Cloud Terrace

The great hall was dead silent. Cultivator Qi sighed inwardly and quietly instructed his confidants to keep a close watch on the movements of the Two Domains Alliance. These old eccentrics were intractable and would never fully heed his commands. "Where are Old Demon Ye's confidants being held right now?" An old man spoke up abruptly, turning his gaze toward Cultivator Qi. Just as Cultivator Qi was about to answer, a middle-aged man beside the elder scoffed. "Old Demon Ye has clearly lost his mind. Do you really expect to threaten him with those people? His confidants and disciples were nothing more than tools to throw dust in people's eyes. There is no way Old Demon Ye would ever reveal any secrets to them." "Come to think of it, I have indeed never heard of Old Demon Ye having any living kin. His disciples had decent talent, though. What a pity," someone remarked faintly. Having offended so many factions, one could easily imagine what fate awaited Old Demon Ye's disciples. Unable to find Old Demon Ye himself, they could only vent their fury on them. These old eccentrics had no shortage of agonizing methods of torture; dying would be difficult. Among the Nascent Soul cultivators, there had also been diehard loyalists to Old Demon Ye, such as Jiang Chenzi. Yet before they could do anything, Old Demon Ye had slaughtered them all himself, trapping their living Nascent Souls—a testament to just how sinister and vicious he truly was. The other devil-path old fiends had merely submitted out of duress due to Old Demon Ye's overwhelming might; they were hardly his confidants. "I'll go take a look," the old man grunted coldly, rising and striding outside. Cultivator Qi offered a silent prayer of mourning for those captives. Right at that moment, a sudden ripple of fluctuations came from outside the hall. "The Daoist has returned!" Everyone surged to their feet. The next moment, Daoist Canghong pushed open the door and entered. The old man promptly stopped in his tracks. Seeing Daoist Canghong alone, a premonition of dread rose in everyone's hearts. "I have disappointed everyone. My strength was insufficient to stop Old Demon Ye, and he escaped into the Sin God Palace. Fairy Qiuzhi is currently laying down an array to seal off the immortal gate's exit." Daoist Canghong looked around at the crowd, his tone sinking slightly. "Furthermore, I have just received a piece of news..." An hour later, the crowd filed out, every face grim and their movements hurried. *** The Two Domains Alliance camp. Everyone was chiming in, discussing methods to break the array. Suddenly, a junior at the Core Formation stage came in to report, presenting a jade slip. Old Daoist Zhenyi took the jade slip. After reading it, a hint of surprise crossed his face, and he chuckled. "This is a handwritten letter from Daoist Canghong. Sin Abyss wants to hold peace talks." "Peace talks or surrender?" Everyone was astonished. They had long anticipated this day would come. Even if they drove the enemy out of the Sin Abyss borders, wiping them out completely would be exceedingly difficult—after all, the opposing side still possessed top-tier powerhouses. They just had not expected it so soon. "Peace talks!" Old Daoist Zhenyi emphasized. "As for the concrete terms, tomorrow at dawn, both sides will send representatives to negotiate face-to-face. What do you all think?" With that, Daoist Zhenyi passed the jade slip around for everyone to read. "It is no surprise they want peace talks. The Kuyuan Pill is an outright fraud. Continuing the war holds zero benefit for Sin Abyss." "However, unless we corner them completely, they certainly won't yield easily. Entering peace talks right now makes it hard to extract the best terms." "There is no harm in meeting them first. Let's see what they can offer. If the talks fall through, we fight again!" "I wonder whether Old Demon Ye is dead or alive. For them to be so eager for peace talks suggests another unexpected turn, likely having uncovered something. We must question them thoroughly." "Indeed! We must find out everything concerning Old Demon Ye, start to finish!" "Daoist Canghong wrote in his letter that he can discuss Old Demon Ye with us. It seems he intends to use this matter as a bargaining chip." *** The crowd buzzed with discussion, and the topic quickly shifted to Old Demon Ye. Clearly, just like the Nascent Soul cultivators of Sin Abyss, their interest in Old Demon Ye far surpassed everything else. To them, annexing Sin Abyss would merely seize a tract of territory, which paled in comparison to the secrets harbored by Old Demon Ye. Daoist Canghong had seized upon precisely this point! Demon Monarch Tongyou tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and said in a heavy voice, "This great war has inflicted heavy losses upon our two domains, and the hearts of the people long for stability; it is indeed time to rest and recuperate. However, what fellow Daoists say is correct—we cannot let them off so lightly. Sin Abyss must pay reparations for the losses previously dealt to our two domains! Furthermore, now that the tables have turned, if they want peace talks, they must hand over certain things as well. In addition, the offensive plan we just finalized will continue to be executed!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Negotiations were fine, but Sin Abyss shouldn't dream of stalling for time with peace talks! At this moment, Qu Huan suddenly piped up, "I don't care about anything else, but tell them they must deliver a Huangluo Vine!" "Huangluo Vine? Isn't that one of the most precious spirit herbs in the Xingheng Sect? It's said only one mature Huangluo Vine comes forth every thousand years, and it is never allowed to circulate outside," Elder Ji remarked in surprise, readily stating the origins of the Huangluo Vine. Qu Huan chuckled dryly. "Elder Ji is indeed knowledgeable! Exactly. If the Huangluo Vine weren't so rare, I would have gotten my hands on it long ago." Daoist Zhenyi nodded gently. "Fellow Daoist Qu's merits are plain for all to see. Since you have a request, we will certainly do our utmost to secure it for you. If other fellow Daoists have demands, you may raise them first as well, so that we can have clear targets." A preliminary roster of representatives for the negotiations was established: Daoist Zhenyi, Elder Ji, Demon Monarch Tongyou, Qingjun, and Qin Sang—five people—along with Qu Huan, who was most familiar with Sin Abyss. "Oh? Fellow Daoist Leng is still outside?" Daoist Zhenyi looked toward Qin Sang and asked in surprise. Qin Sang nodded. "Rest assured, Daoist. I will transmit a message detailing the whole sequence of events to Fellow Daoist Leng. If she hasn't returned by tomorrow morning, there is no need to wait for her." After breaching Yucheng's protective grand array, Qingjun had sought out Qin Sang, claiming she had encountered an urgent matter requiring immediate attention, and departed. She had not returned since. Qin Sang had been baffled but did not pry, temporarily filling in for his senior sister's duties. Fortunately, Sin Abyss was holed up inside the city and dared not strike out, so no unexpected complications had arisen. *** Throughout the night, lights blazed outside the city. The Two Domains Alliance methodically prepared for battle, unaffected by the impending negotiations. Early the next morning. A touch of morning glow lit the eastern sky, mirroring the golden light barrier. Qingjun had not returned. The battle erupted, war cries shaking the heavens. Few noticed the five silhouettes quietly ascending high into the sky. White clouds converged high above, coalescing into a broad cloud terrace. The moment they stepped onto it, several figures flashed into view on the opposite side, the central figure none other than Daoist Canghong. Qin Sang spotted a familiar face: Fairy Qiuzhi. Their gazes met, and they nodded in greeting. Though they had fought an intense battle, there was little grudge between them; if anything, each had come to admire the other's divine abilities. "Fellow Daoist truly dares to step outside the city? Are you not afraid we will strike right here?" Daoist Zhenyi flicked his horsetail whisk, a glint of chill passing through his eyes. "Feel free to try." Daoist Canghong seemed completely confident in his backing. His eyes swept across the five of them, and upon noticing Qingjun was absent, his gaze focused slightly, but he stepped onto the cloud terrace with composure as usual. Qin Sang awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and discovered an indistinct layer of golden armor enveloping these people, seemingly sharing the same origin as the golden light barrier conjured by the grand array.