"Training!"
Quite a few Domain Lords frowned. Training of what kind? But there were several who appeared to be deep in thought.
Six Arms was among those contemplating the matter: "You mean to say..."
Monaye replied, "Though you Domain Lords have been stationed in the Xuanming Domain for years on end, you've surely heard rumors about the Star Boundary and the World Tree?"
The Domain Lords nodded.
Though they hadn't left the Xuanming Domain much, they each had their own intelligence channels to some degree.
Over so many years of conflict between humans and Ink, quite a few human hunters had been corrupted by the Ink into Ink Disciples. Leveraging these Ink Disciples, the Ink Clan had gathered no small amount of intelligence on the human race.
The Star Boundary, the World Tree — these were the terms that appeared most frequently in all the intelligence they had obtained.
It was said that the World Tree possessed wondrous power, capable of giving rise to a vast number of geniuses within the Star Boundary, some of whom had even ascended directly to the Sixth-Order or Seventh-Order of the Open Heaven Realm.
Monaye continued, "You might not think much of those Sixth-Order and Seventh-Order Open Heaven masters born in the Star Boundary, but they will keep growing. A Sixth-Order will eventually reach the Eighth-Order, and a Seventh-Order will eventually reach the Ninth-Order! By then, even we Domain Lords would have to treat them seriously. But human growth is more arduous than that of the Ink Clan, requiring more time. If they simply shut themselves away in bitter cultivation, the results may not be satisfactory. Thus, these so-called geniuses in whom the humans have placed such great hope need a space where they can grow through combat."
A Domain Lord vaguely grasped the meaning: "Lord Monaye, are you saying that the Xuanming Domain is the humans' choice?"
Monaye nodded. "That Yang Kai came to negotiate peace with us three hundred years ago precisely for this reason. Those geniuses the humans have pinned their hopes on need a relatively safe place, which is why he sought peace with us — to restrict our movements as Domain Lords."
A Domain Lord immediately seethed, "The human race is truly cunning!"
Monaye chuckled lightly. Even if Yang Kai hadn't concealed the true reason back then, even if he had stated it openly, the Domain Lords of the Xuanming Domain probably wouldn't have had the courage to refuse.
Those people — the Domain Lords had genuinely been terrified by the killing.
With a relatively safe space for battle, geniuses who had never appeared on the battlefield in past years began pouring into the Xuanming Domain in droves.
"Then in your view, Lord Monaye, should we restart the war in the Xuanming Domain?" a Domain Lord raised the question.
Monaye slowly shook his head. "There's no need for that. The humans are training their forces — can't we Ink Clan take this opportunity to do the same? You may not have noticed, but Lord Six Arms must have — over these three hundred years, the number of our Ink Clan members who have broken through should be considerably greater than in previous eras."
Had he not pointed it out, Six Arms might not have given it much thought. With the reminder, the realization finally struck him: "Indeed. In recent years, newly ascended Lords have become noticeably more numerous."
This was after only three hundred years. Given more time, the effect would only become more pronounced.
Monaye smiled. "So this matter of training — the humans need it, and so do we. Our Innate Domain Lords are fixed in number. On the human side, many new Eighth-Order and Ninth-Order masters will eventually emerge. If the Ink Clan produces no new Royal Lords, are we to handle all those Ninth-Order masters by ourselves? This is precisely why the balance in the Xuanming Domain must not be disrupted. We Domain Lords must not only refrain from striking first, but also uphold the agreement with the human race."
His words drew frequent nods from the assembled Domain Lords. They weren't foolish — they simply didn't have enough information about the human side to make sound judgments on many matters. Over the years, Monaye had been collecting intelligence from all sources, especially from human Ink Disciples, so naturally he appeared smarter than the other Domain Lords.
Six Arms asked, "If that's the case, what is Yang Kai's purpose this time?"
The topic had come full circle. Monaye replied with a faint smile, "Before Yang Kai negotiated peace with us back then, he also went on a rampage, slaughtering in all directions. What do you think his purpose is this time?"
Yang Kai's sudden appearance in the Shuangji Domain and his massacre bore an uncanny resemblance to what had happened years ago.
Six Arms's eyes lit up. "He wants to turn the Shuangji Domain into a second Xuanming Domain!"
Monaye nodded. "A single Xuanming Domain can no longer satisfy the humans' training needs. And it's not just the humans — the same is true for us Ink Clan. With the massive influx of human warriors, the Xuanming Domain has become rather congested. The humans need not only a second Xuanming Domain, but a third, a fourth..."
"I see!" Six Arms burst into hearty laughter. The pressure from the Domain Lords of over a dozen other Great Domains had been somewhat troublesome for him to deal with, but now it seemed this was no difficulty at all. He simply needed to let the word spread, and those Domain Lords would have no time to condemn his inaction — they would probably be eager to negotiate peace with the human Eighth-Order masters themselves.
In his delight, his impression of Monaye underwent a complete transformation. During Monaye's years in the Xuanming Domain, Six Arms had still harbored some resentment toward him — after all, his incorrect intelligence report had once caused significant losses to the Xuanming Domain. But now it seemed those losses were hardly worth mentioning.
"With Monaye by my side, why should the Xuanming Domain ever fear falling?" Six Arms laughed heartily.
Monaye rose to his feet. "Lord Six Arms, I would like to take my leave."
Six Arms's laughter died abruptly, and the other Domain Lords turned to look at him in surprise.
Monaye explained, "The Royal Lord at Buhui Pass has ordered me to proceed to the Shuangji Domain at once and take up station there. Furthermore, he has decreed that if the humans wish to negotiate peace again, we are to grant it without hesitation!"
Six Arms was momentarily stunned, but quickly grasped the situation.
In the Shuangji Domain, the Domain Lord who had been stationed there — the purple-haired one — had been killed, leaving the region in a state of leaderless chaos. Though Innate Domain Lords were all powerful, there still needed to be someone in charge. Monaye was indeed qualified for the role.