Upheaval in the Beichen Realm

Within the Demon Sea resided ten thousand demon beast races, and the area he had explored was not even one ten-thousandth of it. What drew Qin Sang the most was the Canglang Ocean's Four Sages Palace. The Four Sages Palace possessed a Deity Transformation lineage. Having attained the Nascent Soul stage, Qin Sang was now qualified to look ahead toward the Deity Transformation stage. Even though whether he could break through to the middle or late Nascent Soul stages remained an unknown, making preparations early was never a mistake. During the Battle of Yitian Peak, Qin Sang had forged ties with the descendants of the Four Sages Palace and received a token. He had originally intended to pay a personal visit once things stabilized after Ziwei Palace's opening, never expecting such an unforeseen disaster to occur. Searching for the Canglang Ocean amid the boundless storms in the future was now an utterly slim hope. *** On the return journey. The Nascent Soul cultivators were all weighed down with heavy thoughts. After conferring among themselves, Qin Sang, Daoist Canghong, Feather King, Lu Boyuan, Demon Monarch Tongyou, and the other remaining top experts called the rest of the Nascent Soul cultivators to a halt. "Regarding today's events and the news of the Reception Platform, it would be best for all of us to swear a solemn inner demon oath not to spread word of this, lest it send shockwaves through the other three realms and disturb the peace of the Beichen Realm... What do you all think?" Daoist Canghong proposed. The matter of ascension was of grave significance. The Beichen Realm and the other three realms were separated by storms, each minding their own business. Once word leaked out, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the three realms across the North Sea would surely be unable to sit still. They would definitely come to the Beichen Realm no matter what to see it with their own eyes. By then, with its top experts having ascended, the Beichen Realm would be forced to confront an influx of experts from the other three realms, which would likely stir up a massive turmoil and place them in grave peril. Fortunately, only Nascent Soul cultivators were present, so suppressing the news would not be difficult. The Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances. With vast clans and sects to protect, none of them wished to see the Beichen Realm fall into chaos. "The Daoist speaks reasonably! Even if we spoke of the Reception Platform's destruction, outsiders might not believe us anyway. Instead, they would suspect we were hiding something, stirring up unnecessary trouble. It is best that we keep this buried in our hearts," a female Nascent Soul cultivator agreed. The civil unrest in the Beichen Realm had ended not long ago, and everyone yearned for stability. She had no desire to be dragged into war once more. "However..." An elderly man showed a look of hesitation. "Though this Reception Platform was destroyed, there might be others. In any case, this is our only possible way out of the storms. If we have the chance to travel outside in the future to seek aid, we cannot let ourselves be restricted by an inner demon oath, can we?" These words voiced the thoughts of quite a few people. Though Ziwei Palace was gone, other secret realms remained in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Even if none could be found within the Beichen Realm, there were still the other three realms, whose territories far exceeded Beichen's, and they surely contained many secret realms and forbidden grounds. "Old Demon Ye mentioned that even with the Immortal Palace clearing the path, one needed at least the strength of a great cultivator to grasp a slim chance of survival in the spatial storm. If another Reception Platform is found in the future, it is unlikely there will be a second Ziwei Palace, so I'm afraid..." The speaker was dressed as a Taoist priest. He clicked his tongue twice and paused. "We had best focus our minds on diligent cultivation. Otherwise, even if an opportunity presents itself, we will only end up as onlookers just like today." The old man gave a dry chuckle. "Fellow Daoist, do you suspect one must reach the Deity Transformation stage to 'ascend'? At the Deity Transformation stage, one could travel much further into the storm belt than we can—perhaps they could walk right out of the storms directly and would not need to take such a massive risk." The Daoist priest shrugged. "Who can say for sure? In the most optimistic scenario, it would require at least the late Nascent Soul stage. How many of us here can achieve that?" Silence fell over the crowd. Among the Nascent Soul cultivators present, Daoist Canghong, Feather King, and a few others had the greatest prospects, yet they too lacked confidence. They held high hopes for Qin Sang as a rising star, but only Qin Sang knew his own difficulties. "Just because we cannot do it does not mean our descendants cannot. A once-in-a-millennium peerless genius—ten of them can emerge over ten thousand years, and their achievements might not fall short of Old Demon Ye's. When taking the oath, we must take our descendants into consideration. We cannot truly bury this forever and sever the hope of future generations..." someone spoke up. Catching the underlying meaning, the Nascent Soul cultivators showed expressions of interest. This was precisely what Qin Sang and the others had discussed earlier. "Let all domains of the Beichen Realm bury their grudges, setting aside the conflict between orthodox and demonic, and the divide between human and demon, to establish the Beichen Alliance!" *** The Nascent Soul cultivators reached a consensus, but the specifics required careful deliberation. The distribution of benefits was of utmost importance. They conversed as they flew toward the nearest pass, Hanging Skull Pass. As they sped forward, however, everyone gradually began to sense that something was amiss. In the past, after Ziwei Palace closed, the spirit tide in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield would gradually subside until the next time Ziwei Palace opened, with only celestial phenomena appearing from time to time in the interim. This time, however, an anomaly had occurred. They had already flown halfway, yet not only was there no sign of the spirit tide calming down, but it showed signs of growing even more violent. Sensing something strange, the Nascent Soul cultivators landed on the ground and observed for a while, their expressions growing increasingly grave. If this continued, the Ancient Immortal Battlefield would become a forbidden zone for life, just like the storm belts overseas! Even more terrifying was that the barrier here was not entirely flawless—it had seven gaps, which were none other than the Seven Grand Passes! In the past, when it appeared once every few centuries, the Xiaohan Realm alone could hold off the erosion of the spirit tide. If it occurred every day, the Seven Grand Passes would certainly not hold for long. What had once been a land of treasure would turn into a shadow hanging over the Beichen Realm! "So that's how it is! It was always because Ziwei Palace was suppressing the spirit tide that the Ancient Immortal Battlefield remained so unique, unlike anywhere else," Demon Monarch Tongyou said with extreme gravity. The other Nascent Soul cultivators and demon kings of the Xiaohan Realm also wore grim expressions. If the Seven Grand Passes fell, the Xiaohan Realm and Tianyao Mound would bear the brunt of it! The ramifications of Ziwei Palace's ascension were far greater than they had imagined. "It seems the formation of the Beichen Alliance is truly imperative," Lu Boyuan sighed. Without the lips, the teeth would feel the cold, and the spirit tide showed no mercy. The Great Beichen Desert was the furthest from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and had never reaped much benefit from it, yet now that the Seven Grand Passes were in danger, they would have to contribute to holding the passes, which was truly vexing. "Let us head to the Seven Grand Passes first to assess the situation..." The Nascent Soul cultivators set off once more. As they neared the Seven Grand Passes, Daoist Canghong suddenly received a transmission. His face darkened, turning even gloomier than those of the Xiaohan Realm's cultivators. The message came from Fairy Qiuzhi. She had not entered Ziwei Palace, instead leading people to guard outside the immortal gate to prevent Old Demon Ye from escaping. Daoist Canghong let out a long sigh and said, "Like the Outer Hall, the Sin God Palace was destroyed by the aftershocks of the Immortal Palace's ascension, and the Abyss Ruins... were also affected! The immortal gate collapsed, the land of the Abyss Ruins sank, and in the blink of an eye, the bottom of the Heavenly Scar turned into an abyss riddled with spatial rifts, becoming a deathly realm! Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Qiuzhi and the others were alert and evacuated in time; they were nearly lost inside." "What?!" "The Abyss Ruins was destroyed as well?" ... Hearing this, everyone was thoroughly shaken. This time, the Beichen Realm had suffered a catastrophic loss. Two of the most mysterious secret realms had been destroyed in succession, and there was no telling what the Ancient Immortal Battlefield would become. Although other places still had secret realms and forbidden areas, neither their scale nor the rarity of their treasures could compare. Finding opportunities would be far more difficult now. Xiang Qing suddenly cried out in alarm, "Not good! Wuya Valley!" The Blood Lake in the inner valley of Wuya Valley was connected to the Abyss Ruins and was even suspected of being part of it. The Qingyang Demonic Sect's mountain gate was directly adjacent to Wuya Valley—how could Xiang Qing not be anxious?