The Five Devil Kings instantly understood what was happening.
They knew exactly who was responsible.
Liang Yifei had deceived them.
Yet one question burned in their minds.
Why?
Why would he go through such immense effort to summon them into this world… only to send them back almost immediately?
The answer remained beyond their grasp.
Even as they struggled against the overwhelming force dragging them away, none of them could comprehend his true intention.
Nearby, the Spirit Severing Realm cultivators sensed the sudden change and immediately halted their attacks.
They stared in astonishment as the Devil Kings were forcibly pulled toward the summoning formation.
Though they did not understand the cause, they instinctively realized that this development was favorable.
Within moments, the five Devil Kings were completely drawn back into the formation.
They vanished without leaving a trace, aside from faint remnants of their devilish aura lingering in the air.
With the disappearance of their leaders, the devil armies instantly fell into chaos.
The invading forces retreated through the portals in panic, abandoning the battlefield.
Just like that, the war ended.
The surviving cultivators were left standing amidst devastation, struggling to comprehend the sudden reversal.
None of them realized that the true mastermind behind everything had already achieved his objective.
He left behind only destruction, chaos, and countless unanswered questions.
As days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, the world slowly began recovering from the aftermath of the catastrophe.
The remaining cities united, pooling their resources to rebuild.
But nothing would ever return to its former state.
The Ten Great Sects, once the pillars of the cultivation world, had lost their dominance.
The Ten Great Cities no longer had rulers.
Their former influence had faded almost completely.
After the war, the Ten Great Sects were left gravely weakened.
Their ten Spirit Severing Realm ancestors had suffered catastrophic injuries, with some even experiencing a decline in their cultivation levels.
Meanwhile, the world's spiritual qi continued to diminish.
Under such conditions, recovery was nearly impossible.
With no other choice, those ten ancestors ultimately left the planet, seeking other worlds rich in spiritual qi.
They abandoned their sects, leaving them leaderless and vulnerable.
Fearing extinction, the remnants of the Ten Great Sects went into hiding.
From that point onward, they were never seen again.
Two hundred years passed.
For mortals, it was an entire lifetime.
For cultivators, it was little more than the blink of an eye.
Heavenly Iron Mountain — once known as Dragon Terrace City — was now called Arcane City.
Names had changed, but the legends surrounding it remained.
At the center of the city stood a luxurious inn overlooking the bustling streets below.
Inside, a tall man stood by a window.
He appeared to be in his early forties, with neatly trimmed short hair streaked faintly with gray. His stern face bore a few faint scars, giving him a rugged and imposing presence.
He wore simple but finely crafted navy-blue robes tied at the waist with a braided cord.
Though he stood perfectly still, an aura of quiet authority surrounded him.
He observed the lively city below with calm, watchful eyes.
This man was Han Zhi.
If Liang Yifei were present, he would have been shocked.
Han Zhi was no longer at the Core Formation Realm.
He had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm.
"Greetings, Master," a voice said respectfully from behind.
A young man had appeared silently.
Han Zhi turned slightly.
"Any news of Liang Yifei?" he asked calmly.
The young man shook his head.
"None, Master. We have searched for many years without results. It is possible he perished during the destruction of Blood Moon City. Even Spirit Severing Realm cultivators would struggle to survive such a catastrophe."
Han Zhi's expression darkened.
"No," he said firmly. "He would not die so easily."
After a brief pause, he continued quietly.
"Liang Yifei was the mastermind behind the devil invasion. But even now, I cannot understand his true purpose."
The young man hesitated.
"But… was he not merely a servant of the devils?"
Over the past two centuries, rumors about the identity of the one who aided the devils had gradually surfaced.
Yet due to the lack of concrete proof, no one dared speak openly.
Han Zhi suddenly laughed.
"You misunderstand completely," he said coldly. "Liang Yifei was not their servant."
"He was the one who used them."
"Once he achieved his goal, he cast them aside and forced them back to their realm."
The young man froze in shock.
"Master… are you saying the entire war was orchestrated by him alone?"
Han Zhi's gaze turned distant.
"Liang Yifei was always driven by ambition," he said slowly. "He sought power above all else. The devils were merely tools in his plan."
"But he understood their true threat. He could never allow them to remain in our world."
"He unleashed them to weaken the cultivation world… and then expelled them once they had served their purpose."
His expression grew somber.
"He simply did not care how many innocent lives were lost."
The young man shook his head in disbelief.
"I cannot imagine anyone being so ruthless."
Han Zhi placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Sadly, there are many like him," he said quietly. "That is why we must remain vigilant."
His eyes hardened with determination.
"That is also why I must find him."
"I need to know what he truly gained from all this."
The young man bowed.
"I will continue searching for any leads, Master."
Han Zhi nodded.
"We cannot allow his crimes to go unpunished. Though the world has begun to heal, the scars of that war will never fade."
With that, he turned and left the inn.
As Han Zhi stepped into the busy streets, his thoughts drifted back two hundred years.
When the Devil King had been expelled from his body, he alone among the five had survived.
Upon awakening, he discovered that his cultivation had advanced directly to the Nascent Soul Realm.
Later, he learned the reason.
His physical body had been extraordinarily resilient, allowing him to endure partial possession.
Moreover, the Devil King had been forcibly expelled before the process could fully complete.
That incomplete fusion had ultimately become his opportunity.
Two centuries after the destruction of Blood Moon City, no one dared rebuild it.
Even from miles away, an ominous aura lingered over the ruins.
Deep beneath the shattered remains lay an ancient underground palace.
At its center rested a gigantic egg.
It pulsed steadily with powerful vitality, glowing faintly with crimson light.
Ancient runes covered its surface.
As time passed, thin cracks slowly began spreading across the shell.
Something inside was preparing to awaken.