Chapter 539 49: All Trouble Caused by Fame (Part 2)

In the end, of the four Squad Leaders who infiltrated Luoxia City, two were killed and two were grievously injured. Over a thousand sect followers were wiped out, with no survivors.

The grievously injured Blood Princess managed to escape the city and was saved by Soulless. Due to the severity of her wounds, she had been recuperating in a cave ever since.

As it happened, Guu Chengxiong stumbled upon her hidden cave by chance. Soulless was out searching for healing Spirit Medicine at the time. Seeing the beautiful and heavily wounded Blood Princess, Guu Chengxiong was overcome with wicked thoughts, intending to use her as a Furnace Cauldron for his cultivation.

And so, the leader who had commanded the Taotie Demon Hunting Team across the northern regions for decades was blasted to smithereens by the enraged Blood Princess.

That single act rendered over a year of the Blood Princess's recovery efforts moot and even aggravated her injuries.

Even now, years later, whenever the incident was brought up, the Blood Princess still felt the urge to kill him a hundred times over!

After Guu Chengxiong died, the Jade Token he carried naturally fell into the Blood Princess's hands. Soulless eventually recognized it. To find the remaining three Jade Tokens, the pair sought out Shen Yin, known as the "All-Knowing Sage," and learned from him that someone else was also searching for the tokens.

And that person was Song Changsheng!

"Since everything is out in the open, why don't you tell me what you two are planning? Though I can't promise I'll cooperate." Song Changsheng was feeling confident in his position, so his tone was less than courteous.

The Blood Princess's eyebrows shot up, and she was about to lash out, but Soulless raised a hand to stop her. "Clan Leader Song is a straightforward man," he said softly. "So I won't beat around the bush. We invited you here, Clan Leader Song, because we want to make a deal."

"A deal? You want to trade my Jade Tokens for the hostages?" A sneer touched Song Changsheng's lips.

Soulless didn't get angry. He simply shook his head. "Of course not. As I said, we mean you no harm. I was always going to hand them over to you as long as you showed up. I'm talking about a different kind of deal, one that benefits us both."

Now it was Song Changsheng's turn to be surprised. He had assumed they would use the hostages, or even his own safety, to threaten and coerce him into giving up his Jade Tokens. He never expected them to say something like this. It was completely out of left field.

"I'm listening." Song Changsheng's tense muscles relaxed. He casually picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of tea.

Soulless glanced at him, then took a Jade Token from the Blood Princess. "The deal is simple," he said. "I'll give you this Jade Token and tell you the exact location of the treasure."

"After you find the treasure, all you need to do is bring one item out for me. The rest of the treasures and resources will be yours to keep. What do you say?"

"Just who are you?!" Song Changsheng shot to his feet, staring intently at Soulless. He had originally assumed they learned of the treasure from Guu Chengxiong, but now it seemed things weren't so simple.

Soulless not only knew there were four Jade Tokens in total, but he also knew the treasure's exact location. He even seemed to know its contents down to the last detail.

All of this pointed to one conclusion: Soulless was intimately familiar with that treasure hoard.

A treasure was a treasure for a reason; information about it would be top secret. Few within the Blood Demon Sect itself likely knew of it, and its security measures had to be formidable. Otherwise, they wouldn't be completely unable to access it after losing the four Jade Tokens that served as keys.

If that was the case for the Blood Demon Sect, then how did Soulless come by this information?

At that moment, Song Changsheng grew deeply suspicious of the pair's identities.

Faced with his questioning, Soulless remained unnaturally calm. "Is who we are really so important to you?" he asked placidly.

"The methods we used to invite you here were admittedly underhanded, but we aren't your enemies. On the contrary, we have a common foe."

"I can sense your hatred for the Blood Demon Sect. Believe me, my hatred for them is every bit as strong as yours."

"This treasure is one of the Blood Demon Sect's most important storehouses, filled with resources they've gathered to rebuild their sect. If you work with me, the Song Clan will gain a massive amount of resources, I'll get what I'm after, and we'll deal a heavy blow to the Blood Demon Sect. It's a win-win-win situation. Why wouldn't you?"

Soulless stared into Song Changsheng's eyes as he spoke with grave sincerity.

To be honest, Song Changsheng was wavering. He could sense the sincerity in Soulless's tone, but he still had one major concern.

"Why me? With your power, you could just take the Jade Tokens and claim the treasure for yourself!" Song Changsheng looked at the scruffy man before him and asked in earnest.

A smile touched Soulless's lips. He knew Song Changsheng was on the verge of being persuaded; all he needed now was a good reason.

So he began to explain, "Originally, I had already chosen someone to work with. But when I learned that you held the other Jade Tokens, I changed my mind."

"Because in the entire Daqi Cultivation World, there is no one more suitable than you."

Seeing Song Changsheng's questioning look, he spread his hands. "The Blood Demon Sect's treasure is actually located in a Small World. These four Jade Tokens are the keys to open the Space Tunnel."

"The Space Tunnel to that Small World is extremely fragile; it cannot withstand the passage of a Purple Mansion Cultivator. That's why I chose you. You are known as the number one expert below the Purple Mansion realm in the Daqi Cultivation World, and you have an entire clan to back you up."

"With your power, you can move through that Small World uncontested, find the treasure the Blood Demon Sect left behind, and safely bring back that item for me!"

Now Song Changsheng understood completely. In the end, it all came down to the tournament in Dingyuan City.

In that battle, he had not only won Tuo Province for Luoxia City, but had also cemented his status as the number one expert below the Purple Mansion realm.

In a Small World that Purple Mansion Cultivators couldn't enter, his strength was at the absolute peak. Furthermore, he had the resources of his entire clan at his disposal.

"Even if everything you've said is true, how am I supposed to trust you?"

The stakes were too high. Song Changsheng wouldn't blindly trust anyone, no matter how sincere they appeared.

"This is our first time meeting, so a lack of trust is normal. I'll leave the Jade Token here. The item I want is described on this slip of paper. Whether you go, when you go, and who you take with you—it's all up to you."

A slip of paper had appeared in Soulless's hand at some point. He placed it on the table before Song Changsheng, along with the Jade Token.

The moment he accepted them, the deal would be struck.

Without hesitation, Song Changsheng took them.

'They've already dug up everything about me. If I don't accept this deal, I'll be forced to hand over my own Jade Tokens. Otherwise, with the power these two possess, the Song Clan will never know a day of peace.'

'Better to seize the initiative myself.'

'Besides, Zhuang Yuechan has a Jade Token, too. Worst case, I can team up with Luoxia City. Even if they're plotting something, they'll have to get past Luoxia City first!'

"Excellent! Under different circumstances, I'd treat you to a few jugs of fine wine, but today won't do. If you don't head out soon, I'm afraid my little courtyard might not survive." Soulless lifted his gourd, took a swig of strong liquor, and spoke with clear implication.

Song Changsheng's eyes flickered, but he continued to sip his tea, pretending not to understand the other man's meaning.

Before coming here, he and Zhuang Yuechan had visited Shen Qingxiu to ask her to act as his escort for this meeting. The two women were currently in a teahouse less than a thousand feet away.

Given Soulless's uncanny Divine Soul Power, he wasn't surprised that the man had detected Shen Qingxiu's presence.

'I never planned on fighting anyway, so it doesn't matter if they found out. In fact, it serves as a good deterrent. Otherwise, if this pair thought I had no backup and decided to attack me here in Luoxia City, the casualties would be unimaginable.'

"Now, we await your good news, Clan Leader Song. Sister, let them go."

The Blood Princess hesitated for a moment. "What about Yinr Sheng..."

Soulless smiled faintly. "He's the one Clan Leader Song was looking for. Hand him over as well."

Song Changsheng was utterly confused by this. 'Who is this Yinr Sheng? And why are they handing him over to me?'

But the Blood Princess had already turned to leave, and she soon returned with a red-haired old man and a white-browed youth in tow...

...