If there was a benefit from most besiegers on the east side of the ravine being from small powers, it was that they were too cowardly or inexperienced to act. Bai Qi spent over two hours in the tower between the duels against the [Brave Wolf Gang] and the [Void Palace] leadership that negotiated for He Delan using Bai Qi's captives as a bargaining chip. And during this time, not a single cultivator from the over twenty outside tried to enter.

It wasn't that Bai Qi would not negotiate himself or wanted the Palace to take over, but that he wasn't capable of the feat. The only manner possible to communicate between towers was the void connection, accessible only to members of the Palace and active in the control rooms only, so regardless of Bai Qi's thoughts, he still would have to depend on the Palace members for the talks.

Thus, knowing that only two results could be possible anyway, Bai Qi chose to spend the time that the negotiations, with the help of the Elders in both the 7th and 8th towers, happened to heal and recuperate. Not to mention entirely quiet his bloodlust, as the previous calm was nothing more than a temporal stopper.

***

{It's almost done. The Wolves agreed to release He Delan in exchange for the three, although they will not give any guarantees. Thus, as soon as the deal happens, you two will need to escape on your own.} Zou Chun's voice entered Bai Qi's mind a few minutes after the talks began.

{I see, and what about the tower's matter? As I understand, Senior He went there not for sightseeing.} Bai Qi asked as he opened his eyes and stood up.

Previously, the [Void Palace] had not deliberately hidden information from Bai Qi. But this time, except for He Delan's capture, nothing had been revealed. Still, Bai Qi wasn't a naive idiot, and he was well aware that no Elder would cross half of the ravine, with He Delan's tower being on the west side if something important was not going on.

{You are right, but regretfully, we have no way to make the 9th tower Elder reach the basement, which was He Delan's objective. So between losing a chance of finding out information and saving the Elder, the Head of the Palace decided on the latter.} Zou Chun answered, but he continued avoiding explaining the entire matter. He saw no harm in telling everything to Bai Qi, but orders continued to be ones of no interference and to do that, Bai Qi had to be able to continue whatever he planned to do. This latter, impossible if he had to take part in the distraction.

Zou Chun kept the thought to himself, but he could not help but try and guess the reasons. Not that he had any luck with it, as Zou Chun had been in the dark about most events, bar the ones important enough for Head Kongbai to convey to all towers.

{So the matter lies in the 8th tower Elder coming out of the Control Room and having access to the basement? In that case, please add the condition that the exchange will occur outside the 8th tower and that I request no one except the Wolves to be present. It does not give any guarantees but generates more danger as they may surround us as soon as we complete the exchange, so probably, they will agree.} Bai Qi thought for a moment before proposing a few changes.

In truth, he did not care much about the reasons and objectives of the [Void Palace], but had he not decided to help them?

{Are you sure?} Zou Chun asked in confirmation, inwardly surprised about Bai Qi's offering what Zou Chun himself would have done.

{Yes. I will finish patching up the two wounded Wolves and then move to the first floor. Please give me a signal as the talks conclude.}

{But will you not require help to reach the 8th tower? There are over thirty presences outside, and your aura isn't entirely stable yet.} Zou Chun, thanks to the tower's formation, could sense that Bai Qi's state wasn't close to the peak, and by far, so he, since the start, had intended to join up clearing the surrounding area. Something only reinforced now that Bai Qi would also have to move an entire mile while carrying three captives.

{No need. I do not plan to fight the ones outside anyway.} Bai Qi responded and shut his mind, effectively severing the connection, not answering the follow-up questions about what he meant.

***

Bai Qi thought to himself as he exited the tower and faced the dozen [Forest Lion Cult] sages and the now almost two dozen [Earth's Demon Sons] outside.

Clad in the 3rd [Brave Wolf Gang] member's robe, as it was the only one undamaged, Bai Qi planned to send everyone away in the name of the gang, and now, it was time to see if it would work.

After a few seconds of silence, enough to secure the attention of everyone around, Bai Qi loudly proclaimed, "Listen, you all. The [Black and White Terror] cowardly hid in the control room, along with the spineless cowards from the Palace. As there is no one of the river idiots remaining, we will take hold of the tower until our boss orders otherwise. Now, scram, there is nothing for you here."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

After finishing and not planning to give anyone a chance to check on his aura or refute his words, Bai Qi turned around and returned inside. He thought as he sat near the entrance.

The cultivators outside probably would discuss something and maybe curse at the overbearing Wolves, but Bai Qi could not hear them anyway. But whatever happened outside, no one attempted to enter the tower, and when he asked Elder Zou to check, the amount had started decreasing.

A few minutes later, along with Elder Zou's confirmation of successful talks with the [Brave Wolf Gang], the Elder also confirmed that Bai Qi's plan had been successful. Not a single cultivator from the other powers remained outside.

{Did you know they would leave?} The Elder asked in astonishment. Zou Chun had not even thought of something like that, and the idea wasn't even hard to come up with.

{No, but it had a chance to work out. And if they did not leave, I would have done the same thing as previously, forcefully clear the area.} Bai Qi may be battered and yet to restore completely, but he was capable of dealing with cultivators below the 2nd level Warrior Lord realm that had no prominent prowess.

{...I see. Now, the Wolves have agreed to what you said. They are waiting for you outside the 8th tower. Vice-head Tao requested me to accompany you if you think it is necessary.} In truth, Tao Xuegang had said the contrary, ordering Elder Zuo to stay put, but the latter could not avoid offering.

{No need to risk yourself, Senior.} Bai Qi refused immediately, although not without inwardly thanking the Elder for the offer.

***

Somewhere close to a quarter of an hour since the previous time, Bai Qi left the tower again.

Usually, Bai Qi would have no qualms about taking offered help, but his plan wasn't even close to the one discussed previously. Indeed, while he said that he would go to make the exchange, and he would, Bai Qi wasn't planning to leave at all.

He wanted to create a disturbance and allow the Elder in the 8th tower to check on the formations. And that would be far riskier than anything he had done until now. After all, the [Brave Wolf Gang] was strong, a far cry from the fodder that Bai Qi had been attacking until now.

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Before entering the [Ice Phoenix Ravine], Bai Qi had sent his two, at that time, companions away on different missions.

Ma Su's mission was simple, to reach [Yan Yu City] and inform them of the siege. Bai Qi had no idea, at that moment, if the Palace had already done so but considered it a reasonable precaution. As it turned out later, he had been right to do it.

The city was close to five hundred miles from the eastern end of the plateau, and adding another half day for Ma Su to cross the latter, Bai Qi assumed she would have informed the city not later than the next day from his arrival.

With no way to contact or confirm, it remained unknown if she did, but even if she did not, Bai Qi had also sent a glyph to [Shuomen City]. A long-range glyph would have required something like half a day to get to the city, and adding a few hours for the message to be passed - the news should have reached the [Great Forest Sect] not later than the next day from his arrival, as well.

From what Bai Qi knew from the [Void Palace] members, the Overlord of the region would react, and so, not later than two days after receiving the news, reinforcements should arrive.

So, whatever was the case, Bai Qi expected to see at least some reinforcements on the 3rd day.

For Fan Jia, her mission was to get back to the Beastmen, pass them a message, and make them stay back until the 3rd day.

Knowing Bai Ze and Bai Rui, as well as Kass Shaa'r, would ignore his words if not given a task, Bai Qi had Fan Jia carry a written message from him, in which he asked them to do a few things.

Not because Bai Qi considered their presence unnecessary, as it wasn't so. After all, they were strong and reliable, and allies like them would be useful right now. Still, he did not want to risk them without finding out everything before, so he deliberately planned to have them stay back until the reinforcements, in the case he was the first to call for them, arrived.

Thus, with all taken into account, Bai Qi's deadline for whatever craziness he did next was three days. And by now, Bai Qi had spent nearly two entire days in the [Void Palace] grounds...

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Not only did Bai Qi or the [Void Palace] have their plans, timings, and deadlines, the besiegers did so as well.

And the [Seven Souls Sect] plan, one that had begun exactly six hours ago, was about to be made apparent to everyone.

To be exact, the long-planned and prepared scheme to deal with the [Void Palace] had finished all preparations, and it began as Bai Qi, with the three restricted captives in tow, took only a few steps outside the tower.

Regretfully for Bai Qi, he would find out about what it entailed too late, by the moment he was already facing over twenty cultivators dressed in wolf-fur robes...