The lazy one took only a few days to become familiar with the Divine Skills and switch cultivation techniques in the Thousand Illusions Cave. When he emerged again, the Qingyi Daoist was still guarding the entrance but said nothing, though he could tell the cave had lost its mystical essence.

Li Qing, at heart still pure and kind, decided to leave behind the "Qi Nourishing Technique" for the Qingyun Sect as a parting gesture. The Qingyi Daoist personally escorted the three of them down the mountain.

The three considered their trip fruitful and prepared to head to Shu Mountain to discuss countermeasures against the Blood Demon. The Qingyi Daoist kept watching them until they disappeared from sight. Only then did the seemingly "gravely injured" Fatty Daoist reveal himself.

"Senior Brother, Little Fan... he..."

The Qingyi Daoist shook his head, cutting him off.

"Your wings are already fully spread, and with the God Slaying Spear to aid you, Daoxuan Junior Brother who has fallen to demonic influence is no match for him. I couldn't last more than a few moves against him either. You should stay on the mountain and not meddle, lest you ruin your disciple's goodwill."

On the day of the great battle, Blood Shadow self-detonated. The injuries of the three main leaders appeared grievous—and indeed they were—but not as severe as imagined. Zhang Xiaofan merely wanted the world to believe he was dead. From then on, there was only You Quan the Blood Demon.

The Fatty Daoist was clearly still deeply distressed. "Senior Brother, Little Fan has a pure heart; he just took a wrong step for the moment..."

The Qingyi Daoist saw the Fatty Daoist was still reluctant to let go and could only say, "This world is full of countless inevitabilities beyond human control. Back then, did Daoxuan Junior Brother and I wish to slay the master we viewed as a father? But when he succumbed to demonic influence, what choice did we have? The day Daoxuan unleashed the God Slaying Spear—did he not foresee today's outcome?"

A barrage of questions rendered the Fatty Daoist speechless as he hung his head low, murmuring, "It's all because I'm an incompetent teacher. An incompetent teacher, that's all."

…

The Chang'an trio sensed something amiss on their way to Shu Mountain. The Sichuan Region was strangely quiet. Ordinarily, while the Righteous Dao overwhelmed the Demon Dao, conflicts between the two were still frequent. With their top-tier cultivation, it would have been easy to detect any ripples of battle, but this time, the journey back to Shu Mountain was eerily calm.

They didn't believe this was a sign of universal peace; it could only be the calm before a violent storm.

Returning to Shu Mountain, they immediately felt the atmosphere had grown tense. As they hurried along, Qingyun Sect—though a centuries-old prominent faction—had not been idle. Leveraging their information network, they spread news of the Blood Demon's rampage at Qingyun far and wide and declared a millennium-long mountain closure, during which no disciples would venture outside. A former leader of the Righteous Dao had now fallen into complete decline.

Currently, of the three great leaders of the Righteous Dao, only Shu Mountain Sect remained.

Dan Chenzi led the trio into the reception hall, where they met Master Bai Mei once more. They shared their experiences at Qingyun Sect, and Bai Mei sighed heavily upon hearing of Master Daoxuan's demise. By seniority, Daoxuan was technically his junior, but the rivalry between the Righteous Dao and Demon Dao had ultimately turned a promising Immortal into dust.

Bai Mei also informed them of unsettling news: You Quan the Blood Demon was unifying the Demon Sect, employing a simple yet brutal method—those who obeyed prospered; those who resisted perished.

During the trio's trek back to Shu Mountain, the Blood Demon had already annexed three major Demon factions. The remaining scattered groups, being too numerous, still required time for him to consolidate control.

Was the Blood Demon unifying the Demon Sect for mere amusement? Clearly not. Whatever his goal, the impending Righteous-Demon showdown hung on a hair-trigger.

And indeed, their suspicions were confirmed. Within a month, the Blood Demon had unified the Demon Sect and immediately annihilated several Righteous Immortal Sects. The Righteous Dao was thrown into turmoil, with fear prevailing, leading to their eventual consolidation at Shu Mountain.

The conference hall was packed to capacity, filled with Sect Leaders from every faction in the Sichuan Region. The Chang'an trio, as official representatives of the Great Tang government, sat in places of honor just below Bai Mei. Over the past month, the three had completed their switch in cultivation, significantly strengthening their auras.

The majority present were mediocrities. The conference hall was filled with clamorous arguments and complaints, but no one could come up with an effective plan. Bai Mei remained calm, observing the scene—these people all claimed to represent righteousness, but the number truly willing to sacrifice for it was few.

After bickering for what felt like an eternity without any resolution, all eyes finally turned to Bai Mei. A Daoist, righteous in demeanor, slammed his palms on the table with a loud "bang," quieting the hall.

He declared sternly, "Master Bai Mei, the Demon Sect runs rampant, and the people of Sichuan have become livestock for them to slaughter at will. You must come up with a solution!"

Li Qing's expression remained impassive, but inwardly he scoffed. Though he had stayed on Shu Mountain, as a part of the Demon Extermination Department under the Great Tang government, he had access to no small amount of intelligence. It was true the Demon Sect wreaked havoc in Sichuan, but ironically, life might now be better for some.

These so-called righteous sects, outwardly exuding justice and righteousness, secretly exploited mortals for cultivation resources—a practice far from unfamiliar.

Under Blood Demon's unified command, he had already decreed: mortals were not to be slaughtered—only cultivators were fair game. Disobey? Disobey and you die.

For Blood Demon, compromise was meaningless. His command was absolute.

At that moment, a Shu Mountain disciple rushed in to report that someone from the Demon Sect had come to deliver a message to the Sect Leader.

Just as Bai Mei was trying to pacify the gathered crowd, he turned to the disciple and said, "Bring the message here." The disciple hesitated for a moment and replied, "They sent a single person."

The gathered Sect Leaders: ???

Did the Demon Sect's disciples have this much audacity?

Even Bai Mei couldn't help but pause in surprise before saying, "Then bring the person in."

Shortly afterward, a white-robed disciple led a figure cloaked entirely in black robes into the hall. The righteous Daoist who had just slammed the table leapt up again. "Audacious Demon Sect scum! With so many Righteous Dao elites gathered here, you dare come here to deliver a message!"

The previously silent figure in black robes seemed to find this remark utterly amusing and couldn't help but laugh aloud.

"Hahahahahaha, hahaha."

The others wondered if this Demon messenger was deranged, but those who had faced You Quan the Blood Demon directly, like Li Qing and his comrades, knew instantly who this was.

The middle-aged Daoist, clearly offended at being ridiculed, raised his voice again. "What are you laughing about?"

Still laughing wildly, the black-robed figure removed their hood to reveal the face of a black-haired, crimson-eyed youth whose appearance was akin to a fallen Immortal. Everyone present was momentarily stunned.

With a mocking smile, the youth said, "I'm laughing because you're trash."

The middle-aged Daoist, clearly unacquainted with the Blood Demon's true visage, flushed with anger at being insulted by what he thought was a mere Demon messenger.

"You—you—on behalf of the Righteous Dao, I shall annihilate you now!"

With that, he charged forward, wielding his treasure sword. The youth sneered, effortlessly catching the blade with a hand. A surge of crimson Mana reverberated, sending the Daoist flying, crashing violently into the rubble with his fate uncertain.

Disdainfully crushing the sword, which had presumably undergone years of refinement, the youth glanced around dismissively and declared, "Not only him—I meant all of you. Every single one. Trash."

The faction leaders present were all heads of their respective sects. Infuriated by the youth's insult, they were ready to react but restrained themselves upon seeing the Daoist buried in ruins. They hesitated, unwilling to risk humiliation or death.

Trash was trash, after all. It wasn't just a personal insult—it included everyone. Shu Mountain Sect Leader Bai Mei = trash. Me = trash. My cultivation = Bai Mei's cultivation. Considering it this way, it almost felt like praise! This kid sure knew how to sweet-talk.

No matter their internal feelings, outwardly they maintained silence, staring at their noses without uttering a single word. None of them could confirm whether this was You Quan the Blood Demon's true form, and taking a chance for the sake of a boast that might ruin decades of cultivation was hardly worth it.

Seeing the conference hall descend into stillness, the Blood Demon burst into mad laughter once more. This was the so-called Righteous Dao—a collection of sanctimonious hypocrites. As for the Demon Dao, it was a den of slaughter-driven beasts. Neither side deserved to exist in this world.

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