She still saw that he had not given up as he had a disgruntled look on his face so she had no choice but to talk again to warn him from acting against her. "I wouldn't call for help if I were you or your sect would only suffer unnecessary bloodshed on your side. I assume that you must of shared the wine your closest subordinates or elders of the sect by now. As for what was inside of it I will not mention it but let's just say that you will be fine so long as you do not act against me and we have a successful negotiation of terms so I hope that you will be more cooperative from now on."
The sect leader sighed and then spoke in a helpless but also disgruntled tone of voice as he raised his hands up to show he would not make any sudden movements. "Fine, fine.. I lose. What are you here for then?"
Ki nodded and then spoke calmly. "Do not worry, you will be able to use your strength again once I am gone. For now I would just like to negotiate with you to stop some of your minor activities and grant safe passage for my merchant group in the future without having to pay an excessive toll or be harassed by your subordinates in the future. I also wish for you to stop the war on the central lands from now on and stop letting through many of the tribes that wish to do harm within the central lands."
The sect leader snorted and said. "Why would I do that? How will that benefit me?"
Ki smirked and replied. "It is more beneficial for you to stop before it gets out of hand and many larger influences start to get annoyed with your actions then decide to wipe you out as they did the divine ice sect. The central lands power is beyond your imagination and you cannot fight against them if they come in full force. Instead it would be more beneficial to take up the role of the divine ice sect that they had carried out and begin establishing relationships with various traders and influences that could benefit you better in the future."
The sect leader thought for a moment and then asked. "So you came over here to subdue me and the sect but also wish for us to stop fighting and pushing for war in exchange for trade to be opened up between the north and the central lands? What can we gain for this though?"
Ki replied right away. "You gain some security and support to remain as you have been but also you also have the right to trade with us too for various things like ice attribute herbs and anything that we may need to keep your sect running and your people happy and healthy. I assume that you liked many of the things that were gifted to you last time from and I can provide much more if you can find something to trade for it that is able to catch my interest or match my needs."
She thought for a while and then added. "There may also be times when your sect may be needed to escort the merchant groups now and again to earn some credit with them which you can use to purchase many items. I assume that your sect has a reward system for completing requests or sect duties. Now that the war is coming to an end you will need to find a new purpose in order to keep your people busy, motivated but also able to survive."
Many sects, mercenary groups or organisations that solely get by on joining and creating wars for their own benefit often struggle to remain during periods of peace and find it hard to adjust.
Many groups usually disband or turn on each other but there are occasions where they run out of materials and funding to keep themselves running.
In the north for the warlord sect this could be a death sentence for them but if they cooperate with the merchants and occasionally set escort missions and negotiate with the merchant groups passing through they can begin to earn the trust of people back and develop their sect in a whole new direction.
The sect leader thought for a while and then asked. "I will let you know my decision soon but I agree to some of it since I have no choice but to give in. How can I contact you?"
Ki stepped towards the door and finished up her speech as she was leaving. "Past the border there is a forest there. There are several letter or message boxes on the outer parts of the forest so leave it there and one of my people will deliver it to me. Do not attempt to enter the forest because it is dangerous and remember to not let anyone know of what happened today or think of betraying me. After I leave just go back to sleep since you are in no danger anymore or you can just sit up and think about it for now. The Snowflake and Mulberry merchant groups are the ones that will be cooperating with you in the future by the way so try to make sure that your sect members do not cause them any troubles when they pass through the checkpoint next time and from now on. Oh.. by the way keep an eye out for any suspicious people entering or exiting the border from these affiliated merchant groups, if they are acting suspicious get someone capable to tail them in secret and see what they are up to."
As she left she threw out a piece of paper towards the ground as she left the room.
Although the sect leader could say no it was in his best interests to agree with the terms because although wiping out the sect may be a difficult task… for Ki it was actually quite simple now that she had made the preparations to put Gu worms in their bodies through the wine.
Many high ranking individuals had qi suppressing Gu worms within their bodies so if activated they could not make use of their qi to attack or even defend themselves.
Unrestrained realm experts learn how to solidify their qi to best suit their martial arts but can also create a qi shield to protect themselves from coming in contact with anything harmful or is able to stop projectiles or attacks if it can hold without breaking.
The biggest obstacle Ki had to counter on the sect master was his ability to solidify his qi and attack her with his full strength but without the use of his qi he had to rely solely on his physical body.
The main reason why she wished to give them a chance to stop the war and negotiate was because she found it troublesome to set up a new relationship with who would take their place after they were wiped out by her.
If one group is destroyed then another will show up to claim the land as their own and take the place of the warlord sect.
Since she already knew of the warlord sect and they held their position well within the sect grounds for a long time since the divine ice sect was wiped out she felt that it was worth giving them a chance but also it was wise to put a leash on them in case they suddenly become antagonistic towards her and her family.
If the warlord sect falls another would take their place and then another would take their place as a result but if she could keep them as they are and subdue them then the divine ice sects grounds and the the border would fall under her control as a result.
Now that she had that control she could slowly spread her influence among the merchant groups within slate city but at the same time cut off or make trouble for the troublesome groups that had acted against her a couple of days ago.
As she was growing older her debut was approaching and she needed to use it to her own advantage.
Now that she had put the warlord sect in a cooperative relationship with herself and had also done the same with the slate city merchants the next step was to slowly increase her influence within the north and spread it to the capital with time.
When the time comes she can make a debut at the capital and begin to establish relations with the northern nobles and imperial family.