Like Lu Mingfang, Feng Xiaotian also felt immense pressure.
From his understanding, the Demon Realm, much like Yu Fantian, operated under a singular ruling power.
The entire demon world was governed by the Demon God Palace.
However, compared to the current Daosheng Sect, the strength of the Demon God Palace was vastly superior.
Historical records noted that as many as ten Mahayana-level demon cultivators once broke into Yu Fantian. Given the demons' long lifespans, those powerful beings were likely still alive.
Over the past hundred thousand years, the number of Mahayana experts within the Demon God Palace may have only increased.
In contrast, after the great war of that era, the strength of the Daosheng Sect had been greatly diminished—and it had yet to fully recover.
Now, facing the resurgence of the demon army, they stood no chance of victory.
But what choice did they have?
When enemies come knocking, you can't simply sit by and do nothing.
With that in mind, Feng Xiaotian turned to Lu Mingfang, his expression grim.
"Pass down the order. From now on, organize the Demon Suppression Army by prefecture."
"Also, open the sect's treasury and intensify the training of our disciples."
Feng Xiaotian didn't know exactly when the demon army would arrive, but he had to strengthen Yu Fantian's cultivators as much as possible in the meantime.
If the demons truly returned, they needed to be ready to resist.
"Understood. I'll make the arrangements immediately."
After a brief discussion, Lu Mingfang descended the mountain, worry etched on his face.
…
Following two demonic disasters, the Daosheng Sect issued a sweeping decree to the cultivation world—each prefecture was to form its own Demon Suppression Army.
Anyone at the Foundation Establishment stage or higher could join, regardless of background.
Members would not only receive compensation, but could also earn merit by killing demons.
With enough merit, one could exchange for magical tools, rare treasures, high-level techniques, and powerful supernatural abilities.
For a time, all of Yu Fantian was abuzz with excitement.
Many advanced skills and arcane techniques, once tightly guarded by the Daosheng Sect, were now being distributed openly. So long as you earned enough merit, you could claim them.
For players from Blue Star, this was a monumental opportunity.
They didn't fear death—after all, they could simply log in again the next day.
The only downside? The number of demons was currently too low. The ones from the last two disasters had already been wiped out by the Daosheng Sect.
Even those actively hunting demons couldn't find any.
Now, everyone was eagerly awaiting the arrival of a third demonic disaster.
…
Galaxy Peak
Zhang Yuhe stepped out from his cave.
His aura had grown significantly—he had clearly reached the Great Perfection stage of the Void Refinement Realm.
For over a hundred years, he had cultivated in seclusion on Galaxy Peak, ignoring all external affairs.
However, he had heard about the demonic disasters.
When he logged out, he occasionally browsed Skynet for updates.
Whenever a disaster broke out, players would mobilize en masse.
Especially after the Daosheng Sect established the Demon Suppression Army, players had joined in droves, scouring the realm for signs of demons.
Zhang Yuhe, however, remained indifferent. He continued his cultivation.
If the sky were to fall, taller people would hold it up—there was no need for him to worry.
So long as the Demon God Cult didn't interfere with his progress, it didn't matter.
His priority now was preparing for his next tribulation.
Standing atop the peak, Zhang Yuhe contemplated silently.
"Where should I go to survive the tribulation?"
Surviving it here, on Galaxy Peak, was out of the question.
The power of heavenly tribulation was unimaginably destructive.
Last time, a lake thousands of miles in diameter had been obliterated by the Void Refinement tribulation.
Now that he was about to ascend to the Fusion Realm, the calamity would be even more terrifying.
If it struck within the Daosheng Sect, half the sect might be destroyed.
"I'll head to the Yunmang Mountains to undergo the tribulation."
After a moment's thought, he decided to return to the same place where he'd endured his previous calamity.
He was familiar with the area, and it had proven safe before.
Perhaps that place truly was blessed.
One couldn't place blind faith in metaphysics—but one couldn't disregard it entirely, either.
"I'll ask Li Tian to come with me as a protector."
Last time, he had been reckless—attempting the tribulation alone.
This time, he needed someone to watch his back.
But who?
Wang Guofeng was clearly not an option.
Although he had recently reached the Nascent Soul stage with the help of the Infant Transformation Pill, an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was far from sufficient.
Could such a person serve as the guardian for someone breaking into the Fusion Realm?
Nonsense.
Zhang Yuhe's thoughts quickly turned to Li Tian—his former senior brother and neighbor.
He didn't know many others in the sect, and he had interacted with Li Tian a couple of times.
That made them… somewhat familiar.
Good enough.
With that, Zhang Yuhe retrieved his identity jade token and sent a message.
"Big Brother, are you free? Come with me to survive this tribulation."
…
Somewhere on Wangxian Peak
Li Tian suddenly felt a ripple of spiritual energy. He took out his identity jade token and heard Zhang Yuhe's voice.
His brow furrowed.
Tribulation? What tribulation?
Hadn't Junior Brother Zhang only broken through to the Void Refinement Realm just over a hundred years ago?
Was he already at the Great Perfection stage, preparing for the Fusion Realm?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
They had reached the Void Refinement stage at almost the same time.
And yet, here he was—still in the early stages—while Junior Brother Zhang was on the cusp of the next major breakthrough?
Li Tian replied skeptically through the jade token.
"Who's undergoing tribulation? When?"
"Senior Brother, I just sensed the opportunity. I need to head out to break through."
Crap.
Hearing that, Li Tian couldn't help but curse under his breath.
This Junior Brother Zhang was an absolute monster. He didn't even seem human anymore.
Li Tian shot to his feet and flew at top speed toward the adjacent Galaxy Peak.
Despite Zhang Yuhe's words, Li Tian was still reluctant to believe it.
He had to see it for himself.
When he reached the summit, he was immediately overwhelmed by Zhang Yuhe's deep, oceanic spiritual presence.
He couldn't even bring himself to speak.
It was terrifying.
Was this man still human?
He had trained so hard—yet the gap only widened.
After a long silence, he finally asked in a low voice:
"Where are you planning to undergo the tribulation, Junior Brother?"
Even as he said "Junior Brother," a twinge of discomfort ran through him.
This former junior was now far ahead.
Before long, he might have to start calling him Junior Master.
He tried not to dwell on it.
If he thought too much, his heart might become unstable.
"We'll head to the Yunmang Mountain Range in Yunzhong Prefecture. That's where I endured my last calamity."
"When do we leave?"
"Now."
"Alright."
Both of them were devoted cultivators—there was no need for extra words.
They transformed into streaks of light and shot out from the sect's mountain gate.