Nangong Seeks Qin, Joining Forces with Beigao!

Qin Lu raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged.

The cold atmosphere subsided slightly, and a gentle breeze swept by, as if the tense atmosphere from just moments ago had vanished with the wind...

Qin Lu summoned a tea set, boiled water and brewed tea. The faint fragrance made people forget their worries.

"A cup of coarse tea, fellow Daoist, please have a taste."

Qin Lu calmly pushed the teacup towards Nangong Qinghong. He didn't show any excitement upon hearing about the secret realm...

He certainly knew what this meant.

A kingdom that has existed for nearly ten thousand years, the secret realm it left behind, the resources within are naturally unimaginable, such fortuitous opportunity is extraordinary!

But Qin Lu was no fool.

Such fortuitous opportunity is obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense. Why would it fall into your lap? Do you think others wouldn't know? Are they fools?

Moreover--

The Demon-Quelling True Person of Daliang was merely defeated and fled to a distant land; he did not truly perish!

Do you think the Daliang royal family would keep the resources from the secret realm for the New Year? Even if they found the secret realm, there probably wouldn't be much left...

Do you really think you can have all the good things happen to you?

Qin Lu didn't consider himself a person destined for Heavenly Fate, nor was he naive enough to be that simple...

The filth of the Aristocratic Clan clans and the deceit and treachery in the cultivation world are unwritten rules. Qin Lu is able to cultivate by using human bodies as elixirs.

Why can't he also become a source of cultivation resources for Golden Core cultivators and Nascent Soul Cultivator?!

"Fellow Daoist..."

"Please elaborate. If your noble family has any plans, please speak frankly. As long as they do not involve any interests of our clan, I, Qin, would be happy to establish friendly relations with the Nangong Clan..."

"Moreover, the northern and southern states are adjacent, and our two clans support each other. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Fellow Daoist, please state your purpose frankly. There's no need to tempt me. If Fellow Daoist Nangong is unwilling, then this matter will be dropped..."

"How?"

Upon hearing this—

Nangong Qinghong's expression froze. She took a sip of tea and remained silent...

He hadn't expected Qin Lu to be so direct and to speak so definitively. This was a test, a probe to see if the Nangong Clan was worth cooperating with!

It's asking him to produce a pledge of loyalty, to show his sincerity...

After several silences, the tranquility was finally broken.

Nangong Qinghong sighed deeply. In truth, he had little choice. Although the Nangong Clan had existed for a thousand years, it was only a newly Dao Foundation power...

As the first Dao Foundation cultivator of the Nangong Clan, he had only just broken through, his cultivation barely reaching the Dao Foundation First Layer and lacking any real foundation.

Aside from the Qin Clan, which other power would the Nangong Clan dare to cooperate with?

Even if a cooperation is reached, the Nangong Clan will definitely not have the upper hand. They might even be tricked and end up counting money for others as cannon fodder...

He, Nangong Qinghong, would never do such a thing.

Right now, honesty and openness are perhaps the best solution. One person can't make a boat, but cooperation benefits both. The choice is obvious...

"Fellow Daoist Qin is right, then I will speak frankly..."

"Back then, when the Demon-Quelling True Person was defeated, he planned to hide the Daliang royal family's secret realm. Unfortunately, the secret realm was affected by the battle between Golden Core cultivators..."

"The final secret realm shattered, and the entire space was torn apart."

"Later, my Nangong Clan participated in the battle to annihilate the Flower Willow Courtyard. However, at that time, a mysterious black-robed cultivator appeared and stole most of the Flower Willow Courtyard's resources!"

"Thus, our tribe returned in defeat, and had no choice but to continue our northward plundering..."

"It was at that moment that I witnessed the destruction of the secret realm, and I obtained a fragment of it."

"Unfortunately, that remnant of the secret realm eventually crumbled and dissipated..."

"Fortunately, with the help of the resources within that secret realm, I was able to advance to the Dao Foundation Realm and even obtained one of the control cores of that secret realm!"

"Later..."

"Relying on the core of the secret realm, I found another remnant of it, but that place is deep in the extreme cold..."

"That is, the northernmost part of the Da Zhou, the land of the Frost Spirit Demon Race!"

"After failing to achieve their goal on their own, they had no choice but to seek help from outside."

"As for Fellow Daoist Qin, both our families are newly emerging factions that have risen in recent years. Therefore, our frequent observation of you is simply to test your strength..."

"If the Nangong Clan seeks out other established powers, they will inevitably be double-crossed."

"And the Qin Clan naturally became the best target for cooperation. That's the reason for this. Fellow Daoist, you can judge for yourself whether it's true or not..."

After saying this...

Qin Lu immediately believed it to some extent. The reason was simple: the Tai'e Sword contained the Nether Soul Dao Principle, and the other party's words, emotions, and soul fluctuations were consistent...

This proves that the other party is at least not lying!

Even so, Qin Lu still didn't believe what the other party said. As the saying goes, "better safe than sorry," so why not try it again...

Therefore, Qin Lu asked in return, "May I ask, fellow Daoist, is it just the two of us?"

"If I, Qin, do not agree, what will you do, fellow Daoist?"

Upon hearing this—

Nangong Qinghong smiled without saying a word, but her expression turned somewhat cold...

"There are three of us on this trip. Besides you and me, the last person is the patriarch of the Beigao Clan: Gao Xiong. The Beigao Clan is also a newly Dao Foundation power, and I will naturally try to win them over."

"This journey deep into the far north will be at a disadvantage if there are only two of us..."

"But with Fellow Daoist Gao's help, the three of us can look after each other, and afterwards, we will divide everything equally."

"If you don't agree, fellow Daoist..."

"Then I urge you, fellow Daoist, to swear an oath by your own path to keep this matter a secret. If you break this oath, your cultivation will never advance even an inch in this lifetime!"

"As for what happens next, perhaps I will not be able to take your life..."

"But every single one of your clansmen, I will crush them all, young and old, one by one. The entire Qin Clan, men, women, and children, is nothing more than this..."

"There are about ten cultivators and nearly a hundred mortals. Fellow Daoist, you can protect them for a while, but not forever."

"So..."

"If you are unwilling, fellow Daoist, then please reconsider before proceeding. It is always better to have one more friend than one more enemy. I don't think you need me to teach you this principle, do I?"

That's all there is to it--

Although Qin Lu wasn't entirely convinced, he was persuaded, and besides, judging from the current situation...

Of the three, Nangong Qinghong advanced the latest, having just stabilized her Dao Foundation. Gao Xiong of the Beigao Clan, although he advanced slightly earlier...

However, his cultivation level is naturally not very high either.

Whether his cultivation can reach the Dao Foundation Second Layer is still unknown...

And him!

Now, his cultivation has not only advanced further, reaching the Dao Foundation Second Layer, but he has also fused with the Innate Spirit Physique, although he cannot unleash the full power of the Innate Spirit Physique...

But with the power of King Wood Spirit Physique, let alone fighting against opponents of the same realm...

Even if he were to fight an enemy a minor realm higher, Qin Lu was confident of victory, even against Dao Foundation Fourth Layer...

He can hold his own for a couple of moves!

Further up, although he was no match for them, he was still fairly confident of escaping!

not to mention--

The Beigao Clan clan of Gao Xiong, a Lineage tradition rooted in Wood Dao...

I wonder if absorbing him will allow King Wood Dao Principles to advance further, if he could refine the entire Wood Dao Qi of the Beigao Clan...

Perhaps, he will become even stronger!