"Old poison, if I decide to go to Star Luo Empire… would you try to stop me?"
Hearing Tang Lan's question,
Dugu Bo's first reaction was—
Are you kidding me?
Stop you?
What, did he have a death wish to get smashed by Hao Tian Douluo's hammer?
Or did the Jade Phosphor Serpent clan suddenly decide to declare war on the Hao Tian Sect?
Of course not.
But he still had his pride, and he couldn't just say that outright.
"You have done me a great favor. I shall remain neutral in this matter."
"Farewell."
Then, without another word—
He turned around and left!
Xue Beng was stunned!
Their biggest trump card… just left like that?!
Xue Xing's face darkened as well,
but deep down, he had already expected this outcome.
—From the way Tang Lan and Dugu Bo interacted earlier,
he knew there was going to be a problem!
No More Backing—Time to Bet Big!
Now that their biggest support was gone,
Xue Xing had no choice but to go all in—
He revealed his final bargaining chip.
"Sect Master Tang, let's not beat around the bush."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"As long as you're willing to offer assistance when Xue Beng needs it in the future…"
"Name your price!"
Now this guy knows how to negotiate.
He understood that Xue Beng had no way to compete against Xue Qinghe on equal footing.
So instead of demanding absolute loyalty,
he only asked for "assistance when needed."
And on top of that,
he handed Tang Lan a blank check—
letting him fill in the numbers.
Now that was sincerity.
Tang Lan grinned.
"I like dealing with smart people."
"But instead of making outrageous demands…"
"I'd rather see what kind of sincerity you've brought this time."
As he spoke,
Tang Lan retrieved three spirit bones from Da Ming's gift.
"10,000-year Dark-attribute."
"70,000-year Gem-attribute."
"80,000-year Gem-attribute."
"These were just their welcome gifts."
Xue Xing: "…"
What kind of absolute nonsense are you spouting?!
A 10,000-year spirit bone was nothing special.
But 70,000-year and 80,000-year Gem-attribute spirit bones?!
Those were extremely rare!
If Star Luo Empire was using these to recruit him,
that would make sense.
But as a mere welcome gift?
Who the hell would believe that?!
However…
Could Xue Xing refute him?
He couldn't even verify it!
And even if he went to ask,
Star Luo Empire would 100% pretend it was true—
just to screw over their competition!
So even though Xue Xing knew that Tang Lan was ripping him off,
he had no choice but to accept it.
Fine! We'll Bleed for This!
Spirit bones?
They had some.
But at this quality?
Impossible.
If they wanted to compete,
they had to offer something even bigger!
Xue Xing gritted his teeth and pulled out three spirit bones of his own.
"These three spirit bones are—"
"15,000-year Blazing Red Lion Right Arm Bone!"
"20,000-year Weak Water Wraith Left Arm Bone!"
"30,000-year Dark Mark Pegasus Right Leg Bone!"
"The age may not be as high, but they all came from rare soul beasts."
"Their effects far surpass ordinary spirit bones!"
Tang Lan remained completely expressionless,
his face showing zero reaction.
His eyes seemed to say—
"That's it?"
Xue Xing didn't stop there.
He gritted his teeth and pulled out an ancient yellowed scroll.
He unfolded it toward Tang Lan.
"This map marks the location of a Thunder Hell Abyss Vine."
"With your knowledge, you should recognize it."
"It is said to possess the bloodline of a First-Class God—Raijin, the Thunder God."
"It carries the power of destructive lightning, making it the undisputed strongest attack-type plant soul beast!"
"For your martial soul's spirit ring, nothing could be more fitting!"
Oh?
Now that was interesting.
Tang Lan glanced at the map.
The marked location was at the border between Hagen Dazs Kingdom and the Extreme North.
That area's climate was far too extreme,
even Blue Silver Grass struggled to survive there.
No wonder Tang Lan had never discovered it before.
Even though his Blue Silver Emperor had a Lifebound Spirit Ring,
his Lightning-Flame Hao Tian Hammer had lightning attributes.
This Thunder Hell Abyss Vine would be perfect!
Conclusion? Jackpot!
Tang Lan had played both sides perfectly!
From Star Luo, he squeezed out three high-quality spirit bones.
From Heaven Dou, he not only got three more spirit bones,
but also obtained the location of a God-tier soul beast!
This was a massive win!
The only question left was—
"Now that I have everything I need… who says I even need to pick a side?"
'If I can absorb this Thunder Hell Abyss Vine, maybe I can obtain Ultimate Lightning?'
'And if I get really lucky… I might even inherit the Thunder God's divinity.'
Tang Lan raised his hand, accepting both the map and the spirit bones.
Xue Xing was delighted!
Just as he was about to say a few polite words—
"I also need a fief." Tang Lan stated bluntly. "Near Star Dou Forest. And it needs to be big enough."
Xue Xing hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked:
"A fief is no problem. But Sect Master Tang… you cannot move Tang Sect away."
"Of course not." Tang Lan chuckled. "The land is for researching Spirit Souls. The headquarters of Tang Sect will remain in Heaven Dou City."
Xue Xing let out a breath of relief.
He immediately agreed without hesitation.
The land near Star Dou Forest was a constant liability, always at risk of being overrun by beast tides.
Tang Lan could take as much as he wanted—no one else wanted it anyway!
"In the future, Xue Beng will rely on your guidance." Xue Xing spoke politely.
"Of course. I'm just doing my job since I've been paid." Tang Lan replied bluntly.
But this straightforward attitude actually made Xue Xing feel reassured.
Having weaknesses is good.
The worst kind of people to deal with were those who were immune to bribery.
Time for the Next Trade
"Since we're allies now," Xue Xing pressed cautiously, "shouldn't firearm production resume?"
"I'm also willing to assist with sales negotiations."
So now he wanted more benefits.
Tang Lan merely smiled without saying a word.
The gifts earlier?
Those were just enough to make sure Tang Sect wouldn't relocate.
If he wanted firearm production back?
That's an entirely different price.
Xue Xing was an experienced schemer—he immediately understood Tang Lan's meaning.
"Increase the price by 30%."
"And I will personally ensure that Xue Qinghe no longer interferes with your operations."
"You won't have to worry about that issue anymore."
Damn, he was really willing to pay up.
"Prince Xue Xing, what are you saying?" Tang Lan smiled slyly."Since we're allies now, we should support each other. Let's do it your way."
A big fox and a small fox locked eyes,
both grinning as they struck their deal.
Then, they set off together, returning to Heaven Dou City.
A Prince's Doubts
Once they escorted Tang Lan safely back to Tang Sect,
Xue Xing hurriedly left in his carriage.
Inside the carriage, the silent Xue Beng finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Uncle, we gave him such generous terms, yet all we got was a verbal alliance."
"Was it really worth it?"
Xue Xing gazed at Xue Beng for a moment, then sighed.
"Xue Beng, we have no choice."
"By making a move today, we have exposed our ambitions."
"Even if Tang Lan never becomes our ally, as long as we prevent him from siding with Xue Qinghe, that's already a victory."
"In the coming days, you will be in great danger."
"I will ask Dugu Bo to protect you. Stay close to him."
Xue Beng's expression changed slightly.
Would Xue Qinghe really dare to act in Heaven Dou City?
But then he recalled…
Several of his elder brothers had already been eliminated inside the imperial palace itself.
He quieted down.
Meanwhile, in Tang Sect—A Conversation with Qian Renxue
Inside the Sect Master's palace,
Tang Lan was communicating with Qian Renxue.
He briefly summarized the events, including the shift in firearm sales authority.
Qian Renxue, however, was unconcerned.
"Xue Xing's forces already have some of my people inside."
"This isn't a major issue."
Then she paused for a moment—
Before coldly chuckling.
"Xue Beng…
"So that playboy act was just a disguise all these years?"
Tang Lan didn't comment.
After all, he was already profiting off both sides—
If he badmouthed them behind their backs too, that would be too much.
But Qian Renxue seemed to misunderstand something.
Her voice softened.
"I'll have to trouble you to keep pretending for a little while longer, Xiao Lan."
"Once I've removed all obstacles, I'll have a surprise for you."
(End of Chapter)