Chapter 437 - 436: Negotiation
The dreadful Netherworld Fire was completely absorbed by Yi Tianyun’s terrifying Devouring Power. It didn’t harm him in the slightest; on the contrary, it provided a continuous stream of experience. Whatever came his way was absorbed, all of it taken into his body.
’8,300,000 Experience Points, 8,400,000 Experience Points, 8,500,000 Experience Points, 8,480,000 Experience Points...’
Each act of devouring yielded millions of experience points, all thanks to his 116x experience bonus. Normally, he would only get seventy or eighty thousand experience at most, but it had suddenly skyrocketed into the millions!
Such were the benefits of an Experience Card. At this rate, leveling up would be a breeze. It was almost too easy, with no real challenge to speak of.
Amidst this frenzied devouring, the lunging Nether Dragon was consumed piece by piece, vanishing into the black hole. From a distance, it looked as if the dragon was boring into his body, yet it had no effect on him. He appeared completely fine.
Even those who had witnessed Yi Tianyun’s power before were left speechless. They had seen him perform many shocking feats, but he still managed to astound them every single time.
Each feat was more outrageous than the last. To see such a formidable Nether Dragon devoured just like that—how could they not be shocked? If anyone else had tried to absorb it, they would have been dead long ago. How could they possibly survive?
Yi Tianyun’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to devour it, feeling no pressure at all.
’I can barely devour this. If it were any stronger, I wouldn’t be able to absorb it.’ Yi Tianyun felt his experience steadily rising. This was truly an explosive amount of experience. If it could pour in endlessly, it would be an excellent way to farm EXP.
However, after only a short period of continuous absorption, the Nether Dragon stopped lunging forward. It had apparently sensed that it couldn’t inflict even the slightest harm on Yi Tianyun, so it gave up the attack.
Yi Tianyun ceased his attack, gazing at the Netherworld Fire, still wanting more. In just that short span, he had already gained nearly a hundred million experience points. Experience certainly came fastest through absorption—provided, of course, one had a high-multiplier Experience Card. Otherwise, at seventy to eighty thousand points a pop, he’d have to keep at it until the end of time.
Correspondingly, after a large mass of it had been absorbed, the Netherworld Fire looked much weaker. It was visibly smaller, having shrunk by a noticeable degree.
"What, not attacking anymore?" Yi Tianyun sneered. He hadn’t absorbed enough yet; he wanted to keep going, as more was always better. Who would’ve thought that after unleashing it for a moment, his opponent would immediately stop?
This power wasn’t inexhaustible, after all. It was being consumed with use. With an entire Nether Dragon being viciously absorbed, how could the other side not feel the strain?
"No wonder you even killed the National Preceptor. You do have some ability." The Netherworld Emperor had yet to show himself, his voice echoing from his hiding place within the palace. After a pause, he continued, "In light of your impressive cultivation, I will give you one chance. If you are willing to join the Netherworld Empire, I will give you the position of National Guardian Divine Envoy, a station second only to my own. So long as I do not personally object, you may command any force in the Netherworld Empire!"
"As for resources and the like, I need not elaborate. Join the Netherworld Empire, and half the kingdom is yours!"
The Netherworld Emperor threw out one enormous temptation after another. To join would be to stand on equal footing with the Great Emperor himself. From another angle, this was tantamount to acknowledging Yi Tianyun’s strength. Otherwise, given the Netherworld Emperor’s temperament, how could he possibly cede so much power?
This was a compromise, an admission that Yi Tianyun’s power was so astonishing he was willing to give up half his kingdom.
Everyone shot a sidelong glance at Yi Tianyun, including the Netherworld Empire’s own soldiers, who stared at the Imperial City in shock. They never imagined the Netherworld Emperor would choose to bow his head. His previous arrogance seemed to have been extinguished as he immediately opted for compromise.
Ceding half the kingdom was nothing short of a humiliation.
But they were all wondering, ’Will Yi Tianyun agree?’ If he did, then with the combined power of the Netherworld Empire, they could easily conquer most other factions, including the Celestial Dragon Empire. When that time came, the two experts joining forces would absolutely amplify the Empire’s power severalfold, perhaps even more than tenfold. In the face of such an Empire, who could possibly resist?
At that point, they would formally enter the ranks of the Divine Kingdoms, leaping into the echelon of truly supreme powers in a single bound!
However, the status of a Divine Kingdom was not easily achieved. It seemed that even with numerous experts, a faction was not qualified to join their ranks if it didn’t meet the standards. The benefits of joining were numerous, but no one knew the specifics because the Divine Kingdoms were too mysterious—they were forces from another world entirely.
Yi Tianyun smiled faintly. "What, is this your idea of a compromise?"
"No. This Great Emperor simply feels your power is impressive. If we were to join hands and manage an empire together, our Empire’s strength would increase dramatically, allowing us to enter the ranks of the Divine Kingdoms!" the Netherworld Emperor’s voice replied.
"Very well, but I have one condition," Yi Tianyun said calmly.
"What condition?" The Netherworld Emperor’s voice wavered slightly, clearly affected by Yi Tianyun’s answer. If Yi Tianyun could truly be persuaded to join, the outcome would naturally be cause for celebration.
Yi Tianyun had nearly annihilated the Netherworld Empire, but if he were to join, his power would make them several times stronger than they were before, more than making up for their losses.
Ren Long and the others froze, staring at Yi Tianyun in disbelief. ’Is he really going to join the Netherworld Empire?’
"Palace Master, if the Mansion Master joins the Netherworld Empire..." an elder standing beside Shi Xueyun said, extremely worried.
"If he chooses to join, I will follow him," Shi Xueyun replied with a serene expression. Her answer came without a hint of hesitation, almost as if she were brainwashed.
Her answer left everyone stunned. The Netherworld Empire was so brutal; wasn’t joining them courting death? If this was just the Netherworld Emperor’s stalling tactic, they would be falling right into his trap.
Ren Long and his companions remained silent, watching to see what Yi Tianyun would say.
"My condition is simple," Yi Tianyun replied coolly. "Everyone in the Netherworld Empire, aside from you, must commit suicide to atone for their sins. Then, I can build this kingdom with you!"
After a moment of silence, the Netherworld Emperor roared, "You’re toying with me!?"
Everyone except the Netherworld Emperor had to commit suicide? Wasn’t that just making a fool of him? If the Netherworld Emperor was the only one left, what game was there to play? He would be a Great Emperor in name only, a fate as miserable as having no real power.
Upon hearing this, the onlookers laughed. Shi Xueyun also broke into a radiant smile, as if she had expected Yi Tianyun to say that all along. After all, how could she not know his personality?
"Your Netherworld Empire has slaughtered so many of our people and committed countless unforgivable atrocities, yet you want me to join you? To become your partner in crime?" Yi Tianyun sneered. "What ’half the kingdom’? If I kill you, won’t the entire kingdom be mine? Given the current situation, you want to share half the kingdom with me? Do you take me for a fool?"