Guests from All Directions

An imperial carriage sped across the clouds. Inside sat two demon kings: the Snake King and Demon King Lihong, a subordinate of the Feather King. Flood dragons and luan birds mounted the clouds and mist, pulling the carriage with vigorous effort as it glided forward as smoothly as across level ground. With their keen vision, they could clearly make out streaks of flying light darting between the mountains—all undoubtedly heading toward the same destination. "Fellow Daoist Qin has only just founded his sect, yet it already bears the grandeur of an illustrious, great sect," the Snake King mused. "I hear that Fellow Daoist Qin began laying the groundwork for his sect many years ago..." Demon King Lihong seemed somewhat distracted. Catching sight of several cultivators from the desert, he frowned and let out a cold sneer. "Even people from the desert traveled tens of thousands of li to offer congratulations. It seems the human race is becoming more and more united!" Knowing what he feared, the Snake King sighed. "The general trend is difficult to resist. Unless a rift appears within the Beichen Alliance, it will not crumble, and there is little we can do. Fortunately, we demonkind have not been excluded from the Beichen Alliance; otherwise, we would truly be sitting on pins and needles..." Humans and demons were fundamentally different, incapable of fully trusting one another. The demon race was the weaker side; a perpetually divided Beichen Realm was in their best interest, and an allied human race was the last thing they wished to see. Helplessly, the ascension of Ziwei Palace had been far too shocking, reducing all other grievances to insignificance. Even if the demon race secretly fanned the flames, it would achieve little. For now, the humans had no time to purge dissidents. But with time, if the Reception Platform remained lost and things reverted to the way they once were, ambitious desires would inevitably sprout. Demon King Lihong snorted. "Once our King breaks through to the late Transformation stage, he will suppress the human race by his own strength, giving us ample time to scheme... I refuse to believe the Beichen Alliance is a monolith!" "The Feather King..." The Snake King shook his head subtly, evidently holding little confidence in the Feather King. Shifting the topic, he said, "At present, our only choice is still to bide our time and conceal our strength. Looking across the human Nascent Soul cultivators, those with any hope of ascending to the late Nascent Soul stage are few and far between. Barring any mishaps, Fellow Daoist Qin's standing in the Beichen Alliance will only grow more pivotal. Fellow Daoist Qin shares a deep friendship with Fellow Daoist Jingyu and is also the successor of the bamboo demon; even if someone harbors wicked designs, he will not stand idly by..." Years ago, at Jingyu's breakthrough celebration, the Feather King had personally visited the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea to offer congratulations. The revelation that the bamboo demon had passed away caused a massive uproar within the demon race. Demon King Lihong could not help but scowl whenever he recalled that incident. Back then, egged on by Demon King Jiuku, he had gone to probe the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea, only to be frightened off by Qin Sang's scheme. In retrospect, Qin Sang had certainly been bluffing; that had been the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea's weakest moment! Now, regret came too late. "Our King shares that sentiment—we must never antagonize Fellow Daoist Qin. Were it not that he is in the crucial stages of secluded cultivation, he would have come to congratulate him in person." The Snake King chuckled. "Fellow Daoist Qin is at the peak of his prestige, sought after by all. I imagine we will see quite a few old acquaintances today..." Before his words had fully faded, the Snake King's expression shifted slightly, and he abruptly rose to his feet. Only then did Demon King Lihong sense something unusual. He hurriedly stood up and followed the Snake King out of the carriage. They saw a white cloud drifting from afar, bearing two figures riding upon it with an immortal grace, looking leisurely and unhurried. One of them was none other than Lu Boyuan. Standing beside Lu Boyuan was a young man radiating a faint demonic aura. "Fellow Daoist Lu! Fellow Daoist Cold Lizard! I did not expect you two to come in person," the Snake King said, inviting them onto the carriage. He sized up Cold Lizard for a moment and added, "Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Cold Lizard on your complete recovery, free from any lingering harm!" "I was fortunate..." Cold Lizard offered a faint smile. Lu Boyuan, on the other hand, remarked, "With Fellow Daoist Qin founding his sect, how could I not come?" Saying so, he turned his head to ask Demon King Lihong, "Fellow Daoist Lihong, how are the Feather King's injuries?" Demon King Lihong cupped his hands. "Our King has already recovered eighty percent. It is nothing serious." As they spoke, the carriage flew past the mountains, and the wondrous peaks of Qingyang Temple came into view, enshrouded in layers of auspicious clouds. Sensing the imposing aura of the carriage from afar, Li Yufu hurried out from Guest-Welcoming Peak with several disciples. "Qingyang Temple disciple Li Yufu respectfully welcomes our seniors." "You are Fellow Daoist Qin's prized disciple, Li Yufu? A fine figure of a youth! Splendid!" Lu Boyuan and the others stepped out of the carriage side by side. Seeing so many demon kings and Nascent Soul cultivators, Li Yufu was momentarily taken aback. Once they declared whom they represented, he raised his voice and called out loudly: "Demon King Lihong of Myriad Demon City arrives on behalf of the Feather King to offer congratulations!" "Master Lu and Demon King Cold Lizard arrive to offer congratulations!" "The Snake King of Mount Hualong arrives with his retinue to offer congratulations!" ... As the cries carried into Qingyang Temple, the sect's clamor abruptly died down. Crowds of rogue cultivators looked up at the imperial carriage, gazing in awe at the bearing of the demon kings and Nascent Soul figures. Immediately afterward, nine melodious tolls of a bell rang out from the main peak to welcome these most distinguished guests. Li Yufu bowed and led the way, guiding the Snake King and the others toward the main peak, while others saw to the carriage and the lesser demons. Before they even reached the main peak, Meigu's clear call rang out from outside Qingyang Temple. "Master Yue Kui, Master Yue Wu, Master Ji..." Meigu rattled off a long string of names in a single breath. Yue Kui and Yue Wu were none other than the Twin Battle Generals, successors to Daoist Priest Zhenyi. After the founding of the Beichen Alliance, the Celestial Alliance existed in name only, yet cultivators from the Tianxing Plateau still habitually banded together under the leadership of the Twin Battle Generals. The Snake King and the others paused and exchanged glances. "I didn't expect more than half of the old fogies from the Celestial Alliance to come. Fellow Daoist Qin certainly commands great prestige," Demon King Lihong chuckled slyly. The Snake King shook his head. "When the Celestial Alliance reversed its decline and counterattacked the Sin Abyss, Fellow Daoist Qin played an indelible part. By reason and sentiment alike, they ought to come." Cold Lizard sneered. "There is another reason... Among Old Daoist Zhenyi's successors, only the Yue brothers can keep up appearances. Yet they couldn't even break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage while Old Daoist Zhenyi was alive, and it will only be harder now. If the Celestial Alliance continues to lack a worthy successor, humph." The three demon kings discussed the Celestial Alliance openly without the slightest reservation. As a fellow human, Lu Boyuan found it awkward to chime in, so he turned his head and urged Li Yufu, who was pretending to have heard nothing, to continue leading the way. After the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Celestial Alliance were welcomed into Qingyang Temple, toll after toll of the bell echoed endlessly. "Master Bing Han of the Xuling Sect arrives with her disciples to offer congratulations!" "Master Si Di and Master Yaojing of the Taiyi Dan Sect arrive with their disciples to offer congratulations!" ... Qin Sang's founding of his sect had truly become the grandest event in the entire Beichen Realm, with Nascent Soul patriarchs who were once rarely seen arriving one after another. At the foot of the mountain, rogue cultivators craned their necks, their eyes overwhelmed by the spectacle as they listened to one illustrious name after another. Though their necks grew stiff, they felt this trip was more than worthwhile. Nascent Soul cultivators arrived from the Sky Demon Hills, the desert, the Celestial Alliance, the Xiaohan Realm, and the Sin Abyss to offer congratulations. Daoist Canghong and other Sin Abyss Nascent Soul cultivators were currently exploring the depths of the Heavenly Scar in hopes of finding fragments of the Abyss Ruins, so they had sent Fairy Qiuzhi as their representative to deliver congratulatory gifts. Aside from the Nascent Soul experts and illustrious great sects, various other sects, large and small, arrived as well. In particular, the sects of the Xiaohan Realm, being the closest to Qingyang Temple, were almost all present without exception. When the names of Mu Yifeng and Shaohua Mountain were announced, a commotion stirred among the crowd. Although the feud between Qin Sang and Dongyang Bo had not reached the point where everyone knew every detail, it was no secret among the upper echelons. No one had expected Shaohua Mountain to attend, and even less had anyone anticipated that Shaohua Mountain's sect master had quietly changed!