Chapter 204: Unveiling the Nether Demon Clan's Involvement

In the present moment.

"Look, there!"

An astute cultivator declared in a hushed tone, "That... It's Fang Yuan's body. He has met his end! Such a pitiful sight indeed."

"Regretful? Hardly!"

"During our hasty retreat, I bore witness to the Honorable Holy Son urging Fang Yuan to flee."

"However, Fang Yuan adamantly refused, claiming that he was worthy to engage in battle, on the precipice of comprehending the Great Dao, poised to attain unprecedented strength, and therefore, he would not retreat!"

"Though my knowledge of the ensuing events is limited due to my distant retreat, I surmised at that critical juncture that this would be Fang Yuan's ultimate fate!"

"The one who truly deserves sympathy is the Honorable Holy Son. Were it not for Fang Yuan's obstruction, his injuries may not have been as grave."

A cultivator at the Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm stepped forth, expressing his frustrations vehemently.

"Exactly!"

"I too heard Fang Yuan's defiant roar!"

"Fang Yuan was undeniably like a man possessed!"

Several other cultivators at the Inquiring Journey realm also echoed these sentiments.

"So that's how it unfolded."

"Reflecting on it now, it's clear that Fang Yuan's Dao Heart had long been compromised, and a Qi Deviation was imminent."

A chilling glint flashed across Ji Mingxiu's eyes, "We should count ourselves fortunate that Jiang Chen wasn't another casualty of his recklessness. Had that been the case, not only would he face complete annihilation, but the entire Fang Clan would have been implicated as well!"

"Cursed be Fang Yuan!!"

With a look of contempt directed at Fang Yuan's lifeless form, Ji Ruxue clung tightly to Jiang Chen's arm, her eyes brimming with anguish.

To this spectacle, Jiang Chen remained unsurprised.

His choice to halt and engage the Dao Comprehension realm demonic python was anything but arbitrary.

The chosen battleground was just within the divine sense detection range of the Inquiring Journey realm cultivators from the Holy Land.

If he wished these Inquiring Journey realm cultivators to witness a particular event, he would ensure they were within the range of observation.

On the other hand, if there was information he wanted to remain undisclosed, he would subtly position himself beyond their perception - out of sight and out of earshot.

As the battle raged on, the combat zone progressively shifted, prompting the cultivators from the Holy Land to retreat even further.

As a result, these cultivators only knew of Jiang Chen's plea for Fang Yuan to escape and the latter's refusal; they remained oblivious to the subsequent events.

Through this strategy, Jiang Chen effectively absolved himself from any accusations of leading Fang Yuan to his demise.

At this juncture, eyewitness testimonies abounded, and Fang Yuan's character was clearly displayed.

Everyone attributed Fang Yuan's demise solely to his own actions, some even expressing their disdain for his near causation of Jiang Chen's death.

"Indeed."

"A person's death is like a lamp extinguished, everything related to him dissipates like smoke, lost to the wind upon his demise."

Jiang Chen sighed, his expression swiftly transitioning to solemnity, "Our paramount concern now is to eliminate the remaining demonic beasts surrounding the Holy Land."

"Jiang Chen is correct."

Ji Mingxiu gave a nod of agreement, and then commanded, "Everyone, tidy up this battlefield, then hasten to reinforce the ongoing fights in the other areas!"

"Understood!"

The remaining cultivators from the Holy Land immediately set about clearing the battleground.

Their primary objective was to gather the fallen demonic beasts, earmarked for Jiang Chen's subsequent use.

Ji Mingxiu personally undertook the responsibility of handling the body of the Dao Comprehension realm demonic python.

In no time, the battlefield was thoroughly cleared, and the corpse of the Dao Comprehension realm demonic python, stowed within multiple artifact storages, was handed over to Jiang Chen.

Following this, the rest of the cultivators from the Holy Land dispersed, rushing to lend their support to other active combat zones.

In contrast, Jiang Chen was vehemently urged by Ji Ruxue and Ji Mingxiu to return to the Holy Land and refrain from further risk-taking!

Jiang Chen found himself obliged to acquiesce.

After all, even without his personal involvement, the cultivators of the Purple Heaven Holy Land would continue to fell the demonic beasts and offer their bodies to him.

Moreover, with the central character Fang Yuan now deceased, Jiang Chen no longer needed to maintain a vigilant watch over the people and unfolding events.

He could finally ease up a bit.

Before long, Jiang Chen, alongside Ji Ruxue and under Ji Mingxiu's escort, made their way back to the Holy Land.

Supreme Elders like Mo Yu had been anticipating their return for quite some time.

Upon Jiang Chen's arrival, they immediately approached to assess his condition. Learning that his cultivation foundation had remained intact, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Once everyone had expressed their concerns, Jiang Chen addressed them.

"Master, all of the Supreme Elders!"

His expression grave, he went on, "I've gleaned a pivotal piece of information from those two Void Tribulation realm powerhouses!"

"What vital information?"

The countenances of Ji Mingxiu and the others shifted instantly, as they voiced their inquiries with evident trepidation.

"The two Void Tribulation realm powerhouses revealed that behind these tides of demonic beasts, it's the Nether Demon Clan pulling the strings in secrecy!"

Jiang Chen's demeanor was solemn, his voice carrying a weighty undertone, "The Bottomless Abyss serves as the conduit between the Nether Demon Clan's realm and our Immortal Martial Continent, and they plot to breach our lands!"

"What?!"

"The Nether Demon Clan?!"

"Does a race called the Nether Demon truly exist?"

"So, the Nether Demon Clan is manipulating the demonic beast tide and has designs on invading our Immortal Martial Continent?"

"..."

The expressions on Ji Mingxiu and the others' faces underwent a dramatic transformation!

"Indeed."

"These tides of demonic beasts merely form the advance guard of the Nether Demon Clan."

"They serve a dual function: first, to whittle down the strength of the three major forces, and second, to propagate the Nether Demon Spiritual Qi!"

"As human cultivators, we grapple with adapting to the Nether Demon Spiritual Qi, as it has the potential to corrode our sanity."

"The Nether Demon Clan likewise struggles to adjust to the Spiritual Qi of our Immortal Martial Continent, necessitating the creation of an environment conducive to their survival and cultivation."

Jiang Chen elaborated unhurriedly, "If the Spiritual Qi environment isn't suitably configured, the Nether Demon Clan might avoid the risk of erosion, but their combat prowess would be severely curtailed."

"Is that so?"

"In that case, our utmost priority should be to eliminate these demonic beast tides as swiftly as possible."

Ji Mingxiu slightly nodded, "Jiang Chen, did those two powerhouses share any additional warnings?"

"Indeed."

"According to the insights shared by the two seniors, considering that the Bottomless Abyss has been left deserted for countless years, its navigability is likely extremely limited."

"The stronger the cultivation base of the Nether Demon Clan members, the more difficult it would be for them to traverse the Bottomless Abyss and reach the Immortal Martial Continent."

Jiang Chen nodded in affirmation, and added, "In a relatively short time frame, the invading Nether Demons will not exceed the Dao Palace realm in power."

"They won't exceed the Dao Palace realm! That's a relief!"

Sha An exhaled a sigh of relief and said, "However, even if Nether Demon Clan members of the Transcendence realm invade, we have the two Void Tribulation realm powerhouses acknowledged by the Holy Son safeguarding the Immortal Martial Continent. There's no cause for excessive concern."

"Precisely."

Yao Zong concurred, "Those two powerhouses are indeed the stalwarts of our human race residing on the Immortal Martial Continent. They certainly won't stand by passively while our land descends into a hellish state!"

Ji Mingxiu, Si Zhangjian, and the others also released sighs of relief.

However.

"Everyone, it would be prudent not to place too much reliance on those two Void Tribulation realm powerhouses," Jiang Chen sighed.

"Why is that?"

Ji Mingxiu was caught off guard, "Could it be that those two Void Tribulation powerhouses will simply stand aside and watch? That's inconceivable!"

The rest of the group also wore expressions of surprise.

"At this juncture, there are certain matters that I should no longer withhold from Master and the seniors."

Jiang Chen shook his head and divulged, "Those two Void Tribulation realm powerhouses are in a unique predicament. They are unable to lend us direct assistance, they can only provide us with pertinent intelligence to aid us."

"What! How can this be!"

Sha An cried out in disbelief, "Those two are Void Tribulation realm powerhouses! What could possibly restrain them from intervening!"

"The Void Tribulation realm is far beyond our comprehension."

Si Zhangjian hypothesized, "Just from its name, we can infer that one has to surmount a formidable tribulation. I suspect it's this very tribulation that's preventing them from taking action."

"Hmm, that seems plausible."

Ji Mingxiu and the others also signaled their agreement with a nod.

In reality, they were all speculating whether those two Void Tribulation realm powerhouses were indisposed in some way.

However, voicing such a guess was deemed inappropriate.

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