93: Chapter 93 The Disaster in Japan Spreads to the North
"I am Chen Feng, the leader of the Yanlong Empire's Special Operations Team."
The bearded man stopped at the border and was the first to speak.
His voice was deep and powerful, and with the enhancement of the eerie Rule Power, it actually spread across a range of hundreds of miles.
"This is the deputy leader, Han Yue."
He pointed to the capable-looking woman beside him.
"We represent the Yanlong Empire, here to negotiate with your country."
"We have brought the sincerity of peace, prepared to resolve previous misunderstandings, and hope to work together with Your Excellency 'Ancient Buddha of Rebirth' to face the impending crisis."
Li Shanyuan stood on the watchtower of the outpost, looking at the two below, his brows furrowed.
He could feel that these two were very strong.
They were at least top-tier A-Rank Ghost Controllers, and might have even touched the threshold of an S-rank Taboo Master.
"Negotiations?"
Li Shanyuan gave a cold laugh.
"Just a moment ago you were at our gates with an army, and now you want to negotiate?"
"The speed at which your Yanlong Empire changes its face is indeed faster than turning the pages of a book."
Han Yue took a step forward; even from several miles away, she recognized Li Shanyuan's identity.
Her voice was cold as she spoke quickly:
"General Li."
"The situation is stronger than the individual."
"The pink mist of Neon Country has already spiraled out of control. If we continue our meaningless struggle, we will only end up perishing together in the end."
"We are not here to sue for peace; we are here to seek cooperation."
"This is beneficial to both sides."
Li Shanyuan fell silent.
He naturally knew how dire the current situation was.
That pink mist was like a constantly expanding tumor; if it wasn't contained, it would sooner or later swallow the entire Dongsheng Continent.
When that time comes, whether it's the Yanlong Empire or the newly established Land of Rebirth on the Other Shore... all will be destroyed!
"I need to ask the Buddha for instructions," Li Shanyuan replied in a deep voice.
"Be my guest," the bearded man and Han Yue spoke simultaneously... Inside the Rebirth Temple.
Lin Chuan received Li Shanyuan's report.
"Cooperation, huh..."
A glimmer of thought flashed through the blood-red eyes of his Buddha statue.
Although he didn't have a good impression of the Yanlong Empire, now was indeed not the time to turn hostile.
With his current strength alone, it was indeed difficult to deal with the incident in Neon Country!!
Furthermore, he had a faint feeling that something had gone wrong in Neon Country... it was very likely that the old woman who called herself the 'The Gatekeeper' had run into trouble.
As an S-rank High-level Taboo, Lin Chuan faintly sensed... a terrifying upheaval was coming in the future!
"Approved."
Lin Chuan gave Li Shanyuan his response... On the border line.
A simple negotiation table was set up on the ground.
Li Shanyuan sat boldly in the main seat, with a row of fully armed soldiers and many B-Rank Ghost Controllers standing behind him.
The bearded man Chen Feng and Han Yue sat opposite him, their expressions calm.
"My Buddha has agreed to the negotiations."
"Let's not waste words and get straight to the point."
Li Shanyuan went straight to the heart of the matter.
"How shall we cooperate?"
"It's simple."
Chen Feng pulled a document from his coat and pushed it in front of Li Shanyuan.
"This is the 'Non-Aggression and Mutual Defense Agreement'."
"First, both sides will immediately cease all military actions and maintain the existing border lines."
"Second, establish a joint defense front to collectively resist the erosion of the pink mist."
"Third, share intelligence and complement each other's resources."
Li Shanyuan picked up the document and scanned it quickly.
The terms were fairly equitable, with no obvious traps.
"Acceptable."
He nodded.
"However, I want to add a clause."
"What is it?"
"The Yanlong Empire must recognize the legal status of the Land of Rebirth on the Other Shore and open border trade."
"This..."
Chen Feng hesitated for a moment.
Recognizing the Land of Rebirth on the Other Shore was equivalent to acknowledging the fall of the Great Xin Dynasty and Lin Chuan's rule.
This was a massive concession for the Yanlong Empire.
"Agreed."
Han Yue, who was beside him, suddenly spoke.
"As long as this crisis can be resolved, these are not issues."
Chen Feng glanced at her and eventually nodded.
"Fine, it's a deal."
Both sides signed their names on the agreement.
The tense atmosphere eased instantly.
"Since we are now allies, we won't hold back on certain intelligence."
Chen Feng took a stack of photos from his briefcase and handed them to Li Shanyuan.
"These were taken by our reconnaissance planes over Neon Country."
Li Shanyuan took the photos, his pupils shrinking suddenly.
On the photos.
The once-prosperous capital of Neon Country had now turned into a stretch of pink ruins.
And in the center of the ruins.
A hazy, giant figure of a woman, seemingly composed of countless pink petals, was quietly suspended in mid-air.
Her face was unclear; only a pair of tightly closed eyes could be seen.
But even though it was just a photo, Li Shanyuan could still feel a suffocatingly terrifying pressure.
"This is..."
"We suspect that this is the source of the pink mist."
"It was also the ultimate reason for Neon Country's destruction."
"Her Rank... is immeasurable."
"She is at least SSS-Class Rank Six or above."
"Furthermore..."
He pointed to the corner of the photo.
There, a faint, ancient stone gate could be seen.
"This gate... seems to connect to another world."
"Whenever the haze churns, we can detect... another even more eerie fluctuation coming from the gate."
Through Li Shanyuan's perspective, Lin Chuan looked at that gate, and a sense of familiarity suddenly rose in his heart.
"This gate... where have I seen it before?"
"I also have a piece of intelligence for you."
Li Shanyuan put away the photos and said in a deep voice.
"Regarding the taboos of Neon Country, we know some inside information."
"My Buddha once said: In Neon Country's Takama-ga-hara, there are two taboos... Celestial Standing Venerable and Illuminating Heaven Turbid Sun!"
"Their terror levels are both SSS!"
Chen Feng and Han Yue looked at each other, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
These two names were ones they had never heard of before.
At this moment, Li Shanyuan nodded and continued:
"If these two taboos descend... they would be enough to overturn the entire Dongsheng Continent!"
Hearing this, Chen Feng's face turned pale.
"Dammit..."
"It seems the situation is even worse than we imagined."
Just as both sides were exchanging intelligence.
"Report—!!!"
A communications soldier came running in, stumbling.
"Report, General! Something terrible has happened!"
"The pink mist... has accelerated its expansion again!"
"What?!"
Li Shanyuan and Chen Feng stood up at the same time.
"According to the footage from the unmanned reconnaissance drones, just now!"
The communications soldier said breathlessly.
"The three eastern Provinces of the Yanlong Empire, and the five eastern Provinces of our Land of Rebirth on the Other Shore..."
"Have... all been swallowed up!"
"What?!"
Everyone gasped in shock.
"Quick! Organize an evacuation immediately!"
"Construct a defensive line! We absolutely cannot let it continue to spread!"
Even though he knew that the so-called 'construction of a defensive line' was meaningless, Li Shanyuan still gave the order.
On the other side of the screen, in the Rebirth Temple.
Through the [Blood Crow Servants] he had sent out, Lin Chuan also saw everything clearly.
While staring at the haze, he could feel it.
Within that pink mist, there seemed to be a pair of eyes staring intently at him across the endless Void Realm.
Just then... Zhao Linfeng hurriedly entered the main hall of the Buddhist temple.
He knelt on the ground and delivered another message to Lin Chuan.
"Buddha above, the special envoy of the Shaven Empire has arrived!"
"They have also encountered the same trouble!"
"They say that in their Sicilia District... the pink mist has also appeared!"
"And..."
"Within the haze there, something else seems to be gestating!"
"Something else?"
Lin Chuan was startled.
He knew about the Shaven Empire.
After the Land of Rebirth on the Other Shore was established, the Shaven Empire sent someone to recognize Lin Chuan and the establishment of the Land of Rebirth on the Other Shore... Compared to the Yanlong Empire, the Shaven Empire's foundation was significantly weaker.
However, looking at the entire world, the Shaven Empire could still be considered a top-tier major power.
Now that the pink mist had actually crossed the Dongsheng Continent and appeared in the territory of the Shaven Empire... this was clearly not good news.