Although Zhang Xinming is currently only at the Secret Realm Third Level cultivation, his future advancement to the Taoist Platform Realm is almost certain, and it is this prospect of a strong Taoist Platform Realm cultivator that prompts the Ten Thousand Sword Alliance to offer such a high price.

However, upon hearing Xu Gu’s promised offer, Su Jie merely chuckled softly and wagged his finger.

“Elder Xu, you’ve misunderstood something. Don’t mix sect issues with personal matters. Whether the Heavenly Soul Sect survives or not has nothing to do with me personally; that’s part of the Ghost Ridge Palace’s strategic plan. Personally, I care about making money. So, whether or not your forces retreat, I don’t care.”

Su Jie spoke these words with disdain written all over his face.

Although he had the identity of reinforcement for the Heavenly Soul Sect, the life and death of the Heavenly Soul Sect was not within Su Jie’s consideration at all.

Seeing Su Jie’s attitude, Xu Gu cursed inwardly. These Demon Cultivators, all they care about is money, not any sense of camaraderie.

“Therefore, if you want to redeem the Immortal Seed of your sect, you’ll have to pay more.”

As Su Jie spoke, he indicated behind Xu Gu, where Zhang Xinming, Yu Wenjing, Mo Shiyao, Jiang Lin, and He Wenfeng, five talented disciples, were led in.

“Junior Master Xu.”

Upon seeing Xu Gu, Zhang Xinming couldn’t help but shout out, for Xu Gu was precisely his Junior Master.

Seeing Zhang Xinming, Xu Gu’s eyelid twitched slightly.

For Zhang Xinming’s current state was extremely weak, his face pale, his arm bearing multiple needle marks, and his spiritual power completely depleted, so much so that he couldn’t even manage simple healing.

Looking at the other four, they were in much better condition than Zhang Xinming, at least showing no signs of abuse.

“Elder Su, is this how you treat the Immortal Seed of my sect?”

Xu Gu’s eyes flashed with anger. Although he knew that this was not the right environment to rage, seeing Zhang Xinming like this, he found it hard to suppress his fury.

“Elder Xu, this is unavoidable. Your sect’s Immortal Seed is constantly plotting to escape, shouting about retrieving his Lifebound Flying Sword. I’m merciful for not breaking his legs. Slightly restricting his spiritual power and extracting some blood was to teach him to behave, not to be so lively and restless.”

Su Jie said indifferently. As for blood extraction being used to cultivate the Blood Sea Devouring Sky Demon Skill, to see what was special about the blood of an Immortal Seed, there was no need to detail this to Xu Gu.

Xu Gu’s mouth twitched slightly; seeing Zhang Xinming’s state, he wondered if keeping Zhang Xinming in Su Jie’s hands would lead to untimely death through torment.

“Thirteen million, Elder Su, this is the maximum price we can offer.”

Xu Gu gritted his teeth, once again raising the price, hoping to redeem Zhang Xinming.

Su Jie, seeing Xu Gu’s look, smiled and said, “A flat rate, 15 million.”

This price was extremely high. When Su Jie killed Zhuang Liangru, the entire haul from this Taoist Platform Realm cultivator only amounted to over ten million Spirit Stones. It remains to be seen whether the Ten Thousand Sword Alliance is willing to bet on the future of an Immortal Seed, as an Immortal Seed that breaks through to the Taoist Platform Realm is worth this price.

“Master Uncle, by no means should you compromise with this demon for my sake.”

Seeing this, Zhang Xinming shouted loudly, showing a determined refusal to comply.

This wasn’t an act by Zhang Xinming; he truly had a stubborn personality. The other four had already resigned to their fate, but only Zhang Xinming kept thinking about escape, which led to his increased suffering.

“This guy…”

Yu Wenjing’s eyes showed envy. He too hoped for his sect to redeem him, but until now, not even a shadow from Guan Chao Pavilion had shown up. How he wished he could switch places with Zhang Xinming.

Mo Shiyao, He Wenfeng, and Jiang Lin felt the same. However, no one from their sects had come to redeem them, so they could only continue serving Su Jie as laborers, confined here.

Xu Gu was silent for a few seconds, feeling pained, before finally gritting his teeth and saying, “Deal, 15 million to redeem our sect’s Immortal Seed.”

“Elder Xu, straightforward. Well, then, I won’t play any tricks with you; once the Spirit Stones are in, I’ll release the people.”

As Su Jie spoke, his gaze swept over Xu Gu’s storage bag on his waist.

“I have only a deposit of one million Spirit Stones in my storage bag.”

Xu Gu, seeing this, generously handed over his storage bag to Su Jie for inspection. He wasn’t foolish enough to directly bring millions of Spirit Stones to Ghost Ridge Palace, knowing full well not to get completely drained.

“Transaction at Mengshan City in Qingzhou, we’ll do the exchange there–cash for people. How about that?”

Xu Gu proposed his suggestion, requesting the transaction to occur outside of Ghost Ridge Palace.

Su Jie’s eyes flashed with keenness, and after a few seconds of thought, he replied, “Elder Xu doubts us! Fine, we’ll do it your way. Ten days from now, in Mengshan City, we will trade.”

Xu Gu let out a breath of relief, his face full of pain. After glancing at Zhang Xinming a few times, he said, “Then please extend some indulgence to our sect’s Immortal Seed over the next few days. I won’t disturb any further, I’ll take my leave.”

“Chen Yun, see Elder Xu out.”

Su Jie waved his hand, watching Xu Gu leave, then turned his gaze to Mo Shiyao and the others.

“Tsk tsk, indeed an Immortal Seed; they’re so generous. Look at you all; your sect doesn’t care for you, not even asking for a price. And I’m left to feed and water you, utter loss-making lot.”

Upon hearing this mockery, Mo Shiyao’s face turned dark. “You’re offering a price of ten million Spirit Stones; our Miao Yin Temple doesn’t have that kind of money. Obviously, you never intended to let us go.”

Mo Shiyao’s chest heaved with anger. Her Miao Yin Temple ranked low in the Qingzhou Righteous sect and had only been established for over two hundred years. The Sect Master only had Secret Realm Fifth Level cultivation. Compared to Guan Chao Pavilion, it was far behind, not even matching the Purple Mist Sect. Ten million Spirit Stones would drain Miao Yin Temple dry, and they still might not come up with it.

Mo Shiyao knew her sect would not redeem her.

Su Jie stroked his chin, feeling that Mo Shiyao’s point was quite reasonable.

“Hmm, it seems my selling price was indeed rash. I should bundle you together, selling as a package.”

Su Jie smacked his lips together. There were certain Divine Sons and Goddesses that were in demand, like Zhang Xinming as an Immortal Seed, but there were also those like Mo Shiyao who couldn’t fetch a price and might end up as dead stock. Su Jie decided to change his sales strategy in the future, bundling everything as one package, to prevent unsellable items from causing losses.

“You… shameless!”

“Amitabha Buddha!” exclaimed Mr. Su, “You’re incorrigible.”

“Evil Su, our sect will not let you succeed.”

Mo Shiyao, Jiang Lin, He Wenfeng, and Yu Wenjing were furious, almost to the point of collapse. They weren’t livestock to be tied and bundled, yet they were treated just like that.

Upon seeing their reactions, Su Jie ignored them, signaling to the disciples to take them away again. He then sought out Sect Master Zhang Junwei and relayed the conversation with Xu Gu honestly.

“Sect Master Xu, you were prudent; when I notice something amiss, I’ll not hesitate and will leave immediately.”

Zhang Junwei trusted Su Jie to be bold yet cautious, appearing reckless but actually very prudent. He was confident in Su Jie’s abilities and was not worried, knowing that Su Jie would handle the situation securely.

“Good judgment on your part. Be extremely careful and don’t hesitate at all if things seem wrong.”

“Sect Master, don’t forget we have the Heavenly Eye. If they plan an ambush, they have to accomplish it first.”

Su Jie chuckled slightly, thinking for a few seconds before replying, “Elder Xu doesn’t trust us, does he? Alright, we’ll meet you in Mengshan City for the exchange, in ten days.”

Xu Gu exhaled, visibly pained, and after casting a few glances at Zhang Xinming, he said, “Then please be considerate to our sect’s Immortal Seed over these few days. I shall not disturb you further, I’ll take my leave.”

“Chen Yun, please see Elder Xu out.”

Su Jie motioned to Chen Yun to escort Xu Gu out.

“Tsk tsk, having an Immortal Seed is generous. Look at all of you; your sects don’t seem to care, not even trying to offer a price. And here I am having to feed and provide for you, a real burden.”

Upon hearing this mockery, Mo Shiyao’s face turned dark, “Your pricing is unreasonable. Ten million Spirit Stones is beyond the grasp of Miao Yin Temple, a sect not so high in the Qingzhou Righteous realm, with only two hundred years of existence and a Sect Master at Secret Realm Fifth Level cultivation. You’re asking for an impossible sum, practically impossible for Miao Yin Temple.”

Mo Shiyao’s chest heaved with agitation. Her sect, Miao Yin Temple, was not ranked highly among the righteous sects in Qingzhou, just over two hundred years old, and its sect master only had a Secret Realm Fifth Level cultivation. It could not compare to Guan Chao Pavilion, let alone Purple Mist Sect. Draining Miao Yin Temple would still not cover ten million Spirit Stones.

Su Jie thought about what Mo Shiyao had said and acknowledged it.

“Hmm, it seems my selling price was a bit rash. I should have bundled you all together for sale as a package.”

Su Jie clicked his tongue. Some Divine Sons and Goddesses were in demand, like Zhang Xinming as an Immortal Seed, but there were also those like Mo Shiyao who could not command a high price, becoming unsellable. Su Jie decided on a group sale in the future to avoid unsaleable stock from causing losses.

“You… shameless!”

“Evil Su, you are simply reprehensible.”

“Evil Su, our sect will never let you succeed.”

Mo Shiyao, Jiang Lin, He Wenfeng, and Yu Wenjing were all fuming with rage; they were not cattle to be tied and bundled.

But Su Jie ignored their feelings, ordered the disciples to escort them back, and went to find Sect Master Zhang Junwei to honestly report Xu Gu’s visit today.

“Junior Master Xu, a thousand and five hundred million, redeem our sect’s Immortal Seed.”

Su Jie laughed after seeing Xu Gu, saying, “All right, 15 million–it’s a deal.”

This was indeed a very high price, as even when Su Jie killed Zhuang Liangru, the entirety of the spoils from that Taoist Platform Realm cultivator amounted to just over ten million Spirit Stones. It depends on whether the Ten Thousand Sword Alliance is willing to gamble on an Immortal Seed’s future, as if an Immortal Seed can break through to the Taoist Platform Realm, it would undoubtedly be worth this amount.

“Elder Xu, you have a deal for yourself. I won’t beat around the bush, once the Spirit Stones are in, I’ll release the people to you immediately.”

Su Jie said while glancing at Xu Gu’s waist pouch with the storage bag.

“There’s only a deposit of one million Spirit Stones in my storage bag.”

Seeing this, Xu Gu boldly removed his storage bag and handed it to Su Jie for inspection. Even if he had lost his mind, he’d never bring millions of Spirit Stones directly into Ghost Ridge Palace; they would undoubtedly be completely devoured.

“The method of transaction is set for Mengshan City in Qingzhou. It’s one for one, money for people. How does that sound?”

Xu Gu proposed his suggestion, demanding a transaction outside of Ghost Ridge Palace.

Su Jie’s eyes sparkled as he pondered for a few seconds before replying, “Elder Xu doesn’t trust us, does he? Alright, we’ll follow your lead and meet in Mengshan City for the transaction, in ten days.”

Xu Gu sighed in relief, his face full of pain. After glancing at Zhang Xinming a few times, he said, “Alright, then please treat our sect’s Immortal Seed kindly for the next few days. I won’t disturb you further. I’ll take my leave.”

“Chen Yun, see Elder Xu out.”

Su Jie waved dismissively, gesturing for Chen Yun to escort Elder Xu out.

“Tsk tsk, indeed, an Immortal Seed, generous as expected. Look at you lot; your sects don’t care at all, not even a single representative to inquire about your price. Yet, I still have to provide for your meals–what a bunch of money-losing goods.”

Upon hearing this provocation, Mo Shiyao’s face turned darkened. “How shameless of you!”

“Amitabha Buddha, Mr. Su, you are too unkind to be human.”

“Evil Su, our sect will not allow you to succeed.”

Mo Shiyao, Jiang Lin, He Wenfeng, and Yu Wenjing were all infuriated, to the point of rage. They weren’t livestock to be tied and bundled, yet they were treated just like that.

But Su Jie ignored their feelings, having the disciples escort them back out, while he sought out Sect Master Zhang Junwei to truthfully report the exchange with Xu Gu earlier today.

After listening, Zhang Junwei shared his perspective, “Mengshan City is at the junction of Qingzhou and Qing Province, far from both Ghost Ridge Palace and Heavenly Soul Sect whose aid wouldn’t arrive in time if anything happened.”

“Sect Master, don’t forget we have the Heavenly Eye. If they want to lay a trap for me, they have to succeed first.”

Su Jie chuckled lightly, weighing his options for a few seconds before replying, “Elder Xu, it seems you don’t trust us! Fine, then. As per your suggestion, we will conduct the transaction in Mengshan City, ten days from now.”

Sect Master Zhang Junwei felt relief, and looking solemn, he warned, “Ensure you are prepared for anything; if things go awry, do not hesitate, leave immediately.”

Su Jie, known for his daring but meticulous nature, nodded with a smile as he had already made his decision.

“Very well, I have everything under control. I’ll remain cautious, no worries. If I sense anything amiss, I’ll make a swift return.”

Thus, the stage is set for the exchange. Ten days later, Mengshan City will be the crossroads where life and death hang in the balance, a transaction infused with tension and intrigue–undoubtedly, a battle is on the horizon, its outcome still uncertain.