"Who are you?" Sheng Wuji looked at Shi Feng, who had appeared out of nowhere, his gaze turning cold.
The moment Sheng Wuji finished speaking, every member of the Heavenly Dragon Palace in the surrounding forest fixed their stares on Shi Feng. The killing intent was so bone-chilling that even top-tier experts would feel terrified—monsters among experts would tremble in their hearts.
But after a heartbeat passed, whether it was the Heavenly Dragon Palace or the Proud World Empire, everyone froze.
Because under such overwhelming killing intent, Shi Feng remained completely relaxed and at ease. He even strolled leisurely toward Sheng Wuji, one step at a time, as if that ferocious, fire-like killing intent had never existed at all.
"Black Flame," Shi Feng said flatly.
"So you're that Sword King, Black Flame." Sheng Wuji couldn't help but take Shi Feng more seriously.
If it had merely been the guild master of a first-rate guild, he probably wouldn't have bothered spare him a single glance—in terms of status or strength, they simply weren't on the same level. But Shi Feng was different. Shi Feng was a genuine peak expert, a monster who commanded a Domain. In terms of actual combat power, he was on the same tier as Sheng Wuji himself.
The reason Sheng Wuji had been relatively courteous toward Zi Qiong was entirely because she represented the Celestial Secret Pavilion—a transcendent force in the virtual gaming world that rarely involved itself in the struggles of the great superpowers, focusing primarily on earning money and gathering intelligence.
For any faction to remain truly transcendent, a certain baseline of strength was absolutely indispensable.
Even the Heavenly Dragon Palace gave the Celestial Secret Pavilion wide berth and would never provoke it under normal circumstances. This time, however, Stone Forest Town carried too much weight—it was tied to the development of the Abyss—so they were willing to offend the Celestial Secret Pavilion. After all, when mountains of gold and silver were on the table, even the King of Heaven himself would have to step aside.
"Guild Master Black Flame, since you've come as well, let's lay all our cards on the table." Sheng Wuji looked at Shi Feng and smiled. "Stone Forest Town is no longer something you can protect. Not even the Celestial Secret Pavilion behind you can manage it. Too many superpowers have their eyes on this place. If you want to keep it, allying with us is the only path forward. We've already made the equity terms perfectly clear—our two sides each take thirty percent. As for the remaining forty percent, that's between you and your people. We won't interfere."
"Exactly. That is our bottom line," Zhan Baiya nodded, then glanced at Zi Qiong. "But if negotiations fail, I'm afraid we'll have to discuss this in a different manner. And I doubt the Celestial Secret Pavilion would want to see that outcome either."
As for an expert like Shi Feng, Zhan Baiya did take him seriously to a degree. But in front of the great superpowers, Shi Feng couldn't change anything. In Zhan Baiya's view, Shi Feng had no real decision-making authority—the one who truly called the shots was the Celestial Secret Pavilion. Shi Feng's appearance was nothing more than a bargaining chip to wring out better terms.
"Guild Master Black Flame, the combined strength of the Heavenly Dragon Palace and the Proud World Empire is no joke. Either one alone far eclipses the current Star Alliance. Now that these two great guilds have joined forces—if we actually come to blows, especially with other superpowers lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce—I'm afraid the outcome would not be optimistic." Zi Qiong understood perfectly what Zhan Baiya was implying. As a core member of the Celestial Secret Pavilion, she knew all too well how terrifying these two guilds were. But Shi Feng didn't, and she had to explain clearly—or the consequences would be unthinkable.
And the moment Zi Qiong finished speaking, Shi Feng's gaze shifted to Zhan Baiya.
"Bottom line?" Shi Feng couldn't help but laugh. "Aren't those things only meant to be broken? You think you can take Stone Forest Town's shares with nothing but empty words? I'm afraid you lot aren't qualified."
The moment those words left Shi Feng's mouth, the atmosphere on the scene grew suffocatingly tense.
Zi Qiong nearly fainted from fury on the spot.
Her intention had been to make Shi Feng understand just how powerful the guilds behind these two men were, so they could be pacified for the time being. But now, thanks to him…
"Not qualified? In that case, let Guild Master Black Flame come see whether our Proud World Empire is qualified!" Zhan Baiya snarled, eyes blazing, and waved his hand.
In an instant, the members of the Demonic Legion hidden among the trees surged into action.