Though Jiang Wang fundamentally could not grasp the chittering demon tongue of the two small demons, communication flowed remarkably smoothly.

To preclude any collusion, he forbade them from speaking directly. Instead, he made them stand back-to-back, allowing only nods or shakes of the head in response to his inquiries.

With no means to contact the human realm, his salvation rested solely on himself.

The Grand Void Illusory Realm was utterly beyond reach. It had yet to fully encompass the current world, and extending its reach into the demon realm was simply inconceivable.

He had, of course, entertained the thought of attempting to contact Senior Guan Yan via the Jade Balance Star Tower. Previously, when communicating with Senior Guan Yan, he had always been in locations nearest to the starry sky in the current world. With his current cultivation, he was also capable of projecting his voice into the cosmos, using the Star Tower to expound upon the Dao. Could he then directly rely on the Jade Balance Star Tower to contact the Jade Balance main star itself?

The position of Star Sovereign, with the Jade Balance light connecting all heavens and myriad realms, could not only offer him guidance but also serve to notify the human race in the current world. Relying solely on himself to escape with his life would be exceedingly arduous. But if Qi Country could offer some degree of cooperation, the path would become significantly smoother. Perhaps Senior Guan Yan could even guide him directly to a favorable location, conveying him to the Jade Balance main star, and then through the Seven Star Valley, back to the middle realms of the current world.

Alas, this beautiful notion remained just that – a notion. The demon realm, fundamentally distinct from the current world, was a vast, independent world deeply cultivated by the demon race.

Standing within the Starlight Holy Tower in the ancient starry sky, he could not easily establish contact unless in a state of combat, like in Frost Wind Valley, where he could directly summon the Star Tower to project into this realm. Otherwise, it was difficult, unlike in the current world, to subtly manifest his consciousness within the Star Tower for Starlight Holy Tower cultivation, much less utilize the Star Tower for any other purpose. And in his current predicament, forcibly summoning the Star Tower to project into this realm would be tantamount to courting a swift demise.

Should the gaze of a Heavenly Demon fall upon him, he could forever bid farewell to this world.

Taking a step back, even if he were to forcibly open the Star Tower and gamble that Senior Guan Yan and the “little annoying grandma” were currently traveling through various realms and might receive his distress signal, there was no guarantee of when that might occur. It was entirely possible that by the time a powerful figure like Senior Guan Yan descended and the Jade Balance Star Cave illuminated the demon realm, the grass upon his grave would already be three feet high. Combining the rough map drawn by the monkey demon and the horse demon, Jiang Wang finally gained a general understanding of his location.

Separated from Frost Wind Valley, and opposite the human race’s Yan Prison City and Iron Rock City, lay three great demon race cities.

The names of these three demon race great cities remained unknown, as he could not comprehend the language of the two small demons, and these two creatures possessed no ability to write Dao scripts.

He did manage to record their pronunciations, which could be considered a slight expansion of his demon race language vocabulary.

These three demon race great cities were all garrisoned by powerful armies, totaling fifteen Demon Kings. Among them, the farthest great city even harbored a True Demon.

Jiang Wang silently noted the location of that great city, resolving to steer clear of it entirely. As for his current position, it lay to the southeast of the demon race great city directly opposite Frost Wind Valley; he could still venture further away.

Their intelligence extended no further.

The knowledge of these two small demons was appallingly meager. Since birth, they had lived only within the confines of these three great cities. They could not even pinpoint the location of a fourth demon race great city.

They were, in essence, entirely illiterate.

In the human race, any transcendent cultivator, however useless, was considered a “master” wherever they went, possessing at least some knowledge of the world. Even common folk on the streets were well-versed in matters of state when discussing national affairs.

Of course, in the human race, cultivators of the errant pulse realm were already considered “transcendent,” even if they were useless. They were “masters” wherever they were. While the small demons with innate Dao pulses were the lowest rung of the demon race hierarchy. To better formulate his hiding strategy, Jiang Wang was quite curious about the social structure of the demon race, but alas, these two small demons could not satisfy his curiosity.

Raising a hand to kill these two demon race warriors, he used the Samadhi True Fire to obliterate all traces. Using the Dream Order to replicate the rough map they had drawn, Jiang Wang intended to slowly refine the map’s details during his journey. If possible, he should learn a bit of the demon race language, but now was clearly not the opportune moment.

The urgent matter at hand was to first find a relatively safe place to conceal himself and nurse his injuries.

He had no intention of venturing into regions beyond the known map. He dared not approach the great demon race cities even more so; the demon realm was a land of peril for him. The best option, of course, was the depths of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

Within the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, there existed both a natural boundary and no active concentrations of powerful demon race entities like those found in Frost Wind Valley. Deep mountains and ancient forests offered excellent hiding places.

According to the two small demons, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains were a region where traces of demons were scarce and the land was treacherous for their kind. Whether it was treacherous or not was unimportant; the crucial point was the scarcity of demon traces.

Compared to the dangers posed by the demon race, the perils of the treacherous lands were undoubtedly much milder.

Perhaps he could even search for some heavenly and earthly spirit medicines or the like. He had some accumulated experience in gathering herbs from his youth.

The more powerful a cultivator became, the more difficult it was to recover from injuries. His Golden Body Jade Marrow was injured to such an extent that the wound medicines he carried were of no help whatsoever.

As for his rudimentary healing Dao techniques, they were even less effective. Apart from using the Samadhi True Fire to burn away the invading “external evils” within his body, he knew nothing else. Now, the fist energy and the intent of hunger and cold had been thoroughly purged, temporarily halting the worsening of his injuries. Healing was a long-term process; he had to find a safe and secluded place as soon as possible, at least to first nourish himself with the Heaven Treasury Light in secret for a while before considering other methods.

Combining all known factors, the only way he could conceive of returning to the civilized basin was to conceal himself, nurse his injuries, await the end of Frost Wind Valley’s quiet period, and then, during the skirmishes between human and demon race warriors, fight his way back from this side.

Simple to say, but due to the eleven-month duration and his current injuries, this task became exceedingly difficult.

This was a path destined to be fraught with long nights and many dreams, but it was also his only option for now.

How to endure the long night, how to endure the nightmares one after another, Jiang Wang had no answer in his heart.

But the road lay before him, and he would walk it.

Comparing the map, he roughly determined his direction, cautiously withdrew from the wasteland, ensuring he left no trace, and then, wrapped in the uncomfortable demon race clothing, plunged into the endless deep mountains.

What a vast mountain range!

Propping up the sky and lying upon the earth, it devoured evil beasts, stretching for a hundred thousand li. Malarial rain and savage mist threatened to kill, while outside the mountains, wind and snow lay low.

Within, there were even foolish boys and girls, spending nights beneath ancient trees, listening to the cries of insects. Those outside the mountains knew nothing of what lay within.

Those within the mountains knew not the passage of years.

Jiang Mengxiong and Yuan Xian Court engaged in a great battle in the demon race’s South Heaven City, fighting until heaven and earth shifted, victory and defeat hard to determine, finally ending with the Heavenly Demon Zhu Yi joining the fray.

The human race, with Qi Country’s anger being the sole impetus, had no intention of initiating a full-scale war. The demon race was even more unwilling to engage in a racial war with the current human race.

Thus, a clash at the Derivative level, though it began with earth-shattering force, concluded as swiftly as a dragonfly skimming the water.

Although Jiang Mengxiong was stronger than he had been twelve years prior, replicating his past feat of battling a Heavenly Demon proved challenging. His opponents, anticipating his strength, approached him with sufficient caution. Moreover, Yuan Xian Court, as a top-tier Heavenly Demon, had not idled these past years, having engaged in numerous battles with almost all the True Monarchs stationed at Sui Ming City in the human realm.

After the arrival of the Heavenly Demon Zhu Yi, Jiang Mengxiong was forced to retreat. But the day Jiang Mengxiong retreated south of Frost Wind Valley, a Rong Chong from Qi Country arrived, blocking the already breached valley mouth. Ji Zhou hovered in the high sky, adopting a full battle posture.

Accompanying Rong Chong was a large batch of urgently transferred supplies and great craftsmen from the Engineering Institute who had rushed over from Linzi overnight. Right before this completely opened passage, they vigorously began constructing a great city. In addition to personally overseeing the operation, Jiang Mengxiong also mobilized Great Qi’s Brave Earl, Bao Heng, leading the main force of the Annihilating Thunder Army, ten thousand strong, to garrison the area and provide protection for the city-building efforts.

The Mo family could build a male city in a single night. While Qi Country’s Engineering Institute was not quite that fast, two days were certainly achievable.

A human race great city situated at the forefront of the battlefield carried extraordinary significance; it was both danger and opportunity, responsibility and resources. Jing Country tacitly approved of this, neither commenting on Jiang Mengxiong’s action of breaching Frost Wind Valley nor demanding to share the responsibility. It was widely understood that this was Jing Country’s way of addressing the matter of Mei Xue Lin.

And this newly built human race great city was named “Wu An.” Of course, without destroying the Heavenly Demon altar and paving its foundation with more demon race bones, this city could not yet be considered a male city capable of standing firm in the Heavenly Prison. But it had ample time ahead to be tested and irrigated with demon race blood, or to collapse before the demon soldiers. In the bloody war between the human and demon races that spanned several great eras, every male city had to be tempered with blood and fire.

For this Wu An City, for this newly opened battlefield, the demon race also offered the most direct response.

Yuan Xian Court simply lifted the city!

Under countless watchful eyes, he hoisted the entire South Heaven City into the high sky, then carried it across the heavens, placing it with thunderous might on the other side of Frost Wind Valley, directly using this city to confront the human race. He named it “Demon Race South Heaven Gate”!

Still comparing themselves to the ancient Heavenly Court, they regarded the current world as the turbid world and the civilized basin as the entrance to the turbid world.

In terms of the scale of Wu An City and South Heaven City, this battlefield in the demon realm could not be considered a great battlefield. Although Frost Wind Valley had been leveled and the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains blasted open, the two great cities stood distantly, neither side able to deploy a hundred thousand armies.

However, being a newly opened battlefield, the specifications were relatively high. Thus, Qi Country sent the Brave Earl and ten thousand Annihilating Thunder Army soldiers. After Xiu Yuan returned to the main battlefield, Qi Country’s Court Discussing Doctor, Wen Ren Shen, personally came to this place and announced his permanent oversight of this battlefield. Among Qi Country’s nine Court Discussing Doctors, the two most immobile were Wen Ren Shen and Zang Zhi Quan. The former had long been stationed at the rear of the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, managing Qi Country’s various cities within the demon realm, and could be considered the Qi Country True Person who understood the demon race the most. The latter resided in seclusion in Linzi, governing history and punishing crimes. Both maintained a low profile. Of course, Su Guan Ying, now the Governor of South Xia, also had to approach these two, rooted in one place and unlikely to leave South Xia again. Corresponding to Wen Ren Shen’s presence, South Heaven City also saw the arrival of a True Demon, Que Meng Chen, leading seven thousand elite Iron Cage Army soldiers.

Both sides reacted swiftly, a speed cultivated through perennial racial warfare. Thus, without a major war erupting, the situation stabilized. A true clash was inevitable, but both sides intentionally delayed the timing to make further preparations.

After all, this was a newly opened battlefield. Just as South Heaven City had moved to Frost Wind Valley, the city’s population of demon race warriors had significantly increased. Once Wu An City was completed, it also attracted many cultivators.

Many cultivators from various sects or small countries who entered the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons for training would prioritize choosing Wu An City.

Just like the colorful cloud carriage currently speeding by.

In a flash, it had flown to the forefront, landing outside this newly built human race great city.

The exceedingly luxurious colorful cloud carriage vanished, and two figures in white stepped down, like fairies from a painting descending to the mortal world.

The man striding ahead possessed a handsome and elegant demeanor, refined and ethereal. In his bright eyes, there was also an undeniable aura of authority.

The woman walking behind had a clear and exquisite figure, her face veiled, and with every movement, an aura of immortal energy seemed to waft about her. Although her appearance was concealed, it was enough to stir wild imaginings in others.

What surprised the passing cultivators even more was that Qi Country’s Court Discussing Doctor, Wen Ren Shen, currently responsible for the entire Wu Nan battlefield, actually walked out of the city gate to personally welcome these two.

Who were these two individuals of such high standing?

Wen Ren Shen proactively bowed: “After many years apart, True Person Ye’s bearing is as before! Cloud Country affairs are numerous, why have you personally come today?”

Ye Lingxiao smiled and waved his hand: “The matters of Cloud Country no longer trouble me. Lingxiao Pavilion is a small, humble establishment with no significant worries. Is it not so? My daughter, having cultivated in the boudoir for a considerable time, lacks experience and has not seen the demon race. Therefore, I specifically brought her to the demon realm to take a look. I heard that Great Qi’s military god shattered Frost Wind Valley with a single fist, opening a new battlefield. I made a detour to witness this scene of unparalleled power.”

Wen Ren Shen’s enthusiasm had its reasons.

Firstly, he and Ye Lingxiao had interacted in the past, and could be considered acquaintances. Secondly, since Ye Lingxiao had come to Wu An Marquis, should a racial war erupt, as a member of the human race, how could he not assist in the battle? The combat power of a contemporary True Person held immense potential on the battlefield, offering countless application possibilities and usage scenarios!

The newcomers were guests. If he, Wen Ren Shen, could not make full use of them and ensure their satisfaction, how could he be worthy of overseeing Qi Country’s various cities within the demon realm? Thus, he rushed out of the city gate to welcome them, humbling himself with the status of a Court Discussing Doctor by proactively bowing. If it hadn’t felt too artificial, he had originally planned to intentionally not wear boots, offering a barefoot welcome to guests from afar in winter, hoping to move them to bathe in blood and fight for his Great Qi.

“This is your daughter?” Wen Ren Shen looked at the clear and cold woman behind Ye Lingxiao, exclaiming: “Truly an immortal and celestial appearance! Ye Lingxiao’s appearance in his youth already surpassed all others, but unexpectedly, his daughter is even more remarkable than her father!”

Praising Ye Lingxiao, Ye Lingxiao could still maintain his composure. But upon praising his daughter, his mouth immediately curved into an irrepressible grin, all pretense of immortal demeanor vanished. Without any false humility, he beckoned: “Qing Yu, come over. This is Doctor Wen Ren, a significant figure in Qi Country, and your dad’s old friend. Quickly pay your respects. Before we left, you mentioned a knowledgeable ‘old fellow.’ Now he’s become an ‘old friend.'”

Ye Qing Yu had been gazing up at the plaque on the city gate, her gaze distant. Called back to her senses by Ye Lingxiao, she gracefully performed a salute: “Qing Yu greets Uncle Wen Ren.”

“Good, good,” Wen Ren Shen said with a face full of genuine emotion, already contemplating what meeting gift to prepare.

He had to treat this world niece well.

With his daughter brought into the city, was he still afraid that her father wouldn’t give his all on the battlefield? He keenly observed Ye Qing Yu’s gaze just now and thoughtfully explained: “This name is in commemoration of the Wu An Marquis who shed blood in Frost Wind Valley.”

Then he saw, in those beautiful eyes, like a clear stream reflecting the moon, tears well up unexpectedly.

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