I Can Reincarnate Infinitely

Du Youqian was a little disappointed. He much preferred Elder He Gui’s defiant attitude from before.

’I really wish Elder He could go back to how he was.’

However...

Since Elder He Gui had extended an olive branch and was willing to talk things over, Du Youqian was happy to accept.

As the old saying went, the Jianghu wasn’t about fighting and killing—it was about navigating the world of men.

’Even though I really do have the power to annihilate the Binyin Sect...’

’After all, I still have a Tier Four Treasure capable of blocking a fatal blow that I haven’t even revealed yet.’

’Killing He Gui, marching on the Binyin Sect, and slaughtering every last one of them... for me, that isn’t just a fantasy. It’s something I can actually do.’

’But the only consequence would be drawing out the Binyin Sect’s backer.’

’There’s no need. Really, no need at all.’

’Best to quit while I’m ahead.’

’This was a sufficient tribute for the three Kun Cultivators who died as Blood Food.’

In truth, Elder He Gui’s style was the epitome of a Nascent Soul Master.

He would avoid making a move until he found an opponent’s weakness.

The moment he found a weakness, he would strike without mercy.

And if he realized he couldn’t win, he would swallow his pride and immediately negotiate a truce.

His core principle was simple: safety first.

For the average Cultivator who wanted to achieve Longevity and Vision... they really had to be a bit like Elder He Gui, willing to swallow their pride and play it safe.

At the mention of negotiations, Ge Sheng perked up, his frustration from losing the bet to Du Youqian dissipating considerably. "Then let’s negotiate. For the Four Principles Sect, Fellow Daoist Sui Xiao can lead the discussion..."

"No," Du Youqian refused outright. "I have already left the Four Principles Sect and no longer serve as an Elder. But don’t worry. Since Elder He is willing to talk, I can summon the Sect Leader of the Four Principles Sect here to have a proper discussion."

He Gui descended. Without any visible movement from him, a gust of wind stirred.

The wind swept up the surrounding earth, spinning it rapidly. In moments, an earthen stool formed beside the low table.

He Gui sat on the stool. "Very well," he said in a heavy tone. "But before we negotiate, can you return Junior Chi’s body to me?"

"Fine."

"And his Nascent Soul."

Du Youqian looked at him with a faint, unreadable smile. "Fellow Daoist He, are you joking?"

’I’ve suppressed Chi Feng’s Nascent Soul with the Hundred Ghosts Banner.’

’I was planning to refine it into the banner’s main soul and upgrade the Hundred Ghosts Banner to a Tier Four Treasure.’

’But I haven’t gotten around to refining it yet.’

’So, if He Gui offers a high enough price, I’m not against returning it.’

’But if He Gui thinks he can get it for free... he can forget about it.’

He Gui frowned.

His displeasure wasn’t because he felt a Golden Core Cultivator like Du Youqian was unqualified to call him "Fellow Daoist."

In fact, Du Youqian had already earned that right with his strength.

What displeased He Gui was the implication in Du Youqian’s words: either pay an enormous price to retrieve Chi Feng’s Nascent Soul, or... simply abandon Chi Feng altogether.

He Gui hesitated, not saying a word.

Should he stick his neck out and let Du Youqian fleece him?

While He Gui mulled it over, Du Youqian picked up the drowsy Sha Jiang and began to stroke its fur.

Ge Sheng, for his part, was worried about what conditions Du Youqian might demand.

The atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious. No one would have guessed that just moments before, they had been trying to kill one another.

After a long moment of thought, He Gui spoke. "Fellow Daoist, what are your demands? I am willing to pay a price to ransom Junior Chi’s Nascent Soul."

Du Youqian scoffed inwardly and made an exorbitant demand. "I was planning to use his Nascent Soul on a Tier Four Middle Grade Treasure. It would have pushed the treasure’s quality to a level infinitely close to a Tier Five Upper Grade Treasure."

If He Gui had possessed even a shred less self-control, he would have started cursing right then and there.

’A Tier Five Treasure? Does he have any idea what that means?’

’If I sold off the entire Binyin Sect, I might be able to scrape together enough to buy a single Tier Five Treasure.’

’Why don’t you just keep Chi Feng’s Nascent Soul, then? I’d love to see how you upgrade a Tier Four Treasure to near Tier Five quality with a single Nascent Soul. Really, I’ll be waiting.’

But that wasn’t how negotiations worked.

Du Youqian had made an opening offer; now he could make a counteroffer.

He just hadn’t expected Du Youqian’s opening price to be so vicious. He felt a sharp retort stuck in his throat, and it was agony not to spit it out.

After a long pause, He Gui finally said, "I am willing to trade a Tier Four Defensive Treasure for Junior Chi’s Nascent Soul."

’If I get his Nascent Soul back and find a decent body for him to perform Possession on, it won’t take long for Chi Feng to return to the Nascent Soul Realm.’

’To the Binyin Sect, that’s far more valuable than a single Tier Four Defensive Treasure.’

The problem was, Du Youqian knew this as well. He shook his head. "Just one? Forget it. I’m actually quite curious to see the results of using a Nascent Soul in Artifact Refining."

Wincing at the cost, He Gui said with a stony expression, "One Tier Four Treasure with a special function, and one Tier Four Defensive Treasure."

Du Youqian lazily stroked back and forth across Xiao Sha Jiang’s soft fur. "Tell me, what’s so special about it? If it’s for something like Eliminating Delusions or Breaking Illusions, don’t bother. I have plenty of those."

He Gui scoffed. "If it were just a Treasure for Eliminating Delusions or Breaking Illusions, it wouldn’t be considered special."

He paused, then conveyed the rest via Divine Sense, "It’s a Tier Four Treasure that aids in the cultivation of Dao Soldiers. It can accelerate the growth of Dao Soldiers below Tier Four, even causing their bloodlines to evolve. It is exceedingly rare. For an ordinary Sect, it’s a Supreme Treasure one could only dream of finding."

Du Youqian said, "Fellow Daoist He, you might as well get to the ’but’."

He Gui said, "But... I want the Four Principles Sect and the Binyin Sect to form a two-hundred-year alliance. For those two hundred years, if one side faces disaster, the other must provide support with its full strength."

Du Youqian was stunned.

He knew He Gui was pragmatic to a fault, a man who prioritized substance over face and would change his tune in an instant for the Sect’s benefit.

But he had never imagined He Gui would make such a demand.

’If the dictionary ever needed a new entry for ’shameless flexibility,’ this incident would be the perfect illustration.’

Still, considering it from He Gui’s perspective, it was a brilliant move.

’The Binyin Sect had more than a dozen of its Core Formation cultivators killed. Its Supreme Elder, Master Chi Feng, was also killed, and his Nascent Soul didn’t even escape. How humiliating is that?’

’It wasn’t just about the humiliation. Other powers that held grudges against them would see the Binyin Sect as being in decline. Someone might try to kick them while they’re down.’

’But hey, now I’m allies with the guy who just crushed me. I’m under his protection now.’

’So all you vultures looking to take advantage, you’d better back off!’

And for Du Youqian, the deal was just as good.

For an underdeveloped sect like the Four Principles Sect, a Tier Four Treasure of this kind could serve as a foundational treasure to anchor its destiny. It would be immensely useful to the Four Principles Sect for at least the next one or two thousand years.

So Du Youqian nodded. "Agreed."

"In three days, we will conduct the exchange at this very spot."

"Agreed."

"Fellow Daoist Sui, until we meet again." Not wanting to stay a moment longer, Elder He Gui set the time, immediately gestured to retrieve Chi Feng’s body, and then walked on air to board his Flying Boat.

The Flying Boat quickly melted into the night sky, disappearing over the horizon.

Ge Sheng wore a constipated expression. "Fellow Daoist Sui, what is it you want me to do, exactly?"

Du Youqian smiled. "I haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know when I do."

"After this battle, Fellow Daoist, you’re bound to attract attention. A Cultivator from the Endless Desert Sea with the combat power of a Nascent Soul Master while still in the Golden Core Stage... It’s almost certain you’ll achieve Nascent Soul Formation in the future. Some people won’t be happy to see you so active."

Ge Sheng’s words were clearly sincere. Du Youqian smiled and said, "I appreciate your concern, Fellow Daoist Ge. I have already announced my departure from the Four Principles Sect and will no longer meddle in its affairs. Once the trade route is up and running, I will return to Ruihan City to focus on my Nascent Soul Formation. After I succeed, I’ll come back. Let’s see who has anything to say then. The Immortal City Alliance may not be the most powerful, but they won’t stand by and watch me get bullied."

Ge Sheng nodded. "You are indeed fortunate, Fellow Daoist. Seeking shelter with the Immortal City Alliance is a clever move."

Ge Sheng seemed to be in a talkative mood tonight. An idea sparked in Du Youqian’s mind, and he asked, "While I was in the Immortal City Alliance, I heard that the Human Race has a plan to preserve its spark—that they opened up a Small World called Momenan. Have you ever heard of it, Fellow Daoist?"

Ge Sheng set down his wine cup, a nostalgic look entering his eyes.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. "If you asked anyone else about this, they’d most likely be clueless. But in asking me, you’ve come to the right person. Back when my Cultivation was still low, my merchant guild sent me to do odd jobs at a certain location. That place was responsible for maintaining and repairing the Teleportation Array connected to Momenan. We also had to guard the array and collect any information that came through from the other side for immediate reporting."

Du Youqian noticed Xiao Sha Jiang’s ears twitch slightly.

He switched to communicating with Ge Sheng via Divine Sense. "Tell me about this Momenan, and the Teleportation Array."

Ge Sheng asked him, "What is it you wish to know, Fellow Daoist?"

Du Youqian feigned pure curiosity. "If I wanted to use the Teleportation Array to visit Momenan for a tour, would that be possible?"

Ge Sheng couldn’t help but laugh. "Of course not. That Teleportation Array is one-way only. Meaning, you can’t go there from our side; you can only come out from Momenan. And even then, they don’t usually let people come through, because the cost of teleportation is simply too high."

’One-way? I doubt it. A few hundred years ago, the Human World sent people to Momenan to repair that very Teleportation Array.’

’As for the cost, that part matched what I’ve heard.’

’But the cost of teleporting from the array in the Death Channel wasn’t high at all.’

’I suppose that’s because the fabric of Space is inherently weak over in the Death Channel?’

’Perhaps.’

Even though Du Youqian had already reached the Golden Core Realm in his Cultivation of time and space-attribute techniques, he remained completely ignorant about the mysterious, vast, and profound nature of spacetime.

Du Youqian had wanted to ask about the Teleportation Array’s location, but since it was supposedly one-way, there was no point.

"A few years back, the Teleportation Array had some problems, but I heard it’s been fixed. I actually have a friend still stationed there. He told me that a few decades ago, a stunningly beautiful Kun Cultivator came through the array. Her name was... right, her name was Jie Yu."

Ge Sheng said with a grin, sharing the bit of gossip.

Du Youqian smiled faintly, showing no reaction whatsoever. He picked up his Wine Gourd and poured himself a cup. "Stunningly beautiful? Just how beautiful are we talking? I don’t buy it. This Jie Yu, where did she go? Maybe I’ll go sneak a peek myself."

Ge Sheng, suspecting nothing, explained, "That Kun Cultivator, Jie Yu, is said to have come from the Taihe Sect in the Momenan Small World. By now, she’s probably gone to the Taihe Sect in our own world."