Chapter 418: Do You Know Who She Is?

Everyone looked to Cangming. He then spoke slowly, enunciating each word. "I want the Cultivation World to cede the borderlands it shares with the Demon Realm, incorporating them completely into the territory of the Western Demon Realm."

As soon as he said this, the faces of everyone on the Immortal Gate’s side changed. "That’s impossible!"

Cangming’s gaze was indifferent. "If we’re going to negotiate, then both sides must show some sincerity."

"It can’t be that we’re the only ones making concessions while you offer nothing in return, can it?"

"I won’t mince words. The truth is, I guessed He Guang’s plan even before all this."

"But I don’t care about life and death, nor do I care about the lives of the common people. My only goal is to drag the entire Cultivation World down with me!"

After he finished, he gave a contemptuous laugh. "I don’t fear death, and I don’t fear war. So, to be honest, whether we negotiate peace or not is completely unimportant to me."

"You only have two cultivators at the Transcendence Tribulation Stage right now. If I were to join forces with He Guang, I might not be able to kill every last one of you, but dragging half of you down to die with us would be no problem at all. So you’re the ones who should be afraid."

Master Qian He immediately shot back, "You talk a good game, but if you’re really not afraid, then why did you agree to negotiate with us?"

Cangming smiled faintly and looked up at Lu Sangjiu. "Why don’t you tell them?"

All eyes immediately turned to Lu Sangjiu.

Standing beside her, Xie Ningyuan’s expression darkened. He discreetly took her hand and took a step forward, blocking her from Cangming’s line of sight.

"Making a scene like this benefits no one. Why must you drag her into this?"

Xie Ningyuan realized what was happening. ’Cangming’s goal is probably to make the Immortal Gates abandon Lu Sangjiu. That way, she’ll have to stay in the Western Demon Realm forever!’

’And the easiest way to achieve that would be... to expose Lu Sangjiu’s identity!’

’But if he did that, these negotiations would become a joke. After all, if the one who brokered this entire agreement was a former top-tier Demon Cultivator, the Immortal Gates would never trust her again!’

Xie Ningyuan wanted to stop Cangming, but the moment Cangming saw him, the darkness in his expression intensified.

"What gives you the right to speak to me?"

His hand began to twitch, an uncontrollable urge rising within him to swat this eyesore dead on the spot.

Fa Shan sensed Cangming’s impulse and quickly placed a hand on his arm. "We came here for peace talks, not to kill people. Calm down!"

At that moment, Lu Sangjiu pushed Xie Ningyuan aside and faced Cangming directly.

There was no panic in her expression. She simply stared at him and said, "Don’t forget the agreement between us. If these negotiations fail, then our deal is void."

"You know me. I’d rather die in glory than live in shame."

As the saying goes, for every force, there is a counterforce. When it came to handling Cangming, it really had to be Lu Sangjiu.

Her words were enough to make the madness in Cangming’s eyes recede. He snorted. "Let’s be clear. It’s not that I don’t want to negotiate. It’s that they refuse to agree to my reasonable demand."

The two Sect Leaders from the Immortal Gates were confused by this cryptic exchange, and couldn’t help but look at them suspiciously.

"Lu Sangjiu, what is this deal between you and him? Since it’s been mentioned, you might as well explain it clearly to prevent any further suspicion."

Lu Sangjiu pressed her lips together and said nothing, while Xie Ningyuan shot a sharp glare at Master Qian He, who had spoken.

"This has nothing to do with you. All you need to know is that she genuinely wants to broker peace. That is enough."

The corners of his mouth twisted into a mocking sneer. "If the truth were told, I’m afraid your entire Immortal Gate would be too ashamed to show its face."

’And why wouldn’t they be? The mighty Immortal Gates, forced to rely on a minor Cultivator like Lu Sangjiu sacrificing herself to achieve peace. Who wouldn’t mock the Immortal Gates for their incompetence upon hearing that?’

’It was better that they didn’t know. If they found out the truth, whether they chose to protect Lu Sangjiu or continue to sell her out for the sake of peace, it would undoubtedly become a bitter pill for everyone to swallow.’

’She had already made her choice, so why put everyone in such an awkward position?’

Of course, beyond that... Xie Ningyuan also wanted to protect Lu Sangjiu.

No matter why she was under Cangming’s control, if the details of their deal were revealed, some people would inevitably see her as a mere plaything who sold her body and looks.

Sometimes, people don’t care about the greater good. They’d much rather indulge in the salacious gossip that their own short-sightedness craves.

Master Qian He was still hesitant, but Cangming let out a mocking laugh. "I’d advise you to listen to him. Otherwise... you’ll definitely regret asking that question."

Duan Xingyun also stepped forward at the opportune moment and bowed to Master Qian He. "Sect Leader, I swear on my life that Little Jiu has acted for the sake of all living beings, and has in no way harmed the interests of the Immortal Gates."

With both of them saying as much, and despite their lingering curiosity, Master Qian He and the Lingjian Sect Leader exchanged a glance and finally decided not to press the issue.

The matter thus returned to the original question: could that land truly be ceded to the Western Demon Realm?

In truth, the borderlands had never belonged to the Immortal Gates in the first place.

Situated between the two realms, the region was too chaotic. Coupled with its proximity to the Western Demon Realm, it offered little benefit to human Cultivators, so it had always been considered a no-man’s-land.

But being a no-man’s-land was quite different from being officially part of the Western Demon Realm.

The two Sect Leaders hesitated for a good while, conferring privately for some time. At last, Master Qian He spoke up. "Ceding it to the Western Demon Realm is not out of the question, but... on the condition that you do not completely transform it into a part of the Demon Realm."

"It must remain a transitional zone between our two realms, allowing both Immortal and Demon Cultivators to coexist. The administrators can be Demon Cultivators, but you must also permit our Immortal Gates to station personnel there to prevent the undue suppression of Immortal Cultivators."

In short, it would be a joint administration, but since the territory would belong to the Western Demon Realm, they would have the final say.

The demand wasn’t unreasonable. The two sides then haggled over the specifics to secure their respective interests, and after a while, the matter was largely settled.

Everything the two sides discussed was recorded in its entirety. After a long period of study and refinement, a contract was drawn up.

All that remained was for both parties to press their handprints upon this Heavenly Dao Contract. Once they did, the agreement would be sealed and henceforth bound by the Heavenly Dao itself.

Whichever party broke the contract would have to pay a steep price.

Seeing that they had finally reached this stage, the great weight on Lu Sangjiu’s heart was at last lifted.

However, things always seem to go wrong just when they are about to reach a perfect conclusion, and this time was no exception.

"Wait!"

At the shout, Master Qian He’s hand, poised to press his print, froze. He looked up in surprise at the newcomer.

"...Ye Zhiyao?"

"Why is it you again?"

When everyone saw that the newcomer was Ye Zhiyao, they all reacted differently, though most of their reactions were of disgust and loathing.

The woman had caused a huge scene last time, earning the disgust of most people present. They never expected her to actually follow them all the way here!

Master Qian He frowned. "This is no place for you to cause trouble. Leave at once!"

But Ye Zhiyao just lifted her chin. "Fools! I came here today to tell you that you’ve all been deceived by Lu Sangjiu!"

Her gaze fell sharply on Lu Sangjiu, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Do you... know who she is?"