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Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
A quick estimation indicated that the materials from Void Land should have arrived at Great Evolution Paradise by now, so Void Land should already be using the Good Fortune Divine Furnace to create higher Order materials. That was why Yang Kai was happy to procrastinate. The longer they delayed things, the more chances Void Land would have to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace.
Nevertheless, it did not matter too much. Even if they reached an agreement today, it would take some time for the Cave Heavens and Paradises to gather their materials and send them to Great Evolution Paradise. Void Land could go ahead and use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace until the materials from the Cave Heavens and Paradises arrived.
“There’s something else.” Hua Qing Si leaned closer and lowered her voice, “Shi Zheng of Lang Ya Paradise wishes to have a private meeting with you, Sect Master.”
“Shi Zheng?” Yang Kai frowned.
Needless to say, he was acquainted with all the foreign affairs envoys from the Cave Heavens and Paradises stationed in the Star Boundary. Shi Zheng was the foreign affairs envoy of Lang Ya Paradise and a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Did he say what it was about?” Yang Kai asked.
If it were any other Cave Heaven or Paradise, he would not have been so concerned. The key point was that Shi Zheng was from Lang Ya Paradise, and Lang Ya Paradise was the Master Sect of Zhang Ruo Xi’s Ancestor. Moreover, Zhang Ruo Xi was currently a Lang Ya Paradise disciple.
Hua Qing Si shook her head and said, “He didn’t say anything, but I think it has something to do with the Good Fortune Divine Furnace.”
The representatives of the Cave Heavens and Paradises were going to gather at High Heaven Palace in three days’ time to discuss the matter related to the Good Fortune Divine Furnace together. Hence, Shi Zheng’s intentions for asking for a private meeting with Yang Kai was obvious.
[Is he planning to use his private connections to get a better deal?] Yang Kai felt a little disgusted by the idea, but could not refuse due to his relationship with Zhang Ruo Xi. If he rejected Shi Zheng’s request, there was no saying whether Shi Zheng would harass Zhang Ruo Xi in the future. Be that as it may, the situation was such that he could not agree to over-the-top demands even if he met with Shi Zheng in private. That was something Shi Zheng had to understand.
“Invite him over then,” he ordered.
To which Hua Qing Si said, “Elder Shi claimed that there are too many eyes in the Star Boundary, so it is inconvenient for him to visit you recklessly. He asks that you take a small trip instead.”
[His sneaky and furtive actions are really giving off the vibe that he wants to discuss some sort of underhanded and dishonourable secret with me.]
She then continued, “Sect Master, if you do not wish to meet him, I will arrange for somebody to send a message to him.”
Yang Kai pondered in silence for a long time before he said, “I will still need to meet him anyway. Where are we meeting?”
Hua Qing Si hurriedly handed over a jade slip.
He took the jade slip from her and used his Divine Sense to probe the contents. Understanding flooded his heart and he asked, “What about the time?”
She replied, “Elder Shi told me that he will be waiting for you there, Sect Master.”
[How rushed…]
Thinking about it again though, it made sense. Many High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Masters would be gathering in High Heaven Palace in three days. There would not be any other chances for them to meet if they did not rush the meeting now.
“I’ll go and take a look.”
“Sect Master!” Hua Qing Si hurriedly shouted after Yang Kai, “Be careful!”
Yang Kai nodded and vanished out of sight.
The place where Shi Zheng had chosen was still within High Heaven Territory, but it was quite a distance away from the Star Boundary. Moving quickly, Yang Kai arrived in less than four hours.
The void was tranquil, and a ship drifted quietly with two figures standing silently on the deck. Upon detecting Yang Kai’s aura, both of them turned to look in his direction. One of them looked surprised for a moment before shouting in excitement, “Sir!”
Yang Kai landed on the deck and looked forward with an equally pleasantly surprised look, “Ruo Xi?”
Shi Zheng was not the only person waiting for Yang Kai in this place, Zhang Ruo Xi was here too.
Speaking of which, Yang Kai had looked forward to seeing Zhang Ruo Xi when news about the World Tree spread and the Cave Heavens and Paradises began moving into the Star Boundary. Unfortunately, she never appeared even though the people from Lang Ya Paradise had arrived.
When Yang Kai asked Shi Zheng about the situation, he learned that Zhang Ruo Xi was cultivating in retreat. It was obvious at their reunion today that Zhang Ruo Xi was already an Open Heaven Realm Master.
“Sir, why are you here? Elder Shi told me that an honoured guest would be coming, and here I was wondering who it would be.” Zhang Ruo Xi smiled as brightly as a flower in bloom.
Yang Kai laughed, “I never thought I would meet you here either. Did you rush here from Lang Ya Paradise?”
She nodded, “I wanted to come back to visit, but I was in retreat previously. It was simply not convenient for me to come. Now that my cultivation has stabilised, the Master Sect finally allowed me to come.”
“What Order are you in?” He looked concerned.
“Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm!” She replied happily.
“Good! Very good!” He reached out to pat her head, though there was no denying that he felt a little regretful. If she had condensed her Dao Seal a little later, she might have had the chance to advance into the Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm. Nevertheless, regret was useless at this point. Once a cultivator had condensed their Dao Seal, the foundation was laid for which Order Open Heaven Realm they could achieve.
“How is the Master Sect?”
Zhang Ruo Xi smilingly replied, “It’s wonderful. Senior Sister Gu has always taken good care of me; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to advance into the Open Heaven Realm so quickly.”
The ‘Senior Sister Gu’ that Zhang Ruo Xi mentioned was none other than Gu Pan. As a Lang Ya Paradise Core Disciple, Gu Pan was one of its future pillars; therefore, her attitude towards Zhang Ruo Xi would hugely affect the treatment that the latter received in the Sect.
“In that case, I will have to thank her properly when I meet her again.” Yang Kai smiled. Speaking of which, he had not met Gu Pan since they last encountered one another during the Dao Theory Assembly.
Setting aside such thoughts, Yang Kai looked up and cupped his fist in a manner that was neither rude nor polite, “Greetings, Elder Shi!”
During the conversation between Yang Kai and Zhang Ruo Xi, Shi Zheng simply stood to the side and watched with a smile on his face. He had not shown any intention of interrupting them. At this moment, he finally spoke up in a generous manner, “You are too polite, Sect Master Yang.”
Yang Kai said, “Why did you ask me to come here, Elder Shi?”
He was already unhappy with the fact that Shi Zheng had requested a private meeting with him before the Cave Heavens and Paradises met up to discuss the matters regarding the Good Fortune Divine Furnace. In addition, he arrived only to see that Zhang Ruo Xi was also here. These points only solidified his impression that Shi Zheng was a cunning and sly man.
Although Yang Kai could understand Shi Zheng’s wish to utilise personal connections, for him to go so far as to bring Zhang Ruo Xi here showed clear intentions of taking advantage of the relationship between Yang Kai and her.
Shi Zheng responded, “You already have the answer in your heart, Sect Master Yang, why bother asking? Let’s sit down and talk.”
A feast had been prepared in advance on the deck, and a tantalising smell filled the air. Since Yang Kai was already here, he figured he might as well stay. There was nothing he needed to worry about since Shi Zheng was the one who had a request for him.
After thanking Shi Zheng, Yang Kai took a seat. Shi Zheng sat opposite Yang Kai while Zhang Ruo Xi knelt by the side and served them. The entire ship only had the aura of three people and there was nobody else in the vicinity.
“Sect Master Yang, you are young and promising indeed. This King admires you very much. Please allow this King to drink this toast to you,” Shi Zheng raised his glass.
Yang Kai nodded lightly, “Many thanks, Elder Shi.”
He raised his glass and gulped down the contents. Warmth filled his belly from the alcohol.
Zhang Ruo Xi refilled their wine glasses quietly.
“Sect Master Yang, the World Tree root that you brought out from the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary and planted in the Star Boundary could be said to have benefitted this entire vast universe. This King will drink to that too!” Shi Zheng raised his glass for the second time.
“The results were unexpected. I did not anticipate this situation either when I planted the World Tree.”
Shi Zheng smiled, “But, there is no denying that the 3,000 Worlds has benefited. If not for your actions back then, the Star Boundary would not be producing so many peerless talents.”
After two glasses of wine, he continued, “I heard that Gu Pan received a lot of help from you in the Grand Ancient Ruins Boundary, Sect Master Yang. This King will drink this toast as thanks on behalf of Gu Pan.”
Yang Kai nodded lightly and drank again! He secretly thought to himself, [Is this guy trying to get me drunk so that he can ask me for more benefits? If that’s the case, then I’ll drink you under the table!]
It was a good wine, but how could something brought to the table by a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master be of poor quality? Nevertheless, Yang Kai was a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master with the body of a 10,000-metre-long Grand Dragon. How could mere wine make him drunk?
After three glasses of wine, Shi Zheng finally got to the point, “I’m sure you have some guesses as to why this King invited you here, Sect Master Yang. You are not wrong. This King is indeed here for the Good Fortune Divine Furnace.”
Yang Kai was slightly surprised by his bluntness and said, “The representatives of the Cave Heavens and Paradises will be gathering at the High Heaven Palace in three days’ time to discuss the matter regarding the Good Fortune Divine Furnace’s right of use together. As long as the condition I named is satisfied, all the Sects will be able to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace. Lang Ya Paradise is no exception. So, what is it that you wish to discuss with me, Elder Shi?”
Shi Zheng laughed, “The 36 Cave Heavens and 72 Paradises make up more than 100 top forces in the 3,000 Worlds. I’m sure that meeting your requirements will not be a problem, Sect Master Yang. Even so, both parties are free to negotiate with each other. The time that each Sect can use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace is limited, not to mention that they will be taking turns to wait in line. Therefore, Lang Ya Paradise would like to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace for a longer time!”
Yang Kai raised his eyebrows slightly, “How long?”
“Three to five years. If possible, eight to ten years.”
Yang Kai smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes, “You must be joking, Elder Shi.”
Even if each Sect was allowed to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace for three months, it would take more than 300 months for the 100-plus Sects to each use it once. That meant that some 20 to 30 years would pass before each Sect could have another opportunity to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace.
Therefore, it was simply impossible for Yang Kai to allow Lang Ya Paradise to use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace for three to five years, much less eight to ten years.
This amount of time was nothing to Open Heaven Realm Masters under normal circumstances. For instance, repairing the Universe Temples had taken Yang Kai a whole 20 years to complete.
It was just that nobody was willing to wait so long; moreover, the elite disciples from various Sects in the Star Boundary would not take long to grow up, and once they condensed their Dao Seal, they would need a large supply of high Order materials.
Shi Zheng said sternly, “This matter might be difficult for others, but it shouldn’t be much trouble for you, Sect Master Yang. You only need to put forward conditions that cannot be met by any of the Sects during the meeting ij three days so that negotiations will break down. Before the results of the discussion come out, Lang Ya Paradise can use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace for a while. As for how long we can use the Good Fortune Divine Furnace, that will depend on your means, Sect Master Yang.”
Yang Kai couldn’t help rolling his eyes. [Void Land is currently using the Good Fortune Divine Furnace. If I could create such an opportunity, why would I give up these benefits to outsiders?]
At that thought, he shook his head, “I’m afraid I will have to disappoint you, Elder Shi. I’m just the Palace Master of High Heaven Palace. The Cave Heavens and Paradises are existences that my generation looks up to. Although I have the qualifications to negotiate with them, I’m nothing more than the representative for Great Evolution Paradise. I cannot reach out for a yard after taking an inch. Besides, I’m sure that the discussion to be held in three days will reach a conclusion.”
Shi Zheng showed no signs of annoyance and simply chuckled before saying, “There’s no hurry to reject my request, Sect Master Yang. Since Lang Ya Paradise has a request for you, it’s only natural that we won’t let your efforts go in vain. Please look at this before we continue our discussion!” After saying so, he gestured to Zhang Ruo Xi, “Bring out that item and give it to Sect Master Yang.”
Hello!
Many thanks for the chapter, as always.