Chapter 769: Chapter 384: Do you still recognize me?
 

While Lin Yi secluded himself in the Holy Church Cave Mansion, the five Demon Ancestors of the Demon Tribe decided, after a discussion, to make preliminary contact with the Human race to negotiate a ceasefire.

However, the terms they proposed were excessive, making them unacceptable to the Human race at the time. After several rounds of negotiation, the situation became deadlocked.

The five Demon Ancestors demanded that Transformed Demon Tribe members should have free access to Human territories, and at the same time, the Tai Xuan Dao Palace had to recruit Demon Tribe disciples, while the Human race could only enter Demon territories at specific times and with prior application.

Furthermore, the content and conditions of the negotiations were widely publicized under the instruction of the five Demon Ancestors.

They had hoped to coax Long Ao out with this publicity, to facilitate the ceasefire, so they would yield some conditions as a face-saving measure for Long Ao.

As a result, Long Ao would become the great hero revered by both the Human and Demon Tribes for brokering peace, a temptation of honor that many cultivators found irresistible.

However, after waiting for decades, Long Ao still did not appear. They even sent messengers to inquire at the Holy Sect, and some disciples replied that the Holy Master Long Ao was in seclusion and could not be disturbed by outsiders.

Under these circumstances, they dared not interfere with Long Ao’s seclusion, especially since the strength of this Golden Serpent had vastly changed from before.

Through this incident, the five Demon Ancestors realized that Long Ao only cared about the path of cultivation and had no interest in the allure of fame and tangible benefits.

Moreover, under the influence of the Holy Sect and Long Ao, more and more from the Demon Tribe, especially those from the lower ranks, wished to join the Holy Sect to achieve a brighter future, rather than becoming cannon fodder on the battlefield.

According to reliable information, Long Ao often preached to the Holy Sect disciples using Image Recording Stones, and coupled with the Mystical Pills he personally refined, even those demons of lower Bloodlines were able to comprehend the Dao.

Some Transformed and Void Refinement demons who joined the Holy Sect spent several hundred years there, and their rate of Cultivation Realm advancement far exceeded that of their Demon Tribe relatives and friends at the same Realm.

Originally, apart from the sly and belligerent Fox Clan, there were many demons within the other four clans who advocated for peace with the Human race. However, their voices were overshadowed by the warmongers.

Now, with the emergence of the Holy Sect and Long Ao’s formidable strength, coupled with the fact that the Demon Tribe had never managed to conquer Spirit City over the years, many demons had grown weary of war.

Those evil dragons from the Serpent Clan, notorious for their misdeeds, even started engaging in good deeds to join the Holy Sect; they began proactively rescuing Humans in danger within the Demon Tribe and avenging wronged lower-class demons. It was as unbelievable as the sun rising from the west.

It was estimated that in another thousand years or so, there would be no need for negotiations, as the Demon Tribe would no longer wage war against the Human race.

Thus, influenced by various factors, the five Demon Ancestors and the Human Tribulation Cultivators of the Tai Xuan Dao Palace engaged in sincere negotiations and finally reached an armistice agreement.

The armistice stipulated that the Demon and Human races would cease hostilities effective immediately. During this period, higher-ranking demons and humans could travel freely between the two areas after meeting certain conditions.

Effective immediately, all captives held by both sides would be released, and the Secret Realms within each domain would be conditionally opened to the other.

At the moment the ceasefire was announced, rejoicing erupted throughout Spirit City where the Demon Tribe resided.

Many cultivators rushed out of Spirit City to set up stalls in nearby open spaces, and the Demon Tribe did the same, coming nearby to sell various items unique to their kind.

What used to be a bloody battlefield suddenly transformed into a bustling market.

The five Demon Ancestors witnessed this scene with a hint of reflection on their faces. Long Ao hadn’t meddled in the affairs of the Human and Demon Tribes, yet he had unknowingly altered the entire situation.

With a wry shake of his head, the Fox Tribe Demon Ancestor laughed at himself. His clan had always been among the staunchest attackers of the Human race, but in the end, they had no choice but to accept this outcome.

Even if he wished to persist, he was powerless to do so. Relying solely on his clan’s strength, they could never contend with the Human race, not to mention, most of his tribesmen had already joined the Holy Sect.

Under these circumstances, it wouldn’t be long before he, the Fox Tribe Demon Ancestor, would become nothing more than a nominal leader.

Even if Long Ao completed his cultivation in the future and ascended to the Immortal Realm, he wouldn’t be able to act against the Holy Sect. Aside from the large number of Fox Tribe members in the sect, more importantly, once the Holy Sect was eliminated, the Fox Tribe aspiring to ascend to the Spirit Profound Realm would have no good days ahead.

Moreover, it was likely to be a thousand years before Long Ao ascended to the Immortal Realm. By then, the Holy Sect might have already produced a Tribulation Demon Patriarch.

After all, some of the demons now in the Holy Sect were at the cusp of Great Perfection in Fusion. If Long Ao’s teachings truly benefited understanding the Dao, then their crossing the Tribulation would be just a matter of time.

This was precisely why the Great Perfection demons had joined the Holy Sect.

The profound enlightenment offered by the Holy Sect made the several Demon Ancestors quite eager. If it really could assist them in Crossing Tribulation, humbling themselves to join the Holy Sect seemed a viable option.

Compared to ascending to the Immortal Realm, setting aside their pride was undoubtedly much simpler.

During the ceasefire between the Human and Demon Tribes, Lin Yi had been in seclusion within the Holy Church Cave Mansion for fifty years. At this time, his three Spiritual Pets showed no signs of reviving. Through the Eye of Emptiness, he also saw changes in the Spiritual Pets as they evolved toward a state closer to their original Bloodlines.