"...So, why don't we talk?"
"What?!" The masked negotiator backed at Wei Wuyin's sudden shift in attitude, losing all of that terrifyingly glacial malevolence that was determined to send countless souls to the afterlife. It was so abrupt that not even the Earthly Saints observing the situation could restrain their expressions, all of the faces changed wildly, disbelief and uncertainty flowing from their eyes.
Wei Wuyin placed his arms behind his back like an immortal character of legend as his silver eyes shone with spiritual light. "Talk. Oh? Do you not want to anymore?" Wei Wuyin teased with a grin.
Kree!
Bai Lin's cry caused the masked negotiator to shudder, their mind consumed by the imagery of a world on fire, and they gulped. It was difficult to mentally process this situation, especially given how viciously dismissive Wei Wuyin had once been as if he wouldn't stop until the entire world was burned to ashes.
The masked negotiator received a spiritual transmission from one of the leading Earthly Saints, "He's bidding time, use this. Keep him engaged until further orders." The masked negotiator was quick-witted and knew that the higher-ups were about to make their move. Wei Wuyin had failed to take them down using his obscenely powerful Fire Phoenix, likely greatly exceeding his expectations, and was probably going to resort to using his recruited allies to muster an invasion force.
"Talk? Okay. Let's talk." The masked negotiator steeled their nerves. Trueborn's initial goal was to settle the grudge with Wei Wuyin for now, firmly establishing their base of operations, but after this assault, the cost to resist that flaming assault was incalculable. It was impossible to settle the grudge now, especially given Trueborn's current state.
If the masked negotiator had to guess, Trueborn was planning to deal a severe blow to Wei Wuyin. If possible, it would be best to slaughter him where he stood. An overwhelmingly talented Mortal Sovereign Alchemist that had sufficient charisma and means to rear a Fire Phoenix and two powerful Earthly Saints was far too dangerous to be allowed to live freely, especially if that alchemist had a grudge against them.
"Good," Wei Wuyin nodded acceptingly. "Before we begin, I'd like a few answers. Then, we can discuss terms for peace. I guess I shouldn't be using that word—discuss compensation for peace." Wei Wuyin instantly placed himself as the overwhelming victor, essentially stating openly that Trueborn needed to pay him for any type of peace.
"..." The masked negotiator kept their heartfelt feelings that Wei Wuyin was far too ignorant within their thoughts and flew closer to the segregating barrier. The barrier was considerably thinner than before, but it was slowly thickening as time passed by. Trueborn was reinforcing their position, stabilizing the barrier, and patching any gaps that formed due to the Nirvanic Flames.
"Questions?" The masked negotiator said slowly, then added: "We were willing to settle all grudges before, so isn't it a little too unreasonable to suggest that we still give you compensation? Your brute actions just now were not cheap, as you must know." The cost of maintaining a Starfield-wide Array was obscenely pricey, and likely exceeded the originally intended level of compensation to Wei Wuyin by dozens, if not hundreds of times.
Wei Wuyin simply looked at the masked negotiator with an innocent blink, "Well, I had to see if your Chained Blot Sect, uhm, Unchained Heart Sect had the right to negotiate, right? I mean, see it from my perspective, would you negotiate with an ant for treasure if you could simply crush it and take everything it has?"
"..." The various experts witnessing this scene unfold had varying, complex expressions, especially Trueborn who was being compared to an ant. Wei Wuyin was truly ignorant! Not a single organization within the Sealed Regions, especially the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, would ever think of Trueborn as an ant!
Moreover, the disdain and contempt Wei Wuyin had were downright obvious. Did he truly regard Trueborn as nothing?!
"I see," the masked negotiator's tone lowered several octaves, and their eyes narrowed beneath their mask.
"Do you still think we're ants?!" A masked male Highlord who had resisted the torrent of Nirvanic Flames couldn't help but roar out. It was as if Wei Wuyin had disparaged his wife for being too ugly, smelly, and dull considering how enraged he was.
Wei Wuyin didn't even glance his way, disregarding him as if he was a genuine ant. "Your Mystic Array is exquisitely established and quite resilient. How long have you guys been planning this takeover of the Pentastar Cluster?"
"...!" As a Highlord, when has this masked figure ever been ignored by a mortal? It was hard not to possess an innate sense of pride after cultivating to this extent and having such a terrifying force behind them, and given Wei Wuyin's publicly-known personal force, the Highlord shouldn't feel so angry, but he still growled like a beast. Every fiber of his being was itching to teach Wei Wuyin a lesson.
"Is that your question?" The masked negotiator asked, clearly using various tactics to stall the conversation.
"One of them," Wei Wuyin replied coolly.
"A while," the masked negotiator ambiguously answered. Wei Wuyin didn't press his answer, only nodding as his eyes observed the array's fluctuations. It was growing stronger by the second. After establishing his new physique, Wei Wuyin's normal visual sense could perceive Mystic Energies and Mystic Essences, as long as he paired it with his Celestial Eyes of Spiritual Divinity.
This was a delightful upgrade, simply one of the many benefits granted by the Neo-Dawn Paragon-Forging Pill.
"Why now?" Wei Wuyin asked a question that many, many others had on their mind. Trueborn had been acting as a clandestine organization operating in the shadows of leading powers and starfields, thriving on anonymity and the safety of their elusive bases, but to suddenly establish a fixed base was abnormal and out of character.
What changed?
The masked negotiator answered simply: "It was about time."
"Do you even know?" Wei Wuyin asked with a faint smile, poking at the masked negotiator's ignorance. "Or were you here simply to negotiate compensation, unable to know the true inner workings of your organization?"
"I-"
"No need to explain. I don't care if you're an ignorant pawn limited in authority and knowledge of your organization's grand scheme nor am I interested in some deflection of yours. How about this: I'll ask you a question that you should be prepared to answer." Wei Wuyin waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to dwell on the masked negotiator's excuses or other delaying tactics to acquire vague 'answers' to his question.
"Then ask away," the masked negotiator was truly a little awed by the way Wei Wuyin handled himself, especially given the rumors that he was less than a hundred years old.
"Yue Songli," Wei Wuyin said. As he spoke, his silvery eyes emanated a glacial chill that seemed to originate from hell, absolutely soul-shaking!
Tian Lingyu's eyes flashed, her lips pouting ever-so-slightly. Yue Songli was classified as the number ONE Immortal Saintess during her generation, then she vanished from the public eye, and then reappeared roughly five hundred years later. She created an incredibly chaotic stir upon her return, with geniuses, Chosen, and exceptional long-established experts all coming to celebrate.
If it wasn't for her mother's overt limiting of potential suitors to a narrow category, the entire world might've flocked over. Moreover, she was even more highly regarded upon her return.
"Yue Songli…" Empress Xiaocheng's eyes exuded a light of contemplation, continuing: "She's the one who declared Alchemic Sovereign Wei as her lover long ago. If I recall correctly, she returned a few months after the Shadow Egg in the Ninestar Starfield was attacked by the Fire Phoenix and Armored Saint."
It was widely believed that the Armored Saint—Legion Commander Zhan Zheng, had shattered the Shadow Egg's defenses and then Bai Lin cleaned up what was left behind.
Tian Muyang absentmindedly said after recalling Wei Wuyin's Saintmaker title, "The Soul-Breaking Saint is her mother, and she ascended to the Earthly Saint Phase recently."
Kong Yi's brows furrowed, "Could this grudge be because of a woman? How juvenile." If Empress Xiaocheng's implied meaning was correct, then Yue Songli was likely involved with Trueborn and Wei Wuyin had attacked them because of her.
"Sky Monarch Kong, have you seen her before?" Tian Lingyu asked this question while a little annoyed considering how Kong Yi carelessly responded.
"...No," Kong Yi answered flatly. He was a Sky Monarch, the eldest amongst the lot, and his standing and cultivation were exceptional. Why would he care about a youngster that was only a thousand or so years old? Especially one that was a mere mortal until recently, presumed dead to some, and then only highlighted because of her mother and beauty.
"There's some truth to the title: Nation-Toppling Beauty," Empress Xiaocheng said with a hint of a smile. If Yue Songli was a nation-toppling beauty, then shouldn't she be a Stellar Region-collapsing beauty? If she wasn't the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor's wife, who knew how many would fall beneath her skirt?
Tian Muyang felt a wave of envy surge in his heart thinking about the Aeternal Sky Divine Emperor. What did he lack? The desire to reach a greater level burned fiercer, and perhaps one day…he would have everything.
The masked negotiator nodded as if acknowledging that they were aware of this, but they seemed a little uncertain. The masked negotiator then said, "Do you want to private our exchange?" They were communicating through spiritual energy that anyone with an appropriately strong Spiritual Sense could grasp and comprehend.
"No need," Wei Wuyin casually replied. He knew that Trueborn wouldn't give him a direct response, private or not, so it didn't matter.
"She's the fiancé of one of our Earthly Saints. He invested heavily to ensure she reached the Mystic Ascendant Realm with the best possible foundation and even used our organization to scour for the best resources. We simply attempted to reclaim our investment." The masked negotiator answered the question.
"Oh?" Wei Wuyin inwardly rolled his eyes, and then outwardly mockingly said: "Don't you mean Yin Vessel?"
The masked negotiator shrugged, "Call it what you want. We respected her decision in the end, and didn't launch any further assaults, no?" It seemed like the masked negotiator didn't care if the 'truth' was exposed.
"You mean you decided to suffer no more losses, no?" But Wei Wuyin knew this was bullshit from all eight directions, but he only openly acted as if he was contemplating this situation. Yue Songli's situation was more complex. Why? Because they offered a simple, dismissive answer that could answer every question.
The masked negotiator didn't respond, "She's untouched, untainted, and received endless benefits from us. We've already found a replacement for her and rewarded that Earthly Saint with sufficient compensation for our decision to respect hers. So, you can become Dao Companions if you want."
"Haha," Wei Wuyin laughed, shaking his head with a contemptuous smile. "Great! So everything's all good, huh?"
"Do you know how difficult it is for cultivators to successfully assail the Mystic Ascendant Realm? Do you think Yue Songli was so supremely talented and blessed simply because she was born to a Highlord? Because she was a part of an organization like the Ninestar Sainthall? Do you know the percentage of number ONE Immortal Saintesses and Immortal Heroes who have strived for the Mystic Ascendant Realm? How many fail with greater talent and greater backing?
"I'll tell you this: it's less than ONE PERCENT! We gave her all sorts of resources that gave her the highest chance of becoming a powerful Ascended, expending copious amounts of precious resources, and despite all that, we've decided to give you face and drop this matter. Are you so insistent on going against us that you're willing to use such a flimsy excuse?" The masked negotiator exploded with anger, their eyes exuding a fierce light.
"Do you think we're afraid of YOU?!" The masked negotiator seemed on the verge of ripping apart any chance of a peaceful negotiation. The change of attitude took everyone aback, and their heart rate began to subtly rise.
Wei Wuyin's eyes roamed the array, then the Dark Void. He scoffed softly, "So you're finally ready to come?"
The masked negotiator's chest heaved up and down, and if one looked extremely closely, one might see two slight protrusions from the chest area. But no one focused on that as the Voidships from afar began to make their move!
A fleet of various Voidships started to approach, and at the lead of this fleet was none other than the Imperial Clan's Sky Destroyer!
At the bow of the ship, in all of her outstanding beauty and imperial dignity, was Empress Xiaocheng. "Greetings, Alchemic Sovereign Wei."
While her words were soft, every being for hundreds of thousands of miles could hear them clearly.
The two Earthly Saints exchanged gazes and then they began to communicate with others. The numerous Earthly Saints that had concealed themselves across the Dark Void with Spatial Merging Arts empowered by wisps of Void Energy that even Earthly Saints have difficulty discovering unless they were extremely close held back their intent to act on Wei Wuyin in a coordinated sneak attack. Maintaining their concealment as the Voidships made their approach.
Wei Wuyin saw the Sky Destroyer leading the fleet of Voidships and couldn't help but inwardly curse in his heart. So close! Despite his frustration, he formed a bright smile and greeted the Imperial Empress of the Tian Clan energetically.