“This time, I secretly came to this realm without the knowledge of the other elders, not to hide and lurk cautiously, but to secure greater benefits for our faction. According to the original Sacred Ancestor Agreement, whoever conquers human territory will have the right to dispose of half the area when establishing our clan’s stronghold in the Spirit Realm. With such a massive advantage at stake, I naturally must strive to maximize the benefits for our faction!” The black-armored woman said with a grave expression.
“Then, sister, what do you intend to do?” Yuansha frowned slightly as she asked.
“After I return, I will take the Dragon-Locking Pill to stimulate the potential of this avatar, temporarily restoring eighty to ninety percent of its power. This way, as long as we don’t face overly formidable opponents, I can still act covertly.” The black-armored woman pondered briefly before replying.
“The Dragon-Locking Pill! Doesn’t that mean sister will have to seclude yourself for a thousand years afterward to fully recover from the injuries?” Yuansha seemed startled.
“It doesn’t matter. As long as we reap sufficient benefits this time, a mere avatar secluding for a thousand years is nothing. However, during this period, I’ll need you to watch over me to prevent this avatar from truly perishing.” The black-armored woman spoke slowly.
“Rest assured, my purpose in descending to this realm was originally to assist you. I just never expected to encounter Baohua. Thinking back on the old bonds between us, it truly is lamentable!” Yuansha forced a bitter smile.
“Hmph, since Baohua chose a different path from ours, there’s no more camaraderie to speak of. The principle of ‘the victor becomes king, the loser becomes the bandit’ has always been the iron rule of our Sacred Clan. Had we failed back then, our fate would have been far more miserable than Baohua’s is now!” The black-armored woman snorted coldly.
“Perhaps. But Baohua is, after all, one of the three founding ancestors of our Sacred Clan. Completely erasing her influence is nearly impossible. Many, though outwardly indifferent, remain fiercely loyal to her in secret.” Yuansha sighed softly.
“As one of the founding ancestors, her influence is naturally incomparable to that of ordinary Sacred Ancestors. But no matter how great her influence, time will erode it. Thirty thousand years, forty thousand years—some may still remember their loyalty to her. But after a hundred thousand, a million years, her influence will vanish like mist. Still, we cannot allow her to roam freely nearby. Once our true forms can descend, I will organize a force specifically to deal with her. Even if we can’t completely eradicate her, we absolutely cannot let her ruin our plans!” The black-armored woman spoke with a murderous aura.
“Understood. Since sister has made the decision, I naturally have no objections. Now that your injuries are suppressed, let’s return to the human realm immediately. When I left, the defenses of Tianling City were already on the verge of collapse. Perhaps by the time we return, the city will already be fully occupied.” Yuansha nodded, a hint of excitement flashing across her face.
“The army led by my other avatar consists of elites I personally selected, ranking among the top three forces sent to the Spirit Realm. If they can’t take a mere human city, that would be truly strange!” The black-armored woman replied indifferently, as if it were only natural.
“True. Otherwise, sister’s avatar wouldn’t have had the spare capacity to send me out to disrupt the humans’ schemes.” Yuansha chuckled.
“Let’s go. I hope things proceed as smoothly as we anticipate!” The black-armored woman glanced at the sky, her eyes glinting.
“It’s a pity that Han Li got away scot-free this time, escaping with his life.” Yuansha muttered resentfully, recalling their primary target.
The black-armored woman smiled faintly but said nothing. Instead, she opened her mouth and spat out a red glow.
Within the glow was a translucent red flying carriage, only a few inches in size but exquisitely crafted. With a spell, it instantly expanded to several zhang in size.
Yuansha moved without hesitation, appearing atop the carriage in a flash.
The black-armored woman rose, lifting her long legs as she floated gracefully onto the carriage.
In the next moment, the carriage shimmered with spiritual light, transforming into a crimson streak that shot into the sky, vanishing toward the horizon.
Five months later, Tianling City, one of the three imperial capitals of the human race, was finally overrun by the endless tide of the demon army.
In this battle, not only did all the cultivators in the city perish, but even several Body Integration-stage elders were trapped and slaughtered by high-ranking demons.
Yet the final counterattacks of these top-tier human cultivators were devastatingly fierce, dragging down an equal number of demon lords and thousands of high-ranking demons in their self-destructive explosions.
Only the newly appointed Spirit Emperor, defying all expectations, unleashed an unimaginable technique that temporarily elevated his power to an inconceivable level, allowing him to carve a bloody path through the demon army and escape, albeit grievously wounded.
After the battle, however, no further trace of this Spirit Emperor was ever found.
Enraged, the high-ranking demons leading the army not only executed all captured human cultivators but also felled the towering Sky-Piercing Tree, the symbol of Tianling City, which had once reached into the heavens.
The entire city collapsed, with barely a tenth of its structures remaining.
However, the demon army also suffered significant losses in the battle for Tianling City and did not immediately sweep into neighboring regions. Instead, they stationed themselves in the ruins of the city, recuperating and continuously replenishing their forces through the demon realm’s spatial rifts.
To the shock of the remaining human factions in the Tianling region, the demons began constructing numerous demonic fortresses and strongholds in the occupied territories, even planting strange black trees that emitted thin wisps of demonic energy—clear signs of their intent to settle permanently in human lands.
Panicked, these human factions desperately relayed the news to other human strongholds.
Before long, major super-strongholds like Tianyuan City received the news. Though they showed little reaction on the surface, beneath the calm, waves of turmoil surged.
At the edge of the Wood Clan’s territory in the untamed wilderness, deep within a primeval forest, a small fortress stood, composed of a dozen hundred-zhang-tall towers and segments of gray-white walls, spanning roughly a li in diameter.
Within the fortress, demonic energy churned, and squads of armored demons patrolled the walls in disciplined formations.
Above the fortress, a dark hole the size of a mu flickered in and out of view amid the demonic mist—one of the convergence points between the demon and human realms.
Compared to the massive “nodes” in human territory, however, this one was pitifully small, hardly worth mentioning.
The ordinary demons patrolling the fortress had pale red skin and low cultivation levels, clearly not the elite forces of the demon race.
This was unsurprising, as such a minor outpost couldn’t possibly house significant demonic forces.
Had the number of “nodes” in Wood Clan territory not been far fewer than those in human and demon lands, even this small fortress wouldn’t exist.
Yet the scorched trees and pockmarked ground around the fortress bore witness to multiple battles, with the demons emerging victorious each time.
Of course, this was largely because the major Wood Clan powers dismissed such a minor “node” as insignificant, focusing their efforts on attacking the massive nodes that truly threatened their survival.
For the smaller Wood Clan factions in the area, however, this node was a thorn in their side, one they were desperate to remove. Thus, they organized attacks at regular intervals.
Unfortunately, each attempt ended in failure.
Meanwhile, with the node continuously replenishing their forces, the demon garrison grew stronger with each battle, sparking increasing panic among the nearby Wood Clan factions, who redoubled their assault efforts.
On this day, deep in the forest dozens of miles from the demon fortress, squads of Wood Clan warriors clad in yellow-green wooden armor emerged stealthily, advancing toward the fortress using wood遁术 (wood-element movement techniques).
Though their cultivation levels varied, their movements were silent and disciplined, a testament to their training.
Among them, an elderly Void Refinement-stage cultivator and a middle-aged man and woman at the late Nascent Soul stage stood out as the leaders.
The trio led the vanguard, communicating via sound transmission as they proceeded cautiously.
“Elder Bamboo, we are deeply grateful for your assistance this time. If we can take this demon fortress, our factions will surely repay you handsomely,” the refined-looking middle-aged man said gratefully.
“It’s nothing. As a member of the Wood Clan, it’s my duty to contribute against the demons. But this journey has left my own clan vulnerable, so we must resolve this battle swiftly,” the elder replied, his tone tinged with concern.
“Rest assured, Elder Bamboo. Our factions have committed nearly all our forces this time, aiming for a decisive victory. Dragging this out would only harm us. Based on our last scouting, the fortress only has four Nascent Soul-stage demons at most. With your help, eliminating them won’t be an issue,” the pale-faced Wood Clan woman added quietly.
“Very well. If that’s truly the case, leave the high-ranking demons to me. Your priority is to destroy the node. Without it, even if the demons escape, they’ll be no threat,” the elder instructed sternly.
“Understood. Once the node is destroyed, we’ll return to assist you in eliminating the high-ranking demons,” the middle-aged couple agreed after exchanging glances.
The elder’s expression relaxed slightly.
After a few more whispered exchanges, the trio fell silent, focusing on leading the troops forward.
Unbeknownst to them—or the thousands of Wood Clan warriors behind them—a pair of glowing blue eyes watched them coldly from a dark cloud above the forest.
Their owner, a young man in his twenties dressed in green robes, was none other than Han Li, who had been absent for months.
As he observed the Wood Clan forces and glanced toward the distant demon fortress, a thoughtful expression crossed his face.
Suddenly, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile. His figure blurred in the cloud, transforming into an almost invisible green shadow that drifted downward, silently following the Wood Clan warriors toward the demon fortress.
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