Shang Xia couldn’t understand their desire for Yan Ni’er. How was the blood of a swallow supposed to transform their bloodline?
However, there were tons of mysteries in the world of cultivation. Not everything made sense.
Shang Xia wouldn’t bother getting to the bottom of things. To him, the most important thing was to receive all the benefits he could from the situation while changing the situation for the better for the Tongyou Peak.
“Senior, since your descendants’ bloodline is growing thinner and thinner, why would you want to join such a huge battle? If a few more of them die in battle, wouldn’t it be a huge loss to your race? From what I see, you should leave the battle entirely. In the future, I’ll provide all the blood you need for you to purify your bloodline. How about that?”
“Little kid, what do you know? If my race chooses to forsake the battle, wouldn’t we be betraying our world? Moreover, you only have a single Mutated Rain Swallow. We can probably obtain a drop of blood essence every three to five years. How am I supposed to strengthen my whole race?” The old lady frowned at Shang Xia’s suggestion.
“I’ll just tame a few more of them!” Shang Xia cried.
“How dare you! Are you trying to force my race into submission by using the threat of the Mutated Rain Swallow?”
“Senior, you think too much! Since I showed you my abilities, it’s time for you to bring out some sincerity!” Shang Xia bargained.
“Humph. My race will never back out of such a huge war. I have to send several Martial Intent Realm cultivators at the very least. No matter what, I can promise you that I will never allow descendants with a pure bloodline to join the battle. I’ll join the battle and put up a show with that old bastard. This is the greatest concession I can make!”
Shang Xia understood that like Yan Ming, all members with a pure bloodline would be given the surname ‘Yan’. That meant that most of their experts wouldn’t be joining the battle.
Clapping, Shang Xia laughed, “What a great plan! You can stop tongues from wagging when you join the battle, and you don’t even have to sacrifice any of your pure blooded descendants. At the same time, our Tongyou Peak will get rid of those of your race who have some sort of conflict with you… What an amazing plan! This junior here seriously admire your schemes.”
The old woman glared at Shang Xia while snapping, “Humph, what do you know?”
Shang Xia remained impassive as he continued to explain, “Do you really think it’s that hard to guess? There’s no way you can command the entire race by yourself. There are bound to be several old monsters you dislike and wish to get rid of. What better way than to send them to fight us?”
“Kid, are you really not going to consider marrying my granddaughter?” The old lady changed the topic instantly.
Shang Xia glanced at Yan Ming and he pouted slightly, “You can keep her for yourself. I won’t be fortunate enough to enjoy the marriage.”
Yan Ming saw his reaction and fury caused her face to twist up in anger. However, she didn’t dare to say anything with the old ancestor of her race present and she could only swallow her anger.
As the two of them bargained with each other, Shang Ke and the rest could only remain passively at the side.
Only at that moment did they realize that their role had been taken over by the little kid.
Seeing how he wasn’t losing ground when negotiating with the ancestor of the Wind Swallow Race, they looked at each other quietly before letting things roll.
They could see that the little brat had a lot more up his sleeves than they had initially thought.
That was Shang Xia’s intentions precisely. He managed to tame Yan Ni’er, and the hope of the entire Wind Swallow Race rested in his hands. Now that they had to beg him for it, he could use the chance to get rid of a huge enemy for the Tongyou Peak.
There was no way he would let up now.
The ancestor of the Wind Swallow Race sighed softly. “Since you do not wish to marry my granddaughter, my final offer does not change.”
Soon a sneer left her lips. “It’s your turn. Prove to me that you have the ability to tame more of them.”
“That’s easy.” Shang Xia laughed. He didn’t bother communicating with Shang Ke and the others and he whistled again.
The face of everyone present changed as the ancestor of the Wind Swallow Race widened her eyes in shock. “Don’t tell me you tamed more than one…”
As soon as the words left her lips, a silver streak tore through the air and landed on his other shoulder.
“It’s that damn lightning chicken!”
Shang Bing and Yan Ming cried out in unison.
The Lightning Bird experienced a huge transformation after advancing. It stood haughtily on Shang Xia’s shoulder as it looked around casually.
Shang Xia grinned, “Senior, you should have tracked the pack of birds for quite some time now. You should know the relationship between a Lightning Bird and a pack of Mutated Rain Swallows. Yan Ni’er is merely one of the partners of this Lightning Bird!”
The ancestor of the Wind Swallow Race experienced more shock in a span of several minutes than she did in the past few years of her life. She tried to suppress the excitement building in her heart and she snapped, “Alright, what else do you want?”
Shang Xia looked at Shang Ke and the others and realized that they were handing the baton over to him. He continued, “I wish to know when the three other races are planning to attack the Tongyou Peak. I also want detailed information on their strength.”
“Kid, your scheme won’t work. I might choose to abstain from the war, but I will never betray my comrades. That's my bottom line.”
However, her tone turned a tad softer in the next instant. “Although, I can give you information about something else. I’m sure it will interest you.”
Shang Xia pressed his lips together and acted all nonchalant. “Don’t tell me that the information you’re providing me concerns the Rose Party joining the war.”
This time, she was seriously shocked. However, she shook her head the next instant. “Well, they’re not there for the Tongyou Peak.”
It was Shang Xia’s turn to be surprised. However, he reacted quickly. “Well, they’re there for Liu Jitang. Do they actually know where he is?”
The ancestor of the Wind Swallow Race lost her composure. “Fine! I’ll give you a piece of information for free. Even though they won’t attack the Tongyou Peak with us, they’ll help us destroy your protective formation from the inside!”
Ji Wenlong and the others turned serious, but they weren’t too shocked by the news.
Since the Rose Party could gain information on Kou Chongxue’s injury and Liu Jitang’s location, they had to be in the upper echelon of the Tongyou Institution. It wouldn’t surprise them that the plan was to destroy the protective formation from the inside.
Ji Wenlong spoke all of a sudden. “It’s time for us to leave.”
Time passed in a flash and they spent close to two hours in the valley. Since they needed a little time to leave the core region of the Four Spiritual Peak, they had to make their move now.
Shang Xia asked hurriedly, “How strong are those in the Rose Party? When will they make their move?”
Ji Wenlong grabbed Shang Xia’s collar and started dragging him away.
“Hehe, why should I tell you?” The old lady smiled at Shang Xia.
Even though he was being dragged away, it didn’t stop him from yelling, “Heh, the number of cards I have up my sleeves is more than you can imagine. Since you refuse to answer this simple question of mine, I won’t show you anything else!”
“Are you sure you will have the chance to impress me anymore?”
“You better not force me!” Shang Xia roared. He looked at the Lightning Bird and Yan Ni’er circling him. “Yan Ni’er, you thieving bird, call for backup! Show them who’s boss!”
By that time, they were already approaching the entrance.
Yan Ni’er chirped loudly, as though trying to convince the lightning bird to listen to Shang Xia.
Releasing a reluctant cry, the Lightning Bird turned into a silver streak that shot towards the heavens.
All of a sudden, countless cries filled the air as a dense cloud of Mutated Rain Swallows arrived.
Ji Wenlong who was dragging Shang Xia by the neck at that point whispered in his ear, “Brat, are you really able to control the entire swarm?!”
In the valley, the ancestor of the Wind Swallow Race held her mouth in shock.
“An entire flock of them! This… This… The chance for our race to rise up again has arrived! No! The fate of our race is held in his hand!”
Shang Xia’s voice echoed from outside the valley, “Old Woman, answer me!”
After calming herself, she growled, “A single expert at the third layer of the Martial Extermination Realm, a first layer expert of the Martial Extermination Realm and five Martial Intent Realm disciples! That's our complete battle strength in the upcoming war!"
Her voice turned into a beam that entered Ji Wenlong and Shang Xia’s ears. “I don’t know when the Rose Party will attack, but they plan to destroy all the bridges connecting the main peak to the others. You should know better than me what that entails!”
“Not enough!” Shang Xia’s voice became softer as he was dragged further away. “You should know better than me what this flock of Mutated Rain Swallows means to your race!”
The expression on her face changed several times and she finally came to a decision. Her chest caved in and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Ancestor!” Yan Ming screamed before rushing over to help her.
The moment she touched her ancestor, she was flung through the air. She fainted in mid air, missing out on what happened next.
When Shang Xia and the others ran away as quickly as they could, a roar pierced through the air, “Old bastard Ji, How dare you sneak attack me on the Spiritual Swallow Peak?!”