafting materials, medicinal pills, and natural treasures can also be used as substitutes," Yaoguang said, adding, "Among them, we will accept spirit treasures and artifact-crafting materials at a premium."
Beside him, Li Hanqiu, under Yaoguang's instruction, directly began naming items: "If I recall correctly, Wuji Astral Palace still possesses several top-tier spirit treasures. For those top-tier spirit treasures, we can offer a price of one or two hundred million spirit stones each. The Immortal Alliance and other factions should have one or two top-tier spirit treasures left as well, right? I know more or less what foundations you possess. Pool those spirit treasures together, gather your top-tier materials, pills, and natural treasures, and forty billion won't bankrupt you."
Having said that, he added, "As you said, we are all part of the Cangwu Great World. There's no need to make things ugly."
The Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances, their hearts filled with bitterness.
Giving up such wealth truly would not bankrupt them, but it would definitely deal them a severe blow.
Yet...
Given that circumstance dictated everything, a Void Piercing War Immortal—one who intended to leave Cangwu and had only three to five years left to live—was standing right before them, metaphorically holding a sword to their throats. No matter how unwilling they were, they dared not utter a single objection.
With a Void Piercing War Immortal who had only three to five years to live, if they enraged him, there was no telling what he might do.
The numerous Golden Core cultivators exchanged secret transmissions of divine consciousness.
After a long while, Qiao An spoke, his voice dripping with bitterness and helplessness: "Then we will do as True Person Li and True Person Yaoguang say. We will pool our resources and spend forty billion..."
At this point, he paused noticeably, as though everyone present could feel the wrenching pain in his heart.
"...Forty billion, to buy the Nine Cauldrons Sect."
Chapter 265