Chapter 1307: Yuntai

The hall was deathly silent.

The cultivator surnamed Qi sighed inwardly and quietly instructed his trusted aides to monitor the movements of the Alliance of Two Domains. These old fellows were unruly and wouldn't fully obey his commands.

"Where are Old Devil Ye's confidants currently being held?"

An old man suddenly spoke up, looking at the cultivator surnamed Qi.

Just as the cultivator surnamed Qi was about to speak, a middle-aged man beside the old man scoffed, "Old Devil Ye is clearly insane. Do you really think you can threaten him with these people? His trusted aides and successors are merely tools to deceive others. Old Devil Ye would never reveal any secrets to them."

"Now that I think about it, I've never heard of Old Devil Ye having any living blood relatives. However, his few disciples are quite talented; it's a pity."

Someone remarked indifferently.

Given how many powers Old Devil Ye had offended, one could easily imagine the fate of his disciples. Unable to find Old Devil Ye, they would inevitably be used as targets for revenge.

These old fellows possessed no shortage of torturous methods, making death a difficult escape.

Even among Nascent Soul cultivators, Old Devil Ye had his loyal followers, such as Jiang Chenzi. However, Old Devil Ye himself killed them all, even imprisoning their Nascent Souls, which showed his cunning and ruthlessness.

Other demonic cultivators, on the other hand, merely submitted to Old Devil Ye because of his immense power, not out of loyalty.

"I'll go take a look."

The old man snorted coldly, then rose and walked out.

The cultivator surnamed Qi silently mourned for those individuals.

Just then, a ripple of energy suddenly emanated from outside the hall.

"True Lord Canghong has returned!"

Everyone instantly rose to their feet.

The next moment, True Lord Canghong pushed the door open and entered, causing the old man to quickly halt his steps.

Seeing True Lord Canghong alone, an ominous premonition arose in everyone's hearts.

"I'm afraid I've disappointed you all," True Lord Canghong began. "My power proved insufficient; I couldn't stop Old Devil Ye, and he escaped into the Sin God Palace. Immortal Autumn Orchid is currently setting up a formation to seal the exit of the immortal gate."

True Lord Canghong looked around at everyone, his tone sinking slightly. "Furthermore, I just received a piece of news..."

An hour later, everyone filed out, each person looking grim and moving with haste.

At the Alliance of Two Domains' main camp.

Everyone was engaged in a lively discussion, proposing methods to break the formation.

Suddenly, a junior cultivator at the Core Formation stage entered to report and presented a jade slip.

Old Daoist Zhenyi took the jade slip. After reading it, a hint of surprise appeared on his face, and he chuckled, "This is True Lord Canghong's personal message. Sin Abyss wants to negotiate peace."

"Negotiate peace, or surrender?"

Everyone was greatly astonished.

They had long anticipated this day. Even if they drove the enemy out of the Sin Abyss territory, it would be difficult to completely annihilate them, as the other side still had top masters overseeing their forces.

They just hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Negotiations!"

Old Daoist Zhenyi emphasized, "As for the specific terms, both sides will send representatives to discuss them in person tomorrow morning. What are your thoughts on this?"

As he spoke, Daoist Zhenyi handed over the jade slip for everyone to read.

"Their desire for peace talks isn't surprising. The Withering Primordial Pill was a complete hoax, and continuing the fight would bring no benefit to Sin Abyss."

"However, if we don't push them to the brink, they certainly won't yield easily. Starting negotiations now might make it difficult to secure the best terms."

"It wouldn't hurt to meet them first and see what they have to offer. If we can't agree, then we fight!"

"We don't know if Old Devil Ye is dead or alive. Their eagerness for peace talks suggests another unexpected development. They must have discovered something; we absolutely must clarify it."

"Exactly! We must uncover the full truth about Old Devil Ye!"

"True Lord Canghong wrote in his message that he is willing to discuss Old Devil Ye with us. It seems he intends to use this matter as leverage."

Everyone discussed animatedly, and the topic quickly shifted to Old Devil Ye.

Clearly, their interest in Old Devil Ye far surpassed everything else, just like the Nascent Soul cultivators of Sin Abyss. For them, annexing Sin Abyss was merely gaining a territory, far less significant than the secrets surrounding Old Devil Ye.

True Lord Canghong had indeed seized upon this very point!

Demonic Lord Tongyou lightly tapped the table with his finger and said in a deep voice, "This war has caused heavy losses to both domains, and the people yearn for stability. It's time to recuperate. However, as fellow Daoists have rightly said, we cannot let them off so easily. Sin Abyss must compensate us for the losses inflicted upon our two domains. Furthermore, with the current reversal of the situation, if they wish to negotiate peace, certain items must also be handed over. And, the attack plan we just decided upon will continue to be executed!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Negotiations were acceptable, but Sin Abyss should not even dream of using peace talks to buy time!

At this point, Qu Huan suddenly spoke up, "I don't care about anything else; tell them they must provide a Golden Luo Vine!"

"A Golden Luo Vine? Isn't that one of the most precious spirit herbs within the Star Constellation Sect, said to mature only once every thousand years and never circulated outside?"

Elder Ji exclaimed in surprise, identifying the Golden Luo Vine's origin with a single remark.

Qu Huan chuckled, "Elder Ji is indeed knowledgeable! You're right, if the Golden Luo Vine weren't so rare, I would have acquired it long ago."

Daoist Zhenyi nodded gently. "Fellow Daoist Qu's contributions are evident to all. Since you have a request, we will do our utmost to secure it for you. If any other fellow Daoists have demands, you can also state them now, so we can be well-prepared."

The initial list of participants for the negotiations was set: Daoist Zhenyi, Elder Ji, Demonic Lord Tongyou, Lord Qing, and Qin Sang – five individuals – plus Qu Huan, who was most familiar with Sin Abyss.

"Oh? Is Fellow Daoist Leng still out there?"

Daoist Zhenyi looked at Qin Sang and asked in surprise.

Qin Sang nodded. "Daoist, rest assured, I will send a message to Fellow Daoist Leng explaining the full situation. If he hasn't returned by tomorrow morning, there's no need to wait for him."

After the defensive formation of Yu City was breached, Lord Qing found Qin Sang and said she had an urgent matter to attend to immediately. She then left and had not returned since.

Qin Sang didn't understand why, but didn't ask further, temporarily taking on his senior sister's responsibilities.

Fortunately, Sin Abyss had retreated into the city and dared not launch an attack, so no unexpected developments occurred.

Throughout the night, the area outside the city was brightly lit, as the Alliance of Two Domains methodically prepared for battle, undisturbed by the upcoming negotiations.

The next morning.

A touch of morning glow illuminated the east, intermingling with the golden light shield.

Lord Qing had not returned.

The great battle erupted, shouts of killing shaking the heavens.

Few noticed five figures quietly ascending into the high sky.

White clouds gathered, forming a wide cloud platform high above. The moment they stepped onto the platform, several figures appeared on the other side of the platform, the central one being True Lord Canghong.

Qin Sang saw a familiar face: Immortal Autumn Orchid.

Their gazes met, and they nodded in greeting.

Although they had fought a fierce battle, there was little animosity between them; instead, they harbored some admiration for each other's divine abilities.

"Are you truly bold enough to leave the city, not fearing that we might launch an attack here?"

Daoist Zhenyi flicked his horsetail whisk, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"You are welcome to try."

True Lord Canghong seemed to be unfazed. His gaze swept over the five individuals, noting the absence of Lord Qing. His eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression remained calm as he stepped onto the cloud platform.

Qin Sang awakened his Heavenly Eye Butterfly and discovered that these individuals were covered in a faint, shimmering golden armor, which seemed to originate from the same source as the golden light shield conjured by the grand formation.