What the Demon Suppression Grotto-Heaven had most of was secret chambers.
For over a hundred years, several new ones would appear every year, causing endless internal grumbling among the cultivators of the Grotto-Heaven.
The hiding spots for these chambers were exceptionally tricky—inside bathrooms, within tree hollows, at the bottom of wells...
There was even a Qi Refining clansman who stepped into empty air while using the latrine, thinking he had fallen into the cesspit, only to discover, upon looking, that it was actually a secret chamber.
Every few years, someone would travel millions of miles just to search these chambers one by one. Playing hide-and-seek in the Demon Suppression Grotto-Heaven had practically become a popular pastime for killing time.
At this moment, inside a newly excavated secret chamber.
Li Xinri sat cross-legged. Despite being an "old monster" who had lived through countless sixty-year cycles, this notorious dandy of Northguard City showed no signs of aging, still retaining the appearance of a handsome young man.
At this moment, his eyes were wide with lingering dread as he wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"Zhijing has returned... this situation is definitely not simple. The people from the Azure Cloud Prefecture must be lurking within the Demon Suppression Grotto-Heaven, just waiting for me to reveal myself. Thinking I'll fall for your trap? Laughable!"
This was wisdom accumulated over many years.
Back when he had gone to the Main Family to cultivate, he had been incredibly proud. But later, things started to feel increasingly wrong—people from the Azure Cloud Prefecture kept tricking him into going there, causing him no end of suffering.
That was when Li Xinri finally realized where the problem lay.
But later, those accursed scoundrels simply wouldn't rest until they achieved their goal.
Every single year, someone would come and beat him until he was wailing for his parents.
They kept asking him if he admitted his fault, yet Li Xinri had racked his brains for over a hundred years and still couldn't figure out exactly where he had offended them.
Clearing his thoughts.
Li Xinri looked inward with his spiritual sense. Upon inspecting his Dantian, he saw that the Nascent Soul within had grown robust—it had fully matured!
"Peak Nascent Soul realm."
Li Xinri let out a cold sneer. "Just you wait until my cultivation breaks through. The next time you come to beat me, we'll see just who ends up beating whom! Hmph!"
The more he thought about it, the more refreshed Li Xinri felt all over.
He had lorded over Northguard City for years; when had he ever suffered such an inexplicable grievance?
Little did he know, at that very moment, the Old Ancestor was watching him.
[Your descendant, Li Xinri, in order to hide from cultivators who inexplicably came to beat him, has remained in seclusion for many years.
Acquired Trait: Master of Concealment. Escape and concealment abilities increased. Wisdom increases by 100% while hiding.]
[In order to retaliate against the cultivators who beat him, he has cultivated diligently for many years, breaking through to the Peak Nascent Soul realm.
Acquired Trait: Yields to No One. Cultivation speed increases by 40% when feeling defiant.]
"What a talent."
Seeing Li Xinri again, Li Wei felt a genuine wave of emotion.
When this brat wasn't indulging in his bizarre vices, he really was a true genius.
Having devoted himself to cultivation with the sole motivation of taking revenge on the cultivators of the Azure Cloud Prefecture, his progress in the realm had been nothing short of explosive.
Just as Li Wei was thinking about pulling him into the Void Refining Space to offer a few words of praise, his face suddenly darkened.
He heard a sigh. "Ai... who knows when these days will finally end? Once I break through to the Divinity Transformation realm, everything will be fine."
The words had barely fallen.
Li Wei saw Li Xinri stand up and face the wall. Naturally, he wasn't facing the wall to reflect on his misdeeds. Instead, carved upon that wall were vivid paintings, and Li Xinri began to undo his trousers.
"???"
Li Wei instantly vanished from the spot. He didn't say anything, though. After all, that brat Li Xinri had always been wild. Having hidden in a secret chamber for over a hundred years, this was probably his only form of entertainment.
Ignoring Li Xinri, Li Wei reappeared—this time, on the battlefield.
.....
This was the Floating Mountain, the seat where Grand Tutor Lin Jiu presided.
With Demon Emperor Xu Weng approaching the Northern Border, even Grand Tutor Lin Jiu felt a grave sense of urgency.
As a result, a multitude of cultivators had gathered inside the great hall atop the Floating Mountain.
Li Xinghuo and Zishu Wandong were present.
The hall was spacious, and Li Xinghuo, as the Commander of the Asura Army, came here often to receive orders. Yet, never before had the hall felt as cramped as it did today.
There were many cultivators present whom Li Xinghuo had never even seen before; he could only sense the formidable auras radiating from them.
With just a single sentence, Lin Jiu caused Li Xinghuo's expression to change slightly.
"The Western Border... is about to fall."
"What?!!"
The cultivators of the Northern Border were universally horrified.
Yet, no one present dared to question the Grand Tutor; they could only wait for him to explain further.
Lin Jiu scanned the room. He maintained his usual composed demeanor, stroking his beard as he spoke.
"Demon Emperor Xu Weng's visit was a probe.
In the past, had a Demon Emperor dared to cross our borders, our Dynasty would have certainly responded in kind, marching into their Demon territory to display our might. But now..."
Lin Jiu fell silent for a long moment before continuing in a deep voice.
"Demon Emperor Xu Weng came in haste and left without a shred of hesitation.
He has already discerned where the problem lies. Our Human Race possesses five Great Emperors, while the Wu Race and the Demon Race within the Endless Forest have only six between them.
This is the reason why, for over a hundred thousand years since the Great War of the past, we have been able to keep both races outside our borders."
"His Majesty holds the supreme authority of the Human Race, possessing power that rivals the heavens.
In the past, he would have undoubtedly made Demon Emperor Xu Weng suffer for this. But now that he has allowed him to leave unharmed, from this day forward, he will no longer fear our Dynasty."
The Grand Tutor atop the eight-step platform remained as majestic as ever, yet the crowd could sense the heaviness in his words.
A cultivator standing at the very front, clad in the armor of the Asura Army, furrowed his brows and asked,
"Grand Tutor, since it was Demon Emperor Xu Weng who conducted the probe, and considering the Northern Border is currently overrun with the Demon Race, why is it the Western Border that faces calamity?"
Lin Jiu glanced at the Grand Commander.
"He fears me, but the Western Border does not have me. Once the Wu Race catches wind of this news, they will not hold back."
Behind the Great Hall.
As Lin Jiu continued his explanation, Li Xinghuo quietly slipped away with his wife, his expression grim to the extreme.
"Xinghuo!" Zishu Wandong's face was pale. "The Western Border... we must go now!"
"It's too late."
Li Xinghuo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The Grand Tutor has just received the news himself. The Wu Race is already slaughtering their way toward the Western Border, targeting Crown Prince Fei Heng directly.
If the Crown Prince dies, the Western Border will inevitably descend into chaos. I fear the Wu Race has already made their move."
"Inform the Old Ancestor!"