Standing on the Cloud-Piercing Willow, Bai Rou was staring at the Snow Mosquito King on Li Yan's shoulder. When she suddenly saw Li Yan's gaze inadvertently turn towards her, seeming to hold a hint of amusement, Bai Rou quickly averted her eyes, pretending to be releasing her divine sense to survey the surroundings.
Li Yan was also inwardly shocked by the power of Bai Rou's three puppets. Li Yan was certain that if the three puppets unleashed their full strength, even an initial-stage Golden Core cultivator might not gain any advantage. However, the three puppets would likely have to pay a great price for that.
Although Li Yan didn't understand the art of puppetry, he knew the reason why the Thousand Luo Ancient Ape was so powerful was due to the enhancement from the Canheng Beidou formation. He had also seen from the moment the three puppets engaged the enemy, the look of undisguisable shock on the enemy's face after their force was displaced.
However, from the occasional furrowing of Bai Rou's delicate brows as she controlled them, it was clear that she found it somewhat taxing to control all three puppets at full power. This was likely related to her cultivation being only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
...
On the South Sea, at the former headquarters of the Supreme Mystery Teachings, the once-glorious Heavenly Mystery Hall was now empty and desolate. Many places were even covered in a layer of dust.
Suddenly, the space within the great hall blurred, and three figures appeared out of thin air. All three had hair that dragged on the floor and gaunt figures.
After the three appeared, the one in the lead slowly raised his face. It was a face covered in wrinkles, ancient to the extreme. It was, shockingly, the same old man who had been the first to emerge from the Demon Realm passage in the South Sea.
But at this moment, his face was full and ruddy, his aged skin now had a luster, and the tattered, shredded robe on his body had been replaced with a fine brocade long-shirt.
As soon as the three figures manifested in the hall, the leading elder looked toward a point in the empty space. There was no one there, but the brocade-robed elder's voice, as timeless as the ages, began to echo in the hall.
"Tu Tai, you invited the three of us here. Could it be that you have news about that place? If it's just about the war with the Four Great Sects, we agreed back then to assist you by sending our Nascent Soul and lower cultivators to help you conquer the Desolate Moon Continent. We have already honored our promise.
"If you want the three of us martial brothers to act now, I think it might be too early.
"Only at the final moment will the three of us make a move, and only once. Has it already come to the time for the decisive battle?
"You should know, the price of us making a move is enormous, not something this small Desolate Moon Continent can bear. You wouldn't want to gain nothing but a ruined continent, would you?"
As the brocade-robed elder's voice boomed in the hall, the spot in the void that had been empty a moment ago, without any warning, suddenly manifested a burly man clad in armor, his body like a mountain.
The man's entire body was covered in armor as black as ink, enveloping his massive frame. Only the skin at his helmet's opening was visible, dark as iron. His round eyes were like two giant lanterns in the night, capable of seizing one's very soul.
However, the three elders he was looking at remained impassive, without the slightest change in their expressions.
The burly man, addressed as "Tu Tai," then chuckled. "Hehehe, First Sir is truly wise. I invited the three of you here precisely because I have news. This can also be considered an important part of our transaction. My Demon Clan always acts in accordance with our promises."
After Tu Tai finished speaking, his pair of round eyes stared at the three elders.
These three elders, ever since they encountered a stray wisp of the Demon Emperor's divine will exploring the turbulent flows of space long ago, had only ever referred to themselves as "First Sir, Sixth Sir, and Eleventh Sir," never revealing their true names.
Afterward, they formed an alliance with the Demon Emperor. The specific contents of the alliance were unknown even to Tu Tai, who was a Demon Marshal. He only knew that the other party, with their human bodies, could more easily break through the planar shackles and descend upon the Desolate Moon Continent, which was why Lord Demon Emperor had deigned to show them goodwill.
This point was confirmed for Tu Tai by the situation with the teleportation through the two-realm passage in the South Sea.
When the three Spirit Transformation cultivators from the other party came through the turbulent space, the passage was only damaged by less than thirty percent. But the moment he and the other demon cultivators stepped into the vortex passage, the repulsive force from the Desolate Moon Continent forced them to use their full strength to resist.
He had no desire to experience that feeling of suffocating and drowning a second time. Although he managed to pass through in an instant with his full power, it caused the damage to the two-realm passage to reach nearly eighty percent.
Out of necessity, the Demon Marshals behind him had to give up teleporting, switching instead to Demonic Generals and Demon Lords, as well as a large number of Demonic Soldiers.
This made Tu Tai suspect at the time whether these human cultivators were originally from the Desolate Moon Continent, and not invading human cultivators from another continent. Otherwise, how could the repulsive force from the Desolate Moon Continent be so low?
The mere twenty-something percent of damage to the passage could have been because these people were stained with the aura of a foreign realm, as well as the fact that three Spirit Transformation cultivators were teleporting at the same time. When he received a piece of news today, he became even more certain of his guess.
Seeing that the three remained so indifferent even after hearing his confirmation, Tu Tai felt a momentary daze. Could it be that the other party didn't come to the Desolate Moon Continent to find that so-called place?
But if that wasn't their purpose, why make him and his people go to such lengths to gather information?
First Sir's expression, which Tu Tai had hoped to see crack with excitement on their cold, icy faces, left him feeling a sense of tedium. He began to speak, his tone flat.
"Among the information we've gathered, there is a piece about something the Four Great Sects do every fifteen years, a so-called 'Secret Realm Plucking.' It's when the younger generation of the Four Great Sects enters a certain so-called secret realm to fight viciously for the resource rewards within."
Having said this, Tu Tai paused and stared at the three people below him.
But First Sir's expression remained unchanged. Over the course of his long life, his temperament had been tempered until it was as cold as ice and stone.
"Is there any more information about this secret realm? Things like so-called secret realms, while not as common as ox hair on any continent, have been countless since ancient times."
It was First Sir's aged voice again. The other two, who had been standing behind him with their heads bowed, now looked up, but their gazes were just as cold and indifferent as they looked at Tu Tai.
"First Sir, of course I felt this piece of news was different from other secret realms, which is why I'm informing the three of you. First, a secret realm that the Four Great Sects all value simultaneously, do you sirs think it's an ordinary secret realm?
"Second, it is said that this secret realm has no human cultivators within, but is ruled by demonic beasts. And most of these demonic beasts are ancient demonic beasts, something that is almost impossible to exist on the Desolate Moon Continent."
As soon as Tu Tai's voice fell, Eleventh Sir, who had been motionless in the back, finally showed a flicker of emotion on his face. His body trembled slightly before he looked at First Sir.
He sent a voice transmission, "First Senior Brother, when Master and the others left, it was because that detestable artifact spirit flew into a rage and, at the risk of its own eternal destruction, self-detonated a drop of its origin power, causing a cataclysmic disaster in that secret realm.
"Under that world-destroying power, almost all the human cultivators inside were killed. Only Master's group managed to escape by jointly using the 'Imperial Dragon Qi.'
"The fragmented secret realm that remained should have a large number of the ancient spirit beasts that were once raised there. These two points do seem to match."
First Sir thought for a moment before asking again, "Does Demon Marshal Tu Tai know if this secret realm contains a magical treasure called the 'Five Elements Dao-Defiance Pearl'?"
"'Five Elements Dao-Defiance Pearl'? Hmm, I haven't heard of that. If what First Sir is talking about is an extremely powerful magical treasure, we shouldn't have missed such important information.
"However, it is said that there may be terrifying fifth-rank demonic beasts in the secret realm. The reason we are paying attention to this secret realm is that it is equivalent to the fifth great sect of the Desolate Moon Continent, and they are now also allied with the Four Great Sects to resist us."
Tu Tai shook his head. This was all the information he had managed to obtain.
"There's no news about the 'Five Elements Dao-Defiance Pearl' in this secret realm?" A trace of disappointment appeared on the faces of First Sir and his two junior brothers. He couldn't help but ask again, unwilling to give up.
"Does First Sir think that Tu Tai would have any reason to hide this point?"
Tu Tai was displeased, but since he would soon need the help of these three to contend with the top cultivators of the Four Sects and one secret realm before a second Demon Marshal arrived to assist, he could not show it on his face.
At the same time, Tu Tai secretly committed the name of this "Five Elements Dao-Defiance Pearl" magical treasure to memory. A magical treasure that could make Spirit Transformation cultivators take notice—how could he, Tu Tai, not be moved by it? It was just that now was not the time to ask, so of course he wouldn't show a trace of interest.
At this moment, a listless voice sounded out, "Fellow Daoist Tu Tai, in this secret realm that can rival the Four Great Sects, how many fifth-rank demonic beasts are there? And what is this 'plucking' that the Four Great Sects speak of?"
The person who spoke was Sixth Sir, who had not said a word until now.
Hearing this, Tu Tai nodded slightly. He had invited these three here not purely to give them information. His main purpose was to discuss how they should deal with any fifth-rank demonic beasts from the secret realm that might make a move.
"Sixth Sir asks a good question. But how can news of beings at the Spirit Transformation stage be so easily obtained? I have no definite information on my side either.
"The entrance to this secret realm is extremely hidden. It is said that there are only two entrances, one in the Ten-Pace Courtyard and the other within the Malevolent Spirit Sect. Otherwise, I would have gone to investigate it myself long ago. But based on the balance that the Four Great Sects have always maintained with the secret realm, even if there are fifth-rank demonic beasts, I estimate there won't be more than two."
Tu Tai replied. This was the answer he had arrived at after careful consideration.
"What Demon Marshal Tu Tai says is true. If the secret realm had three fifth-rank demonic beasts, they probably wouldn't be so polite to the Four Great Sects.
"But if there is one or two fifth-rank demonic beasts, this battle for the Desolate Moon Continent will be somewhat troublesome.
"Before this, we heavily injured Yuandu of the Supreme Mystery Teachings. We are now four against three. When the final battle begins, even with the restrictions of this world's laws, we still have hope of trapping their three top experts before we are repelled.
"Even if we can't kill them in a short time, we should still be able to capture the Devil's Cliff Crevice.
"However, if the other side suddenly gains two more fifth-rank demonic beasts, even if they have just entered the fifth rank, our chances of victory become slim."
First Sir couldn't help but frown and say. He was a late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, his two junior brothers were at the initial-stage, and Tu Tai had also reached the mid-stage. After heavily injuring Yuandu of the Supreme Mystery Teachings, they had held a very advantageous position.
They had previously probed the Spirit Transformation cultivators of the Four Great Sects in secret. All of them were at the mid-stage of Spirit Transformation, and two of them seemed to have just advanced recently. Only Venerable Daling of the Jingtu Sect was at the peak of the mid-stage Spirit Transformation. With Yuandu of the Supreme Mystery Teachings heavily injured, their side had a great chance of winning. But now, the sudden appearance of an unknown number of fifth-rank demonic beasts had completely disrupted their plans.
"Therefore, I wish to discuss with you three sirs how to proceed with the attack."
Although Tu Tai considered his demonic arts to be superior, almost comparable to a late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, he had seen First Sir in action and had to admit that he was far inferior.
His coming here now to ask this question was clearly placing his bets on First Sir. He believed that with First Sir's ability, he could likely hold off all three of the enemy's Spirit Transformation cultivators by himself. As long as First Sir could take on this task, the scales of victory would still be tilted in their favor.