Chapter 1262: The Immortal Gate Has Paid Too Much for the Peace of the Two Realms!

The Heavenly Dao chess game drew to a close.

Yet its outcome could satisfy neither side, so much so that silence fell, and within their divine souls they replayed it again and again, searching for any possibility that the opponent had interfered with the causal chessboard.

Still, there were some gains.

"Yuan, you should have conceded more!"

A great cultivator of Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong, a wild-looking man, spoke bluntly: "Our greatest loss is merely one mortal body. In six or seven thousand years—even if that law-eradicating poison is terrifying and damages part of the divine soul—at most ten thousand years will be enough for a flawless revival."

"But you, all of you, everyone must die."

His tone was chillingly cold as he looked toward Zhenjun Shenji, Senior Wanji, and the several hundred million cultivators of the immortal gate fleet, his words carrying an icy threat.

"We do not fear death."

Yuan said lightly.

"Do not fear death?"

"What bold words!"

"Every living being in the world, from the lowliest ant-like mortals up to the lofty, indestructible true immortals—who would dare claim they do not fear death?"

"If you do not fear death, then why not go die right now?!"

The Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong great cultivator sneered: "Besides, even if you do not fear death, do these several hundred million cultivators in your battle formations all not fear death? Such lies need not be used to frighten us."

"At worst, we shall fight it out and grant you death."

The cosmic starry sky fell silent for a moment.

"Indeed, you speak reason."

Yuan thought for a moment, then nodded: "But I still will not concede, and the citizens will not concede either."

"We fear death."

"But countless lessons in history have taught us that concession cannot buy peace—only war, only fighting to the death can purchase true peace."

His earlier deliberation looked like thought, but in truth it was the collective will of the citizen fleet thinking.

When the words now came out, they rang like the clash of blades, a single utterance containing several hundred million echoes layered upon one another—strangely eerie to hear, as if less than human, more so than an ordinary cultivator.

Yuan had sufficient self-awareness.

He had not been drunk on the great power of contending with a great cultivator; every word and deed in his exchanges with the great cultivator was linked to the collective will of the immortal gate fleet, each utterance representing the collective will of the immortal gate.

Otherwise, a lone Refinement Void cultivator could have their cognition twisted by any casual illusion technique from a Harmony Dao Divine Lord—equal communication would be utterly impossible.

"If Senior Wanshou wishes a fight to the death, then let it be a fight to the death."

"We are willing to accept the arrangement of fate."

Yuan said calmly.

"Brat!"

The Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong great cultivator flew into a rage.

For a moment, he could not find more words to say.

A fight to the death.

This phrase is tossed about lightly, of

often uttered by countless cultivators—mortals, low- and mid-level cultivators, high-level cultivators—who hasn't said it a few times, using it to intimidate foes and bolster courage.

All of it dismissed by others as nonsense!

No one took it to heart.

However, the Dongji Demon Gate is different.

Historically, ever since Yuan's reforms and the establishment of the central array-spirit computer, in every important battlefield they have carried out fights to the death, never abandoning the war or showing any wavering or timidity before their formation collapsed.

Even when the formation did collapse, most still tried to reorganize; if they could not form an organization, they launched suicide charges, fighting to the death until the very end.

Cultivators who surrendered did exist, but they made up an extremely small proportion of the fleet.

This madness, this contempt for death, was like disciples and servants in a demonic sect who had been implanted with divine soul restraints—stripped of reason—enough to make one's scalp tingle.

The title "Dongji Demon Gate" emerged during this very period.

Therefore, backed by countless historical battles, the "fight to the death" in Yuan's mouth was not a threat.

It was a statement of fact!

"Senior Wanshou, you say that you lot have merely lost one mortal body, and at most will recover in ten thousand years—a loss trivial compared to the immortal gate's."

"That is not the truth."

Yuan said calmly: "Ten thousand years is not a short span of time, even for your kind."

"Especially when you place Jiao Jiao Mingyu and the Nine Spirit Domain for ten thousand years within a sect that excels at the Dao of Heavenly Secrets—just how powerful would this Heavenly Secrets sect grow?"

"Heavenly Secrets will advance to mid Harmony Dao."

"His foundation is at least among the top two of your group; once he reaches mid Harmony Dao, one person fighting your four early Harmony Dao cultivators—is that reasonable or not?"

Yuan asked.

The Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong great cultivator said nothing.

Battling across realms.

That is what a Dao Child does to other cultivators.

For Dao Children to attempt battling across realms against each other—that is pure madness.

"Furthermore, the Dao of Heavenly Secrets excels at calculation—will he not think of every way to seal you, delay your revival, stretching it to fifteen thousand or twenty thousand years?"

"In one or two ten-thousand years, how many formations could he lay down, how many Dao soldiers could he refine?"

"Moreover, has the Heavenly Secrets Dao Child perhaps already advanced to Harmony Dao during this time? Could he advance in twenty thousand years?"

"And so on and so forth—one mid Harmony Dao cultivator, one early Harmony Dao cultivator, a vast and mighty Harmony Dao soldier battle formation, and numerous formations spread across the star domains."

Yuan laid out example after example for everyone, and said lightly: "Could these existences flatten you seven?"

"With this in mind, Senior Ten Thousand Beasts, do you still think ten thousand years is very short, merely the loss of one mortal body?"

??

The surrounding great powers fell silent.

"A cunning and treacherous scoundrel, spouting nonsense — none of you may believe this thief."

The great power of the Celestial Mechanism Xiangong said coolly.

"Therefore, the Immortal Sect has suffered enormous losses, and all of you have suffered enormous losses as well. There is no possibility that the Immortal Sect should make further concessions."

"We should still, in a manner of equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit leading to a win-win outcome, deliberate a path of peace, so that the countless living beings of both domains no longer fall into war."

Yuan said with a faint smile.

"Agreed."

The eight great powers exchanged a glance, all nodding.

"As agreed?"

The great power of the Celestial Mechanism Xiangong looked toward Yuan.

As agreed.

Naturally, just like the Heavenly Dao Covenant before, neither side intended to tear it up again, but instead began to consider truly abiding by this Heavenly Dao Covenant.

Yuan did not answer immediately, communicating with the collective will of the Immortal Sect fleet, and deliberated for a long time.

"Zhong Senior Qian Shi Gao Jie may be conceded — we will give you half."

"The remainder shall be based on the current factual territorial boundaries."

Yuan said slowly.

"Half?"

"That is far too much! Previously it was clearly stated as one quarter!"

The great power of the Brother Xuanwu Heaven Palace let killing intent bloom, saying coldly.

He looked ready to fight at the slightest disagreement, and he truly wished to do so, because the Minor Thousand Worlds of the Jiao Jiao Mingyu domain that belonged to the Brother Xuanwu Heaven Palace had been seized by half by the Immortal Sect.

"Senior."

"This matches the Immortal Sect's strength."

Yuan was not intimidated, and said coldly: "Seniors, the eight of you, since you joined forces to come and kill, yet failed to subdue the Immortal Sect, you should have been prepared for this."

"The Immortal Sect has already conceded enough."

"Of the more than four hundred Minor Thousand Worlds in the Jiao Jiao Mingyu domain, the Immortal Sect only obtained one hundred and fifty-five — far less than half."

"The Nine Spirit Domain has more than two hundred Minor Thousand Worlds, and the Immortal Sect has only twenty-six — not even one seventh — entirely not matching the Immortal Sect's strength."

"For the peace of both domains, the Immortal Sect has already endured too much, sacrificed too much!"