The passage through which the demons invaded one hundred thousand years ago was heavily guarded by the Daosheng Sect.
Zhao Mingyue had tried various methods to sneak into the sect, but for unknown reasons, the incarnations she sent were rendered useless. Each time one approached the gate of the Daosheng Sect, it was found dead shortly afterward.
After losing two incarnations without explanation, Zhao Mingyue came to a realization: there was no point in trying to infiltrate the passage near the back mountain of Daosheng Sect. She would need to find another way.
She reasoned that if the demons had managed to open the first passage, then she should be able to open a second one. With the right location and sufficient preparation, it could be done.
From that moment on, Zhao Mingyue dispatched her incarnations to travel across Yufantian, hoping they might stumble upon an opportunity. The previous incident in Jingkong City was one such attempt.
Many years ago, a ninth-order Cloud Python had caused chaos in the region, only to be subdued by an ancestor of the Daosheng Sect. According to historical records, the battle had torn the earth apart and even shattered the void itself.
Zhao Mingyue theorized that the space near Jingkong City might still be weakened, making it easier to open a passage. But the outcome deeply disappointed her. The records of that ancient battle might have been exaggerated—or perhaps the space barrier had already repaired itself.
The once-broken space had long since returned to its original state.
The attempt in Jingkong City ended in complete failure. Not only did she fail to open a stable channel, but she also lost another incarnation. Even worse, the Horned Demons who participated in the operation were slaughtered by members of the Daosheng Sect.
This resulted in growing resentment among the remaining demons. There were few of them left in Yufantian. If they continued to die in vain, they would be extinct before long.
Just when Zhao Mingyue was wallowing in frustration, another incarnation brought encouraging news. It had been stationed on a small island in the Tianxing Sea and detected a sudden and violent fluctuation in space. Although the disturbance faded quickly, Zhao Mingyue was elated.
She understood the cause immediately.
This time, she summoned several demons to confirm the matter. If the location proved to be a spatial weak point, they would begin their next phase of action.
Opening a space channel was not something she could accomplish alone—especially when it came to locating the coordinates of the Demon World. That responsibility fell to the demons themselves.
Zhao Mingyue held a formation plate and slowly surveyed the island. Suddenly, stars lit up on its surface. Her face bloomed like a mountain flower, revealing a captivating smile.
"This must be the place."
With that, she took out a spear-shaped magical weapon—the top-grade treasure known as the Star-Fixing Spear. As she channeled her magic into it, the spear emitted a dim glow before thrusting toward a specific point in space.
Boom—
The sky rippled violently. A dark crack split open in midair before slowly sealing itself again.
"Haha! The spatial barrier here is definitely weaker than elsewhere," she exclaimed.
The demons standing behind her erupted in excitement.
In an ordinary location, not even Zhao Mingyue, with her peak Fusion Realm cultivation, could pierce the void. The crack just now proved that this space was different—frailer, more vulnerable.
They had waited far too long.
One hundred thousand years.
How many hundreds of thousands of years can a demon live?
Although demons live longer than humans, even they could not endure such a passage of time indefinitely.
Among the demons who had remained in Yufantian, the weak had already died of old age. Even most of those in the Void Refinement Realm had succumbed to time. Only eight demons remained: three in the Fusion Realm and five in the Void Refinement Realm.
In Yufantian, not only could they not cultivate, but their power was also steadily declining. There was no demonic energy here. Without transformation, the environment was unsuitable for demon cultivation.
If they wanted to change this world, they couldn't rely on just the few of them.
Only the Demon Palace possessed the means to convert a spiritual world into one suitable for demonic cultivation—and doing so came at a steep cost. If they couldn't open the passage soon, they would all perish here.
So even though Zhao Mingyue's incarnations had failed time and time again, the demons suppressed their resentment and cooperated—because this was their last hope.
Seeing their excitement, Zhao Mingyue's smile widened.
When the demons had finally calmed down, she spoke slowly.
"Lord Black Demon, please try to contact the Demon Palace."
"Understood. Let's first set up the cross-border communication array."
The eight demons moved swiftly. One after another, they summoned their magical weapons and began transforming the surrounding land. Soon, a massive altar was erected.
Black Demon, a Fusion Realm cultivator, held a formation plate and stepped slowly onto the altar. His excitement was unmistakable—his hand trembled slightly as he held the plate.
They had waited far too long for this moment.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the altar while the others stood in solemn silence around him.
Whoosh—
Black Demon exhaled gently and began casting spell after spell onto the formation plate. Before long, a black beam of light shot into the sky.
—
Meanwhile, in the Demon World, deep within a secret hall of the Demon Palace, a tall demon sat in meditation, eyes closed.
"Hmm?"
His eyes snapped open. Sensing something unusual, he stood and swiftly exited the hall, flying toward a massive altar nearby.
As he arrived, the demons guarding the altar greeted him in unison.
"Greetings, Palace Master!"
This was none other than Mo Yuetian, the Palace Master of the Demon God Palace.
Mo Yuetian had reached the late stage of Mahayana cultivation, just one step away from triggering a heavenly tribulation and ascending to the Upper Realm.
But that final step was unimaginably difficult.
Fortunately, demons possessed long lifespans. While human Mahayana cultivators could live for up to 100,000 years, great demons could reach over 300,000.
A hundred thousand years ago, Mo Yuetian had discovered a passage to Yufantian. Without hesitation, he led the demon army through it. Unfortunately, the Daosheng Sect was at its zenith then, boasting five Mahayana cultivators in its ranks.
Though the Demon God Palace also had Mahayana cultivators, the Daosheng Sect held the advantage. They were defending their home territory, with the battlefield near their mountain gate.
The two sides clashed in a brutal war that lasted centuries.
In the end, the Daosheng Sect sealed the passage at great cost, sacrificing three Mahayana monks to do so.
Fortunately, Mo Yuetian had sensed the danger in time and retreated with the majority of his forces. Otherwise, they would have all perished in Yufantian.
Since then, Mo Yuetian had never accepted his defeat. He maintained the communication formation between the two worlds, holding onto hope that one day, a message would come—one that would allow them to launch a coordinated strike on Yufantian from within and without.