By a careful count, the Northern Sea Orthodox-Demonic War had lasted nearly a hundred years, from small-scale friction to all-out war.
For the fifty years since full-scale war broke out, the two sides had fought back and forth without cease.
At first, the immortal and demonic factions had launched a sudden attack on the Azure Sea Righteous Path Alliance and held an overwhelming advantage. But after seizing half the North Sea Human Race's cultivation territory, both sides had furled their banners and stilled their drums, settling into a standoff.
That had barely qualified as a rare period of peace for the North Sea Cultivation World since the Primal Devil Sect's destruction.
The immortal-demonic coalition held half the Northern Sea's Human Race territory, while the Azure Sea Righteous Path Alliance held two-thirds of the remainder. Its territory was smaller, but it comprised the rich inner seas that Northern Sea cultivators had developed over thousands of years.
The scattered scraps left over had been divided among the Ten Thousand Immortals Society, the Heavenly Origin Commerce League, and a few remote minor powers.
Order had been fairly well maintained then. Even the occasional minor clash had stayed between the righteous and demonic sides.
Exchange among cultivators and trade had even resumed for a time.
Even when Luo Chen had traveled to the far north and southeast in those early years, no one had targeted him so long as he did not deliberately stir up trouble.
Unfortunately.
That peace had been shattered a few months ago.
After the Golden Sky Black Sea phenomenon vanished over the Sunken Sea, the Penglai Immortal Sect had inexplicably begun reducing its forces and recalling disciples stationed outside in large numbers.
The balance between the righteous and demonic sides had broken.
Shaking off fifty years of being beaten back,