Chapter 416: Chapter 414: The Return of the Soul-devouring Demon

“Oh?”

Lin Tiannan raised an eyebrow: “Fellow Daoist, remember, the advantage in the great battle now lies with my Xia Country. If you would like to negotiate peace, mere sincerity like this is not enough.”

“There’s no need to rush, listen to me slowly.”

The Purple Flame Demon Lord said lightly, “If your country wins these five contests, my Sangyu Country will accept defeat and withdraw all cultivators back to our homeland, furthermore, compensate your country with three Spiritual Treasures, twenty Magical Treasures, plus ten million Spirit Stones.

And if your country wins, you only need to not pursue us and remain stationary during our withdrawal period from Sangyu Country, that is the sincerity of my Sangyu Country. What do the fellow Daoists of Xia Country think?”

Immediately, Monarch Ling Fu and True Monarch Liu Yun showed extremely interested expressions.

True Monarch Qi Xing looked indifferent, and Lin Tiannan remained silent.

Ning Daoran frowned, not speaking.

“Fellow Daoists,”

Lin Tiannan smiled lightly, “At this crucial time, I, Lin, cannot make decisions alone; perhaps we could discuss this further before deciding, how does that sound?”

“Sure,”

The Purple Flame Demon Lord smiled, “Feel free to discuss, the four of us will patiently await the outcome.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!”

Thus, Lin Tiannan turned and led everyone into a secret chamber.

Ning Daoran and True Monarch Liu Yun each set up dozens of prohibitions, completely blocking outside sensation.

“What do you think?”

Lin Tiannan asked, “What do you think about the Purple Flame Demon Lord’s proposal?”

“If it is so, it would be fortunate for both countries of the cultivation world.”

Monarch Ling Fu said, “But as for specifics, we still need to discuss it thoroughly.”

True Monarch Qi Xing said, “The Purple Flame old demon has been famous for many years, a calculative and ruthless person. Since he has proposed this, there surely must be a trick behind it; we must be cautious.”

Ning Daoran, what do you think?” Lin Tiannan asked.

“Deeply tricky, hard to say.”

Ning Daoran shook his head, “I, Ning, am just a Golden Core, perhaps cannot see as high as the seniors here, but I feel like the Purple Flame Demon Lord’s proposal is like digging a hole, just waiting for us to jump in.”

“In that case…”

Lin Tiannan said, “We need to renegotiate with them, fellow Daoists can react accordingly. As long as we can constantly change the details, even if they are prepared, we can completely thwart their plans.”

“This makes sense!”

Half a cup of tea later, the latter half of the meeting began.

Lin Tiannan said, “With contests ranging hugely in cultivation and age, if there is any bias, it would be very unfair. I wonder if Purple Flame Daoist has already considered this?”

“Indeed.”

The Purple Flame Demon Lord said, “I have already sent someone back to Sangyu Country to invite Monarch Qian Yuan, the Sect Master of Qianyuan Sect. This time, let us decide the winner based on the Nascent Soul Stage. Both sides will put forth Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. Regardless of life or death, the first one to win three rounds will be the victor, and the loser will willingly accept defeat.”

“Nascent Soul Stage contest?”

Lin Tiannan shivered and immediately communicated with Ning Daoran and others, “What do you think?”

“Could it be an implementation of the high horse, low horse strategy?”

Ning Daoran frowned, “Purple Flame Demon Lord is at Nascent Soul Late Stage, his chances of winning are extremely high, and if True Monarch Qing Lin encounters our Nascent Soul Early Stage, his chances are also high. What kind of person is this Monarch Qian Yuan, and what is his realm?”

“Nascent Soul Mid-Stage.”

“In that case, they truly do want to win…” said Ning Daoran.

“Indeed.”

Monarch Ling Fu said, “Fellow Daoist Lin, since we want to avoid falling into their scheme, we could do the opposite of what the Purple Flame Demon Lord wants, going against his path. I believe that we wouldn’t fall into their trap.”

“Very good,” Lin Tiannan nodded.

Ning Daoran was somewhat speechless. The Nascent Soul Great Cultivator from Furong Immortal Palace and her long legs seemed… both her appearance and strength were indeed extraordinary, but her brain seemed a bit lacking!

She only knew of the tactics of feigning reality with fakeness, but hadn’t heard about the mixed strategy of odd and even. What if the opponent anticipates such thoughts first? Wouldn’t that mean falling into their plot again?

However, this was also difficult to say precisely. If you predict the opponent’s move one step ahead, and what if the opponent predicts two steps ahead? If you then predict three steps ahead, but the opponent moves four steps…

“Any thoughts, Young Friend Ning?”

Lin Tiannan asked, highly valuing Ning Daoran’s opinion, given the latter was also considered calculative and cautious. Although his realm was low, his insight was not.

“I really can’t discern the opponent’s plot.”

Ning Daoran said, “Everything up to the seniors’ decision will suffice.”

Speaking too much might lead to mistakes, and since Ning Daoran genuinely could not see through the opponent’s plot, it was naturally best to pass the responsibility to these Nascent Soul cultivators; after all, Ning Daoran’s role in the cultivation world was being a ‘non-stick pan’.

“Given this, I, Lin, know what to do.”

After briefly communicating, Lin Tiannan coughed and said, “My Xia Country is vast, and while Nascent Soul cultivators are numerous, gathering them quickly isn’t easy. In my view, how about we change the contestants to the Golden Core Stage? Both our countries could send several Golden Core cultivators to fight, with the first to win three rounds as the victor, how does that sound?”

“Oh?”

The Purple Flame Demon Lord seemed slightly startled, glanced around with True Monarch Qing Lin and others, then immediately began to whisper-translate and hold a small meeting.

After a while, the Purple Flame Demon Lord finally spoke again: “Let’s go with Fellow Daoist Lin’s suggestion; Golden Core be it then. In this case, both sides dispatching Golden Core Late Stage for the battle would also be fair.”

“Thus…”

Lin Tiannan said, “I will draft the contract, in duplicate. All eight of us Nascent Soul cultivators must imprint our Divine Souls on the contract and make a vow on the Supreme Path. What are your opinions on this?”

“Agreed~~”

Everyone nodded in unison.

Ning Daoran continued pouring tea; the matters of signing the contract had nothing to do with him, which was fine.

The time for the five duels was set one month later. Both parties must submit their lists of participants three days in advance. As for the location of the duels, it was set on an island called Half Moon Island, three hundred miles east of Liuhua Island.

Half Moon Island is a desolate island with no Spirit Veins below, incapable of gathering even a trace of Spiritual Energy, truly a place rarely visited by humans.

After Purple Flame Demon Lord and others departed, Lin Tiannan began preparing the list of names.

…

Several days later.

Liuhua Island, Main Peak.

In the living room, Lin Tiannan sat upright, concerned. A note on the table was filled with names, all of which were top figures from the Golden Core Late Stage, including the names of Ning Daoran, Lin Xuyan, and others.

Ultimately, a few Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, along with a group of Golden Core Late-Stage Ancestors, discussed and decided on a list of five people.

Namely Ning Daoran, Lin Xuyan, Liu Wushuang, Lin Baoping, and Nian Wuya.

Lin Xuyan and Liu Wushuang are the elite of Liangyi Sect, both having reached Golden Core Perfection, only a step away from Nascent Soul and with formidable combat power, naturally belonging on the list.

Lin Baoping, as the Holy Daughter of Furong Immortal Palace, had proven herself by handling a major battle alone.

Nian Wuya, the Chief Disciple of Wanhua Sword Sect, aside from Ning Daoran, was the most eye-catching Golden Core cultivator in this great battle.

As for Ning Daoran, he is the legendary Independent Practitioner Jianjia, long considered the strongest Golden Core cultivator in the Cultivation World of the Eastern Wilderness, and being a cultivator of Xia Country, there was no reason for him not to fight.

“Cough cough, this list…”

When Ning Daoran saw the list, his heart began to race, “Should we reconsider this?”

“Nephew Ning.”

True Monarch Qi Xing said, “Do you not wish to fight? If this is the case… we will replace someone, we will not force this matter.”

“Exactly.”

Lin Tiannan nodded.

True Monarch Liu Yun, however, looked at Ning Daoran with a face full of encouragement, “Young Friend Ning, have you ever heard the saying, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’?”

“…”

Ning Daoran was somewhat speechless, but after a moment of thought, he gave in, going ahead to fight, thinking, ‘anyway, I’m unmatched among Golden Cores…’

“Okay, I have no objections.”

“That’s good.”

Lin Tiannan said, “The five named individuals need not leave the island for this month; cultivate well on the island and conserve your energy.”

“Yes!”

…

After the list was confirmed, Lin Xuyan, Liu Wushuang, Lin Baoping, and Nian Wuya were all exceptionally invigorated.

The four of them went into seclusion with Ning Daoran, occasionally sparring lightly within the Cave Mansion and getting along harmoniously, but Ning Daoran never took the spars seriously, otherwise, the other four would not have been able to withstand him.

Thus, more than twenty days passed in a blink.

That day, in the afternoon, a figure fluttered down to Liuhua Island, an old man with white hair and beard, arm behind his back, carrying an air of Immortal Charm. He squinted at the Cultivator guarding the Array and said with a smile, “I’ve heard that Xia Country’s Cultivation World is about to send five Golden Core cultivators to face Sangyu Country’s Golden Cores. Although I am unworthy, I would like to volunteer!”

“Oh?”

The gatekeeper Cultivator was taken aback: “Who are you, Senior, to speak with such confidence?”

“I am… Soul-devouring Demon!”

…

The news of Soul-devouring Demon arriving on the island spread instantly.

Everyone in the Eastern Wilderness Cultivation World knew about the great battle between Independent Practitioner Jianjia of Red Leaf Valley and Soul-devouring Demon; now everyone also knew that Independent Practitioner Jianjia was none other than Liuhua Island’s Island Master Ning Daoran. There was much speculation.

Some even rumored that Soul-devouring Demon came to Liuhua Island to challenge his old foe again, and not for any dueling matter.

Ever since Xia Country and Sangyu Country published the news of the five duels, these battles became the talk of the entire Cultivation World, instantly becoming a hot topic, widely known to the point that all major betting houses opened bets on this event, pushing its popularity even higher.

Soul-devouring Demon is also a legendary figure. Although a Demon Cultivator, his cultivation base and cunning nature are profound, with combat power naturally ranked among the top in the Golden Core Stage.

That afternoon, in the Main Peak’s living room.

Soul-devouring Demon, clad in a white robe, slowly stepped into the living room, saying, “Junior Soul-devouring Master, greets all the seniors.”

Lin Tiannan and others nodded in response.

Soul-devouring Demon then looked up at the young Island Master.

Ning Daoran, with a calm gaze, smiled, “Soul-devouring Fellow Daoist, do you wish for another challenge?”

“No need.”

Soul-devouring Demon shook his head, “Island Master Ning’s combat power within the Golden Core is unmatched, which is known to all. Although I am inferior to Island Master Ning in terms of power, I am willing to challenge the other four participants. If I win, may I replace one of them and fight for the Xia Country’s Cultivation World?”

“Agreed.”

True Monarch Qi Xing immediately consented.