: Tough Negotiations

2025-06-16 Author: Gu Zhenren

: Tough Negotiations

Qing Yan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He never expected that Ning Zhuo's temper was so "fiery" that he would resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.

This wasn't just youthful impulsiveness; it was downright reckless!

Yang Sanyan was momentarily stunned, his face darkening like water. Just as he was about to make a move, Ning Zhuo's follow-up attack had already arrived.

Fire Element — Nine Heavens Fire Dragon Technique!

Blazing flames erupted instantly, engulfing the area around Ning Zhuo.

Roar!

With a dragon's roar, three fire dragons took shape from the sea of flames and lunged at Yang Sanyan.

The air distorted, the intense heat causing Qing Yan, Qing Chi, and the others to flush red.

A layer of cyan light enveloped Yang Sanyan, completely isolating him from the scorching heat outside.

His face was filled with anger, his eyes sharp as blades.

Ning Zhuo, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, dared to attack at the slightest disagreement—truly looking down on him!

Immediately, Yang Sanyan prepared to strike, intending to teach this arrogant junior a lesson.

But the next moment, the fire dragons' power suddenly surged, swallowing Yang Sanyan in one gulp.

Fire Heart Temple!

Ning Zhuo had deliberately held back this trump card, saving it for this moment to catch Yang Sanyan off guard.

But the next instant, Yang Sanyan snorted coldly, spreading his arms as cyan light surged around him, forming a spherical barrier that shattered the fire dragons.

Ning Zhuo formed his fingers into a sword gesture, placing them before his chest, and spat out a golden lightning bolt.

Metal Element — Profound Gold Slash.

Metal Lung Temple!

Green Scorch Army military power加持!!

A blinding golden flash streaked past, sharp and unstoppable, piercing through the cyan barrier and grazing Yang Sanyan's side before embedding itself into the wall.

After leaving a hole in the wall, it vanished into the vast sky above the immortal city.

As deputy commander, Ning Zhuo could naturally borrow military power as well.

For a moment, Yang Sanyan stood motionless.

His expression changed drastically as he stared at Ning Zhuo, his previous arrogance and anger replaced with caution and admiration.

Ning Zhuo also voluntarily ceased his attack, controlling the remaining two fire dragons.

One circled around Ning Zhuo, while the other picked up the stunned Qing Chi and flew back to Qing Yan's side.

Yang Sanyan watched as Qing Chi was rescued, making no move to stop it.

All because Ning Zhuo's Profound Gold Slash, enhanced by military power, had directly reached the Nascent Soul level. Even Yang Sanyan's proud defensive means couldn't withstand it.

Yang Sanyan, at the Golden Core stage, could unleash Nascent Soul-level combat power, making him famous for his battle prowess within the Myriad Forms Sect. And yet, this sallow-faced youth before him could unleash an attack at the Nascent Soul level with only Foundation Establishment cultivation.

"His fire dragon technique is also executed beautifully. It's clearly a classic attack spell known for being wild and hard to control, yet he managed to wield it with such finesse, even restraining its power to rescue someone. What incredible spell control mastery!"

What impressed Yang Sanyan even more was Ning Zhuo's combat talent.

"He has means to amplify his spells, but when using the fire dragon technique, he deliberately held back, calculating that I wouldn't intercept early, and only amplified it when the attack was upon me."

"And that was just a smokescreen. When he used the Profound Gold Slash, he repeated the trick, simultaneously employing two methods to amplify the spell, truly catching me off guard."

"Especially the latter enhancement—he actually used military power. That means he's already a member of the Green Scorch Army."

Countless thoughts flashed through Yang Sanyan's mind.

Qing Chi stared at Ning Zhuo in shock. "Xiao Ma, how did you suddenly become so powerful?"

Qing Yan, on the other hand, was extremely tense, his gaze fixed on Yang Sanyan, fearing the latter might suddenly erupt.

He worried inwardly, "Jiao Ma's methods are tough enough, but Yang Sanyan is not someone to be trifled with. Ah, this has escalated—what do we do now?"

As if responding to Qing Yan's worries, Ning Zhuo suddenly smiled and cupped his hands. "Junior Jiao Ma pays respects to Senior Yang Sanyan of the Myriad Forms Sect."

"Senior, I have some matters that I need to report to you privately. May I?"

Yang Sanyan's tense expression suddenly changed, even revealing a slight smile. "You're not bad, worthy of being the one my brother voluntarily followed."

"Very well, let's change locations and talk in private first."

Yang Sanyan was arrogant by nature, but he respected cultivators with true skill.

Within White Paper Immortal City, Ning Zhuo had never stopped gathering intelligence. Yang Weida had mentioned it to him more than once, so Ning Zhuo had long collected some information about Yang Sanyan and knew his temperament.

After hearing Qing Yan's account and understanding Yang Sanyan's pride, Ning Zhuo saw the situation turning sour and decisively took action.

The Profound Gold Slash could have hit Yang Sanyan directly, but Ning Zhuo intentionally missed, simply to let Yang Sanyan know his strength.

Yang Sanyan quickly recognized the reality and immediately changed his attitude.

In terms of combat power alone, Ning Zhuo could fully threaten him. More importantly, Ning Zhuo was still very young and only at the Foundation Establishment stage. This was enough to prove the latter's cultivation talent.

Yang Sanyan and Ning Zhuo left the chaotic scene.

Soon, the two began their secret discussion.

Ning Zhuo took the lead by taking out a storage pouch. "I got along well with your brother. This is what Brother Yang voluntarily gave me when he came to join me."

"Now that Brother Yang has regrettably passed, I have no face to keep his resources. Senior, as his biological brother, I return this storage pouch to you."

Ning Zhuo's first move moved Yang Sanyan.

He subconsciously took the storage pouch, his fingers trembling slightly.

He opened the pouch, infused it with spiritual sense, and quickly scanned it, thinking to himself: This matches exactly what his brother described in his letter.

Thinking about it, it made sense—Yang Weida met his demise the very first day after joining Ning Zhuo.

Upon learning this tragic news, Ning Zhuo promptly ceased using these resources, saving them for this very moment.

What Ning Zhuo didn't know was that before Yang Weida joined him, he had written to Yang Sanyan, explaining his plans in the letter.

Yang Sanyan tightened the pouch's opening and stored it in his embrace.

He sighed deeply, his cold expression softening significantly. "Given my nature, I normally wouldn't accept this storage pouch. But since it's my brother's keepsake, I'll keep it with me as a memento."

"You, young junior, are quite straightforward in your actions."

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly. "By presenting this storage pouch, I'm not only showing my sincerity and intentions but also expressing goodwill to you, Senior Yang, hoping you can provide more support to me and help establish the Green Scorch Army."

Ning Zhuo's words once again took Yang Sanyan by surprise.

He couldn't help but scrutinize the sallow-faced youth before him. "White Paper Immortal City has indeed produced some local talent."

Ning Zhuo's request seemed unreasonable, but it actually aligned with what Yang Sanyan planned to do next.

Yang Sanyan's arrival in White Paper Immortal City wasn't solely because of Yang Weida; he also had sect missions to fulfill.

One of them was to stabilize the situation as much as possible and secure more rights for the sect.

The death of his younger brother Yang Weida pained Yang Sanyan deeply.

But his immediate actions—capturing Qing Chi and summoning Ning Zhuo—weren't just about venting his anger over his brother's death; they had a deeper purpose.

That was the Green Scorch Army!

Qing Chi was the commander of the Green Scorch Army, and Ning Zhuo's voluntary attack, consuming military power, indicated that the latter was also a commander.

Yang Sanyan keenly realized that once the Green Scorch Army was truly established, it would become a significant force in White Paper Immortal City.

This force, combined with a Golden Core-level commander, could possess Nascent Soul-level combat power.

That meant it could rival the White Paper City Lord.

With proper planning, the Myriad Forms Sect could support the Green Scorch Army to become a major power in White Paper Immortal City. This would be highly beneficial for the sect's future efforts to gather cultivation resources in the Yin Tide Black Damp Marsh.

Yang Sanyan was arrogant by nature but not foolish; instead, he was quite strategic and resourceful.

However, when he planned to control Jiao Ma to influence the Green Scorch Army, an unexpected situation arose.

The combat power Ning Zhuo displayed far exceeded his expectations.

Just as he was adjusting his mindset to secretly negotiate with Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo) and propose terms to support the Green Scorch Army, Ning Zhuo guessed his thoughts and stance, directly stating his hope that Yang Sanyan would heavily fund the Green Scorch Army.

Yang Sanyan's eyes gleamed. "Jiao Ma, you're a smart person. Talking with smart people, I believe, will be very easy."

Just as he was about to discuss specific terms, Ning Zhuo spoke again.

His words surprised Yang Sanyan for the third time. "I'm not Jiao Ma. I took over this identity. My real name is Ning Zhuo."

Yang Sanyan frowned. "What?"

Ning Zhuo: "I am the deputy city lord of White Paper Immortal City, recognized by the current city lord as the savior."

Yang Sanyan's frown deepened. "Savior? What do you mean?"

Ning Zhuo didn't answer but continued, "I'm not a local. I'm from Southern Bean Kingdom. My mother is Meng Yaoyin."

Yang Sanyan: "Meng Yaoyin?"

Hearing this name, it sounded familiar, and the next moment he remembered, his expression changed drastically.

He couldn't help but stand up and walk over to Ning Zhuo. "You're the son of our sect's Golden Core true disciple Meng Yaoyin?"

Ning Zhuo nodded. "My mother passed away from illness when I was two. This time, traveling the world, I've been gathering relics and clues related to my mother, wanting to understand what kind of person she was."

"So I came to White Paper Immortal City, but unfortunately, it coincided with the ghost tide and shadow army siege crisis."

"Senior Wen Ruanyu doesn't know about this, but the White Paper City Lord is aware."

"Perhaps because of my mother's contributions to the immortal city, she secretly appointed me as deputy city lord."

"To protect me, the city lord also gifted me three paper talismans, stationed in my three dantians."

For a moment, Yang Sanyan's gaze turned somewhat dazed.

Ning Zhuo's series of revelations were too dense, leaving him a bit overwhelmed.

Yang Sanyan blinked. "How can you prove…"

Before he could finish, Ning Zhuo took out some of Meng Yaoyin's relics and added, "Thanks to Senior Wen Ruanyu's regard, after matters here are resolved, I will take his recommendation letter to the Myriad Forms Sect to participate in the Flying Cloud Assembly and strive to join the sect."

"By then, I believe there will be more reliable means to verify my identity."

Yang Sanyan took the relics and examined them. "These aren't ironclad proof."

Ning Zhuo nodded. "It's strange. My mother didn't leave any related last words for me to return to the Myriad Forms Sect. I was just lucky to gather some key clues, which led me back."

Ning Zhuo's words made it seem more genuine.

Seeing Yang Sanyan pondering, Ning Zhuo smiled slightly. "Actually, there is ironclad proof in these mechanism texts."

"The texts left by my mother contain many of her cultivation insights and achievements."

"One of them, about array disguise, is precisely the reason I could discover an array space within the paper giant statue!"

Yang Sanyan nodded. "This situation has already been reported to the sect by Wen Ruanyu. I knew about it before coming here."

"I never expected the situation to be like this…"

Ning Zhuo: "Because there are traitors in the city who haven't been identified, I don't trust anyone and insisted on refining the Field Lamp within the array space."

Yang Sanyan: "The Field Lamp must be handed over to the sect eventually. For now, you keep it. That's not the main point."

Yang Sanyan's lack of emphasis on the Field Lamp was good news for Ning Zhuo.

He was more concerned about another point: "Ning Zhuo, since you're wary of Wen Ruanyu, do you think he's the traitor in the city?"

Ning Zhuo shook his head. "Based on current information, he isn't."

"I have someone in mind and am about eighty percent sure he is the traitor, or one of them!"

Hearing this, Yang Sanyan's expression turned sharp, urgently asking, "Tell me, who is it!"

Ning Zhuo, however, smiled again without answering, leisurely taking a sip of tea.

Seeing his attitude, Yang Sanyan nearly slapped him. Since when did a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dare put on airs in front of him?

But recalling Ning Zhuo's strength and the earlier conversation, Yang Sanyan felt a shock in his heart.

He suddenly realized that since the secret discussion began, the entire conversation rhythm had been firmly controlled by Ning Zhuo. Despite being a Golden Core cultivator and a true disciple of a super sect, he had been thoroughly dominated, led by the nose all along.

Yang Sanyan took a deep breath, understanding Ning Zhuo's demand, and snorted coldly. "I am willing to fully support the Green Scorch Army."

"To be honest with you, I've brought a large amount of resources this time, enough for your military needs."

"These resources aren't mine but the Myriad Forms Sect's mission funds."

Ning Zhuo set down his cup. "The Myriad Forms Sect truly lives up to being my mother's sect—so generous!"

He gazed at Yang Sanyan, his attitude subtly firm. "The Green Scorch Army is my army, and it can only be my army."

The implication was that the Myriad Forms Sect could provide funds but shouldn't attempt to control the Green Scorch Army.

Yang Sanyan: "Qing Chi still doesn't know your true identity. Do you plan to rely on the Jiao Ma disguise to control this new army?"

Ning Zhuo shook his head, taking another sip of tea. "I'm fully confident about that. There's no need for you to worry, senior."

"If we reach an agreement on this, I'll tell you the traitor's identity!"

Yang Sanyan narrowed his eyes, pondering for a moment. Ultimately, the flames of vengeance overpowered his need for balance. "Fine, I'll agree to your terms this once. So what?"

Ning Zhuo clapped in admiration. "Decisive!"

Both Yang Sanyan and Ning Zhuo signed the contract.

Yang Sanyan directly gave Ning Zhuo three storage bracelets filled with cultivation resources.

"Quickly tell me who the traitor is!" Yang Sanyan watched as Ning Zhuo stored all the bracelets, finally growing impatient.

(End of )