Chapter 954: Peace Talks

It had been half a month since the great war between Earth and the Demon God Realm ended.

During this time, Earth’s experts were healing, resting, and preparing for the next war, while the Eastern Pole Heaven Sovereign had not been idle either.

He used the power of a Dao-attained being to forcibly piece together the shattered continent, remaking a new land—but this land was only one-tenth the size of the original.

The rest became scattered islands floating across the oceans.

Though the transformation was far from perfect, it was at least habitable; before, the Demon God’s power had raged unchecked, the Demon Kings’ hatred had surged to the heavens, magma erupted from the earth’s depths, storms howled endlessly across the sky, and lightning raged—utterly apocalyptic.

If the Eastern Pole Heaven Sovereign had not remade it, this place would have been utterly unusable.

But today,

a meteor streaked across the sky and plummeted toward the newly reformed land.

This unusual sight quickly drew attention, but soon everyone relaxed, for they saw an immortal warship dragging a massive meteorite from the direction of space.

Without doubt, this was Li Yi doing something.

Soon,

beneath the support of a vast auspicious cloud, the meteorite landed safely on the ground.

Many cultivators gathered curiously around it.

“Great Yi Heaven Sovereign, why go to such lengths to drag in a meteorite from beyond the heavens? Such objects are countless out there,” said Daoist Xuan Zhen, but then he sensed something odd.

“Wait—this doesn’t seem like an ordinary meteorite. It carries the aura of a Demon God.”

“This is the nest of the Demon God, refined a thousandfold by solar true fire—it has become a treasure, with its own internal space holding many rare items. Though I’m not well-versed in artifacts, I know this is extraordinary, so I brought it for you to examine,” Li Yi said.

“Great Yi Heaven Sovereign is too kind,” said Daoist Xuan Zhen. “We cultivators merely live longer; we certainly don’t know everything about celestial or extraterrestrial things.”

Li Yi then tossed out a fragment of the meteorite: “This is a piece I cut off. Do any of you recognize it?”

One side of the fragment was pitted and uneven; the other, once molten and radiant, had cooled into a dark gold hue, incredibly hard and shimmering with divine light.

“This seems related to the Golden Crow Demon God,” Daoist Xuan Zhen frowned, studying the fragment.

“It resembles the legendary Black Gold Divine Iron, capable of forging Dao artifacts and capable of reassembling solar true fire—its power is boundless,” another Great Perfection cultivator remarked.

“It is indeed Black Gold Divine Iron. I’ve seen it in ancient texts, but this piece is mountain-sized—I’ve never seen one this large and dare not be certain.”

Hearing their assessments, Li Yi now had a clearer idea. He said: “Take what you need, then help me dismantle it—there appear to be other strange things inside.”

“This is a trivial matter, Great Yi Heaven Sovereign. Rest assured, leave it to me,” Daoist Xuan Zhen’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Such a massive meteorite—extracting even a portion of Black Gold Divine Iron would be enough to forge his own Dao-attained artifact in the future.

The other Great Perfection cultivators also grew delighted.

“If the Eastern Pole Heaven Sovereign needs some, he may take a portion as well,” Li Yi added.

He had brought this back partly to reward them; after all, they had just fought fiercely for him, and some recognition was due.

Moreover, this meteorite was enormous—even after they took their share, what remained would still be more than enough for him.

After giving these instructions, Li Yi flew directly toward Earth’s command ship.

Just now, he had received an invitation from Earth’s high command—they wished to discuss something with him; otherwise, he would still be lingering in space and not returned so soon.

Soon after,

Li Yi arrived aboard the command ship.

He moved without obstruction; the AI’s identity system had already recognized him, granting him unrestricted access to any location on Earth.

Soon,

Li Yi entered a conference room.

Many were present: besides him, several Martial Saints from the Martial Saint Continent, Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi had come, and even his father, Li Jiye, had crossed over once again.

The Eastern Pole Heaven Sovereign did not attend; he had labored for over ten days and was now unknown, resting somewhere in seclusion.

“Speak up—what important matter required you to summon me specifically?” Li Yi entered, his seat already placed at the head of the table.

This showed his immense status and authority.

If Li Yi had not appeared, this crucial meeting would have had no reason to proceed.

“Li Yi, you’ve arrived just in time. To cut to the chase: a few days ago, the Nine Winds Demon King came to us seeking contact—he wishes to represent the Demon God Realm in peace talks.”

Zhao Yongshan immediately said: “The remaining Demon Kings and great demons are willing to surrender the Demon God Realm entirely, but in return, they demand a continent for their survival, guaranteeing that the two realms will never again harm each other—and even that they will join Earth as allies in future wars.” Li Yi did not answer, but asked: “What will they do if we refuse?”

“The remaining Demon Kings will unite and shatter the Demon God Realm—destroying it all,” said Xiao Jianguo. “That’s precisely why we’ve convened this meeting.”

“Though Earth once suffered invasion from the Demon God Realm, after this great war, they’ve already paid a bloody price. If we insist on exterminating them, we risk provoking a backlash—after all, united, the Demon Kings truly could destroy the Demon God Realm.”

After listening, Li Yi turned to the other high-ranking officials.

One immediately added: “Li Yi, Earth now has many enemies. Gaining another ally is beneficial. Using the Demon Kings’ strength to balance other world powers is a win-win. We’ve calculated that ceding just one continent would have negligible impact on us.”

“Moreover, the remaining Demon Kings and great demons can be slowly eroded and divided.”

Li Yi said: “Can we trust the Demon Kings? They are demons one day, demons forever. And if they’re given time, what if another Demon God emerges? Or if the Golden Crow Demon God returns one day—wouldn’t that be another rebellion?”

“I don’t want to have to suppress a rebellion again. Gathering so many experts this time wasn’t easy.”

“We’ve considered this too. For this reason, Li Yue has proposed a suggestion,” Zhao Yongshan said.

Li Yue was Xuan Yuezi’s name on Earth.

“What suggestion?” Li Yi asked.

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Xuan Yuezi said: “The Self-Sacrifice Spell.”

“If the Demon Kings are willing to implant the Self-Sacrifice Spell, I believe we can accept their demands.”

Listening to Xuan Yuezi, Li Yi understood the group’s thinking: the war had been won. If they insisted on exterminating the remaining Demon God creatures, they feared backlash.

But this thinking was not wrong.

To stop while ahead, lest something go awry and turn victory into loss.

“If the Demon Kings agree to implant the Self-Sacrifice Spell, we can spare their lives—but this condition is severe. They may not accept it, and further negotiation will be needed. My bottom line: at least half of the Demon Kings must be bound by the Self-Sacrifice Spell. If not, we fight again,” Li Yi said.

Zhao Yongshan replied: “We agree. As for implementation details, further discussion is needed, but the general direction won’t change.”

Li Yi nodded: “Then let them surrender. I trust you’ll handle the rest properly without mishap.”

“Good. Since you agree, we’ll continue negotiations with the Nine Winds Demon King and aim for a result within these few days,” Zhao Yongshan said.

Li Yi said nothing more. He trusted Earth’s high command to handle the aftermath even better than he imagined. His role now was simply to remain stationed here for a while, waiting for the matter to conclude smoothly.

But before the meeting ended, he added: “If the Self-Sacrifice Spell is to be implanted, I suggest Xiang Xiangzi oversee it.”

“No problem,” Earth’s high command immediately agreed.

“Good. You carry on. Contact me if anything urgent arises. I’ll need to rest soon—everyone truly paid a heavy price in this war. Fighting further isn’t worth it.” Li Yi stood up. “Though we’ve taken the Demon God Realm, don’t grow complacent—many enemies still await us.”

Saying this, he left the command ship without lingering.

Yet no one commented on Li Yi’s casual comings and goings—after all, he had every right to act so freely.

As Li Yi departed, Li Jiye, Xuan Yuezi, Xiang Xiangzi, and others also quickly left, and the meeting ended swiftly.

Earth’s high command did not rest; they immediately began internal discussions and prepared to negotiate with the Nine Winds Demon King, striving to end the war completely.

Of course, the process didn’t matter—but the outcome must end with the Demon Kings’ retreat and compromise, for they had no choice.

Unless they still possessed a Demon God-level force.

Thus, the surviving Demon Kings harbored deep hatred for the Golden Crow Demon God’s escape.

Had the Golden Crow Demon God not fled, even in peace talks, the Demon God Realm would have had the strength and leverage to avoid humiliation and the necessity of implanting the Self-Sacrifice Spell to be enslaved.

The only thing the Demon Kings could somewhat accept was that the one implanting the Self-Sacrifice Spell was Xiang Xiangzi.

And Xiang Xiangzi was not from Earth, and his strength surpassed the Demon Kings. If controlled by an Earthling weaker than a Demon King, they would truly never accept it.

“Golden Crow Divine Iron—a fine treasure. This can be used to forge a new Imperial Seal,” Li Jiye now stood beside the massive meteorite, gazing at the divine material with great desire.

He asked Li Yi for a large chunk, to keep on hand for future needs.

Though the division among the crowd soon erased the Golden Crow Demon God’s nest from sight, most of it was still taken by Li Yi.

“To forge a new Imperial Seal, I must journey to the Wildlands. Daoist Tiangong holds the Three Divine Wood Crimson Gold Furnaces—only he can forge top-tier divine weapons.”

Li Yi told his father to calm down and not rush. He had not yet mentioned the Star Core, and the remains of the Purple Dragon Demon God were also a vast treasure trove.

This victory over the Demon God Realm had yielded many benefits—time was needed to digest them.