"Yes, these three are the strongest among the leaders of the settlements, and they are at the King Level!" Xiao Hong took out three intelligence reports.

"Three people, you say?"

The number somewhat surprised Chen Jiuge; he initially thought there was only one.

Su Ming, once an ordinary cultivator of the Seven Lights Tribe, suddenly defected at some point, and during his defection, his cultivation soared rapidly. In just a few hundred years, he broke through to the King Level.

His reputation in the settlement is quite good. He does not bully the weak and proactively helps weaker settlements, but he has significant issues with certain tribes. The greatest risk of collaborating with him is the potential antagonism from the Seven Lights Tribe.

Ye Shan was born in the settlement and mistakenly entered a secret realm in his youth, gaining great fortune and smoothly advancing to the King Level.

He values his settlement highly, and under his assistance, his settlement is the strongest in the entire Sunset Mountain Range.

Collaborating with him requires caution due to his notable ambitions.

Ben Yu, of the Alien Race, leads a settlement where all members are of the Alien Race. Because of the Sunset Mountain Range's hostility towards the Alien Race, despite his strength being akin to the first of the King Level, life hasn't been easy for him.

Collaborating with him carries a high success rate, but he is highly likely to demand joining the Star Moon Tribe, which may cause dissatisfaction among other tribes.

Xiao Hong has thoroughly collected the data on the three and even analyzed the potential dangers of collaborating with them.

"Clan Leader, in my personal opinion, Su Ming is the best collaborator. Although he might provoke the hostility of the Seven Lights Tribe, the Seven Lights Tribe already harbors ill intentions towards us, the Star Moon Tribe!"

"Furthermore, with the Four Seasons Tribe around, the Seven Lights Tribe can't possibly engage us in battle for now!"

"Next would be Ye Shan; his ambitions are grand, but at most, it just means paying some extra during collaboration!"

"As for Ben Yu, the prejudice against the Alien Race in the Sunset Mountain Range is too strong. Collaborating with Ben Yu is likely to backfire, and establishing the terms of cooperation is challenging."

"No rush. First, invite all three over here; let me meet them face to face!"

Chen Jiuge didn't fully trust the information on paper, not that Xiao Hong's intel was inaccurate, but because what intelligence could uncover was merely surface-level. You can only be sure after meeting in person.

"Alright, I'll make the arrangements!"

"Mm, thank you!"

..........

The settlements in the Heavenly Gift Realm are actually more like the loose cultivators in the True Realm.

Loose cultivators aren't part of major powers, but that doesn't mean they are alone. In the cultivation world, going solo leads to a faster death. Even the least popular loose cultivator will have a few friends!

Due to opportunities, falling out among loose cultivators is rare. Success in cultivation isn't determined by a single opportunity, unless, of course, it's a significant one.

Su Ming is a middle-aged strong man with light golden curls. His ruggedly brazen face paired with his light golden curls makes him look like a majestic lion.

"Clan Leader of the Star Moon Tribe?"

Su Ming scrutinized Chen Jiuge with some confusion, seemingly unable to believe that it was he who led the Star Moon Tribe.

"Indeed, I am Chen Jiuge. Nice to meet you, Mr. Su Ming. I have a keen interest in you!" Chen Jiuge said with a faint smile. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"On the contrary, I'm quite disappointed by you!"

Su Ming couldn't quite comprehend as he said, "As a clan leader, your strength is unexpectedly weak."

"I'm from the outside world, which is a bit different from you all. Personal strength is important, but so are external factors, isn't it?"

Chen Jiuge gestured for Zi Qianlian and Dali to leave, while Jialouluo, present to oversee, unapologetically released his ferocious aura.

"Looks like I've been short-sighted!"

From Chen Jiuge's simple gesture, it was evident that these three obeyed his orders. While Zi Qianlian and Dali were not lacking in strength, they failed to grab Su Ming's attention—but Jialouluo was different.

He was a formidable opponent within the same realm.

"Mr. Su Ming, the reason I've invited you today is to discuss cooperation!"

"Cooperation?" Su Ming frowned slightly, puzzled. The Star Moon Tribe has people, money, and resources. What could they need from a mere small settlement leader like me in a collaboration?

No, there is something—himself!

Not to boast, but Su Ming's strength was formidable even among the King Level, with only Ben Yu being able to command his respect.

"Don't you know my background? Your Star Moon Tribe is impressive, that Heavenly Snake is a Heavenly King Level expert. But I hail from the Seven Lights Tribe. Collaborating with me means the Seven Lights Tribe won't let your Star Moon Tribe off!"

"Moreover, considering my understanding of the Seven Lights Tribe, your Star Moon Tribe is such a juicy target. If not for the presence of the Heavenly Snake, you might have been devoured long ago!"

"Then, Mr. Su Ming, from your perspective, do you think the Seven Lights Tribe would abandon the idea of annexing the Star Moon Tribe even if we don't collaborate?" Chen Jiuge countered.

Su Ming paused for a moment, then laughed, "I hadn't thought of it that way!"

"I'm curious, what exactly do you want to collaborate on?"

Chen Jiuge smiled slightly. Since Su Ming brought up the question, it seemed he had already given it some thought.

"The details of the cooperation are confidential. So, if you wish to know, Mr. Su Ming, you'll need to sign this contract first!"

This was the Blood Contract of the Heavenly Gift Realm, different from the Heavenly Dao Contract of the True Realm. In the Heavenly Gift Realm, immortal power couldn't be used, which logically meant one couldn't invoke the Heavenly Dao, making the contract void.

However, how the cultivators of the Heavenly Gift Realm managed to create this Blood Contract with sheer essence blood was beyond understanding.

The binding power of the Blood Contract was strong; within the Heavenly Gift Realm, no matter your cultivation, you couldn't escape its constraints—at least, that's what Chen Jiuge had learned. But with the vastness of the Heavenly Gift Realm, there could be other means Chen Jiuge didn't know of.

"A Blood Contract? You're really willing to go all out!"

A single Blood Contract requires at least the equivalent of three drops of a Golden Blade Warrior's essence blood. Whether in the Heavenly Gift Realm or the True Realm, a cultivator has a maximum of nine drops of essence blood; nine is the utmost number, constant everywhere.

The contract merely demands that Su Ming not disclose the details of the cooperation to anyone else.

"Interesting!"

With Su Ming's signature, Chen Jiuge, smiling cheerfully, started to explain the content of the cooperation.

After hearing it, Su Ming was silent for a long time, with a mix of surprise and skepticism: "The Five Stars Tribe, it hasn't been completely engulfed by the Three Lives Tribe yet."

"What benefits would I gain from cooperating with you?"

"That depends on what you want, Mr. Su Ming. If it's something our Star Moon Tribe can satisfy, the cooperation shouldn't be an issue. If we can't meet it, then there's nothing else we can do!" Chen Jiuge shrugged casually, indicating he wasn't too concerned.

In reality, Chen Jiuge wasn't too worried; Su Ming was just the first. For the remaining two individuals, as long as Chen Jiuge was willing to offer benefits, collaboration wouldn't be difficult.

Su Ming hesitated briefly and then solemnly said, "I need a guarantee!"

"A guarantee?" Chen Jiuge frowned slightly, not comprehending Su Ming's intent.

Su Ming didn't answer directly but instead spoke about his past: "Many years ago, I was expelled from my tribe for certain reasons and was hunted down. As a youth, I thought I was doomed."

"But then this settlement saved me. Like mice struggling to survive in the dark within the Sunset Mountain Range, this settlement dared to risk everything to rescue me!"

"I remember when I woke, I asked a question!"

"Why did you save me? Aren't you afraid the Seven Lights Tribe will annihilate you?"

"A kind old man kindly replied: 'Child, I don't know what you've been through, but every life is precious, and even in the face of despair, one mustn't give up!'"

"Is this why Mr. Su Ming became the leader of this settlement? So the guarantee you want is to protect the settlement?" Chen Jiuge queried.

"Precisely. Many years ago, I reached the bottleneck in my cultivation. I am deeply grateful to that old man back then. But the settlement lacks him now, and I've protected it long enough. However, I don't want the settlement I've painstakingly protected to disappear once I leave!"

"I want the Star Moon Tribe to accept them. In return, I will assist in dealing with the Five Stars Tribe. Additionally, I'll affiliate myself with the Star Moon Tribe. If I successfully breakthrough, I will return; if I fail, then so be it!"