Chapter 686 - Negotiation

Shang slowly stood up and cleaned his new body of all the dried blood.

After that, he calmly put on a new set of robes and put new bandages around his eye sockets.

​  

He slowly stepped out of the Isolation Chamber, leaving behind a bloody mess of human body parts.

When he stepped out, he lifted his arm and pointed it into the Isolation Chamber.

BOOOM!

A brutal explosion came out of the door of the Isolation Chamber, and after it vanished, all the biological matter in the Isolation Chamber was gone.

Lastly, Shang put the Isolation Chamber away again.

The Sweeper only looked at Shang from the side. There was a complex expression on her face, which was hidden by her cloak.

There were so many feelings she was feeling right now.

Pity.

Anger.

Frustration.

Fear.

But also a bit of happiness and relief.

Shang was definitely a monster, but in a very morbid way, she wanted to see how far he could go.

If he somehow managed to keep surviving, what would someone like him eventually become?

"There was a drop in efficiency," Shang said suddenly.

The Sweeper didn't answer.

"The last time, my body grew a bit more. I'm uncertain if it's diminishing returns or if it's related to the time between sessions," Shang explained.

"The next session will be held in about ten years. I need to see if a longer period of waiting increases the efficiency again."

The Sweeper took a deep breath. 

He had just recovered, and he was already planning the next time he would enter the Isolation Chamber.

"I fear that won't be possible," the Sweeper said.

Shang turned slightly to face the Sweeper. "Have they come to a consensus?"

The tournament of the warriors had happened 20 years ago, and the Twilight Dusk Family had contacted the Temple of Blood just two years after that.

The Lightning Manor couldn't just send its agents into the Twilight Dusk Family's territory without disclosing their reasons for doing so. Otherwise, they would risk an international incident between Empires that would violate several agreements.

So, the Lightning Manor had been honest and told the Twilight Dusk Family about Shang.

Shang was someone that had been groomed by the Lightning Manor, and he was a wanted criminal. They demanded Shang's execution while the Impose Stage warriors were supposed to be handed over to the Lightning Manor.

The Twilight Dusk Family agreed to the first request but not the second.

While the Twilight Dusk Family was talking with the Lightning Manor, they also contacted the Temple of Blood.

Theoretically, the Temple of Blood was counted as a rebellious organization, but the Twilight Dusk Family hadn't really cared about that. Their rule was unassailable, and anyone that tried to make problems was just akin to a small child throwing a tantrum.

The Temple of Blood gave all the information they had on warriors over to the Twilight Dusk Family.

When the Twilight Dusk Family heard of the potential advantages of having something like warriors, their interest was immediately piqued.

But that wasn't everything.

When they heard about Shang's power, they didn't believe the Temple of Blood at first. 

However, after several confirmations and proof, the Twilight Dusk Family eventually believed them.

A warrior that could become a Dusk in the future?

For the Twilight Dusk Family, a Dusk represented an extremely powerful and extremely talented Mage Lord, someone that ruled over major parts of the Empire.

Even more, according to the Temple of Blood, this warrior had even theorized a Path for warriors up to the Seventh Realm, which was insane!

Right now, the entire world only knew of warriors in the Fifth Realm, but they had actually already theorized a method to reach the Seventh Realm.

That was worth an insane amount of money!

After getting all the relevant information from the Temple of Blood, the Twilight Dusk Family actually sent one of their Twilights to negotiate with the Lightning Manor.

Twilights were the Twilight Dusk Family's Mage Kings, and they had nine of those.

The Lightning Manor acted like they just wanted to grab some people in the Fifth Realm, but they were actually asking for something of unimaginable value.

The initial price the Lightning Manor had offered was thrown out of the window, and the Twilight made a counteroffer that was seven magnitudes higher.

The Lightning Manor's initial reaction was just to walk away and forget all about the warriors.

They weren't even worth a fraction of what the Twilight Dusk Family asked for!

However, after the Twilight explained why the price was so high, things very quickly changed.

There was already a way to the Sixth Realm?

Scratch that! There was a way to the Seventh Realm?!

And there was one guy that had come up with all of that?!

Even more, it was the one guy they had wanted to execute?!

As soon as they heard of Shang's powers and accomplishments, they immediately stopped treating him as a criminal and began treating him as an extremely valuable employee they wanted to scout.

They weren't even thinking about killing him anymore. That would be such an insane waste!

After going over all the information, the Lightning Manor also sent one of their Mage Kings to negotiate with the Twilight Dusk Family.

And these negotiations had been going on for nearly 20 years by now.

"They have come to an agreement," the Sweeper told Shang. "In two years, the Lightning Manor will send their people to collect all the warriors at the True Path Stage and higher, including you."

Shang turned his head and looked away from the Sweeper.

"So, it's over, huh?" he asked.

The Sweeper nodded. "You will be leaving the Temple of Blood soon, and you also don't need to delete your SKP. The Lightning Manor paid for that privilege. They don't want you to damage your mind."

Shang remained silent for a while.

The Temple of Blood.

He had stayed in the Temple of Blood for nearly 500 years.

And now, he was leaving.

It was a weird feeling.

"How much did the Temple of Blood get?" Shang asked.

The Sweeper looked at Shang.

"My worry over you using too many resources was unfounded," she said. "I don't know the specific number, but I know that the Temple of Blood gained over 300 Grade Seven Mana Crystals."

"And I have no idea how much the Twilight Dusk Family actually got."