The Five Devil Kings immediately understood what had happened.
Liang had betrayed them.
But they couldn't understand why. Why would he go to such lengths to summon them into this world, only to send them back so soon?
No matter how hard they tried to figure it out, they couldn't make sense of his actions.
As the force pulling them away grew stronger, the Spirit Severing Realm cultivators nearby stopped attacking. They watched in surprise as the five Devil Kings were dragged toward the summoning formation.
Although they didn't know what was happening, they could tell it was in their favor.
Soon, all five Devil Kings were pulled into the formation and disappeared. Only traces of devil qi remained where they had stood.
Without their leaders, the devil armies immediately fell into disarray. The devils retreated through the portals, fleeing the battlefield in confusion.
Just like that, the war came to an end.
The surviving cultivators stood among the ruins, struggling to understand how everything had changed so suddenly.
None of them knew that the mastermind behind the entire disaster had already achieved his goal.
Liang had disappeared, leaving behind a devastated world and countless unanswered questions.
As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the world slowly began recovering from the catastrophe. The surviving cities joined forces to rebuild, pooling whatever resources they had left.
But things would never be the same again.
The Ten Great Sects, once the dominant forces of the cultivation world, had lost most of their power. The Ten Great Cities no longer had rulers, and their former influence had all but disappeared.
Their ten Spirit Severing Realm ancestors had suffered terrible injuries during the war. Some had even fallen to lower cultivation realms.
Worse still, the world's spiritual qi continued to decline, making recovery increasingly difficult.
With no other choice, the ten ancestors eventually left the planet in search of other worlds with richer spiritual qi. They abandoned their sects, leaving them without their strongest protectors.
Fearing complete destruction, the remnants of the Ten Great Sects went into hiding.
From then on, they disappeared from the cultivation world's affairs.
Two hundred years passed.
For mortals, two centuries could span several generations. For cultivators, it was little more than a fleeting moment.
Heavenly Iron Mountain, once home to Dragon Terrace City, was now known as Arcane City. Although its name had changed, the legends surrounding the mountain remained.
At the center of the bustling city stood a luxurious inn overlooking the streets below.
Inside one of its rooms, a tall man stood beside the window.
He appeared to be in his early forties, with short, neatly trimmed hair showing a few strands of gray. Several faint scars marked his stern face, giving him a rugged appearance.
He wore simple yet finely made navy-blue robes, fastened at the waist with a braided cord.
Though he stood quietly, his presence carried a natural authority.
His gaze rested on the busy streets below.
The man was Han Zhi.
If Liang were here, he would have been surprised to discover that Han Zhi had advanced from the Core Formation Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm.
"Greetings, Master."
A young man appeared silently behind him.
Han Zhi turned slightly.
"Have you found any news about Liang Yifei?"
The young man shook his head.
"No, Master. We've searched for many years but haven't found a single trace of him. He may have died when Blood Moon City was destroyed. Even a Spirit Severing Realm expert might not have survived that catastrophe."
Han Zhi's expression darkened.
"No. He wouldn't die that easily."
He paused before continuing.
"Liang Yifei was the mastermind behind the devil invasion, but I still don't understand what he was trying to achieve."
The young man hesitated before speaking.
"But wasn't he working for the devils?"
Over the past two centuries, rumors about the person who had helped the devils invade the world had gradually spread. However, without solid evidence, few dared to discuss the matter openly.
Han Zhi suddenly laughed.
"You've got it completely wrong. Liang Yifei wasn't working for the devils."
"He was using them."
The young man stared at him in disbelief.
"Once he achieved his goal, he forced them back into their own realm."
"Master, are you saying that the entire war was his doing?"
Han Zhi looked out the window, his expression growing distant.
"Liang Yifei has always been ambitious. He was willing to do anything to gain power, and the devils were simply tools he used to achieve his goals."
"But he also understood how dangerous they were. He couldn't allow them to remain in our world forever."
"He used them to weaken the cultivation world, then sent them back once they had served their purpose."
His expression turned cold.
"He never cared how many people died along the way."
The young man shook his head, struggling to believe what he had heard.
"I can't imagine anyone being that ruthless."
Han Zhi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Unfortunately, people like him do exist. That's why we must always remain vigilant."
His gaze hardened.
"And that's why I have to find him."
"I need to know what he gained from all this."
The young man bowed respectfully.
"I'll continue looking for clues, Master."
Han Zhi nodded.
"We cannot let his crimes go unanswered. The world may have begun to recover, but the scars left by that war will never truly disappear."
With that, he left the inn.
As he stepped into the crowded streets, his thoughts returned to the events of two hundred years ago.
Of the five cultivators possessed by the Devil Kings, Han Zhi was the only one who had survived after his Devil King was forcibly expelled.
When he regained consciousness, he discovered that his cultivation had advanced directly to the Nascent Soul Realm.
He later learned why.
His physical body had been exceptionally resilient, allowing him to withstand the partial possession. Furthermore, the Devil King had been expelled before the fusion could be completed.
What should have been a disaster had unexpectedly become an opportunity for him to advance.
---
Two hundred years had passed since the destruction of Blood Moon City, yet no one had dared to rebuild it.
Even from miles away, an ominous aura still hung over the ruins.
Deep beneath the shattered city lay an ancient underground palace.
At its center rested an enormous egg.
A powerful vitality pulsed within it, and a faint crimson light shone from its shell. Ancient runes covered its surface, glowing softly in the darkness.
As the years passed, thin cracks began spreading across the shell.
The creature within was finally approaching the moment of its awakening.