When Lu Yin heard Xu Qing’s explanation, he inwardly acknowledged that this was exactly what Wei Rong had said he would do. However, Lu Yin put on a show of being shocked, and his pupils constricted to pinpricks as he gritted his teeth. “General Xu Qing, I respect you as a senior, and you have behaved in a respectable manner on the battlefield. What do you mean by using such despicable methods?”
Xu Qing shook his head and smiled. “There are no rules or morals in war. Doing what it takes to win is the most important rule, no?”
Lu Yin clenched his hands into fists and quickly grew pale as he stared at Xu Qing. “Despicable!”
Xu Qing laughed. “I’ve heard that Shui Chuanxiao has joined your Great Eastern Alliance. Did he not tell you about me?”
Lu Yin answered in a low voice, “He spoke of you, and Shui Chuanxiao said that you have employed various methods and strategies both on and off the battlefield. Still, I never expected you to be willing to stoop so low. I actually believed you and Shui Chuanxiao to be the same kind of people.”
Xu Qing sneered. “He and I are the same type! Don’t tell me that you don’t know how and why your Human Domain was able to create a comprehensive network! Shui Chuanxiao is even more ruthless than I could ever be! He sacrificed half of Endless Weave to give your Human Domain a universal network. If not for his efforts, we would have already taken over half of your Outerverse when it was first cut off from the Innerverse.
“No matter how you look at it, Shui Chuanxiao is far more ruthless person than me. I could never manage to do such a thing.”
“But you are crueler than him,” Lu Yin retorted.
Xu Qing clasped his hands behind his back. “Young man, let me teach you a lesson: war is war. There is nothing cruel or immoral about it. If you achieve victory, a general can be famous throughout time immemorial. If you lose, you will be cursed for thousands of years. I carry no less of a burden than you. Now that you understand these details, tell me, how much are those Envoys worth in my hands?”
Lu Yin struggled, as he did not know what to do.
Xu Qing spoke in a relaxed manner, “It looks like you now understand and are quite clear on the consequences of what I just told you. So, tell me, what are you willing to pay to exchange for the three captives.”
“Are you truly willing to allow me to pay for their freedom?” Lu Yin stared at Xu Qing as he asked this question. He no longer showed the calmness he had originally displayed, but rather anxiousness.
Xu Qing nodded. He was as calm as ever. “Why else would I have asked you to come discuss this?”
“What is it that you want?” Lu Yin asked nervously.
Xu Qing felt he held the upper hand, so he said bluntly, “First, give the Ghost Monkey to Feng Lin.”
Lu Yin did not refuse.
“Second, turn over the inheritance that you received that provided you with the invincible skills you showed during the end of ZENITH.”
Lu Yin still did not refuse.
Xu Qing continued, “Third, leave the Outerverse. I can allow you to retreat in peace. These are the only three conditions.”
Lu Yin stared at Xu Qing, unwillingness filling his eyes. “Do you believe that you can force me to submit just because you captured three Envoys?”
Xu Qing sneered. “You don’t have to agree. Go back and talk to Shui Chuanxiao. Go find out if you can bear the consequences of what I will do. As soon as it is done, your Great Eastern Alliance will collapse, and you will surely lose this war.”
Lu Yin had been aware of the consequences of not agreeing to Xu Qing’s terms from the moment that Wei Rong had explained this scenario. However, Lu Yin also was not convinced that things were as serious as they were being made out to be. As long as the Hall of Honor did not turn against him and he went to speak with Xu Qing alone, the situation in the Innerverse would not reach rock bottom. There would still be chaos, but he had already explained himself.
“I don’t understand. You should already know that I used death energy at the end of ZENITH, so why would you want that? Does your Astral Beast Domain even have death energy?” Lu Yin suddenly asked.
Xu Qing’s eyes flickered. “So it’s death energy? That’s not very valuable.”
Lu Yin’s eyes remained fixed on Xu Qing’s eyes.
“Still, that doesn’t matter. Our main purpose is to force you out of the Outerverse. That inheritance is merely a gift,” Xu Qing casually explained.
Lu Yin could not tell whether Xu Qing was lying about this point. Could there be death energy in the Astral Beast Domain? Lu Yin did not know. In the end, Xu Qing was still the Astral Beast Domain’s General, and he was not someone who would let his expressions be easily read.
“I want to see the three captives.” Lu Yin weakly tried to put up a bit of resistance.
“So you agree?”
Lu Yin’s hands clenched. “It’s difficult to pass my skills onto others.”
“No matter how difficult it may be, that is one of the conditions. After all, that inheritance allowed you to be invincible and gave you the strength to defeat even the Tri-Yang Ancestral Qi Technique. You could also try asking the Hall of Honor to give the Tri-Yang Technique to me, and I will accept that as well.” Xu Qing spoke with great confidence, but also with great anticipation.
Lu Yin answered in a bitter voice, “You think too highly of me. I agree to all your terms, but allow me to see the three Envoys first. How do I know if they’re dead or not? After all, they were captured by you astral beasts.”
Xu Qing’s voice turned cold. “You humans are also beasts. You have rules, and we do as well.”
“You have rules and yet you’ll use such despicable methods,” Lu Yin retorted.
Xu Qing snorted disdainfully. “Naïve.”
After he spoke, space nearby fluctuated, but there was nothing to be seen.
“Take Alliance Leader Lu to see the captives,” Xu Qing ordered.
Lu Yin looked over in surprise. “You’re letting a creeper take me?”
Xu Qing indifferently replied, “If I remember correctly, you also use the Rune Progenitor’s technique, Alliance Leader Lu, so you can see the creeper.”
Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “Alright.”
Xu Qing had ordered a creeper to escort Lu Yin to the captives, but the creeper’s task was actually to keep an eye on Lu Yin. There was no better observer than a creeper.
Before leaving, Lu Yin suddenly asked, “Did the astral beast that attacked me die?”
“No.”
Lu Yin felt a bit of disappointment as he left with the creeper.
Feng Lin quickly approached Xu Qing when she saw Lu Yin leave. “What do he say?”
Xu Qing confidently replied, “Just wait for the Ghost Monkey.”
Feng Lin was overjoyed. “He agreed?”
Xu Qing nodded, but then he gave Feng Lin a harsh look and scolded her, “You are too worked up about this! Why didn’t you speak to me about this in advance? You not only lost the initiative to him, but you also showed him just how important the Ghost Monkey is to you. If not for the current situation, you would never be able to get the Ghost Monkey from him!”
Feng Lin had also realized that she had been overly anxious this time. “I’m sorry, Senior. I was too nervous.”
Xu Qing had to ask, “Is that mere Ghost Monkey really so important?”