After considerable effort, the Dragon Lord finally reached an agreement with Fang Yuan.
Two Eighth Transformation cultivators from the Eastern Sea, Shen Congsheng and Song Qiyuan, witnessed the entire process but were powerless to stop it.
The Dragon Lord not only compensated Fang Yuan with vast quantities of Qi Path cultivation resources — more importantly, he actually gifted a portion of the Primordial Immortal Venerable's True Transmission to Ancestor Qi Hai!
This left the two Eastern Sea immortals exasperated yet unable to deny their admiration for the Dragon Lord's magnanimity!
Of course, only a small portion was handed over on the spot.
Fang Yuan, posing as Ancestor Qi Hai, agreed to a truce with the Heavenly Court and begin peaceful coexistence, with the Heavenly Court gradually supplying the remaining resources over time. As for the Primordial True Transmission, it too would be delivered in installments.
After all, neither side had signed any treaty.
Having reached an understanding, Fang Yuan not only didn't leave, but instead took the lead, guiding the way.
"Fang Yuan is indeed collecting the Dragon Palace. Perhaps, Dragon Lord, you could settle your grudge with him and the Heavenly Court today," Fang Yuan said with a smile.
From the look on his face, he seemed like someone going to watch the spectacle.
However, Fang Yuan didn't want to delay further — continued bickering could easily expose his flaws to the Dragon Lord and the two Eastern Sea immortals.
Since that was the case, he might as well go with the flow.
No treaty had been signed either way. When the time came to act, Fang Yuan would naturally strike without hesitation.
As for everything they had just agreed upon — it was all bullshit!
The Dragon Lord shot forward, gazing ahead, his expression settling into calm as he replied flatly, "If that's the case, then it can be considered one problem resolved."
The two Eastern Sea immortals exchanged a glance. The matter concerned the Dragon Palace, so none were in a hurry to leave.
The group arrived at the Dragon Palace's hiding place and dove deep beneath the sea, only to find that the Dragon Palace had long since vanished.
"Did the Dragon Palace really exist here?" The two Eastern Sea immortals were skeptical. They suspected Fang Yuan had deliberately led them astray but dared not say so openly.
The Dragon Lord, however, harbored no suspicion. Although Fang Yuan had led the way, the location precisely matched what Fairy Ziwei had calculated — not a whisker of deviation.
"It seems the Dragon Palace has truly flown away." The Dragon Lord sighed.
Fang Yuan chuckled, "What a pity. If Fang Yuan had captured the Dragon Palace, your Heavenly Court would have lost to him yet again."
He wore the expression of an onlooker who wouldn't mind if things got more exciting, prodding the Dragon Lord with his words.
The Dragon Lord responded coolly, unaffected by the provocation.
He was quite familiar with the Dragon Palace itself. When his grandson Xiao Ba had originally constructed it, it had been stipulated that only Dragonmen could become its master.
This meant that the Dragon Lord, who held the Dragonman Annihilation killer move in his arsenal, had an ace up his sleeve. If Fang Yuan had truly subdued the Dragon Palace, he must have either transformed into a Dragonman or had Dragonmen as subordinates.
"Fang Yuan is cautious by nature, and having been reborn from the future, the likelihood of him transforming into a Dragonman is very slim. But even so, activating Dragonman Annihilation would still eliminate one of his capable subordinates."
"But killing or not is merely a side issue. The key is to capture the Dragon Palace."
"This time we failed, but it wasn't without gains. At least the relationship between Ancestor Qi Hai and the Heavenly Court has eased, and it has even opened up the possibility of recruiting Ancestor Qi Hai in the future."
"As for the Dragon Palace... it has now emerged into the world. It will surely leave traces, and we're bound to cross paths with it eventually."
"Alas, Fang Yuan returned through rebirth with too great an advantage. He laid his plans ahead of time and struck first. In the matter of the Dragon Palace, I was a step too late once again."
The Dragon Lord pondered for a moment. He was in no hurry to activate Dragonman Annihilation.
It was better to save this ace for a critical moment in the future, to catch Fang Yuan off guard.
Of course, the Dragon Lord also considered that Fang Yuan might already know about Dragonman Annihilation. But if he knew, he would be prepared, and activating it would yield little effect.
Thus, in either scenario, the Dragon Lord's decision to hold off on using this measure for now was a wise one.
"If the Dragon Palace falls into Fang Yuan's hands, that would be most undesirable. Capturing the Dragon Palace and dealing with Fang Yuan have now become one and the same matter. As for Fang Zheng, who can counter Fang Zheng — he must be ransomed back first."
With this thought, the Dragon Lord turned to negotiate with Shen Congsheng.
Gu Yue Fang Zheng was being held in Shen Congsheng's custody.
Shen Congsheng had been mentally prepared for this and was not at all surprised by the Dragon Lord's request.
After all, his Shen family and the Heavenly Court behind the Dragon Lord both belonged to the Righteous Path, and their operating styles were quite similar.
Shen Congsheng was naturally willing to trade with the Dragon Lord — parting with Gu Yue Fang Zheng in exchange for a massive windfall.
He had no interest in Gu Yue Fang Zheng, nor was Fang Zheng of any great use to him. Shen Congsheng was secretly delighted, deciding to fleece the Heavenly Court for all it was worth.
He had just witnessed firsthand how wealthy and powerful the Heavenly Court was.
Fang Yuan stood to the side, secretly tempted as well. But openly bidding against the Dragon Lord at this point would be counterproductive.
For one thing, he had just finished negotiating with the Dragon Lord, and to undermine the deal right to his face now would be inconsistent with the role of Ancestor Qi Hai.