Ah, Suffering, My Suffering West!

Under Chen Song's "pill temptations" and "skill development guidance" (which was actually just blind ordering), Big White embarked on its journey to explore the "Devour" skill.

Initially, it was naturally a struggle. Big White would either almost explode from the unstable energy of the pills or get scorched inside and out trying to "devour" Tongtian's sword energy.

But it had to be said, this foolish dog truly had astonishing talent and resilience when it came to "eating." Coupled with its absurd defense as a foundation, after a few months, it actually figured out a little trick—it could briefly "devour" attacks of lower energy levels and convert them into a burst of speed to enhance itself!

Although the duration was short, the consumption was high, and it was ineffective against high-level Spiritual Powers, it was at least a good start. Chen Song grandly named it "Energy Devouring Sprint," while Big White puffed out its chest proudly, feeling it was no longer a useless dog that could only take hits and drool.

The second matter was to officially begin a long period of closed-door cultivation.

This time, he was no longer passively receiving infusions from the Three Pure Ones, but actively exploring and integrating. His cultivation steadily improved without him realizing it, and his understanding of the Great Dao deepened day by day.

Just as Chen Song was secluded in Kunlun Mountain, oblivious to the outside world and focusing solely on cultivating the path of sages, the Great Wilderness outside was undergoing earth-shattering changes.

While Chen Song was in seclusion deep within Kunlun Mountain, ignoring all worldly affairs, the eastern sky of the Great Wilderness was painted a ghastly picture, stained with blood and demonic clouds.

The Immortal Court, established by the Male Immortal Leader East King Duke, appeared to have "all immortals paying homage," but in reality, it was a mixed bag internally. Most were rogue cultivators and wandering immortals who relied on the East King Duke's reputation but lacked true skill and firm Dao hearts. They were secretly mocked in the Great Wilderness as the "Gathering Hall of Cats and Dogs."

Although the East King Duke's own strength was considered top-tier in the Great Wilderness, he lacked leadership ability and a ruthless approach, leading to lax discipline and a weak facade within the Immortal Court.

In contrast, the Demon Race Heavenly Court, under the command of Di Jun and Taiyi, had undergone integration and was now strong and well-disciplined, with orders carried out without fail.

With its vast tribal base, well-trained demon armies, and the absolute power of the two top Quasi-Saints, Di Jun and Taiyi, it possessed the strength to sweep across the land. Destroying the Immortal Court was not only about eliminating an eyesore and nominal opponent but also a crucial step for the Demon Race to establish its authority in the Great Wilderness and consolidate supreme Destiny.

When war broke out, it was with the force of thunder.

Di Jun personally led the army. The River Diagram and Luo Book were unfurled, obscuring heavenly secrets and disrupting Yin-Yang, instantly cutting off most of the connection between the Immortal Court's core Dojo, Zifu Prefecture, and the outside world. Taiyi, with the Chaos Bell atop his head, its chimes vast and suppressing the Primordial Chaos, unleashed terrifying sonic waves that shattered the Immortal Court's outer defensive formations as if they were made of paper.

The East King Duke was shocked and enraged, leading his forces to meet the challenge. However, the so-called "assembly of immortals" of the Immortal Court proved incredibly fragile against the elite forces of the Demon Race's group charge. Demon Saints like Ci Tie and Nine Infants charged forward, each revealing their colossal forms. Demonic winds swept through, and poisonous flames filled the sky. Wherever they passed, Immortal Court cultivators fell in droves, flesh and blood flying.

Although a few loyal and brave individuals on the Immortal Court's side resisted fiercely, they were no match for the absolute strength and tight military formation of the Demon Race, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

The East King Duke was besieged by Di Jun and Taiyi. Despite his own formidable strength, he couldn't fight against two opponents. The deduction and blockade of the River Diagram and Luo Book, combined with the absolute suppression of the Chaos Bell, and Patriarch Kunpeng, hidden in the shadows, seizing an opportune moment to launch a North冥 Sea Cold煞 attack that transformed into an invisible blade, further worsened the East King Duke's predicament.

Finally, in a world-shattering self-detonation, the East King Duke intended to take some elite demon forces with him, but the Chaos Bell firmly locked space-time, greatly reducing his power. His true spirit ultimately could not escape annihilation, and his personal Spiritual Treasures were also collected by Di Jun.

With the commander-in-chief dead, the remaining forces of the Immortal Court scattered like birds and beasts. Those who resisted were ruthlessly slaughtered, while those who surrendered became slaves to the Demon Race. The once glorious Zifu Prefecture, ravaged by the Demon Race army, had its spiritual veins shattered and its palaces collapsed, turning into scorched earth and ruins, with a lingering, sky-piercing malevolent aura.

The Demon Race Heavenly Court, with this great victory, shook the Great Wilderness. The golden dragon of Destiny became even more solid and majestic, signifying the consolidation of its overlord status. However, the immense malevolent aura brought by the destruction of a major power, along with the already irreconcilable conflict with the Witch Race, acted like sparks thrown into boiling oil, causing the tribulation energy in the heavens and earth to proliferate and spread at an unprecedented rate.

Just as the Demon Race army, laden with spoils of war, was triumphantly returning to the heavens and busy digesting the fruits of victory, two slightly dim streaks of escape light, dusty and travel-worn, silently landed on the edge of the ruins of Zifu Prefecture, which had become a dead and silent place.

It was Jieyin and Daoist Zhunti from the West.

As the escape lights dissipated, they revealed the faces of Jieyin and Zhunti, etched with "suffering" and "shrewdness."

"Alas..." Jieyin looked at the dilapidated scene before him and sighed before speaking, his brow furrowed so tightly it could crush flies. "Suffering, Junior Brother, our West suffers... Look at the East; even their ruins from a war are richer than our Spirit Mountain..."

Zhunti, however, didn't have time for initial laments. His eyes darted around, his divine sense like the finest sieve, rapidly scanning the ruins. He replied, "Yes, Senior Brother, it's bitter, so bitter! That's why we can't have come for nothing! No matter how dilapidated the Immortal Court is, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. There must be something left, right? Those demons are good at fighting, but they surely weren't meticulous in their plundering!"

As he spoke, he was already digging under a pile of rubble, pulling out a near-charred spiritual root. He carefully brushed away the ashes, revealing a faint trace of spiritual light. "Look, Senior Brother! This... this seems to be the root of the 'Calming Heart Lotus'? Although it's almost dead, if we take it back and soak it in the water of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, maybe we can still save it! It's a bit bitter, but it's better than nothing!"

Jieyin also joined the "treasure hunt," prying out several jade fragments with incomplete runes from beneath a broken giant stone. Feeling the minuscule residual Dao Charm within them, a hint of relief appeared on his sorrowful face. "Bitter... but this little residual charm, if we meditate on it back home, might supplement our Western Teachings. Even a mosquito's leg is meat, Junior Brother."

And so, these two great beings, destined to achieve Saint Positions in the future, now transformed into the Great Wilderness's strongest "scavengers," began their "meticulous scavenging" amidst the vast ruins of the Immortal Court.

"Senior Brother! Over here! It looks like there are some Immortal Jade scraps buried under these few pieces of rubble!"

"Coming, coming! Bitter, it's all just fragments now... but if we take it back to pave the ground, it'll still increase the spiritual energy, won't it?"

"Hey! Here's a broken alchemy furnace, the bottom's leaking! But the material seems okay? Let's take it apart and rebuild it!"

"Good, good, good! It's a bit bitter, but we save what we can!"

They specifically looked in the nooks and crannies, searching for the "scraps" that had been blasted away and shattered during the great battle, and which the Demon Race had overlooked. Their movements were swift, their eyes precise, and their coordination seamless. Occasionally, they would even politely defer to each other for a small fragment with a slightly richer spiritual light ("Junior Brother, you take it!" "No, no, Senior Brother, you need it more!"), fully demonstrating the "frugality" virtue cultivated by the West in harsh environments.

Occasionally, patrolling demon squads would fly by and couldn't help but cast disdainful glances at the two dusty Daoists rummaging through the ruins below.

"Boss, who are those two paupers? Are they picking up trash?"

"Who cares? They're from the West. I heard it's dirt poor over there. They probably haven't seen the world. Don't mind them, bad luck!"

Jieyin and Zhunti turned a deaf ear to this, or rather, they were long accustomed to it. Dignity? What was that? Was it as fragrant as actual resources? It was bitter, their West was bitter! If they didn't budget carefully, how could they develop and grow strong?

By the time several storage bags were filled to the brim, although most of what they contained was "junk" that Eastern cultivators would deem worthless, the two were already completely satisfied.

"Senior Brother, the harvest is passable!" Zhunti patted his bulging bags, a rare smile appearing on his face, though it quickly reverted to a look of suffering. "It's just... thinking about how prosperous the East is, while we can only pick up scraps, it still makes me feel bitter..."

Jieyin also sighed deeply, gazing at the beautiful mountains and rivers of the East, then thinking of the barren land of the West. His gaze finally turned firm. "It's a bit bitter, but life has to go on. Junior Brother, let's go. We'll manage it well back home, and one day..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but they exchanged a look, seeing in each other's eyes the determination that "our West will surely prosper."

Two dusty streaks of escape light rose again, carrying their "hard-earned" belongings, and silently disappeared into the western horizon.