Chapter 868: As Busy as a Marketplace
While Qin Lie was staring, two white-dressed figures walked out of the exquisite crescent-shaped flying spirit artifact.
Both of them were beautiful women. One of them was a human, while the other was of a different race. Their auras were very similar to each other, however.
The human girl was slightly taller, and her skin was a healthy, wheat-like color. She had a pair of very spiritual-looking eyes beneath long, thin, willow eyebrows.
The foreign race female was slightly smaller, and her pupils were in the shape of a crescent moon. At the center of her glabella, there was a even a crescent-shaped crystal that looked like a third eye.
This foreign race girl had skin as white as the moon, and she appeared to be the silent type who didn’t like to speak.
The moment they appeared, the complexion of Jun Hongxuan of Sun Palace immediately turned dark. It was obvious that he was extremely displeased with their presence.
“That human girl is called Lin Jie. She is a member of Lunar Temple, and she possesses the bloodline of the Serene Moon Race. You can say that she and Jun Hongxuan are sworn enemies.” Beside Qin Lie, the Dark Shadow Race old woman carefully introduced the newcomers with a cautious look on her face. “The person next to her is You Qianlan of the Serene Moon Race. These two are related by blood, and their relations.h.i.+p is as close as true sisters’.”
“Serene Moon Race…” Qin Lie couldn’t help but cast a glance at the female called You Qianlan.
He noticed that You Qianlan was able to absorb strands of moon energy into the crescent-shaped crystal at her glabella even though she hadn’t moved or made any cultivation movements under the moonlight at all.
The crystal that she was born with seemed capable of absorbing moon energy on its own accord and store them.
In a way, it was identical to the silver moon mark on his right shoulder.
“Ah, it is Miss Lin and Miss Qianlan.” At the village, Eddie couldn’t help but bow in respect yet again. “Both your presences brings light to my humble dwelling.”
When he was facing Lin Jie and You Qianlan, some traces of true respect actually appeared on his face.
“Both Sun Palace and the Serene Moon Race are infinitely strong in Boluo Realm, but the Serene Moon Race hadn’t purposely made our lives difficult or oppressed us.” The old woman inside the cave explained in a soft tone again.
Qin Lie nodded to indicate his understanding.
“You’re welcome.”
Lin Jie waved her hands in a pa.s.sably courteous manner. “Whatever Sun Palace promises you, our Lunar Temple, can match. On top of that, we don’t need you to become our subordinate force completely. We are willing to form an alliance with you instead.”
The moment he said this, Eddie and even the elders inside the cave seemed a little moved by the offer.
If it was an alliance, then the Dark Shadow Race wouldn’t lose their autonomy. They wouldn’t need to charge to the frontlines like cannon fodders for other people’s sake.
“You don’t want them as your subordinate?” Jun Hongxuan snorted. “And yet you’re still willing to support all of their cultivation needs from now on?”
“We will pay for a part of their cultivation resources at the beginning, and once they have recovered their strength they would naturally prepare their own cultivation materials themselves.” Lin Jie smiled calmly and said, “Spirit Realm is different from Boluo Realm. They can grow large amounts of Nether Realm plants and raise plenty of Demon Armor Insects. Unlike here in Boluo Realm, they won’t lack the nether demonic energy necessary for cultivation in Spirit Realm. They won’t be as pa.s.sive and helpless as they are now.”
Lin Jie looked at Eddie again. “You only need to make a slight comparison to know whose offer is the better choice.”
“But Young Master Jun said that the reason we can return to Spirit Realm is all thanks to the repeated pleas of the palace master of Sun Palace. This is a great favor we cannot ignore.” Eddie’s eyes gleamed.
“They pleaded on your behalf?” Lin Jie cast a sideway glance at Jun Hongxuan that was full of disdain. “How can you be so shameless, Young Master Jun? How dare you claim that Sky Mender Palace’s withdrawal of the three thousand year lockdown of the Nether Realm is in any way related to your Sun Palace?”
Jun Hongxuan’s face was ashen with anger. “And how do you know that we have nothing to do with it?”
“Do you think your Sun Palace is the only force with a source of information? You should know better than to claim merits that don’t belong to you. It will only make you look foolish.” Lin Jie laughed softly before falling into a moment of thought. Then, she said seriously to Eddie, “I’ll be honest with you. Not only Sun Palace has completely nothing to do with the Sky Mender Palace’s change of mind, our Lunar Temple did nothing to help either.”
“We asked around for a bit in regards to this matter, and we’ve learned only one thing. The reason Sky Mender Palace was willing to withdraw the ban is because… someone had plead on your behalf.”
“We are unable to determine this person’s ident.i.ty even with our abilities. We can only guess that he is probably the same person as the one who pleaded on your behalf three thousand years ago.”
“This means that this same person has been working hard to free you for three thousand years.”
Lin Jie didn’t hide the truth. She revealed it right after she arrived.
Eddie listened to her explanation quietly. When she was done, Eddie’s shoulders were obviously trembling in great agitation.
“The Venerable One! It really was the Venerable One!”
Inside the cave, the Dark Shadow elders were also excited beyond words. Their eyes were filled with great grat.i.tude.
The excited gazes were all directed onto Qin Lie, and Qin Lie felt extremely uncomfortable because of it.
“Not only did Sky Mender Palace release the ban, they even reopened the sealed Nether Continent.” Lin Jie smiled and added, “From what I heard, a group of Horned Demon clansmen of the Nether Realm has quietly returned to the Nether Continent a few years ago. They have now established themselves on the Nether Continent.”
“We, the Lunar Temple, are willing to deliver you safely back to the Nether Continent and reunite with your Nether Realm brethren—if you are willing to form an alliance with us.”
“What do you all think?”
She made the offer on behalf of Lunar Temple.
She knew how terrifying the Nether Realm’s races were, and she knew that they would definitely be able to regain their strength in the Spirit Realm gradually if they were allowed to return to the Nether Continent.
This Dark Shadow branch that had migrated to Boluo Realm had a dozen or so Nirvana Realm martial pract.i.tioners and a Void Realm expert. If they all returned to Spirit Realm and regained their full strength, they would become an extremely powerful force to reckon with.
If this power was moved by Sun Palace’s persuasion and turned into their va.s.sal force, if they were used as a frontline unit to charge against them, Lunar Temple would definitely suffer heavy losses.
That was why she had rushed over so hurriedly to fight over this Dark Shadow Race group. At least, she had to destroy Jun Hongxuan’s plan and stop Sun Palace from recruiting these people.
“Eh! Sun Palace! Lunar Temple!”
It was at this moment three middle-aged men followed by the two Yuan brothers rushed over from the distance.
They had seen Sun Palace and Lunar Temple’s war chariots from afar.
While the two sides were still negotiating, the important members of the Yuan Family all showed up one after another.
“I am the Yuan Family’s person in charge of Boluo Realm.” Yuan Wenzhi laughed loudly while forcefully barging into the small village and standing between Jun Hongxuan and Lin Jie.
Then, a gigantic demon dragon covered in pitch black dragon armor that made it seem like it was forged from iron descended onto the village’s outskirts.
“Eddie! When the Dark Shadow Race was driven into a dead end, is it not I, Barett, who took you in?” The giant demon dragon didn’t walk in, seemingly afraid that his giant body would flatten the village in one go. He yelled from outside, “The Yuan Family are my kin, and the spirit stones I’ve traded to you are all supplied by them. No matter how you spin it, you cannot deny the fact that I, Barett, am the only reason you are still alive in Boluo Realm! You should be grateful for my aid!”
Barett didn’t purposely shout, but his voice still resounded so loudly that the world itself seemed like it was about to shatter.
Even though Qin Lie was hiding inside the cave without trying to probe the ent.i.ty outside, he was still incredibly stifled by the infinitely vast aura of flesh and blood outside.
In his senses, Barett outside the village was practically a flesh-made mountain of refined life force. Countless violent and vast flesh and blood energy was boiling inside its body.
It was just the intimidation power of one’s physical body!
“Lord Barett has actually arrived personally!”
At the foot of the mountain, everyone including Eddie had knelt down on one knee to display their humility.
“Stay here; we have to go down. Lord Barett’s arrival is no small matter, and we mustn’t be impolite towards him!”
After leaving Qin Lie with a hasty instruction, the female Dark Shadow clansman hastily flew towards the cave entrance.
Dozens of Dark Shadow elders also jumped towards the outside unhesitatingly before standing still beside Eddie. Then, they all knelt on one knee.
“Greetings, Lord Barett!” They all exclaimed softly in unison.
Suddenly, Qin Lie was the only one left inside the vast cave.
He hid behind the cave and looked at the Dark Shadow elders at the bottom half-kneeling humbly in expression of their respect towards the demon dragon Barett. He didn’t know what to say.
He then looked outside the village.
He could only see a giant shadow. The shadow didn’t move much as if it was hiding inside a thick forest, but he was unleas.h.i.+ng a terrifying and destructive aura at every moment.
It was the leader of the Demon Dragon Race in Boluo Realm, Barett.
The complexion of the arguing Jun Hongxuan and Lin Jie changed the second they saw that the demon dragon Barett had arrived personally.
They also saluted Barett with the etiquette of a junior, although they didn’t kneel on one knee like the Dark Shadow Race.
They weren’t the Demon Dragon Race’s va.s.sal force after all.
“Before Eddie and his people return to Spirit Realm, they are still my va.s.sal force. You two, not only did you not visit me first upon entering my territory, you came over immediately in hopes of poaching my people. Do you think that I have a good temper or something?” The demon dragon was completely uncourteous when he was speaking to Jun Hongxuan and Lin Jie. His roar was as loud as thunder.
Jun Hongxuan and Lin Jie’s expressions turned painful as they quickly bowed their heads. They said that they had acted rashly because they were too hasty.
“You, Sun Palace kid, get out of my sight first! The smell on your body disgusts me!” Barett roared.
“I shall leave right away.” Jun Hongxuan was very smart, and he didn’t try to persuade Eddie anymore. He hastily shot a meaningful look at the Sun Palace martial pract.i.tioners behind him.
The group of Sun Palace martial pract.i.tioners clad in gold armor hastily got atop the gold war chariot. Before Barett could utter another word, they immediately flew away from this place.
In the blink of an eye, all Sun Palace members had vanished out of sight.