Chapter 2191: The Thirty-Six Heavenly Absolute Arrays of the Wood Realm

"That's true, but who knows what unforeseen methods the Demon Race might possess? What if they can bypass our defenses and their Ancestral Forms truly descend, and we aren't present to oversee our clans? That would be disastrous," Mo Jianli said, his eyes flickering with worry.

"Brother Mo, your point calls for greater caution. We can't delay with the Wood Tribe any longer! We must return to our clans as soon as possible," Ancestor Ao Xiao mused for a moment, reluctantly agreeing.

"Seniors, I actually think the chances of all the Ancestral Forms fully descending are not very high. Even if they do appear, it would likely only be one or two of the three," Han Li suddenly interjected.

"Oh, Daoist Han, do you perhaps know something? That's right, you've just returned from the Demon Realm; you must have a thorough understanding of the situation there," Mo Jianli said, first startled, then his eyes lighting up as he remembered.

A hint of surprise also flickered across Ancestor Ao Xiao's face.

"Seniors, how much do you know about the Demon Realm Catastrophe?" Han Li asked after a moment of contemplation.

"The Demon Realm Catastrophe? I'd heard some rumors before the Demon Race invaded the Spirit Realm, but I didn't manage to gather any specific intelligence," Ancestor Ao Xiao replied, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Indeed. When I infiltrated the Demon Realm years ago, I also heard some related information from a certain Demon Sovereign. However, the truly pertinent details seemed to be known only by the Demon Ancestors. Has Daoist Han learned the specifics of the Demon Realm Catastrophe during his recent visit?" Mo Jianli asked with delight.

"This junior indeed, by sheer luck, learned some things about the Demon Realm Catastrophe during his recent trip. Seniors, have you heard of the Mother of Insect Devourers?" Han Li asked, after a brief humble remark, his expression turning serious.

"The Mother of Insect Devourers? What's that? I've truly never heard of it. Daoist Ao Xiao, do you know anything about it?" Mo Jianli asked, shaking his head in confusion after a moment of thought.

"It sounds vaguely familiar. I seem to recall hearing it once, a long time ago, but the specifics are hazy due to how long it's been," Ancestor Ao Xiao said, his brow furrowed, appearing deep in thought.

"It's not surprising that you're unfamiliar with the Mother of Insect Devourers, Seniors! This formidable creature is an ancient demonic entity that was sealed in antiquity by Immortals who personally descended from the Immortal Realm. Rumors about it are extremely rare now," Han Li replied with a smile.

"Now that you mention it, this old ancestor finally remembers! Is the Mother of Insect Devourers the ancient demonic insect from legends, said to possess the power to devour an entire realm? Has this creature reappeared? Is the Demon Realm Catastrophe related to it?" Ancestor Ao Xiao finally recalled some details, his face instantly turning pale.

"Devour an entire realm? Brother Ao Xiao, what kind of demonic insect is that terrifying? Isn't it far more formidable than even True Spirits? Tell me more about it," Mo Jianli gasped, his expression also changing.

"True Spirits are nothing compared to it. In ancient times, powerful True Spirits devoured by this demonic insect numbered at least seven or eight, if not ten. As for the rumors about it, I saw them in an ancient text while traveling on another continent, before I reached the Grand Ascension stage. It was said that the Mother of Insect Devourers was born in..."

Although Ancestor Ao Xiao's expression was conflicted, he calmly recounted the details about the Mother of Insect Devourers, the information largely consistent with what Han Li had heard from Zi Ling.

The only difference was that, according to the text, the Mother of Insect Devourers' whereabouts became unknown after its battle with the Immortals from the Upper Realm, with no mention of a seal.

Mo Jianli's expression grew increasingly grim after hearing this.

"The Demon Realm Catastrophe is indeed related to this demonic insect! However, from the information I obtained, the Mother of Insect Devourers didn't go missing; it was sealed by Immortals in a certain location within the Demon Realm. It seems to have awakened recently and is now attempting to break the seal. Most of the Demon Race's power is currently focused on suppressing this creature, which is why I believe the likelihood of all three Demon Ancestral Forms fully descending upon the Spirit Realm is quite low," Han Li replied gravely.

"If this ancient demonic insect truly awakens completely, it won't just be the Demon Realm that suffers; our Spirit Realm could also be devoured by it. This trouble is truly immense," Ancestor Ao Xiao murmured, sinking into deep thought.

"Daoist Han, has this information been verified? Can you guarantee its authenticity?" Mo Jianli asked cautiously.

"The source of this information should be reliable. This junior is at least seventy to eighty percent confident that it is true," Han Li replied after a moment of consideration.

"Seventy to eighty percent? Then it's most likely true. But to be absolutely safe, we should still send someone to infiltrate the Demon Realm for formal confirmation. Brother Ao Xiao, what do you think?" Mo Jianli asked Ancestor Ao Xiao, his eyes flickering.

"This matter is indeed critical and requires extreme caution. Sending someone to verify it is absolutely necessary. I will dispatch capable subordinates to infiltrate the Demon Realm and investigate this. If it's true, it would explain why the Demon Race is so frantically demonizing the territories they've occupied. They are likely preparing an escape route for the future, truly intending to carve out territories suitable for their survival within our Spirit Realm. No wonder they fought so desperately from the start," Ancestor Ao Xiao said, a hint of grimness flashing across his face.

"Judging by the current number of Demons appearing in the Spirit Realm, the three Demon Ancestors clearly haven't given up on suppressing the Mother of Insect Devourers. Otherwise, the forces appearing in the Spirit Realm wouldn't be so limited. Their plan to occupy our clans' territories is likely just a contingency measure," Mo Jianli said thoughtfully.

"By the same token, however, if the new Demon reinforcements appearing in our clans' territories are real, it suggests that the Demon Race might soon be unable to contain the Mother of Insect Devourers. We should return to our clans to oversee the situation promptly. If the Demon Race truly shifts most of its power to the Spirit Realm, even if our clans unite, we likely won't be able to withstand their full assault. We would have to devise another strategy," Ancestor Ao Xiao said, considering a broader perspective.

"What is there to think about? Since this demonic tribulation involves the Mother of Insect Devourers, it naturally shouldn't be borne by our few clans alone. As long as we spread the news, I doubt the Grand Ascension stage cultivators from the major clans in the Spirit Realm would be able to sit idly by," Mo Jianli said with a sudden smile.

"Indeed, that's an excellent plan," Ancestor Ao Xiao said, clapping his hands and laughing after a moment's thought.

"However, all of this hinges on the Mother of Insect Devourers matter being true. In the current situation, we cannot simply abandon the Wood Tribe and immediately return to our clans. Otherwise, the alliance we painstakingly formed would likely collapse instantly, and the Demon Race would easily defeat us one by one," Mo Jianli said, his expression thoughtful.

"In that case, let's go along with the Wood Tribe's wishes and fight the Demon Race thoroughly here. We should strive to severely damage the Demon Race at any cost, which will then give us a legitimate reason to return to our clans. Perhaps that old eccentric Sang from the Yaksha Tribe thinks the same way. The Yaksha Tribe only has him as a Grand Ascension stage cultivator; I don't believe he isn't concerned about his tribe's safety. In the meantime, while we await news of the Demon Realm Catastrophe and the Mother of Insect Devourers, we should also send word to our clans to begin consolidating their scattered forces. After all, if the Demon Race truly launches a full-scale attack, we must first ensure our own survival before we can discuss anything else," Ancestor Ao Xiao stated decisively.

"Good, we'll proceed as Daoist Ao Xiao suggests. In this battle against the Demon Race, we must win; defeat is not an option. We will likely need the assistance of Daoist Han and Brother Xie. However, once the battle concludes, Daoist Han may immediately depart and return to his clan. This old man observes that your magic power is exceptionally pure and robust, not at all like someone who has just advanced to the late Integration stage. With dedicated cultivation in seclusion, I imagine your progression to late-stage mastery should be much faster than that of ordinary cultivators. If you can advance to the Grand Ascension stage even a day sooner, both our human and demon races will benefit immeasurably. The same applies to niece Linglong," Mo Jianli concluded.

Ancestor Ao Xiao nodded, clearly having no objections.

Han Li agreed after a moment of consideration.

As long as the Demon Ancestors on the Wood Tribe's side were not their true ancestral forms, he naturally had nothing to fear.

Mo Jianli visibly relaxed when he saw that neither of them objected. At this point, Ancestor Ao Xiao suddenly remembered something else and asked:

"The Wood Tribe dared to propose a counterattack plan this time. Besides the support of that old eccentric Sang Hai, they must have other reliance, right? Old Mo, you've been stationed in the city; have you managed to ascertain anything?"

"This old man has naturally investigated that thoroughly. Once the news of the Demon Race reinforcements reached us, the Wood Tribe's Elder Council seemed to realize they couldn't keep us here any longer. So, they decided to go all in, bringing out all thirty-six of their reserve Sacred Trees to deploy the Wood Tribe's greatest formation, the 'Thirty-Six Heavens Wood Realm Annihilation Array,' to fight the Demon Race to the death. With this miraculous formation, and with us and Sang Hai acting together, as long as there's no major change in the Demon Race's strength, we should have over seventy percent chance of victory in this battle," Mo Jianli explained in detail.

"The Thirty-Six Heavens Wood Realm Annihilation Array... I am familiar with that formidable array. Legend has it that this array was created by mimicking the profound spatial abilities of Immortals from the Upper Realm, and it is said to possess the terrifying power to slay Grand Ascension stage cultivators. However, the Wood Tribe has never activated it since its creation, so it's unclear whether the legends are true," Ancestor Ao Xiao replied slowly, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Heh, whether it's true or not, the Wood Tribe's willingness to bring out those thirty-six reserve Sacred Trees shows their determination to fight to the death. This gives us a perfect opportunity to severely cripple the Demon Race, and also buy our two clans more time," Mo Jianli said with a slight smile, appearing unconcerned.

"Heh heh, that's true!" Ancestor Ao Xiao chuckled.