Chapter 130: Chapter 111 Negotiation_2
For a moment, she transformed from a graceful mother into a fearsome Golden Core Demon Cultivator.
“Mr. Ren, how come it’s you who has arrived?” Elder Baili flew closer and his head ached when he saw the woman in the black dress.
“Old Monster Baili, you’ve pushed me too far. If I hadn’t come, would you have kidnapped Lan’er?” the woman in the black dress sneered coldly.
She spoke with no politeness, seemingly not taking the Golden Core Stage Elder Baili seriously.
“Mr. Ren, my son has gone missing and it has something to do with your daughter. I just came to ask what happened,” Elder Baili replied, his voice heavy with annoyance.
He was aware of Yin Shilan’s background and merely wanted a straightforward inquiry with no other motives.
“My daughter said she did not know the Baili boy was coming, and she has never met him!” the woman in the black dress replied indifferently, unfazed by Elder Baili’s irritation.
“Could I meet her to ask her in person?” Elder Baili was out of options. The longer the delay, the lesser the chances of Baili Jin Yan’s survival seemed, and even in his imposing tone, there seemed to carry a hint of pleading.
Meeting Yin Shilan would allow him to immediately discern whether she was lying.
But how could the woman in the black dress let her daughter face Elder Baili directly? If Elder Baili were to implant some malicious Divine Thought, it could affect Yin Shilan’s future cultivation.
A Golden Core cultivator’s methods were extremely numerous, and even another Golden Core cultivator couldn’t guarantee complete prevention.
“Old Monster Baili, it seems you think I’m easy to talk to. If Holy Ice Sect really wants a battle, the Heavenly Sea Sect and Xuanming Sect have accepted the challenge. Go back and prepare, and see if I have the ability to poison all of Holy Ice Sect to death!” The woman in the black dress sneered and turned to leave.
Her temperament was so fierce it turned Elder Baili’s face dark.
Was this a way to negotiate?
Moreover, it was just a meeting, a question; did it have to escalate to this extent?
Of course, if there had been any cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Stage there, they would be astonished at the implications in the woman’s words.
Given Yin Shilan’s identity, it was natural for Heavenly Sea Sect to intervene, but why would Xuanming Sect be involved, and even considering joining forces with Heavenly Sea Sect.
The woman in the black dress exuded a towering demonic aura, her other identity being a Golden Core Elder of Xuanming Sect.
“Evil Elder Ren, I’m also worried about Jin Yan. Since you said your daughter hasn’t seen Jin Yan, I believe you!” Elder Baili gritted his teeth and admitted softer words.
The power of Holy Ice Sect was likely comparable to either Heavenly Sea Sect or Xuanming Sect.
The possibility of all three parties erupting in a large-scale battle was very low. Nobody wanted to initiate a Golden Core Level conflict.
But this did not include the woman he called Evil Elder Ren. The deeds she had done in the past were well known in the Cultivation World.
The black-dressed woman had nearly wiped out a medium-sized sect single-handedly in the past.
Her method was using poison, relentless and potent poisons that not even Foundation Establishment cultivators could evade.
What’s more terrifying, her poisoning was silent and stealthy; perhaps it would be a cup of water poured by a cultivator themselves, and upon taking a sip, they would fall.
In those days, the woman in the black dress was lawless. If not for falling in love with Elder Yin from Heavenly Sea Sect, perhaps countless more cultivators would have suffered at her hands.
“I too have children and understand your concerns. I will have the disciples of Xuanming Sect join the search for Baili’s boy,” the woman in the black dress said with a full-faced smile.
She too knew when to pull back. Threatening brought temporary satisfaction, but unless absolutely necessary, she did not intend to genuinely provoke a war.
Of course, these years she cultivated her temperament, but she still needed to remind other cultivators that she was still that Evil Elder Ren, the fearless Golden Core Demon Cultivator willing to take action.
“I thank you on behalf of Jin Yan!” Elder Baili nodded and said, then his figure flashed and disappeared.
The woman in the black dress’s imposing aura receded, her towering demonic presence vanished, and she transformed back into a sisterly figure, landing on the small island.
Yin Shilan and Ren Fei’er had long grown accustomed to their mother’s temperament, and both welcomed their mother’s victorious return.
“Old Monster Baili will not let go, but he won’t trouble Lan’er anymore. I fear that Baili Jin Yan’s chances are grim indeed!” the woman in the black dress said, chuckling lightly.
Becoming a parent is very difficult for a Golden Core cultivator, let alone one who has nearly raised a child into maturity. Elder Baili would surely investigate thoroughly.
But the woman in the black dress was not optimistic about Elder Baili’s investigation, suspecting that if it were possible to find him, it wouldn’t have taken these few days.
The tracking methods of cultivators are more effective the sooner they are used; the longer the delay, the smaller the chance of a successful find.
She believed Elder Baili must have already used various means and had not found any news of Baili Jin Yan, which is why he couldn’t help but try to get information from Yin Shilan.
However, Yin Shilan thought of Li Shiming. While she verbally expressed no concern, her heart was still somewhat anxious.
Li Shiming was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Level, and even with the Spirit Turtle Shield, there would be some danger.
“Lan’er, you shouldn’t strike against Han Tianlei yourself; wait for Li Shiming to return. Men do not favor overly assertive women!” The woman in the black dress, noticing Yin Shilan’s intentions, softly advised.
“I understand!” Yin Shilan replied, nodding her head slightly with her eyelids lowered.
“Fei’er and I will return now. Don’t worry about Li Shiming’s safety; I will send cultivators to protect him,” the woman in the black dress said, gently patting Yin Shilan’s head to comfort her.
Two days later, the woman in the black dress realized that her precious younger daughter Ren Fei’er had disappeared. Using the treasured item she had left on Ren Fei’er, she sensed her daughter’s whereabouts.
“There’s never a quiet moment!” the woman in the black dress muttered with a rueful smile.
Ren Fei’er’s temperament was somewhat like hers, yet by no means as unrestrained, mainly because she, her mother, kept her in check.
The woman in the black dress wasn’t too worried as the place Ren Fei’er had gone to was Nanshan Country, where Li Shiming was on a mission, a mundane area.
There were no cultivators there who could pose a threat to Ren Fei’er; Ren Fei’er was just too restless by nature, so she let her go.
Moreover, the sect had sent a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to Nanshan Country. The woman in the black dress sent a message to this cultivator to keep an eye on Ren Fei’er.
In a cave within the territory of Nanshan Country, Li Shiming faced Han Yu, who was still relatively intact, his eyes shimmering with murderous intent.
He never imagined that Han Tianlei would genuinely want to kill him over a cave dwelling.
And it was Han Tianlei’s family who made the move, no wonder the compulsory mission had sent him to Nanshan Country—it was a mission designed to send him to his death.
If it weren’t for his strength being slightly above that of a typical Qi Refining Fourth Level Cultivator, any ordinary one would have nearly been doomed.
From Han Yu’s mouth, he learned about the situation in Nanshan Country, and he began to have some ideas about his trip there.
The compulsory mission had to be completed, even if it was a trap, but that would be for after the mission was done.
Han Yu, the head of the Han Family, wasn’t as tough to deal with as imagined, and he confessed everything not long after being tortured.
Whether relevant or not, in order to avoid further inhumane torture, Han Yu spilled everything at once.
When it came to torture, Li Shiming could be said to be absolutely ahead of his time.
Data in the IBMz15 about medicine informed him of the most painful parts of the human body, psychological data allowed him to manipulate minds, and information on interrogation diversified his methods of inflicting pain.
Being a Loose Cultivator like Han Yu, with Han Tianlei as his support, actually spared him many hardships that common Loose Cultivators faced.
Thus, his endurance to torture was significantly weaker.
Li Shiming’s hand of spiritual power twisted Han Yu’s neck, and a look of relief appeared on Han Yu’s face.
He placed Han Yu’s body together with the bodies of nine other Han Family cultivators, and checked their storage bags.
Unsurprisingly, the storage bags contained no particularly valuable treasures.
Only some spirit stones were useful; even the magical artifact used by Han Yu himself was only intermediate, something Li Shiming no longer valued.
However, the ten storage bags provided more warehouse space in his spatial device, allowing him to store more items.
He released a paper crane, holding a spirit stone in each hand to replenish his energy from the fight while he flew toward the capital of Nanshan Country.
“Eh!” He hadn’t gone far when he sensed a surge of spiritual power nearby.