Two days later, escorted by the leader of the Black-Haired Apes, Xu Yi smoothly arrived at the border of Shenzhou.
The leader of the Black-Haired Apes looked at the faintly glowing light barrier. After a long silence, he said, "You may leave."
Xu Yi also looked at the light barrier.
Beyond this light barrier lay a vast world.
A place entirely different from Shenzhou.
She suddenly asked, "If one day Shenzhou returns to Jiuzhou, will you leave Shenzhou?"
The Black-Haired Ape leader was startled and immediately shook his head, "Of course not. Where Monkey King Mountain is, that is our monkey tribe's homeland."
Even if there were more abundant spiritual energy and richer fruits elsewhere, those places were not Monkey King Mountain.
Xu Yi smiled slightly, said no more, and bid farewell to the Black-Haired Ape leader in a soft voice.
Then, under the gaze of the Black-Haired Ape leader, she raised her hand, tore open a rift in the light barrier, and stepped through.
The rift healed quickly, and Xu Yi's trace soon disappeared.
The Black-Haired Ape leader stood in place for a long time before turning and leaving.
The first thing Xu Yi did upon her return was to find Ji Buwang and inform him of Shenzhou's current situation.
Ji Buwang immediately sent messages to all sects in the Jiuzhou Alliance, urging everyone to prepare for the worst.
This time, the Jiuzhou Continent might face a joint attack from the demon and fiend races, and the catastrophe of the past was about to repeat itself.
As soon as this news spread, it quickly disseminated across the Jiuzhou Continent.
The previously peaceful and harmonious atmosphere gradually changed, and a spirit of diligent cultivation swept across the Jiuzhou land within days.
Disciples' diligent figures could be seen on training grounds at all times.
The Jiuzhou Continent suddenly fell silent.
And after this silence, a surging momentum was gradually brewing.
...
On this day, Xu Yi slowly opened her eyes in her cave dwelling.
"Two hundred years."
A low sigh echoed in the silent cave.
Two hundred years had passed since Xu Yi left Shenzhou.
During these two hundred years, the fiend and demon races had been inactive.
The Jiuzhou Alliance had undergone various adjustments and entered the right path.
Now, not only the major sects of the Jiuzhou Continent but also small families and rogue cultivators in remote areas had become members of the Jiuzhou Alliance.
Xu Yi had not been idle either; she had done everything possible to improve her cultivation. Currently, her cultivation had stabilized at the late stage of Tribulation Transcension.
According to the original plan, she still needed to remain in seclusion for some time to consolidate her cultivation.
However, just moments ago, she had suddenly awakened from her seclusion.
A throbbing sensation rising from the depths of her heart prevented her from entering a tranquil state.
She had a vague premonition.
The times were about to change.
Xu Yi suppressed her discomfort and went to look at the lotus platform beside her.
Over the past two hundred years, while cultivating, she had also continuously attempted to open the lotus platform, but with little success.
The divine soul of the Great Peng Golden-Winged Bird occasionally regained consciousness every few years, but its periods of wakefulness were extremely brief.
So brief that Xu Yi couldn't communicate with the Great Peng Golden-Winged Bird before it returned to its previous state.
Xu Yi sighed faintly.
The plans of the fiend and demon races would likely commence soon. It seemed she would not be able to gather all the demon king divine souls.
As expected, less than half an incense stick's time later, the transmission disk on her waist began to vibrate violently.
Xu Yi tapped it with her finger, and Ji Buwang's voice floated out from the transmission disk.
He said, "The seals on Shenzhou and Zhuzhou have disappeared."
This also meant that the demon and fiend races were about to return.
A sharp glint flashed in Xu Yi's eyes, and her figure instantly disappeared from the cave dwelling.
When Xu Yi arrived at the sect's main hall, Ji Buwang, Elder Qingfeng, and others were already waiting there. Even several elders whom Xu Yi rarely saw were present.
Xu Yi's heart stirred. Apart from the three Grand Ancestors who were in critical seclusion within the sect, all the elders of the Xuanji Sect were present.
A slight smile curved Xu Yi's lips. After greeting all the elders, they took their seats.
She looked at Ji Buwang, "What is the situation in Zhuzhou and Shenzhou?"
Ji Buwang replied, "According to the news from the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect and the Beast Taming Gate, although the seals have been lifted, the demon and fiend races have not made any moves. Everything is as usual."
Xu Yi's eyebrows slightly raised.
Although the seals on Zhuzhou and Shenzhou had weakened, they would not be easily broken without being attacked, so this must be the work of the demon and fiend races.
Since the other party had decided to break the seals, they must feel that everything was in readiness. But why were they not attacking proactively?
What conspiracy was hidden within this?
Many elders shared Xu Yi's thoughts.
The straightforward Elder Qian Ren slammed the table and roared, "The fiend race must have set a trap in Zhuzhou to lure us in! Do they really take us for three-year-old children!"
Elder Xu shook his head slightly, "The fiend race is cunning, I fear it is not that simple. There must be another conspiracy."
After a few elders spoke, more elders voiced their opinions, each expressing their own views, but the central idea was consistent: this must be a fiend race conspiracy.
In the great hall, the voices of the elders grew louder and louder, with a hint of anger in their tones.
Xu Yi watched the bickering elders, pondered for a moment, and asked Ji Buwang, "Are all preparations in place?"
Ji Buwang nodded slightly.
Xu Yi felt slightly relieved and said to the elders, "Elders, since everyone believes that the demon and fiend races' actions are surely a conspiracy, why don't we hold back for now and see how they react?"
A fox's tail cannot be hidden forever.
Now, it was a matter of who would lose their composure first.
They had been preparing for two hundred years.
Xu Yi had the confidence to deal with them.
The elders' voices paused, and after a moment of silence, they slowly nodded.
Seeing this, Xu Yi picked up the teacup in front of her, toasted them, and then took a small sip, her movements unhurried.
When the elders saw this, the subtle anxiety they felt unconsciously dissipated.
Thinking that at their age, they were not as composed as their Grand Ancestor, they awkwardly lowered their heads, picked up their teacups to cover the strange expressions on their faces.
A smile flashed in Ji Buwang's eyes.
She had indeed become more composed.
After the Xuanji Sect made its decision, they quickly communicated with other sects.
Sects like the Xuanqing Sect and the Beast Taming Gate soon replied.
They shared the same sentiment as the Xuanji Sect.
If the enemy does not move, we do not move.
For a time, the Jiuzhou Continent was unusually quiet.
Zhuzhou.
Di Mo knelt on one knee before Tian Mo, his head bowed, a mixture of unwillingness, doubt, and anger flashing across his face.
He endured and endured, but still couldn't help himself, and said in a hoarse voice, "Tian Mo, why have we not launched an attack yet?"
After waiting for millennia, the day had finally come for the seal to be lifted, yet Tian Mo forbade them from attacking Jiuzhou, even ordering all fiends not to step an inch out of Shenzhou.
Di Mo found it hard to accept.
However, his deeply ingrained hierarchical concept and Tian Mo's long-established prestige prevented him from acting rashly.
He even dared not let Tian Mo see the expression on his face.
"Are you questioning me?"
Tian Mo's voice was as sinister as ever.
Yet, Di Mo could tell he was angry.
He lowered his head even further, "I dare not."
Then, he tightly bit his lip with his teeth.
"There is no need to inquire. You only need to obey orders."