Chapter 843: Bargaining

"Talk privately?"

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign glanced around at the royal elders present. To avoid suspicion, she asked, "Can't it be discussed openly?" Zhuo Yin already suspected a relationship between her and Jiang Fan. If they talked privately again, who knew what rumors Zhuo Yin would spread?

Jiang Fan thought for a moment, then replied, "No." For his own safety, he dared not publicly display the pill recipe. If word got out, Sanqing Mountain would undoubtedly suspect he had deciphered it.

After a brief consideration, the Old Dream Demon Sovereign raised her hand and created a water curtain in front of everyone. It formed a three-zhang-wide independent space. She then said, "This water curtain can block all prying eyes. How about we discuss it in detail inside?" This way, the elders present could see them and witness her innocence, while also allowing them to speak privately. It was the best of both worlds.

Jiang Fan let out a sigh of relief, delighted. "That would be excellent," he said. The Old Dream Demon Sovereign was worried about misunderstandings, but he was even more so. That Zhuo Yin Demon Sovereign was truly a difficult person to deal with. It was better for him to avoid getting involved in too many karmic entanglements.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the two entered the water curtain space.

"Alright, speak," the Old Dream Demon Sovereign said, having entered first and turned around. However, upon seeing him, her lips twitched slightly. She saw Jiang Fan pressed tightly against the water curtain, appearing to be rigorously guarding against her, as if he feared she had ill intentions towards him.

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign was both annoyed and amused. "What is it? Speak quickly!"

Jiang Fan estimated the distance between them. "Please step back first. Let’s maintain a distance of three zhang between us," he said.

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign pursed her lips slightly. Normally, she was the one who asked other men to keep their distance. Today, the tables had truly turned. With a cold expression, she retreated to the edge, three zhang away. With her arms crossed, she said coolly, "It had better be something important."

Jiang Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling reassured. "I heard your clan possesses top-grade luminous pearls that can defend against a Nascent Soul attack?" he asked.

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign paused, then eyed Jiang Fan suspiciously. "Who told you that? You came from the East Sea. Did that dead widow tell you?"

So, they did exist.

Jiang Fan said earnestly, "I wish to conduct a business deal with the Demon Sovereign. Give me a hundred supreme-grade protective luminous pearls, and I will give you something you’ve always dreamed of."

"How many? A hundred?" The Old Dream Demon Sovereign’s eyes widened. "Are you doing business or committing robbery? I’ll sell you the South Sea itself. You don’t need to give me a hundred; fifty will do."

*Cough, cough.* So, they didn't have that many.

"Alright, then ten. No less," Jiang Fan said, making a drastic reduction.

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign said coldly, "Impossible. Supreme-grade protective luminous pearls are treasures of the South Sea. Not a single one can be given to outsiders, let alone ten? Don’t even think about it. The discussion is over." She raised her hand, ready to remove the water curtain. She had no interest whatsoever in what Jiang Fan’s proposed trade was. In her opinion, anything a human disciple like Jiang Fan could offer in exchange wouldn’t be worth even a single supreme-grade protective luminous pearl.

"The Cold Cicada Annihilation Pill recipe. Don’t you want it?"

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign abruptly stopped, her eyes filled with suspicion. "Say that again?"

Jiang Fan smiled. He took out a pill recipe, his fingers covering most of the ingredients, revealing only a small portion and the message from the Lost Pearl Demon Sovereign. "You recognize my sister Yizhu’s handwriting, don’t you?"

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign stared at the eight characters: "Verified, recipe is genuine." Her eyes were full of disbelief. "Is it really the Cold Cicada Annihilation Pill recipe? Impossible. How could you possibly obtain such a recipe? Sanqing Mountain would never allow you to get it, no matter what."

Jiang Fan folded the recipe. "Of course they wouldn’t allow it," he said. "To retaliate against the East Sea, they captured Prince Mengcheng and even tried to unleash the sea springs to destroy the Four Seas."

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign exclaimed in surprise, "No wonder Zhuo Yin said someone was causing trouble in the East Sea Palace. So it was Sanqing Mountain!" This matched perfectly. Jiang Fan hadn’t lied. And with the Lost Pearl Demon Sovereign’s personal handwriting on the recipe, this recipe... was it real? From now on, could the South Sea break free from Sanqing Mountain? Could it escape Zhuo Yin’s coercion?

The surprise came too suddenly. She took long strides, excitedly moving towards Jiang Fan. "Quick, let me have a look!" she urged. "I need to confirm it one last time."

Jiang Fan quickly stopped her. "Stop! Don’t come closer! Maintain your distance from me!" *Oh, my.* Her legs were really long. Two or three steps had already halved the distance. Any later, and she would have truly pounced right in front of him.

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign’s face stiffened, and she awkwardly glanced at the royal elders outside. Their gazes were peculiar. Though they couldn’t hear what was being said inside, they could see that the Old Dream Demon Sovereign instinctively wanted to approach Jiang Fan, only to be sternly stopped by him. The Old Dream Demon Sovereign’s face flushed slightly, feeling a mix of shame and annoyance. *This scoundrel. It’s as if he thinks I’d take advantage of him! Am I that kind of person?*

She awkwardly retreated, then said, "Is that far enough?"

Jiang Fan asked, "So you agree to the trade? Ten protective luminous pearls that can defend against a Nascent Soul attack, in exchange for this pill recipe."

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign frowned in thought. "Why do you want ten? Not five, or three? Could it be that dead widow who gave you this idea? Only she knows the true extent of the South Sea’s reserves."

The South Sea’s supreme-grade protective luminous pearls were exactly ten, no more, no less!

Jiang Fan rubbed his nose, remaining silent.

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign immediately confirmed her suspicions and angrily said, "You cunning dead widow! Your heart is truly dark!"

Jiang Fan nodded slightly, thinking, *Yes, yes, yes, the black-hearted one is the Lost Pearl Demon Sovereign. Don’t blame him, Jiang Fan.*

"I can’t give you ten. I can only give one.""Ten," Jiang Fan insisted."At most two.""Nine!""No more than three!""Eight!""Four is the absolute limit!""Seven!""Five will kill me!""Six!""Deal!"

Jiang Fan took out the pill recipe and crossed out the ratios of several main ingredients with a pen. Only then did he toss it over. Before the luminous pearls were in his hands, he couldn't give them the complete recipe.

The Old Dream Demon Sovereign caught it with both hands, her palms trembling as she awkwardly unfolded it. Seeing the ingredients listed, her heart instantly filled with joy. She had secretly attempted to decipher this pill herself and had even invited a four-star soul master for that purpose. The pill’s ingredients had already been analyzed, and they were identical to the recipe in front of her! What surprised her even more was that the soul master had also provided a rough range for the ingredient ratios. The ratios visible on the recipe were all within that range. Furthermore, the Lost Pearl Demon Sovereign had personally confirmed it. The Lost Pearl Demon Sovereign was a very meticulous person; for such an important matter, she would never have signed it without absolute certainty. This recipe was absolutely real!

She was overjoyed, like a bird set free. "Young Master Jiang, you have done me and the South Sea a great favor." Her face lit up, and she stepped forward, intending to approach Jiang Fan. But she saw Jiang Fan retreating with a wary expression. Amidst her delight, she couldn’t help but glare at him fiercely.

"I will first discuss this with a few core elders," she said. "Don’t worry, with this pill recipe, they won’t have any objections." She immediately dispersed the water curtain. Then she summoned a few trusted elders before her and enclosed them within a water curtain to ensure the secret wouldn’t spread. Upon learning it was the Cold Cicada Annihilation Pill recipe, they immediately became agitated.