147: Temporary peace

At this moment, within a Secret Realm, the Yao Venerable and the Celestial Master sat facing each other. Both maintained basic etiquette, each sipping a cup of spiritual tea that emitted a dense Spiritual Qi. After a long while, the Celestial Master could no longer restrain himself.

"Yao Venerable, why did you invite me here today? Currently, our Yao Race and Human Race are still at war. It is truly inappropriate for the two of us, the strongest combat forces, to meet in private. If you have nothing important to say, I shall take my leave."

For the sake of the Human and Yao Races, the two of them had fought privately several times, but they could never determine a victor. It was precisely because of this that they could sit down and talk calmly. Otherwise, such a thing would have been impossible.

The Yao Venerable set down his spiritual tea: "They say your Dragon Tiger Mountain holds the true legacy of Daoism and that your Qi-nurturing skills are formidable. Why is it that you seem unable to keep your composure at all? Could it be that the rumors are false?"

The Celestial Master was so incensed that he stood up abruptly: "If you want to fight today, then make your move. If there's business, speak it; if not, I'll bid you farewell. I have nothing to say to a member of the Yao Race who eats raw meat and drinks blood like you."

"Sit down. I do indeed have something to discuss with you." The Yao Venerable's tone softened considerably, and his expression became much more solemn. This let the Celestial Master know that he was speaking of a truly urgent matter. With a flick of his robes, he sat back down, though his slightly heaving chest showed that his mood was not particularly good.

"Speak then. Let me see what matter the world-renowned Yao Venerable needs to discuss with an old man like me."

The Yao Venerable raised a hand, revealing the coordinates of the Canglan Realm. The Celestial Master was well-traveled and knowledgeable; he immediately understood what the object in his hand was. His eyes widened, and he stood up once more.

"Coordinates to another world? Where did you get this? What Rank of world is it? Speak, what do you want?"

He asked four questions in rapid succession, clearly showing great interest in these coordinates. However, by revealing his emotions, he had certainly lost the upper hand in the negotiation, and the price he would have to pay would increase.

"With so many questions at once, how am I supposed to answer?"

The two fell into silence again. In truth, this matter was not important to the lower-level Cultivators, but it was vital to them. As the only two Middle Stage of Spirit Transformation experts in the Qingyun Realm, they could both feel that the path ahead was blocked. They had no way to continue their promotion because the world Rank of the Qingyun Realm was a low-level Minor Thousand Worlds, which could only support Soul Transformation Early Stage experts. Their ability to reach the Middle Stage was already due to the world's desire to ascend, using a large amount of world Origin to assist them.

But this also made the Qingyun Realm's problems more severe. Within a hundred years, if the world did not ascend, they would be repelled from the Qingyun Realm. At that time, even if they didn't die, losing the Luck of their factions would make their progression extremely slow. Now, this Canglan Realm was a massive opportunity for the world's ascension.

After a long silence, the Celestial Master spoke again: "No matter what you want, you must first introduce this world to me."

The Yao Venerable nodded and spoke: "Canglan Realm, an Elementary Minor Thousand Worlds. Inside, there is one Spirit Transformation Third Layer Cultivator and one Spirit Transformation First Layer Cultivator. we are completely capable of taking it. As long as we seize this world, the Qingyun Realm's ascension is certain. At that time, we can continue to cultivate properly."

Hearing this, the Celestial Master's eyes shone with light. If that were truly the case, it would not be difficult at all for them to take over this world; it could even be said to be effortless. Whether it was the Human Race or the Yao Race, both had the ability to take it alone. The reason the Yao Venerable came to negotiate was mainly for fear that if they attacked with full force, the Human Race would strike their home base. That was why this was happening. Otherwise, the Yao Race already had two Soul Transformation experts—the Yao Venerable and the Fox Immortal—and they could win on their own without cooperation.

A trace of determination appeared in his eyes: "Fine, I understand. This time, I will ask you very seriously: what exactly is it that you want? As long as it is not too excessive, I can agree."

After he finished speaking, the Yao Venerable took a sip of spiritual tea to hide his smile. This was the result he wanted. He was the one who discovered the Canglan Realm, and he had spent a great deal of effort setting up the Teleportation Array. If the other party wanted to enter the fray, they naturally had to pay a high price. Otherwise, why should he share the benefits with them?

"First, the Human Race and Yao Race will declare a ceasefire. The eight cities we have captured and the surrounding thousand miles will become the territory of our Yao Race. You can decide on this, right?"

These eight cities were indeed not many, and their area was only one-third of the total Cloud Sea Marsh. Giving them up would only result in a loss of Face; in reality, the impact on the Human Race was not large. Giving them up was no problem. Furthermore, these eight cities were already in the hands of the Yao Race, and taking them back would be extremely difficult. It was better to just give them to the other party.

"Fine. Although I cannot directly make the final decision on this matter, if I speak, no one will refuse to give me this Face. Surely this isn't your only request?"

The Yao Venerable shook his head; naturally, it wasn't: "The second is that the Human and Yao Races truly begin to interact. As you know, the Immortal Path is not built behind closed doors. Exchange is a great way to advance."

Although he called it an exchange, it was clearly better for the Yao Race. The Human Race's Hundred Arts of Cultivation were far more developed than those of the Yao Race. Once exchange began, these shortcomings of the Yao Race could be rectified. Clearly, he had thought of this.

He hesitated for a moment: "I can agree, but the prejudices of those below us cannot be dispelled by a single word from us. So even if the two of us reach a consensus and issue regulations, the actual implementation won't be achieved in the short term."

However, the Yao Venerable was clearly prepared: "Rest assured. When we invade the Canglan Realm, our armies will merge. Having shared life-and-death experiences, the things that follow will be much easier. Of course, this will take a long time, and I am willing to wait."

Since he had put it that way, the Celestial Master no longer said anything to refuse.

"Fine, I agree to this as well. Let's talk about the distribution of interests."

When it came to the most crucial distribution of interests, both sat up straight, clearly becoming very cautious.

"Celestial Master, I discovered this world. To establish this Teleportation Array, I spent a vast amount of resources, magic power, and energy. My Yao Race will take the lion's share. You can understand this, right? If we cannot reach a consensus on this point, then there is no need to talk."

In fact, the Celestial Master also understood that the best outcome would be a fifty-fifty split, and the possibility of achieving that was very small. Therefore, the Yao Venerable's firm attitude made him nod. After all, he was the one begging for entry now and had zero initial investment. A fifty-fifty split was indeed too ideal a state.