The defeated… Hoover and Osmond's expressions twisted. Hoover's jaw muscles bulged prominently, while Osmond stared at Zhang Yuanqing with such intensity it seemed as though he were about to devour him. Their noble lineage, status, and social standing had cultivated an unshakable sense of self-respect, making them particularly sensitive to Yuan Shi Tian Zun's direct and probing challenges. Xia Zao felt as though his face had been struck hard as well. The Hunter-Mage gazed deeply into Zhang Yuanqing's eyes. The atmosphere at the conference table grew tense. With the guests of Tianfa visibly shaken by Yuan Shi Tian Zun's single remark, Li, the secretary, cleared her throat and turned to the eldest, whose head was adorned with fine serpents, and said, "All present. Then, Master Miao, shall we begin?" Master Miao nodded slightly, glanced around at the guests seated at the table, and said: "Two matters. First, after discussion at headquarters, we have decided to share all of the Lord of Yin's assets with Tianfa. For capturing the Lord of Yin, Master Yuanshizhen has earned an A-level merit, a bonus of 5 million, a holy-tier item, and promotion to team leader of Patrol Unit Three at the Songhai branch. Second, there has been a disagreement between Master Yuanshizhen and the guests of Tianfa during their stay in the Hundred-Ten Mountain region—this is merely a misunderstanding, and the unlawfully obtained items shall be returned immediately." Master Miao gave a focused gaze to the members of Tianfa and Master Yuanshizhen, conveying a clear tone of "now you may begin negotiations": "Do either side have any objections?" The hunter-mage nodded: "We have no objections." Zhang Yuanqing raised his hand: "I do have an objection." While everyone anticipated his resistance, Li and Zhou, the secretaries, still unconsciously furrowed their brows. This, after all, was precisely what they disliked about Master Yuanshizhen—when a subordinate consistently opposes you, who Master Miao remained calm, his voice gentle. "Please share your thoughts." Zhang Yuanqing said: "First, I don't want any honors, no team leader position, nor any cash." Honor and position were merely symbolic—headquarters could revoke them at will, effectively treating him as a guest who could be served with just 5 million and one sacred artifact. I want to ask you—what do you intend to do? Do you wish to undermine the very foundation of the Five Elements Alliance, or have you treated the realm established by the five alliance leaders as your own? Have you even remembered what Master Jiang said during the trial? The several executives of Tianfa exchanged glances. They knew that the Yuanshǐ Tianzun had a strained relationship with the headquarters, but the written reports and their firsthand observations painted a different picture. The secretary was a trusted representative of the senior monks; reprimanding the secretary was equivalent to reprimanding the senior monks themselves. The Yuanshǐ Tianzun had now become so arrogant. After all, the Five Elements Alliance differed from Tianfa. Tianfa had numerous internal capital groups and families, each balancing one another, so that only the semi-divine figures at the top were untouchable, and even the peak dominators could sometimes be challenged. Yet the Five Elements Alliance wielded strong authority. With the Grand Master delegating power, the Ten Elders held substantial sway—how could they possibly tolerate someone like this? Moreover, the more unwilling Yuan Shishen was to yield to the headquarters, the less successful the strategy of the headquarters—aimed at using them to pressure Yuan Shishen and regain the items—proved to be. Miao Elder interrupted the three parties' debate, "What do you wish for, Yuan Shishen?" Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied, "Fifty materials of Saint-level quality, not limited by profession. Six materials of Master-level quality, not limited by profession. One exceptional item of the Swordsman rank." "Yuan Shishen, you're being too demanding!" Li Secretary raised her voice first. "The headquarters doesn't want them—I can sell the King of the Underworld to the Goddess Association." "The Goddess Association has already withdrawn." Zhang Yuanqing turned to the Hunted Mage, "You could completely bypass the Five Elements Alliance and transact directly with me." "Forty materials of Saint-level quality, four of Master-level quality, and one exceptional item of Swordsman rank." Miao Elder sealed the deal, "This is the maximum the headquarters will accept." Zhang Yuanqing smiled immediately, "Agreed!" He needs so many materials to upgrade the Purple Golden Hammer, which can be elevated to the Sovereign tier. In fact, sacrificing Sovereign-tier items has a higher success rate, but Sovereign-tier items are quite rare—compared to that, materials of the same tier are easier to obtain. As for the top-tier items at the Swordsman level, those are specifically for Guan Ya. Guan Ya possesses exceptional talent and has significantly stronger combat power than other Swordsman-level peers, though she still falls short when compared to the very top-tier talents. Even compared to Zhao Chenghuang, Sun Miao, and Tianxia Guihuo from the Palace Team, she doesn't quite measure up—these members have deepened their strength through accumulated experience in the Mo Sect's Machine City. Although Zhang Yuanqing has lent Guan Ya the Tenglongyun as a life-saving item, this item can only be used in the real world; bringing a Sovereign-tier weapon into the quest realm would be a disadvantage. Moreover, Tenglongyun will eventually need to be returned—so it's better to find her a top-tier item of Saint-tier quality instead. With the transaction finalized, Fu Qingyang said, "Executive Officer, now let's discuss your three subordinates' equipment. Please give us your prices." Everyone turned to the warrior. It was the Prime Heavenly Sovereign who tore up the agreement—every action taken by Tianfa was aimed at safeguarding its own interests. If the Five Elements Alliance fails to impose penalties on the Prime Heavenly Sovereign, this matter will escalate into a diplomatic crisis. Osmon and Hoover are now coldly staring at the Prime Heavenly Sovereign, for Tianfa will not treat you as the Five Elements Alliance has. Zhang Yuanqing sneered, "What are you looking at? Three mere lackeys, defeated generals!" Osmon and Hoover's faces instantly turned pale. "Tap, tap!" The Master of Elegance lightly tapped the table, his gaze conveying a clear warning to the Prime Heavenly Sovereign, saying, "Maintain meeting decorum—no personal attacks." Before Zhang Yuanqing could speak, Zhou, the deputy secretary of Cai, stepped forward to apply pressure, stating, "While headquarters values your position, it will not consistently favor you. Return the items, receive one reprimand, and the matter will be settled. Should you remain obstinate, you'll have to appear before the Tribunal." Li, the secretary, nodded slowly, "The Alliance leaders are fair." This time, they won't be standing by you anymore. Huo leaned back, letting his body settle into the chair, and smiled lightly. "Let's have the trial hearing instead. Everyone knows that the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign is born a wild man—his bones are all oriented the opposite way. Yes, that's what he himself said." Osmon sneered. "He's not going to dare show up at the trial hearing. Without the Grand Marshal's support this time, he'd be a complete humiliation." The two of them seized the opportunity to launch sharp criticisms and retaliations against the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign's repeated provocations. The Heaven's Punishment team had come well-prepared. Before the meeting, they had paid their two headquarters secretaries a sum of "consulting fees," seeking advice on how to recover the props they had lost. The secretaries advised them first to formally report the situation to the headquarters and secure approval for taking enforcement measures—specifically, to dispatch a Level-One Golden Executive. Second, to frame the matter during the meeting: that the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign had breached the contract and seized the allies' props. The purpose of this qualitative move is to enable the senior executives and half-gods at headquarters to refrain from imposing mandatory measures on the first-tier Golden Executive. After all, it would be impossible for the Alliance's Grand Master and the Ten Elders to agree if the pinnacle authority of Tianfa were to take on a young prodigy from the Five Elements Alliance—this would directly impact the Alliance's reputation and dignity. Thus, a legitimate justification is required. The Five Elements Alliance is not a passive, conventional organization; an excuse such as "washing powders" would certainly fall short. The grounds of terminating the alliance agreement are sufficient in both substance and weight. Indeed, it matches the elder's initial prediction exactly. Zhang Yuan thought to himself, at this moment, it's time for our political strategist to step in. He turned his gaze toward Fu Qingyang. "I also wish to correct the First-tier Hunter Executive on a minor error," Fu Qingyang's composed voice resonated. "Allow me to briefly outline the case. Recently, the Songhai Branch received notification from the Goddess Association that the A-rank fugitive, the King of the Underworld, has infiltrated the nation." "Clearing evil is the official duty of the administration, and thus I have dispatched the Prime Heavenly Sovereign to cross-border pursue the King of the Underworld in the Eight Noble Provinces. During the pursuit, members of the Heavenly Judgment have interfered with law enforcement, posing serious life-threatening risks and property damage to our officer, the Prime Heavenly Sovereign." "The Prime Heavenly Sovereign has seized the weapons used by the Heavenly Judgment members. Originally, he intended to arrest the three officers—Osmon Hale, Hoover York, and Xiazuo Charles—who disrupted the proceedings. However, the executive magistrates, the hunters of evil, have resolutely resisted and even attempted to kill our officers. The Prime Heavenly Sovereign has therefore had to temporarily retreat. Now, I formally submit my request to the headquarters to arrest the hunters of evil and other members of the Heavenly Judgment." "This is a complete reversal of the facts!" the upright knight Xiazuo could not help but grow angry. The others narrowed their eyes. Secretary Li coldly remarked: "The executive officers of the Heavenly Judgment were authorized by headquarters to pursue the King of the Underworld within their own country. Elder Fu has distorted the facts and must therefore be held accountable." "Zhou Secretary added, 'Also, Yuanshishitan is a patrol officer from the Songhai branch. He doesn't have enforcement authority within the Ba Gui Province, so to arrest a villain across provinces, he needs approval from the headquarters. What about the headquarters' approval?' Qian Gongzi calmly produced a document and presented it to the group: 'An approval letter issued by the Patrol Headquarters, signed by the Master of the Jian Ge!' The Master of the Jian Ge, a senior commander of the Patrol Headquarters and the highest-ranking leader of each branch's patrol department. The two secretaries exchanged surprised glances—this approval letter caught them off guard. The hunter-mage's expression darkened, and he immediately sensed the tone of the Jian Ge elder. Zhou Secretary paused and said, 'Very well. Then this matter is settled. The headquarters will issue a formal complaint to Tianfa. Now, please return the Tianfa members' equipment. Master Fu cannot represent the headquarters in criticizing Tianfa, can he? Moreover, this isn't grounds for you to claim that you've seized the alliance's equipment.'" "How to condemn the Heavenly Punishment is up to you," Fu Qingyang said coldly. "My task is simply to lay out the logic—after all, I'm a scout." Pausing, he continued: "Now, on behalf of Yuan Shi Tian Zun and Qing He Branch, I am formally demanding compensation from the Heavenly Punishment. Due to its interference with judicial proceedings, it has damaged one of Yuan Shi Tian Zun's yin corpses and disrupted the vegetation of the Ten-Ten Mountain Range. After calculating the damages, I have determined that the Heavenly Punishment must compensate us with one million federal credits for material losses, as well as for Yuan Shi Tian Zun's spiritual damages." Fu Qingyang leaned back slightly, emphasizing the word "compensation" with deliberate weight. "You two negotiate directly. Once the compensation is settled, we will promptly return the items we have detained." He pronounced the word "detained" with particular emphasis. Zhang Yuanqing immediately responded: "The spiritual damages amount to two hundred billion federal credits—any reduction, and we will not accept it." How to reasonably demand a ransom from the Heavenly Punishment is a matter of technical skill. Given our alliance, it's difficult to justify the request as a 'rans There must be a reasonable, legally sound reason that leaves no room for negotiation on the other side. That's difficult. The claim for mental distress damages was a strategic move conceived by Fu Qingyang. While material losses are tangible and quantifiable, mental distress damages are intangible—entirely dependent on the negotiation between both parties. If Tianfa agrees, both twenty billion federal credits will be accepted. "This is extortion!" the Hunter Mage erupted in anger. "We refuse! No one can extort Tianfa!" Fu Qingyang replied coldly, "This is your freedom, but I must inform the Executive Officer that no one can violate the laws of the Wu-Xing Alliance on its territory." "Only a misunderstanding," said Zhang Yuanqing sincerely. "I have not forced the Executive Officer's hand. I have merely presented my request. The initiative lies with you." The Hunter Mage turned to his two secretaries. Li and Zhou remained silent. The approval letter issued by the Jian Ge Elder was a decisive move—it legally and reasonably justified Yuan Shi Tian Zun's actions. Then there would be no breach of contract at all, and Fu Qingyang was seeking compensation—not a redemption fee for captured spoils—so the claim of seizing allies' assets would fall apart. This practice of creating new justifications is commonplace within orderly organizations across nations, such as Tianfa's overseas branches, which have previously employed it. They have successfully secured funding for their overseas members under pretexts like "alleviating mental stress" and "compensation for depression," and the official stance has consistently accepted these requests. The official establishment readily embraces such tactics. The hunter-mage then turned to Miao Elder. Miao Elder remained calm and composed, soothingly saying, "The headquarters will handle the coordination of this matter." He then looked at Zhang Yuanqing: "Though spiritual assets are priceless, Master Yuanshǐ, you may slightly lower your esteemed expectations and offer a price acceptable to Tianfa." This remark revealed Miao Elder's true stance—he did not wish for Tianfa to recover the assets without any cost; he always expected some concessions. Chang Yuanqing hardly hesitated, stating, "One divine-architect-level rule artifact, three master-quality materials—the enchanting perfume and the Thunder God's Seal." Osmon barked, "You want my artifacts? Yuan-Shi Tianzun, did Heaven give you the courage, or is Lucifer backing you up?" "Actually, it's the underdog you've been defeating that's providing this favor," Chang Yuanqing kept returning to his underdog. Osmon grew furious, his face turning ashen. The Hunter murmured, "This does not align with the will of the Divine Judgment. I will report this matter to headquarters." With that, he cut off the connection and vanished into the glowing blue beam. Osmon, Hoover, and Shazao all departed in succession. Chang Yuan清 rose with pleasant ease and bowed to the Senior Monk, "Once the Divine Judgment's compensation is settled, we will transport the King of the Underworld to headquarters." The negotiation phase now began, though the incident had been formally established. ... Fenglinwan Hotel. In the luxurious suite, the four members of the Divine Judgment sat solemnly in the living room. The Hunter of the Wilds sighed, "The upper echelons are determined to secure the King of the Underworld, and they'll likely agree to the Prime Sovereign's demands." A piece of rule-based artifact at the Saint level is quite valuable, yet the House of Divine Judgment is vast and deeply rooted, with foundations even more solid than the Five-Element Alliance—so they can certainly afford to offer one. Hoover narrowed his eyes, "We must make the Prime Sovereign pay a price. We absolutely cannot hand over rule-based artifacts lightly." Osmond glanced at him and spoke firmly, "Stop making empty gestures—revenge can come at any time. First, recover your own artifacts." Summer nodded in agreement. Among the three, Hoover had suffered the least, losing only a single charm perfume, which was still a supporting item. Osmond had lost a key rule-based artifact of his own profession—the very foundation of his strength. Summer too had lost a vital piece of his profession's equipment, suffering a significant drop in combat power. Both of them were eager to regain their own items. The Hunter thought for a moment, saying, "I recall a rule-based item that would be perfect to trade. I'll send an email to headquarters right away."