Return to the Sacred Island

Everyone was slightly taken aback upon hearing Zhang Tie's words, and varying degrees of shock and suspicion appeared on their faces.

After a moment, Mo Jianli was the first to recover. He frowned slightly and asked tentatively, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, do you mean... you intend to destroy the demonic tribulation passage connecting the two realms by yourself?"

"Exactly," Zhang Tie answered without hesitation.

He paused briefly and looked toward the immense shadow of Tian Yuan City outside the hall, shrouded in faint demonic qi. His tone carried an undeniable gravity. "Think carefully, everyone. If we gather a great army and launch a grand counterattack on the Sacred Island, it may bolster humanity's prestige, but it would also be no different from sounding an alarm for the demon realm.

"It would only force the demons to spare no expense in hastening the arrival of reinforcements. I fear that before our army even reaches the core of the Sacred Island, the true body of the Six Extremes Saint Ancestor will already have crossed into this realm. That would be the true catastrophe."

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Mo Jianli and the others. His voice lowered, carrying the compassion of one who had endured blood and fire. "Over these decades of demonic tribulation, how many of humanity's finest have been devoured?

"Bones cover the fields, and mountains and rivers weep blood. The surviving fellow cultivators, whether in magical power or spirit, are utterly exhausted. They urgently need time to recuperate, heal their wounds, and rekindle the flame of hope."

Then his tone shifted, filled with powerful confidence. "As for Zhang, I trust you fellow Daoists know something of my methods. Infiltrating alone would instead allow me to move as though through empty territory, faster and more covertly. Besides—"

The corners