Han Li watched as Long Han released a sound-isolation barrier and pulled several small flags from his robes, forming a wall of mist that cut them off from the outside world. He fell silent, lost in thought.
There weren't many cultivators present. Aside from the handful of old monsters still trapped inside the blood barrier, only about twenty-odd remained.
These people naturally represented the majority of the factions that had taken part in the battle.
"Daoist Long, what exactly is going on? The Mulan have suddenly lost the will to fight?" Zhiyang Shangren spoke up first.
"It is rather strange. We've already fought to this point. Could they possibly be delusional enough to sue for peace?" Wei Wuya sounded suspicious.
"It's not that they're delusional. The truth is, even if we wanted to refuse peace, we couldn't." Long Han smiled bitterly.
"What do you mean? Has another faction truly intervened?" Old Devil Hehuan furrowed his brow, his voice tinged with surprise.
"That's right. The Tuyuhun have made their move. And word is they've allied with several sects from the Jin Dynasty, launching a joint assault against the Mulan. The Mulan's greatest clan — the one guarding their rear — was completely wiped out a month ago. The Tuyuhun simply kept the news under wraps. None of the other Mulan tribes knew about it. It seems the Tuyuhun have been playing the 'snipe and clam' game all along, and now they've set their sights on our South Heaven as well." Long Han's voice was grave.
The other cultivators' hearts sank at these words. The gathering fell into dead silence.
Han Li's brow furrowed as well. This was bad.
Tigers at the front gate, wolves at the back!
"Hmph! Is this news even real? The Tuyuhun are a long way from our South Heaven. This wouldn't happen to be the Mulan bluffing, would it?" Zhenren Suihun sounded skeptical.
"It shouldn't be. Old Freak Tianhen's squad — the one that infiltrated Tiantian City — failed. Apparently, Tuyuhun spies embedded among the Mulan had the very same idea we did and also sent a team into Tiantian City, hoping to loot the Mulan's warehouses. They ran right into Daoist Tianhen's group. Both sides were exposed as a result. And after this battle, you should all have seen clearly — the Mulan, fighting with everything they had, may have been slightly weaker than us in raw strength, but they fought with the resolve to die. If Daoist Han hadn't displayed his incredible power at the critical moment, destroying those copper-armored refined corpses and the Mulan Sacred Bird one after another, we might well have suffered a crushing defeat. Meanwhile, our South Heaven may have mobilized all our major factions, but none of us can say we went all out. Which sect hasn't kept nearly half its disciples behind to guard their mountain gates? If this war continued, even if we could annihilate the Mulan mages who have nowhere to retreat, our vitality would be completely spent. If the Tuyuhun then struck at us immediately after, we'd have absolutely no way to resist." Long Han's voice carried a note of helplessness.
When they heard that Han Li had destroyed the refined corpses and the demonic bird, those cultivators learning this for the first time couldn't help but steal glances at Han Li, their faces full of astonishment.
Han Li's expression didn't change in the slightest. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face.
"Hmph! The Mulan want our territory — so how are we supposed to negotiate peace? Are we really supposed to hand over half our land to them?" Wei Wuya's tone was cold.
"Dividing things evenly is obviously out of the question. However, we could carve out two countries along the border with the Mulan grasslands and cede them for the Mulan to settle. That way, the Tuyuhun's offensive would still be borne by the Mulan. The two races are mortal enemies — there's no chance of a reversal. Of course, given the Tuyuhun's current might, we still need to join forces with the Mulan."
Just moments ago they had been mortal enemies locked in a life-and-death struggle, yet in the blink of an eye Long Han was proposing an alliance. But not a single cultivator showed any surprise.
These were all old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years. They had seen alliances shift like clouds and rain more times than they could count.
As long as it served their interests, they wouldn't let emotions cloud their judgment.
"Those border regions would mean ceding territory from our Nine Nations Alliance," Wei Wuya said, his expression darkening.
"That can't be helped — your alliance is the only one bordering the Mulan grasslands. Of course, this loss shouldn't fall entirely on your shoulders. We should discuss whether we can find some way to adequately compensate your alliance," Long Han explained.
"Let's table this for now. We should first see what the Mulan are thinking before negotiating further." Wei Wuya was clearly unhappy and brushed the matter aside.
Han Li's gaze swept across Zhiyang Shangren and Old Devil Hehuan. Though both wore contemplative expressions, as if weighing the matter carefully, Han Li caught a glint of interest in their eyes. They simply didn't dare agree outright out of consideration for Wei Wuya's pride.
Han Li sighed inwardly. As expected, the moment their own interests were at stake, the various factions immediately started scheming against each other.
Long Han didn't look surprised by Wei Wuya's response. He simply smiled and replied: "These are merely my own preliminary thoughts. As for how to actually handle this, we'll need to sit down together and discuss it properly. Of course, we should also immediately send someone to the Mulan grasslands to verify whether this intelligence is genuine. Only then can we negotiate with the Mulan. If the information checks out, there's simply no way we can keep fighting them. We'll all have to make concessions. Otherwise, we'll only end up benefiting the Tuyuhun."
This response put the cultivators present at ease. Even Wei Wuya's expression softened slightly.
The group immediately began discussing the finer details.
Han Li, for his part, said nothing throughout. He offered no strategies, nor did he join the discussion.
As far as he was concerned, so long as the matter didn't directly involve him or the Falling Cloud Sect, he couldn't be bothered to waste energy on it. And with Long Han present, the Heavenly Dao Alliance's interests would likely be protected well enough.
Before long, the old monsters had worked out their strategies and contingency measures. Then the restrictions were lifted and the mist dissipated.
On the other side, the three great Mulan mages and their entourage had also held their own hasty deliberations and brought them to a close.
Each side then sent a representative, and after a brief exchange, a temporary ceasefire was agreed upon.
All other matters would naturally have to be negotiated formally at a later date.
But the mages of the cultivator camp all wore grim expressions.
With their retreat cut off, they had become rootless people, and the future looked utterly bleak. Compared to their morale before the battle, their spirits had sunk to rock bottom.