Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

"Time is pressing, so I'll be brief," began the elder. "According to reliable information, within seven days, Zhao Baichou, Palace Master of the Earth Flame Palace, will select a volcano crater to undergo his Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation. At that time, both Dong Zhi and Shi Ri, those demon heads, will act as his protectors.

"While the Earth Flame Palace is at its weakest, everything shall proceed according to plan. The task of breaking through the Mountain Guardian Formation shall fall to Master Huang. Once the formation is broken, all three sides will launch a full-scale assault on the Earth Flame Palace, leaving none of the Demon Disciples alive." Zhao Changdu swept his gaze over those present, speaking slowly.

"We shall strictly follow the Great Elder's (Ancestor's) commands!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present surged with a fighting spirit and responded in unison.

"The Earth Flame Palace is also an ancient sect with a heritage of ten thousand years. Its accumulated foundation is not to be underestimated. You must not be careless or overconfident, lest we face mutual destruction," warned Zhao Changdu with a solemn face.

"Understood!" All nodded in agreement.

Zhao Changdu nodded, then turned to look at the six Nascent Soul Ancestors and began to telepathically transmit instructions, assigning tasks one by one.

"Qiong Tian, once the general attack begins, follow close to Elder Huang to assist in breaking the Great Array. After entering the Earth Flame Palace, be sure to avoid those pseudo-dead living dead. Their final strikes before death will surely be desperate attempts to drag us down with them. Be very careful!"

Zhao Sheng nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

At that moment, a bald elder suddenly looked over, surprise flickering in his eyes.

After a brief glance, Zhao Sheng gave him a slight smile and made a respectful bow.

"Senior Zhao, I have a minor objection," suddenly voiced Shangguan Longhu.

The crowd turned to look, their expressions varied.

Oh!

"Taoist Shangguan, if you have any objections, let's hear them," said Zhao Changdu impassively.

Shangguan Longhu spoke proudly, "Feng'er and I can join hands to capture the demon head Dong Zhi, and Junior Brother Han can lead the Purple Sun Taoist Soldiers to strike at the Earth Flame Palace. These two points I can agree to, but I have one demand: the Purple Sun Sect must be allowed to make copies of the hidden Fire Realm Map and the 'Earth Deity Seven Flames Manual' of the Earth Flame Palace."

"Ha-ha, if that's all you're asking for, I shall oblige," Zhao Changdu said.

As soon as these words were spoken, Ling Fengqi, a delicate and attractive woman, suddenly chimed in: "Then... what about Earth Flame Island, after it has been conquered?"

At these words, the entire hall fell silent.

Zhao Sheng realized that Shangguan Longhu and his wife were not truly focused on the prize at hand; they had their sights set on Earth Flame Island.

Earth Flame Island, capable of freely moving through the underground Magma Sea due to its stealth and mobility, is only second to the Ksitigarbha Sect's Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and the Spirit Illusion Ice Realm of the Water Mother Palace, among other top-secret realms.

Moreover, the island, having been cultivated by the Earth Flame Palace for ten thousand years, had long become an extremely rare treasure land in the world.

It was no surprise that Shangguan Longhu and his wife took a fancy to the island, aiming to take over and use it as their base of operations.

But...

At that moment, the great hall shook slightly, followed by a mocking chuckle rising from the ground:

"Heh, the Purple Sun Sect has already acquired the Fire Realm Map and the 'Earth Deity Seven Flames Manual.' Do you also expect to lay claim to Earth Flame Island? Isn't that a bit too greedy? The Ksitigarbha Sect only wants Earth Flame Island; we don't want anything else!"

With that voice, a huge stone man with a grey-white body slowly rose from the ground.

The stone man's face was crisscrossed with fine cracks, his body and limbs bound together by countless grey-white gravels, and his grey-white stone eyes emanated a light of wisdom.

"Shi Jiugong, the Ksitigarbha Sect has actually dared to let you out," Shangguan Longhu said, his face changing as he turned sharply towards Zhao Changdu. Raising his voice, he demanded, "Taoist Zhao, as the Great Elder of the Ksitigarbha Sect, you must give an explanation to the Eight Major Sects."

"Cough cough, although Jiugong once committed endless atrocities, he has been imprisoned for six hundred years. Now, he has repented, and his release is indeed to allow him to make amends for his sins," explained Zhao Changdu.

Shi Jiugong was not a living human but a Stone Demon that had been seized.

Thousands of years ago, a Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Ksitigarbha Sect accidentally discovered a Stone Demon with newborn spiritual wisdom underneath the Death Desert in the northwest of the Central Continent.

At that time, on a whim, this Nascent Soul Ancestor attempted to seize the spiritual body of the Stone Demon to achieve everlasting life.

However, such an action was against the natural order and thus invited divine punishment. The ancestor's Nascent Soul was struck to ashes by heavenly lightning, but the Stone Demon received a huge benefit; not only had it awakened its spiritual wisdom, but it also absorbed many fragmented memories.

After sleeping under the Death Desert for two thousand years, the Stone Demon awoke one day, entering the Cultivation World in a daze.

What followed needs no further elaboration, for after stirring up mayhem, the Ksitigarbha Sect received word and mobilized all its Nascent Soul Ancestors to capture the Demon King who had mastered their sect's Divine Power Techniques.

Once the truth was uncovered, Shi Jiugong was suppressed in the Ksitigarbha Sect's Ten Earth Prison, where he remained for six hundred years.

It was clear that the now-tamed Shi Jiugong had been thoroughly brainwashed.

The appearance of Shi Jiugong put Shangguan Longhu and his wife in a difficult position.

To reason with a stone head? Only if both of them lost their minds.

There were eight Nascent Souls in the hall at that moment. Apart from the couple, the rest could be said to be affiliated with the Southern Sky Zhao Family, who had not taken any initiative to discuss the division of benefits after the battle.

On the surface, they seemed magnanimous and open-hearted, but in reality, they were "advancing by retreating."

Together, the couple stood little chance of contending with them!

Han Wei saw their dilemma and opened his mouth to smooth things over.