The envoy from the Qianyuan Domain spoke with a colder tone as he explained.
"Currently, in this Great Thousand World, each world may have other powerful great worlds by its side, and your surroundings are no exception. It's possible that one day, due to being targeted by another great world, your great world could be destroyed!"
"And my master, with a compassionate heart, has proposed to form an alliance with you weak great worlds and offer you protection, so that you are not invaded by other great worlds."
Based on what was said earlier, it did seem benevolent.
However, Ye Yun still grasped the crux of the matter.
"Heh, is there such a good thing? Then, pray tell, what price must we, the Heavenly Domain, pay?"
"Price? There's no need to put it so crudely."
A slight smile played on the envoy's lips as he continued to persuade.
"It's merely a few conditions for cooperation that we hope you will agree to."
"Oh? And what might those conditions be?"
Ye Yun raised his eyebrows.
Then, the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain explained.
"It's very simple. We merely wish to rent some prime cultivation sites from your side for the young cultivators of our Qianyuan Domain to use."
"And annually, at fixed intervals, you are to offer half of your great world's natural treasures and earthly resources to our Qianyuan Domain as tribute."
"These two conditions, are they not too excessive?"
After hearing his terms, Ye Yun and Xing Lian fell silent for a moment.
Soon, their expressions turned grim, especially Ye Yun's, as a killing intent surged within him.
These conditions, not too excessive? Indeed, they were exceedingly excessive!
This was like colonization and paying war protection fees, giving the Ye Yun, who was born under the red flag, a strong sense of déjà vu.
"These conditions..."
"These conditions are already quite good. For the other great worlds, I demand sixty percent, or even seventy percent. Demanding only fifty percent from you is already showing you great respect."
To be fair, this statement was incredibly arrogant and made Ye Yun extremely uncomfortable.
He immediately said in a cold voice, "What if I refuse? What will you do then?"
If they agreed to these terms, the Heavenly Domain would cease to exist in name and in reality!
Therefore, their stance at this moment was crucial.
Hearing this, the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain frowned, and his voice suddenly turned sharper.
"If you refuse, that's also an option. However, our Qianyuan Domain is never lenient with those who are not friends."
As soon as he spoke, Ye Yun's expression completely collapsed.
He narrowed his eyes, stared intently at the envoy, and said word by word.
"What, are you threatening me?"
Since it had come to this, the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain decided to drop the pretense.
He let out a cold laugh and, without any fear, met Ye Yun's gaze, saying,
"You can interpret it that way. Do you have any objections?"
In this world, especially after the Great Thousand Worlds merged, it was an era of absolute survival of the fittest. In his eyes, it was already benevolent that they hadn't directly attacked this world to seize all its resources.
In response, Ye Yun's reply was equally decisive. He let out a cold laugh and said,
"Since that's the case, go back and tell your Celestial God to stop dreaming. It's not good to daydream all the time."
This sarcastic remark immediately made the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain lose his composure.
His face turned ugly, and he roared,
"How dare you disrespect my master like that? You're seeking death!"
For them, the Celestial God had always been their absolute faith.
Seeing Ye Yun disrespect him was like stepping on a cat's tail.
"Die by my hand!"
The envoy from the Qianyuan Domain attacked without hesitation. In his palm, boundless divine power instantly condensed, forming a majestic golden palm that slammed towards Ye Yun!
This was not a casual flick of the wrist from earlier, but the true power of a Star God.
To put it bluntly, if this palm strike landed on the Heavenly Domain, it could shake the entire world!
"Careful!"
Xing Lian warned, her gaze fixed on Ye Yun beside her.
However, Ye Yun had already made his move. He conjured the Dragon God Sword in his palm and unleashed divine fire, cleaving directly at the incoming attack.
The sword edge, infused with the power of dual divine authority, easily split the colossal golden palm, and the overflowing divine energy caused violent explosions in the surroundings.
"This guy, how could he..."
The envoy from the Qianyuan Domain's expression changed as his golden palm was cleaved apart.
That was his full-power strike, and it was resolved so easily. Ye Yun's strength was likely among the top tier of Star Gods!
Ye Yun's figure, having broken through the golden palm, instantly appeared before the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain, his sword edge slashing horizontally.
This seemingly ordinary sword strike contained destructive power, and without any suspense, it sent the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain flying backward. He slammed heavily onto the ground, leaving a massive indentation in the solid surface.
Ye Yun looked at the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain lying in the pit and a smile finally appeared on his lips.
"I hope you remember, this is our Heavenly Domain, not your home, and certainly not a place for you to be impudent."
At this moment, the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain's expression was extremely unsightly. He struggled to climb out of the pit, feeling utterly humiliated.
Looking at Ye Yun again, he knew he was likely no match. He simply shouted sternly,
"You will regret this arrogant and disrespectful act today!"
"Oh? Then believe it or not, before I regret it, I'll make you regret your impertinence here?"
Ye Yun raised an eyebrow, a hint of killing intent in his eyes.
"Don't assume that just because we're both Star Gods, I can't kill you."
His voice was not loud, but the killing intent and unwavering confidence in his words finally made the envoy from the Qianyuan Domain wary.
Under normal circumstances, it was extremely difficult for Star Gods to kill each other.
But Ye Yun's demeanor did not seem like a joke at all...
At this, he finally cowered. Despite his anger, he dared not say anything more.
After getting up, he no longer dared to speak further and fled into the distance without a word.
Only after he had fled far away did he transmit a voice back.
"I will report today's events truthfully to the Celestial God. You just wait and regret it!"
Clearly, he was genuinely afraid of Ye Yun, only daring to utter a threat after he had vanished from sight.
Xing Lian watched the direction he disappeared in and then looked at Ye Yun, asking,
"Aren't you going to kill him?"
"No rush. Killing him now would mean a complete rupture with that level-three great world, which would be more detrimental than beneficial."
Ye Yun shook his head and said slowly.
"After all, if that level-thirty-two Celestial God were to attack now, it would be a bit troublesome to deal with."
Hearing this, Xing Lian quickly grasped the key point.
"You know he's a level-thirty-two Celestial God? And from your words, if he truly came, you would have a way to deal with him?"
"More or less."
Ye Yun nodded and said with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare say more, but I should be able to drive him back."
This statement truly shocked Xing Lian.
She stared at Ye Yun and said, "Drive him back? You really have such a method?"
She had initially thought Ye Yun meant he had some way to stall the opponent.
But to think he could actually drive the opponent back!
This wasn't a difference of three to five levels; this was a difference of a major realm, over thirty minor realms!
What trump cards did this Ye Yun still possess?