Chapter 123: A Desperate Gamble

At this moment, on Mount Xuanji, the sacred site of the Immortal Sect, the ancient ancestor of the sect, Zhuge Yang, stood beside a clear mountain pool. The water was so transparent that the bottom was visible, and its surface was utterly calm.

Zhuge Yang threw each leaf he held one by one into the pool. The broad leaves floated steadily on the surface without causing the slightest ripple. Soon, only one leaf remained in his hand. He tossed it into the pool as well.

Unexpectedly, the final leaf, upon touching the water, stirred a circle of ripples that spread across the entire pool. Gradually, the leaf sank to the bottom.

Zhuge Yang’s body trembled slightly. After blinking, he let out a deep sigh and said, “What I feared most has indeed come to pass.”

“Unbelievably, the Demon Lord Xuan Yuan has not perished. Instead, he has returned from the Ancient Profound Wilderness Realm, bearing the Supreme Ancient Chongming Realm.”

“With this, the delicate balance between the realms of immortals and demons can no longer be restored.”

As the ancient ancestor of the Immortal Sect, Zhuge Yang was well aware of the existence of the "Three Pinnacle Realms" and the Ancient Profound Wilderness Realm. When the Demon Lord and the Immortal Lord broke through their limits again, they would have the chance to comprehend the first of the Three Pinnacle Realms—the Supreme Ancient Chongming Realm—within the Ancient Profound Wilderness Realm.

Zhuge Yang himself had ventured into the Ancient Profound Wilderness and emerged successfully, having already cultivated the Supreme Ancient Chongming Immortal Body.

As for the second and third realms among the Three Pinnacle Realms, no one on the entire Xuanying Continent knew their true nature, and no existing cultivation texts mentioned them. Therefore, Zhuge Yang was unsure whether any ancient ancestors had ever reached those higher realms.

Now, the cultivation of the Demon Lord Qin Xuanxi had reached the Supreme Ancient Chongming Realm, making his strength comparable to Zhuge Yang himself.

Three years ago, when rumors of the Demon Lord’s death spread across the Xuanying Continent, Zhuge Yang suspected that Qin Xuanxi had not truly died but had been trapped in the Ancient Profound Wilderness Realm.

At that time, he still held onto a glimmer of hope. After all, throughout history, very few had ever returned alive from the Ancient Profound Wilderness Realm. If Qin Xuanxi remained trapped there, it would be no different from perishing.

But fate had other plans. Qin Xuanxi emerged from the realm in just three years, culminating in a situation Zhuge Yang dreaded most.

Now, the military strength of the immortal and demon realms was completely unbalanced. Should any malefactors secretly fan the flames, it could ignite the Sixth War between immortals and demons.

Moreover, as time passed and the demon cultivation world gradually realized its growing superiority over the immortal world, instability would ferment, and the likelihood of the war erupting would only increase.

It was foreseeable that once the war began, the Immortal Sect would suffer a crushing defeat.

To prepare for this eventuality, over eighty years ago, Zhuge Yang had secretly initiated a “Centennial Talent Cultivation Plan,” persuading seven venerable Immortal Lords to come out of seclusion to take on disciples.

Now, more than eighty years later, it was unclear how successful these seven Immortal Lords had been in nurturing talent. Time was running out for them.

…

In the present day, on Hailan Star, Song Yao exited the Shenghao Group building, her earlier tension instantly dissipating.

At last, she had found a reliable internship. Tomorrow, the heiress Pei Wangshu would have her report to the human resources department.

The Shenghao Group’s workday began at nine in the morning. Fearing she might oversleep, Song Yao took out her phone to set alarms.

Between eight and eight-thirty, she set five alarms, determined not to miss waking up.

After setting the alarms, she opened the official website of “Xuanying Continent” through her phone’s browser and soon saw an urgent announcement:

“Urgent Notice:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the power gap between the immortal and demon realms has widened again, increasing the risk of the Sixth War between immortals and demons erupting on Xuanying Continent.

Risk assessments indicate that as time progresses, the probability of the Sixth War breaking out will only rise.

To prevent a large-scale war from suddenly breaking out during the first test login period and thus ruining the gaming experience for players,

It has been decided to open the first test login six days earlier.

Accordingly, the test login time has been moved from twelve days later to six days later.”

Reading this message, Song Yao felt no stir of emotion.

After all, with only thirty-two player slots available, her chance of being selected was far lower than winning the lottery.

Therefore, whether the login opened in twelve days or six days was irrelevant. The key was whether she could secure a test login spot at all.

She had already found an internship and intended to focus on her work first. Once she earned a salary, she would use the money to place a missing person notice for her brother in a newspaper.

…

Meanwhile, in Yancheng of Xuanying Continent, after Bai Ruoling, disguised as the Xuanying Demon Lord, had left, Lü Yixian and others gathered in a mansion in Changle Lane to discuss whether to agree to the Demon Lord Xuan Yuan’s demand to release the Taiyin Demon Lord.

However, their opinions diverged sharply, and no consensus was reached.

Lü Yixian belonged to the “Compromise Faction.”

He argued that there was no need to confront the demoness Qin Xuanxi head-on. If a battle broke out, they would all perish, and their sects would be targeted by her in retaliation, as had happened to the Holy Heaven Sect before.

On the other hand, Ni Xuan, the “Hanxuan Immortal Lord,” was part of the “Hardline Faction.”

She believed the Immortal Sect could no longer tolerate Qin Xuanxi’s provocations. If they continued to yield, the demoness would only grow bolder.

Therefore, she insisted that at noon tomorrow, the Immortal cultivators should resolve to fight to the death against the demoness.

At this moment, Ye Quan, an Immortal Master from the Changba Sect, spoke up, “I support Hanxuan Immortal Lord’s viewpoint. For the sake of the Immortal Sect’s righteousness, what do we fear in death? Tomorrow at noon, we will fight the demoness to the very end.”

“But since there is still time before noon tomorrow, to increase our chances of victory, I plan to seek reinforcements from nearby sects. You must hold on until I return.”

Others quickly chimed in, “I will accompany you to fetch reinforcements.”

“I will go with you as well.”

“I want to come too.”

However, someone immediately exposed their true intention, “You’re not planning to use this as an excuse to slip away, are you?”

“You… what are you saying?” Ye Quan’s face flushed, “Am I the type to be cowardly, abandoning my comrades in the Immortal Sect?”

The other person glanced at Ye Quan, “I think you fit that description perfectly.”