In another part of the devil territory, the World Tree and the beast army continued advancing according to Aldrian’s plan. Despite their great numbers, they could move at a much faster pace than the alliance troops, thanks to the significantly higher cultivation level of each individual.
Since separating from Aldrian, they had also fought several battles, killing many devils along the way. With their high cultivation and the World Tree leading them, they were unstoppable. Unless the Seven Deadly Sins appeared to stop them, their path was guaranteed to remain smooth.
However, amidst the beast army, two new figures had joined the group—the Golden Phoenix and the Great Peng. These two beasts were on a mission of their own, hunting down devil troops to make the alliance’s advance easier. If not for them, the alliance troops would have had to face many more devils than they already did in the past two weeks.
They eventually t with the World Tree’s group. There was no way the Golden Phoenix and the Great Peng could miss the gigantic tree, as its main body was visible from a great distance. That mont also the first ti the World Tree saw the Phoenix and the Great Peng.
At first, both sides were cautious, unsure of each other’s affiliation. With a peak Emperor stage Phoenix and a high Emperor stage Great Peng, the World Tree’s group did not attack recklessly. They had never seen beasts of this kind before, and they could faintly sense bloodline suppression from them, a clear sign that these beasts held a far higher status.
The World Tree also chose not to attack imdiately. She chose to observe them first. In truth, the only reason they didn’t clash at first sight was because neither side made a move, opting instead to watch and assess the other.
Although they had already told each other that they were not aligned with the Devil Lord, both sides remained cautious and kept their distance. The Phoenix believed that the World Tree could be a threat to Aldrian’s plan, and the World Tree felt the sa. Because of that, they did not take their eyes off one another as they traveled.
It was only after witnessing each other kill devils that they realized they shared the sa goal and stood on the sa side. From that point on, they continued their journey together, adding even more strength to the group.
At present, they were advancing toward the direction of the fog wall, which was already visible in the distance. The ground shook and rumbled with each movent the World Tree took, and that sound was the only one that accompanied the group as they moved in silence.
Then, the Golden Phoenix’s voice finally broke the stillness.
"Don’t you think sothing has been strange about the situation since earlier?" she asked the spirit of the World Tree, Vireline.
The Golden Phoenix could speak the spirit language, which had actually confused her at first. It was as if the knowledge had already existed in her mory, simply waiting for a trigger to awaken it. That trigger had co when Vireline spoke to her during their first eting.
"Yes. We haven’t seen any movent from the devils. Normally, I can sense their presence from far awaym even when they are only observing us, but this ti, I can’t detect even the faintest trace of them," Vireline answered.
"But I can sense a terrifying kind of energy coming from that direction. I’ve been feeling it for a few hours now," Vireline added as she pointed toward one direction of the fog wall. Being a World Tree, she was far more sensitive to the changes in natural energy across wide areas, and what she sensed now was unlike anything she had ever felt before.
"Maybe that is the path Lord Aldrian ntioned to you. I don’t know if his actions are the cause of the devils’ strange behavior, but my instincts tell they are. If the devils are acting this way because of Lord Aldrian, then we can assu he has done sothing that forced the Devil Lord to order all of them to retreat," she added.
The Golden Phoenix frowned at this. Like the other alliance troops, she had already been told by Aldrian earlier that he had breached the fog wall.
"Doesn’t that an the Devil Lord won’t hesitate to use everything to stop Master from reaching the Black Pillar? Then... Master will have to face all those devils alone?" she asked, which made Vireline fall silent for a mont before she finally spoke.
"That is the most likely possibility. We must hurry. We cannot allow Lord Aldrian to face all of them by himself."
After that, their movent beca even faster, causing the trembling ground to shake with greater violence.
At this mont, every force had already turned toward one destination, Aldrian.
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While the alliance forces were advancing toward Aldrian in the devil territory, people in other parts of the continent grew increasingly anxious. From ti to ti, they glanced at the sky, where the spreading darkness was clearly growing wider with each passing minute, and it was accelerating.
This phenonon made it hard for anyone not to assu the worst.
At this point, the speed of the portal’s expansion could be seen with the naked eye, no matter who was watching. Whether they were cultivators or ordinary mortals without any cultivation, all of them could clearly see that the portal was opening faster and faster.
In so regions, the situation had already turned for the worst. Bandits and opportunists took advantage of the chaos, believing the world was approaching its end. That belief drove many to seize whatever they could, hoping to benefit as much as possible before everything collapsed.
They would die anyway, so why not enjoy it while they could? That was what they believed in this mont.
The cultivators who remained behind as enforcers were forced to use extre asures to contain the unrest and suppress those driven by opportunism. They had to kill to set an example, warning others who still had the mind to commit atrocities in the midst of war.
Although this tactic worked for now, the enforcers knew that if the situation did not improve soon, it would no longer be enough.
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In Dual Horns Peak City, the situation remained relatively stable, as the city was under the control of the three great sects of the demon territory. However, stability here did not an the city was free from the sa problems faced by other regions.
From ti to ti, there were fools who tried to challenge the authority of the sects, but the cultivators quickly dealt with them. Given the more violent nature of demon cultivators, the punishnts used to set examples were far more brutal than those carried out by orthodox sects.
This was exactly what happened to a few individuals who attempted to barge into the Yu family’s mansion. The Yu family had regained their noble status after the fall of the previous city lord, who was revealed to have been in league with the devils.
Since the truth about the past had beco known, the Yu family’s na was cleared, and they began to rebuild themselves as a proper noble family once more.
However, despite the exposure of the previous city lord’s betrayal, so of his loyalists still remained in the city. These were the ones who believed the forr city lord had been frad by the remnants of the Yu family. But because the Yu family was now under the heavy protection of the three great sects, those loyalists could do nothing against them.
This ti, driven by a willingness to die for revenge, fueled by the continent’s current state, they decided to attack the Yu family and bring down the last two surviving mbers.
Unfortunately for them, their efforts were in vain. They lacked the strength to break through the protective formation around the mansion, let alone defeat the cultivators stationed within.
The leader of the Yu family at this ti, Matriarch Yu, and her son, Yu Fenglian, were the only survivors of the forr Yu family. However, since the family had regained its honor and was supported by the three great sects, many people began to join them in rebuilding the Yu family.
From just two people, the family had grown to over a thousand mbers, with individuals from various backgrounds joining as outer mbers. These cultivators also helped to rebuild the Yu family into what it was now.
All those who attempted to kill the Yu family ended up as minced at, their corpses tossed aside like trash on the roadside. Each one bore a sign on their chest that read,
"We tried to kill the Yu family."
This scene was visible to many, and it sent a chill down their spines. It served as a grim reminder not to do anything foolish in the current situation.
While the situation outside was tense and far from optimistic, the atmosphere inside the Yu manor remained relatively calm and serene. A young boy, who still looked around twelve years old, could be seen walking toward one area of the manor.
His face appeared older than it had been when he last t Aldrian a few years ago, although traces of childishness still remained.
Anyone who saw him along the way would offer a slight bow and address him as "young master," and he would respond to each one in turn.
Yu Fenglian continued walking until he reached the Hall of Honor, where he found his mother, Yu Ruoi. She was seated on her knees before the altar of the Heavenly Demon, her eyes closed as if she were in ditation.
Yu Fenglian quietly approached and knelt behind her, lowering his upper body slightly in a respectful bow.
"Mother."
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