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Chapter 406: Joining Forces
Chapter 406: Joining Forces
At the forefront of the group, Yan Hong was accompanied by Chen Mu.
Jiang Han approached them, but Yan Hong didn't respond immediately. Instead, she glanced at Chen Mu, who seemed calm and composed, before greeting Jiang Han.
"Grand Master Jiang," she said.
Jiang Han was a familiar figure, the Grand Master of the Golden Cloud Pavilion in Zhongzhou, and a leader of a powerful sect. She was one of the top Grandmasters in the entire Nine Provinces of Jingji Region.
Jiang Han's gaze swept over Yan Hong's group, noticing that it wasn't Yan Zhengyang by her side, but Chen Mu. A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, but she didn't dwell on it.
"To be honest, our journey has been rather unfortunate. That Spirit Ancestor disregarded all decorum and ambushed us, resulting in the deaths of three of our brothers..." Jiang Han's thoughts were focused on Yan Hong as she continued, "I see that your group has also suffered some losses. Did you also encounter that Spirit Ancestor?"
Jiang Han's mind was occupied with thoughts of Yan Hong, so she didn't immediately realize Chen Mu's identity. She took the initiative to greet Yan Hong and her group.
It seemed that Yan Hong's team had suffered more significant losses, so Jiang Han carefully chose her words, first mentioning her own group's losses before cautiously inquiring about theirs.
"That Spirit Ancestor's methods are unpredictable, and we did suffer at his hands," Yan Hong replied candidly, while also observing Jiang Han's group.
After the Spirit Ancestor was repelled by Chen Mu, the group had followed him, altering their original route and ascending from the underground to the treetops. After several days, they finally encountered another group.
If Chen Mu were to leave at this moment, Yan Hong's group would have to consider joining forces with Jiang Han's team. Jiang Han had no grudges with them, and in the unique secret realm of Seekwood Heavenly Realm, she was relatively trustworthy. However, if they were to proactively propose a collaboration, it would put them in a passive position. Jiang Han would undoubtedly deduce that Yan Hong's team couldn't withstand the threat of the Spirit Ancestor alone, forcing them to seek help from others. Consequently, their subsequent gains would inevitably be diminished to some extent.
Moreover, Jiang Han's team had also suffered losses, and they seemed to have the intention of joining forces. This was worth discussing, as they still owed Chen Mu a significant 'debt'—sixty pounds of Wood Seeking Spirit Liquid was not something that could be easily gathered.
"This old man's methods are unfathomable, and his strength in the Blood Replacement Realm is extraordinary. He poses a significant threat..." Jiang Han continued, her mind working through various thoughts, "Speaking of which, how have your travels been so far? Any notable gains?"
Yan Hong replied with a calm and detached tone, "Our harvest has been meager."
Jiang Han nodded slightly and said, "My group hasn't fared much better. As it happens, there's a large settlement above us. I wonder if the Grand Master is interested?"
Yan Hong understood Jiang Han's intentions upon hearing this. "A large settlement should pose no significant challenge for a Grand Master like you."
"Indeed, it's not overly difficult, but it will still require some effort and time. The main concern is that the Spirit Ancestor is elusive, and we don't know where he's hiding. If he were to strike at a critical moment, it would be extremely dangerous. If it were just us, we'd have to consider the risks carefully. However, if the Grand Master is willing to join forces with us, it would make things much easier."
Jiang Han's words were precisely what Yan Hong had hoped for. She indeed wanted to join forces with Jiang Han's team, and finding a large settlement to target was exactly what she needed. After all, the potential gains from conquering a large settlement on the treetops would far surpass those of the underground settlements.
"If that's the case, we are indeed willing to share in the spoils. However, after the settlement is conquered, how do you plan to distribute the gains?" Yan Hong asked straightforwardly.
Jiang Han appraised Yan Hong's group, assessing their remaining strength. After a brief estimation, she tentatively suggested, "If we take the lead in the attack, how about a seventy-thirty split?"
"That's a bit too little," Yan Hong replied with a light tone. "Our numbers have indeed diminished, but I have the Earthly Stars Banner, and there are some spare flags that can be temporarily used by your team."
Upon hearing 'Earthly Stars Banner,' Jiang Han's eyes lit up slightly, though she wasn't surprised. After all, Yan Hong was from the Imperial Family, with a deep and prestigious background. It was only natural for her to bring such a Spirit Weapon into the Seekwood Heavenly Realm.
Although Jiang Han's group also possessed a formation, it was undoubtedly inferior to the Earthly Stars Banner, a Spirit Weapon. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lost three members before finally stabilizing the situation and forcing the Spirit Ancestor to retreat.
"I wonder how many spare Earthly Stars Banners you have," Jiang Han inquired after a moment's thought.
If they could use the Earthly Stars Banner together, their combined strength would increase significantly, far beyond a mere addition of their forces. While the gains would have to be divided among more people, having the ability to dominate the Seekwood Heavenly Realm was indeed worth making some concessions. However, the number of Earthly Stars Banners Yan Hong could provide was a critical factor.
Jiang Han was well aware that this Spirit Weapon had already suffered significant losses, and with Yan Hong's group having suffered casualties, there might be further reductions. If they only had five or six scattered flags left, the effect would be greatly diminished.
"I can provide fifteen," Yan Hong replied succinctly.
In truth, Yan Hong still had over twenty Earthly Stars Banners, but with only ten people remaining in her group, even with the main flag in her possession, she could only guarantee control over fifteen flags.
Hearing this, Jiang Han's eyes brightened momentarily. After a brief contemplation, she said, "In that case, the Grand Master can take forty percent."
"Forty-five percent," Yan Hong bargained.
Both Yan Hong and Jiang Han were Grandmasters, and their status and influence were exceptional among their peers. Yet, at this moment, they were haggling like commoners, and no one found it inappropriate. After all, they were negotiating the spoils of conquering a large settlement, and even a fraction of a percent was worth fighting for.
After some discussion, they finally agreed that Yan Hong's group would receive forty-two percent, while Jiang Han's group would get fifty-eight percent.
Chen Mu remained silent during their negotiation, gazing upwards with a thoughtful expression. It wasn't until Yan Hong and Jiang Han had finished their discussion that he finally spoke, "I want one-third. You can divide the rest between yourselves."
This statement shocked everyone present!
Except for Yan Hong's group, who showed no reaction, the various Grandmasters on Jiang Han's side all looked at Chen Mu with bewilderment.
One-third?
Did he mean that he wanted one-third of the total gains, leaving the rest to be divided between Yan Hong and Jiang Han's groups?
Who was this person, daring to make such a bold claim?
At first, he thought that Chen Mu was accompanying Yan Hong, but upon hearing Chen Mu's words, he suddenly realized that it seemed otherwise. During their previous discussion, Yan Hong had also been glancing at Chen Mu from time to time.
"I wonder who the esteemed gentleman is..."
Despite Chen Mu's surprising words and playful tone, Jiang Han remained composed and asked in a deep voice.
"Han Bei, Chen Mu."
These two simple words instantly stirred up a storm of shock among Jiang Han and the other Grandmasters. Initially, many Grandmasters were somewhat displeased by Chen Mu's bold claims, but their expressions changed as they heard Chen Mu's name.
Han Bei, Chen Mu!
In the remote Outer Sea, this name might not be widely known, but these Grandmasters, who mostly hailed from various regions of Da Xuan, were all too familiar with this title.
A once-in-a-millennium extraordinary person, the number one Grandmaster of Da Xuan, and perhaps even the greatest Grandmaster of all time!
A Bone Marrow Purification Eighth Level.
Some could defeat a Quintessence Realm expert with the Five Viscera Realm, and there were even top-tier figures in the Six Viscera Realm who could defeat Bone Marrow Purification Grandmasters. However, in history, no Bone Marrow Purification Grandmaster had ever defeated a Blood Replacement Realm expert, not even the weakest one.
Because anyone who could cultivate to the Blood Replacement Realm was an extraordinary genius, and they had refined their realm to perfection and built an incredibly solid foundation. It could be said that there was no such thing as a weak Blood Replacement Realm expert.
Even the weakest Blood Replacement Realm expert was far beyond the capabilities of a Grandmaster, easily crushing the top-tier ones. Those Grandmasters in the top ten of the Grandmaster rankings, who claimed to be able to resist Blood Replacement Realm experts, could only withstand a couple of moves at best, and their only chance was to retreat. In a real fight, they were no match.
Only Chen Mu!
In the history books, there was only one person who could achieve this feat!
The only one in the history of Da Xuan, a Bone Marrow Purification Realm expert who could rival a Blood Replacement Realm expert, and some even heard that not long ago, Chen Mu had been attacked by the Bloodshadow Tower Lord, but not only did he remain unscathed, he also repelled the Bloodshadow Tower Lord!
Even though Chen Mu was still in the Bone Marrow Purification Realm, his essence was no different from a Blood Replacement Realm expert, making him a terrifying figure in the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, akin to the Spirit People Ancestor.
For a moment, Jiang Han and the other Grandmasters tensed up, and even the air seemed to become briefly oppressive. Chen Mu's presence alone was enough to make it difficult for these two dozen Grandmasters to remain calm.
Especially at this moment, after Chen Mu finished speaking, he didn't try to conceal the aura around him. The overwhelming Heaven-Earth Power made everyone feel a sense of oppression, as if they were facing not a Bone Marrow Purification Realm martial artist, but a Blood Replacement Realm expert, the top-tier extraordinary figure of this era!
Silence.
Complete silence.
Yan Hong's group remained silent, and Jiang Han's group also didn't speak.
"Well?"
Chen Mu looked at Jiang Han, his gaze sweeping over the Grandmasters behind him, and spoke in a light tone.
In his eyes, whether it was the top-tier Grandmasters or anyone else, they didn't matter. However, Jiang Han's group could withstand the Spirit People Ancestor, so as a collective, they barely caught his attention.
"We have no objections."
Yan Hong spoke softly.
She knew that this third wouldn't be included in the sixty pounds of Wood-Seeking Spirit Liquid they needed to give Chen Mu. But with Chen Mu's strength, taking a third for himself was not surprising.
Seeing Yan Hong's agreement, Jiang Han's group fell into a brief silence, glancing at each other before making a decision. Jiang Han spoke up, "Since Chen Mu is here, we also have no objections."
Although their combined strength could resist the Spirit People Ancestor and Chen Mu, Yan Hong's group was clearly aligned with Chen Mu. Yan Hong's group, along with Chen Mu's strength, was enough to conquer the large settlement and face the Spirit People Ancestor without their help. If they refused, they might not even get a share.
In his view, Chen Mu only taking a third was already a sign of respect for the group.
It was also possible that Chen Mu and Yan Hong's group weren't completely aligned... After all, Yan Hong was from the Imperial Family, and Chen Mu, as a cultivator of the Heaven-Earth Path with the potential to rule the world, would likely have a difficult relationship with the Imperial Family. However, he didn't know how Yan Hong and Chen Mu had become allies, and he didn't want to get involved in the Imperial Family's affairs.
Although the Golden Cloud Pavilion supported one of the Eight Princes, he was just one of the pavilion masters, not the true leader of the entire sect. He didn't have the authority to intervene in Chen Mu's matters with the Da Xuan Imperial Family.
He was in the Seekwood Heavenly Realm for the Wood-Seeking Spirit Liquid and the resources of the Tide Listening Cliff.
Most of the others in the group felt the same.
"Since that's the case, let's go."
Chen Mu spoke calmly, looking up at the settlement dozens of miles above.
Leading Yan Hong's group, they had already gathered many resources along the way. Chen Mu now had over nine pounds of Wood-Seeking Spirit Liquid, and with the many resources he had previously collected, he estimated that it would be enough for him to refine his Heaven-Earth Body to perfection. However, to be safe, it wouldn't hurt to collect a little more.
It was unknown how much Wood-Seeking Spirit Liquid would be needed to reach the limit of the Bone Marrow Purification Realm, but it would undoubtedly require a vast amount. Perhaps even one or two hundred pounds might not be enough, but with the abundant resources in the Seekwood Heavenly Realm, there was a high chance of gathering enough.
"Good."
Jiang Han and Yan Hong, seeing Chen Mu take the lead, glanced at each other and followed without hesitation. The two groups combined, totaling over forty Grandmasters, began their journey.
They climbed along a nearly vertical branch, about a hundred feet wide, for dozens of miles, passing through multiple branch forks until they finally reached a vast branch center.
Before them was a flat area of at least ten square miles, a Seekwood main branch. Countless branches extended from here, connecting the upper and lower regions. In the center stood a unique architectural complex bustling with people.
As Chen Mu's group reached the main branch, the large settlement seemed to have noticed their approach, immediately stirring into chaos. A surge of power erupted, transforming into a vast array that enveloped the entire settlement, harnessing the immense Seekwood power within the main branch!
(End of Chapter)
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