"This is all slander... It's only because of the past incidents involving the Wu Yue Sect that the hearts of the Central Plains people have been disturbed, with minor sects and commoners unable to differentiate between our honorable sect and the Wu Yue Sect. As Chang Chun Temple currently holds the title of the righteous leader in the Central Plains, we indeed need to consider the stability of the Central Plains, so please forgive us, Fellow Daoist Yuan," Ancestor Ming Quan urgently replied.

"Take your people and leave the East Sea, from now on, I hope to never see anyone from Chang Chun Temple here again," Yuan Ming said coldly, not wanting to listen to his excuses.

"What did you say?" Ancestor Ming Quan felt as if he had been struck by thunder, hardly believing his own ears.

"Get out," Yuan Ming shouted furiously.

All the pent-up frustration and anger from the past few days mingled in that shout and were released.

Ancestor Ming Quan trembled all over, feeling as if his divine soul had suffered a tremendous impact, with two thin streams of blood flowing down from his ears.

Shocked and furious inside, he dared not show a trace of it on his face; he did not linger any longer and immediately led the cultivators of Chang Chun Temple away, tail between their legs.

...

When night fell.

Yuan Ming and Xi Ying arrived at Dragon King City, the headquarters of the Moon Sect.

Silken golden light emerged in the void above the headquarters, resembling countless sword qi, vaguely forming a massive sword array.

"This Golden Light Shadow Sword Array is quite powerful, it seems your Array Formation Cultivation has reached level 4," Xi Ying remarked.

"It's all thanks to the Stealing Heaven Tripod's help that I barely managed to achieve this," Yuan Ming said, with a sigh flickering in his eyes.

In these twenty years, he had not possessed anyone else, almost exclusively residing in Su Yingxue.

As his understanding of formations deepened, he increasingly found the path of formations to be as vast as the sea, and even someone as strong as Su Yingxue admitted having limited mastery in this field and needing further improvement.

This realization made Yuan Ming more aware of his past ignorance, but it also excited him, prompting him to spend a lot of energy in studying formations.

Yet, even with the help of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, advancement was still extremely difficult.

Twenty years of hard cultivation had produced merely this Golden Light Shadow Sword Array, reaching the Fourth-level Array Master realm.

Inside the main hall of the headquarters, Wulu had been waiting for a long time.

In fact, Wulu had arrived at Dragon King City during the day but kept his presence hidden and paid tribute to Yuan Ming's parents before coming to the headquarters to wait for him.

The three of them went to a secret room, where Wulu got straight to the point:

"Brother Yuan, Daoist Xi Ying, I have located the remnants of the Demon Clan's forces and have destroyed most of them. However, these guys are extremely cunning, and a few have still managed to escape," he said.

"Where did they escape to?" Yuan Ming asked.

"They've fled deep into the ocean. It's hard to find them," Wulu shook his head and said.

Yuan Ming frowned slightly upon hearing this. Rеаd аhеаd аnd gеt updаtеs аt

Considering the current distribution of the Moon Sect's forces, it might still be manageable if they were in the Southern Border or near the coast of the East Sea. However, if they had escaped deep into the ocean, where the territory was vast and rarely visited, numerical advantage would be of no help.

"I came here this time to mourn my uncle and aunt, but also because Daoist Xi Ying mentioned you had a technique for tracking and locating people, capable of spanning thousands of miles and nearly ignoring spatial blocks, so I wanted to ask for your help," Wulu continued.

Yuan Ming, puzzled, glanced at Xi Ying.

"Soul Summoning Technique," Xi Ying transmitted mentally.

"I do have such a spell, but do you know the names of those people, or remember what they look like?" Yuan Ming pondered briefly, looking at Wulu and asked.

"Uh... due to the rush, those whose faces I remember are the ones I've killed. As for those I didn't catch up with, I didn't even get a chance to see their faces clearly, let alone know what they look like," Wulu was taken aback and shook his head.

"Then my tracking secret technique can't be effective," Yuan Ming sighed and said.

"If these people aren't eliminated, I always feel they'll be a calamity. If they manage to hide in the vast Yunhuang Continent, I'm afraid they will be the forerunners of another invasion by the Demon Clan," Wulu said with furrowed brows.

"Brother Wu, there's no need to worry too much... If there are a thousand days to be a thief, how can there be a thousand days to guard against one? Even if we were to eliminate all these remnants of the Demon Clan, would the Yunhuang Continent truly be worry-free? Besides, these demons might not even be all that have sneaked into the Yunhuang Continent," Yuan Ming patted his shoulder and consoled him.

Upon hearing this, Wulu's brow tightened, especially agreeing with Yuan Ming's last remark, as he had indeed thought so too.

The remnants of the Demon Clan that they had discovered were still evident, but given how vast the Yunhuang Continent is, it was hard to say how many were hidden.

"To fend off the invasion by the Demon Clan, there's only one way: to be as tough as iron ourselves," Xi Ying suddenly spoke up.

"What?" Wulu asked eagerly.

Yuan Ming also frowned and looked towards Xi Ying.

"To unify the entire Yunhuang Continent, integrate all Sect resources, unite as one, and turn the Yunhuang Continent into a solid plate. When the Demons dare to invade again, it will be no different from seeking death," Xi Ying said slowly.

Her tone was calm, but when she spoke these words, there was an implied dominating spirit.

Wulu, upon hearing this, couldn't help but look deeply at Yuan Ming.

"It's not a bad idea," Yuan Ming first paused, then cracked a smile.

"It sounds easy to say, but how difficult it is to do? Northern Desert, Central Plains, Southern Border, East Sea, the large and small sects combined number not ten thousand, but at least several thousand, right? The intertwined interests are so complex, how could it possibly unite?" Wulu shook his head as he spoke.

"Those who can be united will be united; those who cannot, will be integrated," Xi Ying said indifferently.

To unite, to integrate, a difference of one word, but a huge difference in meaning.

"No. Yunhuang Continent has just gone through a great calamity, everything awaits rejuvenation, it can't withstand another large-scale conflict," Wulu frowned tightly, his head shaking even more fervently.

Having said that, he looked at Yuan Ming, signaling him to persuade Xi Ying.

"Brother Wu, don't you think this is the best opportunity?" Yuan Ming asked.

Wulu was startled upon hearing this and looked at Yuan Ming in surprise.

"The turmoil caused by the Wu Yue Sect has left many sects in the Central Plains crippled and weakened, this is the best time to unite them. In fact, Chang Chun Temple has already been doing this. In just these past twenty years, they have swallowed up hundreds of big and small sects in the Central Plains; otherwise, how do you think they recovered so quickly?" Yuan Ming hadn't spoken, still, Xi Ying took over and continued.

Wulu, upon hearing this, furrowed his brows in contemplation.

"Not only have they recovered their Primordial Qi, but Sect Leader Tian Jizi has also broken through to the Returning Void Realm. The overall strength of the Sect has not decreased but increased, their actions have become increasingly domineering, and they have started to suppress our Moon Sect and Xi Yue Sect. Following this trend, without another invasion by Demons, turmoil is bound to arise again in Yunhuang Continent," Yuan Ming said.

"Since Chang Chun Temple has already revealed their wolfish ambitions, it's impossible to coexist peacefully in the future. Why not engage in this battle earlier, thus sparing some lives?" Xi Ying said.

"However, if we start a war now, it certainly won't be understood by the people, and we may lose popular support. Besides... are we really confident in defeating Chang Chun Temple?" Wulu still had some concerns and hesitated.

"Today, the islands of the East Sea are almost all followers of the Moon Sect, the various factions of the Southern Border also tend to favor dealing with the Moon Sect. As for the Northern Desert, the Xi Yue Sect has made rapid developments in recent years and has almost brought all forces under control. Chang Chun Temple, busy consolidating the power of the sects in the Central Plains, is actually a bit like working behind closed doors. They think that with Tian Jizi, a Returning to Void Stage Cultivator, they can dominate the world and overlook everyone, which is somewhat naive," Xi Ying said with a laugh.

Wulu heard this, fell silent in contemplation, obviously still weighing the pros and cons.

"In fact, over the years, in my pursuit of remnants of the Demon Clan, I have asked Tian Jizi and Chang Chun Temple for help several times, but the former is busy cultivating in seclusion, and the latter is only focused on recovering strength, completely ignoring the looming threats. Maybe really giving them a few more years, and Yunhuang Continent will again be a scene of fratricidal strife," he suddenly spoke after a long time.

"So, your decision?" Xi Ying looked toward Wulu.

"To unify Yunhuang Continent, sooner rather than later, I can help you with this," Wulu said.

Xi Ying, upon hearing this, showed a pleased expression and nodded.

"If Yunhuang Continent is unified, what do you plan to do with the existing sects?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Those willing to join in the great cause can keep their Daoist Lineage, but their original names must be abolished, and they must come under the jurisdiction of the Moon Sect and Xi Yue Sect. For those unwilling... eliminate them altogether," Xi Ying said indifferently.

Yuan Ming heard the resolute decisiveness in her words, and could not help but frown slightly.

But on the journey south previously, he had seen too many obliterated cities, too many lives crushed underfoot, and the capital of Da Jin Country, which is still lifeless.

So he knew that showing mercy was not an option.

Yunhuang Continent absolutely could not withstand another calamity like that of the Wu Yue Sect, nor an invasion from the Demon World. Thus, Xi Ying's plan to integrate the entire Yunhuang Continent into a solid plate at the smallest possible cost was indeed the best way.

There would inevitably be war, death, and new cases of national and familial ruin, but all for a better tomorrow.

"Xi Ying, try to limit this war to the Cultivation World, do not involve the ordinary folk, and avoid unnecessary slaughter," Yuan Ming advised.

"Don't worry, I assure you, it won't be as severe as you think. As soon as I take down Chang Chun Temple, with this big tree fallen, many will flee at the mere sight of it," Xi Ying said with a smile.

"You're not participating?" Wulu asked in surprise.

"After all, this isn't slaughtering the Demon Clan or fighting the Wu Yue Sect. I'm not really interested in conquest. If there's a need for me to fight, just contact me anytime," Yuan Ming shook his head and said.

"Leave this matter to me, you just focus on your cultivation. But before you go, could you lend me your Shura Blood Devouring Map? I need it to train some personnel," Xi Ying said.

"Take it," Yuan Ming nodded, took out the Shura Blood Devouring Map, and handed it to Xi Ying.

Afterward, Xi Ying and Wulu left Dragon King City together.