Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

On the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains, four figures stood deep in the clouds.

Instead of joining the Three Swordsmen and Two Stars in entering the mountain, they dispersed and explored the surrounding area for several days.

Now that they've reunited, the atmosphere isn't particularly somber.

After all, with four immortal beings present, across the entire Nine Provinces, apart from those truly immortal beings, who dares to say they can withstand the combined might of the four of them?

A plump Taoist priest, dressed in a golden robe and with a wealthy appearance, laughed first.

He was originally from a Buddhist family, but later joined the Qiyun Sect and took the Taoist name Baoguang Zhenren.

He speaks of compassion but harbors murderous intent. He indulges in wine, meat, and women without restraint, yet he loves to say, "Form is emptiness."

"It's been investigated."

"The old demon immortal deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains is indeed still asleep."

"His vital signs are severely weakened; he won't wake up."

"That old thing, his fate was suppressed by the Heavenly Secrets Compass back then, and now he can only wait to die in his dreams."

A celestial being in blue robes beside him nodded slightly.

"I've also gained something here."

"It seems that the Black Water Serpent in the Black Swamp Water Palace did not die during the Transformation into a Dragon."

"On the contrary, it broke through the barrier of the demon immortal."

"After that, he subdued the demon kings of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains with swift and decisive means, and somehow obtained an ancient demon array to obscure the secrets of heaven and disrupt the destiny we had originally set up."

Another red-haired immortal sneered.

"A demon is a demon."

"Having obtained a few opportunities, they thought they could turn the world upside down."

"The Heavenly Secrets Disc has suppressed them for a thousand years; now they're just struggling a bit."

"Even if that Blackwater Serpent becomes a demon immortal, so what?"

"With the four of us immortals present, we can suppress them with a mere flick of our wrists."

Master Baoguang patted his round belly and said with a smile, "That's a good thing."

"The demon kings of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains are scattered in various places, and it is quite troublesome to eliminate them one by one."

"Now that they're all gathered together, it's a good opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop."

"This will also prevent it from affecting the grand plan of the Qiyun Sect to ascend to immortality in the future."

The immortal in green nodded.

"Indeed, the unification of the demon race may seem troublesome in the short term, but in reality, it is a path to self-destruction."

"Once we kill that Black Water Serpent, the rest of the Demon Kings will be a disorganized mess."

The group chatted amongst themselves, already plotting how to divide the spoils.

The Blackwater Serpent's demon core, demon bones, and that ancient demon array.

And the divinely ordained spiritual objects in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains that were embezzled by the demon race.

Everything is a good thing.

Only the black-robed Taoist among the four remained silent.

He was thin and slender, with deep-set eyes. He wore a faded black Taoist robe and didn't look like a high and mighty immortal, but rather like an old Taoist priest who had come from a small mountain temple.

His name is Xuanzhao Zhenren, and he is also one of the immortals of the Qiyun Sect.

Master Baoguang looked at him and smiled, "Senior Brother Xuanzhao, why haven't you said a word the whole way?"

"Could it be that you're thinking about which section of the Black Water Serpent's bone you'll want when you divide it up later?"

The red-haired immortal also laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Xuanzhao has always lived a simple life. How about we refine a batch of pills for you using that demon core?"

Master Xuanzhao shook his head.

"No need."

Master Baoguang raised an eyebrow.

"Don't want it? That's not like you, senior brother."

Master Xuanzhao did not provide an explanation.

He has also been exploring the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains these past few days.

But what he saw was different from what others saw.

The demon race has indeed been brought under control.

However, precisely because the demon race was brought under control, many counties and prefectures surrounding the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains were free from demonic calamities.

Those lesser demons who used to eat people indiscriminately were cleaned up by the so-called Ten Thousand Demon Army.

The demon cave that disobeyed orders was directly trampled flat.

There were even a few little demons that brought rain to Black Mountain County.

Then, he was killed by disciples of the Qi Yun Sect.

He saw that scene too.

He saw the mortal woman holding her child and begging for water being cut in two by Qingxuan's sword energy.

The heavy rain stopped, and the scorching sun shone again on the parched earth.

I also saw those mortals kneeling on the ground, not even daring to cry.

At that moment, his fingertips twitched slightly.

He intended to use a magic incantation to block Qingxuan's sword energy.

But in the end, he did not make a move.

Because he knew that what weighed on the heads of those mortals was not only Qingxuan's immortal sword.

It is also the Heavenly Secrets Disc of the Qiyun Sect that covers the entire land.

It is an unquestionable grand plan for the entire sect to "ascend to immortality".

Faced with the bonds of camaraderie and the greater good of the sect, he froze like a stone in mid-air, forced to watch helplessly as the mother and child turned into dried blood.

This lucid sense of powerlessness made him feel as if even his breath carried the smell of blood.

Master Xuanzhao looked up at the eternal and unchanging sky.

A thousand years ago, he was just an ordinary person.

Born in a dilapidated village at the foot of the mountain, his parents died early, and he was taken in by an old Taoist priest and taken to a small Taoist temple.

The old Taoist priest wasn't highly skilled, but he often said one thing.

When you live in this world, you must always remember where you came from.

Later he began to cultivate himself.

Foundation building.

Golden Elixir.

Nascent Soul.

Until one achieves immortality.

But no matter how far he went, he never felt that he was different from ordinary people.

They just live longer and attain higher levels of spiritual cultivation.

But the Qiyun Sect of today seems to be less and less like the sect he remembers.

Is ascension really that important?

In order to ascend to immortality, mortals can be exploited like韭菜 (leeks, a metaphor for being exploited or taken advantage of).

The demon race can serve as watchdogs.

The very essence of heaven and earth can be drained.

All the spirits of the Nine Provinces are merely fuel for the ascension of immortals.

There was a hint of confusion in Xuanzhao Zhenren's eyes.

If this is also the right path.

The term "righteous path" sounds rather hypocritical.

The only thing that brought him some comfort was his disciple, Ye Xingzhou.

The young man in black who followed the Three Swordsmen and Two Stars into the mountains.

That child, at least, would ask one question.

They are, after all, human beings.

Master Baoguang was unaware of Master Xuanzhao's thoughts; he simply looked into the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains.

"Speaking of which, the Three Swordsmen and Two Stars have already gone in, right?"

The immortal in green nodded.

"It's in."

"Let them scout ahead first."

"Young people, they always have to see some blood."

The red-haired immortal sneered.

"If the demon race truly has a scheme, this will serve as a good opportunity to draw them out."

"We'll hold the line from behind."

Master Baoguang laughed even harder.

"wonderful."

"If that Blackwater Serpent dares to show itself, let it know that there is a hierarchy between demon immortals and human immortals."

Four figures transformed into streaks of light and silently followed into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range.

Master Xuanzhao was last.

He glanced back in the direction of Black Mountain County and sighed softly.

And so I followed them.

……

The core basin of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains was unusually lively at the moment.

It wasn't because of the Three Swords and Two Stars, but because the demon race had just broken through to the level of four demon immortals in one go.

Of course, this miraculous collective breakthrough was inseparable from the "great hero" at the heart of the formation.

Deep in the basin, the eight-headed serpent was so exhausted that all eight of its heads were rolling back their eyes, its tongue was hanging out, and even its drool was almost dry.

In the past few days, its original demonic power has been frantically extracted by the Ten Thousand Demons Formation, which has forced the Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range to mature four demon immortals.

It itself was sucked so much that it became much thinner, its original form almost shrinking into a dried-out black loach.

But with the eight golden bands around its neck constricting it, it could only shed tears of humiliation and dare not even stop to catch its breath, continuing to generate electricity frantically for "twelve hours".

The Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape's golden fur bristled, its demonic aura soaring to the sky. It carried a broken ironwood stick on its shoulder and grinned so wide its mouth almost reached its ears.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"I, the old ape, have finally become a demon immortal!"

The centipede transformed into a man in black armor, with a thousand illusory legs swaying behind him, exuding a cold and powerful aura.

The Black-Winged Wind Tiger's broken wings grew back, swirling with wind and thunder. It roared to the sky, shaking the mountains.

The fourth breakthrough came from the White Bone Demon Wolf of White Bone Valley.

After it became a demon immortal, its eyes became noticeably unfocused.

It used to be a great demon king.

Gu Changjin is also a demon immortal.

Then of course one should kneel.

But now it's a demon immortal.

We are all at the same level.

So, is that...?

Otherwise, wouldn't my breakthrough as a demon immortal have been in vain?

The white bone wolf had just entertained a thought it shouldn't have when it suddenly felt a gaze fall upon it.

Gu Changjin sat on the Demon Lord's throne, the nine-fold golden wheel of merit behind his head slowly turning, and the Bashe mark between his eyebrows was as deep as an abyss.

There was no deliberate attempt to exert pressure.

But the white-boned wolf felt that its newly broken-through demon immortal aura was like a small flame encountering the deep sea.

They were almost wiped out on the spot.

Gu Changjin's smile was gentle.

"Fourth brother, what's wrong with you?"

The white-boned wolf froze.

It's certain.

If I answer even one word wrong, I'll go from being the fourth brother to the fourth dish today.

It immediately lowered its head.

"Big brother, I'm fine."

"I was just too excited."

"I owe everything I have today to your guidance and support, elder brother!"

The Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape slapped it on the back.

"Fourth brother, you're right!"

"We brothers should follow our eldest brother to save the land!"

The white-boned wolf was slapped so hard it bared its teeth, but it still had to nod.

"Second brother is right."

Gu Changjin nodded in satisfaction.

well.

The team for the righteous brawl has begun to take shape.

Four newly ascended demon immortals.

Sixteen great demon kings.

Hundreds of demon kings, plus the Ten Thousand Demons Covering the Sky Formation.

Even if the Qi Yun Sect sends people, they can still give the demon race a little shock.

Just then, a little demon king with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks tumbled and crawled into the basin.

It knelt on the ground, its voice as sharp as a gong.

"Report..."

"Report to the King!"

"No, report to the Demon Lord Ancestor!"

Gu Changjin looked at it.

"explain."

The little demon king swallowed.

"Five human sword cultivators have arrived outside, claiming they want to act on behalf of Heaven."

"They've already stormed the mountain gate!"

The Mountain-Shaking Demon Ape's eyes lit up, and it picked up the ironwood club and stood up.

"Well done!"

Gu Changjin's lips curled up slightly.

"It's finally here."

"Brothers."

"Come with me and see just how capable this chosen one of the Qi Yun Sect really is."