Looking back, it was all like a fairyland.

"In exchange, I can stay with you until reinforcements arrive. Isn't that a good deal?" The mirage dragon chuckled, fiddling with the golden light in front of it, completely disregarding it.

"Oh, actually this can't be considered a transaction; it's a threat."

The headmaster had not expected that the demon before him would be so straightforward.

After thinking for a moment, he finally spoke. The person before him was powerful and uncontrollable, so exchanging some information for him wouldn't be a problem.

So he spoke: "A Great Demon is a Great Demon. We call the monsters that crawl out of the abyss 'Demons,' but those that are different from ordinary Demons and possess formidable power are called Great Demons."

"A deep valley." The mirage dragon remembered that Su Mu had mentioned this place before.

"Then how did you discern that I am a great demon? I shouldn't have crawled out of the abyss. Those who crawl out of the abyss are called demons, so why don't you call me a god since I came from heaven?"

After finishing speaking, the Mirage Dragon looked back and, seeing the other party's unpleasant expression, added, "What, is this question difficult to answer? Or are you saying that all these 'demons' and 'great demons' are just definitions you yourselves have made up?"

The headmaster sitting in front of the Mirage Dragon broke out in a cold sweat. It wasn't because the Mirage Dragon guessed something, but because of the word the great demon said - God!

Yes, why must the creatures that crawled out of the abyss be demons, and not gods? Then he thought about the beings that had crawled out before. They were intelligent and powerful, and apart from their tyranny, they really looked like gods, gods infected by demons.

No, get rid of that thought in your head. Looking up at the mirage dragon, he was actually quite lost in thought.

But inexplicably, he felt that the person before him was a god. He must be crazy.

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"It's not something we define. Those who emerge from the abyss, regardless of their intelligence, are inherently brutal. This is a conclusion drawn from thousands of years of blood and flesh. Without divinity, how can they be gods?"

"Based on experience."

The Mirage Dragon said calmly, "Perhaps the first was a tyrannical god, and then you all brought this upon yourselves? Is it possible that you yourselves made them tyrannical? Gods also have dignity. They were attacked fiercely as soon as they emerged from the abyss. They cannot retaliate; to retaliate would be tyranny?"

"If you attacked the moment you met them, would you retaliate or...?"

Faced with the Mirage Dragon's aggressive advances, the sect leader didn't want to reason with it: "Perhaps you're right. But those who aren't of our kind will surely have different hearts; everyone should understand this principle. Right and wrong are actually unimportant."

"Hahahaha!" the mirage dragon laughed. "Interesting, really very interesting."

He had originally thought that the creatures captive within the cave world were all little sheep. But now he realized he was wrong. A dragon is a dragon, whether in shallow water or in the vast ocean, its essence remains unchanged. The only thing that may change is its strength.

That's enough.

This was enough for the test. Mirage Dragon truly didn't care about the title, whether it was a demon or a god. He simply wanted to test the Dao heart of this so-called master. If he could be shaken by a few words, then no matter how powerful he was, he would be nothing more than a larger ant.

On the contrary, the sky is high and the birds can fly freely, and they will become dragons when they encounter wind and clouds.

"Do you want to go out?"

The mirage dragon unleashed a thunderbolt. After several previous shocks, he thought his ability to withstand them had improved. But now, he was truly shocked by what the mirage dragon said and froze in his tracks.

"What are you saying?" the sect leader tried to bluff.

However, the Mirage Dragon was unfazed by the natives' deception within the cave, and continued leisurely, "You constantly cultivate demons, isn't it all so that a great demon capable of breaking the shackles of this world will be born from that so-called abyss?"

Do I need to make it any clearer?

"Defining cultivators as demons and forcing them to accept demonic energy to nourish the Abyss Valley—isn't that what you've been doing?"

The Mirage Dragon looked at the sect leader with a half-smile: "Want to make a deal with me, a real deal? If we reach an agreement, I will take you away from this world, and even allow you the opportunity to wield your swords against your creator..."

His voice wasn't hoarse, nor was it distinctive, but it carried an irresistible allure as it reached his ears. Every word the mirage dragon spoke struck at his heart, making him dizzy and his breathing heavier. Only then did he feel like he was facing a great demon. This bewitching power, striking at the deepest depths of his soul, was truly unbearable.

He didn't know how this great demon knew so much, but at a time like this, he couldn't be deceived.

The best way to avoid a problem is to ask a counter-question. So the sect leader immediately retorted: "Why should I believe you? And what makes you think you can do it? Even if you can, what do you want from us?"

"You don't need to believe me, and I can't prove why I can do it. Once I've defeated you all, you'll naturally believe me. As for now, you don't have what I want. But things will be different once we're out there. A wider world will show you broader paths. The price will be yourselves. Saying more now is futile."

"I will trade with you then. Whether you agree or not is up to you."

"Am I not very humane? Haha."

Listening to Mirage Dragon's boasting, the headmaster's expression shifted again and again. He didn't know how much truth there was in what he was saying. But if there was a chance to escape, he would do it at all costs.

Now he said to the person in front of him, "Then we'll wait and see."

The dialogue between the two sides came to an end.

For a long time afterwards, things seemed to return to their previous state, with both sides ignoring each other. The headmaster of Shangjing Sect knew what the other party was waiting for.

And he is the same.

The other party's proposal kept coming to his mind. Could he really get out? Was there really a wider world out there? He had no idea.

Although the two sides are currently at peace, both sides clearly understand that this is only temporary. A few words will not lead to compromise or reconciliation. A war is inevitable.

The so-called transaction after that will depend on the outcome of this battle.

A deal is only possible when one side is unequal. Even though he knew this demon was unique and powerful, they, at this level, didn't believe they could lose. A strong heart brought strong self-confidence. Even when faced with this world, they still launched their own counterattack.