Heaven's Wrath and Public Outrage / The Future and the Present ...

The True Spirit of the Demon-Prison Palace no longer exists: I touched it today.

Lately, I've been feeling less and less inclined to write, probably because of exam week.

Well, that's why there's no update today. I'll continue writing tomorrow; it's almost finished anyway. The current progress is just a few chapters left, maybe three or four more plot developments. In short, that's it. I really didn't have much energy left writing volume five.

For various reasons, the plot didn't unfold as well as I had imagined. Writing this volume became increasingly tiring, perhaps because it's nearing its end. To be honest, the plot development was quite convoluted.

Give me a few days to figure out how to wrap things up.

Chapter 343 Heaven's Wrath and Man's Resentment

Xuanhui Realm is also home to famous mountains, the most famous and precipitous peak in the East being Tongtian Peak.

Tongtian Peak is the highest mountain in the Xuanhui Realm, but because of its treacherous terrain and lack of shelter, no sect has ever occupied it.

However, due to the mountain's unique and perilous nature, it gradually became a gathering place for many cultivators.

The so-called gathering was not about many cultivators climbing Tongtian Peak together, but rather about carrying out matters on a slightly lower platform carved out by humans at the foot of Tongtian Peak.

This platform is quite large, capable of accommodating hundreds or thousands of people, and can accommodate all the prominent figures in the Xuanhui Realm today.

After the war between the Heavenly Demons ended, cultivators from the Xuanhui Realm poured out their sorrows and resentments, which led to the major sects organizing this banquet.

However, it's not necessarily a simple banquet. While there is a celebratory element, the real purpose is to discuss the future of the Xuanhui Realm.

In other words, they wanted to use this banquet to truly establish order in the Xuanhui Realm and use it to pursue their own interests.

These people who came here are very knowledgeable, but knowing the current state of the Xuanhui Realm is what they hope to restore order as soon as possible.

Compared to the distribution of benefits with predetermined rules, those who fight for power and profit behind the scenes without any rules are still much better. At least they know in advance and can think of ways to deal with it.

Moreover, the Xuanhui Realm is now only inhabited by human cultivators. All other creatures in the Xuanhui Realm perished long ago due to the cataclysmic calamity. Even if there are mortals, it would take a long time for them to acquire spirituality. Furthermore, the war between the Heavenly Demons and the Myriad Sha Giant Devil caused most of the spiritual energy to dissipate. The Xuanhui Realm is now truly a desolate place, so poor that only humans remain.

Because of this poverty, they took the division of profits less seriously, knowing that these major sects couldn't really squeeze much out of them; at most, it was just a matter of dividing up control and annexing.

A few days after receiving the invitation, the banquet began as scheduled.

Countless cultivators used their various abilities to reach the venue, entered the hall with their invitations, and sat down according to their ranking.

These major sects suffered the least losses, so the banquet was held in a grand manner. Many sect disciples were busy with the banquet, and the food and drink at the venue were not neglected. Although they could not be called top-quality, they were all spiritual wine and fruits, as well as demon beast meat, which could be considered luxurious in the present day.

This single scene made these people marvel at the profound foundation of the major sects, and the lavishness of the banquet made them even more self-deprecating about their current situation. Their aversion to the major sects lessened, and their sense of helplessness increased.

Among them were some shameless individuals who, before the main event of the meal could even begin, used the pretext of conversation to start indulging in the food and drink. With this person setting an example, the other cultivators also disregarded propriety, using the excuse of conversation to begin eating meat and drinking wine heartily.

In a way, this was the first substantial meal they had eaten since the war between the Heavenly Demons and the Heavenly Demons.

"I heard that the Supreme Elder of the Profound Sky Sect doesn't plan to come?"

Once the conversation started, many things naturally came up, and someone with inside information couldn't help but bring up a topic.

"It seems only the sect leader of the Profound Sky Sect is coming; the Supreme Elder received an invitation but declined. I really don't know if this is true or not."

"I also had some doubts and made some deletions based on what I heard, but it's probably mostly true."

A cultivator took over the conversation, nonchalantly picking up the wine pot on the table and pouring a cup of wine into his own. He pretended to sip it, but actually drank it all in one gulp. Not wanting anyone to see, he held it in his hand and swirled it around, making it appear as if there was still wine inside.

"Fine wine—you all know how good this banquet was. The Supreme Elder naturally refused to come, but not wanting to offend the other sects, he sent the Sect Master of the Profound Sky Sect. In my opinion, the Profound Sky Sect's actions were unwise."

Seeing him swirling his wine glass, the cultivator beside him didn't point it out. Although these cultivators weren't particularly high-level, they had all reached the Nascent Soul stage and their Spiritual Sense was extraordinary. How could they not see through the cultivator's actions? They simply didn't expose him and followed his example, continuing their conversation.

"Oh? May I ask what advice Brother Li has for me?"

Those who can attend this banquet are naturally all shrewd individuals; otherwise, they would have died on the Heavenly Devil Battlefield long ago. How could they have survived? Moreover, they possess cultivation and experience, and are very knowledgeable about many things.

Knowing is one thing, but pretending not to know is another. For now, it's better to act as if you don't know anything, chat with "Brother Li" in front of you, and take the opportunity to eat and drink some food and drinks.

As for whether those major sects will be disgusted by their shameless actions?

Those sects should have anticipated this kind of thing happening at the banquet when they brought out the food and drink. Besides, what they were after was far more valuable than the food and drink. They were just looking for some food, but the sects were treating all the cultivators like commodities.

Besides, it's not just their table doing this right now. If they really get into trouble, there are so many people here that they can't possibly track them down.

With someone chiming in, the cultivator surnamed Li got excited and quickly poured himself another cup of wine, which he downed in one gulp. He then pretended to be unable to hold his liquor before clearing his throat and expressing his thoughts.

"Since fellow Daoists..."

However, he was interrupted halfway through his sentence by the commotion around him.

"The Demon Prison Hall Master has arrived!"

"Someone like him actually came? I've never heard of the Demonic Path before..."

"Silence! Fellow Daoist, are you not planning to live?"

The conflicting statements all stemmed from the Demon Prison Hall Master in the conversation, which had caused this commotion.

So the cultivator surnamed Li stopped talking and quickly looked around. Sure enough, he spotted the Demon Prison Hall Master on the other side.

The man still wore a Wrathful Ghost Mask and a black robe, concealing his true appearance.

After just one glance, the cultivator's lips trembled, followed by a long sigh.

The major sects are hateful; for their own benefit, they are willing to use them, the small sect cultivators, as scapegoats on the Heavenly Devil Battlefield. But the Demon Prison Hall Master is the one they should hate the most.

This scheme was devised by the Demon Prison Hall Master himself, and the righteous sects were powerless to resist. Demonic Path, the Demon Prison Hall Master, now reduced to a single member of the demonic path, seemed to have an opportunity to seek revenge.

Those powerful sects also seized the opportunity to incite hatred, using various pretexts to absolve themselves of responsibility and blame everything on the Demon Prison Hall Master.

Therefore, the Demon Prison Hall Master is now universally hated by the righteous path, incurring the wrath of both heaven and man.

Chapter 344 Future Events, Present Events

The Demon Prison Hall Master didn't care at all what those minor sect cultivators were thinking.

She is not as kind as the original, nor is she at fault for the current state of cultivators in the Xuanhui Realm.

If it weren't for such a scheme, where would these cultivators who have survived be today? Why would they even bother blaming her? They would probably have lost their lives in the endless war between the Heavenly Demons long ago, or perhaps they wouldn't have survived much longer.

Looking at the several Enlightenment Realm Nascent Soul cultivators before him, the Demon Prison Hall Master didn't stand on ceremony and sat down in a chair, waiting for the banquet to truly begin.

She had no intention of interfering in the affairs of these major sects, since they were unaware of the situation.

My purpose in coming here is simply to witness what is about to happen on Tongtian Peak.

"If the banquet is going to start, let's do it sooner rather than later."

As she spoke, her eyes behind the mask gazed up at Tongtian Peak, staring at it for a moment before returning to the people in front of her.

"I can't wait for something like this."

Upon hearing these words, the cultivators present paused for a moment before one of the Enlightenment Cultivator picked up where she left off.

"Naturally, such a grand event should ideally begin sooner rather than later. What are your thoughts?"

With this cultivator speaking, the other cultivators nodded in agreement. Then, according to the agreed-upon rules, an Enlightenment Cultivator stepped forward—none other than the current sect leader of the Jade Pure Sect.

"Now that the war between the Heavenly Demons and the Xuanhui Realm is in dire need of rebuilding. The Heavenly Dao is too weak to perceive our decline, therefore it is in the best interests of all of you to revitalize the creation of heaven and earth. Thus, we, the Enlightenment Cultivator, are hosting this banquet. It is not only to celebrate the victory, but also to gather wisdom and plan for the future prosperity of the Xuanhui Realm and the well-being of our descendants. This is a matter of great importance; all of you are welcome to speak freely. Then, we, the Enlightenment Cultivator and our sects, will sort things out and make arrangements. In the name of us, the Enlightenment Cultivator Dao cultivators, we will certainly not disappoint you!"

Its voice was clear and resonant, its spirit vigorous, like a bright and upright person, in harmony with the integrity of heaven and earth.

To conceal one's private interests within the context of public affairs, and to pursue one's private desires only after achieving public goals—this is a principle that these righteous Enlightenment Cultivator, though unspoken, is understood by all the cultivators present.

Such private schemes, under the guise of justice, were thus given a boundary. Upon hearing this, the cultivators present first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the Jade Pure Sect Master who was speaking to them with mixed feelings, unsure of what to say for a moment.

However, after a few breaths, some of these cultivators realized the situation. One Nascent Soul cultivator, whose origins and origins were unknown, stood up and bowed to the Jade Pure Sect Master who was suspended in mid-air.

"I believe that the rectification of the Xuanhui Realm Jade Pure Sect. By gathering their disciples, they can unite us independent cultivators and members of smaller sects, thus maintaining our authority and preventing chaos. By leveraging the prestige and strength of the Jade Pure Sect and others, we can restrain all cultivators in the world, thereby bringing order to the realm. Fellow Daoists—"

Having said this, the cultivator bowed to each of the surrounding cultivators three times before resuming his speech.

"Now that the Heavenly Demons have been eliminated, the Eastern lands should return to the righteous path, while the West originally belonged to the Demonic Path. However, the Northern and Southern Frontiers have never had such a place. The Myriad Sha Giant Devil have fled to the West, leaving only Heavenly Demons in the Northern and Southern Frontiers. This is because of the Giant Demons; the spiritual energy in the Xuanhui Realm is so scarce that it is even more difficult to obtain supplies. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the Northern and Southern Frontiers as a place to settle down. In this process, there will inevitably be further exchanges with the Demonic Path. If the cultivators of the world are scattered and not united, it will inevitably breed trouble. Not to mention the scattered Heavenly Demons killing cultivators, what if Heavenly Demons were to cause chaos between righteous and demonic cultivators?"

"Spiritual energy is scarce, and countless cultivators have perished in the war against the Heavenly Demons, leading to the extinction of many minor sects and the deaths of rogue cultivators who go unnoticed. How many cultivator lineages remain in the Xuanhui Realm? If everyone acts independently, I fear that the cultivation path in the Xuanhui Realm will soon be largely depleted, and the strongest in the world will still be dominated by the major sects. It would be better to seek out a cultivator like the Sect Master of the Jade Pure Sect now, to unite the rogue cultivators and minor sects across the world, and strive to coexist."

After explaining the pros and cons, the man sat down and said no more.

The cultivator who had initially felt disgusted by his earlier words pondered the meaning behind them and realized that these were all facts, with no room for refutation. Only then did he deeply feel the helplessness of being a rogue cultivator from a minor sect.

Yes, that's the current situation in the Xuanhui Realm. Even if major sects like the Jade Pure Sect don't intend to do anything to them, these small sects and rogue cultivators are already on the verge of collapse. Many small sects have lost countless high-ranking members, and most of their lineages have been severed. Some rogue cultivators are indeed as this Nascent Soul cultivator described, dying without anyone knowing.

Given their current situation, it won't be long before this generation, along with their sects and cultivation levels, is buried along with the wounds of the times. Even if they struggle desperately, how far can they possibly escape?

Now, only cultivators remain in the Xuanhui Realm.

There were no mortals, no demons, no spiritual creatures, and even spiritual energy was becoming increasingly scarce, making it a scene resembling the end of the world.

They barely managed to defeat the Heavenly Demon, and what would happen next remained unclear.

Leaving aside the issue of food and living beings, the very continuation of the bloodline is already precarious. It's important to understand that cultivators rarely reproduce through bloodlines. Cultivators are extraordinary beings born from a vast multitude of mortals; lacking the foundation of mortals is like a tree without roots. Furthermore, the scarcity of spiritual energy further hinders a cultivator's progress, meaning that even if they have offspring, these descendants will likely find it difficult to cultivate.

At the same time, the scarcity of spiritual energy will also make spiritual objects in the Xuanhui Realm scarce, causing the number of cultivators in the originally abundant Xuanhui Realm to decrease sharply, further increasing the difficulty of cultivation. If it really comes to that, these small sects and rogue cultivators will not be able to survive and will have to disappear. But these large sects will still be able to survive very well.

Thousands of years later... if there really are thousands of years left, then these great sects will still be standing, but the people attending the banquet will have long since changed, and they won't even be able to leave behind their own legacy.

It's likely that by then, the descendants of these cultivators will have long since become new mortals in the Xuanhui Realm, the cornerstone of the Xuanhui Realm's cultivation civilization.

Even disregarding the future, how much better can the current situation be?

Is it better to compete with the major sects for the Xuanhui Realm, which is currently not very lucrative? Or should one grit their teeth and continue to eke out a living alone in the apocalyptic Xuanhui Realm, or perhaps live a miserable life in small groups?

It's not that they couldn't form an alliance behind the backs of major sects like Jade Pure Sect, but—do they have the strength to do so?

It would be better to rely on what the Nascent Soul cultivator said, and use the few plots of land that have been allocated to the Northern and Southern Frontiers to gradually maintain the status quo in the future.

The atmosphere fell silent, filled only with everyone's thoughts.

The Jade Pure Sect Master didn't disturb them. He merely glanced at the table behind him and silently waited for the cultivators' approval. They had plenty of time to achieve this goal.

The Demon Prison Hall Master remained silent, glancing at the sky.

Chapter 345 What would happen if the Xuanhui Realm lost its spiritual energy?

The small-scale independent cultivators had much to think about, and these cultivators, who realized they probably couldn't do much, really had no excuse to refuse.

However, perhaps out of unwillingness, someone among the silent cultivators suddenly spoke up, pointing the finger directly at the Demon Prison Hall Master looked up at the sky.

"We can agree to such an idea, but what about those who have died? The war against the Heavenly Demons has led to this situation, and countless cultivators have lost their lives because of it. But how can we separate ourselves from the Demon Prison Hall? If it weren't for this demon lord's radical actions, how could you all have ended up in this predicament?"

As he spoke, he could no longer conceal the immense sorrow in his heart.

Given the situation—he can't afford to Demon Prison Hall Master, and he can't direct his dislike towards the Demon Prison Hall Master has yet to reveal his true face—he can't very well vent his frustration on him?

"If you want us to agree, shouldn't the Demon Prison Hall Master... also offer some kind of response?"

After saying this, the cultivators present fell silent for a moment before erupting into a clamor. Many cultivators glared angrily at the Demon Prison Hall Master, finally deciding not to suppress their resentment towards him.

These cultivators, like the previous cultivator surnamed Li, blamed the Demon Prison Hall Master for various reasons. They weren't unreasonable; rather, they vented their anger on this Demonic Path cultivator precisely because they knew the truth.

Such actions are exactly what those large corporations want to do, and they also fulfill their desire to vent their frustrations.

"Express?"

Upon hearing these words, the Demon Prison Hall Master, who hadn't felt much about the banquet, suddenly burst out laughing.

His eyes swept over the several Enlightenment Realm Soul cultivators around him, and he finally understood why he had been invited.

She should have figured it out a long time ago.

After the war between the Heavenly Demons ended, the relationship between the righteous Demonic Path cultivators should have returned to normal. This is why the Demonic Path cultivators flocked to the Western Lands. After all, the Western Lands were where they were familiar with them, while their abilities would be greatly diminished in the Eastern Lands, since that was the home ground of the righteous cultivators.

The conflict between the righteous and the Demonic Path is the result of years of accumulated tension and will not change because of any one person.

Now, as a Demonic Path cultivator, she stands out as an outsider among the righteous sects.

In particular, these major righteous sects informed all righteous cultivators of the Myriad Sha Demon Slaying Array, spreading the word that she was the mastermind behind the scheme, which made her quite unpopular among cultivators. After all, these minor sects and rogue cultivators couldn't afford to offend the major righteous sects, so they felt justified in resenting her, a Demonic Path cultivator.

The strength she displayed on the Heavenly Devil Battlefield Demons was an extremely terrifying threat to the righteous cultivators. Given the hostility between the righteous Demonic Paths, how could these righteous cultivators allow her to swagger around in the East? They just lacked a pretext to suppress her. And now, this banquet has given them that pretext.

Looking at the several Enlightenment Cultivator beside him whose auras were gradually rising because of his light laughter, the Demon Prison Hall Master shook his head after laughing.

These cultivators probably thought they could defeat her by virtue of their numbers. After all, if one Enlightenment Cultivator n't defeat her, surely four or five could?

"I have nothing to say."

She spoke calmly, her voice clearly audible across the entire platform.

"The plan for the Myriad Sha Demon Slaying Array was devised by twelve Enlightenment Cultivator together, and no one objected except for the Supreme Elder of the Profound Sky Sect."

It was precisely because the Supreme Elder voiced his opposition that she developed a great deal of interest in this Supreme Elder and in the Profound Sky Sect, since her scheme was entirely based on the interests of these Enlightenment Cultivators.

"Too many demonic cultivators died in the Demon Prison Hall, all because of the Myriad Sha Demon Slaying Array Formation. Too many minor sect cultivators from the righteous path died, also because of the Myriad Sha Demon Slaying Array. If that Supreme Elder hadn't objected back then, the Profound Sky Sect probably wouldn't have needed any deaths. After all, that's the Profound Sky Sect."

As she said this, she glanced silently at the sky once more.

"Speaking of which, it's quite amusing that you resent me instead of these Enlightenment Cultivators. If the war against the Heavenly Demons had lasted a few more years, the casualties would have been far greater than they are now. How could we be in the current situation? Would these righteous sects still be able to afford a banquet? At that point, there probably wouldn't be many cultivators left in the entire Xuanhui Realm."

These words did not quell the thoughts of the cultivators below. After all, they were quite clear-headed; even without the Demon Prison Hall Master's explanation, they knew the situation was as she described. But—so what?