Chapter 1358: Eight Guests from All Directions

The imperial carriage sped above the clouds. Inside sat two Demon Kings: the Snake King and Demon King Lihong, who served under the Feather King. Flood dragons and luan-phoenixes ascended through the clouds, pulling the carriage with all their might, making it feel as if it were traveling on flat ground.

With their eyesight, they could clearly see streaks of escaping light amidst the mountains, all undoubtedly heading to the same destination.

"Daoist Friend Qin has just established his sect, and it already has the aura of a renowned major sect," the Snake King remarked with emotion.

"I heard that Daoist Friend Qin began planning for his sect many years ago..." Demon King Lihong, somewhat absent-minded, happened to notice several cultivators from the desert. He frowned and sneered, "Even people from the desert have traveled great distances to offer congratulations. It seems humanity is becoming increasingly united!"

The Snake King knew what he was worried about. He sighed, "The general trend is difficult to resist. Unless cracks appear within the Northern Star Alliance, it's unlikely to fall apart. What we can do is limited. Fortunately, our demon race hasn't been excluded from the Northern Star Alliance, otherwise, we would truly be restless..."

Humans and demons remained distinct, unable to fully trust each other. The demon race was weaker, and the perpetual division of the Northern Star Realm served their interests. They were the last to wish to see humanity form an alliance. However, the ascension of Ziwei Palace was too shocking; all other grievances paled in comparison. Even if the demon race secretly incited trouble, it would be difficult to achieve results. Currently, humanity had no time to exclude outsiders. But with the passage of time, if the Ascension Platform remained undiscovered and things reverted to how they were, it was inevitable that some individuals would harbor ambitions.

Demon King Lihong snorted, "Once the Great King breaks through to the late Transformation stage, he alone can suppress humanity, giving us ample time to scheme... I refuse to believe the Northern Star Alliance is an impenetrable monolith!"

"The Feather King..." The Snake King secretly shook his head, seemingly not very optimistic about the Feather King. He changed his tone, "For now, we can only bide our time and conceal our strengths. Among the human Nascent Souls, very few have the hope of advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage. Barring any surprises, Daoist Friend Qin's position in the Northern Star Alliance will certainly become increasingly pivotal. Daoist Friend Qin has a deep friendship with Daoist Friend Jingyu and is also the successor of the Bamboo Demon. Even if someone harbors ill intentions, he will not stand idly by..."

Many years ago, during Jingyu's breakthrough celebration, the Feather King personally went to Thousand Mountain Bamboo Sea to offer congratulations. The revelation of the Bamboo Demon's passing caused a huge uproar within the demon race.

Demon King Lihong frowned every time he thought of this. Back then, he had been incited by Demon King Jiuku to probe the Thousand Mountain Bamboo Sea, but Qin Sang's scheme had startled him away. Looking back, Qin Sang must have been bluffing; that was precisely when the Thousand Mountain Bamboo Sea was at its weakest! Now, it was too late for regrets.

"The Great King also has this intention; we must not make an enemy of Daoist Friend Qin. If it weren't for the Great King being at a crucial point in his seclusion, he would have wished to come personally to congratulate him." The Snake King chuckled, "Daoist Friend Qin is currently at the height of his fame and influence. Today, we'll likely see many old figures..."

Before he finished speaking, the Snake King's expression shifted slightly, and he suddenly rose to his feet. It was only then that Demon King Lihong noticed the anomaly and quickly stood up, following the Snake King out of the carriage. They saw a white cloud approaching from afar, with two figures traveling on it, radiating an ethereal aura, looking leisurely and at ease. One of them was Lu Boyuan. Beside Lu Boyuan stood a young man, from whom a faint demonic energy emanated.

"Daoist Friend Lu! Daoist Friend Hanxi! I didn't expect you would come personally," the Snake King said, inviting them onto the carriage. He then observed Hanxi for a moment, "Congratulations, Daoist Friend Hanxi, on your complete recovery, with no lingering issues!"

"Merely fortunate..." Hanxi showed a faint smile. Lu Boyuan, on the other hand, stated, "Daoist Friend Qin has established his sect; we had to come!"

As he spoke, he turned his head and asked Demon King Lihong, "Daoist Friend Lihong, how are the Feather King's injuries?"

Demon King Lihong cupped his hands and replied, "The Great King has recovered eighty percent and is not seriously injured."

As they spoke, the imperial carriage flew over the mountains, revealing the soaring, distinctive peaks of Qingyang Temple, enveloped in auspicious clouds. From a distance, they felt the imposing aura of the imperial carriage. Li Yufu, accompanied by several disciples, hastily flew out from Welcoming Peak. "Li Yufu, a disciple of Qingyang Temple, respectfully welcomes you, seniors."

"You are Daoist Friend Qin's proud disciple, Li Yufu? You have a fine appearance! Excellent!" Lu Boyuan and the others walked out of the carriage side by side. Seeing so many Demon Kings and Nascent Souls, Li Yufu was initially startled. After hearing them state their identities and who they represented, he announced in a loud voice:

"Demon King Lihong of Myriad Demon City, on behalf of the Feather King, comes to offer congratulations!"

"True Master Lu and Demon King Hanxi come to offer congratulations!"

"The Snake King of Dragon Transformation Mountain leads his disciples to offer congratulations!"

The announcements echoed into Qingyang Temple, and the clamor within the sect instantly subsided. The rogue cultivators looked up at the imperial carriage, admiring the dignified bearing of the Demon Kings and Nascent Souls. Immediately after, nine prolonged bell tolls resounded from the main peak, welcoming the most distinguished guests. Li Yufu bowed and led the way, guiding the Snake King and the others into the main peak. The imperial carriage and the other lesser demons were guided by others.

Before they could even ascend the main peak, the shouts of Aunt Mei echoed from outside Qingyang Temple. "True Master Yue Kui, True Master Yue Wu, True Master Ji..." Aunt Mei rattled off a long list of names in one breath. Yue Kui and Yue Wu were precisely the Twin War Generals, successors of Daoist True One. After the establishment of the Northern Star Alliance, the Heavenly Path Alliance existed in name only, but the cultivators of Heavenly Path Plateau still habitually gathered together, led by the Twin War Generals.

The Snake King and the others paused, exchanging glances. "I didn't expect most of the old figures from the Heavenly Path Alliance to show up. Daoist Friend Qin certainly commands great respect," Demon King Lihong chuckled.

The Snake King shook his head. "The Heavenly Path Alliance reversed its decline and counterattacked the Sinful Abyss; Daoist Friend Qin has an indelible contribution. By any measure, they should come."

Hanxi sneered, "There's another reason... among Daoist True One's successors, only the Yue brothers can still maintain face. However, even when Daoist True One was alive, they couldn't break through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage. It will likely be even harder for them later. If the Heavenly Path Alliance continues to have no worthy successors, hmph."

The three Demon Kings openly discussed the Heavenly Path Alliance, without any reservations. Lu Boyuan, being human, found it inappropriate to participate. He turned and urged Li Yufu, who pretended not to have heard anything, to continue leading the way.

After the numerous Nascent Souls from the Heavenly Path Alliance were welcomed into Qingyang Temple, the sound of bells continued to ring incessantly.

"True Master Binghan of the Void Spirit Sect leads her disciples to offer congratulations!"

"True Master Si Di and True Master Yao Jing of the Taiyi Pill Sect lead their disciples to offer congratulations!"

Qin Sang's establishment of his sect had clearly become the most significant event in the entire Northern Star Realm. Rarely seen Nascent Soul Ancestors arrived one after another. The rogue cultivators at the foot of the mountain craned their necks, overwhelmed by the sight, listening to one famous name after another. Their necks were almost stiff, yet they felt the trip was truly worthwhile.

Nascent Souls from Sky Demon Mound, the Desert, the Heavenly Path Alliance, the Minor Cold Region, and the Sinful Abyss all came to offer congratulations. True Master Canghong and other Nascent Souls from the Sinful Abyss were currently exploring the bottom of the Heavenly Scar, hoping to find fragments of the Abyssal Ruins. Thus, they sent Immortal Fairy Qiuzhi as their representative with congratulatory gifts.

Besides the numerous Nascent Souls and renowned major sects, there were also various other large and small sects present. Especially the sects from the Minor Cold Region, closest to Qingyang Temple, almost none were absent.

When the names of Mu Yifeng and Shaohua Mountain were announced, it caused a stir. Although the grievances between Qin Sang and Earl Dongyang were not entirely public knowledge, they were no secret among the higher echelons. It was unexpected that Shaohua Mountain would be present, and even more surprising that the Sect Master of Shaohua Mountain had quietly been replaced!