Because the Demon Slayer Alliance possessed the two Saint-grade Heavenly Treasures that Ling Tian and the others had yet to obtain—and, more importantly, they had never considered trading them—conflict was inevitable. Sooner or later, the two sides would end up at odds, perhaps even fighting a major battle. It was essential to learn the alliance's overall strength in advance. Ling Tian and the others naturally took this very seriously, so they had the Dark Pavilion and Mist Hidden Sect investigate.
With the Dark Pavilion and Mist Hidden Sect's ability to gather intelligence, it didn't take long to uncover the details. Ling Tian and the others were relieved to learn that the Demon Slayer Alliance had no cultivators at the Twenty-fifth Heaven of Near-Saint or higher, but it did have many cultivators at the Twenty-fourth Heaven of Near-Saint, including quite a few exceptional ones at the middle or late stage, and even the peak, of that level. Cultivators of that realm were far beyond what Ling Tian and the others could contend with.
It was precisely because they understood the Demon Slayer Alliance's strength that Ling Tian and the others knew all the more clearly that they were nowhere near strong enough to stand against it. As Shi Ming had said, even if they broke through to the Twenty-third Heaven of Near-Saint, they might still fall short.
Shi Ye and the others knew this, too. For a while, they were all thoroughly dejected. The thought that they couldn't contend with the Demon Slayer Alliance meant they would have little chance of taking the two remaining Saint-grade Heavenly Treasures from them.
In fact, Chi Xue and the others had suggested moving to the Sacred Ruins Abyss partly because they hoped to get lucky. There was at least some chance of finding the