"The despicable Heavenly Court, the souls of our disciples are trapped in the Immortal Transformation Pond, unable to be liberated. If this continues for a few more decades, they will lose even the chance for reincarnation, so we must seize this opportunity to destroy the Immortal Transformation Pond," one person said in agony.

This was also the consensus of the others. Now was a rare opportunity, as the Heavenly Court was at its weakest. If they did not seize this chance to act, they feared they might never get another chance once the Heavenly Court recovered.

"We must not rush this. We only have one chance, and if we fail, we will never get another," they said.

All of these people were determined to free the souls of their disciples trapped in the Immortal Transformation Pond, so it wasn’t feasible for them to keep trying repeatedly.

"I remember there’s another group also plotting against the Immortal Transformation Pond," someone suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, Wuyouzi snorted coldly, "Those people are blinded by their desires. They plan against the Immortal Transformation Pond because they want to seize it for themselves, these ambitious folks are trying to uncover the Heavenly Court’s secrets of immortality."

"That’s even better. Let’s leak some information to them, let them take the lead and create an opportunity for us. They’re all greedy people; if they die, they die, and we needn’t feel guilty," he added.

"I’m just worried that these people might mess up more than they succeed, ruining our major plan," another voiced concern.

"Though these people are not good folks, they’re not fools either. They won’t ignore such a good opportunity. We can just follow them and act accordingly. After all, we are only here to rescue our disciples, whatever happens to the Immortal Transformation Pond is none of our concern," someone strategized.

The others nodded in agreement, the point being valid. They were all practitioners who preferred to live cleanly, and they would not willingly get involved in the troubles of the Three Realms if not for their disciples.

They didn’t care whether the Immortal Transformation Pond was functioning properly; their only aim was to rescue the souls of their disciples.

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Wuyouzi nodded and said, "In that case, let’s continue our practice and wait for the right moment. We’ll share some information we know with those people, and once they make their move, we will too."

"Agreed!"

Everyone dispersed, and Wuyouzi, looking at the empty Cave Mansion, sighed. There was a time when this Cave Mansion was filled with the laughter and chatter of his disciples, but now he was left alone.

Determined more than ever, he decided that no matter what, he must rescue his disciples.

He was a practitioner with no family; his disciples were his kin in this world and the successors of his teachings. Although he had no hope for a higher realm, his hope still rested on his few disciples.

In the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range in Luzhou in the North, the Heavenly Army and the Demon Clan had waged a long-lasting war. Countless monsters and heavenly soldiers had perished in this mountain range, their blood soaking the soil to a crimson hue.

Crows flew between the mountains, cawing loudly, over land that once buzzed with life but now was full of dead energy, nearly transformed into a wasteland.

The Shituo King, accompanied by all the Demon Kings, looked down from the mountain peak and sighed, "This was good land, but now it’s come to this sorry state—I wonder how much effort it will take to restore it."

The other Demon Kings also showed angered expressions. The Heavenly Court might not care, but this was their homeland. One day, when the Heavenly Court leaves, they would return here, to their roots.

"Damn it!" A Demon King, enraged, punched a nearby cliff, his tremendous strength sending a torrent of rocks flying in all directions.

Their homeland was destroyed like this, the once lush forests had now withered, and the fierce beasts and birds living in these mountains had sensitively fled elsewhere, soon turning this place into barren land.

"What’s there to fear? As long as we drive these guys out, we can rebuild. This is our homeland, no matter what it becomes, we will restore it with our own hands."

The Great Saint who moves mountains quietly looked at the scene below and slowly said, "Get ready, if this continues, we’ll have to retreat from here."

"Great Saint!" As soon as these words were out, several Demon Kings immediately became anxious and hurriedly spoke up.

"Are we just going to hand this place over to the Heavenly Court, these beasts?"

"Without the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range as a barrier, the Heavenly Court will be able to advance unobstructed, and then our Demon Clan will be in trouble."

Everyone talked at once, unwilling to give up the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range. Publicly, this place was strategically important, easily defensible and difficult to attack. Once lost, reclaiming it would be harder than reaching heaven. Moreover, beyond this mountain range was a plain, allowing the Heavenly Army to drive straight in, directly threatening the heartland of the Demon Clan.

Privately, this was their homeland, and giving up their homeland was unacceptable to everyone.

"We have no choice but to give it up now. The Heavenly Court has devised a destructive strategy, using the power of the Mountain God and Land God to disrupt the leylines, causing the life force of the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range to cease."

"The only reason we have been able to hold off the Heavenly Army here is because of the geographical advantage. Now that the opponent has broken our geographical advantage, how can we defend?"

A look of reluctance appeared on everyone’s faces. They naturally knew that what the Great Saint who moves mountains said was true, but they were unwilling to retreat, feeling frustrated by their inadequate strength.

Seeing this, the Great Saint who moves mountains continued, "Do not linger nor be discouraged. Mr. Lin Fang was right in saying, ’Save the people, lose the land, both the people and the land will be preserved.’ Let’s just leave the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range in their hands for now, and we’ll take it back later." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

At that moment, a Demon King stepped forward with his followers and said, "Great Saint, can we fight one last battle before we leave? Otherwise, we’ll truly feel stifled!"

All the Demon Kings looked at the Great Saint who moves mountains with expectant eyes.

"Alright, we’ll fight one last battle before we leave. I can’t take it anymore either. Get the cannons ready, and later fire them all out. I want to show these bastards of the Heavenly Court who’s boss," the Great Saint who moves mountains suddenly shouted loudly.

It seemed that this Great Sage of the Demon Race, despite his calm appearance, was also harboring a fiery rage within.

Hearing his words, everyone immediately sprang into action, sharpening their weapons and waiting for the Heavenly Court to attack.

Under the command of Li Jing, the Heavenly Army advanced slowly and steadily, calm and unruffled. At this moment, Li Jing demonstrated the essence of a renowned general. Although this method was slow, it was secure and minimized losses.

They cleared every area of monsters thoroughly to ensure the security of their logistics.

"Alas, after today, this place will be barren, and all these are my faults," Li Jing sighed as he looked at the land that was gradually losing its vitality.

He was well aware of the consequences of his actions, but as the saying goes, ’A merciful leader cannot command an army.’ In order to reduce the casualties of the Heavenly Court and to completely seize the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons Mountain Range, he had to do it.