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"A duel is acceptable, but at least half of the prisoners must be released first as a sign of sincerity!"

Faced with Zhong Shenshi's relentless pressure, Wei Wuyai did not back down and put forward his own conditions.

He was no ordinary man; how could he be completely led by the nose?

Master Zhong frowned and exchanged a glance with Masters Zhu and Bi beside him.

The other party's request is reasonable. If we refuse it completely, it will make us seem insincere and may cause unnecessary complications.

The duel is imminent, and there is no room for error.

"Alright! As you wish!"

After a moment's thought, Master Zhong waved his hand to the army behind him, "Release them!"

Soon, about 250 cultivators dressed in Tiannan attire, their auras weak but most of them safe, were escorted out from the rear by the Mulan Dharma Masters and staggered toward the Tiannan army formation. Among them were more than 200 Foundation Establishment cultivators and several Core Formation cultivators.

Several Nascent Soul cultivators immediately flew out from the Tiannan Formation and cautiously stepped forward to receive them. They carefully examined the released prisoners with their divine sense to confirm that they had not been marked with tracking marks or malicious restrictions, nor had they shown any signs of being impersonated or controlled. Only then did they safely bring them into their own formation and hand them over to specialists for treatment.

"The man has been released, Wei Wuyai, may we begin?"

Master Zhong urged impatiently, a barely perceptible urgency flashing in his eyes. He needed to lure the ten elite warriors from Tiannan into the trap as soon as possible.

"Alright." Seeing that the prisoners were unharmed, Wei Wuyai knew that he could not delay any longer and nodded slightly.

"All participating cultivators, enter the arena!" Master Zhong shouted, his voice echoing across the land.

Within the Tiannan Formation, ten figures, already prepared, transformed into ten streaks of light, flying out from the front ranks of the army and descending towards the massive "Life and Death Arena" below, which was divided into ten sections.

It was none other than the Heavenly Hatred Old Monster, the Cloud Dew Old Demon, the Soul Shattering True Man, Dongmen Tu, Han Li, and others!

The ten individuals exuded a range of auras, some sharp, some eerie, some calm, and some sinister.

They all exuded the immense spiritual pressure of mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, especially the Heavenly Hatred Old Monster, whose aura was obscure yet unfathomable.

Meanwhile, ten figures flew out from the Mulan Formation and landed on the other side of the Life and Death Arena, facing off against the ten from Tiannan.

However, when they saw the appearance and aura of these ten people, everyone in Tiannan, from high-level cultivators to low-level disciples, showed surprise.

These ten people were all dressed in wide black robes, completely concealing their figures and faces, revealing only their eerie green or scarlet eyes. But their auras... were all at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm!

Moreover, for some reason, the aura of this early Nascent Soul stage cultivator always gave people a vague sense of fragility and instability, as if it had been forcibly elevated.

"The Mulan people... are they only sending these ten men into battle?"

"Ten early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators? That's way too arrogant!"

"To win this duel, we've sent out the best of the mid-Nascent Soul stage! Especially Senior Tianhen, who once fought against Master Zhiyang without defeat! Are the Mulan people going to use these mediocre talents to deal with us?"

"Something's not right...something's extremely wrong! The Mulan people must be plotting something!"

Within the Tiannan Formation, exclamations of surprise and doubt arose from all sides. Even Wei Wuyai, the Supreme Master of the Supreme Yang, and the Old Demon of the Joyful Union frowned slightly, their vigilance increasing significantly.

The actions of the Mulan people are highly unusual.

They are either arrogant and ignorant, or... these ten people are not as simple as they seem on the surface!

The three men felt increasingly uneasy about the strange rule that the other side insisted on holding ten matches simultaneously and that each match had to be a life-or-death struggle.

Just as the cultivators from both sides were about to enter the ten battle spaces shrouded by temporary restrictions, according to the pre-determined area—

"etc!"

A calm yet crystal-clear voice suddenly rang out, interrupting everyone's actions.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who spoke was Zhou Yuan, who was standing side by side with the three great cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou?" "Brother Zhou?"

Wei Wuyai, Master Zhiyang, and the Old Demon Hehuan all looked at Zhou Yuan with questioning expressions.

Zhong Shenshi's pupils contracted slightly, his heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged up—could it be that Zhou Yuan had seen something?

impossible!

This plan was personally designed by Sect Master Fang, using secret techniques and divine sense to conceal it. Even those in the late Nascent Soul stage would find it difficult to see through without careful investigation.

He was a mid-stage cultivator...

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, is there anything amiss?"

Wei Wuyai asked quickly, his tone showing great importance.

He had long admired Zhou Yuan's judgment and insight, and when he saw Zhou Yuan suddenly speak up to stop him, he knew there must be a reason.

"Regarding the selection of participants for this duel," Zhou Yuan calmly glanced at the twenty people about to enter below, and slowly spoke, his voice echoing throughout both armies, "I have new arrangements."

"A new arrangement?"

Wei Wuyai was taken aback.

Changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in military strategy.

Moreover, this was a formal wager involving the lives of hundreds of prisoners, affecting morale, and with high-ranking officials from both sides present to oversee it.

But out of his consistent trust in Zhou Yuan, he did not immediately object, but instead asked in a deep voice:

"I wonder how Fellow Daoist Zhou intends to make adjustments?"

The Old Demon of Hehuan and the Venerable Zhiyang also cast inquiring glances. Although they felt that Zhou Yuan's actions were somewhat abrupt, they also believed that Zhou Yuan was not someone who spoke without reason.

Zhou Yuan didn't answer directly, but instead rattled off a list of names: "Xu Yi, Zhao Wu, and Zhang Liu, enforcement elders of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance; Ling Xiao of the Demonic Blood Fiend Sect; Yu Tong, elder of the Heavenly Corpse Sect; Fan Song of the Righteous Tai Zhen Sect; Wu Ming, a rogue cultivator; and so on..."

As he called out each name one by one.

Those who were called out, as well as the surrounding cultivators who heard it clearly, were all astonished.

Wei Wuyai and the other two looked even more surprised.

Most of the ten people Zhou Yuan named were familiar to them; they were all late-stage Core Formation cultivators with considerable strength in their respective factions.

Some were even at the peak of the Core Formation stage.

But... late stage of Core Formation.

They're only at the Core Formation stage after all. Sending them to fight against the ten "early Nascent Soul" cultivators "openly" from Mulan's side? What's the difference between that and sending them to their deaths?

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what is this...?" Venerable Zhiyang frowned, somewhat puzzled.

"Zhou Yuan, what are you up to?"

Even the Old Demon of Hehuan couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with doubt.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, Fellow Daoist Zhiyang, Fellow Daoist Hehuan," Zhou Yuan said, his expression unchanged, his tone resolute, "Do as I say. Have these ten replace the ten originally scheduled Daoists in the battle. If any problems arise, I, Zhou Yuan, will take full responsibility!"

He spoke with extreme determination, with an undeniable confidence.

Wei Wuyai gave Zhou Yuan a deep look, and in the other's calm eyes, he saw a clear understanding and control that knew everything.

His mind raced. Although he didn't understand why, Zhou Yuan's previous performance, especially his decisions at crucial moments, had never been wrong.

Perhaps he really did see through some deadly trap that they hadn't noticed?

Let's take a gamble! Trust him!

"good!"

Without further hesitation, Wei Wuyai turned sharply and shouted sternly at the Tiannan formation, "Xu Yi, Zhao Wu, Zhang Liu, Ling Xiao... step forward! Replace the original ten fellow Daoists and participate in this battle!"

"What?!"

"Let us go? The opponent is a Nascent Soul cultivator!"

"this……"

The ten late-stage Core Formation cultivators who were named were first stunned, then their expressions changed drastically. Some were bewildered, some were terrified, and some were puzzled.

However, following the joint order from the three great cultivators and Zhou Yuan, the ten people reluctantly stepped forward under the complex and unfathomable gazes of the other cultivators of the same level, replacing the Heavenly Hatred Old Monster and others who were originally about to enter.

They landed on the southern side of the Life and Death Arena.

Although Tianhen Old Monster, Yunlu Old Demon, Han Li and the others were puzzled, seeing the resolute attitude of the three great cultivators and Zhou Yuan, they had no choice but to suppress their doubts and retreat back to their own formation.

His gaze was fixed on the field, filled with confusion and solemnity.

"What do you mean by this?!"

On the other side, Master Zhong's face instantly darkened, and he shouted sharply, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger and a hint of... panic?

"Wei Wuyai! Zhou Yuan! Your Tiannan is far too arrogant! You actually sent a mere ten Core Formation cultivators to come and gamble?"

"This is an insult to my Mulan Holy Clan! How can this battle be considered a victory?!"

He attempted to disrupt the situation and sabotage his plans by using "insults" as a pretext.

However, in that brief moment when Master Zhong was agitated by the disruption to his plans and vehemently questioned the situation—

On the other side, Wei Wuyai, Zhiyang Shangren, and Hehuan Laomo, three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, almost simultaneously focused their divine senses to the extreme, like the most precise probes, instantly scanning the ten black-robed "early-stage Nascent Soul" cultivators in front of the Mulan Formation!

Previously, although they had suspicions, they focused more on the overall situation and possible conspiracies, and since the other party had divine sense concealment, they did not deliberately investigate further.

At this moment, provoked by Zhou Yuan's unusual behavior, and with Master Zhong's reaction being slightly excessive, the three of them, in a flash of thought, simultaneously conducted the most thorough investigation!

How sharp is the full-power divine sense probing of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator?

In just a moment!

"Um?!"

"This aura... is weak and chaotic... its foundation is unstable..."

"The strength of his spiritual sense... is far inferior to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator! It's a Core Formation cultivator! And it's a Core Formation cultivator who has been forcibly enhanced!"

The three men's expressions changed drastically, their eyes flashing with shock and realization!

They finally saw through the disguise!

The ten people sent by Mulan were not early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators at all, but ten Core Formation cultivators who had forcibly raised their auras to the Nascent Soul level using secret techniques!

No wonder I felt his aura was strange and weak before!

"They're all Core Formation cultivators?!"

Wei Wuyai, Zhiyang, and Hehuan exchanged glances, all seeing lingering fear and chill in each other's eyes.

No wonder!

No wonder Fellow Daoist Zhou made a last-minute change and sent a Core Formation cultivator to the stage!

He figured it out a long time ago!

"Are you saying we from Tiannan look down on your Mulan?"

Wei Wuyai took a deep breath, suppressing the surging anger and lingering fear in his heart. He looked at the three people opposite him, Zhong Shenshi, whose faces were extremely ugly. His voice was cold and filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"Master Zhong, aren't you Mulan also plotting against Tiannan? Sending ten Core Formation assassins to impersonate Nascent Soul cultivators, what are you trying to do? Do you really think Tiannan is without people who can see through your clumsy tricks?!"

He pointed it out directly, and his voice, amplified by his magical power, resounded far and wide, reaching hundreds of thousands of cultivators on both sides!

"Whoosh—!"

An uproar erupted within the Tiannan Formation! All the cultivators realized that the so-called duel by the Mulan people was nothing more than a vicious trap targeting Tiannan's top combat power!

Immediately, the crowd was filled with indignation, and angry shouts and curses erupted everywhere.

Within the Mulan Formation, there was also considerable commotion. Many low-level mages, unaware of the inside story, looked on with surprise and disbelief upon hearing it.

"You bastard!"

Master Zhong, Master Zhu, and Master Bi were all ashen-faced, their eyes blazing with anger, yet they had no way to refute the argument.

The meticulously planned and seemingly foolproof scheme was unexpectedly exposed and ruined by Zhou Yuan at the last moment!

It is him again!

It's Zhou Yuan again! At this moment, they truly wished they could devour Zhou Yuan alive!

"All our efforts were in vain!"

Within the Mulan Formation, a dark figure shot out, standing shoulder to shoulder with the three great masters; it was none other than the Sect Master of the Yinluo Sect.

His eerie green eyes, hidden beneath his hood, were fixed on Zhou Yuan in the distance. His voice was hoarse, filled with resentment and bitterness: "I never imagined that besides those three late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, Tiannan would have someone like you! You've ruined my plans time and time again!"

His heart was filled with murderous intent, but now that his plan had been exposed and the two sides were facing off with 100,000 cultivators, it was impossible for him to make a move.

"There's no point in saying more now!"

Sect Master Fang transmitted his voice to Master Zhong and the other two, his tone cold and resolute, "The duel plan has failed; further delay is futile. Seize this opportunity and immediately order a full-scale attack! Engage in a decisive battle with Tiannan!"

He didn't care about the lives or deaths of the Mulan people at all; he only cared about whether he could collect enough living souls to repair the Ghost Banner.

The three masters, Zhong Shenshi and his companions, exchanged glances, their eyes filled with struggle.

The plan failed, and a direct confrontation is inevitable. Tiannan is a formidable force, and the outcome is uncertain.

But... just as Sect Leader Fang said, Mulan has no way out!

The arrow is on the bowstring, and it must be released!

Just as the murderous glint in Master Zhong's eyes intensified, and he was about to raise his hand to give the order to attack—

"Esteemed Divine Masters,"

Zhou Yuan's calm voice rang out again, seemingly carrying a strange penetrating power, suppressing the noise of the battlefield, and clearly reaching the ears of Master Zhong and the other two, as well as all the high-level cultivators of Mulan behind them, "I'm afraid that even if you want to fight this battle, you won't be able to."

"Um?"

Master Zhong paused, frowning as he looked at Zhou Yuan. "Zhou Yuan, what trick are you up to now?"

"I just want to ask the three divine masters a question,"

Zhou Yuan's gaze was deep as he slowly said, "Have any news been sent back to your tribes who remained on the grasslands, especially... the Jinyang tribe, recently?"

"Jinyang Division?"

Master Zhong's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition instantly gripped his heart.

The Jinyang tribe was the strongest tribe they left in the heart of the grasslands to guard their ancestral lands and defend against the Tuwu people.

For this invasion of the south, they mobilized the vast majority of their forces, but the Jinyang tribe, due to its crucial location, did not have much of its strength mobilized.

Logically, there should be routine communications every few days...

He suddenly remembered that... in the last two or three days, the routine communications from the Jinyang Division had become somewhat slow and infrequent.

He had been busy with the battles on the front lines and hadn't paid much attention to it, attributing it to fluctuations in the communication array or harassment by a small group of unexpected people.

"What do you mean?" the priest asked sharply, his voice hoarse.

"It doesn't mean anything."

Zhou Yuan shrugged, his tone still calm, "I'm just guessing that the Jin Yang tribe that your troops left behind is probably... no longer existing. And the news has probably been completely blocked by your mortal enemies, the Tuwu people."

"What?!"

"impossible!"

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

The three masters were both shocked and furious. They shouted at each other, but their voices trembled slightly.

If the Jinyang tribe is truly destroyed, it means that the Tuwu people have already launched a large-scale southward invasion, and their stronghold...

"Whether it's nonsense or not, the three divine masters must already have their own judgment."

Zhou Yuan said unhurriedly, "Your Mulan can contact the Yinluo Sect of the Great Jin Dynasty, the Tuwu people... can't you contact other forces in the Great Jin Dynasty, or even more powerful beings?"

"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. If the fighting continues, no matter who wins or loses, the ones who will ultimately laugh are probably the Tuwu people and the forces behind them. At that time, not only will your Mulan Holy Clan be in danger of extinction, but my Tiannan cultivation world will also likely face annihilation."

Zhou Yuan's words were like a thunderclap from the heavens, not only striking the hearts of the three great masters of Mulan, but also causing a dramatic change in the expressions of Wei Wuyai, Zhiyang Shangren, Hehuan Laomo and other high-ranking figures in Tiannan, and stirring up a huge wave in their hearts!

Previously, when Zhou Yuan mentioned in the palace that the Turks might benefit from the situation, they only thought it was possible and that they needed to be vigilant.

Now Zhou Yuan has directly pointed out that the Jinyang tribe may have been destroyed and the Tuwu people may have colluded with the forces of the Great Jin... This is no longer a possibility, but an imminent and enormous crisis!

If that's the case, Tiannan and Mulan will fight to the death here. Whoever wins will be the loser, and the kind of loser who loses everything!

"Impossible... How could the Jin Yang tribe be so easily destroyed? You must be lying and stalling for time!" Master Bi roared fiercely, but the panic in his eyes betrayed him.

"Whether you believe it or not, why don't the three divine masters immediately send people back to the grasslands at the fastest speed, at any cost, to investigate?"

Zhou Yuan said leisurely, "With the abilities of the three Divine Masters, surely you must have some secret emergency communication methods? Checking them won't take much time. It's better than fighting a pointless battle here that's destined to benefit others, isn't it?"

The expressions on the faces of Master Zhong and the other two changed constantly, a mixture of surprise, anger, fear, and resentment.

Zhou Yuan's words were like a poisonous thorn, piercing their most vulnerable and unthinkable place. The safety of their homeland was a sword hanging over the heads of all the invading sorcerers.

"If you dare to deceive us..."

Master Zhong stared intently at Zhou Yuan, squeezing out a few words through clenched teeth.

"Whether it's true or false, a simple investigation will tell," Zhou Yuan said calmly.

silence.

A suffocating silence hung between the two armies.

The atmosphere, which had been tense and ready to erupt into a decisive battle, now became eerie and stagnant.

All eyes were on the three great masters of Mulan, awaiting their decision.

Finally, Master Zhong took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and whispered a few words to the Master Zhu beside him.

The priest nodded with a grim expression, then his figure flickered and transformed into a dim gray light, silently disappearing into the rear army. He was clearly going to use some costly secret technique to urgently contact the grasslands.

"All troops, retreat!"

Master Zhong gritted his teeth and gave orders to the Mulan army.

Then, he looked at Wei Wuyai with icy eyes: "Wei Wuyai, let's remember what happened today. We'll discuss it with you again after we've investigated the matter on the grasslands!"

"Alright." Wei Wuyai nodded solemnly.

If Zhou Yuan's words are true, then the situation has already changed drastically, and continuing the war would be equally harmful to Tiannan.

Following the orders of their respective supreme commanders, the opposing armies of cultivators, which had been locked in a standoff, slowly retreated like the receding tide.

A seemingly inevitable decisive battle has been temporarily postponed in such an unexpected way.

Several days later, at the Mulan camp.

The atmosphere was as heavy as lead.

The priest was pale and weak, clearly having suffered considerable losses from using the emergency communication technique.

The news he brought back plunged all the top executives of Mulan into despair.

Routine communications between the Jinyang and Jinyang units were completely severed three days ago!

Meanwhile, the reconnaissance team sent to the grasslands also discovered obvious traces of Tuwu people's activities after venturing thousands of miles deep into the grasslands.

Jin Yang's forces are likely in grave danger!

The Turks have likely already moved north.

The news spread like wildfire among the Mulan leadership, and panic and despair were overwhelming. With their homeland on the verge of falling, they were now trapped in the Tiannan battlefield, caught in a dilemma.

Ultimately, under immense pressure and internal panic, the Mulan leadership had no choice but to lower their stance and proactively extend a request for peace talks to Tiannan.

Outside Khotan City.

The leaders of the four major forces in Tiannan, as well as key figures such as Zhou Yuan, Long Han, and Tianhen Laoguai, gathered together.

The three great masters of Mulan and the sect leader of Yinluo Sect came as representatives.

The negotiations were extremely difficult, but both sides knew that the fighting could not continue.

Finally, after several days of intense debate and compromise, a preliminary draft of the peace treaty was reached:

The four major powers in Tiannan agreed to cede Fengyuan and the neighboring country, both bordering the Mulan Grassland, to the Mulan people as their temporary residence and place to recuperate.

Correspondingly, before the formal signing of the peace treaty, the Tiannan side will relocate all ordinary people within the borders of these two countries to other countries in the rear for resettlement.

The existing small and medium-sized sects and independent cultivators were absorbed and resettled by the four major powers, who also provided them with compensation.

After acquiring the lands of these two countries, the Mulan people had to assume the responsibilities of the original Nine Kingdoms Alliance and become the first line of defense against the Tuwu people in the north in the south!

We must remain vigilant against the northward movement of unsuspecting people and regularly report the grassland's movements to the southern regions.

For the Mulan people, this provided a respite and prevented immediate annihilation, but it also burdened them with heavy shackles.

It became the "watchdog" of Tiannan.

But the situation is beyond our control, and our homeland is in grave danger.

They have no choice.

For Tiannan, although it ceded two countries, it successfully transformed the fierce force of the Mulan people into a protective barrier, offsetting the direct threat of the Tuwu people moving north.

Trading the land and resources of both countries for peace and shifting the defensive burden to the Muran people is a strategically worthwhile deal. Moreover, the four major powers can balance the losses through compensation and exchange of interests.

The sect leader of the Yinluo Sect was extremely dissatisfied with this result, which meant that his plan to collect living souls to repair the Ghost Banner had completely failed.

However, he alone could not reverse the collective decision of the Mulan leadership, and could only leave in resentment. Before leaving, he gave Zhou Yuan a deep look, and the resentment in his eyes was chilling.

With the overall situation settled, the details of the peace treaty were left to be finalized by those below.

The leaders of the four major forces in Tiannan have gathered once again.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou,"

Wei Wuyai smiled and said to Zhou Yuan, "You deserve the greatest credit for successfully forcing Mulan to make peace and averting the war crisis! You not only uncovered the conspiracy but also alerted the Tuwu people to their dangers, preventing a catastrophe in Tiannan. The land I promised you earlier should now be delivered."

Master Zhiyang and the Old Demon Hehuan nodded in agreement.

"After discussion among the four of us!" Wei Wuyai continued, "we have decided to formally cede the Eastern Yu Kingdom to Fellow Daoist Zhou, as the foundation for our sect!"

"Although Dongyu Kingdom is a neutral territory, it has sent very few people to participate in this border war."

The Old Demon of Hehuan interjected, his tone carrying an undeniable domineering air, "But faced with the joint statement of our four major powers, they wouldn't dare to put up much resistance. Besides, we have already promised to carve out a portion of our respective territories to properly resettle the sects and cultivators within Dongyu who are willing to relocate, and to provide them with compensation. I doubt they'll have anything to say about that."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou," Venerable Zhiyang stroked his beard and smiled, "within a year at most, the main spiritual veins and core territory of Dongyu Kingdom will be properly cleared and handed over to you intact. At that time, you can then issue invitations to establish your sect and formally set up your own!"

"In that case, thank you very much, fellow Daoists."

Zhou Yuan bowed and expressed his gratitude.

Dongyu Kingdom.

This was precisely the place he envisioned for establishing his school of thought.