Yang Guangchuan stood on Jin Hefeng's side. With two Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators, plus the men Jin Hefeng had brought along, all of whom were capable Foundation Establishment Middle Stage experts, the two sides appeared evenly matched on the surface.
But both Jin Hefeng and Yang Guangchuan understood that with Xiao Hong's strength and the Purple Flame Hall's foundations, they could still keep this group here if they truly wanted to.
The only concern was that if one or two people escaped and reported the matter to the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division, then the Purple Flame Hall's day of destruction would not be far off.
Thus, Jin Hefeng offered Xiao Hong a second choice.
"Senior Xiao, as I said before, no one on the Demon Suppression Division's side knows about my actions this time. In other words, I'm negotiating with you in a personal capacity."
At those words, the expression on Xiao Hong's face eased somewhat.
Within the Great Jing Empire, the exploration and mining rights to all discovered cave-dwelling ruins belonged to the Demon Suppression Division. If a cultivation sect was discovered exploring one without authorization, they would be lightly punished by having some resources confiscated—or, in serious cases, the entire sect would be struck from the rolls.
There was no helping it. The imperial dynasty controlled the strongest cultivation forces, and that was the consequence.
Even so, when many sects discovered ruins or cave dwellings, their first choice was still to explore them on their own.
Cultivating immortality was, after all, a struggle against Heaven for one's life. Every cultivator knew that if they did not dare step forward and fight for an opportunity placed right before them, then their Dao Path would only go so far.
Those first-rate sects and highly accomplished seniors—who among them had