Obviously, they had all sensed the looming crisis.
If the Green Bull Demon Lord were allowed to fully recover and continue his blood sacrifices, then even the Holy Lands would not be spared from disaster. At such a moment of great right and wrong, hesitation was no longer an option—joining forces was the only choice.
Kill the demon together.
After the saint departed, silence once again descended over the ruins of Snow Mountain Palace.
The master of the Xuanwang Palace.
The leader of the Fuyue Sect.
Along with the heads of other major forces—
Their eyes burned with excitement.
Since the saints had already taken action, the Green Bull Demon Lord was surely doomed. Even if he somehow survived, he would no longer pose a threat to them.
"Haha!"
"I knew the Six Holy Lands wouldn't just sit back and watch!"
The master of Xuanwang Palace laughed heartily and said, "Since we're all here, why don't we take this chance to exchange resources? In times of chaos, mutual support is always better."
Lu Nantian's expression remained calm, though a trace of disdain flashed deep in his eyes.
Earlier, when the Six Holy Lands remained aloof, these people had been terrified. Now that a saint had personally given chase, they immediately became bold again.
Still, Lu Nantian nodded slightly.
After all, the reappearance of the Demon Cult was no small matter.
A Green Bull Demon Lord alone was already terrifying—who knew how many others might be hiding behind him?
The cultivation methods of the Demon Cult were simply too vile.
Blood sacrifice in exchange for strength.
It allowed those with mediocre talent, even those whose paths had been severed, to glimpse hope again. Such people would cultivate without regard for conscience or consequence. In the later stages, these techniques would inevitably erode the mind, turning cultivators into nothing but slaughtering demons.
They were forbidden arts.
And the source of countless disasters.
"Agreed," the leader of the Tianji Sect said calmly.
Exchanging resources to prepare for emergencies was indeed the best solution. Even with the saint in pursuit, unease still lingered in his heart. The proposal from Xuanwang Palace was reasonable.
Soon, exchanges began.
Immortal Sect.
Tianji Sect.
Goddess Sect.
Many top forces actively sought favor with them.
Especially Zhenwu Sect—countless factions rushed to establish ties. Its status as the number one power in the Eastern Region was not an empty reputation.
In contrast, Donglin Sect was subtly pushed to the margins.
Most forces deliberately avoided it.
In their eyes, Donglin Sect was no different from them—its only advantage was a saint who had yet to officially take the throne. Once that happened, Donglin Sect would inevitably suppress them all.
What was the point of exchanging favors with such a force?
If the Green Bull Demon Lord came knocking, would Donglin Sect really send help? And even if they did, without a saint personally overseeing things, those sent would simply be sent to their deaths.
Without a saint, Donglin Sect had little value to befriend.
Chu Xun took all of this in quietly.
His expression was calm.
He was neither angered by their coldness nor offended by their calculations. Whether it was his long years cultivating in the Sutra Pavilion or the current level of his strength, he had long learned to ignore such things.
"Elder Chu."
A gentle voice sounded.
Chu Yaoyao of the Goddess Sect stepped forward, her movements light and graceful. Instantly, countless gazes were drawn to her.
One of the Three Goddesses of the Eastern Region.
Peerless beauty.
Extraordinary status.
One of the sect masters of the Six Holy Lands.
Any one of those titles was enough to shake the region.
She handed over a token and said softly, "This is the mark of my Goddess Sect. Would you be willing to exchange?"
"Mm."
Chu Xun accepted the token.
He hadn't expected the first olive branch to come from the Goddess Sect. More importantly, he saw clarity and sincerity in Chu Yaoyao's eyes—at least for now, she truly only wanted an exchange.
"Hmph."
A cold snort echoed through the air.
Qin Yu of the Immortal Sect stepped forward, golden armor gleaming, golden spear clenched tightly in his hand. The violent battle intent radiating from him instantly froze the lively atmosphere.
The masters of Xuanwang Palace and Fuyue Sect exchanged glances.
They had all heard of the grudges between Immortal Sect and Donglin Sect. But they hadn't expected Qin Yu to make a move so directly—right here, right now.
"Elder Chu," Qin Yu sneered, "if you weren't standing outside Donglin Sect today, your sect master wouldn't have survived. I'm very curious—who gave you the courage to come here?"
Earlier, they had planned to wait for Xiao Rongyu's death before acting.
Since Chu Xun had delivered himself to their doorstep, they wouldn't bother holding back.
Chu Yaoyao frowned slightly.
"Whatever grievances you have, can't they wait?" she said. "The Green Bull Demon Lord has returned. If he spreads his techniques and gathers followers, the Eastern Region will soon fall into chaos. You're both top experts—this is not the time for internal strife."
"The two of us?" Qin Yu laughed coldly.
"Is he even worthy?"
Boom!
His cultivation exploded.
Human Emperor Eighth Realm.
Ninth Realm.
Peak of the Ninth Realm!
Golden radiance surged skyward. Qin Yu stood tall and domineering, spear in hand, like a god of war. The pressure alone made the masters of Xuanwang Palace and Fuyue Sect feel their breathing tighten.
"So strong…"
The leaders of Tianji Sect, Shenxing Sect, and Goddess Sect all turned solemn.
They knew Qin Yu was serious.
And they also knew—mere words would not stop him.
Their gazes shifted to Chu Xun.
Let them fight.
If Chu Xun dared to come here, perhaps he truly had a trump card.
After all, rumors had already spread—Jiang Chen had slain Old Monster Zhao with a single sword in the Yin Ruins.
The others nodded silently.
They had heard the same story. Though they dismissed the detail that the talisman came from Elder Chu, the fact remained: only a few months ago, Chu Xun had been driven into danger by Qin Yu.
How much stronger could he have become in such a short time?
"Here it comes…"
The masters of Xuanwang Palace and Fuyue Sect watched with undisguised curiosity.
As for Lu Nantian of Zhenwu Sect, he was secretly delighted.
If Qin Yu killed Chu Xun today, Zhenwu Sect would benefit the most.
Even if the revived saint of Donglin Sect sought revenge, his target would be Immortal Sect—not Zhenwu Sect.
Lu Nantian couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Qin Yu had chosen his timing perfectly.
At this moment, even if Chu Xun truly died, the revived saint of Donglin Sect would pose little threat.
The saints of the Eastern Region were already united.
Their priority was expelling the Demon Cult.
They would not allow internal chaos before the Green Bull Demon Lord was dealt with.
If the Donglin saint dared to act rashly, the most likely outcome would be joint suppression—or death.
Therefore—
If Chu Xun did not possess a true trump card today…
He was destined to die here.