A Little Extortion

"Fellow Daoist Shen, it seems you've been in a good mood lately."

"But why come in a clone?"

Shen Ge smiled at Venerable Yaoguang and said, "I have no choice. For my own safety, I dare not come to see you in person."

Brother Shen ...

Before Miaoyin could even open her mouth, Shen Ge waved his hand and said, "Hey, don't say anything. We're friends, but forget it, I'll give you a discount, okay?"

Seeing that Shen Ge had already said that, Miaoyin was too embarrassed to say anything more.

"It seems that the teleportation array has indeed been repaired." Venerable Yaoguang nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Shen, please feel free to make any requests, just tell us its location."

"My requirements aren't high, just two treasures from each family will suffice. I'll waive the fee for you from the Yaoguang Immortal Sect out of Miaoyin."

"Spirit medicine, refining materials, pills, and Law Treasure are all acceptable. I'd also appreciate it if you could help me spread the word, Venerable One."

"That's all?" Venerable Yaoguang frowned. He really hadn't expected Shen Ge's request to be so simple. He had thought Shen Ge would ask for an exorbitant amount.

Although these two fourth-tier items are not cheap, they are not even considered a significant expense for the major sects, especially since the Primordial Secret Realm has just ended. For one thing, everyone still has a considerable stock of fourth-tier spirit medicine.

"Everyone has their struggles, a small token will suffice," Shen Ge said with a smile.

Two items per family – this was the result Shen Ge came up with after some deliberation. After all, two items were just the minimum that the major sects were willing to give.

Shen Ge doesn't have time to argue with them right now; it's best if everyone just makes things quick.

"Alright, please rest for a while, Fellow Daoist Shen. I will inform the other sects immediately."

Soon, under the guidance of Venerable Yaoguang, within ten days, all the major sects arrived at the Yaoguang Immortal Sect with their offerings.

The sect leaders all frowned as they looked at Shen Ge was merely a Spirit Severing with no real strength.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, has the teleportation array truly been repaired?"

"Nature."

Shen Ge's affirmative answer brought smiles to the faces of the sect leaders. Without further ado, they placed the items they had brought on the table.

"This belongs to our Kaiyang Sect..."

"This belongs to our Tianshu Sect..."

There were fourteen items in total, most of which were fourth-grade spirit medicine, along with two fourth-grade refining materials, a fourth-grade pill, and a Law Treasure.

"Now, could Shen Dao tell us the location of the teleportation array?" Venerable Tianquan asked somewhat anxiously, seemingly eager to leave this place.

After Shen Ge finished packing, he said, "Someone will come and tell you the exact location, but that will be in about a month."

"After all, I'm just a paper doll now, I can't move fast."

These words darkened the faces of Venerable Tianquan and the others. They had thought that giving the gifts would secure them a position, but it turned out they would have to wait a month.

"What if you just take the stuff and run away?" Venerable Tianquan sneered, "How can we trust you!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ge tossed the things aside and said nonchalantly, "Alright, then we'll part ways here. Whether the formation will still be there when I get back is another story."

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention, we've found a way to get to the Heavenly Desolation Domain."

Upon hearing this, Venerable Yaoguang asked in surprise, "Is that true?"

Believe it or not, it's up to you.

Venerable Yaoguang's expression changed several times. He then stepped forward, picked up the items from the table, and placed them on Shen Ge's hands. He said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Shen, please leave with peace of mind. I guarantee that no one will follow you. Even if you go to Heavenly South, I can guarantee that no one will dare to seek revenge against you."

"I hope Fellow Daoist Shen will keep his promise."

"I still have that much sense of morality." Shen Ge turned to look at Miaoyin in the corner and said, "After all, I'm not without friends here."

After a few casual words, Shen Ge left with the items, and Venerable Yaoguang indeed succeeded in keeping him from being followed.

Inside the main hall of the Yaoguang Immortal Sect, Venerable Tianquan said with a gloomy face, "Yaoguang, you trust that guy so much, you two haven't secretly made some kind of deal, have you?"

Upon hearing this, the others all turned their gazes to Yaoguang, but Yaoguang didn't seem to care at all. Instead, she scanned the group and said, "You... do you know about the Heavenly Desolation Domain?"

"Don't interrupt," Venerable Tianquan said with displeasure. "Who cares where it is? We're not talking about that right now."

Venerable Kaiyang waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet. He pondered in silence for a while before speaking somewhat uncertainly, "Is the Heavenly Desolation Domain in the Heavenly South?"

"Alas, the traditions of each family have been broken down. I've only vaguely seen this place before, but I only have its name and no description whatsoever."

"Yaoguang, since you've brought it up, let's talk about it properly. Nowadays, only your Yaoguang Immortal Sect has a relatively complete lineage."

"Let me be frank. Putting aside everything else, the Spiritual Qi in this Heavenly Desolation Domain is probably more than ten times richer than in our Luo Heaven Sea. At that time, let alone achieving the Spirit Severing Soul stage, you will all have a chance to Tribulation Transcendence and become immortals."

"We frogs in a well might finally get to see the real world."

"Tribulation Transcendence to become an immortal..."

These words shocked the other sect leaders. Although they had all reached the Nascent Soul Realm, they really didn't have any hope of Tribulation Transcendence immortals. After all, given the current situation, even reaching the Spirit Severing Realm was a blessing from their ancestors.

After a long silence, Venerable Tianquan slammed his fist on the table and stood up, saying, "No, this matter is of utmost importance. We can't let that guy get away. What if he goes back and destroys the formation? Wouldn't we miss our chance to become immortals!"

"Alright, shut up for a bit." Venerable Kaiyang said with displeasure, "Everyone knows you have a past grudge against Fellow Daoist Shen, but Fellow Daoist Shen didn't target your Tianquan Sect with such a good opportunity, and you're still here saying this and that."

"Besides, even if you do manage to catch him, so what? He's just a paper figure. Do you even know where his real body is?"

"Since Fellow Daoist Shen dares to come asking for benefits, he must have a foolproof plan. If we really anger him, he can destroy the formation after he goes back, and we still won't be able to get through."

"Instead of doing that, we might as well trust him this once. That way, if he doesn't break his promise, it'll be easier for everyone to save face later."

"And don't forget, he didn't reveal any information about the location of the Heavenly Desolation Domain. I suspect he'll try to trick us again later."

Venerable Kaiyang's analysis made Yaoguang nod in agreement. He had thought the same thing when Shen Ge revealed the news about the Heavenly Desolation Domain, and he figured he would probably be tricked by him again in the future.

However, it's unclear whether that information came from a public intellectual. If it did, they could have completely avoided being tricked by Shen Ge.