Chapter 892
It’s not a coincidence
The three days spent in the Bitter Water Pool were arguably the most agonizing period of the Fiery Demon King's life. It would not be an exaggeration to say that every second felt like an eternity. Under such extreme pain and torment, even the desire to die was a luxury.
From initially hurling insults to later pleading desperately, the Fiery Demon King only took twelve hours.
It wasn't that he was too weak-willed; he simply couldn't bear the torment of bitterness.
When the time came, he confessed everything he knew, not to save his life, but simply to get a quick death.
But Shi Potian and the others were used to seeing all kinds of storms, so how could they easily believe his one-sided story?
Finally, they extracted his three souls and seven spirits, whipped him seventy-two times, almost shattering his soul, and repeatedly confirmed the accuracy of the information.
Shi Potian calmly said, "The news should all be true. You have all heard it with your own ears. Now you can share your opinions."
"The Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom has developed rapidly in recent years, and its strength has far exceeded our expectations. But even under such circumstances, they still choose to remain inactive and wait for that ally."
According to the information revealed by Liehuo, the so-called ally is a human, and the messenger is a blood-eyed raven. Do you fellow Daoists find it somewhat familiar? Song Changsheng pointed to the blood raven portrait drawn based on the memories of the Liehuo Demon King.
"Blood-eyed crows, it's been a few years since I've seen them. These remnants of the Blood Demon are really restless," Bai Zimo sneered.
The Blood-Eyed Raven is not a naturally occurring species, but a product of the Blood Demon's secret techniques. Therefore, the mere mention of the Blood-Eyed Raven reveals the true identity of the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord's ally.
"Although the remnants of the Blood Demon Cult are tenacious, without a Golden Core cultivator to oversee them, they are destined to only engage in small, clandestine activities, and are not a concern for us."
The old snake in the Blackwater Swamp had previously allied with the remnants of the Blood Demon Cult, engaging in underhanded tactics that were truly annoying, but had negligible impact on the overall situation. Once the demon race was defeated, they could only retreat into hiding.
"Given the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord's arrogant personality, how could he possibly ally with such a minor character?" Shi Potian shook his head, his heart filled with confusion.
He really couldn't think of anything worthwhile about those remnants of the Blood Demon Cult.
Song Changsheng boldly guessed: "Since that battle, the Blood Demon Sect has gradually faded from our sight, and decades have passed in the blink of an eye."
During this period, is it possible that their strength has made a leap forward, thereby gaining the approval of the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord?
The Blood Demon Cult was once a powerful and influential sect, and no one knows how much of its legacy it inherited.
"I don't believe they can achieve this in just a few decades."
Even if they were to cultivate Golden Core cultivators, it would still be insignificant to the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom.” Shi Potian directly expressed his opposition.
The most likely scenario is that the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom and the Blood Demon Sect are planning a coordinated attack from within and without, aiming to break through the Great Qi cultivation world, cross the buffer zone defined in the ancient contract between the human and demon races, destroy the alliance, and launch a full-scale war.
But can the remnants of the Blood Demon Cult really achieve this with their strength alone?
Don't forget, although the overall strength of the Great Qi cultivation world is not as good as that of the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom, it is not without supporters, and the Suzhou cultivation world controls the last line of defense.
Even if the Blood Demon Sect cultivates Golden Core cultivators, it won't cause any trouble.
Given this premise, the alliance between the two sides seems extremely strange.
There must be a reason to promote the alliance between the two sides, and a reason that even the proud Golden-Eyed Demon Lord could not refuse.
In fact, the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord saw this as an opportunity to directly annihilate the Great Qi cultivation world and even break through the buffer zone in one fell swoop.
This reason is the key to this matter, but the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord has kept it strictly confidential from the outside world, and even the Fiery Demon King has no way of knowing it.
It's quite disheartening that we've expended so much effort but failed to obtain the most crucial intelligence.
Seeing the somewhat somber atmosphere, Mu Guibai couldn't help but smile and say, "Although there are some shortcomings, the intelligence we gained this time is still quite considerable. We obtained detailed information on the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom, which will allow us to make preparations in advance should we need to resort to force in the future."
Moreover, judging from the current situation, most of the demon kings of the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom are in seclusion to improve their strength, and at least for the next sixty years, the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom should not make any major moves.
We still have plenty of time to prepare.
Most importantly, during this period, we need to find an opportunity to expose the Blood Demon Cult.
Whatever they have to rely on, they certainly haven't achieved it yet, and this is their most vulnerable time.
Eliminating the Blood Demon Sect is tantamount to crippling the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord, and it also eliminates internal threats, preventing trouble from erupting in the rear during wartime—truly killing two birds with one stone.
At this point, everyone relaxed a little; what they needed most now was time.
The longer the preparation time, the more relaxed you will be in dealing with the situation.
"I fully support the Great City Lord's idea that 'to repel external aggression, one must first pacify internal strife.'"
The key issue, however, is how to expose the Blood Demon Cult.
We've worked hard over the years, but they've been lying low for too long, so our gains have been very limited.
"If they don't take the initiative to show themselves, it will be difficult for us to remove this cancerous tumor." Bai Zimo said with a serious expression.
Since the Blood Demon Sect shifted its focus of development, the several branch sects established in the Great Qi cultivation world have all entered a state of "dormant". No matter how powerful their intelligence systems are, intelligence cannot appear out of thin air.
Because there were simply no clues for them to dig for.
At this moment, Song Changsheng suddenly interjected, "We have indeed gained very little over the years. It's as if these remnants of the Blood Demon Sect have vanished into thin air."
But we all know in our hearts that the Demonic Sect can never completely lie dormant, because they practice extremely extreme techniques, and sudden death is a common occurrence during the cultivation process. This is the price that must be paid for taking shortcuts.
The Blood Demon Sect excels even more in this regard; aside from the losses during cultivation, all low-level cultivators are consumables for high-level cultivators.
Since it is a consumable, it will be completely consumed if there is no way to replenish it.
I think we may have been heading in the wrong direction all these years. Perhaps the right path isn't in Daqi, but somewhere else.
"Does Fellow Daoist Zixu mean that they have shifted their focus, just like the Haoran Alliance?"
"Most likely."
Bai Zimo frowned and said, "If that's the case, then among the four border regions, only the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom best meets the requirements."
We had our suspicions before, but the Five Poisons Sect and the Rakshasa Hall were not very willing to cooperate, and we couldn't forcefully intervene, so the matter was eventually dropped.
If those remnants of the Blood Demon Sect are truly hiding in the cultivation world of Lu Kingdom, eradicating them will be quite difficult.
Among the four border regions, the opinions of the three major cultivation worlds of Daqi, Dayu, and Gusu have always been highly unified on the issue of combating the Demonic Sect, because the Demonic Sect is an unstable factor that undermines stability and prosperity.
The cultivation world in Lu Kingdom is different. The Five Poisons Sect and Rakshasa Hall, as the leaders, act without any taboos, and the forces below follow suit, resulting in the current chaotic situation.
The difference between the righteous path and the evil path lies in a single thought. Although collectively known as the Four Realms, the cultivation world of Lu has always seemed out of place, with very little contact or exchange between them on a daily basis.
They had suspected this a long time ago, but the Five Poisons Sect and the Rakshasa Hall didn't take it seriously at all.
Later, the Righteous Qi Sect revealed its true nature, catching the two sects off guard. Only then did they pay more attention and carry out a purge and suppression.
Among them, the original Bone-Eating Sect of the Righteous Qi Sect was severely suppressed.
However, this was limited to suppression. The Bone-Eating Sect was clearly the one with the most suspicious points, and no one knew what they were really thinking.
If these two families don't cooperate, no matter how much Song Changsheng and the others suspect, it will be to no avail.
"It's nothing more than being driven by profit; the Bone-Eating Sect must have given them a lot of offerings."
Now that things have come to this, we need to send someone to explain the pros and cons to them. The Blood Demon Cult, this malignant tumor, must be eradicated. If the Great Qi is breached, the cultivation world of Lu will not be able to remain uninvolved. They should have that much judgment.
Song Changsheng could actually guess some of the Rakshasa Hall's thoughts. They simply felt that the Bone-Eating Sect, without a Golden Core cultivator in charge, posed no threat to the Rakshasa Hall's rule.
Eliminating the Bone-Eating Sect would bring them no benefit whatsoever; on the contrary, keeping them alive would bring them enormous profits. Therefore, they turned a blind eye to the suspicious points surrounding them.
This is also the main reason why they are unwilling to cooperate with Daqi.
This is tantamount to cutting flesh off their bodies.
However, the past is the past, and the present is the present.
With the Golden-Eyed Demon Lord and the Blood Demon Sect joining forces, not only is the cultivation world of the Great Qi threatened, but also the cultivation world of the neighboring Lu Kingdom.
Once they receive this news, they certainly won't let things continue like this.
Shi Potian nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Zixu is right. I will personally go and have a good talk with them."
As the only Golden Core Perfection cultivator in the Great Qi cultivation world, his personal involvement carries significant weight.
Even if Rakshasa Hall is unwilling, they have to seriously consider it now.
After discussing the details, everyone prepared to return home. Before leaving, Song Changsheng asked Bai Ziming about the three people.
They are Chen Zhongfang, the Heavenly Gang True Man; Su Ye, a descendant of Su Ding who once fought alongside him; and Xia Qingxue, a disciple of Su Ding.
Chen Zhongfang is the cultivator in the Golden Crow Sect who is closest to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage. Since Shi Potian broke through to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, he has not shown his face for many years. Without a doubt, he must be in seclusion.
Whether he succeeds in his breakthrough or not will directly affect the future landscape of the cultivation world in the Great Qi.
This will also rewrite the future battle between the Golden Eye Demon Kingdom and the Golden Core Demon Kingdom. With the absence of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, the Golden Core Great Perfection realm represents the combat power at the very top of the pyramid.
Su Ye and Xia Qingxue are both Golden Core seeds of the Golden Crow Sect and are the most likely candidates to break through to the Golden Core stage in the future.
Coincidentally, all three of them had something in common: they hadn't shown up for a long time. Therefore, he was very curious to know how far things had progressed for them, and it all depended on whether Bai Zimo was willing to tell him.
"Grandmaster Uncle and Su Ye are both in seclusion. As for Qingxue, she is still training outside. I don't know where she is now."
Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Song Changsheng's eyes. He cupped his hands in greeting and left with Mu Guibai.
On the way back to Luoxia City, Mu Guibai suddenly said, "Both the Golden Crow Sect and the Heavenly Vein Sect are doing their best to cultivate their third Golden Core cultivator. You should also hurry up."
"Grandpa and Yuechan are ready and just waiting for a suitable opportunity to go into seclusion. I hope the Golden-Eyed Demon Kingdom can be more peaceful during this period."
Song Changsheng understood Mu Guibai's meaning. With both sects sparing no expense to cultivate a third Golden Core cultivator, the Song family and Luoxia City had to catch up if they wanted to maintain their current influence.
Bai Zhengchun has failed; now it's up to the Song family to make their move.
"So good."
Mu Guibai wasn't worried about Zhuang Yuechan. After all, she had inherited all of Yu Shu Zhenjun's legacy, and even her Nascent Soul had been integrated into one. Breaking through to the Golden Core stage wouldn't be too difficult for her.
"By the way, there's been new news about the reincarnation of a Nascent Soul True Monarch."
Song Changsheng was surprised to hear this. Why didn't they tell him when they met earlier?
"I recently learned from an old friend of the Great Xiao Immortal Dynasty that there was a case in the Great Xiao Immortal Dynasty many years ago in which the person who attempted to reincarnate was an ancestor of the Great Xiao royal family from ten thousand years ago."
The Great Depression royal family has been keeping the news under wraps, and my old friend only found out by chance.
"Aside from True Monarch Yu Shu, this is the third case, all of them Nascent Soul True Monarchs from ten thousand years ago. This is definitely not a coincidence," Mu Guibai said decisively.
Song Changsheng was secretly amazed. Mu Guibai, this old friend, was no ordinary person. He was able to obtain such confidential information. No wonder he hadn't mentioned it before. The channels he used were probably not legitimate.
Although there isn't much information, it's certain that these True Lords must have deduced something, which is why they started making arrangements ten thousand years in advance.
It's just unknown what they discovered back then, that they were willing to reverse the rules of the heavens to perform the rebirth technique.
At this moment, Song Changsheng inexplicably remembered the gift that Lingji Zhenjun of Tianji Pavilion had given him when they first met.
The Records of the Primordial Stars is the book that gave rise to the art of astrology.
He never understood why the other party would entrust him with something so important, after all, he wasn't a divination master.
He now has a vague feeling that astrology might give him the answer he's looking for.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel the urge to learn astrology.
His current cultivation level just meets the standard.
"On my way to the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, I met the Spiritual Lord of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. He gave me a scroll of astrological secrets, from which we may find the answer."
Upon hearing this, Mu Guibai frowned and said, "The art of astrology contains profound cause and effect; it is no ordinary secret method. You should think it over carefully."
"I have made a decision. Once the pills that I previously entrusted to the Myriad Manifestations Palace to refine are delivered, I plan to go into seclusion for an extended period of time."
"It could take ten years or more, or even several decades. During this time, I'll have to trouble Master and Uncle-Master to look after Lingzhou and the East Sea."
"These go without saying. Astrological predictions are no small matter. Remember to act within your capabilities and do not overexert yourself."
...(End of chapter)