Chapter 501: Chapter 500 Negotiations
"Hmph, you speak as if you aren’t from a Hidden Sect yourself," Wang Chunyang snorted coldly.
Huang Chengcheng ignored the sarcasm in his tone and smiled lightly, "My Taoist sect was destroyed by your Eight Great Forces a hundred years ago and no longer belongs to the Hidden Sect World. As for myself, Huang Chengcheng, heh, I never made any waves in the Hidden Sect World back then, so how could I still presume to claim that identity today?"
Wang Chunyang said indifferently, "As for the disappearance of the Taoist sect, neither you nor I have witnessed it ourselves; it’s merely hearsay, so who knows the truth?"
Huang Chengcheng chuckled, choosing not to argue over such matters, and instead turned to Helian Zhan, "The two of you have come out alone, wanting to have a proper talk with us, right?"
Helian Zhan nodded, "That is indeed my intention."
Wang Chunyang sneered, "Huang Chengcheng, though you claim not to be a person of the Hidden Sect, you are not exactly a citizen of Divine Continent Country either, are you? Can you really speak on behalf of Divine Continent’s matters?"
"Hahaha, Wang Chunyang, your mouth really deserves a beating, but Daoist me can’t be bothered to argue with you," laughed Huang Chengcheng. He then looked towards Qin Yanyang and said, "Girl, I’ll leave the matters from here on to you."
Qin Yanyang was still shaken by the display of combat power Wang Chunyang and Helian Zhan had shown earlier. Now seeing Huang Chengcheng defusing the situation and knowing that they had genuinely come to negotiate peace, she had to afford them face and said, "If the two of you wish to talk, we welcome it. The outside is bitterly cold, why not have some hot tea in our tent and discuss things slowly?"
"Why not?" Helian Zhan smiled dashingly, and, in a flash, descended from his hovering position high above to the ground.
Wang Chunyang pondered briefly then followed suit.
After landing, the two strode towards the direction of the tent.
Yang Fei clearly felt Qin Yanyang squeezing his palm, sweat secreting from it, knowing that beneath her calm exterior, she was extremely nervous.
Actually, Yang Fei was equally tense, his nerves taut, always on high alert.
And it wasn’t just the two of them.
Even Huang Chengcheng was highly vigilant as Helian Zhan and Wang Chunyang approached.
Qin Huai’an was the same.
Among their group of four, Huang Chengcheng’s strength was unknown, but Yang Fei, Qin Yanyang, and Qin Huai’an were indeed only at the Innate Realm.
Though their combat power was at the Late-stage Innate Realm Peak, they now faced peak combat powers from the Hidden Sect World.
These two were among the top five in terms of combat strength in the Hidden Sect. The power they had demonstrated when facing an ambush just now was there for all to witness. Facing such formidable opponents, it was a lie to say Yang Fei and his group were not scared.
However, things had come to this point, and they couldn’t lose the dignity of Divine Continent Country, so they tried their best to stay calm, welcoming the two into the main tent for a chat.
Seeing the six entering the main tent, Mo Yinpeng immediately signaled to several captains of the Military Department with her eyes.
Instantly, the members of the Military Department were on full alert, surrounding the main tent.
If those two strong practitioners from the Hidden Sect World showed any intent of action, even with Qin Yanyang inside, they would not hesitate to intervene and suppress them.
Besides, Mo Yinpeng also immediately contacted the upper echelons, inquiring when the reinforcements, requested by Qin Yanyang, from the Military Department would arrive.
Despite the strength of Hidden Sect Practitioners, the Military Department’s combat power was not to be underestimated.
Just by reinforcing with more members from the Military Department, along with employing Energy Cannons and special Audio Weapons that could interfere with Divine Soul thoughts, suppressing these Hidden Sect Practitioners would be feasible.
Inside the tent, the parties sat facing each other.
Just after sitting down, Wang Chunyang gave Huang Chengcheng a light chuckle and said, "We have serious matters to discuss. It seems you are not one of Divine Continent Country’s high-level commanders, are you? Perhaps you should step aside for a moment?"
Before Huang Chengcheng could reply, Qin Yanyang had already taken over the conversation, saying, "I am the acting minister of the Military Department of the Divine Continent Country. Mr. Huang is my husband’s revered teacher and has also bestowed teachings upon me. He serves as an honorary instructor in the Military Department and is certainly not an outsider."
Seeing Qin Yanyang speak in such a manner, Huang Chengcheng was very pleased and chuckled softly.
Wang Chunyang snorted, "Is the Military Department owned by the Qin Family alone? Do you think you have the final say on everything?"
Qin Yanyang furrowed her brows and said, "Since your arrival, Elder, you have consistently spoken sharply. Are you here to negotiate, or to infuriate us and seek an opportunity to start a war?"
Wang Chunyang was furious, but upon reflection, had Helian Zhan not intervened in time earlier, he himself might have suffered severe injuries. Even if not suppressed by the opponent, he would have had to flee back with his tail between his legs. Thus, he suppressed the anger in his heart and sat aside, remaining silent.
After all, before coming out, it had been discussed that starting a war between the two realms was undesirable and that maintaining harmony was key. If he caused trouble here, and Helian Zhan reported it when they returned, it would not bode well for him or the entire Langya Wang Family.
Helian Zhan chose this moment to speak, "The fact that only Brother Chunyang and I came from the Hidden Sect signifies our stance. You’ve seen the battle just now. If Brother Chunyang and I had fought with all our might, you folks might not necessarily be able to withstand it."
"Not necessarily," said Qin Yanyang.
Helian Zhan gave a faint smile and glanced at Huang Chengcheng, "Indeed, we did not expect Mr. Huang to be here. Had we known, it wouldn’t necessarily have been only the two of us who came out."
Yang Fei and Qin Yanyang were startled.
From Helian Zhan’s words, it seemed he held considerable apprehension and regard for Huang Chengcheng.
Yang Fei was especially puzzled.
Three years ago, after mastering that cultivation technique, he had sparred with Huang Chengcheng once. Huang had been in a sorry state and even acknowledged that the student had surpassed the master.
In Yang Fei’s mind, his combat strength had already surpassed that of his teacher.
However, recalling that during the previous full exertion by Helian Zhan, Huang had intervened, and considering Helian Zhan’s current emphasis on Huang, it was not hard to guess that Teacher Huang’s strength might be much more formidable than he had imagined.
Could it be that when they sparred three years ago, his master had intentionally concealed his real strength?
Sensing the puzzled look in Yang Fei’s eyes, Huang Chengcheng merely smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying, "You think too highly of this old Taoist."
Helian Zhan did not continue to praise Huang Chengcheng but turned to Qin Yanyang, "You sent someone like Wang Tianlai with your message, and we heard it. Is the Divine Continent Country really going to proceed this way?"
Qin Yanyang nodded, "The decision has been made."
"Was it your decision, or was it decided after a meeting of the higher-ups of the Divine Continent Country?" Helian Zhan asked.
Although he resided in the Hidden Sect World, he was also knowledgeable about some of the systems in secular nations.
Qin Yanyang replied, "Originally, I made the decision, but after coming out, I sought approval from the authorities, who have responded affirmatively. They will also send reinforcements. From now on, this place will be a secret and critical location of the Divine Continent Country."
Helian Zhan and Wang Chunyang’s expressions changed upon hearing this.
They hadn’t expected the Divine Continent Country to act so decisively and swiftly to make a final decision concerning the Hidden Sect.
"We can abide by the agreement made years ago, not interfering with each other, and strictly control our sects and schools to prevent them from causing trouble outside. But we absolutely will not accept your forces stationed here, locking down the entire Hidden Sect World," Wang Chunyang couldn’t help saying.
Although Qin Yanyang was always alert that the opponent might take action, she was unyielding on this issue and said loudly, "I apologize, but it’s precisely because you failed to adhere to the agreement from those years, leading to your people running amok and acting lawlessly, that the upper echelons have made this final decision. From now on, anyone from the Hidden Sect going outside, regardless of who, must be registered. That’s our bottom line."
Her mind worked quickly, and she immediately added, "And in light of the conflicts that erupted after your last two exits, I suggest deploying a squad from the Military Department to station at the entrance to the Hidden Sect World, responsible for registering those from the Hidden Sect going out. After registration, our Military Department personnel would come out to report, thus preventing the people outside the portal from becoming too tense and initiating hostilities."