Xuan Zhenzi faltered, the sight of dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators from various sects staring at him with malevolent eyes causing his scalp to prickle. For all his self-regard, Xuan Zhenzi knew he was no match for so many Nascent Soul experts. He quickly suppressed his harsh expression, turning instead to address the assembled group: "Esteemed colleagues, it is not that I, Xuan Zhenzi, disrespect the fellow cultivators of Kangzhou. It is simply that the Heavenly Demon of the Yinsha Sect is utterly detestable. During the decisive battle, they clearly had the option to show mercy, yet they struck viciously against Junior Sister Fan! All of you witnessed that scene. If this vengeance is not taken, what face does our Taishang Sect have left to exist in this world? I implore the esteemed colleagues of Kangzhou to uphold justice for my junior sister."

The magnates of Kangzhou’s expressions softened slightly; the Taishang Sect was indeed arrogant, and for good reason. If avoidable, no Nascent Soul elder wished to antagonize the Taishang Sect. Yet, it had to be admitted, that Heavenly Demon was truly ferocious, not only gaining the upper hand in such a duel but proceeding to annihilate the opponent.

Moreover, that Heavenly Demon was already a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator despite her youth. Given time...

"Heh heh, it seems the people of your Taishang Sect enjoy tearing up agreements, eh? Did you sign a Life and Death Pact?" the Blood Demon sneered, acting under Lei Dong's direction. "If our Heavenly Demon had been killed by your Fan Quqing, would we also be able to aggressively demand accountability from you?" The Blood Demon’s logic was sound, but in this world, logic bows before the fist.

"Blood Demon, what kind of insignificant thing are you to dare question my Taishang Sect?" Before Xuan Zhenzi could speak, one of the seven disciples of Lingxiao—a Nascent Soul cultivator appearing as a spirited young hero—stepped forward and cursed furiously.

"Shang Jian, and what kind of thing are you to speak to me like that?" The Blood Demon, after all, was a figure of the Demon Venerable rank, having roamed the world for countless years. His brow twitched, and he let out a sinister, chilling laugh: "Since all our esteemed colleagues are still here, let us have our own Life and Death duel—to the death! I, the Blood Demon, will take great pleasure in pampering your pretty boy during the fight, ha ha ha ha!" With that, he cackled incessantly. Hiding far away, Lei Dong couldn't help but shiver. Damn it, this Blood Demon truly had a taste for the perverse. However, provoking the weaker Lingxiao disciples was also Lei Dong's instruction; every one they could eliminate was a win! The Blood Demon was no weakling now; Lei Dong had gifted him a top-tier spirit ghost previously, causing the Blood Demon’s power to surge. Not to mention his vast age and extraordinary combat experience; he was currently at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage.

Shang Jian was the youngest of the Lingxiao disciples, possessing exceptional innate talent, but he was still comparatively young, barely a hundred and sixty or seventy years old—truly a generation’s prodigy. Hearing this, blood rushed to his head, and he glared at the Blood Demon with burning eyes: "Blood Demon, you are seeking death!"

Xuan Zhenzi’s brow furrowed, and he immediately barked, "Old insect, shut your mouth and step back! You have no place speaking here. Yinsha Old Devil, control your subordinate." Based on his estimation, the Blood Demon would not dare provoke them without some hidden reliance. Before, given his confidence in Shang Jian, he wouldn't have minded such a taunt. But the Heavenly Demon’s terrifying display had instilled in him a profound apprehension toward the Yinsha Sect; he feared the Seven Lingxiao Disciples becoming the Six.

"Junior Brother Xue, don't be rash; let’s discuss this calmly," the Yinsha Demon Venerable was also troubled. He had expected the Heavenly Demon to win, perhaps narrowly, without taking a life. But now that Fan Quqing’s spirit and form were utterly destroyed, how could the Taishang Sect let it go? For the moment, they dared not act rashly because they were outnumbered. But once they regrouped and summoned a large contingent of Taishang Sect Nascent Souls, the situation would be entirely different. Because of this, even the cunning, aged Yinsha Demon Venerable was greatly vexed. Yet handing over the Heavenly Demon was an absolute impossibility. Setting aside the matter of willingly cutting off one’s own arm under duress, even if Yinsha surrendered the Heavenly Demon, would the matter truly be settled? Even granting that it could be resolved, such an action would likely cause the cohesion within the Yinsha Sect to plummet to freezing point.

"Senior Brother Yinsha, do you think this can still be resolved peacefully? In the eyes of that arrogant Xuan Zhenzi, our Yinsha Sect is probably already marked for annihilation," the Blood Demon transmitted to the Yinsha Demon Venerable with a cold snort. "Think about the Taishang Sect's usual style."

"This..." The Yinsha Demon Venerable looked utterly miserable. With his intelligence, how could he not grasp the situation? But what could be done? Blame the Heavenly Demon for being too ruthless?

"Senior Brother Yinsha, in my view, we have only one option: go all the way and fight the Taishang Sect!" the Blood Demon began to incite. "The Taishang Sect is indeed powerful, rumored to have over a hundred Nascent Souls and thousands of Golden Cores. But consider this: would they dare deploy their entire fighting force to our Kangzhou? Do they have no enemies in the Daqian Continent? Furthermore, how far is the Daqian Continent from here? It would take two or three years to arrive! I suspect that sending thirty Nascent Souls is the absolute maximum they could manage. But Kangzhou also has a hundred Nascent Souls. I, the Blood Demon, dare wager that no sect would stand idly by and watch the Yinsha Sect be annihilated. Otherwise, having tasted success, the Taishang Sect would absolutely destabilize the entire Kangzhou region."

The Yinsha Demon Venerable was well aware of everything the Blood Demon said. He wasn't so much afraid of the Taishang Sect's Nascent Souls, but rather the existence above Nascent Soul—True Lord Taiyi, whose Soul Transformation cultivation was no joke. If he didn't fear the self-harm, that one person could destroy the Yinsha Sect alone. If True Lord Taiyi were provoked, it was likely no one in Kangzhou would dare utter a sound in their defense.

"Senior Brother is worried about True Lord Taiyi?" the Blood Demon sent telepathically. "Since the Heavenly Demon dared to kill Fan Quqing, she must have a plan. Perhaps we should ask her."

The Yinsha Demon Venerable realized this was true; he had forgotten that point. He hurriedly sent a query to the Heavenly Demon.

"Senior Brother, please rest assured. I dare not guarantee anything else, but if True Lord Taiyi dares to come to Kangzhou, I will invite Lord Yaksha King to intervene," the Heavenly Demon replied nonchalantly.

"What?" The Yinsha Demon Venerable was greatly shocked. Although he knew the Yaksha King and the Heavenly Demon had an excellent relationship, he hadn't expected it to be so deep that the King would act on her behalf against a cultivator of the same rank! His expression grew solemn as he sent a private message: "Junior Sister, this is no jest. Can you guarantee that Lord Yaksha King will act?" His concern was not baseless; a cultivator reaching the Yaksha King's level was already among the supreme beings in this world, possessing a lifespan of several thousand years. Under normal circumstances, they were reluctant to fight peers, usually serving only as a deterrent.

Kangzhou lacked a Soul Transformation existence, which was the very reason the Nine Lingxiao Sons dared to act so arrogantly here. Otherwise, even a power as mighty as the Taishang Sect would not dare cause chaos in Kangzhou recklessly. It must be known that if Kangzhou possessed a Soul Transformation master, its rallying power would be immeasurable; uniting Kangzhou’s strength against outsiders would be effortlessly achieved.

Unfortunately, the Nascent Soul stage was already a height most could only dream of reaching, and progressing from Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation was as hard as ascending to heaven. Over the past ten thousand years, Kangzhou had produced only one Soul Transformation master, but tragically, he had passed away two thousand years ago.

"Senior Brother, I guarantee Lord Yaksha King will act; otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to kill Fan Quqing," the Heavenly Demon replied seriously. She understood the Yaksha King intimately—such a powerful being was incredibly honorable. The debt he owed Lei Dong was substantial! If Lei Dong hadn't risked his life that time to allow the Sea God's Wrath to grow, the Yaksha clan, while not annihilated, would have suffered at least fifty percent casualties. Furthermore, she knew her little lover, Lei Dong, possessed another trump card: the Netherworld Ghost Emperor.

The Netherworld Ghost Emperor was an existence that defied heaven. Others reaching the Soul Transformation stage were already considered generational prodigies. This elder, however, had cultivated relentlessly to the mid-stage of Soul Transformation, reportedly just a hair's breadth from the late stage.

It was precisely because of this that the Netherworld Ghost Emperor referred to the other few Soul Transformation-level juniors in the Nether Domain as such.

With so many trump cards in hand, she couldn't boast of overturning the Taishang Sect if they went to the Eastern Gate, but self-preservation was more than assured.

"Good, good. Then we might as well see this through to the bitter end," the Yinsha Demon Venerable was also a ruthless man; since there was no room for compromise with the Taishang Sect anyway, why should he fear them? He also knew the Heavenly Demon wouldn't act recklessly in such a crucial matter, as it concerned the very survival of the Yinsha Sect.

Having made up his mind, the Yinsha Demon Venerable's aura immediately shifted. With a look of magnanimity, he declared, "Xuan Zhenzi, no more talk. Since a Life and Death Pact was signed, destiny determines the outcome. If your Taishang Sect disregards its honor and attempts to break the agreement, then our Yinsha Sect will fight to the end—better to shatter than to bend!"

These words were spoken with great fervor, amplified by his peak demonic power, carrying hundreds, even thousands of miles, reaching the ears of countless Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and even Qi Refining cultivators. Instantly, the prestige of the Yinsha Sect soared. Many Nascent Soul cultivators present frowned, musing that if the Yinsha Sect managed to weather this catastrophe, they would likely enter a period of explosive development. What did cultivators relying on sects fear most? Being betrayed by their sect at the most critical moment. The Yinsha Sect's defiance of authority would win the allegiance of many rogue cultivators, minor sects, and family powers.

But they also dared not abandon the Yinsha Sect. As the Blood Demon and others had stated, if the Yinsha Sect were easily crushed, the Taishang Sect would absolutely not ignore the incredibly tempting prize that was Kangzhou; destabilizing the situation and carving it up would be inevitable. Those present were all sect leaders, and every one of them felt vexed. Damn it, if the Yinsha Sect insists on courting death, why must they drag the fellow cultivators of Kangzhou onto this sinking ship?

"Good, good!" Xuan Zhenzi was furious, his beard bristling as he snapped, "Yinsha, I never realized you were so bold! Just wait. Once I return and report to my elders, we shall see how the old man chooses to deal with your Yinsha Sect." With that, without exchanging another word with anyone, he transformed into a streak of white light and departed grandly. The remaining six Lingxiao disciples swiftly followed him.