Chapter 417: Negotiation

Duan Xingyun gave Luo Linlang a speechless look. "It’s obvious you don’t pay attention to your studies. A Unity Talisman can only be used by a man and a woman who are of one mind. They’re most often used between cultivation partners."

"If anyone could use them, would I have needed to give the other one to Xie Ningyuan?"

Luo Linlang let out a disappointed "Ah." "So Little Junior Sister and I can’t use them because we’re both women..."

Li Qiancheng gave her an exasperated tap on the head. "Alright, stop making a fuss. Mr. Xie is even more worried about Little Junior Sister’s safety than you are. The scenario you’re imagining—where she calls for help and he doesn’t notice—won’t happen."

Xie Ningyuan also cupped his hands toward Luo Linlang with a solemn expression. "Please, rest assured. I would never take Little Jiu’s safety lightly."

Luo Linlang still looked reluctant, but she didn’t say anything more.

Then, Xie Ningyuan and Lu Sangjiu each placed a Unity Talisman on themselves. With a flash of light, the talismans sank into their bodies.

"These Unity Talismans were made with the finest materials. Barring any external interference, their effect will last for ten years. That should be plenty of time."

Lu Sangjiu nodded, then worked out a secret signal with Xie Ningyuan.

Once they had agreed, Lu Sangjiu added, "You mentioned you were preparing to attempt your breakthrough to the Transcendence Tribulation Stage, so I’ll be sure to give you plenty of time."

"So you can rest easy. For the first month at least, I won’t get into a direct conflict with Cangming. Any action will have to wait until after that."

"During that time, just focus on your tribulation. You don’t have to worry about me."

Having said all she needed to say to Xie Ningyuan, Lu Sangjiu turned to Duan Xingyun. "Master, what are your plans after this?"

"After we see you through these peace talks, we’re preparing to head back to the sect."

"Like you said, there’s likely a tough fight ahead of us. We need to be fully prepared."

"Now that Qian Cheng has the inheritance of the Demon God Hall, Linlang has fully awakened her Fire Phoenix bloodline, and Yu Zhao has acquired a new Abnormal Fire, they can all protect themselves. You don’t need to worry about them."

Li Qiancheng and the others nodded. "Don’t worry, Little Junior Sister. You’ve done everything you can. Just leave the rest to us!"

Xie Ningyuan gave her a long look. "I won’t make a move unless you send word. If I succeed in my tribulation, I will join the operation to corner He Guang and his followers. I’ll watch over your senior brother and the others for you."

"But all of this is contingent on one thing... Lu Sangjiu, you have to take care of yourself. Ask for help when you need it. Don’t make sacrifices just to appease them."

Lu Sangjiu nodded emphatically and smiled at the group. "Don’t act like this is our final farewell. We will meet again."

「Three days later, Yuelin City.」

The representatives from the Immortal Gates arrived early, gathering at the City Lord Mansion.

The Transcendence Tribulation Stage expert overseeing the city was the renowned Feiyun True Man from the Lingjian Sect.

However, she was not participating in the talks and thus didn’t make an appearance. Her sole responsibility was to stand guard over the city and only take action if the Demon Cultivators made any unusual moves.

Li Qiancheng and the others had insisted on coming as well. Even if they couldn’t be of any help, they wanted to be there with Lu Sangjiu.

They didn’t have to wait long before the Demon Cultivators arrived.

Besides Fa Shan and Cangming, several other Body Integration Realm cultivators from their respective sects had come. Fa Shan had also brought his disciple, He Ming.

After all, he was the Young Master of the Divine Tomb Sect and needed the experience of such an event.

He Ming hadn’t seen Lu Sangjiu and her friends in a long time, and his eyes lit up the moment he spotted them.

But with so many people present, he couldn’t be too obvious about it and could only offer them a subtle smile.

Lu Sangjiu discreetly returned his nod, which made him overjoyed.

The representatives for the Immortal Gates in this negotiation were the Sect Leaders of the Lingjian Sect and the Seven Emotions Sect. The Western Demon Realm was represented by Fa Shan and Cangming.

At the main table, besides these four, no one else was permitted to speak. They could only observe.

They began by discussing how the Cultivation World and the Western Demon Realm should coexist after a peace agreement was reached.

After several rounds of back-and-forth, they finally reached an agreement.

In the future, both the Western Demon Realm and the Immortal Gates would restrain their followers and forbid them from harming anyone from the opposing side. Any conflicts that arose would be resolved through a fair trial.

Any wrongdoers would be dealt with on an individual basis, without collective punishment or fueling conflict between the two peoples.

In short, everyone was to be treated equally, judged by their crimes alone, not by their affiliation.

They also established various articles covering matters like trade and travel.

Both sides seemed to be doing their utmost to achieve true peaceful coexistence, rather than the kind of forced peace that had been maintained by trapping one side.

With that settled, the discussion turned to the matter of cornering He Guang and his partisans.

Cangming had previously cooperated with He Guang, so he knew more about him than the others present.

This time, he wasn’t stingy and shared some information with everyone, expressing his willingness to cooperate with the Immortal Gates in a joint offensive.

As for the matter of contributions, the two sides naturally engaged in another round of haggling before settling on a number that satisfied them both.

Finally, they reached the issue that would truly determine whether the negotiations succeeded or failed.

Namely, what price each side would have to pay to achieve peace.

On the side of the Immortal Gates, other matters were easy enough to resolve. The main point of contention involved the Seven Emotions Sect.

"The Cold Crow Sect injured our Tribulation Crossing Ancestor. If you expect us to let bygones be bygones, you must provide the materials to help our Ancestor reconstruct his physical body."

Cangming sneered. "Your ancestor’s Nascent Soul is still intact, at least. I lost plenty of people on my side. I haven’t even come to you to settle that score, and you have the nerve to demand I give you something?"

Master Qian He’s brow furrowed. "You were the one who detained our sect’s disciple first. If you really want to get to the bottom of this, you’re the one in the wrong. Shouldn’t you be the one offering compensation?"

Cangming refused to yield on this point. "You want me to compensate you? Fine. How about you give me some disciples to kill, and in return, I’ll give you what you want?"

"You! Cangming, do you have any intention of negotiating in good faith?"

Just as a shouting match was about to erupt, Fa Shan said with a sigh, "There’s no point in arguing like this. Why don’t you both take a step back?"

"The materials required to reconstruct a body for a Transcendence Tribulation Stage expert are indeed too precious. I’m not even sure we could produce them, and even if we could, the cost would be too great for us."

"How about this? Of the eight materials, we will provide two. That can be considered a gesture to save face for your Seven Emotions Sect. Is that acceptable?"

Master Qian He was still not satisfied. "Absolutely not. At least four!"

Cangming slammed his hand on the table. "Old man, don’t push your luck!"

Master Qian He was so furious his beard trembled. "You..."

"That’s enough!" Lu Sangjiu could no longer stand by and watch. To prevent them from actually coming to blows, she had to stand up and intervene.

She looked at Cangming. "These things need to be discussed patiently. You’re here to negotiate peace, not to crash the party. Say what you have to say properly."

Everyone was rather surprised to see her scolding Cangming as if he were her own son.

What was even more surprising was that Cangming, who had been on the verge of exploding just a moment before, actually did as he was told.

His expression was still sour, but he did sit back down. "Fine. Out of respect for you."

With that said, he looked at Master Qian He. "I can agree to your demand for four of the materials, but I have a condition of my own..."