"The demons are helping us drive out Sin Abyss, but their forces will not take a single step beyond the Tianxing Plateau. Once we push into the grasslands, we will have to rely on ourselves for everything that follows. However, we can speak to the Demon Kings individually. So long as we promise terms they cannot refuse, we should be able to recruit a few..."
Daoist Zhenyi looked toward Qin Sang as he spoke.
Compelled by the ancient covenant, the demons had deployed their troops to repel foreign invaders, but the pact did not obligate them to assist in invading others. Their condition was entirely reasonable.
Qin Sang shook his head slightly. He knew full well that Daoist Zhenyi wanted him to act as an intermediary.
Yet when disguised as a demon, he had not forged ties with many Demon Kings; he had only established a slight acquaintance with the Snake King. And after learning his true identity, there was no telling what the Snake King would think.
Seeing Qin Sang's reluctance to step forward, Daoist Zhenyi showed a flicker of disappointment. Understanding Qin Sang's predicament, he could not force the issue.
"Hmph! Heavenly Demon Mound would like nothing better than for us humans to fight amongst ourselves to the bitter end until rivers of blood flow and peace never returns. Were it not for the constraints of the covenant, not only would they stand idly by, but they would probably fan the flames in secret to drive us and Sin Abyss into a fight to the death. They have calculated well this time too—if we fail to thoroughly extinguish Sin Abyss's arrogance, we will once again fall into an endless cycle of war."
Someone gave a cold snort, deeply dissatisfied with the demons' stance.
Everyone in the hall was crystal clear on the demons' intentions.
Immediately, another person chuckled and said, "If the strength and status of humans and demons were reversed, we would also worry about the demons uniting to launch a concerted assault against our race. It is only human nature. Regardless of the demons' motives, they dispatched troops to aid us in our direst hour; we can hardly demand more of them."
"Still, Heavenly Demon Mound has always been united, unlike our human race with its endless internal strife. In recent years, they have indeed grown ever stronger, producing Demon King after Demon King. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Qin is of human origin rather than Demon King Mingyue. Otherwise, we would genuinely have to worry that one day, when the demons possess sufficient strength and are no longer content to lie dormant in Heavenly Demon Mound, they might stir up trouble anew," a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Celestial Alliance sighed with feeling.
Even Dongyang Bo had to admit that based on recent battle achievements, Qin Sang possessed the greatest potential among all the newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivators in the Two Domains Alliance—perhaps even unprecedented in history.
Of course, how much he could achieve in the future remained difficult to say. It all depended on whether Qin Sang encountered an insurmountable bottleneck; such tragedies were hardly unheard of.
***
Tianxing Plateau.
Before the second tier, the central army camp of Sin Abyss.
Sin Abyss had condensed the earth here to construct a city. Banners fluttered in the wind as an army of cultivators assembled.
In the grandest palace at the center of the camp, a cultivator in blue Daoist robes with a black beard and a cold expression stood before the main hall doors, looking out at the vast, snowy expanse in the distance.
Only a single tier remained between them and Tianxing City atop the summit of the Tianxing Plateau, yet it stood like an impassable chasm, held steadfastly by the Celestial Alliance and the Xiaohan Realm.
This man was Daoist Canghong, presiding over the central army, one of the three magnates of Sin Abyss.
His strength was likewise unfathomable, not in the least inferior to Old Man Tianzheng's. He had once been the paramount leader of the righteous path in Sin Abyss; only when Old Demon Ye rose abruptly like a meteor did he yield the title of Sin Abyss's foremost expert.
Judging solely by his appearance, Daoist Canghong looked around fifty years old.
He gazed toward the Tianxing Plateau for a long time. Recalling the various reports received over this period, he let out a barely perceptible sigh and returned inside the hall.
At the very center of the hall, dazzling light shone upon a miniature snow-capped mountain.
The mountain's contours matched the Tianxing Plateau without the slightest discrepancy.
Upon this snow mountain, not only were all the camps and cities—including Tianxing City—perfectly replicated, but there were also dense swarms of ant-sized figurines gathered in clusters across the mountain.
The figurines were not inanimate objects. They could move freely at any time and cast Daoist arts and spell incantations just like genuine cultivators.
The figurines were of various colors. For instance, the red figurines represented the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Two Domains Alliance.
Sin Abyss had created these using restrictions and spirit talismans, serving a purpose strikingly similar to the sand tables of mortal generals.
With furrowed brows, Daoist Canghong pondered for a moment before suddenly raising a hand and tapping several times upon the snow mountain.
Immediately, the figures atop it moved rapidly. Some retreated, some attacked, and amidst the slaughter, multicolored flashes of spells and restriction light flickered as swaths of figures collapsed one after another.
"I almost forgot!"
Remembering something, Daoist Canghong tapped toward two of the red figures.
These two represented Qin Sang and Qingjun.
Canghong had already learned what transpired at the Blood Lake. Their adversaries swiftly locating the core of the Black Pagoda Array had indeed caught them off guard, but what surprised them most was the sudden eruption of power from Qin Sang and Qingjun.
Were it not for the two of them, even in a direct confrontation, the outcome would never have been so catastrophic, plunging Sin Abyss into such a passive position.
These two red figurines grew significantly in strength.
For experts of this caliber, if no cultivator of equivalent rank existed to keep them in check, Sin Abyss would either have to dispatch multiple Nascent Soul cultivators or rely on the Nether Crystal Pagoda to pin them down. If allowed to wreak havoc unchecked on the battlefield, the consequences would be more than anyone could bear.
Sure enough, the Sin Abyss side began to be stretched thin. Even with the Nether Crystal Pagoda, they were forced into repeated retreats.
After finishing one deduction, Daoist Canghong swept his palm across, restoring the snow mountain to its original state. The figurines wriggled into new formations, and Daoist Canghong commanded them to resume the slaughter.
Time and time again, the situation consistently boded ill for Sin Abyss.
Daoist Canghong pondered for a while, took out several sword talismans, and used his finger like a brush to write in flowing strokes. Then, with a gentle flick, the sword talismans transformed into streaks of flowing light and flew out of the hall.
Having brooded too much and exhausted a great deal of mental energy, Daoist Canghong rubbed his brow. Just as he was about to return to quiet meditation, an intuition struck him, and he looked up toward the outside of the hall.
"You have been troubled during this period, Fellow Daoist Canghong..."
The voice traveled from far to near.
Moments later, a figure appeared before the main hall—none other than Old Demon Ye.
Seeing him arrive alone, Daoist Canghong could not help frowning and hurried to ask, "How are Old Ghost Tianzheng's injuries?"
Old Demon Ye gave a soft sigh as he walked into the hall.
"Fellow Daoist Tianzheng used a secret art to avert death. However, not only did the art exact a tremendous toll, but their enemies' methods were fierce, worsening his injuries and nearly shattering his foundation. We escorted him back to the Star Pool of Xingheng Sect and pooled our efforts to infuse true essence into the pool, stabilizing his condition. He is gradually recovering, but it will not be convenient for him to take action for the next few years."
Hearing this, Daoist Canghong sighed inwardly. This was the worst outcome he had envisioned.
Just then, Old Demon Ye suddenly coughed a few times.
Daoist Canghong looked him over. "I heard you were forced to self-detonate an avatar on par with your true body?"
Old Demon Ye smiled wryly. "Fellow Daoist, there is no need to look at me like that. The avatar was conceived while refining the treasure banner at the Blood Lake, inspired by an epiphany combined with a secret art I acquired long ago. It reached completion only recently. Had I possessed this avatar earlier, I would never have held back, nor would there have been any need to hide it. Yet before it could achieve any military merit, it was ruined at the hands of that lad, Demon King Mingyue, and even backlashed upon my true body."
"Demon King Mingyue?"
Daoist Canghong gave a dry chuckle. "It seems you haven't received word yet, Fellow Daoist Ye. That person is no Demon King—he is a human cultivator."
Chapter 1277