A month later, the Yunhuang Alliance completed its preparations. Cultivators from all over gathered together, forming a vast and mighty army, neatly arrayed outside Yuhua City.

In the sky, Tian Jizi stood upon the void, conducting the final inspection and mobilization of the Yunhuang army below him.

Behind him, the leaders of the four armies waited quietly, among them only Gu Yali, who was responsible for leading the team to the aid of the Western Region, was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator; the other three were all in the late-stage Nascent Soul.

Among these two, were Luo Zhu and Wan Tianren.

In the ranks of the Yunhuang army, a group of Nascent Soul cultivators looked up at the sky, yet their gazes converged unanimously upon the last late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

He was an old Daoist with white hair, and on his forehead was a pale green tree rune somewhat similar to that of Tian Jizi, albeit with a slightly different pattern and a somewhat dimmer radiance.

"Tsk, tsk, isn't that Tianyinzi? They said he failed to break through to the late-stage Nascent Soul a hundred years ago. How did he manage to achieve it now?" the ancestor of Bailuo Manor, Bai Nanshan, clicked his tongue.

"He must have been deliberately hidden by Chang Chun Temple. It's hard to tell who they were guarding against," Bing You Immortal commented with a cold laugh.

"Don't assume the worst of everything. Maybe he has only recently made the breakthrough and hasn't had the time to inform the other sects. Besides, with the Wu Yue Sect encroaching, the more late-stage Nascent Souls, the better," Mu Wanchun shook his head.

Not only were the Nascent Soul cultivators in the army discussing fervently, but Luo Zhu and Wan Tianren in the sky also exchanged glances, their expressions varied.

However, Tian Jizi paid no attention to these discussions and simply waved his arm.

"This battle, Yunhuang will be victorious!"

"Yunhuang will be victorious!"

Amidst the thunderous shouts that resembled mountains and seas, the four armies set off, three heading towards Zhao Country, while one headed straight for the Western Region.

On the outskirts of Yuhah City, a subtle blood light shot out, closely following the Yunhuang Alliance Army straight to Zhao Country.

...

Wu Yue Sect Camp.

"... The Yunhuang Alliance Army set out today and is expected to arrive at Zhao Country's front in half a month."

A grey-robed young man holding a Jade Scroll reported the situation to the Venerables.

"Chang Chun Temple has called in quite a few helpers this time; it might take some effort," Xi Zheng spoke indifferently.

"Heh, if it weren't for the setbacks in the East Sea and Southern Border, how would the situation have come to this?" Evil Eye Venerable sneered.

Ni Mu sat upright and still, and despite hearing the mocking words of Evil Eye Venerable, showed no reaction.

Free Venerable, on the other hand, had her eyes closed the entire time, as if asleep and wholly uninvolved in the conversation.

Xi Zheng was about to retort, but a neutral voice interjected in the tent.

"Since when is there a smooth-sailing affair in this world? Failure is no disgrace. It only matters that you learn from it, and that's stronger than anything else."

The voice came from behind a dusky purple curtain. Shrouded by the light veil, Xi Zheng and the others could only see a large figure reclining on a couch.

"Nine Yin Venerable's lesson is well taken," Xi Zheng nodded, showing no disrespect.

"Let's return to the matter at hand. Though the Yunhuang Alliance Army is nothing but a rabble, since Wu Yue God wishes to test their mettle, we should not treat them lightly. Transmit my order: let those gathered sects serve as the vanguard to attack Zhao Country, with the main force pressing on steadily. We must take down the Spirit Talisman Sect's sect before the Yunhuang Alliance arrives, and sweep clean Zhao Country's territory!" commanded Nine Yin Venerable from behind the curtain.

"Yes!" someone immediately responded to the command and left.

Xi Zheng seemed to have some reservations at this moment, but after hesitating for a while, he ultimately chose not to speak.

"Alright, disperse. Everyone go back and make the necessary preparations. This time, we must not disappoint Wu Yue God again," Nine Yin Venerable spoke again.

Xi Zheng and Ni Mu immediately agreed, and then they withdrew.

Free Venerable seemed to have woken up at this point, looking around with open eyes, then chuckled softly. With a wave of her hand, she was enveloped in a pink spirit light that whisked her away.

Only after the others had left did Evil Eye Venerable get up and bow to the silhouette behind the curtain, speaking slowly.

"You should be careful with Xi Zheng and Ni Mu. One's a snake, the other's a wolf; neither have good intentions," he warned.

"I'm well aware of that. But you got one thing wrong—Ni Mu should be fine. He's just filling the position for Six Desires, and in the East Sea, he was constantly hampered by that idiot Bai Gu, and now he has to take the blame for the loss. It would be strange if he didn't act cautiously. As for Xi Zheng, with all his scheming, does he really think that flattering my naïve boy will win my support? Naive!" Nine Yin Venerable scoffed.

Upon hearing this, Evil Eye Venerable's expression also seemed a bit unnatural.

"Regarding the affair in the Southern Border..."

"I know. The death of Rei does not rest on you. That Yuan Ming will pay the price sooner or later," Nine Yin Venerable said with an icy tone.

Sharing the same enemy, Evil Eye Venerable nodded in agreement without mentioning his own hesitation when facing Yuan Ming or his suspicions about Yuan Ming's identity.

"Anyway, you don't have to worry," he said, "I have already prepared ways to deal with Xi Zheng's ambitions. I just hope he realizes the reality. If he obediently follows orders, I won't move against him for now."

Behind the curtain, the Nine Yin Venerable seemed to merely lift his head to look in Xi Zheng's direction, but his words also conveyed a warning to the Evil Eye Venerable.

...

More than ten days later.

Outside the Shura Palace, Hua Zhi was sitting idly on a piece of broken stone, supporting her head with one hand on her knee and extending several tendrils of vine into the sandy soil in front of her with the other.

Not far from her, a large White Ape was practicing an unknown form of boxing. Its movements were vigorous and domineering. Each punch accompanied by a gust of wind, the whooshing sound never ceased.

Where each punch landed, there seemed to be thunder following, continuously booming and exploding.

The space around was echoing from the White Ape's Fist Gang, shaking continuously, with the Fist Intent unceasing, like rolling thunder.

Having returned to Yuan Ming's side this time, he had made minor progress in his cultivation after receiving several pointers from his master.

"Stinky monkey, stop practicing and come rest for a while," Hua Zhi called out, bored.

"How can you still be so lazy when you've been following the master all this time?" Vajra didn't stop practicing his boxing and asked somewhat dissatisfied.

"What does it have to do with whether I follow the master or not? I'm telling you, you unenlightened monkey, what do you know about cultivation? I'm naturally gifted and intelligent—I don't have to work as hard as you; do you understand?" Hua Zhi retorted angrily.

However, after speaking, she started to feel guilty. Indeed, her cultivation had slacked quite a bit since returning from the Three Immortals Island.

"Should I really continue to cultivate seriously?" While Hua Zhi was contemplating, she suddenly felt the earth beneath her shake violently, as if some fierce beast was awakening underground.

She was startled at first, but then the tendrils she had stuck into the ground conveyed the changes below to her.

Hua Zhi's expression turned from shock to joy in an instant, and she exclaimed excitedly, "Master should be coming out soon..."

At the same time, in the secret chamber of the Shura Palace, Yuan Ming's body was enveloped in Demonic Qi. His clothes had long since disappeared, and his skin exposed outside the Demonic Qi turned out to be pitch black.

He had a layer of black Scale Armor on his cheeks that gleamed with a metallic sheen, and above his brow, the flesh split open, revealing a black pointed bone horn about half an inch long. He no longer looked human and instead resembled a member of the Demon Clan.

Qi Ye could sense the changes in him but dared not voice her thoughts.

Because Yuan Ming was currently facing the most dangerous threshold. If he crossed it, he would successfully obtain the Half-Demon Body. If he failed, the best outcome would be completely losing his senses and degenerating into a mindless demon.

In the thick Demonic Qi, one could still see the chains piercing through Yuan Ming's body, especially the one that entered through the back of his head. The surface of that chain was so saturated with Demonic Qi that it had liquefied into a black fluid wrapping around the chain.

The black fluid slowly seeped into Yuan Ming's Sea of Consciousness through the chain.

Inside Yuan Ming's Sea of Consciousness, it was total chaos, with pervasive Demonic Qi enveloping the entire space. The cl ear area of his Spirit Platform was now reduced to a mere inch of ground, surrounded by rolling black waves, bringing with them the force of annihilation. Readaheadandgetupdatesbyvisiting*.

His Nascent Soul, standing tall at this moment, was similarly tainted by the Demonic Qi, wrapped in strands of black smoke, appearing somewhat languished.

However, his eyes remained exceptionally clear and bright.

Just as the darkness seemed about to engulf this last spot, the Nascent Soul released a silent roar.

Almost simultaneously, a burst of intense Golden Light erupted from its body, burning away the black smoke in an instant. The mighty Divine Soul Power, carrying the brightness and heat of the sun, dispelled all the Demonic Qi in the Sea of Consciousness.

The surging tide of black waves was pushed back entirely by the suddenly spreading Golden Light, compressed to the edges of the Sea of Consciousness.

As Yuan Ming's Divine Soul Power erupted, his body underwent drastic changes. Golden Light shone in his eyes, and the Power of the Sun that resided within him started to burst forth, blending with the Demonic Qi that had already been absorbed into his body.

The pitch black of his skin slowly began to fade, but it didn't vanish completely. Instead, it solidified into continuous, interconnected black patterns across his chest, abdomen, back, shoulders, and thighs.

These patterns, bizarre in shape and different from the runes of the Yunhuang Continent, emanated an indescribable and mysterious aura.

"Hah…"

Yuan Ming let out a contented low grunt, suddenly yanking his arms forward while stepping ahead.

"Crack, crack"

A series of chain-breaking sounds followed in succession.

The chains piercing his arms, ankles, and back all broke apart, turning into particles of dark light that dissipated.

Yuan Ming shook his head from side to side, tearing off the last chain that was linked to the back of his head; the scale-like markings on his face slowly faded, leaving only faint traces behind.

The pointed bone horn protruding from his forehead also visibly began to recede bit by bit until it completely disappeared.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, congratulations," Qi Ye finally dared to speak at this moment.