118: Calculations by all parties

Nalan Mingyue stepped lightly, and with every step, a ripple spread out beneath her feet, fully displaying her unfathomable cultivation.

Lin Yu, with his Feather Fan behind his back, watched quietly as Nalan Mingyue stepped into the stone pavilion, then slowly spoke: "Empress, the tea is ready, please take a seat and enjoy it."

Nalan Mingyue did not decline and sat directly on the right side of the stone table.

Lin Yu smiled slightly, then elegantly sat down opposite Nalan Mingyue.

After pouring a cup of tea for the Empress, Lin Yu got straight to the point: "I wonder what the Empress wished to discuss by inviting me here?"

Nalan Mingyue replied directly: "I wish to improve relations with the Haoyang Sect, completely quell the internal turmoil in the Sacred Domain, and return peace to the world. I wonder what the Sect Master thinks of this?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu smiled indifferently, set down his Feather Fan, and said calmly: "If the Empress truly wishes for the turmoil in the Sacred Domain to subside, you only need to abdicate. Then, I, as the Sect Master of the Haoyang Sect, promise you that the Sacred Domain will surely welcome an unprecedented peace. Would the Empress be willing?"

Nalan Mingyue: "I am here to negotiate with you, not to listen to your nonsense."

A burst of Aura Pressure instantly caused the clouds in the sky to scatter in reverse.

Lin Yu: "Then I would like to hear how the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty intends to improve relations with the Haoyang Sect?"

Nalan Mingyue's eyes turned cold instantly: "If the Sect Master is willing to have the entire Sect submit to the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty, I also swear here that the world of the Sacred Domain will have a share belonging to the Haoyang Sect."

Lin Yu laughed: "Does the Empress mean to have the Haoyang Sect under the rule of the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty? This joke is a bit too big."

"The conditions I have offered are already very generous. Although the Haoyang Sect is powerful, its internal composition is extremely complex. Even if the Sect Master can suppress it now, can you guarantee that you will be able to do the same in the future? Submit to the Immortal Dynasty, and I will not treat you poorly."

"Then I am afraid I must disappoint the Empress. Every person within the Haoyang Sect is a righteous warrior forced to gather together because they could no longer survive under your Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty. Our ideal is to make the Sacred Domain an era of justice, fairness, no oppression, no discrimination, where everyone can be treated equally. If I were to agree to the Empress's request now and have the Haoyang Sect submit to the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty, I fear I would be torn to pieces by the Disciple of the Sect the moment I turned around."

"Heh..." Nalan Mingyue chuckled with disdain.

"I didn't expect the Sect Master of the Haoyang Sect to be so naive. Compared to ideals, I value reality more. Whether in connections or resources, the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty far exceeds the Haoyang Sect by more than tenfold. Even if it comes to a war of attrition, how long can your Sect last?"

Lin Yu smiled faintly: "The Empress is not wrong. In terms of actual strength, the Haoyang Sect certainly cannot be compared to the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty, but the Haoyang Sect has been able to contend with the Empress for a hundred years without falling, and what we have relied on has never been strength, but the hearts of the people."

Nalan Mingyue: "So, you do not intend to accept my proposal?"

Lin Yu: "Peace in the Sacred Domain is not impossible, but the conditions the Empress has offered lack sincerity. Why not listen to my suggestion instead?"

Nalan Mingyue: "Speak."

Lin Yu stood up and walked to the edge of the stone pavilion, turning his back to Nalan Mingyue, and said slowly: "I propose that the partition of the Sacred Domain is the prerequisite for peace."

Nalan Mingyue frowned: "Partition?"

Lin Yu nodded: "Yes, the conflict between the Haoyang Sect and the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty stems from different philosophies of governance. Instead of this, why not let the common people of the Sacred Domain decide who to follow for a better future? The Immortal Laws under the rule of the Immortal Dynasty, or the new policies of the Haoyang Sect—which one is more recognized by the people? Everything should be spoken by facts. Only after the people have experienced it themselves, I believe they will make the most correct choice. I wonder if the Empress has the courage to agree to this request?"

Nalan Mingyue's pupils flashed with killing intent, which vanished instantly, and she couldn't help but sneer: "Is the Sect Master intending to split the Sacred Domain?"

"Not a split, but a suggestion," Lin Yu replied. "Having the common people of the Sacred Domain make their own choices—is that not more legitimate than the endless warfare we have now?"

"Giggle..." Nalan Mingyue couldn't help but laugh, staring at Lin Yu, she couldn't help but shake her head.

"You are truly so naive that I can't help but laugh. You proposed a partition—is it truly to let the common people choose their allegiance, or do you have other motives?"

Lin Yu: "The motive is not important; this is the only condition upon which the Empress can make peace with the Haoyang Sect."

After speaking, he opened his palm, and a map of the Sacred Domain appeared in a flash of light.

"Empress, the territory north of Qingtian Gorge, Hongtian Wall, and Fengyang Pass shall be temporarily governed by the Haoyang Sect."

In an instant, a cold wind swept across Lin Yu's face; it was the terrifying Aura Pressure radiating from Nalan Mingyue, sweeping past him.

Lin Yu stepped back, half-covering his face with his Feather Fan: "Empress, are you planning to take this opportunity to eliminate me?"

Nalan Mingyue closed her eyes and sneered: "I was just thinking, why make handling problems so complicated? If I just strike and eliminate you, the Haoyang Sect will be leaderless and like scattered sand. Wouldn't suppressing them be as easy as lifting a finger?"

Lin Yu placed his Feather Fan behind his back and the corners of his mouth curled slightly: "The Empress should have heard that I am both cultured and martial. If you wish to use force, I may not be without the strength to fight."

"Then I will give you one chance. Take three of my moves. After three moves, if you are not dead, I will agree to cede the territory you requested, and for a period of three years, I will let your Haoyang Sect realize its own ideals."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yu decisively put away his Feather Fan: "Then Lin Yu, though untalented, will here learn the Empress's superb skills."

"Then please be careful, Sect Master Lin!"

The Empress lightly raised her jade hand.

In an instant, three palm forces flew simultaneously toward Lin Yu's vital points.

Boom, boom, boom—

However, Lin Yu was already prepared.

Seeing this, he stepped on the universe, gathering his dantian sea, his hands covering the wind and clouds to guard his square inch.

Offense and defense alternated, and heaven and earth shook.

It seemed like testing, yet it hid killing moves.

Between the void and reality, the depth of his Foundation was already clear.

Having taken such fierce, consecutive three palm strikes, although Lin Yu's expression was relaxed, he still retreated a full ten steps, and a trace of crimson appeared at the corner of his mouth.

After the three palm strikes, a trace of triumph flashed in Nalan Mingyue's eyes, and she immediately turned around and said: "The Sect Master's Foundation is truly profound. Now I will agree to your request and give your Haoyang Sect a chance to prove itself."

Lin Yu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled lightly: "Then I thank the Empress for your fulfillment. From today on, the Haoyang Sect will also stop all actions targeting the Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty."

"Remember what you said."

Nalan Mingyue stood up and left.

Not until the Empress's figure disappeared did Lin Yu slowly exhale a breath of turbid air.

The sound of the zither also stopped at this moment: "You are not lightly injured?"

Lin Yu's eyes flashed with a hint of worry: "Nalan Mingyue's Nine Extremes Profound Art, fused with Imperial Qi, is indeed incomparably overbearing. Without breaking her cultivation body, no matter how deep one's Foundation is, it is very difficult to shake her in the slightest."

The woman: "What are your thoughts?"

Lin Yu: "Nalan Mingyue suddenly chose to shake hands and make peace at this time; it must be that she is going to take action against Prince Jing. She does not want to disperse her energy. Once she has resolved Prince Jing and annexed the Prince's Mansion's forces, what the Haoyang Sect will have to face will be a Xuan Sheng Immortal Dynasty without any internal worries."

The woman: "Are you planning to interfere?"

Lin Yu pondered for a moment: "Let's observe the changes first. Perhaps letting Prince Jing distract the Empress for us is also a good choice."

Just at this moment, the sound transmission stone at his waist rang.