The smoke of battle over the East Sea has not yet dissipated, and the thirty-six auxiliary islands surrounding Penglai Immortal Island are still sealed by the ice crystals of the Xuanming Ancestral Witch.
The Immortal Court cultivators huddled within the inner Great Formation, the once auspicious Penglai Wonderland now filled with bewildered and lost cultivators.
The falling out between the Queen Mother of the West and the East King Duke of the East has stirred up strange thoughts among many people within the Immortal Court. Many with some insight have realized that the situation is very bad and they need to find a way out for themselves.
The Queen Mother of the West, riding Azure Phoenix and accompanied by a black Black Bird and a group of cultivators and female immortals from West Kunlun, left Penglai Immortal Island and flew away.
Arriving at the front lines, she glanced into the distance with her phoenix eyes and saw that the Gonggong Division of the Witch Clan was still patrolling the Sea Region, while the Taiyi Division of the Demon Clan was also arrayed in the sky. She couldn't help but sigh.
"Queen Mother of the West of the West! May I ask what brings you here?" The soldiers defending the Immortal Court, seeing the Queen Mother of the West and the many Kunlun cultivators behind her, stepped forward somewhat bewildered and asked.
"I have withdrawn from the Immortal Court and am now leading the cultivators of my West Kunlun lineage back to the mountain. Open a corner of the Great Formation; we need to leave!" the Queen Mother of the West said leisurely.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers guarding the front lines were dumbfounded. We were about to fight to the death, why did the Empress flee first?
The guard hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, please reconsider! With a formidable enemy at hand, we should unite as one to overcome this calamity, Your Majesty..."
The Black Bird suddenly stepped forward, its ferocious appearance with nine heads and eighteen eyes causing the immortals to retreat in fear. "Alright, enough with the nonsense and delaying our journey! We have already informed the East King Duke. If he hadn't acted recklessly behind the Queen's back, provoking the Witch and Demon Clans, things wouldn't have escalated to this point. Why don't you quickly withdraw and clear the way?"
Seeing this, the garrison commander was helpless. He was not capable of stopping the Queen Mother of the West and her entourage. Moreover, what the Black Bird had just said had given him some information: the attack on the Immortal Court by the Witch and Demon Clans was actually brought about by the East King Duke.
Although he looked somewhat reluctant, he still waved for them to pass.
The Black Bird glanced at the guard, then turned to the Queen Mother of the West and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, please board the Azure Phoenix and prepare to depart."
He turned back to the garrison commander and said, "You're not bad. Make plans for the future."
After leaving the formation, the Queen Mother of the West led the group towards the direction where the Taiyi Division was besieged.
After the initial battle, the two sides remained locked in a stalemate for a long time. During this period, Taiyi and Kunpeng confirmed that Queen Mother of the West was indeed unaware of the situation and secretly sent her a telepathic message, urging her to leave the Immortal Court as soon as possible.
The Demon Clan had been gathering information about the Queen Mother of the West's actions within the Immortal Court, and they knew that she was not someone who craved power and position, but merely used the Immortal Court's Fortune to cultivate.
Therefore, he repeatedly offered advice, firstly to sow discord within the Immortal Court, and secondly because he considered that the Queen Mother of the West, being a top-tier Congenital Divine Demons, did not have the complex thoughts of the East King Duke, and wanted to see if he could win Queen Mother of the West over to his alliance.
Now that the Queen Mother of the West has indeed led many cultivators from Kunlun Mountain to leave the Immortal Court, Taiyi is extremely happy.
After hearing his subordinates' report, he arrived in his Golden Crow Chariot and smiled at the Queen Mother of the West, saying, "The Queen Mother of the West is indeed wise and righteous. We should leave this unjust place, the Immortal Court, as soon as possible, lest we get trapped in it and be unable to turn back."
Since what happened back then has nothing to do with you, the Demon Court will not interfere.
"I must Eastern Emperor for this convenience. Now that I have decided to return to West Kunlun, I will devote myself to cultivation and will no longer participate in the Great Trend of the Primordial Desolation. This is my promise to the Eastern Emperor."
"Everything is still uncertain, so the Queen Mother doesn't need to say this so early."
Now that you've returned to West Kunlun, if you have time, you might as well visit the Daoist Dao Field of the Three Pure Ones Dao Friends; you might gain a great deal from it."
"Three Pure Ones Dao Friends...? I understand, I will go then."
Since there's nothing else, I'll lead my men away. Farewell!
The Queen Mother of the West bowed, gave the East King Duke a deep look, and then, along with the Black Bird and the others, rode the Azure Phoenix and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the distance.
Meanwhile, the Witch Clan, which was besieging the Immortal Court, had also noticed the movements of the Queen Mother of the West and her entourage.
Gonggong looked disdainful and said, "Taiyi said before that he persuaded the Queen Mother of the West to leave the Immortal Court. I thought he was just daydreaming. After all, she is the Head of Female Immortals and she was one of the people who established the Immortal Court with the East King Duke. How could she retreat so easily?"
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother of the West acted quite decisively; as soon as she saw that the Immortal Court was in trouble, she immediately fled.
With people like them leading the way, what future can the Immortal Court possibly have? It's a complete joke!
Xuanming offered a different opinion. "She's a smart person; she certainly wouldn't do something without benefit!"
When she first established the Immortal Court, she was aiming for the Fortune Immortal Court there, hoping to use it to cultivate her Fortune.
However, the Immortal Court has always been confined to the East Sea by my clan and the Demon Clan, unable to expand its sphere of influence, and thus unable to improve its Fortune. Originally, it was still relatively stable, and its Fortune was sufficient.
Who would have thought that the East King Duke would secretly provoke our two clans? Now, we've dealt them a blow that has thrown their internal situation into turmoil, and they'll continue to be targeted. Do you think she can stay in this Immortal Court?
Now that Taiyi has given her a way out, why doesn't she take this opportunity to escape the Immortal Court!
Gonggong curled his lip. "In the end, it's because they're too weak; they can't muster any real strength!"
Xuanming and Shebishi remained silent upon hearing this.
Deep in the East Sea China Sea, Ao Guang was raging in a grand hall. "Those bastards from the Immortal Court! They're weak but love to pull dirty tricks. They provoked the Witch and Demon Clans, and now they're ruining my Dragon Palace!"
That damned East King Duke dares to secretly hold my Dragon Clan members hostage! What is he trying to do?
Those innocent children died tragically on his Immortal Court island; such an ally is better off without!
At this moment, the Turtle Prime Minister entered, shrinking his neck as he said, "Dragon King, the East King Duke sent three Congenital Spirit Pearl, and..."
"Get him out of here!" Ao Guang's beard bristled with rage. "We agreed to jointly control the water veins, but in the end, he took control of the main water vein nodes of the Primordial World and secretly cultivated a lot of the Water Tribe forces. He even dared to replace the Sea Patrol Yaksha of the Dragon Palace!"
He wants to use my Dragon Clan to expand his power, what kind of person is he?
He suddenly lowered his voice and said to the Turtle Prime Minister, "Go, secretly contact the Dragon King of the Northern Sea, and it would be best if you could ask Ao Shun to come to my East Sea."
The Turtle Prime Minister's eyes lit up. "The Dragon King wants to..."
Ao Guang sneered, "The Immortal Court is sinking like a broken ship. Do you expect the Dragon Palace to go down with it?"
The Northern Sea Dragon Palace has a good relationship with the Western Teachings, and I need to use this opportunity to have them act as a go-between. I've heard that the Western Teachings has a major collaboration with the Demon Court, and also has good relations with the Three Pure Ones and the Wuzhuang Temple...
At that moment, a guard outside the palace announced, "The East King Duke requests an audience!"
Ao Guang and Turtle Prime Minister exchanged a glance, then walked out of the main hall one after the other.
The East King Duke stood outside the main hall with some of his men, his former imposing presence as the celestial leader now gone.
"Brother Dao, how have you been?" East King Duke forced a smile. "This time..."
Ao Guang interrupted directly, "If the East King Duke is concerned with forming an alliance, I'm afraid I cannot accompany you."
The Dragon Palace suffered heavy losses in this battle and needs to recuperate.
The East King Duke's face stiffened. "Brother Dao, what makes you say such a thing? The Immortal Court and the Dragon Palace..."
"Enough!" Ao Guang suddenly revealed his dragon head. "You secretly provoked the Witch and Demon Clans, leading to this situation. My Dragon Palace has already paid too high a price for this, not to mention that you replaced my East Sea generals, planted spies from the Immortal Court, and have been infiltrating my Dragon Palace's forces. Do you really think I didn't know?"
"Allies...? You have the nerve to say that word!" He turned and flicked his sleeve, "Show them out!"