Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

These words sounded sarcastic and infuriating, making the demon king furious. He roared and tried to charge forward.

"Step back! Don't be rude!"

A demon king nearby quickly intervened and stopped him. If a fight broke out, there would be no point in talking today.

"Your demon race started the war back then, and now it's you who want to make peace. If you're not sincere at all, then there's no point in talking."

Chu Yunhe raised an eyebrow.

"Just kidding, let's talk this out. But he wasn't wrong. Although we have suffered a temporary defeat, we still control thousands of miles of land in the Western Regions. If your Tang Dynasty wants us to withdraw our troops, you must show some sincerity."

Another demon king chimed in.

"Those lands originally belonged to our Great Tang Dynasty and should be returned. There are no conditions to discuss."

Wu Yu said coldly.

So far, neither side's top management has spoken, only allowing their subordinates to come and talk. In fact, they are all testing each other's attitude and bottom line.

For a time, the two sides engaged in a heated exchange of words, and several more demon kings joined the fray. On this side, it was always Wu Yu and Chu Yunhe who remained, the two of them taking turns to speak, one laughing and cursing, the other glaring coldly. They managed to fight against the other side with two against many.

Li Yuan maintained his smile and calmly surveyed the scene. The Azure Lotus Demon Emperor remained silent, while Mo Lin leisurely sipped his tea, seemingly watching a play, until the two sides began arguing fiercely. Only then did he slowly put down his teacup.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, please allow me to say a word."

His voice was not loud, but it had its own authority, and both sides immediately stopped talking. Mo Lin looked around the room and spoke sincerely.

"When two countries clash, the soldiers and the common people suffer the most in the end. I believe that since both sides are sincere in coming here, it would be better for each side to back down."

He turned to look at Zhu Yan, "Lord Zhu Yan's conditions are indeed a bit high. Back then, the Tang Dynasty and the Demon Court ruled from a border, and trade was conducted between them. There was no great enmity between them."

"It is unreasonable for the Tang Dynasty to have to back down in everything."

Then he looked at Li Yuan and said, "Lord Li, if you demand a complete victory and refuse to give an inch, I'm afraid the Demon Court will have a hard time explaining itself."

This sounds perfectly fair, but upon closer inspection, it's clearly a charade orchestrated by Zhu Yan.

One party demanded an exorbitant price, while the other pretended to ask for compromises, but in reality, they were secretly trying to rip off the Tang Dynasty.

"Oh? According to Lord Molin, what kind of compromise is this?"

Li Yuan pretended not to understand the meaning behind his words and asked with a smile.

"How about this, the border between the two sides shall be based on the current actual control, and neither side shall invade the other in the future, and the Demon Court shall not be allowed to invade the border to the east again."

The Demon Emperor Mo Lin chuckled. "As for the reparations, both sides have their reasons, and we can discuss it at length. I'll make the decision: the Demon Court will first open three trade markets in exchange for peace, and taxes will be paid according to the previous rules. What do you think, Lord Li?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.

Based on the current actual control, it seems like there's no problem, but the demon race has been encroaching on thousands of miles of Tang territory over the years, and now they want to take over these places forever through peace talks.

That's just wishful thinking.

Moreover, if the Demon Court delays paying the tariffs at the three border markets, it will be nothing more than an empty promise.

"I appreciate Lord Mo Lin's good intentions, but please forgive my bluntness, this proposal is completely unreasonable."

"Oh? What makes you say that, Lord Li?"

Mo Lin remained unfazed.

"The Demon Court has occupied Louchuan, Tiemen and Gaochang, three places of my Great Tang, and guards the key road to the Western Regions. Its military force is pointing directly at the Jade Gate Pass. If this is taken as the boundary, then the victory that my Great Tang soldiers bought with their blood will turn into the eastward flow overnight."

"I can never face the fallen soldiers with this debt."

Li Yuan's voice turned cold.

"Indemnities and trade are matters for later, and cannot be achieved in the short term. Besides, since you are the ones who requested peace talks, it is your responsibility to demonstrate sincerity."

"Now you only ask my Great Tang to back down, while the demon race hasn't made any contribution whatsoever. I, Li Yuan, cannot accept this."

The hall fell silent instantly.

Mo Lin's smile froze, and Wang Shu quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Peace talks are meant to be taken slowly. You can bring up any conditions; there's no need to rush. Don't you two agree?"

The old fox's words were essentially meaningless, but they did ease the tension, as he was giving Mo Lin face.

Mo Lin naturally followed suit: "Lord Wang is right. Important matters should be discussed slowly and cannot be rushed."

Zhu Yan's face darkened, and he suddenly sneered: "These lands were acquired through my strength. They belong to the capable. Even if your Great Tang is determined to fight, you may not be able to win."

"There's no such thing as giving up a piece of meat you've already got. Everything else is negotiable, but this one thing cannot be changed."

His attitude was tough and left no room for compromise, while Li Yuan's bottom line was equally firm: not an inch could be conceded, and the negotiations immediately reached a stalemate.

Seeing this, Mo Lin looked to the side and asked, "What does Senior Qinglian think?"

The Azure Lotus Demon Saint slowly opened his eyes: "I am here today only to bear witness. The outcome of the peace talks is up to you to decide."

This statement sounds completely neutral, but the Azure Lotus Demon Saint himself belongs to the demon race. He shows no favoritism between the human and demon races, which is actually a disguised bias towards the human race.

Zhu Yan's face darkened further upon hearing this, but he dared not retaliate. Offending the Azure Lotus Demon Saint at this moment was clearly not a wise move.

Li Yuan was slightly surprised. He glanced at Qinglian without showing any emotion. After their eyes met briefly, Qinglian closed her eyes again, as if she were just an indifferent bystander.

Although he had previously been in contact with the Azure Lotus Demon Saint, the other party had been cold and had not shown any sign of closeness. Unexpectedly, at such a crucial moment, the other party secretly helped him.

Mo Lin did not miss this scene, and a shadow crossed his eyes. Could it be that Li Yuan and the Azure Lotus Demon Saint were really colluding?

"In that case," he put down his teacup, his voice gentle, "we'll call off today's negotiations for now, and discuss the specific terms later."

"Lord Li has come a long way and is tired. It is not advisable to rush things. I will hold a banquet another day to discuss this in detail."

"Then we shall do as Lord Molin says."

Li Yuan knew that no result could be reached today, so he nodded in agreement. Zhu Yan gave a noncommittal hum, which was taken as consent.

"Boom!"

Just as both sides were about to get up, a deep and vast wave suddenly erupted from the depths of the Heavenly Demon City.

At first, it was low and muffled like thunder, then it rapidly expanded, transforming into a visible white wave of air that roared into the sky.

The entire dome of the Heavenly Words Palace was shaking, and the runes on the walls were flashing wildly, as if sensing some forbidden power.

What happened?

The expressions of everyone in the hall changed drastically.

Mo Lin abruptly stood up, his smile vanishing completely: "That's... the direction of the Imperial Palace!"

A demon guard scrambled in from outside the hall: "Lord Mo Lin, someone has broken into the inner palace of the Xuan Tian Demon Emperor and triggered the restrictions!"

The entire Tianyan Hall was deathly silent.

Since the Xuan Tian Demon Emperor went into seclusion, his inner palace has become a forbidden area, heavily guarded, and no one dares to approach it.

Now, someone has actually become so bold as to dare to disturb the Demon Emperor.

"What did you say?"

Zhu Yan suddenly stood up, turned around and glared at Li Yuan, "Speak! Was it one of your men who did it?"

"My people are all here, what does it have to do with me?" Li Yuan sneered.