Chapter 119 – Sky-High Demands

Chapter 119 – Sky-High Demands

Cheng Yang spoke calmly, “You don’t have to disband your forces. Since you claim to have tens of thousands of combatants in your territory, let’s have each of them contribute 50 spirit energy points. Assuming you have fifty thousand combatants, that would be 2.5 million points. Let’s round it up to 3 million – it’s not too much, is it?”

Yuan Jianze nearly spat out blood in rage, shouting, “Why don’t you just rob me instead?”

Cheng Yang remained composed, smiling faintly, “Am I robbing you? You were the one who tried to rob me first. I was the one who discovered this dungeon portal, yet you tried to take it by force just because you have more people. Don’t you feel ashamed?”

Was Yuan Jianze ashamed? No, his face wasn’t red with shame – it was black with anger.

“Three million is too much,” Yuan Jianze said, trying to keep his voice steady. “I don’t even have fifty thousand combatants in my main city. On average, each combatant can only gather about ten spirit energy points per day, which is barely enough for their own use. How could they possibly spare fifty points?”

Cheng Yang looked at him with undisguised contempt, clearly thinking the man was weak. “If three million is too much, let’s make it two million. I’m not asking for it all at once – you can pay in installments. Even if you don’t have fifty thousand combatants, you must have at least thirty thousand. At ten points per day, that’s three hundred thousand points daily. You’ll have it paid off in seven days. Consider the extra hundred thousand points as interest.”

Yuan Jianze’s face darkened further. “Two million is still too much. At most, I can give you five hundred thousand, and that would have to be paid in installments. Although I’m the commander, I can’t force all combatants to hand over their spirit energy.”

Cheng Yang could understand Yuan Jianze’s predicament. As a former military commander, Yuan didn’t have official authority over the combatants in this new world. His current position was maintained only through his remaining influence and loyal followers. If he tried to force everyone to hand over their daily spirit energy harvest, he would likely lose his position entirely.

Cheng Yang pretended to be troubled, though inwardly he was delighted. His main goal wasn’t the spirit energy points – this unexpected windfall would greatly accelerate the development of Phoenix Village.

“Five hundred thousand is indeed a bit low,” Cheng Yang said thoughtfully. “I won’t push you too hard on the spirit energy. Let’s keep it at five hundred thousand. However, there are a few other conditions you must agree to.”

Yuan Jianze breathed a small sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t millions of spirit energy points, the pressure was manageable. He could have each combatant contribute two points daily, and the amount would be gathered in five or six days.

Seeing that Yuan Jianze didn’t object, Cheng Yang continued, “First, I want free access to your main city to recruit people. You and your subordinates must not interfere. Of course, I won’t recruit from your direct military forces. Is that acceptable?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Yuan Jianze nodded. This condition didn’t seem to threaten his core interests.

Cheng Yang pressed on, “Second, we’ll divide Xiangcheng City along its central axis. The eastern side will be my territory, including the north and south exits. The western side will be yours. Alternatively, you can keep the entire main city, and I’ll take both exits. The choice is yours.”

Yuan Jianze was puzzled by this demand. His people had already explored the entire Xiangcheng ruins. The east and west sides were similar, except for the dungeon portal in the east. But since he had already lost the chance to control the portal, why would Cheng Yang make such a demand?

Yuan Jianze couldn’t gauge Cheng Yang’s true strength. If Cheng Yang really had a way to help people become combatants, why would he need to make the first condition about recruiting?

After some consideration, Yuan Jianze agreed to Cheng Yang’s terms and chose to keep the main city. In his view, the main city contained various functional buildings and residential areas. While Cheng Yang could recruit freely, he hadn’t mentioned anything about purchasing items or using the residential buildings. It made sense to keep the main city.

Cheng Yang smiled, “Good. Since you’ve agreed so readily, we’ll stick to these two conditions for now. From now on, the eastern side of Xiangcheng City, including both exits, will be my territory. Your people must not set foot there. Similarly, my people won’t enter the western side. Anyone who violates this rule will be killed without mercy. Agreed?”

Yuan Jianze nodded, but added, “Since I’ve agreed to your conditions, will you promise not to attack my people in the near future?”

Cheng Yang replied calmly, “Naturally. As long as you keep your word, I won’t make any moves against you.”

Yuan Jianze said, “Although there are no laws in this world anymore, I believe a man of your character wouldn’t break your word.”

Cheng Yang chuckled, “If I really wanted to break my word, why would I bother negotiating with you? I could just kill you all directly.”

Though the words were harsh, Yuan Jianze had to admit they were true.

Cheng Yang suggested, “If you don’t trust me, we can draw up a written agreement. That way, we’ll have something to refer to.”

Yuan Jianze didn’t object. He had someone bring paper and brush, and they drafted a detailed agreement. After both sides reviewed it and found no issues, they signed their names and pressed their fingerprints.

With the matter settled, Cheng Yang said, “Alright, you can take your people and leave now. Take the bodies with you too. Though we were enemies, they deserve a proper burial.”

Yuan Jianze ordered his men to release Zhao Xun and others, then had them carry away the dead combatants for burial.

As they prepared to leave, Yuan Jianze hesitated, “I should wait for the men I sent after Liu Xiyue to return. Otherwise, she might be in trouble.”

Cheng Yang smiled, “If Liu Xiyue were in any danger, do you think I’d be standing here talking to you so calmly? Go back. I doubt your men will be returning.”

As if on cue, a figure appeared in the distance – it was Liu Xiyue. But there was no sign of the men who had pursued her.

“You set a trap?” Yuan Jianze asked, shocked.

Cheng Yang sneered, “Why would I need to set a trap? You’re the one who mistook a wolf for a rabbit. That’s your own fault.”

Realization dawned on Yuan Jianze, “You mean… she’s also a combatant now?”

Cheng Yang didn’t answer directly, “You can leave now. I’ll come this afternoon to collect the first installment of spirit energy – let’s start with two hundred thousand points. After that, one hundred thousand points daily should be manageable.”

Yuan Jianze nodded silently, not wanting to continue the conversation. He gave Cheng Yang a long look before leading his men back toward the main city.

This had been a bitter defeat for Yuan Jianze. He had come with high hopes, only to leave in disappointment. Not only had he failed to secure the dungeon portal, but he had also lost over a hundred of his best combatants. While the loss wasn’t significant in terms of numbers, these were his most experienced fighters, with cultivation progress exceeding 20%. It pained him to lose them not to demonic beasts, but to human conflict.

As they moved away from Cheng Yang, Old Wu approached Yuan Jianze hesitantly, “Commander, are we really going to give up the eastern side of Xiangcheng City? And maintain this peace?”

A glint of ruthlessness appeared in Yuan Jianze’s eyes, “Old Wu, do you think agreements still hold any weight in this world?”

Old Wu hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Yuan Jianze continued, “In this world, the only thing that matters is strength. Without power, everything else is meaningless. Don’t be fooled by our polite negotiations earlier. If one side gains overwhelming strength, they won’t be so courteous.”

Old Wu frowned, “But Commander, based on what we saw today, Cheng Yang already has the power to crush us. We couldn’t even break through his defenses. Numbers mean nothing against him.”

Yuan Jianze replied, “He must have some concerns holding him back. Once those concerns are gone, he won’t be so accommodating.”

“What should we do then?” Old Wu asked.

Yuan Jianze’s expression turned determined, “Our priority is to increase our strength. We need to create an elite force quickly to counterbalance Cheng Yang. Otherwise, we’ll remain at his mercy. Previously, we were too cautious in collecting spirit energy from our combatants. Even I only maintained six times the normal cultivation speed. From now on, we’ll focus on nurturing our most talented combatants and provide them with ample spirit energy.”

Old Wu hesitated, “What about the five hundred thousand spirit energy points we promised…”

“Give it to him,” Yuan Jianze said through gritted teeth.

PS: Seeking automatic subscriptions! When automatic subscriptions reach 100, I’ll release a massive update. Brothers, let’s work hard together…