Chapter 212: The Qitian Alliance
Xiao Nanfeng glanced disdainfully at the serpent. "Do you think it's that easy to join this alliance?"
"What conditions are there? My friend's very interested," the serpent continued expectantly.
"What friend? Have it come talk to me itself," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
The serpent froze. The 'friend' it was talking about was itself, of course! It took a deep breath, then braced itself. For the promise and allure of these benefits, it would give up even its dignity.
"Actually, I'm interested in your alliance, too. I'd like to join," the serpent corrected itself, smiling.
"And this 'friend' you're talking about? It's not you, is it?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
The serpent smiled. "It's all the same, the same!"
Xiao Nanfeng glanced askance at the serpent, then stretched out his right hand and rubbed his fingers, as though counting gold.
"What do you want?" The serpent looked confused.
"You don't understand me? Forget it, then. Pretend I said nothing." Xiao Nanfeng shook his head.
The serpent spasmed. Of course it understood what Xiao Nanfeng was doing! It had made a similar gesture countless times back in the undying realm. Xiao Nanfeng wanted a bribe before he would speak. The serpent had been planning to join this alliance for benefits, but would it have to shell out something of its own to do so? How would that do?
"We're old friends, aren't we? Why don't you tell me the rules? I'm not very smart, you know, so if you could lead the way for me..." the serpent trailed off.
Xiao Nanfeng looked at the serpent. "If not for the fact that you're familiar with Blue Lantern, I would have ignored you."
"Ah, well..." The serpent's smile grew forced. Inwardly, it was cursing at Xiao Nanfeng. Once I become a member of this alliance and get my just benefits, I'll deal with you!
"Our alliance is shrouded in mystery. Anyone who wishes to join the alliance has to be recommended by another member. Every member of the alliance is either influential or has the potential to become influential in the future," Xiao Nanfeng explained.
"Oh?" The serpent's eyes lit up.
"Do you see this red rope?" Xiao Nanfeng pointed at the red rope in his hand.
The serpent nodded immediately. "Is it a senior member of the alliance?"
"A senior member? Ha! If I hadn't recommended it, it wouldn't even have been able to join," Xiao Nanfeng replied disdainfully.
"What do you mean?" The serpent was shocked.
"It's new to the alliance, and it was only able to join on my recommendation. Otherwise, it would hardly have qualified," Xiao Nanfeng replied disdainfully.
The serpent gasped as it looked toward Xiao Nanfeng. Was he joking? This was the red rope cursed effigy—and it wouldn't even have qualified to enter the alliance if not for Xiao Nanfeng?
"Are you aware of why my cultivation increased so rapidly these last few days?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.
"Could the red rope have been doing it to get into your good graces, as a bribe? To have you invite it into this alliance?" the serpent gasped.
"You're rather bright." Xiao Nanfeng nodded agreeably.
The serpent was flabbergasted. "Are you trying to trick me? What sort of alliance would be so powerful that even a cursed effigy would have to give a bribe to enter?"
"If you don't believe me, it's your loss. I don't care what you think," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
The serpent: ...
It was infuriated by Xiao Nanfeng's behavior, but it had seen clear evidence of the alliance's 'generosity'! It couldn't give up now.
"What's the name of your organization?" the serpent asked.
"That's a secret. How could I tell an outsider so easily?"
The serpent was speechless. If you're accepting bribes, then surely it isn't a secret?
"Alright, then. I know the rules. Would you be willing to recommend me?"
"That's up to you." Xiao Nanfeng looked toward the serpent.
The serpent gave him a pained look, then spat out some rather corroded pearls and pushed them over to Xiao Nanfeng.
"These are the Immortal relics I obtained over the better half of a year. Will they do?" the serpent asked expectantly.
"What, just these corroded relics? I remember you obtained a whole bunch of treasure in the undying realm." Xiao Nanfeng was visibly displeased.
"The Immortal relics I found in the undying realm were all corroded. They've broken and can't be repaired. The only Immortal sword I had which was in good condition, I had to surrender to your wife, Yu'er. If I had any strong artifacts, why would I have ended up in such sorry straits?"
Xiao Nanfeng looked toward the serpent in clear disbelief.
"It's true! How about this? I have one more Immortal relic. Have a look." The serpent spat out another corroded blade.
Xiao Nanfeng: ...
"That's it! This is all I've got. Alright, alright, I have one final relic. Here, take this blade!" the serpent cried out.
Xiao Nanfeng's mounting pressure forced the serpent to give up its fifth and final Immortal relic.
"This is it. If you don't believe me, forget it. Return all my relics to me. I won't join this alliance!" The serpent was so agitated that it was despairing.
Xiao Nanfeng immediately claimed all five relics. "Forget it. I was just curious. Why did you take it so seriously?"
The serpent glared at Xiao Nanfeng. How could there be anyone in this world more thick-skinned than I am?
"You'll help recommend me to this alliance now, won't you?" the serpent asked expectantly.
"There's no need. I'm their spokesperson, so you can relay all communication to me. I've agreed to let you join," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
The serpent twitched. Had it exchanged five Immortal relics for nothing more than Xiao Nanfeng's words?
"What's the alliance called?" it asked, suppressing its anger.
"Its name?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned. He hadn't come up with one yet.
"Any organization has a name, surely?" The serpent was starting to get suspicious.
"Of course it does. This alliance is known as the Qitian Alliance. Every member's future accomplishments will shake heaven and earth alike. From now on, you're a member of the Qitian Alliance, too.
He had come up with the name on the spot; the alliance was made up, anyway, and it didn't matter what it was called.
"The Qitian Alliance? That's a rather strange name..." The serpent gave Xiao Nanfeng an odd look.
"You don't know anything, do you? What's so strange about it? Don't join it if you're not interested."
The serpent stiffened. "Of course I'll join! I only meant to say that it was a rather domineering name."
It had already spent its relics to get in; of course it'd join now!
"That's more like it." Xiao Nanfeng nodded.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to the other members of the alliance?"
"What for? You've just joined, and no one else is familiar with you. They're all leaders of their respective fields. Do you expect them to waste their time on the likes of you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked disdainfully.
"That's not what I meant! At least tell me who they are," the serpent replied.
"They don't want me to. You'll learn their identities eventually."
The serpent frowned. It sensed that something was amiss. "Are you lying to me?"
"You don't believe me? Then why did you join the Qitian Alliance?"
"I do believe you! But there should be some welcome gift for joining, don't you think? You've managed to get so many benefits. Isn't there anything for me? Aren't we friends? Look at what dire straits I'm in!" the serpent exclaimed.
It was growing visibly wary. Given its personality, there was no way it would accept receiving nothing for its investment of five Immortal relics! If Xiao Nanfeng really were trying to scam it, it would force a fight with him and claim all the relics he had taken even if it exposed them both!
Xiao Nanfeng, as though sensing its intentions, begrudgingly nodded. "Give me a moment. I'll talk to them and have them come up with a newbie gift pack for you."
"A newbie gift pack?" The serpent pondered this unfamiliar phrase.
It saw Xiao Nanfeng sit cross-legged in meditation, silently mouthing words, as though engaging in long-range communication with another party.
The serpent stared at Xiao Nanfeng with bloodshot eyes, intending on capturing each and every motion that he made so that it could be certain he wasn't duping it.
Suddenly, Xiao Nanfeng opened his eyes wide.
"Well?" the serpent asked.
"I've just had a talk with the alliance members. They're willing to sponsor you a newbie gift pack. You really are lucky!"
"Oh?"
"One member, skilled at divination, has proclaimed that you are of noble bloodline," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"Divination? They're all scams! How could this be worth anything? You aren't trying to trick me, are you?"
"You know nothing! Do you think someone like you has the right to disparage these alliance members?!" Xiao Nanfeng chided.
The serpent felt as though Xiao Nanfeng really was trying to deceive it.
"Afterwards, the diviner shared the information with an elder skilled at manipulating spacetime. That elder reached into the depths of time, that long river of eons, and obtained a treasure for you in my name," Xiao Nanfeng continued.
The serpent gaped. What sort of ridiculous claim was this? Why would a cultivator of such miraculous means work with someone like Xiao Nanfeng? This was growing more and more absurd!
"This token, right here." Xiao Nanfeng flashed it before the serpent's eyes.
Long Jiu's token appeared in his hand.
"Didn't you just take it out of your storage ring?" the serpent asked coldly.
"You know nothing! The elder placed it inside my storage ring. He's still observing us from afar, so don't offend him by saying something you shouldn't," Xiao Nanfeng continued.
The serpent: ...
By then, the serpent was convinced that Xiao Nanfeng was trying to trick him.
Xiao Nanfeng held out Long Jiu's token and infused some spiritual power into it, causing a blue spiritual orb to manifest itself. Xiao Nanfeng was extracting the inheritance that Elder Long Jiu had left behind, leaving in the token only a small portion of Long Jiu's spiritual power. He would have to use the token to get into the Ancestral Dragon's Hall, after all.
"Come on. This is for you. It contains a tremendous amount of spiritual power, the inheritance of a dragon elder, and information about your background. Absorb it all," Xiao Nafneng instructed.
The serpent made a face. It didn't intend on believing Xiao Nanfeng's lies any longer, but surely the absorption wouldn't be dangerous. It would have a look to see what lay within before exposing Xiao Nanfeng as a fraud.
Just as it touched the orb of blue light, it exploded and encompassed its body, then shot into its mindscape.
"What?!" the serpent cried out.
Countless information filtered into its brain.
"Ah? Ah! The inheritance of a holy dragon sage? Immortal draconic techniques? And this spiritual power—this is the inheritance of an entire draconic clan! Is this real? Could this be? Oh, thank you, thank you, elder of spacetime, elder of divination! I'm rich!" The serpent was so shocked that its body was trembling.
What Xiao Nanfeng had claimed had to be the truth! This was unbelievable. Joining the alliance had been the right choice! This newbie gift pack was incredible. The serpent absorbed as much of the inheritance as it could.
Xiao Nanfeng sat down beside the serpent, wiping at the five Immortal relics he had just obtained, as he gave the twitching serpent an odd look. If this inheritance really were all that amazing, how had Long Jiu died such an ignoble death? How did the dragons go extinct? The serpent clearly wasn't worldly; that was why it was so easy to fool.
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