Hearing Jiang Wang’s “reasonable request,” the elderly priestess nearly choked on her breath. Good heavens, she thought, this young man…

With a lifetime of cultivation to steady her qi, she managed not to swat Jiang Wang into the distance, merely replying, “We truly possess no such thing.”

Jiang Wang blinked, his gaze innocent. “Increasing one’s lifespan by twenty years would also suffice.”

The old woman scrutinized Jiang Wang, her eyes trailing up and down, as if making a new discovery. “Ah, no wonder you are so anxious about this. It seems your own lifespan is somewhat deficient.”

As the leader of the “Sacred Clan,” she had chosen to negotiate with Jiang Wang alone, not out of any particular fondness for him, but for two reasons. Firstly, among the three emissaries, Jiang Wang’s strength was the greatest, and thus he held the most sway. Secondly, with her discerning eye, she judged Jiang Wang to be a man of principle, with a bottom line, and a sense of measure, not one to make exorbitant demands.

Her judgment was indeed not wrong.

However, the Jiang Wang who had entered the Seven Stars Tower secret realm, seeking to amend his own regrets, was one who had cast aside caution and thrown himself into the endeavor. He had abandoned the tumultuous situation in Linzi to venture into the Seven Stars Tower alone, his objective clear: he **must** gain something. Otherwise, Chongxuan Sheng’s choice to bear the burden of facing Wang Yiwu alone would have been in vain.

The old priestess pondered for a moment, then said, “Compared to you outsiders, our Sacred Clan enjoys significantly longer lifespans. Should you consider accepting the Dragon God’s baptism and becoming a member of our Sacred Clan, with your talent, increasing your lifespan to a thousand years is not an issue. What say you? After we have slain Yan Xiao, I can personally preside over the ceremony for you.”

This was, of course, an offer difficult to refuse.

In the mortal realm, even those mighty cultivators who break through to the Divine Arrival Realm and transcend mortal lifespan are limited to five hundred and eighteen years. To join the Sacred Clan meant potentially reaching a thousand years, living longer than even Divine Arrival powerhouses!

But all gains come with losses.

What price did the Forest Sea Sacred Clan pay for such extended lifespans?

Jiang Wang calmly posed the question, “If I were to join the Sacred Clan, would I still be able to leave the Forest Sea Origin Realm?”

The priestess regretfully shook her head. “We of the Sacred Clan dedicate our entire lives to the Dragon God. We believe in him, serve him, and our lives end here.”

“Then this cannot be my choice,” Jiang Wang stated without hesitation.

His family and friends, his loves and hates, his aspirations and future – everything existed in the outside world, in the places he had traversed with his own two feet. If he were to end his life in the Forest Sea Origin Realm, even if he truly lived for over a thousand years, what meaning would there be?

Thinking solely on lifespan, the Forest Sea “Sacred Clan,” though still human, had fundamentally altered their origins. Based on lifespan alone, calling themselves the “Sacred Clan” was not unwarranted. It was no wonder they were so proud; they did indeed possess the qualifications to be proud.

However, while the “Sacred Clan” possessed long lives, their flaws were equally evident. The inability to leave the Forest Sea Origin Realm, the inability to detach from divine favor – these were likely not their only shortcomings. But even these two points alone were enough to deter Jiang Wang.

Furthermore, based on the Sacred Clan warriors he had encountered so far, be they of the Seven Trees, Eight Branches, or Nine Leaves, while they might have lived for one or two hundred years, not a single one possessed an aura that made Jiang Wang feel completely outmatched. This was not necessarily due to inferior talent, but possibly related to their methods of cultivation and growth.

Jiang Wang’s answer was clearly within the old priestess’s expectations. She sighed. “Then there is no alternative. If you insist on treasures that increase lifespan, the only thing I can provide is a piece of information regarding the location of such treasures. Moreover, I cannot confirm if this information is still reliable, nor is that place within the Forest Sea Origin Realm. I can only guarantee the truthfulness of the information itself; upon this, I can swear a divine oath before the altar.”

Her words were rather intriguing.

Jiang Wang frowned. “Isn’t this tantamount to nothing?”

“One cannot say that, young man,” the old woman replied with a benevolent smile. “Based on this old one’s knowledge, the Forest Sea Origin Realm truly lacks any treasures that can increase lifespan. This means that if you were solely searching for such treasures, you would undoubtedly find nothing, even if you exhausted your life and scoured every inch of the Forest Sea Origin Realm, you might not succeed. However, now, I can give you a piece of information, a glimmer of hope. For young people, choosing the right path is more important than sheer effort. Effort expended in the wrong direction often leads to the opposite of what is desired. The harvest you gain now is a correct direction. Is that not important?”

So logical!

Jiang Wang felt a little dizzy from her lecturing, but after some thought, he ultimately agreed. Even compared to his initial proposed conditions, the disparity was vast…

To leave the Forest Sea Origin Realm, they would inevitably have to confront Yan Xiao anyway. Whether the Sacred Clan provided benefits or not, the situation remained the same. At least now, they had a piece of information, did they not?

Perhaps there were other avenues, such as seeking out the other human tribes scattered throughout the Forest Sea Origin Realm, to see if there were any other “gods” who could send them away.

It was highly probable, as the “Sacred Clan” speculated, that these tribes were already extinct. If they were indeed extinct, Yan Xiao was their only recourse.

But even if they weren’t, this process might not be simple either. The hardship of traversing the Hidden Snake Land remained fresh in his memory. Who knew if the Forest Sea Origin Realm harbored creatures more terrifying than Yan Xiao?

In short, for the Sacred Clan, Yan Xiao was a persistent affliction; without eliminating him, they could not truly flourish. For Jiang Wang and the others, Yan Xiao was a formidable obstacle; without slaying him, they could not return home.

Jiang Wang and the others sought some benefits as a speculative gamble, not necessarily expecting a significant harvest. Even without it, Yan Xiao still had to be dealt with.

It was precisely upon this shared understanding that both sides found a basis for “negotiation.”

“Besides this, we wish for a copy of your Sacred Clan’s exclusive powerful cultivation method,” Jiang Wang stated, brimming with responsibility and confidence, opening the next item of negotiation. “As the saying goes, ‘sharpening the spear before battle, while not fast, is still light.’ This would be very beneficial for us in eliminating Yan Xiao.”

The old priestess nodded and said, “You speak reasonably.”

“But…” She earnestly advised, “The Sacred Clan’s extraordinary power relies on divine favor. Unless you all accept the Dragon God’s baptism, you fundamentally cannot learn it. Among you, is there anyone who desires this cultivation method and is willing to join our Sacred Clan? If not willing, then… rather than trying to fish the moon from the water, it would be better to turn around and pick the flowers…”

Jiang Wang felt he had exhausted a lifetime of negotiation skills, speaking with eloquence and a self-perceived masterly performance. Yet the old priestess remained neither overly enthusiastic nor aloof, subtly guiding the conversation step by step, maintaining an air of benevolence and amiability, as if everything were open for discussion.

By the end of this “negotiation,” Jiang Wang’s eyes were blank, while the old priestess’s spirit remained sharp.

Jiang Wang, holding the “results,” felt that he had indeed gained something and had not wasted his words.

But upon closer inspection, it seemed he hadn’t truly gained anything substantial…

Jiang Wang’s initial demands: a world-class divine skill, a treasure map marking all treasures in the Forest Sea Origin Realm, and heavenly materials and earthly treasures capable of increasing lifespan by a hundred years.

The “negotiation” results: a common martial technique of the Sacred Clan, a map of the Forest Sea Origin Realm compiled by the Sacred Clan, and a piece of information recording the location of a lifespan-increasing treasure (but not in the Forest Sea Origin Realm and possibly unreliable).

In Jiang Wang’s small hut, the three “Dragon God Emissaries” sat facing each other on the ground.

“Ahem.” Jiang Wang cleared his throat awkwardly. “See if everyone is satisfied.”

“You all help me take a look,” Wu Quji said. “Is there some interpretation of this so-called ‘world-class divine skill’ that I am unaware of? This… this seems to be a technique for climbing trees, ah.”

This martial technique was intended to allow the practitioner to adapt to the Forest Sea environment and fight freely among the trees… While calling it a tree-climbing technique was perhaps an exaggeration, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Su Qi looked at Jiang Wang with a hint of ‘resentment’. “The treasure map turned into… just a map.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say Jiang Wang hadn’t tried. After all, as things stood, among their three hauls, the most useful item was that map.

Jiang Wang, his face burning with shame, covered his face and said, “I did my best.”

That piece of information regarding the lifespan-increasing treasure had been imprinted on his arm by the priestess using a special method, to be activated only after they left the Forest Sea Origin Realm.

It certainly appeared to be a sophisticated method, but –

Whether or not they could even leave the Forest Sea Origin Realm remained uncertain!

Reading.