Chapter 363: Negotiation

Li Yang said nothing, continuing to listen to the Blade Slaughter Sect Master.

"The third condition is access to the treasures in the Star Moon Race’s resource vault! They have the Star Moon inheritance, the Star Moon Stele, and Star Moon Fruits. Their vault is filled with Star Moon Fruits and many other treasures. You can directly ask for one hundred million contribution points."

The resource vault of a race like the Star Moon, who possessed a Dominator-level expert, couldn’t compare to that of the Human Race, but it was certainly filled with a great many treasures.

"Three years of their inheritance, one high-grade Divine Artifact, and one hundred million contribution points from the Star Moon Race. These are the conditions you will present to them," the Blade Slaughter Sect Master said with a slight smile.

He felt no sympathy for the Star Moon Race. Right now, his only concern was securing the best possible benefits for his disciple.

Of course, when all was said and done, the value of these benefits was only roughly equivalent to that of the Sacred Artifact, the Sword Net Array.

After listening carefully to the Blade Slaughter Sect Master, Li Yang now had a clear plan. He nodded and said, "I understand, Teacher. I will negotiate these three conditions with the Star Moon Race."

He didn’t feel that the Blade Slaughter Sect Master was being greedy.

In reality, the conditions his master had proposed were quite reasonable. They weren’t an attempt to swindle the Star Moon Race.

...

While Li Yang was speaking with his teacher, the Blade Slaughter Sect Master, a group of powerful experts had gathered in a grand palace belonging to the Star Moon Race.

There were more than a dozen of these experts, and the aura radiating from each one of them far surpassed that of an ordinary Deity!

These were the Emperors of the Star Moon Race!

"Li Yang has most likely found out about the Sword Net Array. He will definitely state his conditions next. What are your thoughts?"

At that moment, an Emperor spoke up.

He was a middle-aged man, and judging by the intangible pressure emanating from him, he was clearly stronger than the other Emperors present.

This was the Moon Trace Emperor, whose strength ranked among the top three of all the Star Moon Race’s Emperors.

"The complete Sword Net Array is a Sacred Artifact, formed by the combination of nine longswords. The one in the human Li Yang’s possession is the final piece. We must get that longsword back."

"That’s right. Our race possesses very few Sacred Artifacts in total. Every single one is crucial to our overall strength!"

"If Li Yang states his conditions, we’ll just have to agree to them."

As soon as the Moon Trace Emperor finished speaking, the other Emperors chimed in.

A powerful weapon provides an immense boost to one’s strength. Take Li Yang, for example. Even with an ordinary Divine Artifact, he could easily defeat an expert at the Peak of World Realm!

And a Sacred Artifact’s power boost for an Emperor was even greater, allowing their strength to skyrocket!

For beings who had already reached the Emperor Level, a treasure that could cause their strength to soar was unimaginably significant to their race.

Therefore, with a Sacred Artifact right in front of them, they had to obtain it no matter the cost.

The appearance of a single Sacred Artifact was equivalent to the race gaining several new, powerful Deities!

This was especially true for the Star Moon Race, which had only a single Dominator. The significance was immense!

"Alright. Since no one has any objections, Mu Zun will go speak with Li Yang in half an hour," the Moon Trace Emperor said with a nod.

Emperor Mu Zun hesitated for a moment before asking, "Moon Trace, what if the human, Li Yang, makes an outrageous demand?"

If Li Yang knew about the Sword Net Array and how desperately their race wanted that longsword, he could easily propose conditions they couldn’t possibly meet.

"Hmph! That longsword came from our race’s ultimate treasure, the Star Moon Stele! What right does this Li Yang have to make outrageous demands?"

"That treasure belongs to us, the Star Moon Race! The fact that we’re even trading with him is a gesture of respect to the Human Race."

The moment Emperor Mu Zun finished speaking, several other Emperors chimed in.

Listening closely to their tone, it was clear they were filled with dissatisfaction and even a sense of bitter indignation.

These Emperors of the Star Moon Race were truly aggrieved. The final piece of the Sacred Artifact, the Sword Net Array, was in Li Yang’s hands, yet they didn’t dare to just take it from him.

In the eyes of these Star Moon Race experts, the Star Moon Stele was their property, so it stood to reason that any treasures found within it also belonged to them.

If this had happened in the outside world, and they’d encountered an expert from another race holding the final piece of the Sword Net Array—even an Emperor—they would have attacked without hesitation. But when faced with Li Yang, a mere Star Lord Realm genius, they could only suppress the urge to seize it by force.

This was because, not far from their territory, a powerful faction of the Human Race was stationed—a faction that even included a Human Race Dominator!

If they dared to make a move, the Human Race Dominator stationed nearby would likely descend upon them in a very short time.

So, they could only endure.

It was like watching an ant that they could crush with a single wave of their hand, yet that very ant was holding a treasure they desperately needed. They could only watch, unable to act. One can only imagine how they felt.

"Enough."

Hearing the dissatisfaction from the other Emperors, the Moon Trace Emperor said in a heavy voice, "Treasures discovered within the Star Moon Stele belong to the one who undergoes the trial. This is a rule we established long ago. Li Yang found that longsword, so that longsword is his. If we want to trade with him, we must naturally pay a price."

Once the Moon Trace Emperor spoke, the other Emperors fell silent, tacitly agreeing with him.

The Moon Trace Emperor then turned to Emperor Mu Zun and said, "Mu Zun, you go and speak with Li Yang first. If his conditions are acceptable, we will agree. If he truly makes an outrageous demand, then we will reconvene to discuss our next move."

The treasure was in Li Yang’s hands, giving him all the leverage. Their powerful Star Moon Race... could only be passive in this negotiation.

"Alright," Emperor Mu Zun said with a nod.

...

The Star Moon Race had reached a consensus.

Li Yang’s consciousness withdrew from the Virtual World, and he waited.

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a figure appeared inside the palace. It was none other than Emperor Mu Zun.

"Li Yang, have you reached a decision?"

The moment he appeared, Emperor Mu Zun looked at Li Yang and asked directly, "Are you willing to trade the longsword in your possession?"

’I wonder if he recognized the longsword,’ he thought. ’Of course, the chances are slim, but it’s still possible.’

’If he hasn’t, the price we’ll have to pay probably won’t be too high.’

Looking at Emperor Mu Zun, Li Yang wasted no time on pleasantries. "Emperor Mu Zun," he said directly, "I was fortunate enough to obtain a piece of the Sword Net Array from the Star Moon Stele."

Hearing this, Emperor Mu Zun’s heart sank. ’So, Li Yang really does know. He knows the longsword he holds is the key to turning the Sword Net Array into a Sacred Artifact.’

While he was lost in thought, Li Yang continued, "I am willing to trade the longsword."

’He agreed?’ Hearing Li Yang’s words, Emperor Mu Zun felt no particular joy. Now it all came down to the conditions Li Yang would propose.

’There’s no way Li Yang could have recognized the longsword himself. It must have been the person backing him. That person would definitely know the value of the final piece of the Sword Net Array.’

"Emperor Mu Zun, I have three conditions. If you agree to them, I will hand over the longsword," Li Yang said.

"State them," Emperor Mu Zun said, looking at Li Yang and nodding.

Without any further preamble, Li Yang stated his conditions.