"That continent is located precisely where the original Tianji Region was, not far from the northeastern forest. We have already sent people to investigate, and it is indeed Yunzhong, the place where Shoujing and Qingwei once went."
"Yunzhong?" This news even shocked Daojun Jinghe. "So, we can travel to and from Yunzhong freely now?"
"Exactly."
Joy appeared on the faces of the several Nascent Soul Dao Lords. This was truly good news. No matter what, humans and Demon Cultivators were natural enemies; the other side would surely not help the Demon Cultivators instead of them.
However, Qin Xi frowned, his expression devoid of joy.
Seeing this, Miaoyi asked curiously, "Shoujing, is there a problem?"
Qin Xi inquired, "Are you absolutely certain it is Yunzhong?"
"Yes, we have confirmed the news." Miaoyi paused, then said, "We are aware of your experiences in Yunzhong. Although you had some conflicts with the major sects there, those were merely disputes over interests, not deep-seated enmity. Now that you have returned to our sect, it is unlikely they would turn against us over such matters."
Even after this explanation, Qin Xi's expression remained unrelaxed. Daojun Hua Yan then asked, "Could there be some hidden circumstances?"
Qin Xi did not answer immediately but asked another question: "Senior Sister Miaoyi, how much do you actually know about the situation in Yunzhong?"
Daojun Miaoyi replied, "We have only made preliminary contact, nothing in-depth." She asked with concern, "Why? Is there an issue?"
Qin Xi pondered for a moment before speaking: "Yunzhong's territory is larger than the Tianji Region's, with more spirit veins and resources, and more major powers. Setting aside the Demonic, Confucian, and Buddhist paths, just within the Daoist sects, each of the five major sects has at least five Nascent Soul cultivators. The Jiuyan Sect alone has over a dozen."
"Over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators?" Daojun Hua Yan was startled. The Xuanqing Sect, established for tens of thousands of years, had at most six Nascent Soul cultivators. Now, with eight, it was an unprecedented peak. He never imagined it would be incomparable to the top sects of Yunzhong.
"Indeed," Qin Xi confirmed. "Yunzhong has nearly a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators."
The several Nascent Soul Dao Lords exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave. They all knew Yunzhong was stronger than Tianji, but they had not realized the gap was this vast. The Tianji Region likely had only around sixty Nascent Soul cultivators; even counting those in seclusion, the number would not exceed seventy—a full third less than Yunzhong.
Qin Xi continued, "The forest where the Demon Cultivators live is connected to our Kunwu Mountain Range. Even if we wished to avoid conflict with them, we could not. But what does this matter to Yunzhong? While they certainly would not aid the Demon Cultivators, they suffer no loss if we fight them. Why wouldn't they sit back and watch the tigers fight, waiting to reap the fisherman's profit? It would be best for them if we and the Demon Cultivators exhaust each other. Then, we would have no choice but to submit to them, losing our autonomy."
"..."
All the Nascent Soul cultivators fell silent. This was indeed something they had not considered. Before the Great Upheaval of Heaven and Earth, Yunzhong and Tianji were separated by the South Sea, making communication impossible. Even they, as Nascent Soul cultivators, only knew Yunzhong was somewhat stronger, not to this extent.
"Shoujing's point is not without merit," Daojun Miaoyi said after a moment. "However, the situation may not be that dire."
"Oh?" Daojun Hua Yan asked. "Does Junior Sister Miaoyi have more news?"
Miaoyi said, "Earlier, I mentioned there was also bad news. Now, it seems it might not be entirely bad."
She paused, then stated: "Besides Yunzhong, we made another discovery this time: the Demonic Path is becoming restless again."
Hearing this, everyone showed surprise. Even Daojun Jinghe's hand, holding his teacup, stilled. "The Demonic Path? Tianmo Mountain?"
"Exactly," Miaoyi said. "The Tiandao Sect went all out this time, leaving only two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators to guard their mountain gate, while the other four all went to Kunzhong City. Originally, with Tianmo Mountain as a barrier, they felt secure. But unexpectedly, not long ago, a group of Demonic Path disciples launched a surprise attack on Yuheng Mountain."
This time, as the various Tianji sects united to form an alliance, the Tiandao Sect was proactive. Of the four Nascent Soul cultivators they dispatched, two were late-stage and one mid-stage, making their strength the highest among all sects. Everyone understood the Tiandao Sect's intentions: seeing the Xuanqing Sect's rising influence, they acted to secure the alliance's leadership position. The Xuanqing Sect's governance had always been more conservative than theirs; by taking the initiative, they could gain the upper hand.
Unfortunately, Liu Dingyuan's plans were thwarted by the return of Qin Xi and Mo Tiange. With eight Nascent Soul cultivators, even if the Xuanqing Sect did not have many stationed in Kunzhong City, their status was unshakable by the Tiandao Sect. Even if Liu Dingyuan obtained the leadership position, it would be the same.
The Tiandao Sect had burned their bridges, only to fail on both fronts: the title of Tianji's top sect was handed over, and the Demonic Path, which had been quiet for tens of thousands of years, chose this moment to attack Yuheng Mountain.
"What was the outcome?" Daojun Jinghe asked with rare seriousness. "What were the Tiandao Sect's losses? What is the current situation?"
"With their mountain-protecting grand formation, the Tiandao Sect's losses were minimal," Miaoyi answered. "The highest cultivation among those Demonic Path disciples was only at the Core Formation stage. It was likely a probing move by the Demonic Path."
Daojun Hua Yan sighed. "That is indeed bad news."
With Demon Cultivators to the front and the Demonic Path to the rear, the situation in Kunwu was unfavorable. Although the Tiandao Sect suffered the most, the Kunwu sects shared a common destiny. If the Tiandao Sect declined, the others would gain no benefit. This was not like the Demon Beast turmoil over a hundred years ago, where human cultivators held the advantage and the major sects could scheme against each other. Now, the enemy forces were stronger, and any loss would be shared by all.
"Senior Brother Hua Yan, don't worry yet," Miaoyi said. "Tianmo Mountain is a natural barrier, with complex restrictions in the surrounding mountains. These Demonic Path cultivators cannot come in large numbers; the situation is not critically urgent."
Seeing the slight smile on Daojun Miaoyi's face, seemingly not overly worried, Qin Xi suddenly thought of something: "Senior Sister Miaoyi mentioned earlier that we have an ally. Could it be that this ally is not against the Demon Cultivators, but against the Demonic Path?"
Miaoyi looked at him with some surprise and smiled. "Junior Brother Shoujing is indeed sharp-minded."
"Exactly. If Yunzhong were merely territorially connected to us, they would indeed have no need to exert effort to support us; offering some assistance would already be very good. However, the changes in the Demonic Path force them to help us."
She explained in detail: "After the incident at Tianmo Mountain, we sent people to investigate. We discovered that over these tens of thousands of years, the Demonic Path's influence had already deeply penetrated the northeastern forest..."
The northeast of Tianji was a vast forest. Unlike the Demon Beast forest south of Kunwu, this forest lacked major spirit veins, so only small Demon Beasts lived there, and no cultivation sects were established.
Because of this, the major Tianji sects never paid much attention to this forest; even treasure-seeking cultivators rarely went there.
It was precisely this forgotten place that had long fallen into the hands of demonic cultivators.
During the great war between the righteous and demonic paths, the demonic cultivators were driven north of Tianmo Mountain, never entering Kunwu again. That mountain range was complex and harsh; the demonic cultivators suffered greatly there. Unable to contend with the righteous path, they had no choice but to migrate northeast.
Although the northeastern forest had few spirit veins and its resources were not abundant, compared to Tianmo Mountain, it was at least much more peaceful.
After the Great Upheaval of Heaven and Earth, Yunzhong and Tianji were no longer far apart; the chasm of the South Sea became a strait. The demonic cultivators discovered that there was such a vast, fertile land to the northeast—how could they resist? Although they dared not openly oppose the Yunzhong cultivators, frequent harassment and plundering were inevitable.
"So that's how it is!" Qin Xi felt slightly relieved. If so, Tianji's situation was not too bad. With the Demonic Path causing trouble for Yunzhong, at least they need not worry about Yunzhong playing the fisherman and turning their attention to Tianji. Moreover, to have Tianji contain the Demonic Path's rear, the Yunzhong cultivators would likely take the initiative to show goodwill and help them deal with the Demon Cultivators. Only then could an alliance be formed.
After Daojun Miaoyi finished speaking, the others fell into contemplation. The appearance of Yunzhong and the unrest of the Demonic Path happening simultaneously made Tianji's situation instantly complex. Demon Cultivators, ghost cultivators, the Demonic Path, Yunzhong, Tianji—five forces, each with their own enemies, and with geographical separations, it was hard to predict how things would develop.
After a long while, Daojun Jinghe let out a long sigh and said with rare seriousness, "This is a difficult chess game to play!"
"Indeed," Daojun Hua Yan said with a deep frown. "The Demon Cultivators in the southern forest are one thing, but this newly emerged continent—we still don't fully understand its situation. The Demon Cultivators and ghost cultivators are at odds; are there points we can exploit? How powerful is the Demonic Path north of Tianmo Mountain now? How many high-level demonic cultivators are there? What are their true intentions towards Kunwu and Yunzhong? And Yunzhong—with their formidable strength, dealing with the demonic cultivators of Tianmo Mountain should not be difficult. Will they use overwhelming force to annihilate the Demonic Path in one stroke? We are caught in the middle. It's not just about identifying friends and foes; we must maintain a balance to ensure our survival."
Although Daojun Hua Yan's cultivation was not the highest, his experience was rich, and his thoughts touched upon the key issues.
Tianji now had both enemies and potential allies, but simply eliminating the enemies was not the solution. If Yunzhong's power grew too great and the Demonic Path was wiped out, their situation would still be precarious.
For a long time, the cultivators of Kunwu believed that having Demon Beasts at their side kept them perpetually vigilant. After the Great Upheaval, with the situation drastically changed, they realized that their previous days had actually been quite peaceful. What was killing a few Demon Beasts? They held an absolute advantage and had never faced a survival crisis. Only now, in this situation, could it be called walking on thin ice.
And the Nascent Soul Dao Lords present, as the pinnacle cultivators of Tianji with their sects behind them, had no way to escape this.
"Heh!" Daojun Jinghe suddenly laughed. "I actually find myself somewhat envying that old fellow Songfeng now. He has it good; even if we fight until the heavens and earth are overturned, he can just hole up in his turtle shell and continue cultivating."
Daojun Hua Yan smiled bitterly. "Senior Brother Jinghe, are you deliberately trying to dampen our spirits?"
"This counts as dampening spirits?" Daojun Jinghe said. "The real trouble hasn't even arrived yet! When the Demon Cultivators launch a full-scale attack and the Demonic Path grows restless again, we won't even have the luxury of sitting here worrying!"
Hearing his words, everyone sighed inwardly. Wasn't that true? If it were only the Demon Cultivators, they could still remain within their sects to cultivate. But if full-scale war broke out, the sects would likely only be able to leave one or two people behind to guard them—perhaps not even two or three.