Chapter 3857: Negotiations with the Arrivals

After the Magic Vine passed the thunder tribulation, it no longer chased the fleeing people, but turned around and began cleaning the battlefield, picking up the Martial Cultivators' corpses and core pills, and gathering Storage Rings.

The Sealing Demon Tablet's strength can now reach the level of the Eightfold Cave Heaven, and there are still massive piles of demon corpses waiting for it to clean up at the end.

After eliminating all the demons here, even if it cannot break through to the Cultivation realm, it will still attain the combat power of the Ninefold Cave Heaven.

The Dragon Beast's realm, with the accumulation of abundant resources, finally broke through to the Sevenfold Cave Heaven, which thrilled it immensely.

It had thought that reaching the Sixth Layer of the Cave Heaven would be the end of its life, but it didn't expect that following Ye Liuyun it could still break through.

Others also benefited greatly. Chi Lian's realm has already broken through to the pinnacle of the Sixth Layer of the Cave Heaven. She is now trying to suppress it, to avoid advancing too quickly.

She has already transferred Bloodline Power to the Monster Beasts five times, and the women have each received her transformed Bloodline Power twice.

Zhu Que's realm has already reached the Fifth Layer of the Cave Heaven. Demon Lion has begun refining with the acquired resources, and its realm has risen to the Fourth Layer of the Cave Heaven.

The demon persons there have all collectively advanced one realm.

"What principle have you comprehended?" Ye Liuyun was more concerned about the Magic Vine's condition.

"I can control earth and stone!" Magic Vine could not articulate the principle it mastered, only knowing what it could use.

It waved a tentacle, flinging a patch of earth and stone into the air, coalescing into a stone giant that could aid the Magic Vine in battle.

"Not bad! Very practical!" Ye Liuyun kept praising.

This rule made the Magic Vine invincible beneath the earth.

However, it was also limited by its own ability: its concealment in Xingkong during combat was too weak.

Nevertheless, Ye Liuyun did not expect his assistants to be all‑round; a single specialty was enough.

Ye Liuyun immediately ordered the Monster Beasts, the women, and the demon persons to return for rest, leaving the remaining combat to the Magic Vine, Sealing Demon Tablet, and Kuailei.

They were all rather fatigued from fighting, so a rest was welcome. And the Magic Vine, having just broken through, also required a great amount of energy.

In any case, there are hardly any demons left on the battlefield now, so assigning the Magic Vine and Sealing Demon Tablet to handle it is just right.

Even the Kuailei, Ye Liuyun only had them capture Souls, no longer requiring them to fight. After all, combat also consumes…

…energy, so saving a little is still a little.

Although he does not lack resources, waste is unacceptable. A single Kuailei consumes at least one Primordial Power per battle, which is already astonishing.

Now that the Magic Vine and Sealing Demon Tablet cooperate on the battlefield, the Kuailei hardly need to act; they merely follow behind to gather some Soul resources.

Zhu Que, Demon King, and Bà Tiān, the three Monster Beasts and Kuailei that absorb Yin Souls, have already been collecting Yin Souls across the entire battlefield.

The Kuailei's Divine Soul Power now exceeds that of the Physical Body, and they are all waiting for Sun Que to forge a weapon.

Whether Sun Que can break through his realm determines the strength or weakness of the combat power of those around Ye Liuyun.

At this moment, the Zhen Mo Dynasty was shocked; the God King and the ministers were divided into two camps.

One camp believed that the Magic Vine on Ye Liuyun's side breaking through the Cultivation realm would become stronger, and that continuing the fight would cost them a greater price and might not guarantee victory, thus advocating a swift peace negotiation to send Ye Liuyun and his group away.

The other camp argued that since Ye Liuyun's strongest forces are the Magic Vine and the demon persons, they also possess treasured relics capable of subduing demons, so they could make another attempt.

The God King still felt some reluctance, but the massive consumption pained him, so he first sent people to try negotiations, to see what conditions Ye Liuyun's side could propose.

Simultaneously, they prepared to deploy treasured weapons against the demons, gathered many Formation Masters to break formations, and readied the main army to set a massive net to capture the Kuailei, eliminating the demons and Kuailei; thus Ye Liuyun's side would be left with little combat power, making the remaining people easy to handle.

After the battle on Ye Liuyun's side ended, everyone rested, and finally the Zhen Mo Dynasty's negotiation delegation arrived.

The opposing side sent a negotiation team of over thirty people, led by Left Minister Chang Mo, assisted by the local City Lord Cheng Kuo. Accompanied by thirty late‑stage Cave Heaven guards, they came straight to the city gates to make a proclamation.

Ye Liuyun opened the city gate, letting them come in as they wished.

"Come out to greet us, Left Minister. If it weren't for your mercy in giving you a chance to communicate, there would be nothing for me and you outsiders to discuss!" Cheng Kuo shouted boisterously from the city walls.

Chang Mo tried to stop it, but it was already too late.

Ye Liuyun glanced at Cheng Kuo.

"Hehe!"

He only laughed twice, then turned and went down the city tower.

He shut the city gate, and vanished from sight.

Since the other side showed no sincerity, he saw no need to waste time. He had always known this negotiation was merely a test, so he never raised any expectations.

"That Cheng Kuo, I don't know what right he has to be arrogant before me. If he had clarified the situation beforehand instead of mobilizing troops immediately, it wouldn't have come to this."

"Zhan Kong, take the Magic Vine and eliminate the Martial Cultivators and garrison who fled the city, but do not kill Cheng Kuo; let him witness the war's outcome and pay for his arrogance."

"After that, follow him; wherever he runs, we will strike, and we won't hold this ruined city any longer!"

Ye Liuyun also thought the other side would not act again for the time being, so there was no need to stay here waiting.

"Yes!" Zhan Kong understood that Ye Liuyun intended to punish Cheng Kuo, the defeated subordinate.

So he took the Magic Vine and rushed from the void toward the garrison of the army that fled the city.

Outside the city, Chang Mo and Cheng Kuo wore embarrassed faces. They did not expect Ye Liuyun's temper to be so fierce; after Cheng Kuo's single remark, he had no further chance to speak.

Chang Mo had originally been in the peace faction and was adept at reading cues and communicating. But Cheng Kuo's outburst left him speechless, with his energy nowhere to be applied.

"Cheng Kuo, I think this war was largely caused by you, you fool," he angrily rebuked Cheng Kuo.

"Left Minister, you have also seen how arrogant these thieves are. I am merely the City Lord here; how could I provoke them? If they hadn't slaughtered a subordinate town, I certainly would not have acted rashly!" Cheng Kuo said confidently.

"Oh? Then why did they slaughter that town?" the Left Minister asked, looking at the empty city walls, not at Cheng Kuo.

In fact, he could guess without thinking. Cheng Kuo's arrogant nature makes him prone to clash with incoming strongmen.

"Who knows what madness these guys have! Anyway, they killed our people; we cannot let them go unpunished!" Cheng Kuo scoffed at knowing the reason.

The Left Minister also knew such a person was arrogant to the bone; his two sentences could not change his mind.

Since the dynasty had sent him along, he could not simply drive him away, lest someone in the dynasty speak up.