Two Realms Shuttle Gate: Don't Call Me a Demon!

At the end of the Sect War, Lu Jingshi had only met Su Jie once, but he also knew the major reason behind the Righteous sect's defeat in the war—it was Su Jie who had sabotaged the Hundred Rivers Covering Sea Array, causing it to backlash against the Righteous Alliance Army and securing Ghost Ridge Palace's victory.

"Sect Master Lu is too kind, it was just a trivial trick, nothing much really."

On the surface, Su Jie remained modest. In front of Lu Jingshi who, just like the Sect Master of Ghost Ridge Palace, was a powerful cultivator in the Taoist Platform Realm, maintaining modesty was the right virtue; he couldn't afford to behave arrogantly like he might with other lesser individuals.

"Regarding your request, Elder Xue has already informed me. Five hundred third-grade fierce ghosts are rather numerous, as we still need to train our disciples. Ideally, we should not be selling so many.

However, considering our relationship with Ghost Ridge Palace, I will make an exception for this number. We will provide five hundred third-grade fierce ghosts, five hundred second-grade ghosts, and a thousand first-grade ghosts. We will also offer them at the discounted rate of 70% of the internal disciple price," he continued.

Lu Jingshi wasted no time with pleasantries, as he had already been informed of Su Jie's request by Xue Xin.

Xue Xin gave Su Jie a significant look, indicating that this was the best he could persuade.

Su Jie was stunned, not because the terms were bad, but because they were too good.

A total of two thousand ghosts, not only without a price hike but also at a considerable discount, far exceeded his expectations.

Had it been Su Jie himself, if any other sect had approached him to buy poisonous insects, he would have certainly demanded a steep price, not so easily negotiated.

"Thank you, Sect Master Lu, for your support. However, if you have any other requirements for this arrangement, please feel free to mention them," he said.

The situation was unfolding far more smoothly than Su Jie expected. Initially, he thought Heavenly Soul Sect might give them trouble or even flat-out refuse the deal.

But such an incredibly favorable plan made Su Jie suspect ulterior motives—could it be that they were after something other than Spirit Stones?

While Su Jie pondered, he heard Lu Jingshi speak up with a righteous and bold tone.

"Master Su, our two Demon Sects are like close neighbors. I've always enjoyed helping others achieve their goals. There are no further demands for this plan.

On the contrary, I only hope that you understand that the Righteous sect still poses a threat. Our real enemies are not each other, but those hypocrites of the Righteous sect.

Especially recently, the Righteous sect in Qingzhou has been stirring up trouble. Guan Chao Pavilion, in particular, has gone mad these past few days, claiming we killed their Supreme Elder and causing trouble everywhere they can find us.

I hope that when you return to meet Sect Master Zhang, you can convey my sentiments. Our two sects need to cooperate sincerely and join forces against the Righteous sect to survive better in Qingzhou; division and discord will only lead us to be defeated by the Righteous sect," he elaborated.

After saying this, Lu Jingshi looked quite distressed.

He had been quite angry these days, as Guan Chao Pavilion, seemingly out of nowhere, accused Zhuang Liangru and Zhao Junde, two Supreme Elders in the Taoist Platform Realm, of being killed, pointing the finger directly at Heavenly Soul Sect.

People from Guan Chao Pavilion claimed that a large amount of Yin Qi residue and strong traces of the Soul Banner Demon Array were detected at the scene of death.

As everyone knows, in Qingzhou, no one is more skilled in manipulating ghosts and using Soul Summoning Banners than Heavenly Soul Sect.

The ability to harm Zhuang Liangru and Zhao Junde, both Supreme Elders in the Taoist Platform Realm, was surely the work of someone from Heavenly Soul Sect; they couldn't possibly be uninvolved.

Lu Jingshi was distressed because he had questioned every elder in his sect and checked the recent outing records, ruling out his own sect's involvement. What's more, killing two cultivators in the Taoist Platform Realm would be impossible for his elders to achieve!

Sadly, Guan Chao Pavilion didn't believe a word of Lu Jingshi's explanations. They were adamant that it was his sect's doing, to the extent of mobilizing troops for a possible war against Heavenly Soul Sect, creating a highly tense atmosphere.

In such times, forming a good relationship with Ghost Ridge Palace and strengthening ties became crucial, as it was the only potential ally he could turn to.

Upon hearing Lu Jingshi's words, the corner of Su Jie's mouth twitched slightly, barely containing his laughter—Heavenly Soul Sect ended up taking the blame for him.

However, it did make sense that Su Jie, despite having both ghosts and the Soul Summoning Banner, which the Guan Chao Pavilion was aware of.

But the Guan Chao Pavilion clearly didn't believe Su Jie was capable of killing Zhuang Liangru, given the huge gap in strength between someone in the Taoist Platform Realm and someone in the Secret Realm.

Excluding the correct answer of Su Jie, according to Guan Chao Pavilion's thinking, the murderer must be from the Heavenly Soul Sect, this Demon Sect. After all, when it comes to manipulating fierce ghosts and the Soul Summoning Banner, the Heavenly Soul Sect ranks second to none.

The own Supreme Elder died fighting against the fierce ghost Soul Banner, who else but the Heavenly Soul Sect could be the murderer?

"The fall of the Guan Chao Pavilion's Supreme Elder is a big deal! Rest assured, Sect Master Lu, I will deliver your message verbatim to Sect Master Zhang. As they say, when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. I'll do my best to foster cooperation between both sides."

If Guan Chao Pavilion lost the sect war but still isn't staying quiet, it's too soon to forget the pain of the wound, we must deter them. With Ghost Ridge Palace and Heavenly Soul Sect joining forces, they should see our resolve and discourage them from gathering a group of sects to attack us again."

Su Jie nodded emphatically, promising that others had taken the blame for him, and passing on a message was the least he could do to clear his responsibilities.

As for whether Zhang Junwei would collaborate, that had to be determined at the sect conference, verbal assurances from Su Jie counted for nothing.

Su Jie also figured out why the Heavenly Soul Sect was so easy to talk to this time.

In some ways, it was similar to Su Jie bribing Xue Xin to speak well on his behalf.

Lu Jingshi also wanted by this act to make Su Jie speak highly of him in front of Zhang Junwei, propelling a strong alliance between the two Demon Sects to withstand the pressure imposed by Guan Chao Pavilion.

Little did Lu Jingshi dream that the one who had put this big scandal on their Heavenly Soul Sect was Su Jie himself, who was speaking to him at the moment. If he had known the truth, he probably would have struck him with a palm already.

"Exactly, that's the logic, Master Su, your words hit the nail on the head! Our two families indeed should, and must, unite."

Lu Jingshi's face showed delight, indicating that his recent ingratiating gesture had worked very well.

Su Jie, a significant figure in Ghost Ridge Palace, a sorcerer of the Demon Path, and a top powerhouse in the Secret Realm, with Su Jie negotiating for Ghost Ridge Palace, the chances of the two families uniting were even greater.

"Sect Master Lu, I really can't stand seeing the Righteous sects bullying others with their power. Therefore, as the hall master of Puppet Hall, owning assets like Rocket Artillery and other puppets, Lu Jingshi has surely witnessed their power. I'm willing to take charge and sell them to Heavenly Soul Sect."

Su Jie's eyes shifted, suddenly coming up with the idea, and heartily slapped his chest as he spoke.

"Oh, is that really so?"

Lu Jingshi's eyes brightened; he had seen the Rocket Artillery unleashing its fury during the sect war. Its power was unquestionable, and when configured into an artillery formation, the killing area was vast. Handling powerful enemies was one thing, but slaughtering low-level cultivators was absolutely divine.

"Sect Master Lu, could it be that you doubt my word? My word carries weight, and in view of the friendly relations between our two sects, I'm willing to sell the Rocket Artillery for 3,000 Spirit Stones each and 50 Spirit Stones per missile. This is the production cost for our Puppet Hall, not to make a profit, but mainly to make a friend and support our brother sect."

Su Jie smiled, nodding; indeed, the price compared to the Puppet Hall's production cost was only a small tenfold increase, but in the arms trade, such a small margin was to be expected.

Lu Jingshi's lips twitched slightly; although he wasn't skilled in Puppetry Technique, and nobody in Heavenly Soul Sect dabbled in it, he had seen the Rocket Artillery. Judging solely by the materials, the mass-produced Rocket Artillery couldn't possibly be that expensive.

But with the current situation of Heavenly Soul Sect laid out, Lu Jingshi had no choice but to nod and say, "Alright, the price seems reasonable. We'll start with a purchase of a thousand units, along with the corresponding missiles. I'll have Elder discuss the specifics with you later."

Although he knew there was a markup, Lu Jingshi, for the sake of getting on good terms with Su Jie, a key figure in Ghost Ridge Palace, had to decide to bleed a bit.

After all, what goes around comes around; it used to be Ghost Ridge Palace seeking favors from Heavenly Soul Sect, now it was Heavenly Soul Sect's turn to seek favors from Ghost Ridge Palace.

"That's settled then, no problem at all."

Su Jie's face displayed a radiant smile, this back and forth not only offset the money spent on buying fierce ghosts but also allowed him to make a tidy profit from Heavenly Soul Sect, simply delightful.