Chapter 540 - 547: Negotiation

"I’m going to the Demon Race’s territory next, so I won’t be staying in the sect for long."

Song Wanning turned her head and smiled at her master.

What she was doing now would not only better the lives of the people she loved but also help them ascend more smoothly.

She cherished this feeling of quiet accomplishment.

If those invaders weren’t eliminated, the Heavenly Dao of the Wood Sculpture Realm might sacrifice these people.

She absolutely could not let the events of her past life happen again.

Leng Qingzhu fell silent for a moment, then smiled and patted Song Wanning’s head.

"No matter your cultivation level, you will always be my disciple. In my eyes, you’ll always be that little girl who dares to love and to hate."

"So, if you’re tired, don’t carry the burden alone."

"Your master will always protect you."

Her eyes were full of loving affection. Only in front of Song Wanning could she completely relax.

Wan Ning was the child she had raised with her own hands—her daughter.

A girl she would protect with her life.

A trace of warmth bloomed in Song Wanning’s eyes, and she obediently rested her head on Leng Qingzhu’s lap.

"Master, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll take good care of myself!"

’I will not let Master down!’

...

After staying in the sect for a few days, Song Wanning sparred with a few of her martial uncles before leaving the Ancient Cold Sect.

And the Ancient Cold Sect was indeed left alone; in fact, it was exceptionally peaceful.

This baffled the other powers, who began to speculate wildly.

However, they soon received terrible news: the Central Domain was sending people to negotiate terms with the Four Domains.

Panic ensued. As expected, the Central Domain wasn’t content to just occupy its corner of the world; they were coming to carve up resources.

Some of the powers in the Four Domains began to contact each other in secret, discussing how if the Central Domain played hardball, they would all fight them to the death.

If the Four Domains joined forces, the Central Domain would be no match for them.

But the price would be too high. Unless it was absolutely necessary, no one wanted to take that step.

Soon, Luo Hantian was invited to another negotiation meeting.

This time, Luo Hantian remained silent the entire time, looking inscrutable.

Everyone was unsure of his thoughts, but no one made any sarcastic remarks. After all, unity was paramount now.

"I propose that if the Central Domain tries to forcibly seize our resources and mineral lodes, we must unite to resist the enemy. No one can drop the ball or sabotage our efforts."

"Or collude with the Central Domain behind our backs and undermine our interests!"

Someone had taken the initiative to stand up and speak.

These words struck a chord with everyone. They were all afraid that some among them would cower without a fight and become traitors.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Luo Hantian remained silent and didn’t even nod in accord, someone grew dissatisfied.

They spoke out directly, "Master Luo, why aren’t you saying anything? Has the Ancient Cold Sect reached some sort of shady deal with the Central Domain?"

Everyone had been waiting for the Central Domain to make a move against the Ancient Cold Sect, but after several days, the Central Domain hadn’t mentioned them at all.

In private, they all had their theories, but no one expected someone would dare to voice them in this setting.

When Luo Hantian heard this, his icy, hawk-like eyes shot up to look at the speaker.

Strangely, he wasn’t angry.

’After all, with a genius like Song Wanning in the sect, these other sects and families can only look on in helpless envy.’

He said lazily, "Anyone here might cooperate with the Central Domain, but it’s impossible for my Ancient Cold Sect."

"Of course, I can’t disclose the specific reasons. But if anyone insists on slinging mud at my Ancient Cold Sect, don’t blame me for getting nasty right here and now!"

As soon as he spoke, the aura around Luo Hantian changed instantly.

The person who had been about to say more immediately shut their mouth, because Luo Hantian was the type who would actually start a fight.

The room fell silent once more. After a few seconds, someone stepped in to smooth things over.

The group continued discussing how to deal with the Central Domain. Luo Hantian didn’t say another word, but he was laughing inwardly.

’Many people here are just waiting to see the Ancient Cold Sect suffer.’

’They just don’t know who will be the one suffering in the end.’

A wicked smile touched Luo Hantian’s lips. He mentally praised Song Wanning from head to toe once again, marveling at his own excellent judgment.

As a result, he seemed completely different from the anxious crowd, utterly out of place.

But no matter how much they worried, what was to come eventually came.

The Central Domain sent representatives to each of the Four Domains to negotiate. The envoys were all Integration Stage Cultivators, with at least fifteen in each group, and they arrived with an imposing air.

The people of the Southern Domain took the initiative to welcome them, maintaining official smiles as they hosted the delegation.

But the representatives from the Central Domain were very direct. Without much preamble, they went straight to the topic of resource exchange.

"We people of the Central Domain are reasonable. The opening of the restriction has allowed Spiritual Energy to benefit several domains, which has had a great impact on our Central Domain!"

"But since we are all cultivators of the Spirit Realm, we are one family. So, we are also very happy to share with everyone."

"At the same time, we hope to complete a resource exchange with the Four Domains. For example, allowing the Four Domains to enter certain places in the Central Domain, while the Four Domains..."

The representative spoke pleasant words, but he soon brought up many demands.

They made it sound nice—a resource exchange—but the result was that the Southern Domain would have to give up far more than the little it would gain in return.

Everyone’s expressions turned ugly. Soon, they couldn’t even force a smile.

The Central Domain representative smiled from beginning to end. "I’m sure none of you want things to get unpleasant between us, right?"

"Peace is our most valued principle; that has always been the tradition in the Central Domain. Now that we can mutually exchange what we have, everyone should be happy. Am I right?"

The representative was still smiling, but his words held a blatant threat.

But no one could find any fault with their approach. After all, when it came to the matter of Spiritual Energy, the other domains had indeed gained an advantage.

At this point, they almost wished the Central Domain would just resort to open robbery; at least then they would have a reason to fight back.

But as things stood, if they made too much of a fuss, word would get out, and everyone would just think they were being greedy and ungrateful.

When a war inevitably broke out across the Five Domains, wouldn’t those people blame them to no end?

Everyone looked at each other, feeling trapped.

In the end, the Central Domain representatives considerately offered to leave for a while to give everyone time to make a decision.

When they returned an hour later, the people of the Southern Domain tried to haggle, but the Central Domain held all the cards.

The Central Domain reluctantly agreed to a few conditions, then immediately began the new resource allocation.

Every sect and family had to cede a portion of their resources to the Central Domain, and in return, they received access to some of the Central Domain’s Secret Realms and so on.

Although it was unfair, everyone gained something, more or less, so they couldn’t complain.

Who could they blame? The Central Domain had the power.

And the Southern Domain couldn’t beat them.