When Xie Qingyun summoned the heads of various peaks to discuss matters in Qingyun Palace, the news of the Heart Demon Clan's invasion of the Central Spirit Realm had already spread rapidly through the Sword Sect's channels to the other five Taoist sects and Da Xia.
It was like a wildfire, quickly burning throughout the entire human realm and shaking the sky.
Qinling Mountains, Yanlan Pass.
The giants, together with the demons under their command, launched continuous offensives against the human city gates, which has lasted for more than three months.
The demons did not put too much strength into each wave of attack, but their attack was continuous, leaving no breathing time for the monks at Yanlan Pass.
That’s not all. What really makes things difficult for the human race is that no one knows when the giant demons will intensify their offensive.
This made them feel extremely anxious.
The string is getting tighter and tighter, making people feel very uncomfortable.
However, no matter how desperate the situation is, the human race cannot proactively provoke a war between Taoism and Demons and can only fight back passively.
This made the human monks increasingly exhausted.
Xia Zhao, the Lord of Daxia, stood on the city wall of Yanlan Pass, looking at the black water-like demonic tide in the distance. His calm expression concealed deep emotion.
"The demons are just harassing us, but they have caused us so much trouble. If the second war between the Taoists and the demons really begins, what kind of miserable situation will the human race fall into?"
A faint fear and a touch of fatigue arose in her heart.
Just at this moment, there was a commotion outside the city wall.
Xia Zhao frowned slightly, but before he could say anything, he saw Elder Xuanji from Tianji Temple hurried over with several monks.
The expressions on everyone's faces were extremely solemn, as if something big was about to happen.
Xia Zhao's heart trembled slightly, but his expression did not change much. He asked, "What happened?"
Elder Xuanji glanced at Xia Zhao, then waved his hand. Immediately, a cultivator behind him stepped forward and handed a spiritual jade to Xia Zhao.
"Your Majesty, this is the news coming from the Sword Sect at Yumen Pass in the Eastern Region. The Sword Sect's leader, Qingyun Sword Immortal, also sent a message..." Elder Xuanji, who was usually calm, had a trembling voice at this moment, as if he was still immersed in some kind of shock and had not yet recovered.
The news of the Sword Sect, along with an oral order from the Sect Master, were all delivered to Yanlan Pass.
In Lingyu, Jianzong revealed the identity and origin of Huanlingzong, pointing out that with the help of Huanlingzong, Longcheng Pass had been lost, and Zhonglingyu was about to face the invasion of demons and the situation of devastation of all lives.
In addition, the Sword Sect pointed out that the demons of the Huanling Sect are now destroying all the cross-domain teleportation arrays in the Central Spiritual Domain, but their Sword Sect's teleportation array has not been lost yet. If other sects want to rush to the Central Spiritual Domain for assistance, they can all use this route.
Xia Zhao read the message in Lingyu in silence. His expression did not change and he seemed very calm.
But her knuckles, which had turned white from gripping the jade tightly, clearly revealed her feelings at the moment.
Elder Xuanji and the monks he brought with him did not speak, their eyes were fixed on the monk in front of them who was nominally in charge of Yanlan Pass.
After a moment, Xia Zhao loosened her grip on Ling Yu's hand slightly. She raised her head and looked at Elder Xuanji, "What did Qingyun Sword Immortal say ?"
"The Qingyun Sword Immortal's oral instruction is just one sentence..." Elder Xuanji felt that his voice was a little dry, and after a pause, he continued:
"Control the long sword and break through the gap in the Helan Mountains."
——Zhonglingyu, Helan Mountain, Longcheng Pass.
Xia Zhao's eyes flashed.
If the revelation of the Huanling Sect's identity, the fall of Longcheng Pass, and the Heart Demon Clan's impending entry into the Central Spirit Realm were the strongest challenges the human race had faced since the Chang'an Year, then these words from the Qingyun Sword Immortal were the most shocking declaration that everyone present had ever heard since the Chang'an Year.
Yes, in this world, sword cultivators have always been the most fearless and courageous group of cultivators.
It is these spirits that enable them to move forward continuously on the unknown path of swordsmanship with fearless faith.
Therefore, even though they are now facing the Middle Spirit Realm which is as absurd as a bottomless abyss, the sword cultivators of the Sword Sect still have the courage to move forward, wanting to carve out a path to the sky with a promising future.
However, if only the Sword Sect came to the aid of the Central Spiritual Realm, would the Sword Sect still be able to win?
Does the Sword Sect really have the ability to suppress two clans with one sect?
Xia Zhao put his hands behind his back and clenched them tightly, not wanting to tell anyone else what was going on in his mind.
She took a deep breath, suppressed the fatigue and fear in her heart, and said softly: "Immediately summon all the ninth-level monks in Yanlan Pass to the Summer Palace."
After he finished speaking, Xia Zhao turned around and flew towards his own palace.
That is the Summer Palace.
Judging from Xia Zhao's own personal will and inner inclination, she definitely wanted to send cultivators to accompany the Sword Sect.
But the problem is, she is the ruler of Da Xia and she cannot act on her own.
Yanlan Pass is facing the most fierce attack since the first war between Taoism and Demons. It is even more impossible for her to mobilize a large number of cultivators to support the Central Spirit Realm at this time.
…
In the northern region, Zijing Ridge, Zijing Pass, in the center of Cangyuan Palace.
At this moment, 90% of the ninth-level cultivators in Zijing Pass gathered here to discuss matters.
The discussion had been going on for a long time, and the atmosphere in the palace was very low and depressing.
"The demons outside of our Zijing Pass have not made any unusual moves. We have enough spare capacity to mobilize manpower to rush to the Zhongling Realm for support." Huang Yang, the Great Venerable of Dao Zong Jia Building, shouted.
"The Giant Spirit Demon Clan outside Yanlan Pass has been attacking for more than three months. The Soldier Demon Clan outside Yumen Pass is confronting the Sword Sect. The Heart Demon Clan outside Longcheng Pass is directly attacking Longcheng Pass. Now is a time of panic."
The Palace Master of Tiancang Palace, another top sect in the Northern Territory, the Palace Master Chichang, spoke in a loud voice, "How can you guarantee that the Nightmare Demon Clan is not secretly accumulating some big conspiracy?"
"I just don't believe that the other five holy demons will remain completely indifferent when the three major demon tribes, the Soldier Demon, the Giant Spirit, and the Heart Demon, make such a big move."
"Perhaps we just transferred a large number of manpower to the Central Spirit Realm, and the Nightmare Demons took advantage of the situation and led the demon army to attack the city."
"How will Zijing Pass, which is depleted of power, deal with the attack of the demons?"
"We have already lost Longcheng Pass, are we going to lose Zijing Pass as well?"
"Then are you going to sit back and watch the Central Spirit Realm being slaughtered by the Heart Demon Clan?" Great Venerable Huang Yang suppressed his anger and asked, "When the enemy was at Yumen Pass, the Sword Sect did not hesitate to come to the aid of the Central Spirit Realm, so why can't we at Zijing Pass do the same?"
"You said it was the Sword Sect, not Yumen Pass." The leader of another top sect in the Northern Territory, Sanquan Mansion, the Lord of Shuilan Mansion, spoke in a cold voice.
These words suddenly chilled the already tense atmosphere in Cangyuan Palace.
It is the Sword Sect, not Yumen Pass, that is the biggest problem.
"The Sword Sect is a group of lunatics who act without regard for the consequences. That's why they came to the aid of the Central Spirit Realm under such circumstances. However, this is only an exception and cannot be used as a model."
"Moreover, even for the Sword Sect, only half of them are going west. Most of the cultivators and Qingyun Sword Immortals still have to stay at Yumen Pass."
"You should also know that the Sword Sect's westward expedition under such circumstances will not be able to change the situation in the Central Spiritual Territory at all."
This is a fact.
There were no local cultivators accompanying them, and only half of the sect was on the western expedition. Although the Sword Sect was very powerful, it was still a force that was enough to make any sect in the world tremble.
But what they are facing now is not any sect or any force, but a region of demons.
So what does this force count for?
Faced with such a trend, anyone would want to give up.
Many years ago, the human race also faced a similar situation, and it was not just one domain, but seven domains.
The seven regions are facing imminent destruction at the same time.
But at that time, the human race had Xia Daozu.
And now, Xia Daozu has disappeared for 20,000 years.
The people of Zijing Pass have complicated feelings.
If possible, they would naturally be willing to go to the Central Spiritual Realm to provide assistance.
On the one hand, as human cultivators, it seems unacceptable to let them watch and allow the Heart Demon Clan to poison the Central Spirit Realm.
In addition, these high-level monks who have been able to cultivate to this level are extremely clear about the principle of "the lips and the teeth are cold".
The loss of Zhongling Territory is not just a matter for Zhongling Territory alone, it will definitely affect them.
But on the other hand, they really don't have the spare energy to help the Central Spirit Realm.
If too many monks are sent out, Zijing Pass will be left empty and face crisis.
But if not enough monks are sent out, they will probably be swallowed up in an instant by the might of the Central Spiritual Realm, and will be vulnerable to any attack, and will be completely ready to die.
This is a dead end.
"Great Honorable Huang Yang, I understand what you are thinking," the Lord of Chichang Palace looked around at everyone and continued, "If possible, who among all the people present would not want to rush to the aid of the Central Spiritual Territory?"
"But it's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't."
"Now that Longcheng Pass has been lost, Zijing Pass must not be in chaos."
"Even the Jade Gate Pass led by the Sword Sect did not dare to make the decision to send a large army to help the Central Spirit Realm. How could we at Zijing Pass take such a big risk?"
"Besides, everyone here knows the dangers of the Central Spiritual Region. Let me ask you, which one of you is willing to sacrifice all your sect's strength in the Central Spiritual Region?"
After the speech of the Lord of Chichang Palace, the other cultivators all fell silent and frowned.
This is a very cruel and realistic problem.
They guarded Zijing Pass and kept the demons out of the pass. They would not hesitate to die even if it meant exhausting the entire sect's strength.
But that’s because behind Zijing Pass is the Northern Territory, the place where they were born and raised.
There are their sects, their relatives, their Taoist companions, their friends...
The North Territory has everything .
Therefore, the cultivators from the Northern Territory were willing to defend Zijing Pass to the death.
But what does the Central Spiritual Realm have to do with them, other than being a human realm like the Northern Realm?
If it's just a small favor, and out of kinship, it's really nothing to ask them to help.
But now, any cultivator who goes to the Central Spiritual Realm will face a life-and-death situation.
Out of a hundred people going there, it is possible that no more than ten will come back alive, or even the entire army may be wiped out.
In addition, they also have to risk losing their homeland.
Under such circumstances, how many sects and cultivators are willing to go to the Central Spiritual Realm?
At this time, Lord Shuilan spoke up and said, "All the power in Zijing Pass must be used to keep an eye on the Nightmare Demon Clan. There is no spare power. The same is true for other domains."
"Now that Dragon City Pass has fallen, and we have no extra forces to support the Central Spirit Realm, we must act decisively and stop the loss in time."
"You and I both know that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."
"Since we can't defend this Central Spiritual Realm, let's just abandon it completely."
"According to the news from the Sword Sect, the Heart Demon Clan is currently destroying the inter-domain teleportation array in the Central Spirit Realm."
"We should just go with the flow and give them a hand, completely cut off the channels connecting the Central Spiritual Domain with other domains, and separate the Central Spiritual Domain from our human domain."
"The population of the Central Spirit Realm is in the tens of millions, and there are tens of thousands of demon beasts. Even with the power of the Heart Demon Clan, it would take hundreds of years to completely annex the Central Spirit Realm. Not to mention, there is a vast ocean between the Central Spirit Realm and the other six realms."
"Doing this will buy us at least two hundred years."
"And considering the current situation of the demon clan, the Second Dao-Demon War may have already ended by then."
"If we win, we can gather the power of the six realms to retake the Central Spiritual Realm."
"If we lose, what's the point of talking about the Central Spirit Realm?"
"You can only gain if you give up something. Temporarily giving up a region may bring eternal peace to our human race. This is the most correct decision."
"Daoist Master Jiang Lan, what do you think?" Palace Master Shui Lan looked at the Master of Building A, Jiang Lan, the cultivator from Zijing Pass, who was sitting on the main seat without saying a word and watching their discussion coldly.
Jiang Lan's eyes flickered, and after a moment of silence, he answered the question irrelevantly: "News has come from Shanhaiguan, Hanguguan, and Wushengguan. They... have decided to give up the Central Spiritual Territory."
The Lord of Shuilan Palace was startled.
Immediately, Cangyuan Palace, where all the chief monks of Zijing Pass gathered, finally became completely quiet.
Their last reason to rush to the Central Spirit Realm for assistance also disappeared.
"If everyone has no other objections, then we at Zijing Pass will also... give up the Central Spiritual Realm." Taoist Master Jiang Lan's eyes were vague, he spoke slowly and made the final decision.
His expression was very calm, but no one could tell what he was thinking.
Then, Daoist Master Jiang Lan said softly: "Send our decision to the Sword Sect..."
"I hope this will dissuade them from going west."
"The human race today can no longer afford any more losses."
"The Sword Cult's sword cultivators are the most skilled at killing. They should fight on the battlefield outside the domain, instead of going to the Central Spiritual Domain to die..."
"Control the long sword and break through the gap in the Helan Mountains..." Daoist Master Jiang Lan murmured and repeated the instructions of the Qingyun Sword Immortal. Finally, he sighed, shook his head and said, "I have the intention to kill the enemy, but I am powerless to save the situation."
…
Of the six passes of the human race, four, namely Shanhaiguan Pass, Hangu Pass, Wusheng Pass and Zijing Pass, have decided to abandon the Central Spiritual Realm.
At Yumen Pass, the Sword Clan decided to march westward to the Central Spiritual Realm.
There is still one level that has not yet made a final decision.
——Zhongtian Territory, Yanlan Pass!
In the Summer Palace, the heated discussion lasted for a long time.
In fact, a long time ago, most people made the same decision as the other four levels, that is, to give up the Middle Spirit Realm.
But there was one person who refused to give in.
The minority obeys the majority, so it stands to reason that one person's persistence is insignificant.
But the problem is, this person... is the Great Xia Lord, Xia Zhao.
"Xia Zhao, Yanlan Pass is absolutely unable to support Zhongling Territory. The giant demon tribe is at the gates of the city. How can we divide our forces?" King Yanhuo, a former cultivator of the King Qing faction in Daxia, was heartbroken and even called out Xia Zhao's name.
With King Yanhuo taking the lead, there was an uproar in the Xia Palace.
Xia Zhao just sat on the throne, watching the noise quietly without saying a word.
After a moment, as she stared, the scene gradually became quiet.
So, Xia Zhao spoke a few words.
“The Sword Sect wants to let the people of that land know that there are still people who have not given up on them.”
"Then we must also let the Sword Sect know that they are definitely not alone."