Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation

Chapter 492: Chapter 273: Coercion (Part 2)

The Deep Sea Dragon Race was out of the question. They were potentially a more terrifying behemoth than even the Shenluo Celestial Palace, so Chen Chuyu couldn’t possibly act out of line.

Although Qin Mengxuan, the Grand Palace Master of Lu Hua Palace, had already met with Chen Chuyu, she showed little interest in her proposal, leaving Chen Chuyu at her wit’s end.

After all, the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm wasn’t Yaozhou. No matter how powerful the Shenluo Celestial Palace might be, here they were outsiders and couldn’t act with impunity.

"How about we go talk to the Liu Ying Clan?"

The young woman suggested. The Liu Ying Clan was also led by female cultivators and had some dealings with the Shenluo Celestial Palace in the past. They should be open to discussion.

Chen Chuyu’s eyes brightened. She nodded in agreement. "Very well. Let’s pay them a visit."

...

The main peak of the Wentian Mountain Range housed the sacred grounds of Lu Hua Palace.

Inside the Sect’s Council Hall, a tense atmosphere filled the air.

Qin Mengxuan sat upon her throne on the high dais, her icy gaze fixed on the uninvited guests.

Below on both sides, most of Lu Hua Palace’s high-ranking Elders were present. Even a few Supreme Elders who had long remained in seclusion had made an appearance.

The super-faction from distant Shunzhou, the Primordial Demon Palace, had unexpectedly sent a special envoy to discuss a collaboration with Lu Hua Palace.

"...Fellow Daoist Qin, we have come with the utmost sincerity. I wonder what your thoughts are on the matter?"

Below, a handsome, jade-like young cultivator spoke softly. His sea-blue Magical Robe was embroidered with vivid, lifelike patterns of countless beasts and birds.

Beside him stood a dozen or so other Cultivators of all ages, both men and women.

On the surface, there was nothing unusual about their appearances or auras. They all seemed to follow an orthodox Xuanmen cultivation path.

However, with Qin Mengxuan’s current Cultivation Realm, it wasn’t hard to sense the faint, bloodthirsty aura hiding beneath their normal exteriors.

The Primordial Demon Palace dominated Shunzhou and was a true sect of the Demon Path. The current Master of the Demon Palace, Daoist Monarch Qianhuan, was a renowned Demon Venerable of the Qingyao Continent, his cultivation unfathomably deep.

Qin Mengxuan shook her head slightly, her voice cool. "Lu Hua Palace and the Primordial Demon Palace have never had any dealings, so we lack a foundation of mutual trust. Rushing into such a deep collaboration would inevitably cause problems. Therefore, I’m afraid I must disappoint you, Fellow Daoist Yi."

A stern and imposing Lu Hua Palace Elder dressed in a pitch-black Magical Robe spoke coldly from the side:

"Though Lu Hua Palace is led by Female Cultivators, we follow the orthodox path of Xuanmen. We have never walked the same road as the Primordial Demon Palace. With such a proposal, Fellow Daoist Yi Xuechen, you have surely come to the wrong people."

Yi Xuechen smiled, gently stroking an unremarkable White Jade Ruler in his hand as he spoke in a mild tone:

"A great calamity is approaching. With the overall strength of the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm, won’t you be the first to face it? Our Primordial Demon Palace, on the other hand, has a profound heritage, with experts and Great Powers as numerous as the clouds.

If Lu Hua Palace is willing to submit to our Primordial Demon Palace, not only will your sect’s lineage be preserved, but you will also be able to go one step further and become the sole sovereign of the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm!

I believe these terms are more than enough to demonstrate our sincerity! Why must you remain so obstinate, Fellow Daoist Qin?"

The Demon Palace’s position was simple and direct: Lu Hua Palace was to unconditionally submit to the Primordial Demon Palace, help them deal with the other powers in the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm, and assist in the search for Ling Changqing.

Upon success, Lu Hua Palace would receive forty percent of Yuzhou’s territory and resources.

An additional condition was for several of Qin Mengxuan’s Direct Disciples to marry Daoist Monarch Qianhuan’s head disciple and become his Dao Companions. Then, once that disciple inherited control of the Primordial Demon Palace, the two sects could logically merge into one.

How could the upper echelons of Lu Hua Palace possibly agree to such a delusional demand?

If the Primordial Demon Palace wasn’t so powerful—on par with the Da Xia Divine Dynasty of Yuzhou—the enraged Qin Mengxuan would have ordered these fiends thrown out long ago.

"Please leave, Fellow Daoist Yi. No one in our Sect, from the highest to the lowest, could possibly accept this!"

Qin Mengxuan said icily.

The smile on Yi Xuechen’s face faded. "If Lu Hua Palace fails to see the situation clearly, we can always consider the Liu Ying Clan, or perhaps the Yu Families. Surely one of them will be interested in our proposal.

At that time, Lu Hua Palace will become the Primordial Demon Palace’s first target for elimination. Your countless Female Cultivators will all meet a tragic end! I wonder, will you have regrets then, Fellow Daoist Qin?"

Qin Mengxuan sneered. "Then by all means, go, Fellow Daoist Yi. Whatever calamity you bring, we at Lu Hua Palace will meet it!"

Yi Xuechen said no more. With a cupped-fist salute, he turned and left with his retinue.

A few Lu Hua Palace Elders followed discreetly, monitoring them from afar as they left the palace’s territory to prevent the fiends from causing trouble.

"...Palace Master, how should we handle this?"

A beautiful, gentle-looking woman in the hall spoke up, unable to hide the worry in her expression.

First, it was the Taiqing Divine Dynasty and the Beichen Family, then the Shenluo Celestial Palace. Now, even the Primordial Demon Palace from distant Shunzhou couldn’t resist extending its reach. The pressure on the Yuzhou Cultivation Realm was truly immense.

Qin Mengxuan smiled serenely. "What is there to worry about? If the Primordial Demon Palace truly tries to invade Yuzhou in force, its sworn enemies won’t just stand by idly. The Buddhist Sect, at the very least, won’t allow it. We are not without allies."

"That is true."

The Elders nodded. The games played between great powers have always been such that a single move can affect the whole situation. The Primordial Demon Palace was ambitious, but plenty of other powers had no wish to see them succeed.