Though Shi Feng's tone was utterly calm, to the Hundred Generations Dynasty, watching him approach step by step was like witnessing a primordial beast striding toward them. Their breathing grew ragged, cold sweat streamed down their backs, and every instinct screamed at them to turn and flee.
A single man had sent over ten thousand members of the Peerless Family scattering in every direction.
If someone had told them this before, they would have laughed themselves hoarse. But now, not a single one of them could crack a smile.
The Hundred Generations Dynasty had clashed with the Peerless Family multiple times, and they were evenly matched. If Shi Feng could single-handedly suppress the Peerless Family, he could do the same to them.
Badao Changkong's expression was beyond ugly.
If he had known it would come to this, no amount of force could have dragged him here...
"Esteemed expert, I believe there may have been a misunderstanding between us. I only wished to invite you to join us because I couldn't stand the Peerless Family. Had I known how powerful you were, I wouldn't have meddled. As an apology for the offense, I, Badao, am willing to offer ten thousand Magic Crystals as compensation." Badao Changkong addressed Shi Feng respectfully, all trace of his former arrogance gone.
"That's an enormous gesture from Badao!" Gu Jiuji exclaimed.
Offering ten thousand Magic Crystals just as an apology—in Gu Jiuji's eyes, Badao Changkong had gone completely mad.
After all, even a well-known adventurer party like the Sword of Aurora had only managed to save up around two thousand Magic Crystals to date.
Magic Crystals were practically essential in Cold Wind City. When forging weapons and equipment, you had to convert them into Magic Crystals at the Life Association's special workshops to significantly boost crafting success rates. On top of that, the God-Demon Arena demanded a steady supply of Magic Crystals as well, making it nearly impossible to accumulate much.
In Cold Wind City, while there were plenty of ways to obtain Magic Crystals, coughing up ten thousand in one go would still be a serious blow to the Hundred Generations Dynasty.
But Gu Jiuji didn't understand the pressures of being a guild master—he didn't know Badao Changkong's reasoning.
For a powerhouse of Shi Feng's caliber, if he bore a grudge and periodically ambushed the guild's main raid teams or elite members out in the field, they would be utterly helpless. They had no way to deal with someone like him, and over time the damage to the guild would be catastrophic.
Those ten thousand Magic Crystals were not merely compensation for his mistake—they were also an attempt to build a relationship with Shi Feng.
"Ten thousand Magic Crystals?" Shi Feng was mildly surprised.
He hadn't expected Cold Wind City's resources to be this rich.
In his estimation, whether it was the Hundred Generations Dynasty or the Peerless Family, they were only third-rate guilds on the Divine Realm Continent. Making them produce ten thousand Magic Crystals should have had them coughing up blood. Yet judging by Badao Changkong's expression, it was merely painful—not fatal.
When Badao Changkong noticed Shi Feng's slight frown, as if he wasn't entirely satisfied, he gritted his teeth and said, "If you feel that's still not enough, expert, what about adding this map?"
With that, he pulled a tattered beast-hide parchment from his inventory. Though it had been stored for an impossibly long time, the parchment still emanated a faint aura of oppressive pressure.
It was only a wisp, yet it filled everyone present with an indescribable sense of dread.
"Is that... Divine Might?" Shi Feng stared at the parchment in Badao Changkong's hand with surprise.
Divine Might was an aura unique to gods. Any item that bore even a trace of it was far from ordinary—let alone one appearing in a place like the Ice Crystal World.
The Ice Crystal World's level was high, but it could at most accommodate fifth-rank beings. Sixth-rank gods couldn't even enter. For an item once used by a god to appear here made it all the more precious and extraordinary.
"What do you think, expert?" Badao Changkong asked with a smile, seeing Shi Feng's obvious interest in the parchment.
He had obtained this beast-hide some time ago. Though he knew it was valuable, he had never been able to uncover its secret. If offering it to Shi Feng could satisfy him and improve relations with the Hundred Generations Dynasty, it would be well worth it.
"Deal." Shi Feng nodded.
His purpose in coming to the Ice Crystal World was to obtain the Eternal Ice Crystal, not to conquer Cold Wind City. There was no need to fight the local guilds. If the Peerless Family hadn't provoked him first, he wouldn't have bothered dealing with them.
Hearing Shi Feng agree, Badao Changkong exhaled in relief and promptly handed over the ten thousand Magic Crystals and the beast-hide parchment. As for the weapons and equipment scattered across the street, Shi Feng sold them to Badao Changkong at a discount—exchanged for either gold coins or various rare materials.
A player's inventory allotted one slot per piece of equipment, but materials were different—many could be stacked in a single slot, maximizing carrying capacity.