Chapter 1353: Money First, Talk Later

After Shang Xia left behind the restriction in True Immortal Kang and True Immortal Yu’s dantians, he let them leave. Even though he gave them enough reason to explain their actions to their factions, he discovered that his special technique had already been discovered by the experts of their sects when 2 fifth tier True Immortals tried to chase him down back then.

He realized that their end might not be as miserable as he thought it would be. They were supposed to be chess pieces their sects gave up to deal the Chen Dynasty a huge blow, but his actions might have saved their lives.

As for why they were allowed to live... Them providing the identity of the person who stole the Spirit Ark and where it went was probably enough.

That was why the 2 of them had been kept alive and hadn’t been used as scapegoats for the incident by their sects!

When True Immortal Kang mentioned the Phoenix Cry Sect and mentioned how Feng Nanze wanted to meet him, Shang Xia wasn’t too surprised. Instead, he felt a trace of anticipation.

He might have thought that something like that would happen, which was why he chose to head over to the territory of the Qi Continent.

...

On a canyon a thousand or so miles northwest of Kang City, Shang Xia’s clone stared at a snaking lake that was flowing in the southeastern direction.

“Is this lake called Qishui because of the Qi Dynasty?” Shang Xia’s clone looked away from the flowing water below. His voice wasn’t affected by the powerful rushing water below. However, he seemed to be the only person to be standing above the canyon as he spoke to himself.

As soon as his words fell, a figure who had a head full of black hair but eyebrows that were snow white due to his age appeared nearby. The old expert who arrived gave off the air of an immortal.

“The Qi Dynasty isn’t the reason behind its name. It actually gained its name because of Qi Jing.” Feng Nanze replied the clone before staring straight at him. “What’s the matter? Do you not trust me? Why did you only send a clone over?”

Qi Jing was the Martial Emptiness Realm Sage of the Qi Dynasty and from what Feng Nanze said, it was clear Qi Jing’s importance in the Qi Dynasty was paramount. At the same time, by bringing up Qi Jing, it could be noted that Feng Nanze was telling Shang Xia that the Martial Emptiness Realm Sage was the only person he should be afraid of.

Shang Xia’s clone had a multitude of thoughts running through his mind, but he replied without missing a beat, “No matter what, this isn't my world. I need to be careful. Elder Feng, I think that you should already know that my arrival has alerted many existences in your world...”

The look of discontent that was originally on Feng Nanze’s face disappeared and he quickly revealed a smile. “Fellow cultivator, being cautious is a must. Haha... After all, not only the Qi Dynasty discovered your presence. Even the Yu Dynasty has issued an order to hunt down the high-level True Immortal who infiltrated our world.”

“Oh?” Shang Xia’s clone raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are they so sure about my cultivation level? What I wish to know is why Sage Yu Tang nearly discovered me twice while there hasn’t been any movements from Sage Qi Jing...”

A light flashed through Feng Nanze’s eyes and he muttered, “Oh? Isn’t that a good thing? Sage Qi Jing is the strongest Martial Emptiness Realm expert in our world. The Qi Dynasty is also the strongest power in our world. If they discovered your presence and decided to hunt you down, I believe you wouldn’t be standing here speaking to me right now.”

Shang Xia’s clone laughed and revealed a soft smile. “Shouldn’t your Phoenix Cry Sect be the happiest Sage Qi Jing didn’t make a move? At the end of the day, I came here for fun. Since I can enter your world, I am also able to leave whenever I want. It won’t matter to me if they try to hunt me down, I’ll just run away.”

The light in Feng Nanze’s eyes grew brighter. “From the looks of it, you seem to know some things about the situation in our world... Please, go ahead and tell me what you think about the state we’re in.”

“Elder, you’re exaggerating. It’s the first time we’re meeting and you should be telling me more about the state you’re in. How can I teach you about your world?” Shang Xia’s clone laughed along.

Feng Nanze roared with laughter. “Alright, there’s no point in either of us probing each other. I’ll get to the point right now. Since you agreed to meet with me, I have a great proposition that will allow you to gain huge amounts of benefits!”

Shang Xia’s clone sneered in his heart, but he didn’t scoff at the offer out loud. Instead, he asked curiously, “I’m afraid it will also involve great risks, right?”

“Of course! I wonder if you are still interested in joining us?” Feng Nanze didn’t deny as his laughter continued.

Shang Xia’s clone raised an eyebrow and decided to see what Feng Nanze was up to. “Why don’t you tell me what it’s about?”

“There’s no need to rush into things. We have been talking for a while now, but I don’t even know how to address you.” Feng Nanze waved his hand and asked.

Shang Xia’s clone replied softly, “I come from the Shang Clan.”

Slightly taken aback, Feng Nanze quickly gasped in shock, “So it really is True Immortal Shang! Are you actually from the Essence Ping World?”

Shang Xia’s clone chuckled softly, “Looks like I’m not exactly an unknown figure in your world!”

Feng Nanze quickly praised, “The moment the Wanyun Association brought out their long lost Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman, it shocked a greater hand of our world. They only managed to escape from the clutches of the Chen Dynasty because of it and your reputation has been spreading in our world ever since. Our Essence Xing World hasn’t produced a rank seven Talisman Master in more than 100 years. The Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman is the strongest talisman under the seventh rank and that proves your unparalleled skills!”

“Elder, you’re too kind...” Shang Xia’s clone smiled.

Feng Nanze followed up immediately, “Will I be able to commission Myriad Tinted Cloud Talismans?”

Shang Xia’s clone rejected him immediately, “Because of the agreement with the Wanyun Association back then, my true body swore an oath to never trade Myriad Tinted Cloud Talismans with anyone else.”

Feng Nanze couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, but he seemed to realize something else. “Does that mean that I can commission any other rank six talisman other than the Myriad Tinted Cloud Talisman?”

“As a Talisman Grandmaster, I wouldn’t reject any request for talismans. However, the deal will be set at 3 talisman papers for 1 completed talisman. If you need a new talisman I have not crafted before, or if the talisman is exceptionally complicated, it will cost you more. Depending on the difficulty, you will have to pay up to 7 talisman papers per talisman.” Shang Xia’s clone explained.

Without losing his composure, Feng Nanze immediately replied, “Of course, that is to be expected. It’s great to hear that you agree to craft talismans for us...”

Shang Xia was able to craft Myriad Tinted Cloud Talismans, and he succeeded more than once. That would mean that his skills were already comparable to a pseudo rank seven Talisman Grandmaster.

Feng Nanze knew exactly how talented one had to be for that to happen. With Shang Xia’s technique, as long as he didn’t die randomly, it was more than likely he would become a mighty rank seven Talisman Grandmaster!

To gain the friendship of a rank seven Talisman Grandmaster, there was no price too high for the Phoenix Cry Sect to pay!

Returning to the topic at hand, Shang Xia quickly understood what the Phoenix Cry Sect wanted his help with. They actually wanted him to assassinate someone!

As the strongest dynasty in the Essence Xing World with the deepest foundations, the Qi Dynasty had the largest territory in their world. Of the 33 continents of their world, the Qi Dynasty controlled 9 of them!

In order to maintain their control over the continents, the Qi Dynasty stationed a high-level True Immortal envoy in each of them. At the same time, they would command the experts of the continents as they saw fit. With their strength, they also had the ability to suppress the continent they were in charge of.

Feng Nanze actually wanted to invite Shang Xia to assassinate a fourth tier True Immortal of the Tong Continent, Qi Hua!

Just by hearing his name, Shang Xia could tell that he was a direct descendant of the Qi Dynasty’s royal family. Even though his cultivation wasn’t anything special since it was only at the fourth tier, he definitely had the protection of the true experts of the Qi Dynasty! Be it the secret techniques he trained, weapons, or special treasures... He definitely wasn’t lacking any.

An expert like that would be difficult to kill for any experts of the same level, and Shang Xia didn’t know why the Phoenix Cry Sect wanted him dead. Could it be just to weaken the Qi Dynasty?

Feng Nanze could see the confusion Shang Xia was feeling and he continued to explain, “The Tong Continent is beside the Fengxiang Continent. The Tong Continent is also at the border of the Qi Dynasty’s influence. The Huang Continent further out is extremely desolate and it’s also where the Ancient Gorge Sect established their Elysium...”

Hearing Feng Nanze’s explanation, Shang Xia seemed to understand what they wanted to do.

Killing the envoy of the Qi Dynasty in the Tong Continent would weaken their control over it. They planned to use it to probe the attitude of the Qi Dynasty, and they might even plan to take over the Tong Continent depending on how things play out.

Feng Nanze might also have brought up the Huang Continent and the Ancient Gorge Sect to show that the Phoenix Cry Sect wasn’t the only one behind the operation. The Ancient Gorge Sect might also be secretly backing the operation.

Maybe... The Phoenix Cry Sect wanted to place the blame onto the Ancient Gorge Sect after it’s done...

Shang Xia thought of many possibilities, but he quickly composed himself to ask, “This is the Essence Xing World, and my strength is greatly restricted by the World’s Will. I might not be able to kill him...”

“Of course we’re not asking you to accomplish it yourself. All we need you to do is to make the final move and end his life.” Feng Nanze explained.

Shang Xia gained a general understanding of what they wanted to do with that explanation. They actually only needed someone to blame it on!

“Since you need me to take the blame for this, it will cost you. It will cost you a lot. After all, I will have to take the risk of being hunted down by Martial Emptiness Realm Sages after killing him.” Shang Xia’s clone chuckled in response.

He had never been one to shy away from asking for more and pushing his luck when he could help it.

Feng Nanze smiled. “True Immortal Shang, weren’t you confident of running away even if something happened?”

“Heh, coming back after I escape will be too difficult. I don’t care. You better pay me up front, and you better give me whatever I need.” Shang Xia didn’t back down and he stated casually.