Ma Tao from Liuli Valley had long been replaced.
The Ma Tao currently standing in Liuli Valley's position was a demon general under Di Mo.
He was also the main person in charge of this operation.
He deliberately waited until Xu Yi was about to appear before giving the order, his intention naturally being to disrupt the grand ceremony.
Ma Tao knew he was doomed, so he laughed maniacally.
However, the more he laughed, the weaker his voice became.
He gradually realized that the people of Xuanji Sect seemed unusually calm, even terrifyingly so.
Instead, he had become a clown for their amusement.
Thinking of this, he found he could no longer laugh, and the other cultivators under his control also quieted down.
The plaza fell silent once more.
Ma Tao glanced around, finding that no one was even asking about their purpose. Annoyed and enraged, he snarled, "You will all die today! Die!"
There was a moment of commotion in the crowd.
However, when they saw Xuanji Sect's complete lack of reaction, their moods inexplicably calmed.
Xuanji Sect had clearly been prepared. They had no reason to rush.
"Don't you hear me! You will all die here today! It's because you came to Xuanji Sect for the ceremony! Xu Yi deserves to die! Xuanji Sect deserves to die! You all deserve to die!"
For some reason, Ma Tao felt a surge of panic, and could only roar to vent his fear.
He looked like a desperate trapped beast.
Trying to drag his enemy down with him.
"Just you?"
A cold, clear female voice emanated from the high platform.
Ma Tao looked up sharply and saw a woman in a blue daoist robe on the high platform, though he didn't know when she had appeared.
Even though he had never seen her before, he could identify her identity immediately.
"Xu Yi! You've finally come out!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately shifted to the high platform.
"Xu Yi? So she's Xu Yi!"
"Disrespectful! You should address her as Ancestor Xu!"
"Ancestor Xu is truly as terrifyingly young as the rumors say!"
"..."
Xu Yi's appearance was like a shot of confidence for everyone.
The various actions of Xuanji Sect indicated that all the current developments were within their expectations, and they only needed to watch the show unfold with peace of mind.
Even Zhan Fei, who had been deeply worried, finally put aside all his concerns.
As expected, Xuanji Sect had profound heritage and rich experience, capable of handling any crisis.
"I thought we'd catch a big fish, but it turns out to be just a big rat."
Xu Yi shook her head and sighed, clearly disappointed.
She was genuinely somewhat disappointed.
Ma Tao had been within their observation range for a while.
It was just that Xu Yi had been unwilling to believe that he was the person in charge of this operation.
However, the final outcome was destined to disappoint Xu Yi.
Sending a mere minor demon, not even at the Tribulation Crossing stage, to deal with her.
Was the demon race underestimating her that much?
Xu Yi's eyes practically overflowed with regret.
"Xu Yi! You're too arrogant!"
Xu Yi's undisguised gaze almost made Ma Tao faint from anger.
His hands trembled uncontrollably, and his mouth emitted clicking sounds, while blood slowly began to fill his eyes.
"R-red eyes?" Zhao Tian stared blankly at Ma Tao's reddening eyes, her reaction somewhat sluggish.
She vaguely recalled seeing descriptions of red eyes before, but for the moment, she couldn't recall the exact context.
It was only when Chi Xiaoxi next to her spoke the truth, "Demon race! He's from the demon race!"
"What? The demon race?"
Everyone who had planned to watch peacefully suddenly had their hearts in their throats.
The disciples who had been sitting near Ma Tao scrambled to their feet and retreated frantically, creating distance between themselves and him.
Weren't the demon race confined to Zhuzhou? How could there be a demon here?
Some didn't believe it, while others were half-convinced.
"Fellow Daoists, what that young girl said is correct. The person you see before you is indeed from the demon race.
Here, I also have news to share with you all: the demon race's claws have already extended into the Nine Provinces Continent. From today onwards, the Five Great Sects will commence a plan to purge the demon race. We hope you can lend us your assistance."
In such a sudden and unexpected turn of events, Xu Yi's announcement of the demon race's existence and her revelation of their plan caught everyone completely off guard.
"The demon race? Is it really the demon race? Is the righteous-demonic war about to begin again?"
"The demon race actually dares to tear up the peace treaty and openly provoke us. They deserve to be killed!"
"Once the righteous-demonic war begins, it will surely lead to widespread destruction and rivers of blood."
"..."
The reactions of the crowd upon hearing this news varied, and their expressions were incredibly grave.
However, Ma Tao's reaction was the most pronounced.
He stared at Xu Yi in horror.
She knew?
She knew everything?
Ma Tao shivered violently.
He had a premonition, a sense of foreboding.
From the very beginning, every move he made had been within Xu Yi's control.
He thought he had acted without anyone noticing, but in reality, she had already discovered all his secrets.
It was too terrifying.
Xu Yi was truly too terrifying.
Ma Tao finally understood why Di Mo had repeatedly warned him to be extremely careful in his actions and never reveal any flaws.
Because with just one slip-up, he would be plunged into eternal damnation.
No, he had to get this message to Di Mo.
Ma Tao instinctively reached for his waist.
There, he kept a magical artifact for communicating with Di Mo.
"Oh, so it's here."
The moment he moved his hand, he felt his body being restrained by an invisible force.
Then, he could only watch as the artifact hidden at his waist was retrieved by a hand made of spiritual energy, and then slowly floated towards Xu Yi, stopping in front of her.
Ma Tao:!
Xu Yi, with a look of disdain, extended two fingers and casually fiddled with the artifact, then infused it with a surge of spiritual energy.
"Hello? Hello?"
Ma Tao's eyes widened in fury!
Everyone:!
"Is the job done?"
A deep, somber voice emanated from the dark, nondescript artifact.
It had to be said, the tone perfectly matched everyone's impression of how demons sounded.
The crowd instinctively held their breath, eager to hear what he would say next.
Xu Yi raised an eyebrow and deliberately lowered her voice, "The job was botched."
"What! Say that again! What happened!"
Di Mo's tone immediately became agitated.
"Mmph mmph..."
Ma Tao wanted to struggle, to stop her, but he was immobilized, forced to watch as Xu Yi toyed with Di Mo on the other end, utterly powerless to intervene.
Xu Yi paused for a moment, then said with a playful expression, "The enemy was too cunning. Our plan was discovered."
"Pfft... cough cough."
A stifled laugh could be heard from somewhere.
The disciple who had nearly made a sound was met with furious glares from the others. He covered his mouth, his face turning bright red, clearly in pain.
It wasn't just him; many people who knew Xu Yi were also stunned into silence.
Especially the disciples from Huofu Sect, who greatly admired Xu Yi. Seeing this mischievous side of her, they couldn't help but want to laugh.
However, they ultimately managed to suppress their impulses with their strong self-control.
Di Mo's ears were sharp, and he said cautiously, "Why is there a strange noise on your end?"
Xu Yi feigned innocence, "There isn't."
However, something in this simple statement went wrong, and Di Mo sensed that something was amiss.
"You're not Qigu! Who are you!"