Nanshan Yijian nodded heavily. He remained still in place, but a powerful force began to emanate from him, as if he were coiled and ready to strike.
Bao Gu pulled out the communication talisman given to her by Jade Shura from her oversized storage bag and contacted Jade Shura.
As soon as the talisman connected, Jade Shura’s voice came through: “Bao Gu? Hey, all the factions in Xuanyue Ancient City are looking for you now. Where has Xuantian Sect disappeared to? Is there something you need to contact me about?”
“I have information about the Ancient Ruins. Do you want it?”
Jade Shura exclaimed, “What?”
Bao Gu heard not only Jade Shura’s voice through the talisman but also a faint “Hmm?” from a woman, seemingly the voice of the master of Soul Chasing Pavilion. Her momentary confusion vanished as she replied, “I’ve found the hiding place of the Corpse Demon Dragon! Ask your master if they want the Ancient Ruins, and we can split it fifty-fifty! I take five, and if you agree, I’ll send you the coordinates immediately! As for the remaining fifty percent, you can decide whether to keep it all for yourselves or share it with other factions in Xuanyue Ancient City, it’s up to you!”
Nanshan Yijian: “…”
Feng Yi: “…”
Yu Mi: “…”
Hua Sheng: “…”
They all looked at Bao Gu in speechless astonishment.
Jade Shura shouted, “Bao Gu, you really are a fortune teller! My master just came out of seclusion today! She’s now a god-like existence at the Void Tearing stage, and she’s been worried about not having an opponent. Oh, by the way, is Senior Nanshan with you? My master wants to find him for a spar!”
As soon as Jade Shura’s voice fell, the voice of the master of Soul Chasing Pavilion came through the talisman again: “Do you really have the whereabouts of the Corpse Demon Dragon?” Her cold voice was particularly pleasant, revealing a hint of concern.
“Yes, I’m negotiating with him, but it seems like the talks are about to break down!”
Yu Mi interjected through gritted teeth, “Bao Gu, you’re too shameless!”
The master of Soul Chasing Pavilion elongated her voice, saying, “Oh—then take your time negotiating. If it falls through, send me the coordinates. Fifty-fifty it is, but you can’t leak the information to anyone else! If the deal goes through, just send me some precious medicine or spirit wine later!”
Bao Gu replied, “Alright! It’s a deal.” After finishing, she cut off contact with the master of Soul Chasing Pavilion and called out to the Corpse Demon Dragon in the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons, “Jiao Long, do you want to fight or negotiate?”
She could imagine how ugly the Corpse Demon Dragon’s expression would be and how furious he would be!
The cold voice of the Corpse Demon Dragon came from the depths of the gorge: “Aren’t you afraid of coming to settle accounts with me?”
Bao Gu snorted lightly, unconcerned, “By then, you might not even have the qualifications to negotiate with me!”
There was another moment of silence in the gorge.
Bao Gu chuckled lightly and said, “I know this place is close to the Demon Domain, and you can seek help from the great demons. You’ve searched the souls of my several senior brothers, so you should be well aware of the current situation of the Ancient Ruins. With the spiritual veins and treasures in the Demon Domain combined with the Ancient Ruins in your hands, it would be enough for them to rebuild a cultivation city in the Demon Domain just like in the Snow Domain. This is a holy land for the demon race. If you attract a large number of cultivators because of today’s matter with me, the holy land for the demon race will never have peace again. Dragon Demon King, will you still have a place to stand in the future?”
She paused and continued, “I don’t ask for much, just let the Xuantian Sect establish a foothold in the Two Realms Mountain! As for your true body’s remains, I’m sorry, my Martial Uncle Chen’s soul is currently residing in your remains, so I can’t give it to you for now. Once I help him reshape his spiritual body, we can consider whether to negotiate a deal to return your true body’s remains.”
The Corpse Demon Dragon let out a heavy cold snort and said, “Reshaping the spiritual body? You make it sound easy!”
Bao Gu scoffed, “I have a Nascent Soul Fruit!” She called out, “Little Monkey, show him a Nascent Soul Fruit!”
Duobao Spirit Monkey squeaked and was about to reach out, but suddenly remembered something, scratching its head in confusion as it looked at Bao Gu. After a moment, it seemed to sense something, bared its teeth fiercely in the direction of the gorge, and instantly vanished into thin air.
A loud explosion suddenly echoed from the depths of the gorge, accompanied by a surge of energy fluctuations.
Duobao Spirit Monkey reappeared on Bao Gu’s shoulder, chattering incessantly and pointing its monkey finger at the depths of the gorge, seemingly cursing!
Bao Gu was bewildered. She patted the agitated Duobao Spirit Monkey and said, “Little Monkey, quiet down. What’s wrong?”
Ling Er explained, “Jiao Long was spying on the Little Monkey, which angered him. The Little Monkey went into the void to give the Dragon Demon King a hit!” She paused and added, “Jiao Long, do you want to spy on me?”
A sigh came from the depths of the gorge: “Fate! Forget it, I will give you the Two Realms Mountain!”
Hearing the Dragon Demon King concede, Bao Gu was genuinely surprised. She knew that with the strength of the Corpse Demon Dragon, the hit from Duobao Spirit Monkey in the void would definitely not affect him. Why would he choose to back down? If it were out of fear of her coercion, that would be too embarrassing! Feeling the Dragon Demon King’s generosity, Bao Gu felt a bit shy and said, “Well… um… I don’t necessarily want you to move. In the future, let’s not interfere with each other. We, the Xuantian Sect, will live on the mountain, and you can stay in your gorge. We just need to keep our own disciples in check!”
After a moment of silence from the depths of the gorge, Jiao Long asked, “Can you make decisions regarding the Xuantian Sect?”
Bao Gu replied, “Wait a moment!” She quickly contacted Zi Tianjun with the communication talisman and briefly explained the current situation.
Zi Tianjun pondered for a long time before saying, “You decide carefully! Don’t leave any hidden dangers!”
Bao Gu responded, “Okay, Grandmaster, I will handle it with care.” After cutting off contact with Zi Tianjun, she said, “Jiao Long, let’s make a contract and oath!”
The Dragon Demon King replied, “Oh?”
Bao Gu said, “You haven’t returned to the Demon Domain and have settled here. I believe you have your concerns in the Demon Domain. If you leave here, you can find a place to rest, but it may not be suitable. Since you are staying here, I won’t take your resting place. If you stay here, you will also worry that I will leak your whereabouts, attracting various factions to hunt you down for your Ancient Ruins! If the Xuantian Sect moves here and becomes your neighbor, you will also have to worry about me taking action against you one day. I think we can form an alliance and turn enemies into friends.”
“Turn enemies into friends? You tell me how!”
Bao Gu said, “Jiao Long, you must have encountered a problem in your cultivation back then, right? Your true body was destroyed, and your primordial spirit has been imprisoned for tens of thousands of years. Even if your strength was high in life, it is now nearly exhausted, and recovery is extremely difficult. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have repeatedly compromised under my threats.”
She paused and continued, “I know you are not a good person, having built a city of corpses and killed countless people. Even if the corpse city wasn’t built by you, you must have connections, but I’m not afraid of you. I am confident that I can eliminate you now, and in the future, I will be even less afraid of you.”
The Dragon Demon King coldly snorted, “What a big mouth!”
Bao Gu said, “I’m not afraid of you, so I dare to return your true body’s remains to you! I’m not afraid of you, so I dare to help you cultivate again. You had a problem in your cultivation back then, so recovery is particularly difficult, but I can help you recover.”
The Dragon Demon King said, “Do you want me to listen to your orders?”
Bao Gu smiled slightly and said, “Whether you want to or not, it’s up to you. You’ve searched my senior brother’s soul, so you should know how severely injured my Little Martial Aunt is. I have a way to save her, let alone you! Even Martial Uncle Chen’s situation is not much different from yours. If you are unwilling to form an alliance with me, just pretend I never said these words. Anyway, the Xuantian Sect has already decided to take root in the Two Realms Mountain, and whether to move or not is up to you.”
After saying this, she turned to the people beside her and said, “Let’s go!” She then told Sun Dilong, “I want you to spread the news that Jiao Long has given the Two Realms Mountain to us. From now on, the Two Realms Mountain will be the territory of the Xuantian Sect, the territory of the orthodox sect in the cultivation world.
The Xuantian Sect can accommodate demons and demon cultivators, but it cannot tolerate evil demons and wicked people.” She paused and added, “Oh, by the way, also help me convey that the Xuantian Sect is recruiting outer disciples.” She took out some spirit stones, stuffed them into a storage bag, and threw them to Sun Dilong, saying, “This is your reward! If you do well, there will be more benefits for you. I need more hands.”
Sun Dilong stared blankly at the storage bag in his hands. He still couldn’t believe that this girl in the second stage of Foundation Establishment could scare Jiao Long into handing over the Two Realms Mountain with just a few words! He couldn’t believe that a girl in the second stage of Foundation Establishment dared to recruit the Jiao Long! He pinched his thigh hard, truly thinking he was dreaming!
Hua Sheng shouted, “Wait, Jiang Wu, Qin Zhan, and Feng Shidi haven’t been released yet.”
Bao Gu sighed, turned around, and shouted, “Jiao Long, will you release them?”
After a moment, a black figure rose from the depths of the gorge. This person wore a dark brocade robe, and his features bore some resemblance to the Corpse Demon Dragon Bao Gu had seen in the Ancient Ruins, but he looked younger, appearing to be only around twenty years old—too young. However, his eyes were mismatched with his face, filled with the traces of time, as if he had experienced endless years. He was surrounded by a cold aura, giving off an arrogant feeling. Behind him followed five young men, who were none other than Feng Menglong and the others who had been captured.
With a flick of his robe sleeve, the man in the dark brocade robe pushed Feng Menglong and the others to Bao Gu’s side, his icy gaze fixed on her.
Feng Menglong stumbled closer to Bao Gu.
But Bao Gu sidestepped, creating distance from Feng Menglong and the others, and stood beside Nanshan Yijian, saying, “Check if there are any tricks played on Feng Shidi and the others by the Dragon Demon King.”
The man in the dark brocade robe coldly said, “You are quite cautious.”
That voice was indeed the voice of the Corpse Demon Dragon.
Bao Gu shrank back behind Nanshan Yijian and said, “My life is precious, and many people are keeping an eye on me, having earned the hatred of many, so of course, I have to be careful.” She communicated with Nanshan Yijian through the talisman, asking, “Senior Nanshan, can you tell how deep the strength of this Corpse Demon Dragon is?”
Nanshan Yijian nodded. He knew what Bao Gu was asking and communicated back, “His cultivation is above mine, and he has the strength to fight me. The outcome of a battle with him is uncertain.”
Bao Gu thought, “In that case, the Corpse Demon Dragon is not afraid of Nanshan Yijian, but rather afraid of being besieged. Therefore, it is correct to say that he has concerns in the Demon Domain, which prevents him from choosing to hide in a corner of the Demon Domain.”
Nanshan Yijian communicated to Bao Gu, “Your eyes are darting around; what are you pondering?”
Bao Gu chuckled awkwardly and said, “What are you talking about!” After realizing that everyone around was looking at her, she felt embarrassed and touched her nose, saying, “Let’s go!” She then told Feng Yi, “Martial Uncle Feng, you should take Feng Shidi and the others back for a thorough check!”
Feng Yi shot a sideways glance at Bao Gu. You’re getting more and more adept at giving orders!
Feng Menglong and the others were even more frustrated.
Bao Gu summoned her flying sword and stepped onto it, rising into the air. She cupped her hands to the Corpse Demon Dragon and said, “Sorry for the disturbance, I apologize, farewell.”
Yu Mi looked at Bao Gu deeply several times.
The Corpse Demon Dragon let out a heavy grunt, saying, “Perhaps we can make another deal. I will exchange the Ancient Ruins with you for my true body’s remains and your help in restoring my strength.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and said, “Let me consider it.”
The Corpse Demon Dragon snorted heavily again, his eyes filled with coldness.
Bao Gu said, “Don’t be unhappy. I know what you’re planning. If you give me the Ancient Ruins, it would be like throwing a hot potato to me, and the Xuantian Sect is very likely to face another extermination crisis.”
The Corpse Demon Dragon said, “If I don’t give you the Ancient Ruins, all you need to do is pass your whereabouts to Xuanyue Ancient City, and you will also face extermination.”
Bao Gu smiled brightly and said, “But you have the Ancient Ruins in your hands, and you can’t escape! Between exterminating me or exterminating you, they will definitely choose to eliminate you first! Because they have already exterminated me once, and the result was a heavy loss; they won’t dare to act lightly a second time.”
The Corpse Demon Dragon’s expression grew even colder and darker.
Bao Gu continued, “I am currently busy rebuilding the sect’s residence and have no time to help Martial Uncle Chen reshape his spiritual body. I can’t return your true body’s remains to you for now. Also, you are extremely vicious, and I have to guard against you coming back to kill me or destroy my sect after you break through. If you swear a blood oath to listen to me and no longer do evil, not only will I return your true body’s remains, but I can also offer you a great opportunity to become a true dragon or cultivate to immortality!”
The Dragon Demon King narrowed his eyes, sizing up Bao Gu.
Bao Gu smiled and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I dared to let you go back then, and I dare to say such things and make such arrangements today.” She shifted her tone, smiling brightly, and said, “To be honest, I always thought your remains would be quite suitable for making a mount. It’s just a pity…” She shrugged and didn’t continue.
The Corpse Demon Dragon pondered for a moment and asked, “How will you help me recover?”
Bao Gu thought for a moment, took out a box containing Nirvana Pills, opened a crack, and said, “This, will it do?”
The Corpse Demon Dragon’s eyes lit up, and his aura suddenly surged, almost ready to make a move.
Nanshan Yijian had already shielded Bao Gu the moment she took out the Nirvana Pill!
Feng Yi sensed that the Corpse Demon Dragon’s aura was off and instantly rushed in front of Bao Gu, drawing his sword and preparing for action.
Bao Gu quickly closed the lid of the Nirvana Pill with a snap and said, “Don’t think about snatching it! Your true body is lost, and one Nirvana Pill is not enough to help you recover. Even if I give you this Nirvana Pill, you can only watch helplessly. You need to use a Nascent Soul Pill to restore your spiritual body first, and then use another Nirvana Pill to reshape it!”
She could see the Corpse Demon Dragon gritting his teeth, his hands clenched tightly under his robe sleeve. At that moment, the Corpse Demon Dragon must have been feeling like his heart was bleeding, wishing he could pounce on her and strangle her or rob her clean.
The Corpse Demon Dragon gloomily spat out, “I will swear a blood oath with you!”
Feng Yi gasped, completely dumbfounded!
Yu Mi: “…” stunned on the spot.
Feng Menglong, Hua Sheng, and the others were also left in shock.
Nanshan Yijian: “…? This is possible?” He turned his head and gave a deep, meaningful look at Bao Gu, who was smiling innocently, truly speechless.
