Before they knew it, the year was drawing to a close.
Li Ling, Venerable Longevity, and Hong Lei hid among the Lion Race demon cultivators, secretly investigating every corner of Bashan until they had a rough grasp of the Tiger Race's current situation.
Meanwhile, the Lion Race allied with several other demon cultivator tribes, including the Leopard Race, Jackal Race, Eagle Race, Ox Demons, and Horse Demons. Their repeated offensives left the Tiger Race seething.
The Leopard Race did most of the heavy lifting. Ever since Lord Bashan had nearly killed him, Yinwu had been bent on revenge and willingly let himself be directed. He was exceptionally active in this internal conflict of the Demon Race, which the various powers had helped fuel, deliberately or otherwise.
Civilization was poorly developed among demon cultivators. Their various powers were still local strongmen organized into tribes, and their leaders often acted on impulse without giving matters much thought.
He had to settle the score. Since he could not strike directly at Lord Bashan, he could only vent his anger on the Tiger Race under Lord Bashan's command and the trusted followers who served him.
One day, Li Ling suddenly received intelligence that Ye Lianyi and the others had left the Tiger Race's territory at the foot of Bashan and were setting out on a long journey.
Their destination was Mount Gaiwang.
Star Lord Sichen Yuan Guang summoned everyone and announced, "There may be a minor problem with the array that requires maintenance by the Netherworld Sect Members. They have kept this journey extremely secret, but our informant still discovered it and specifically notified us."
Venerable Longevity asked, "Star Lord, is this informant reliable?"
Star Lord Sichen Yuan Guang said, "Yes. He is a deep-cover agent I personally planted a thousand years ago, prepared