Chapter 544: The Demon Sect's Plea

It was the sixth day of the first lunar month, and Yuanchu Mountain still carried the festive spirit of the New Year.

Inside the Dongtian Pavilion, Qin Wu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a slight frown on his face, looking a bit troubled.

"Meng Chuan, you are currently in charge of Yuanchu Mountain! You just go into seclusion and dump all the responsibilities on me. You have so many primordial spirit avatars; can't you spare one to handle affairs?" Qin Wu muttered, quite helpless. He glanced at a nearby room from afar, which led to a grotto-heaven world. "And I don't know when he'll emerge from seclusion."

As he was troubled, a figure descended from the sky—it was Meng An.

"Meng An," Qin Wu said, smiling as he looked at him. Although Meng An's talent couldn't compare to a prodigy like Meng Chuan, he was still exceptional. His current strength was probably even slightly higher than Qin Wu's.

"Master," Meng An humbly replied.

When Meng An joined Yuanchu Mountain, Qin Wu was still its presiding elder and also gave lectures at the Dongtian Pavilion.

Qin Wu had lectured at the Dongtian Pavilion for a full three hundred years. Many generations of demon-slayers—grandparents, fathers, and children—had listened to his teachings and collectively referred to him as 'Master.'

Over three hundred years, Qin Wu had garnered countless disciples, and among them were various relationships, including fathers and sons, and husbands and wives.

"Meng An, what is it?" Qin Wu asked.

"I need to find my father, but I can't reach him," Meng An asked. "I heard that Master is now in charge of the Dongtian Pavilion. I wanted to ask, what's wrong with my father? Is he ignoring me?"

"Your father is in seclusion," Qin Wu explained. "He's ignoring all outside matters unless it's an earth-shattering event."

"In seclusion?" Meng An couldn't help but ask. "For how long?"

"Your father just told me he should emerge within a year. I don't know the exact time," Qin Wu said.

"Within a year?" Meng An secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "There's still time."

At that moment, a disciple cautiously approached, respectfully bowing. "Greetings, two Venerables," he said. "The leader of the Heavenly Demon Gate has come to visit the mountain and wishes to see Emperor Dongning."

"Oh?"

Qin Wu was somewhat surprised. "Come, lead the way," he said.

"Yes," the disciple respectfully replied.

Meng An, however, did not follow. For the leader of the Heavenly Demon Gate, having one Venerable meet them was already a rare honor; it was highly unlikely that several Venerables would meet them together.

Inside a grand hall on Yuanchu Mountain.

Qin Wu entered the hall.

"Master," the current Yuanchu Mountain Lord, 'Sword-Nine King,' immediately rose. Qin Wu then took the main seat, while Sword-Nine King obediently sat to the side.

"The leader of the Heavenly Demon Gate?" Qin Wu said, looking at the elegant middle-aged man before him.

This middle-aged man had a few streaks of white hair at his temples, and his entire demeanor was slightly somber. He was a primordial spirit avatar.

"Greetings, Venerable Qin Wu," the Heavenly Demon Gate leader said, bowing with a smile. His smile naturally held an eerie charm.

"I truly didn't expect that a Heavenly Demon Gate leader could also reach the sixth layer of the primordial spirit," Qin Wu said in surprise. He himself had high talent in the way of the sword, but was relatively inferior in primordial spirit cultivation. It wasn't until the victory of this war, and the mental perfection achieved from nine hundred years of striving towards a goal finally succeeding, that he reached the sixth layer of the primordial spirit.

Yet, this mysterious Heavenly Demon Gate leader had also reached the sixth layer of the primordial spirit.

The Heavenly Demon Gate leader, cultivating a flawed 'Heavenly Demon System,' had forcefully reached the fifth heaven of the Heavenly Demon realm. His primordial spirit talent was even higher, allowing him to firmly hold his position as leader.

"I have a physical defect, so I can't condense a core in the God-Demon system," the Heavenly Demon Gate leader said with a slight smile. "The Heavenly Demon system, on the other hand, is exceptionally suited for me. However, I am only a fifth-heavenly demon, with less than a hundred years of life remaining."

"Why have you come?" Qin Wu asked, looking at him.

"Where is Emperor Dongning?" the Heavenly Demon Gate leader asked. "This matter concerns the fate of many heavenly demons in the entire Heavenly Demon Gate. We still hope to meet Emperor Dongning and hear his personal promise."

"Speak!" Sword-Nine King, who was beside them, frowned and snapped.

The three great human sects were all hostile towards the Heavenly Demon Gate.

This was a force that had betrayed humanity!

Over the years, they had caused too much harm to humanity. Many God-Demons and mortals had died because of the Heavenly Demon Gate, and even some young, nascent mortal geniuses had perished at their hands.

Now they were getting presumptuous, thinking 'Venerable Qin Wu' wasn't enough, and demanding to see Emperor Dongning?

"I'll speak."

The Heavenly Demon Gate leader did not press further, smiling slightly. "I represent the many heavenly demons, and I come to beg for our lives."

"Lives?" Qin Wu looked at him. "Yes, if you all surrender, I can guarantee your lives."

"If we surrender, we fear we'll be immediately imprisoned and tormented daily. That kind of 'life' we dare not accept," the Heavenly Demon Gate leader said with a smile. "What many of us heavenly demons want is for the human God-Demons to let bygones be bygones, for our Heavenly Demon Gate practitioners to live peacefully under the sun, and for the three great sects to treat us as equals to ordinary God-Demons. If we commit major crimes again, the three great sects can severely punish us. But if we don't commit any more offenses... no further action should be taken."

Qin Wu frowned upon hearing this and waved his hand. "The sins committed must bear their price," he declared. "If you want to be exempted from all punishment, you can go back and see if you can escape the pursuit of our Yuanchu Mountain."

The Heavenly Demon Gate leader said calmly, "Our Heavenly Demon Gate's stronghold has gone undiscovered by God-Demons for many years, and it will remain so in the future. If you don't spare us, the heavenly demons will have nowhere to retreat... they will only continue to be enemies with the God-Demons, and many, many people will die then."

"Oh?" Qin Wu looked at him. "Continue."

"Actually, I only have a few decades left until my lifespan limit. If I don't surrender, I can still live freely," the Heavenly Demon Gate leader said. "I'm merely relaying a message on behalf of the many heavenly demons. Many heavenly demons desperately want to live, and if the God-Demons don't give them a way out... the heavenly demons will have no choice but to launch a desperate counterattack. So, I advise Venerable Qin Wu to think carefully."

"You're dreaming," Qin Wu said, staring at him.

"The Heavenly Demon Gate now has over a thousand heavenly demons, with three reaching the fifth heaven," the Heavenly Demon Gate leader continued. "As for the ordinary disciples who haven't become heavenly demons, they are countless, all mortals, integrated into various cities. Are the three great sects truly determined not to give us a way out? I think this matter still needs to be put to Emperor Dongning for his decision."

Qin Wu looked at him and said coldly, "This matter will be relayed to Meng Chuan and also requires discussion among the three great sects. Because of the extensive implications, we will give the Heavenly Demon Gate a reply in one year."

"Very well, then we shall await the God-Demons' reply," the Heavenly Demon Gate leader said with a slight smile, and turned to leave.

Qin Wu watched as the other party flew away into the distance.

"Master?" Sword-Nine King asked, looking at Qin Wu.

"The Heavenly Demon Gate is different from the demon race," Qin Wu said, frowning with worry. "Their roots penetrate everywhere; from large cities to even ordinary villages, there might be their people. If they fully erupt, the destructiveness would indeed be immense. We must think carefully about how to minimize losses while still eliminating this group of human traitors."

Sword-Nine King nodded.

Another month passed.

A demon king came to visit the mountain.

The demon kings in the human world, especially the fourth-heavenly and fifth-heavenly demon kings hiding in small grotto-heavens, found themselves trapped. The only places that could accommodate their return to the demon realm were the large and extra-large city gates, which were so heavily guarded that returning was impossible.

With the war lost, staying in the human world meant perpetual hiding—such a life was simply a nightmare.

Thus, they had no choice but to 'negotiate.'

Spring passed, and summer arrived. Meng Chuan had been painting for a full five months and nine days.

Still in that same hall.

Meng Chuan was still sitting cross-legged, painting meticulously.

"Phew." With a lift of his brush, Meng Chuan looked at the scroll before him. It was an extraordinarily long painting; the longest painting paper Meng Chuan had prepared was thirty zhang, something he had intentionally sought out.

Yet, he had used three pieces of paper connected together to form this super-long scroll.

At the very end of the scroll, he had painted a prosperous era—the current days of peace and prosperity.

"Everyone."

"We did not let your sacrifices be in vain; we won this war," Meng Chuan said. He addressed these words to the many God-Demons and hundreds of millions of warriors who had died in battle. He then wrote two characters on the far right of the scroll: 'Spine.'