That afternoon, Celestial Essence City, Zhenxu Hall.

Wang Zhifan returned from Moon Destruction Island and went straight to visit the old Daoist Zhenxu, who was responsible for guarding the city, without avoiding the possible blame.

But Zhenxu did not blame him.

The moment he saw Wang Zhifan visiting, he first inquired about the situation on the Mieyue Clan’s side, and upon learning of the great victory over the demons, he appeared relieved.

Only then did he discuss with him the recent drastic changes on the Demon Sealing List and the significant events closely related to Celestial Essence City: the fall of the two elders, Qingyangzi and Huayangzi.

"Martial Venerable friend, this old Daoist only recently discovered that our friends Qingyangzi and Huayangzi both unfortunately fell in the battle at Extreme Origin Mountain, along with the top expert from the Buddha Realm, Demon Tathagata, and the famous swordsman from the Confucian Realm, Lord Taixi... The Demon Realm dares to commit such monstrous sins, our human cultivators must make them pay with blood!

But please, friend, do not lose your composure! For the Demon Realm to simultaneously target so many of our top beings, they must have mastered extraordinarily fierce methods! You must thoroughly investigate the key factors before acting against the demons! Avenge Qingyang and Huayang!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

At this moment, in the main hall of Zhenxu Hall, the white-haired old Daoist Zhenxu sat slightly hunched in a wooden chair, his face solemn, with flashes of anger in his eyes, showing he was suppressing his inner fury, maintaining rationality as he reminded Wang Zhifan before him.

Wang Zhifan originally thought this old Daoist would blame him for the death of his two friends who were as close as brothers, ready for a scolding, but unexpectedly, not a word of blame came, and instead, he reminded him not to act impulsively, to avoid falling into the demons’ trap in a moment of emotional rise.

Instead, this attitude from the other person made him feel even worse.

Because he couldn’t deny it, Qingyangzi and Huayangzi’s deaths were indeed facilitated by his own hand.

If he hadn’t persuaded them to replace him and assist in the fight at Extreme Origin Mountain, they would have surely stayed in Celestial Essence City as usual, at most heading to the outskirts to battle nearby demon armies, without any risk of both falling.

"It’s all my fault that Qingyangzi and Huayangzi are dead... I must avenge them!"

For a moment, a raging fire of revenge burned in Wang Zhifan’s heart, yet he did not lose his rationality due to guilt and anger, instead becoming more composed, determined to properly devise a strategy, looking for a chance to make the Demon Realm pay in full.

Thus, after a solemn conversation with old Daoist Zhenxu, Wang Zhifan left the Zhenxu Hall and returned to the not-too-distant Martial Venerable Hall.

Due to his heavy heart, he did not choose to use the normal Lightweight Sky Stepping Skill to return, but walked slowly back through the streets.

Along the way, he saw that the core area of Celestial Essence City remained bustling as usual, with well-dressed Calamity Realm natives coming and going on the noisy streets, not seeming like they were experiencing a calamity, indicating they were unaware that the city’s two major pillars had already collapsed.

"Indeed, if you don’t reach a sufficient level, you can’t even know the basic information... But for them, this might be a blessing; living cluelessly day by day is better than being terrified yet helpless."

As he sighed inwardly without reason, Wang Zhifan suddenly had a special sense, it was the Demon Sealing List receiving feedback from the latest communication.

He immediately summoned his own Demon Sealing List to check, and found that an unexpectedly large number of people had contacted him, among them the top three figures on the list were the most critical.

"Unbounded Earth Daoist: Martial Venerable, are you aware of the details of the change at Extreme Origin Mountain? This Daoist just emerged from seclusion to heal, only to encounter such a major event, truly astonishing to this Daoist..."

"Elder Fumo: Martial Venerable, if you have time tomorrow, please be sure to visit North Sea Fire Spirit Island! I sent an avatar to assist the hegemon of Extreme Origin Mountain, thus I know some of the inside story of this battle, willing to discuss strategies with everyone..."

"Emperor Tianhua: Your Excellency Martial Venerable, I have sent many experts to secretly investigate Extreme Origin Mountain, but the results are minimal. I’ve heard the hegemon of Extreme Origin Mountain once invited you to help in battle, do you have any inside information..."

Besides these three, who rank among the top ten on the Demon Sealing List, numerous cultivators on the list sent inquiries to Wang Zhifan, totaling over a hundred.

The reason for this situation is simple; he is now the highest-ranking surviving cultivator on the list, so naturally, after a major event, everyone inclined to ask him, the nominal strongest, for the latest intelligence.

Unfortunately, Wang Zhifan was completely unaware of what happened in the battle at Extreme Origin Mountain, so he had to ignore most of the communications, only engaging with a few core acquaintances, arranging to meet the next day to discuss strategies.

As for the meeting location, it was naturally North Sea Fire Spirit Island where Elder Fumo, who claimed to have inside information, resided.

This mysterious strongman now ranks sixth on the Demon Sealing List, third among the living, having slain dozens of Demon Venerables, his prestige not much lower than Wang Zhifan, the Martial Venerable.

"In the situation where many top human experts have just perished, this Elder Fumo invites everyone to gather for discussion, could he have been bribed by the Demon Realm to trap us...

No, my speculation is completely groundless, without any evidence, just a stress response."

After agreeing to the appointment, Wang Zhifan couldn’t help but have such a thought, but he had nothing special to justify it, merely considering the worst-case scenario.