"Who moves..."
"...dies!"
This was not a negotiation; it was an announcement.
Everyone present was stunned. Even those from the Demon Abyss were bewildered.
The Thunder Demon, who had once slaughtered his way through the entire Demon Abyss, was now drawing his sword to protect it?
They could not fathom the reason.
Was it truly as he said—that saints were not permitted to fight within the Northern Borders?
That excuse wouldn't even fool a ghost.
Even though the Wendao Sword Sect had indeed declared to the world that the Northern Borders under its jurisdiction were off-limits to saints—and that any violation would be seen as an act of war—this was different.
For many years, the major powers had tacitly obeyed this rule.
It was a restriction placed upon them by the Wendao Sword Sect, but it was also a restriction placed upon the Wendao Sword Sect by the other powers.
A mutual understanding reached by all parties.
It was meant to prevent battles between saints from devastating the lives within their respective territories.
But...
"What a joke! This is the Demon Abyss. Since when did it become the territory of your Wendao Sword Sect?"
Lei Yunche did not explain, but from the small boat, Jiang Wanyin's voice drifted out leisurely.
"Fellow Daoist Li, perhaps you have lived in the mountains for too long and do not know. Four thousand years ago, the Demon Abyss reached a new treaty with my Wendao Sword Sect. With the Blazing Fortress as the boundary, everything to the west is the Demon Abyss, and everything to the east is the Northern Borders. Therefore, this Black Sand Sea indeed falls under the jurisdiction of my Wendao Sword Sect."
It was a matter they all knew in their hearts, so there was no room for dispute.
It was simply that as long as the Wendao Sword Sect didn't mention it, they would pretend they didn't know.
Now that the Wendao Sword Sect had brought it up, there was nothing they could do.
Not a single demon god refuted her; it was an established fact.
In the new treaty, all lands outside the Blazing Fortress belonged to the Wendao Sword Sect.
Members of the demon race were not allowed to enter or leave at will.
This was an indisputable truth, and both sides had no objections to it.
Bringing it up now felt uncomfortable.
After all, this was a disgrace to the entire Demon Abyss.
And yet, they were also fortunate.
Because at this moment, this so-called disgrace was beneficial to the Demon Abyss.
It could even be used to preserve the Demon Abyss.
"Based on Lady Jiang's words, is the Wendao Sword Sect planning to protect the Demon Abyss today?"
The eyes of the others grew sharp as they waited for an answer.
Even if they couldn't understand it, even if they couldn't accept it.
If the Wendao Sword Sect truly intended to protect the Demon Abyss, they really wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
The four saints of the Wendao Sword Sect—
Jiang Wanyin,
Lei Yunche,
Yao Xiqiao,
And Lin Fengmian.
Combined with the strength of the Demon Abyss, if a fight truly broke out, those present might never return.
Unless those demon immortals watching the show and the saints of the Three Sects also joined the fray.
Otherwise, they stood no chance.
"Not at all."
Jiang Wanyin uttered two words.
A gray-bearded man, seemingly indifferent to his own survival, sneered mockingly. "The Wendao Sword Sect prides itself as the number one righteous path of the human race, yet today you collude with the Demon Abyss, offending the entire world. If word of this gets out, aren't you afraid of becoming the world's laughingstock? If your master knew, he would be driven to his grave by your actions."
Lei Yunche's gaze swept down, and a bolt of lightning rolled through the air, striking precisely in front of the man. The shock left the man drenched in a cold sweat.
Lei Yunche questioned him in return, "I said that saints shall not move. When did I ever say I would protect the Demon Abyss?"
The man's eyes darted around, and he didn't dare to utter another syllable.
The crowd sighed, and the demons were left in a daze.
Xu Xian sat on his throne, internally marveling at the scene.
He hadn't expected his usually taciturn Senior Brother Lei to be so domineering.
Truth be told, he had a bit of an 'overbearing CEO' vibe going on.
Jiang Wanyin's gentle voice drifted over once more. "My Junior Brother has a bit of a temper; please do not mind him. We have no other intentions. Saints are not allowed to move—that is simply the rule. A rule established by everyone is a rule that must be followed and enforced. I hope you all can understand."
She was firm yet flexible, knowing when to push and when to yield.
Lei Yunche's hardness was a strike, a warning, and a deterrent.
Jiang Wanyin's softness gave these saints a way to save face.
They couldn't truly start an all-out war.
Saints cared about their reputation.
After all, there were many people watching. If they were given no face at all, it would inevitably lead to public criticism.
People would say they were cowards who feared the Wendao Sword Sect.
Even if that were the truth, no one was willing to admit it.
A white-haired old woman smiled and said, "I understand Lady Jiang's meaning. As long as we saints do not act, the Wendao Sword Sect will not interfere. Is that correct?"
After a brief silence, Jiang Wanyin calmly spoke two words.
"As you wish."
Everything had its limits.
As long as the saints didn't act, the conflict was permitted to continue.
"Fine, then we shall follow Lady Jiang's wishes."
The figures of several saints in the field vanished silently into the shadows.
They quietly put away their weapons and restrained their auras.
Startling Thunder returned to its sheath in Lei Yunche's arms.
The violent thunder and surging lightning vanished in an instant.
The world fell silent.
The gloom remained.
Further away, the saints of the Three Sects and the powerful demon immortals who had been watching the show had flickering expressions.
Some laughed at themselves, while others had playful glints in their eyes.
Each had their own thoughts.
"Heh..."
"Interesting..."
"How dull..."
It was a classic case of trying to hide the obvious.
They claimed they weren't protecting the Demon Abyss, yet they forbade the saints from acting.
Without the saints, how could these people hope to take down the Demon Abyss?
The Demon Abyss had merely declined; it hadn't fallen into ruin.
Everyone knew this in their hearts, even the cultivators at the great ascension stage and tribulation transcendence stage.
To think they could conquer or flatten the Demon Abyss on their own was nothing but a pipe dream.
But things had reached this point; if they stopped now, they would be the laughingstock of the world.
They had to demand an explanation, and they had to take action to show the world their stance.
They needed to give themselves, their sects, and the world an account.
They might not be able to flatten the Demon Abyss, but flattening this city was not much of a problem.
Even if Bai Mang was protected by the Demon Abyss, they would still wash this city in blood.
They would use the blood of a hundred thousand demon guards to appease the souls of the hundred thousand juniors who had fallen.
This could be considered blood for blood.
As the saints retreated and Lei Yunche sheathed his sword, the pressure on the demons decreased significantly.
What had been a certain loss now seemed like a winnable battle.
Even if their opponents were still formidable and powerful, victory was no longer impossible.
The fear in their hearts gradually eased.
Their battle intent began to rise quietly.
Outside the Blazing Fortress, the remaining monsters, spirits, and humans—all comparable to the tribulation transcendence stage—regathered their momentum and pressed forward once more.
The pre-battle trash-talking resumed as usual.
"Demon scum, hand over the boy now, or do not blame us for washing this mountain city in blood."
"Enough talk. If you want to fight, then fight!"
"You truly won't hand him over?"
"Come at us all at once or one by one, whatever you like..."
The two sides began shouting insults. The hot-tempered Huang family brothers were the loudest and most aggressive.
Previously, they had been wary of the saints and had kept a low profile. Now that the four saints of the Wendao Sword Sect had made their stance clear, forbidding saints from joining the fight, things were different.
Everyone was at the ninth stage; it was a fifty-fifty match. Who was afraid of whom?
Whether they could win was one thing, but they were certainly going to win the war of words first.
The mockery, insults, and arguments grew increasingly heated; the start of the battle was only a moment away.
However, these people were all shrewd. No one was willing to be the first to strike, as they were all waiting for the right opportunity.
They were on the same side, but only for this moment.
If Bai Mang were truly thrown out of the fortress, they would likely turn on each other in the next second, fighting for him.
After all, Bai Mang hadn't just obtained the Emperor's legacy; the resources he had collected over the past two days might not even be matched by the combined treasuries of the Three Sects.
The demon gods understood that Bai Mang was their true target.
Thus, the demon gods sent divine sense transmissions to Xu Xian, telling him to leave.
Xu Xian ignored them.
Jin Qing glanced at the small boat and also tacitly allowed Bai Mang to stay.
In the opposing crowd, a man pointed at Xu Xian's nose.
He mocked him by name, "Bai Mang, you vile creature! You are the Demon Son, yet you've caused such a huge mess. Are you going to be a shrinking turtle now?"
Xu Xian was amused. He narrowed his eyes at the man and provoked him.
"I'll duel you one-on-one. Do you dare?"
Rate on N.U.
