In the end, out of the twenty-three rogue emperors, a full ten agreed to make this deal with Jiang Chen. The other thirteen held suspicions and chose not to participate.
Having ten rogue emperors — and among them a top-tier figure like Emperor Jingzhong, no less, along with Fire Flame Emperor and Ruo Yi Emperor, both six-titans-level emperors whose strength was on par with the Peerless Emperor — was more than enough for Jiang Chen.
"Young Master Zhen, the deal is done. When do you need us to act?" Fire Flame Emperor asked directly, his temperament as impatient as ever.
"Right now," Jiang Chen replied with a candid smile.
"Right now?" Fire Flame Emperor frowned. "Act now? Fight who? Are we rogue emperors supposed to start fighting each other?"
"Naturally not," Jiang Chen said with a laugh. "There are a few ghost-like figures lingering around my Peacock Sacred Mountain, harboring ill intentions toward it. They are thorns in my side — if I don't remove them, things will only get worse. Now that you eminent emperors have graced my Myriad Dragon City with your presence, I was hoping to borrow your hands to eliminate these schemers who covet my Peacock Sacred Mountain."
He paused briefly after that. "Everyone, I'll say it again — if any of you feel this isn't right, you may renege on the deal now. I, Zhen, will bear no grudge."
The ten rogue emperors who had agreed to the deal exchanged glances, communicating silently through their eyes.
They were weighing the proposition. At first, they felt as though Young Master Zhen had baited them. But on closer thought, it didn't seem all that bad. A single fight in exchange for a Pine Crane Pill — no matter how you calculated it, they came out ahead.
If they went back on their word now, this Young Master Zhen might say he wouldn't hold it against them, but who knew whether he would blacklist them at the next Rogue Emperor Assembly?
They didn't fear being blacklisted by Myriad Dragon City itself, but they truly coveted the Pine Crane Pill. Being blacklisted would mean severing all ties with it forever.
That was not something they wanted to happen.
Though they all harbored a feeling of being used by Young Master Zhen, there was no real anger — and no one spoke up about backing out.
It was Emperor Jingzhong who laughed lightly. "Young Master Zhen, I wonder about these opponents — what is their cultivation level? What is their background?"
"I won't hide the truth. I'm not entirely certain of their origins. They could be remnants from Myriad Dragon City, or schemers targeting my Peacock Sacred Mountain, or members of Myriad Dragon City's hostile forces. The specifics don't matter. What matters is that within the territory of Peacock Sacred Mountain, I have every right to defend myself and counterattack. This does not violate the code of the jianghu — wouldn't you all agree?"
Jiang Chen suspected that the people lurking around Peacock Sacred Mountain were most likely linked to the Shura Emperor and Flame Phoenix City. Though he couldn't confirm it yet, that was the most probable scenario.
Emperor Jingzhong chuckled. "Everyone, since a deal has already been struck, better to strike early than late. Taking action within Peacock Sacred Mountain is righteous and justified. Don't you think?"
Fire Flame Emperor nodded. "Then it's settled."
Ruo Yi Emperor also smiled. "I have no objections."
One of the other emperors raised a question, though. "Young Master Zhen, if we don't know how strong our opponents are, is our group sufficient?"
Jiang Chen laughed. "Add Brother Mo to the mix, and this lineup is enough to sweep any single power in the Upper Eight Regions. How could it possibly not be sufficient?"
That emperor pressed on. "Beating the enemy might be enough, but if they try to flee, can we guarantee that every single one will be caught? What happens then?"
That was what everyone cared about most.
Jiang Chen smiled. "As long as you all give it your best, I, Zhen, will see it with my own eyes. If it's not due to negligence or half-hearted effort on your part, I won't blame you even if a few slip through. Still, it would be best to catch them all in one net."
Emperor Jingzhong nodded. "Everyone, give it your all. No slacking."
"Rest assured, everyone. I, Zhen, would never stoop to such petty tricks when entering into a deal with you. Offending the seniors of the rogue emperor community would bring no benefit to Myriad Dragon City whatsoever. Moreover, I won't just sit idle — I will assist you seniors. Together, we'll devise an attack plan. Combined with the formations of Peacock Sacred Mountain, we can be certain to net these fellows completely."
There was a note of unshakable confidence in Jiang Chen's words.
The rogue emperors all felt a chill run through them. They realized that the young master of Peacock Sacred Mountain, though young, was no one to be trifled with.
A young man like this — brave and resourceful, utterly unintimidated in the presence of so many emperors. Given time, he would certainly become a dominant ruler of the human domain.
None of these rogue emperors were fools. In their hearts, they all agreed: better not to offend this Young Master Zhen if you could help it.
Making an enemy of a young genius like this would be an exceedingly unwise move.
As the saying went: bully the old, but never the young.
Those emperors who had not participated earlier now saw how simple the terms of the deal were, and some felt a pang of regret.