"Oh my, I've been discovered."
With her disguise seen through by the Earth Demon, Xu Yi no longer bothered to pretend. She reverted to her clear and cool voice.
The Earth Demon had never met Xu Yi before, nor had he ever heard her voice.
But at this moment, it was as if divine inspiration struck him.
He blurted out, "You are Xu Yi!"
"That's right, it's me." Xu Yi smiled and continued, "Since you've already guessed my identity, why don't I try to guess which Demon Lord you are.
Hmm, I've met several Demon Lords of the demon tribe, except for the Sky Demon and the Earth Demon. It's said that the Sky Demon rarely shows himself, so you must be—the Earth Demon!"
Ma Tao's pupils constricted.
She guessed it!
The other end of the magical artifact fell into a long silence.
"What? Did I guess wrong?" Xu Yi asked in a low voice.
"Xu Yi, I have to admit, I still underestimated you."
At this point, without Xu Yi needing to say more, the Earth Demon knew their plan was completely exposed from these simple words.
As the Sky Demon had predicted.
The Earth Demon was initially furious but quickly calmed down.
This was merely the beginning.
They still had chances.
Xu Yi would not be arrogant for too long.
"Earth Demon, you haven't underestimated me; you've underestimated Xuanji Sect, and you've underestimated all the righteous cultivators of the Nine Provinces Continent. I'm telling you, the demon tribe's ambitions can never be realized. The day you tear up the peace treaty will be the day of your demise."
Xu Yi issued a warning through the magical artifact.
Her words were forceful and resonant.
"Xu Yi, we will not lose. You'd better pray for yourself!"
Bang!
With that final harsh remark from the Earth Demon, the magical artifact exploded.
Xu Yi watched the artifact in front of her turn to dust, her expression icy.
Was the Earth Demon's final statement arrogance, or did he have some hidden trump card?
"Ancestor, who are those people..."
Elder Qingfeng saw Xu Yi lost in thought and the silent crowd waiting for continuation, so he stepped forward to interrupt her musings.
Xu Yi came back to her senses and said softly, "Take them away."
Ma Tao grinned upon hearing this.
To capture them alive? A pipe dream!
Explode for me...
Ma Tao's ferocious expression suddenly froze.
How could he not even sense his demonic energy anymore?
His dazed appearance drew a fond tsk from Xu Yi.
To ensure the demon tribe was caught in one fell swoop this time, Xu Yi had made extensive preparations. For this, she even shamelessly invited teachers from Kunlun Academy to help guard her.
The Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect possessed a supreme treasure called the Spirit Demon Bead.
It could be used to check if a cultivator was carrying demonic energy.
However, this item was rare and only effective within a very close range, limiting its use.
This was the original situation.
But with the arrival of the teachers from Kunlun Academy, everything changed.
The teachers, working together, embedded the Spirit Demon Bead into Xuanji Sect's mountain-protecting grand formation using a special method.
From then on, the mountain-protecting grand formation gained the ability to detect demonic energy.
Anyone carrying demonic energy who entered Xuanji Sect would be discovered by the elders guarding the formation's core and then informed of Xu Yi and others.
Ma Tao and the others' actions within Xuanji Sect were all exposed.
Xu Yi, through their surveillance, learned that they had also placed extremely powerful formation plates in various locations within Xuanji Sect, intending to detonate them during the sect's grand ceremony.
To lure out the big fish, Xu Yi deliberately held back, only emerging to deal with the aftermath once she confirmed the other party had no backup plans.
Although there were no big fish, only a few small rats, at least they were alive.
Xu Yi was grudgingly satisfied.
Ma Tao, Junior Disciple Liu, and the others were taken away.
Xu Yi stood on the high platform, briefly mentioning her identity before speaking of the demon tribe's affairs. She detailed the discoveries made by the five great sects during this period, informing everyone of the gravity of the situation.
By now, no one cared about Xu Yi's origin or background; all their attention was focused on what she was saying.
Although the demon tribe had faded from their sight for nearly a thousand years, the ancient texts left by their ancestors clearly recorded the demon tribe's heinous crimes.
Coupled with the demon tribe's continuous wicked deeds during this period.
Everyone knew that a great war was inevitable.
Unless a figure like Fairy Jinghong appeared again, one who could suppress both the demon and monstrous races.
However, Fairy Jinghong was a peerless genius rarely seen in ten thousand years, and it was inevitable that someone comparable to her would be found.
If one were to say that Old Ancestor Xu bore some similarities to Fairy Jinghong, upon closer comparison, she still fell slightly short.
At least in terms of reputation, she was far from matching Fairy Jinghong.
Thus, after much thought, everyone concluded that there was only one outcome.
That was to fight!
To show their respect for Xuanji Sect, most of the attendees at the ceremony were the sect leaders of the great sects or figures of the Family Ancestor level.
They held absolute authority within their respective forces.
Therefore, this grand ceremony became a gathering of all the righteous paths of the Nine Provinces Continent to discuss how to exterminate the demon tribe.
From being the initiator at the start, Xu Yi gradually became a peripheral figure. She didn't mind, instead patiently listening to everyone express their views and brainstorm ideas.
Soon, a plan for how to exterminate the demon tribe began to take shape.
A thousand miles away, in Pillar Province.
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
The heavens and earth changed color, and violent, gloomy winds howled incessantly.
The earth cracked, and a rumbling roar emanated from deep underground.
In the center of the storm stood a figure cloaked in black.
He roared at the sky, his face ashen, the space around him contorting and distorting under the pressure of his aura.
Hundreds of miles away, countless demons prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling.
"Earth Demon."
The voice that reached his ears brought the frenzied Earth Demon back to his senses.
He stomped on the cracked ground in anger, creating a massive gully, before reluctantly returning to the stone cave.
Without waiting for the Sky Demon to ask, he spoke proactively, "The plan failed, and Xu Yi and the others discovered it. Qigu has also fallen into their hands."
The Sky Demon had anticipated this and was not surprised, though he felt a pang of regret for missing such a great opportunity.
"Never mind. Since this failure will surely alert them, we must be more careful from now on," he said calmly.
"Sky Demon, I can't swallow this!"
The Earth Demon recalled his conversation with Xu Yi earlier, his eyes filled with venom.
"Patience, it's almost time."
The Sky Demon did not know what had happened, but seeing the Earth Demon's demeanor, he knew Xu Yi must have done something that further angered the demons.
He, too, hated Xu Yi.
But the current situation was special, and they had to remain composed.
A small impatience could ruin a great plan.
"Sky Demon, but the Demon King..." the Earth Demon asked cautiously, observing the Sky Demon's expression.
"Silence!"
The Sky Demon's face turned stern, and he shouted loudly.
The Earth Demon immediately shut his mouth, though a flicker of resentment flashed in his eyes.
He knew the Sky Demon could communicate with the Demon King who had ascended to the upper realms, but he knew nothing of their conversations.
In the past, the Earth Demon would not have reacted particularly, but this time, having suffered a setback at Xu Yi's hands, his mind was unusually sensitive.
He thought that if he could have received the Demon King's help, the outcome would not have been like this.