How can simply creating a sect make you invincible?

The city of Canglan was devastated after the war.

Most of the city walls were destroyed, and half of the houses inside the city collapsed. The stench of blood and gunpowder mingled in the air.

Survivors scurried through the ruins, rescuing the wounded and burying the dead. Cries and shouts rose and fell.

The Fu family's patriarch stood before the two Ling family patriarchs, his face grave, and reported the losses of the battle in a low voice: "Seniors, in this battle, our human race lost three saints."

"Of the more than 300,000 cultivators defending the city, 130,000 have perished."

"And then there are the people in the city." He paused, his voice choked with emotion, "In total, nearly six hundred thousand of our human race died in this war."

When the number 600,000 was mentioned, the scene fell silent instantly.

Upon hearing this, the third patriarch of the Ling family remained silent for a long time. He raised his head, looked at the broken walls and ruins in the city, and at the people crying in the ruins, and shook his head helplessly.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Save lives first. Send out all the cultivators you can mobilize, prioritizing the treatment of the wounded. Also, allocate some manpower to help repair the houses."

"Yes, senior." The eldest patriarch of the Fu family responded and turned to make arrangements.

"Come, let's go meet some young friends."

Seeing that it was someone from the Ling family approaching, Chen Daoxuan asked softly, "Senior Sister Bingli, should I go and chase them away?"

Ling Yunzhi spoke first: "You don't need to worry about me. You all talk, I'll just pretend I don't know you."

Upon hearing this, they all nodded.

As the group approached, the third ancestor of the Ling family stopped, straightened his clothes, and bowed respectfully: "This junior, Ling Changkong, the third ancestor of the Ling family, greets the Divine Bird."

The people behind him were taken aback. "Lord Divine Bird?"

But then I thought about it again, and realized the terrifying power of the Bull Demon King, who could be killed with a single swipe of his claw.

The group quickly followed suit, bowing respectfully: "We, the fourth ancestor of the Ling family, greet the Divine Bird!"

"Elder Ling Hai of the Ling family greets Lord Divine Bird!"

The group bowed in unison to a tiny red bird, no bigger than the palm of their hand.

Jin Xiao stood on Xiao Ningyun's shoulder, tilting his little head to look at everyone.

Jinxiao had overheard Ling Yunzhi's words and naturally didn't give them a friendly look. It flapped its little wings and said softly, "Speak! What brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Ling family felt a chill run down their spines.

This tone...something's not right. They haven't even said anything yet, so why does this divine bird seem...a little unhappy?

The group exchanged glances, each seeing doubt and unease in the other's eyes.

It was the third ancestor of the Ling family who reacted quickly. He stepped forward first, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Divine Bird, we have come here specifically to thank you for saving our lives—if it weren't for you killing that savage bull demon king, we would probably be dead by now."

"Secondly, on behalf of the people of Canglan City, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you young friends for your help."

After speaking, he bowed slightly to Han Bingli, Ling Yunzhi, and the others:

"Young friends, you are all so young yet possess such chivalrous hearts. On behalf of everyone in Canglan City, I thank you all."

Jin Xiao snorted coldly: "Hmph! No need for thanks. I never intended to save you from the beginning; it's just that my master wanted to eat beef."

Upon hearing this, the third patriarch of the Ling family was taken aback, but quickly recovered, his smile remaining unchanged, and continued:

"After all, it's a fact that the Divine Bird saved me, and you young friends also saved Canglan City. You are all our benefactors."

"My dear friends, you have traveled a long way and experienced a great battle. You must be tired. We have prepared a small banquet in the city to welcome you back and wash away the dust of your journey."

Han Bingli nodded to the group and said softly, "Let's go! Let's rest in the city for a couple of days first."

The group nodded, but Ling Yunzhi didn't even glance at them as he passed by the Ling family members.

"Third Ancestor, shouldn't we talk to him?" Ling Hai asked.

"No, let's discuss this when Jiuxiao arrives."

Monster Forest.

At this moment, the Ten Thousand Demon Palace was filled with a deathly atmosphere.

The Dragon Emperor on his throne looked down at the two sides below.

At this moment, in the center of the hall, the roar of the Bull Clan Chief reverberated throughout the hall: "Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor, I will personally lead an army of 500,000 demon beasts to raze Canglan City to the ground!"

The chieftain of the Bull Clan trembled with rage, his eyes bloodshot. In this battle, his Bull Clan had lost a Demon Emperor, and he was determined to vent his anger.

"To raze Canglan City to the ground?"

The speaker was none other than the chieftain of the Devouring Python clan. He sneered, "Hmph! Old Ox, are you out of your mind with anger?"

"Are you trying to start a quasi-emperor war? And you don't even know the enemy's background, yet you dare to say such things. If you really want to go, then let your Primordial Bull Clan go!"

"The Sky-Swallowing Python! What did you say?" The Bull Chieftain turned his head sharply, his bull eyes wide open:

Are we just going to let this go unpunished? Half a million soldiers died for nothing, along with so many demon kings and lesser demon emperors.

"Alright, Old Niu, calm down. Think about it, you know what kind of strength Canglan City has. They only have a few Saints and Saint Kings. How could they possibly wipe out our 500,000-strong army in one go?" Seven-Tailed Fox said.

"The few demonic beasts that escaped said that the six young humans who appeared later, along with two exceptionally terrifying demonic beasts, were...who were they?"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall: "Old Niu, we haven't even figured out their background yet. What if they are disciples of some Emperor-level power? If we really kill them, it could very well turn into a war between humans and demons."

"It's too risky for you to talk about war before you've even understood the situation."

"Hmph! I think you're all just afraid of dying," the bull said disdainfully.

The Soul-Devouring Sparrow chimed in, "The Seven-Tailed Fox is right, Old Ox, you must not act rashly."

"Hmph! This won't work, that won't work, so what do you suggest we do?" the bull sneered.

Just as the demons were arguing incessantly, a terrifying imperial might suddenly descended from above the main hall.

A dignified yet indifferent voice resounded throughout the hall: "Have you all had enough? Is a mere Canglan City worth all this arguing?"

Upon hearing this, all the demons trembled with fear, and not one of them dared to speak.

The Dragon Emperor swept his gaze over the demons and said coldly, "Our demon race has suffered a total loss of 1.2 million. We will never let this matter go."

"The bull is right. Our demon race cannot let this grudge go unavenged. If it weren't for those six human youths, we would have taken Canglan City long ago. They killed so many of our demons, so let them pay with their lives."

"Now, while the protective array of Canglan City is still not repaired," the Dragon Emperor said to the Soul-Devouring Sparrow. "Soul-Devouring Sparrow, your clan excels at ambushes. Tonight, send a quasi-emperor elder from your clan, and select a few more skilled ambushers from the demon race to go to Canglan City and kill those teenagers for me."

Upon hearing this, the demons exchanged glances and could only bow in obeisance.

Only the chieftain of the Bull Clan stepped forward and excitedly shouted: "The Dragon Emperor is wise! The Dragon Emperor is mighty!"