"When destitute, cultivate oneself alone; when prosperous, aid the world."
Li Ye had never considered himself a good person, but doing a good deed now and then did lift his spirits.
Back when he was still a mere Qi Refining cultivator in the Purple Profound Sect of the Huan Kingdom, he had struggled just to survive.
While honing his skills across multiple arts, apart from alchemy which directly enhanced his cultivation he had also dabbled in talismans and gu techniques, all driven by the simple instinct of self-preservation.
It wasn't out of any grand ambition, but merely to ensure that he wouldn't die with only his alchemy skills to show for it, his hard-earned wealth becoming someone else's spoils.
Naturally, under those circumstances, he hadn't cared much for others, and the choices he made were often cautious, even ruthless.
But now…
Having reached the Golden Core stage, he stood at the very pinnacle of the cultivation world across the Four Kingdoms.
Though he had no desire to become some selfless saint aiding the world, offering a little kindness to old friends or their descendants was something he could easily afford.
It not only fulfilled the lingering wishes that had built up in his heart over the years but also unknowingly helped him complete and stabilize his state of mind.
As for the likes of the Li family or the Purple Profound Sect, who had treated him not only with indifference but with no small amount of pettiness in the past
There was no way he would be magnanimous enough to overlook old grudges and extend a helping hand!
Likewise, the current situation had not yet deteriorated beyond repair, and he had his reasons for temporarily stepping up:
Within the Demonic Abyss Secret Realm, he suspected there might be a true Voidrealm Tree Mother something he sorely needed.
Thus, taking on the responsibility of leading the cultivators of the two allied nations to resist the demon tide, and even counterattacking when the time came, was something he willingly accepted.
At the moment, Li Ye sat leisurely by the side of a newly-opened mountain lake, holding a fishing rod.
Leaning back against Rong Yue's soft curves, he let her massage his shoulders with delicate fingers, wearing a relaxed expression as he fished.
In the lake, blue-black long-whiskered carp swam about freely, while sleek, serpentine second-tier Dragon Carp occasionally leaped from the water, soaring through the air before splashing back down.
Though these spiritual beasts found the lake's spiritual energy lacking compared to their original habitat, none dared show any dissatisfaction.
Instead, they even diligently herded the first-tier Blackwater Carp toward Li Ye's fishing hook, trying their best to indulge his pastime.
Splash!
With a light flick of his wrist, Li Ye pulled up a carp, which landed neatly into a nearby bucket.
Glancing at the few fish lazily swimming inside, Li Ye chuckled to himself.
"Guess we'll be having fish for dinner."
Just then, Hongyao floated over, her expression unusually serious.
"Young Master, urgent news from the alliance..."
"The demon cultivators on the borders are stirring. According to scouts, Feiyu and Baigu the two demon lords have already completed their occupation and consolidation of the Huan and Yue Kingdoms.
The demon race is becoming restless, and there's a high chance that war could break out again very soon!"
Li Ye's expression remained calm.
"Have they finished the preparations I ordered?
Is the formation array in place?"
"All preparations are complete, awaiting your inspection," Hongyao replied with a nod.
She hesitated a moment, then advised,
"But now that the two nations are mingling their forces if a traitor has infiltrated the ranks setting up the formation, wouldn't that sabotage your plan?"
"No matter," Li Ye said lightly.
"The formation was only ever meant as a secondary measure, a little backup.
Even if there's a mishap, it won't affect the overall situation."
He smiled faintly.
"What truly matters is the battle between Golden Core cultivators.
As long as I defeat Feiyu and Baigu, everything else will fall into place."
"If I lose
no matter how many schemes I lay out, they'll only buy a bit more time at best."
Hongyao and Rong Yue immediately spoke up:
"Young Master's divine powers are unmatched!
You will surely crush those demonic fiends with ease!"
"Hahaha! I'll take that as a good omen, then!"
Li Ye laughed heartily, casually tossing his fishing rod aside, and stood up.
"Come on!
These Blackwater Carp from Thousand Islands Water City aren't half bad.
You should try some too!"
........
A few days later, the demon tide surged once more.
After days of lying low, consolidating forces from both captured kingdoms, and unifying their command, the overall threat and combat strength of the demon tide had risen to a whole new level.
However, the two-nation alliance had long been prepared.
Though the demon army came in fiercely, their assault powerful enough to attack multiple locations simultaneously,
the alliance forces did not collapse under the first wave.
Thanks to extensive preparations and support measures, they managed to trap and kill a large number of demon cultivators and demon beasts.
As for the demonized human puppets, their casualties were even greater, piling into small mountains of corpses across the battlefield.
But such momentum did not last for long.
With the arrival of Baigu and Feiyu the two Golden Core demon lords the demon vanguard tore through defenses as if no one stood in their way, driving the demon tide forward like a raging flood.
Despite their victories, Baigu and Feiyu were not entirely pleased.
Their advance had been smooth, yes almost too smooth.
It was as if even the alliance's retreat had been carefully planned: whenever a defensive array could no longer hold, the cultivators would abandon it early and fall back in an orderly fashion.
The number of enemy casualties they inflicted was far less than during the earlier period of chaos when the two kingdoms first fell.
More troubling was the absence of Li Ye now a renowned newly-ascended Golden Core cultivator who had, at the moment of his breakthrough, crushed a third-tier Black Flood Dragon with ease.
Throughout the battle, Li Ye did not appear to intervene at all.
This unsettled them. They could not discern what tricks he might be hiding.
The Demon Tide army continued its advance.
Demonized human puppets densely covered the ground as the front lines, followed by formations of demonic beasts and spirit beasts.
Above, an eerie fleet of flying ships some appearing relatively normal, others twisted and monstrous floated forward slowly, surrounding a grand central command vessel.
Inside the command vessel
"Could that Li Ye be a coward?"
Baigu frowned, his face even more skeletal than before, looking utterly ghastly.
"We've already broken through their first line of defense and driven deep into their territory, yet he hasn't shown his face once. Could he have fled already?"
"Even more curious," added Feiyu, chuckling darkly,
"Not only has Li Ye vanished, but even that third-tier Black Flood Dragon hasn't made an appearance."
He sneered,
"Seems likely they've set up some kind of trap ahead, waiting for us to walk right into it."
"Hmph!
As long as he hasn't gone off to report to the sects outside the mountains, it's good enough!"
Baigu snorted coldly.
"So what if he's newly ascended?
Without even a properly refined life-bound treasure, what tricks could he possibly pull to stop us?"
Feiyu continued,
"I heard he's reputed to excel in both alchemy and formations.
There were even reports from our spies that he ordered large-scale preparations likely trying to set up a giant trap to ambush us."
"But we've destroyed every suspicious structure and array we encountered along the way!"
Feiyu grinned viciously.
"And after that earlier blood sacrifice, we have more than enough quasi-third-tier Seal-Breaking Talismans.
Plus, the demon emissaries at the rear are ready to join the battlefield at a moment's notice.
It won't be long before they catch up."
"Maybe he's planning to lure us a little deeper before springing his trap.
When he does, I'll make him regret it trying to steal a chicken, only to lose the rice!"
Feiyu's face darkened with blood patterns as he licked his lips eagerly,
"I wonder... will the flesh and blood of a young Golden Core cultivator be even sweeter and more nourishing?"
Baigu cackled grimly,
"I can't wait to refine another Golden Core master soul into my Whitebone Soul Banner!
Kekekekekeke..."
Suddenly
"Report!"
A hurried shout came from outside the door.
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