Night had fallen over Penglai Immortal Palace.
Da Bai and Bai Ze were reporting the Demon Race's situation and difficulties to Qing Xuan.
"That's the situation, Boss. I plan to lead the island's spiritual beasts into the Demon Race to gain some experience."
After saying it all in one breath, Da Bai began crunching away at a Ginseng Fruit.
I never expected the Twelve Ancestral Witches to be able to form their great formation already. It seems the Heavenly Court's emergence is not far off.
Qing Xuan did not think much of the Demon Race's current predicament. He knew that Di Jun and Tai Yi might instead turn disaster into fortune this time, comprehending the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation from the Eastern Emperor Bell.
Qing Xuan then assigned several tasks to Bai Ze and Da Bai. Bai Ze had initially listened attentively, but the longer he listened, the more shocked he became. In the end, he could not help asking.
"Will it really succeed?"
"Don't worry. I've got everything under control!" Qing Xuan said confidently, then pondered for a moment.
"Bai Ze, is the Gold Spirit Pearl with you?"
Bai Ze was startled and took out the Gold Spirit Pearl.
Qing Xuan produced a needle-shaped Spiritual Treasure and said,
"This is the High-grade Spiritual Treasure, Black Gold Ray. I refined it from Chaos Refined Gold. It is indestructible and incomparably sharp; once unleashed, it is bound to draw blood. How about trading your Gold Spirit Pearl for it?"
Though Bai Ze was puzzled, exchanging a High-grade Spiritual Treasure for a Mid-grade Spiritual Treasure was a clear profit for him. He did not hesitate long before removing his Primordial Spirit imprint from the Gold Spirit Pearl.
Qing Xuan accepted the Gold Spirit Pearl and sighed inwardly. Was Kong Xuan's fortune profound, or was his own? He had actually gathered all five of the Five Spirit Pearls, such difficult Spiritual Treasures to assemble. It made him think of the Five Directions Innate Banners—after all, he was only one banner short.
Qing Xuan had Bai Ze and Da Bai withdraw first, then summoned Kong Xuan. Before long, Kong Xuan arrived, looking puzzled. He did not know why his master had called for him so late at night.
Qing Xuan smiled mysteriously at Kong Xuan and said,
"Disciple, guess why I called you here."
"This disciple does not know why Master summoned me. But whatever Master commands, this disciple will certainly accomplish!" Kong Xuan said solemnly.
Qing Xuan looked at Kong Xuan, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He always felt that his beloved disciple's personality was perhaps a little too serious.
"Never mind, never mind. Take this Gold Spirit Pearl. Now you have gathered all five of your Five Elements Spirit Pearls. You can begin cultivating the Five Elements Law, so go and comprehend it properly."
"Thank you, Master!" Kong Xuan said.
Qing Xuan watched his beloved disciple leave. The young eagle had grown up and could now soar through the skies. Since that was the case, should he take in another disciple to teach?
"What am I thinking? I haven't even figured out my own path yet!" Qing Xuan muttered as he gazed at the stars filling the sky.
Several days later, one hundred twenty thousand spiritual beasts flew over the East Sea. At their head were Da Bai and Bai Ze, while twelve figures followed behind Da Bai. They were the former Twelve Protectors of the Myriad Spirit Alliance.
Da Bai had not expected that when he met the Twelve Spirit Beasts again, they would all have reached the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, only a step away from entering the Zenith Heaven Realm.
Because he had a special mission, Da Bai had not announced Bai Ze's appointment as Deputy Leader to his subordinates. Thus, the Twelve Protectors still thought Bai Ze was merely a friend of their leader.
Da Bai had specifically selected one hundred twenty thousand spiritual beasts, led by the Twelve Protectors. The weakest among them were all peak Golden Immortals.
Seeing this, Bai Ze began to feel a faint sense of anticipation for the position of Deputy Leader of the Myriad Spirit Alliance.
While Da Bai and Bai Ze led the spiritual beasts toward the Demon Race Headquarters, Qing Xuan and the others on the Three Immortal Islands were also preparing to travel through the Primordial Wilderness.
"Kong Xuan, Peng Xuan, with your cultivation, you have enough strength to protect yourselves in the Primordial Wilderness. Go out and see the world. Your master and the two fellow Daoists will be cultivating at Wuzhuang Temple. If you encounter danger, come find me there."
"Yes, Master!"
"Okay, Master!"
Peng Xuan had long wanted to go out and have fun. He had made up his mind to enjoy himself to the fullest this time.
"Take these. Your master refined them on a whim." Qing Xuan gave each of them a pot.
The two brothers put away the Spiritual Treasures and left the Three Immortal Islands. After exchanging a glance in the air, Peng Xuan asked excitedly,
"Big Brother, where do you want to go?"
Kong Xuan thought for a moment. "I'll go south and take a look. Will you come with me?"
Peng Xuan froze for a moment, pursed his lips, and said, "I'm not going. I want to go have fun in the North Sea."
Kong Xuan did not insist. "Then let us go our separate ways. Remember Master's words—if you encounter danger, go to Wuzhuang Temple."
"Got it!" Peng Xuan transformed into his original form, spread his wings, and vanished into the horizon.
Kong Xuan watched his younger brother's departing figure with a faint smile. He transformed into a five-colored peacock and flew south.
Qing Xuan and the other two then left the Three Immortal Islands together. They were not in a hurry to go to Wuzhuang Temple, since they still planned to attend Hongjun's second sermon together. There were still two thousand years before the sermon, so the three decided to visit Buzhou Mountain first.
In the blink of an eye, a thousand years passed. During that time, the conflict between the Witch and Monster Races grew increasingly intense. The Wu Clan tribes led by the Twelve Ancestral Witches also gave rise to many Witch Race Clansmen, including powerful Great Witches such as Hou Yi, Kuafu, and Xing Tian.
The Demon Race's strength also continued to grow. It had now gathered one hundred billion demon race members, with countless Great Demons among them. To facilitate management, Demon Emperor Di Jun named his younger brother Tai Yi the Eastern Emperor, then appointed ten Great Demons as the Ten Great Demon Marshals to command the many demon race clansmen.
Among the Ten Great Demon Marshals were the Great Demon Fuzhu Da Bai and the Great Demon Bai Ze. Of the one hundred twenty thousand spiritual beasts Da Bai had brought from the Three Immortal Islands, tens of thousands had already died in battle. However, Da Bai returned to the Three Immortal Islands every hundred years to replenish their numbers, so he still commanded twelve demon beast units.
The commanders of these twelve units were the Twelve Zodiacs, who had already become renowned throughout the Primordial Wilderness. During a thousand years of battle, the Twelve Zodiacs had lived up to expectations and all broken through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm. Chen Dragon's combat strength, in particular, ranked among the Demon Race's best.
When Di Jun established the Ten Great Demon Marshals, he had once asked Chen Dragon whether he wished to become a Demon Commander. Chen Dragon refused, so the combat strength of Da Bai's twelve units now ranked among the Demon Race's best.
With the Demon Race so powerful, several hundred years ago, under the leadership of Demon Emperor Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Tai Yi, it launched an all-out war against the Wu Clan across the lands of the Primordial Wilderness.
In this war between the Witch and Monster Races, everyone from Golden Immortals to Grand Unity Golden Immortals joined the battle. Relying on their overwhelming numbers, the Demon Race created situations where two, three, or even four opponents fought each Wu Clan member.
For a time, the previously dominant Wu Clan was beaten back and forced to shrink its territory. The war only came to a halt after lasting a hundred years. The key moment on the battlefield came when the Twelve Ancestral Witches once again unleashed the Twelve Capital Celestial Evil Formation beneath Kunlun Mountain.
The massive Pangu's True Body stood between heaven and earth, shaking the minds of countless great powers. Even Qing Xuan, watching from afar, was dazed, as though Great God Pangu had returned to the world.
But just as everyone believed the Wu Clan was about to win again, Di Jun and the others of the Demon Race revealed smiles and said to all present,
"Let these brutes witness our power. All demons, form the formation!"
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