Xiao He blinked, then nodded.


    "As you wish, Your Majesty."


    He approached the unconscious Elder Mao and then squinted. After a few seconds…


    Whoosh…


    A fierce wind rose in the throne room. And then, a strong pressure.


    "Aaaah!"


    Elder Mao jumped up and clutched his heart. He had probably just experienced the greatest fright of his life.


    Shaking all over, he looked at Xiao He and trembled. His previous emotions—fear, shock, and anger—vanished in an instant.


    "T-the Shadow King…"


    "Hm…"


    Xiao He''s brows furrowed at the mention of this title, which only intensified the pressure.


    Elder Mao immediately shut his mouth and bowed. Only then did the pressure disappear. When Xiao He left, the elder found his heart beating wildly.


    "How could I not have noticed him? But then again, if it''s the Shadow King… it''s no wonder."


    The Shadow King. The title of the strongest assassin of all time, excluding Hao Shen. He hadmitted over a hundred million registered murders, and it was possible that the number could exceed a billion.


    He had lived for a very long time. Even during the birth of Xu Mei, he was already a renowned cultivator, striking fear into the hearts of the cultivation world.


    However, about two thousand years ago, he suddenly disappeared. No one knew the reason, despite the efforts of his former clients to find him. The disappearance of the famous assassin brought joy to the Righteous Dao and despair to the Devilish Dao.


    And who would have thought that such a renowned figure would be working as a mere assistant? Elder Mao found it absurd. Of course, he did not dare to voice his thoughts.


    Xiao He''s mood was soured, but he took no further action. Perhaps in the past, he was the Shadow King, but now he was just an assistant to Emperor Hao Shen.


    "And so…" Hao Shen smiled, narrowing his eyes. "We can return to the dialogue. Actually, despite your rather audacious request, I will not refuse you just because you made a mistake. Although it would be fair to say that I am disappointed in you, I will still need your help in the future. Therefore, I give my consent, but…"


    "''But''?" Elder Mao repeated, then almost immediately closed his mouth.


    His behavior was… rather rude, but Hao Shen paid it no mind. The man simply crossed his arms and said indifferently.


    "Two hundred thousand evil spirits per year. That is your payment."


    "This…!"


    Elder Mao was speechless. Such a price… was simply absurd.


    For example, the Sect of Bone Circle "earns" only twenty thousand per year. And such a price… would likely deal them a serious blow.


    Gritting his teeth, Elder Mao said, "Allow me to consult about this."


    "Of course. Xiao He, escort him to the private room and give him the Communication Stone," Hao Shen said with a carefree smile, resting his chin on his hand. There was a hint of contempt in his smile.


    Xiao He nodded and turned his gaze to Elder Mao, who looked as if he had swallowed a fat insect.


    "Follow me," he said in a cold voice, making it feel as if the temperature in the air had dropped to negative values.


    ***


    The Communication Stone. A rather effective way tomunicate with someone over a distance. If the frequency is set correctly, it can even facilitate something akin to a group conversation.


    This is exactly what Elder Mao intended to do. He took out his own Communication Stone—not the one given to him—and then connected the call.


    Within just two seconds, a rectangr projection appeared above the stone, showing five men and five women sitting around a circr table. All of them looked expectantly at Elder Mao, who secretly sweated under their hopeful gazes.


    "I have conveyed your request to Sovereign Hao Shen…" Elder Mao began his report, then continued, seeing the attentiveness of his interlocutors. He bit his lip and added, "He agreed, but he has set a condition."


    In response, after just a few moments, disgruntled murmurs could be heard.


    "Of course, he would set conditions. What else can you expect from a malicious tyrant who only knows how to oppress our sect?"


    "This is expected. Sovereign Hao Shen has always had a cunning and decisive character. If he didn''t like something, he never did it. He hates working for free. To ensure the growth of our sect''s average strength, we will have to shed a lot of blood," someone replied in a calmer tone than their predecessor.


    "Even so, his actions are extremely selfish. He just wanted to tighten the noose around our necks and use our weakness as leverage. Isn''t he too greedy?" someone said with obvious displeasure.


    "Quiet!"


    Elder Mao frowned. This guy had gone mad. Even if he set up a hundred formations, he wouldn''t be sure he could escape Hao Shen''s gaze and ears.


    "Oh…"


    The one who had just criticized Hao Shen began to sweat coldly. Well, that was obvious, especially when dealing with someone who had reached the peak of cultivation in the Mortal World.


    Elder Mao snorted, marveling at the foolishness of his colleagues. Then he continued, looking as if he had lost a hundred years of his life.


    "He has set only one condition for us, and that is two hundred thousand evil spirits per year. Only then will he grant permission to use the altar."


    Elder Mao''s voice was as calm as still water, but inside him, emotions of indignation and irritation raged.


    For a few seconds, no one spoke, and it felt as if the Communication Stone had broken. However…


    "What the… hell!"


    "Two hundred thousand? T-two hundred thousand?"


    "Did he actually say that with his own mouth? How did his tongue even move to say such a thing!"


    "Two hundred thousand, damn it! We''ll have to exhaust all our reserves just to use the altar. This is robbery!"


    "Damn it!"


    Elder Mao sighed. As expected, his colleagues'' reaction was fitting. Not that he hadn''t anticipated it. He himself was shocked, and only his willpower helped him restrain himself from making any unnecessary movements.


    The heated discussion continued, but Mao had no particr desire to join in. The number of his gray hairs had increased exponentially today.


    In this situation, all he wanted was to hide from the world and sleep.


    However, one way or another, the Sect of Bone Circle was simply forced to make concessions and pay such a frightening price. Even if they had to do it while vomiting blood.


    ***


    "We agree."


    As soon as Elder Mao''s calm voice echoed in the throne room, he bowed, lowering his head.


    Therefore, he did not see the faint smile that appeared on Hao Shen''s indifferent face. Even Xiao He, eternally indifferent, let out a contemptuous smirk.


    Of course, the fish had taken the bait. The Sect of Bone Circle and the Sect of Shadowed des were ancient enemies, and only circumstances forced them to cooperate.


    Therefore, it was pleasing to see their enemy suffer. Of course, they limited their actions, as it would be unpleasant if their allies became so weak that they turned into dead weight.


    "A very wise decision, Elder Mao. I am sure that our cooperation will bring many benefits," Hao Shen said with a smile, rising from the throne.


    "Yes…"


    Elder Mao replied, biting his lip so hard that blood flowed from it. This time, the Sect of Bone Circle had received another heavy blow.


    ***


    Xie Qing narrowed his eyes. He had discovered another source of Dragon Qi. Ignoring the boiling of his blood, he pondered.


    "I''m sure the enemy has noticed my suspicious actions. Either way, I shouldn''t take any action for now to avoid trouble."


    The young man nodded and left. It was too suspicious to linger around one of the control points of the formation.


    Although ordinary onlookers couldn''t see him, Xie Qing''s vision was special, and it wasn''t difficult for him to notice even carefully hidden things.


    "Quite an interesting scheme. Dividing the formation into several key parts and then using a natural energy source to power it. What is this if not a convenient setup?" Xie Qing thought.


    Although his knowledge of formations was not particrly advanced, he was sufficiently trained to understand that such types of formations were much harder to hack and break.\\


    "It would be interesting to see who created this," Xie Qing thought and walked away.


    Suddenly…


    A ghostly silhouette formed in the distance. Xiao He!


    "Strange fellow. The primary illusion formation didn''t affect him?" Xiao He wondered.


    The illusion formation was simple—it distorted perception and helped residents bypass the formation. This was done to prevent idental deaths or unauthorized ess to the formation scheme.


    However, it seemed that the illusion formation had no effect on this person.


    "This means his cultivation level is at least at the Enlightenment stage. Not bad. I''ll remember his aura just in case…" Xiao He thought and disappeared, his entire body turning into ck smoke.