Qi Suian wasn’t any kind of long-lived species, so it was hard for him to connect the idea of an eighty-year-old with a beautiful woman.
Fan Fengfei, the Sect Leader of the Dragon Whale Sect, was a case in point.
She certainly looked to be around thirty, and she had clearly taken great care of herself.
If not for the Tai Sui God’s scan, Qi Suian wouldn’t have been able to confirm her age.
The situation was truly shocking.
"You wouldn’t have come all this way for nothing. To visit my Dragon Whale Sect, you must be seeking something." Fan Fengfei poured Qi Suian a cup of tea and gestured for him to sit and talk.
Qi Suian didn’t refuse. He sat down in the guest’s seat and replied, "I am."
"I want the Dragon Whale Sect’s *Dragon Whale World Suppression Skill*, *Cloud Dragon Celestial Patrol Skill*, and the *Giant Whale Overlord of the Seas Skill*."
He made no attempt to hide his intentions, stating them plainly.
Fan Fengfei wasn’t particularly surprised. The number of people who coveted the Dragon Whale Sect’s three Quenching Methods was vast.
One more person like Qi Suian wouldn’t change anything.
Especially since this one had come to her door and was willing to talk calmly.
’Giving them away isn’t impossible, but Qi Suian will have to offer something tempting enough.’
The reason was simple. If merely possessing a Quenching Method was enough to master it, then what would be the point of aptitude, effort, and resources?
Why else would the Dragon Whale Sect be divided into roles like Miscellaneous Tasks and outer sect disciples?
"Then, what can you offer?" Fan Fengfei didn’t state her price, waiting for Qi Suian to make the first move.
Qi Suian thought for a moment before replying, "I won’t blow up Longjing City."
Fan Fengfei was utterly dumbfounded when he said this.
In all her long years, she had seen plenty of threats, but this was the first time she had ever seen someone use a threat as a bargaining chip.
She was so angry she nearly lost her composure. It was only her long life and deep-seated self-control that stopped her. Anyone else would have already flipped the table.
"You have no sincerity at all."
"If you are willing to trade that Sacred Artifact of yours, then we can talk. But if you’re just going to make threats, you might as well go home and prepare for a fight." Fan Fengfei, of course, was not about to be cowed by Qi Suian’s threats.
She had lived long enough to know, even from this brief conversation, that you could never compromise with someone like Qi Suian.
Otherwise, he would only take a mile for every inch given.
And as it turned out, she was right.
"You asked what I could offer," Qi Suian said. "I was being very sincere."
"If that’s not good enough, then you name a price," Qi Suian said, exasperated.
’When she asked me to make an offer, I was naturally going to lowball it as much as possible. Best case, I’d get them for free.’
"I want that Sacred Artifact of yours." Fan Fengfei’s demand was exorbitant; she was asking for his intercontinental missile.
"I could, but even if I gave it to you, you wouldn’t be able to use it," Qi Suian said frankly.
An intercontinental missile has to be launched; it would be useless to Fan Fengfei.
’If she accidentally blew herself up, I wouldn’t care. But if the other survivors were killed, where would I find more test subjects?’
A sharp glint flashed in Fan Fengfei’s eyes. She spoke slowly, "I asked you to name your price, and you showed not one shred of sincerity."
"Then I named my price, and you say *this*. You’re making things very difficult for me."
Hearing this, Qi Suian placed his hand on the table. If she didn’t give him a good explanation, he was ready to flip the table and say, ’Difficult? Then let’s just forget the whole thing.’
"In that case, let’s compromise. Help me retrieve a few native Sacred Artifacts, and I’ll trade with you," Fan Fengfei said, revealing her objective.
"How many?" Qi Suian asked, zeroing in on the crucial detail.
’If we don’t get this clear now, it’ll be a problem later.’
"Three," Fan Fengfei said, and proceeded to list them and their locations.
Qi Suian listened. It seemed reasonable enough.
The difficulty was average. For someone of his caliber, it would be an easy task.
As for why Fan Fengfei wasn’t going herself, it was obvious: she had to remain in Longjing City and couldn’t be away for long.
Sending her disciples would be too dangerous; they would likely be ambushed and killed.
So Qi Suian’s arrival was perfectly timed.
"One native Sacred Artifact in exchange for one of the Quenching Methods you want."
"That’s a fair trade, isn’t it?" Fan Fengfei said, with an expression that suggested he was getting the deal of a lifetime.
’She wasn’t at all worried about how much progress Qi Suian would make after obtaining the Quenching Methods. The Dragon Whale Sect held a monopoly on the production of black and white gunpowder.’
’Without gunpowder, how could he possibly condense his divine will, even with the Quenching Method?’
’In the end, he would have to come back to me. As long as I play my cards right, won’t he ultimately be at my beck and call?’
’Giving up the Quenching Methods in exchange for such a powerful asset was worth it, no matter how she looked at it.’
After all, she wasn’t some old fossil who believed that letting the secrets out would be a disgrace to her ancestors.
’Whether he could even successfully practice them was another question entirely.’
"Alright, but I see a point of unfairness," Qi Suian said calmly. "The native Sacred Artifacts I give you will have their Apocalypse Game panel attributes."
"So they can’t be faked."
"But that’s not necessarily true for the Quenching Methods you give me. I’ve never practiced them. If you alter even the slightest detail, I wouldn’t know."
"You need to solve this problem for me. Only then will I retrieve those three native Sacred Artifacts for you." Qi Suian laid the unfairness on the table.
Fan Fengfei, however, simply smiled. "You are free not to accept this deal."
"If you accept it, you should trust me."
’She felt she had him right where she wanted him, especially given his desperation for the Quenching Methods.’
"Alright, then the deal’s off," Qi Suian said, not feeling the least bit wronged. "I’ll just go get those three native Sacred Artifacts you want. Then I’ll give one to the King of the Eternal United States and another to the Emperor of the Xuan Empire."
"And I’ll keep the last one for myself."
"And I’ll make sure to leak the details of our little conversation."
"In fact, I might even destroy one of them, just for fun."
Threats? Qi Suian could play that game too.
’Did she really think she had me under her thumb?’
’If I don’t get the Quenching Methods through a deal, I can just take them by force.’
Fan Fengfei, however, was in a bind. It was probably due to his Dumbing Aura that she had revealed the locations and the list before the deal was even finalized.
And now, that information had become leverage in Qi Suian’s hands.
Fan Fengfei’s eyelids lowered slightly. She then said, "Then what kind of guarantee do you want?"
For the sake of her own plans, she chose to concede.
"I want the original copies," Qi Suian stated plainly.
"Impossible!" Fan Fengfei blurted out. She could give him a transcribed copy, but the originals were out of the question.
"I’ll transcribe them myself. I won’t take them with me." Qi Suian also conceded a step.
’In reality, if I’m really tempted, I’ll just snatch them anyway.’
As for breaking a promise? He was a violator, a former Zombie Dominator—not exactly an upstanding citizen.
’The concept of integrity only existed on my lips, never in my actions.’
Hearing this, Fan Fengfei’s expression relaxed considerably.
"That is not a problem." Fan Fengfei finally agreed.
As long as he didn’t take the originals, it was fine.
’It wasn’t as if she planned to sabotage the Quenching Methods she gave him anyway.’
So him transcribing them himself wouldn’t make much of a difference.
"Then it’s settled," Qi Suian said. "I’ll bring the Sacred Artifacts for the exchange tomorrow."
"I hope nothing... unpleasant happens in the meantime. Otherwise, don’t blame me for blowing up all of Longjing City." And this wasn’t a threat.
He genuinely meant it.
’The survivors must die.’ That had always been his philosophy.
It was only because the survivors still had some value that Qi Suian hadn’t already leveled Longjing City.
Once his divine techniques were perfected, he’d be sure to send this whole group of survivors on their way.
He wouldn’t leave a single one of them a path to survival.
"Of course. The Dragon Whale Sect is, after all, one of the ten great sects of the Donglin Wu Kingdom. We wouldn’t stoop to such petty tricks," Fan Fengfei said with pride.
This was true. An organization of their size and prestige had no need for dirty tricks; they had always relied on sheer power to overwhelm their opponents, leaving no room for refusal or resistance.
It was only since arriving in the Sacred Artifact World of the Apocalypse Game that they had encountered two even more powerful factions.
But even so, they hadn’t been reduced to cowering with their tails between their legs.
’As for using the Quenching Methods to plot against Qi Suian? She wasn’t giving him fakes. She couldn’t be expected to provide both the techniques *and* the resources, could she? If so, she might as well just hand over the entire Dragon Whale Sect.’
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
"Good. Here’s to a pleasant cooperation," Qi Suian said, then immediately stood up and left.
Without a shred of courtesy.
But Fan Fengfei didn’t mind his rudeness. As long as Qi Suian could bring her what she wanted, everything else was a minor detail.
"I wish you a safe journey. I will be waiting for your native Sacred Artifacts," Fan Fengfei called out, watching as Qi Suian’s figure flew off into the distance.
Not long after, Li Yao—her recently accepted Closed-door Disciple and a living Divine Being—arrived.
"Master," Li Yao said, bowing respectfully.
"Ah, Yao’er. Is something the matter?" Fan Fengfei ignored the peculiar look in his eyes. ’She wasn’t going to argue with a dead man.’
"That Iron Armor Man cannot be trusted. Cooperating with him is tantamount to asking a tiger for its own hide. I suggest we eliminate him as soon as possible to prevent future trouble," Li Yao said, getting straight to the point.
’My identity isn’t that of a mere survivor, but a higher-ranking Law Enforcer. It’s just a shame I can’t reveal it.’
’I also have a mandatory mission: to kill the violator. If I succeed, I’ll awaken an SSS-rank talent.’
’But with my current strength, I’m no match for the violator. Naturally, I have to ask my master for help.’
Fan Fengfei shot him a glance and said, "I am well aware of the danger he poses. But he is incredibly powerful. What can be done?"
"Even with my full strength, I would only have a thirty percent chance of victory."
She was lying. In Fan Fengfei’s eyes, this was simply the heaven-defying luck of a living Divine Being trying to protect its vessel. If she let it interfere with her plans, she would be powerless to stop what came next.
Li Yao’s heart sank. He believed her.
After all, his master Fan Fengfei had never denied any of his requests before. She had even tacitly approved of some of his more unruly actions.
’So there was no way she was lying to me.’
"You... you could join forces with the monarchs of the two nations. Perhaps then you could eliminate him," Li Yao said after some deliberation, rephrasing his suggestion.
As for the consequences? That wasn’t his concern. All he wanted was the reward from the Apocalypse Game.
"That method, while sound, would be difficult to implement."
"We can discuss this matter further at a later time." Fan Fengfei dismissed Li Yao.
’Such a lovely thought,’ Fan Fengfei mused as he left. Her suspicions were aroused. ’Why is Li Yao so invested in this matter concerning the Iron Armor Man?’