Wan Mingxuan, without any pretense, began to paint a rosy picture for the Yin Group, as if the Swift Pagoda was making a selfless contribution, radiating sincerity.
Neither Dongfang Mingyue nor Ye Cangtian interrupted him.
Only after he finished did Dongfang Mingyue, with a faint smile, speak, "I presume there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The Swift Pagoda must have its demands for such a great contribution. Please, state them directly!"
"As expected of someone who can manage the Yin Group as a woman, Miss Mingyue is truly astute!"
Wan Mingxuan cupped his hands and offered his flattery.
As soon as his words fell, he saw the smiles on Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue's faces stiffen slightly.
It was as if they were mocking him, implying that even a child could figure this out, so what was there to be astute about!
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Wan Mingxuan thought to himself, his smile becoming somewhat awkward.
After clearing his throat twice, Wan Mingxuan finally spoke, "Actually, there aren't really any conditions. After all, it's resource sharing. Whatever the Yin Group has will naturally belong to the Swift Pagoda!"
"Heh heh!"
Dongfang Mingyue smiled slightly, remaining silent.
Seeing this, Wan Mingxuan was somewhat at a loss, unsure whether she had agreed or not.
He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Let me give you an example. If it's resource sharing, then the Four Great Seals of the Yin Group naturally belong to the Swift Pagoda as well. Therefore, considering the disparity in strength between our two sides, we believe it would be more secure to place the Four Great Seals within the Swift Pagoda!"
Shameless!
Ye Cangtian immediately offered a four-character evaluation of the Swift Pagoda!
To put it bluntly, this was no different from the actions of Sikong Longyin previously.
It was simply that the Swift Pagoda was stronger and promised some benefits.
But in essence, it was the same trick with a different name – using the guise of alliance or cooperation to trick them out of the Four Great Seals.
Seeing through this, Ye Cangtian remained silent.
He trusted that Dongfang Mingyue had the capability to handle this matter and would not let the other party succeed.
"Oh? You believe the Swift Pagoda is safer?"
"I don't see it that way?"
On the other side, Dongfang Mingyue's smile did not change at all, but a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes.
"Isn't it?" Wan Mingxuan raised his head, feigning arrogance.
In his opinion, the Yin Group's strength was mediocre, hardly comparable to the Swift Pagoda.
This could be seen from the guards of Longcheng.
He hadn't been wandering around for days for nothing; he had some understanding of Longcheng's guards.
Among Longcheng's guards, Xuan-level experts constituted the vast majority.
In contrast, the Yin Group had far fewer Earth-level experts, accounting for only about ten percent of the total guard force.
Meanwhile, the Swift Pagoda had more than thirty percent Earth-level experts, which demonstrated the formidable foundation of a peak force.
"Is that so?"
Dongfang Mingyue's face still held a smile, but this time, her smile was filled with disdain.
"Perhaps the Swift Pagoda's mid-tier forces are indeed stronger, but you must not forget that safeguarding precious treasures relies not only on mid-tier strength but on peak power!"
After a pause, Dongfang Mingyue continued, "Our Yin Group has three Heaven-level experts. How many does your Swift Pagoda have!"
"This..."
Wan Mingxuan's expression suddenly changed. He had just realized a crucial issue.
All along, he had believed that the Swift Pagoda was stronger than the Yin Group and that it was natural for them to seize the Four Great Seals.
But Dongfang Mingyue's words now served as a reminder.
Relying solely on mid-tier forces was insufficient!
The reason was simple: the capabilities of the Four Great Seals were enough to ignite greed in Heaven-level experts.
If Heaven-level experts were to take action, then mid-tier forces at the Earth-level and quasi-Heaven-level would find it difficult to stop them.
Ultimately, only Heaven-level experts could resolve such a situation!
And in terms of the number of Heaven-level experts, the Swift Pagoda indeed fell short of the Yin Group.
With this thought, Wan Mingxuan's expression turned extremely grim. He looked at Dongfang Mingyue and said, "Miss Mingyue, you seem to have forgotten a problem as well."
Oh?
Dongfang Mingyue looked at him curiously, gesturing for him to continue.
Seeing this, Wan Mingxuan did not stand on ceremony and directly stated, "The Yin Group may have many Heaven-level experts, but their deterrence is not as great as the Swift Pagoda's, as the Swift Pagoda is a peak force!"
Deterrence?
Dongfang Mingyue's eyes flickered, and she immediately understood his meaning.
If major forces were to choose between the Swift Pagoda and the Yin Group as their opponents, most would choose the Yin Group.
The reason was simple: the Swift Pagoda was one of the five peak forces in the present era, while the Yin Group was not.
Therefore, this alone would cause most forces to shy away from the Swift Pagoda.
Similarly, if the Four Great Seals were to be placed with the Swift Pagoda, many forces would likely choose to give up. After all, it was a peak force, not something they could provoke.
Under such circumstances, only the other four peak forces would likely act against the Swift Pagoda.
And in this regard, the Yin Group was indeed inferior to the Swift Pagoda because the Yin Group had to manage all the cities within the entire relic, causing their forces to be quite dispersed.
Coupled with the insufficient mid-tier strength, even if they detected an opponent's trace, it would be difficult to implement overwhelming force.
Thus, with a sense of侥幸, many would be willing to take the risk and choose to act against the Yin Group.
Upon realizing this, Dongfang Mingyue found herself unable to refute anything for a moment.
After all, these were the current realities, not something she could change with a few words. It was for this reason that she looked towards Ye Cangtian.
Sensing Dongfang Mingyue's gaze, Ye Cangtian spoke directly, "Wan Mingxuan, talking about deterrence is useless. Even if the Swift Pagoda has greater deterrence, what of it?
Can the other peak forces simply stand by? It would merely mean fewer small and medium-sized forces seeking trouble, but do you think the Yin Group cares about those small and medium-sized forces?"
"This..."
With that single sentence, Dongfang Mingyue's eyes lit up, while Wan Mingxuan was rendered speechless.
Whether for the Swift Pagoda or the Yin Group, the true threat came from the peak forces. The rest posed no significant threat to either side.
And this so-called deterrence was nothing in the eyes of peak forces!
In that case, Wan Mingxuan's stated advantage was rendered meaningless.
Seeing Wan Mingxuan's face flush with embarrassment and inability to retort, Ye Cangtian spoke again, "When it comes to contests between peak forces, what matters most is not mid-tier strength, but peak strength!"
After a brief pause, Ye Cangtian continued, "For example, if the Four Great Seals were in my hands, then no matter who came, be it you or anyone else, as long as they were not a Heaven-level expert, they would not be able to snatch the Four Great Seals from me!"
"You..."
With that statement, Wan Mingxuan's expression grew even more unsightly.
He admitted that Ye Cangtian's words were not unreasonable, but the underlying tone was full of aggression, categorizing him among the inferior factions.
This blatant contempt truly ignited his fury.
With that thought, Wan Mingxuan let out a cold snort and declared, "Ye Cangtian, regardless of anything, if the Yin Group wishes to form an alliance with the Swift Pagoda, then the Four Great Seals must be held by the Swift Pagoda. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss!"
Seeing Wan Mingxuan's attitude take such a sharp turn, Ye Cangtian let out a disdainful cold laugh.
He spoke, "Wan Mingxuan, you should understand one thing: it was the Swift Pagoda that proactively proposed the alliance, not the Yin Group eagerly seeking it!"
"Moreover, in my opinion, whether we cooperate with you or not makes no difference! Your presence or absence changes nothing for us!"
"You..."
Wan Mingxuan was instantly so enraged by Ye Cangtian's words that his teeth itched.
After all, many factions yearned to serve as oxen or horses to establish some kind of relationship with the Swift Pagoda.
Yet, the Swift Pagoda had made such a significant concession, and the Yin Group showed disdain. This baffled him and further fueled his anger.
The next moment, his gaze finally turned icy, and he said, "Ye Cangtian, you must realize that on certain matters, our relationship can only be that of allies or enemies. So you must think carefully!"
In his view, since negotiations had failed, the only option was to break ties!
He wanted to see if the Yin Group dared to wage war against the Swift Pagoda!
"The Yin Group does not wish to make many enemies, but if someone truly acts without sense, what harm is there in having one more enemy!"
Ye Cangtian's expression also turned cold, and a terrifying aura erupted, causing the faces of the Swift Pagoda members to change drastically.
Those were Heaven-level experts. If they truly lost their temper, the others would have no resistance whatsoever!