Negotiations

South Sea.

A streak of light landed on a small island no bigger than the palm of a hand, where Mu Wan, covered in blood, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Golden Core Stage Devil Shark is truly terrifying; I almost couldn't escape."

After taking the healing pills, Mu Wan's pale face regained some color.

"We've now searched the entire 5,000-mile stretch of sea. Only the more dangerous 5,000-mile stretch remains. Hopefully, we won't encounter the Demon King."

Suddenly, Mu Wan coughed violently a few times, spitting out a clump of foul blood onto a large rock.

"Phew, the bloody mess is gone, my chest feels much better." Mu Wan smiled and said.

At that moment, the large stone stained with blood suddenly emitted a faint light, and the blood on it was slowly absorbed.

"What is this?" Mu Wan warily dodged into the air, while simultaneously sticking several Golden Body Talisman onto her body.

In this dangerous environment, Mu Wan is now like a frightened bird, and the slightest disturbance will make her flee.

After the blood was completely absorbed, the faint light emitted by the large rock became brighter, and soon after, several other large rocks around it also emitted a faint light.

These faint lights intertwined, vaguely forming the outline of an array.

"A teleportation array? Great! We've finally found this Sea Demon Sect. I never thought that being chased would lead us to our destination. It's truly a case of fortune and misfortune being intertwined."

After saying that, Mu Wan flashed and appeared directly in the center of the formation.

Soon, a flash of white light appeared, Mu Wan disappeared from the small island.

Meanwhile, Shen Ge followed his senior sister Su Liuyue to the Phoenix Kingdom's palace. Looking somewhat embarrassed, he glanced at Han Yu, who sat regally on the throne, and after a long silence, said with a wry smile, "Han Yu..."

"Alright, I only know what you want. This is the Fortune Dynasty Method, take it." Han Yu interrupted Shen Ge coldly, raising his hand and tossing out a Jade Slip.

Shen Ge accepted the Jade Slip and said with a wry smile, "We've let you down this time. From now on, our entire Righteous Path Alliance will provide the resources you need."

"Enough with the nonsense. I have only one request: protect me, protect my dynasty."

"Don't worry about that, we'll protect you even without you mentioning it." Su Liuyue stood up and said, "Junior brother, let's go, they're waiting over there."

Shen Ge cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Han Yu, said nothing more, turned and followed Su Liu into the distance.

Han Yu sat calmly on the throne, and after a long while, she murmured softly, "Sister, it seems our path will be difficult! But please rest assured, your sister will remove all obstacles!"

Two days later, the group arrived at the battlefield where the Evergreen Sect and the Blood Devil Grotto were fighting. Now, the two sides have temporarily stopped fighting thanks to Zi Nü's persuasion.

Both the righteous and demonic paths had their Nascent Soul Realm present, totaling over fifty. If a chaotic battle were to break out, the entire area spanning thousands of miles might be destroyed.

Ziyang glanced coldly at Blood Devil Grotto Master Blood Devil and his former rival Li Yu beside him, then took out a Jade Slip and said in a cold voice, "This is the Fortune Dynasty Method. You want this, right? Fine, cease hostilities."

The Blood Devil shook his folding fan, his narrow eyes revealing a calm demeanor. "Fellow Daoist Ziyang, this is hardly an attitude of seeking peace."

"Seek peace?" Ziyang shook his head and said coldly, "I have never thought of seeking peace. It's just that some fellow Daoists don't want to fight meaningless wars."

Daoist Qingguang coughed and took over the conversation, saying, "Blood Devil, I think you've misunderstood. This isn't about seeking peace, but rather both sides taking a step back. If we're going to fight to the death, who in the entire Southern Barbarian Lands cultivation world, besides us old folks, will survive?"

"After all, you can destroy our sect, and we can slaughter your disciples just as easily. What's the point of leaving us all alone then?"

"By the way, Blood Devil Demon, I remember you've lived for almost a thousand years. If you can't break through to the Spirit Severing Realm, how many more years do you think you have left to live?" Elder Qingshan of the Evergreen Sect said with a grin.

The Blood Devil closed his folding fan and said in a cold voice, his killing intent undisguised. "Qingshan, your old mouth is still as foul as ever. I shouldn't have killed your senior brother back then; I should have killed you."

Qingshan slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing at the Blood Devil's nose and cursing, "Damn it, if you ever mention this to me again, I'll drag you down with me!"

"Is that so? Do you have the qualifications?" The Blood Devil Demon's aura surged, and the pressure of Nascent Soul Late Stage instantly erupted. At the same time, wisps of blood mist swirled around him, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.

"You..."

Qingshan wanted to say something more, but Qingguang waved his hand to stop him. "Junior brother, that's enough. Control your temper. Being easily angered and irritable is not good."

After saying that, he turned to look at the Blood Devil and the other Devil Cultivator, and said in a calm voice, "Tell me your thoughts. Do you want a lose-lose situation or do you want to back down? We're all busy, we don't have time to waste with you."

The Blood Devil glanced at the Qingguang, his eyes calm as still water, then beckoned to Ziyang: "Let me see the thing?"

Ziyang didn't say anything, he just threw the things over.

After receiving the jade slip, the Blood Devil noticed that everyone around him was looking at him. With a wave of his hand, he revealed the contents of the Jade Slip slip to the air, without keeping it for himself.

After touring all of this, Bai Mei said with some disappointment, "Is this the Fortune Dynasty Method? No wonder it disappeared into the annals of history. Oh well, something useless is better than nothing."

"Are these complete?" the Blood Devil said indifferently. "And that woman? Bring her here, and let me search her soul..."

Ziyang coldly retorted, "Impossible! Don't even think about it!"

"The law has already been shared with you; as for people, you cannot touch them!"

"Blood Devil, I told you, don't think we're afraid of you just because you have the upper hand!"

Blood Devil's expression turned cold, and he said sternly, "Ziyang, are you trying to hide something by refusing so hastily, or is it that you didn't give me the complete method at all?"

"If you want to negotiate, you need to have the attitude to negotiate; don't try to brush it off!"

"The thing is right here, believe it or not." Ziyang sneered, "At worst, we'll keep fighting, fight until the heavens and earth collapse, fight until this land is destroyed, and I'll see if you Devil Cultivator are really so indifferent."

"Are you threatening me?" The Blood Devil's eyes turned cold, and a faint killing intent swirled around him.

"No, no, no, it's not a threat. Fellow Daoist Ziyang is merely stating a fact." An elderly man with white hair spoke up. "Old Ghost Xue, giving you the item is already our biggest concession. Don't push your luck. If you insist on continuing the fight, don't blame me for going to fetch an ancestral artifact!"

This person is High Person Liyue, the head of Yellow Maple Valley. He is at the Nascent Soul Late Stage stage and is not much weaker than Daoist Qingguang. Moreover, Yellow Maple Valley has the longest history among all the sects present. The only sect that can be compared to them is Spirit Moon Sect from the Luo Heaven Sea.

After a heated negotiation, the various factions of the demonic path temporarily withdrew, and this war, which came suddenly, ended just as suddenly.

Neither side suffered any casualties among the Nascent Soul Realm, while thirty Golden Core stage cultivators were killed or injured, and countless Foundation Establishment Realm disciples were killed or injured—the exact number has not been tallied.

This is the cruelty of the cultivation Immortal Realm: a single decision by a strong person can cause countless deaths and injuries to the weak, who are treated like ants.

At the Spirit Moon Sect camp, Shen Ge watched the Hehuan Sect's flying boat gradually disappear into the distance and sighed inwardly. Countless casualties on both sides, and it ended just like that; it felt truly absurd.

On the other side, in the secret realm of the Sea Demon Sect, Mu Wan, covered in blood, knelt on the ground. In front of her, a Sea Demon made of pure water was staring at her with a trident in hand.

Whether it was a misperception or not, the pure water Sea Demon's eyes seemed to be filled with mockery, as if it looked down on Mu Wan's strength.

"Damn it! How dare you, a puppet without any independent consciousness, mock me!" Mu Wan spat out a mouthful of blood and forced herself to stand up.

"You forced me to this, so die!"

Mu Wan shouted sharply, raised her hand and waved, sending countless talismans raining down on the puppet.

At the same time, she quickly formed hand seals, and a sharp and powerful aura emanated from her body.

Flash of Spirit Light!

A flash of white light, and the puppet was cleaved in two. Then, countless explosions rang out, blasting the body that was about to heal into droplets of water that scattered in all directions.

At the same time, Mu Wan's body exploded with wounds, and countless drops of blood gushed out, gathering into a small pool of blood at her feet.

Mu Wan lay on the ground, her face as pale as paper, her breath weak. But even with such serious injuries, she still wore a smile.

Suddenly, a ripple appeared in the air, and a vortex appeared out of thin air. A moment later, a token engraved with the name of Sea Demon fell out.

"Finally, I've passed this disciple trial. Hopefully, I'll find what I'm looking for inside."

After taking the pill, Mu Wan struggled to get up, grabbed the token, and walked deeper into the area. The barrier that had previously blocked her had now disappeared.

On the other side, Lü Yang crawled up from the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had a wound that ran from his left shoulder to his waist, through which his internal organs were faintly visible.

"Master!"

Lü Yang roared and stared at the direction of Flowing Gold Valley for a long time before turning away sadly, leaving behind a desolate figure in the setting sun.

Upon returning to the Spirit Moon Sect, Shen Ge immediately noticed that Mu Wan had left. His expression turned slightly grim, and he seemed somewhat worried.

Moreover, for some reason, Shen Ge always felt empty inside, with a sense of unease.

Thinking of this, Shen Ge immediately summoned Su Sui and asked with a serious expression, "What has your Martial Aunt Mu Wan been researching lately? Do you know where she went?"

Su Sui was intimidated by Shen Ge's imposing manner and said in a weaker tone, "Uncle Mu Wan was recently researching strange tales in ancient books, hoping to find some information about ruins or secret realms."

Shen Ge's heart skipped a beat, and her unease grew stronger.

"So what did she find?"

"I'm not sure. My Martial Aunt Mu Wan didn't tell me in detail, but she mentioned it before, something about the Sea Demon Sect. However, the exact location is unknown, and I don't know if she found it or not."

"The Sea Demon Sect?" Shen Ge murmured a few times, then waved his hand and said, "Alright, go ahead, I'll think about it."

"Master, you'd better think about it quickly, otherwise I'm worried that with Aunt Mu Wan's personality, she might try to force her way into the secret realm, and her life might be in danger."

"Mu Wan did all this for you, Master. You must bring her back safely."

"Alright, alright, stop bothering me."

Shen Ge was already irritable and couldn't stand Su Sui's nagging, so he waved his hand to shoo her away, saying, "Go and tell the other senior uncles to help look for her too. I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, Shen Ge leaped into the air and flew away on his flying sword. After leaving the sect, he headed straight for the South Sea.

The Sea Demon Sect Sea Demon Sect, as its name suggests, is related to the sea, and there is only one sea here, the vast South Sea.

However, the South Sea is too vast, and he doesn't know Mu Wan's exact whereabouts, so he can only try his luck and follow her based on his intuition.

A day later, Shen Ge arrived at the South Sea and, without lingering, plunged directly into the deep sea.

Within the Evergreen Sect.

A woman in a long blue dress stood atop the mountain with slightly red eyes. After a long silence, she turned and glanced at the sect below before turning and leaving.

Inside the Emerald Green Palace, Qingshan sighed softly, "Alas!"

"Junior brother, why are you sighing? Let her go. Although the sect's training is not easy, she has already given back enough. If she wants to leave, let her go."

"After all, we've known each other for a while. Once she's achieved some level of cultivation, would she really dare to turn against the sect that raised her?"

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, I understand. I'm just a little regretful. It's a pity and a shame that the sect has lost two talented disciples."

"Yes, it's a pity and a shame. But now that disciple's heart has withered, his Dao heart is in turmoil, and his future is uncertain. Even if we forcibly keep him here, we'll only be leaving behind a withered flower, and he might even be resented."

On Qingshan three miles away from the Evergreen Sect, two figures, one standing and one sitting, faced each other.

After a long silence, Yue Shan gave a bitter smile, knowing she couldn't persuade her, but still asked, "Senior Sister, are you really not going to reconsider?"

"I'm not considering it anymore. My master is dead, my brother is dead, and my heart is dead too."

Yue Shan opened her mouth, but the words of dissuasion she had prepared stuck in her throat. In the end, she could only respect the other party's decision.

"In that case, senior sister, we are sisters. I've prepared a farewell feast for you. Shall we have a drink?"

Li Xue shook her head, her eyes filled with sorrow. "Junior sister, forget it, I can't eat anymore, I'm leaving."

With that, Li Xue took a step forward, and a flying sword, seemingly imaginary, burrowed under her feet, carrying her into the sky.

Yue Shan stared blankly at the fading light on the horizon, lost in thought. After a long silence, she sighed, "Immortality is far away, immortality is difficult, the path to immortality is littered with bones, the path to immortality is filled with sorrow, the seven emotions and six desires have nowhere to rest, and indifference and ruthlessness bloom in pairs."

"Senior Sister Li Xue, the road to immortality is long, take care."

On a desolate mountain opposite, several figures stood atop it, gazing at the streak of light on the horizon. Though none spoke, they all silently wished each other well: Senior Sister Li Xue, take care!