Bargaining with a Tiger

"A map of the First Ancestor Demon Emperor's Tomb?"

Su Xiangxue asked, "How did you know we were looking for this?"

"County Princess."

The Black Snake King laughed, "It's not just you who have intelligence networks operating in our realm; we also have intelligence networks throughout the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou."

"Yeah?"

Su Xiangxue glanced at Bai Qiuran, then replied, "Okay, then I..."

"Wait a minute!"

Bai Qiuran raised her hand to interrupt her, then looked at Su Xiangxue and asked, "Before considering me, you need to consider whether you really want to be the Demon Emperor?"

"Neither the County Princess nor the Sword Ancestor need to worry about this issue."

The Black Snake King spoke up, "The Cuiluo military governor has invited the County Princess several times, but County Princess has refused to return to be the crown princess. We are not stupid; of course we know that the County Princess has no such intention. Therefore, the County Princess only needs to serve as our [flagship] during this period. After that, whether the County Princess wants to remain in name only or directly abdicate, we have no objection."

"I see, so you only brought me here to have a legitimate reason for your actions?"

Su Xiangxue said calmly.

"Moreover, with you on our side, we have no worries about the Sword Ancestor turning against us."

The Black Snake King looked in Bai Qiuran's direction.

"Currently, the ten Demon King within the Monster Race, apart from the four of us, are roughly divided into two camps. One side is the Equality Faction led by that stinky bear, and the other side is the illegitimate son of the Demon Emperor, whom the Ape King and the Dragon King have jointly supported. The Demon Emperor Faction will likely lean towards that side as well."

"The Demon Emperor's illegitimate son?"

Su Xiangxue was taken aback and quickly asked, "Who is it?"

"Well... since His Demon Emperor was able to keep you in the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou after the war, it's not surprising that you would have another child after returning."

The Black Snake King glanced at Su Xiangxue.

"I checked, and that kid is indeed of the Demon Emperor's bloodline. His mother is a Black Flood Dragon, and he only has three heads, but those three heads are already showing signs of transforming into dragons. In terms of species, he should be considered Three-Headed Qiu."

Congratulations!

Bai Qiuran said to Su Xiangxue, "You're going to be a big sister."

Su Xiangxue ignored him.

After hearing the Black Snake King's words, Bai Qiuran and Su Xiangxue understood the purpose of the four Demon Kings, including the Black Snake King, coming to them.

The Demon Emperor of the Demon Realm is dead and has not issued a decree, so no one has the right to rule. The position of Demon Emperor is to be filled by the most capable person, and the four guys, including the Black Snake King, also want to give it a try.

Currently, the two factions with the best chance of seizing the Demon Emperor's position in the Demon Realm are: one is the successor with the bloodline of the Demon Emperor, who can unite the former Demon Emperor Court; the other is the Demon King who are of humble origins and do not have high-ranking bloodlines. They represent the vast number of lower-ranking Monster Race in the Demon Realm, and this time they have directly rebelled, challenged the established rules of the Demon Realm, and wanted to change the world.

In this way, the Black Snake King and the other Demon King found themselves in a very awkward and delicate position. Upward, although their bloodline was superior, it was clear that their mothers and the Demon Emperor were not closely related. Downward, a group of Monster Race who were born rich and powerful could not integrate into the Yaoguai Commoners and unite them.

Not only are the circles of the rich, handsome, and successful exclusive, but the circles of the ordinary people are also exclusive. If you are a rich, handsome, and successful person without any accumulation, and suddenly want to come from the Monster Race Commoners and go to the Monster Race Commoners, obviously no one will believe you.

So, just as Su Xiangxue said, their nomination of Su Xiangxue as queen was merely a pretext to give themselves a sufficient reason and excuse to participate in this civil war for the throne.

As for combat strength, the combined strength of the four kings is indeed no match for the elite troops left by the Imperial Court and the sheer number of Monster Race Commoners. However, as long as Bai Qiuran stands on their side, they can easily overwhelm them with sheer force.

After the Black Snake King finished speaking, he didn't interrupt again, giving the two of them ample time to consider.

Bai Qiuran used his Spiritual Sense to communicate with Wisdom Immortal, whom he had taken off and placed next to the small table, and asked him to help examine the Map Fragment held by the Monster Race maid. As a result, Wisdom Immortal told him that the fragment was indeed real.

He told Su Xiangxue about the result, and after thinking for a moment, Miss Su nodded to the Black Snake King.

"I can make this deal with you, becoming your [flag], but I won't blindly follow your orders."

"It's alright, County Princess. You can simply sit in the back and relax."

Upon hearing Su Xiangxue's reply, the Black Snake King's expression softened.

As the Demon Realm closest to the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou and Ten Lands of Jiuzhou, the Black Snake King Ten Lands of Jiuzhou his ilk possessed the strongest intelligence network among the Monster Race. Several hundred years ago, their network had already relayed information about the close relationship between the Monster Race County Princess Su Xiangxue and the Human Race Sword Ancestor.

If Su Xiangxue agrees to join, there's a high chance Bai Qiuran will stay and help her.

Then the Black Snake King looked at Bai Qiuran.

"Sword Ancestor, what do you say?"

Bai Qiuran ignored her and looked at Su Xiangxue, who in turn turned her head and stared straight at him.

After staring at each other for a few seconds, Bai Qiuran looked away and replied, "I can't help you become king directly, after all, I am Human Race. However, I can intervene in the battlefield after you start fighting and defeat both sides that are hostile to you."

"This..."

The Black Snake King hesitated. It was clear that this naturally suspicious Demon King was skeptical of what Bai Qiuran had said, and he was extremely afraid that Bai Qiuran turn around and trick him later.

"Black Snake..."

At this moment, the burly man with a mouthful of sharp teeth beside him also whispered, "When dealing with a tiger, caution is paramount. The Human Race Sword Ancestor has never been an honest man."

"You Demon King, all you do is talk badly about me behind my back."

Bai Qiuran said leisurely, "We Human Race Cultivators are different from you. We value all-round development in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor, and pay attention to mental cultivation. Those who achieve great success in these areas will not only not lie, but even if you point your finger at us and curse us, we will not get angry with you. No matter what, I would never lie to you juniors. Your brother Bai has always treated people with sincerity. Would I lie to you?"

"Black Snake King Your Highness, the Sword Ancestor to help you defeat the enemy is tantamount to handing victory over to you."

Su Xiangxue also offered her advice. "If you can't even manage to mop up the remnants of a defeated army, even if you gain the world, it won't last long."

"Indeed, I can't ask too much of you, after all, we are the weaker party."

The Black Snake King sat up straight and said to Bai Qiuran, "Then let's make a deal. The four of us will use the Map Fragment of the First Ancestor Demon Emperor's Tomb to exchange for the title of County Princess and the Sword Ancestor's Sword in the civil war, helping us seize the throne."