MTLNOVEL Chapter 10: Conditions!
According to his previous deduction, there are only two possibilities after the Feng Yue Demon Emperor learns about the existence of the Barbarian Emperor.
One is to control the Great Demon King and the ancestors returning to the Tianyuan Continent, eliminate those with ulterior motives among them, and then openly fight with the Barbarian Emperor.
The second is to endure and not act, continue staying as the Demon Emperor in the Ten Thousand Mountains, slowly amass power, and wait for a change in the Taizhou Mountain Demon Court before striking with overwhelming force.
Regarding the passage at the East Sea Coast that the Feng Yue Demon Emperor desires, Chen Yi thinks she probably doesn't intend to launch a massive attack from there.
After all, attacking Taizhou Mountain from the passage within the Ten Thousand Mountains is still possible, but if she detours via the Wei Dynasty or the Taizhou Mountain fortress, it would only end in failure.
Most likely, like him, she would seemingly repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chen Cang, quietly sneaking into Taizhou Mountain.
Xiao Lan, seeing him ponder, felt anxious and couldn't help asking, [Chen Yi, do you agree or not?]
Chen Yi glanced at her and smiled, saying, [That passage is too dangerous, probably not suitable for His Majesty the Demon Emperor.]
[So you don't agree?]
[No, what I mean is that your mother has a better option, but she must meet all my conditions first.]
Xiao Lan glared at him and snorted, [Just say what the conditions are, my mother will agree to them.]
[Hold on, don't be so quick to agree. Listen to my conditions first.] Chen Yi waved his hand and, seeing her calm down, continued:
[My condition is simple. If I help the Feng Yue Demon Emperor, she has to agree to build a passage for the Human Race to the Taizhou Mountain Territory and ensure it remains undamaged for a hundred years.]
[Is that all?] Xiao Lan was a bit taken aback, [You're not asking for any other benefits? Like heavenly materials and treasures or human cultivation techniques?]
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly and said with a half-smile, [You should relay this to the Feng Yue Demon Empress first. If she disagrees, the deal is off.]
He knew well that Xiao Lan didn't understand the situation in Taizhou Mountain and didn't know that due to the Demon Court's blockade, the Human Race of the Tianyuan Continent, aside from being able to use the "Heaven and Earth Bridge" and the fortress's secret realms to enhance themselves, couldn't even reach the Taizhou Mountain Territory.
It's essential to know that the current location of the Human Race on the Tianyuan Continent is considered outside of Taizhou Mountain, not even at the foothills.
In such a region, even if there are some secret realms, they probably don't compare to those in the territories on Taizhou Mountain.
Relying on him alone, it is impossible to enhance the entirety of the Human Race, unless he can break through the Demon encirclement and utterly defeat the Demon Court.
But such things aren't achieved in a day. He doesn't have the time to linger here; he has other matters to attend to.
He desires to uncover the ancient Daoist sect disputes, the legacies of the ancient Tao Court, Spirit Mountain, and the Demon Court, as well as more mysterious matters such as the "Netherworld River" and the "Heaven and Earth Bridge."
Therefore, Chen Yi proposed such a condition.
[Alright.] Xiao Lan agreed with reluctance, nodded and said, [I'll return and discuss with my mother, but she asked me to give you something as a deposit first.]
[You should have mentioned it earlier. Those items the Feng Yue Demon Emperor proactively offered as a deposit shouldn't be counted as part of the deal.] Chen Yi glanced at Qing Feng and others, saying:
[But you can hold on to them for now, and give them to me at the next Xunwang Heavenly Dharma Assembly.]
[Alright.]
After saying that, Xiao Lan bid farewell to Qing Feng, Ah Lang, and the Eighth Prince, and her consciousness withdrew from the Deep Blue Water Mirror.
Ah Lang glanced at the spot where she vanished, then turned to Chen Yi:
[You just arrived at Taizhou Mountain and already accomplished such feats. If the Human Race of the Tianyuan Continent knew, they'd be ashamed.]
[It was just a coincidence,] Chen Yi replied, [I happened to encounter demons from the Demon Court attacking and inquired about some matters.]
Ah Lang laughed, saying, [Luck is a form of ability too. I never have such luck, always encountering this or that problem whenever I go to a secret realm for cultivation.]
[Speaking of which, a few days ago I had Daoist Mu Zi perform a divination, and it's predicted that the secret realm we're visiting in six months has mixed fortunes, so we should be cautious.]
[Oh?] Chen Yi raised his brow, [I haven't thought that far ahead. What do you know about that secret realm? Does it have any ancient legacies in its inner region?]
[I've heard it's the dojo of an ancient Great Power, likely an Immortal of the ancient Tao Court,] Ah Lang recalled,
[According to what Daoist Mu Zi said earlier, cultivators below the Divine Power Fifth Realm have a great chance of making breakthroughs inside.]
[But as for Great Powers above the Divine Power Fifth Realm, entering the inner region will provoke attacks from the secret realm's big formation. Its power is so immense that even Daoist Mu Zi has to retreat.]
The dojo of an ancient Immortal...
Chen Yi pondered briefly and suddenly asked, [Where exactly is that secret realm located? At the mountainside or the foothill of Taizhou Mountain?]
[Naturally, it's at the summit,] Qing Feng quickly answered, [It's not far from my Xunwang Heaven. After we finish exploring the secret realm, I'll take you to Xunwang Heaven. It's quite interesting.]
Chen Yi smiled and nodded, but continued to ask no further.
Previously, when his cultivation broke through to the Heavenly Human Realm, he saw a system prompt indicating that the dojo of the White Tiger True Monarch of the ancient Tao Court is situated right at the summit of Taizhou Mountain, not far from the top of the Netherworld River.
Whether these two are the same place, he couldn't be sure.
If they are, that would be great. With Zhao Muzi and Zhao Tianhe by his side, he'll have more confidence no matter what he does.
Thinking of this, Chen Yi looked up at the golden seal script above and couldn't help but ask:
[Eighth Prince, during your journey on the 'Netherworld River,' did you still not find the Other Shore?]
[It's not that easy,] the Eighth Prince sighed with a bitter smile, his plush coat draping over his heart spirit doll, which made it look mature and adorable, saying:
[Aside from the Ferryman, there are other dangers on the 'Netherworld River.' Even though my preparations were thorough, using the Ghost Flower to mask my vitality to avoid the ghosts lurking in the riverbed, I still couldn't avoid other threats.]
[Don't be fooled by the banks along the river. If you truly delve deeper, you won't know your exact location. Sometimes you think you're seeing the shore, but upon reaching it, it turns out to be an illusion, hiding a Divine Power Realm fierce ghost within.]
[So, is that the case?]
Chen Yi, recalling the Ferryman he saw earlier, recounted his observations of that time.
[…At the time, I saw him from afar, but no matter how I approached, the distance didn't decrease in the slightest.]
The Eighth Prince looked up and down at him after hearing the account and said, [Your talent is truly terrifying. Not everyone can see the 'Ferryman.']
[Or rather, it's not just about wanting to see him. Unless he chooses to show himself, even someone as strong as Daoist Mu Zi would have no chance of seeing him.]
[As for the distance, I can't say. The old ghost's actions are mysterious and hard to fathom. Maybe he just wanted to take a look at you.]
Ah Lang nodded in agreement, [I've also heard that no one has ever witnessed the Ferryman of the 'Netherworld River' in action, and those who have seen him are said to have perished.]
The Eighth Prince appeared solemn and said, [It was the same earlier. A few friends and I saw him from afar and, unable to bypass him, we had to turn back.]
The Ferryman...
Chen Yi thought of the dark figure fishing along the Netherworld River, and couldn't help but admire it.
I wonder what realm I need to attain before I can stand before the Ferryman.
When that day comes, he must inquire about matters related to the ancient times.
Seeing that Xiao Lan hadn't returned yet, Chen Yi instructed Qing Feng and others to inform him when they had news, then withdrew his consciousness from the Deep Blue Water Mirror, quietly waiting for Lou Yuchun to send the token.
Soon after, a soldier in blue armor, with a flag on his back, flew over alone, respectfully saluting:
"Sir, the General ordered me to deliver the token to you."
Chen Yi acknowledged with a nod, took the token from the soldier's hand, and was about to examine it when the corner of his eye caught the flag behind the soldier and asked,
"Are you the Flag Soldier?"