I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

The night breeze on the solitary peak became gentle and calm under the silvery-white light of the teleportation array. In the distance, the lights of Wanxian City spread out like a shattered galaxy at the edge of the night. Yinling stood at the edge of the array's eye, the thin layer of mist swirling slightly as she spoke, revealing a pair of silver-gray eyes beneath, like a shallow bay in the deep sea bathed in moonlight.

"The Endless Sea was once the domain of the Sea Clan." Her voice seemed to transcend endless time and space. "The Sea Clan ruled the four seas and commanded all beasts to submit. Those sea beasts and demon beasts were nothing more than servants under the Sea Clan's command long ago. Every island, every spiritual vein, and every undercurrent in the Endless Sea was under the jurisdiction of the Sea Clan."

She took a step forward, her silver-white skirt brushing against the pale silver membrane at the edge of the teleportation array, creating a ripple of spiritual energy. Her gaze fell on the distant sea shrouded in night, as if she could see through the lights of Wanxian City and the solitary mountain peaks, glimpsing an ancient scene long buried by time.

"Back then, the Endless Sea was far more vast than it is now. The sea creatures built crisscrossing cities on the seabed, using spiritual veins as streets and underground currents as canals. They constructed palaces with coral and deep-sea minerals and used the songs of sea monsters to deliver messages. The four seas were interconnected, from the frigid abyss at the southernmost tip to the scorching trench at the northernmost tip. The entire ocean world was a vast kingdom shrouded in a curtain of water."

She paused, a deep sense of melancholy swirling in her silver-gray eyes. "At the height of the Sea Clan's power, there were hundreds of cultivators at the Refinement stage and nearly twenty at the Dao Integration stage. Beneath the deep sea lies the legendary 'Sea Abyss Realm,' where the concentration of spiritual energy far surpasses that of terrestrial spiritual veins. It is the most precious legacy left to future generations by the Sea Clan's ancestors."

Li Hanshan stood on the other side of the teleportation array, pure Yang energy slowly flowing through his meridians. As he listened to Yinling's description, his understanding of the Endless Sea was being overturned layer by layer. He had once thought that this ocean had been the domain of demonic beasts since ancient times, but now he understood that those giant beasts that roamed the deep sea were once merely subjects of the sea race, and the order of the entire sea region had been firmly controlled by an intelligent race.

He couldn't help but ask, "And then what happened?"

Silver Bell did not answer immediately. She remained silent for two breaths, and the layer of mist slowly swirled in her silence, obscuring her silver-gray eyes.

After a moment, she spoke, her voice lower than before, like the deep currents echoing between the stone walls: "Thousands of years ago, those demonic beasts suddenly lost control. As if awakened by something at the same time, they surged out from every corner of the deep sea and launched an attack on the sea tribe's city."

Her gaze shifted from the sea to the steadily flowing silvery-white light above the teleportation array. Her tone remained calm, but every word struck Li Hanshan's heart like a dull knife slowly cutting open a wound that had been sealed for too long.

"The sea race was caught completely off guard. Some extremely subtle mark was implanted within the bodies of those demonic beasts, making them fearless and tireless, like puppets controlled by the same thread. The sea race's cities fell one after another, palaces were destroyed, spiritual veins were corrupted, and their people were slaughtered. Eventually, even the Sea Abyss Realm was breached. My father—the last king of the sea race—died in the battle to defend the Sea Abyss Realm. My mother led the remaining people to retreat to a hidden trench in the far south, where they held out for hundreds of years under the continuous siege of the beast tide, until the last of their people perished."

"Of all the sea creatures, I'm the only one left." Her voice dropped slightly at the last few words, like a dryness that naturally comes out after being suppressed to the extreme, but it quickly returned to normal.

She tilted her head slightly, and the mist dissipated a bit as she did so, revealing a strand of silver-white hair behind her ear. "I survived. I used the last artifact left by the sea race to seal the entrance to that trench. When I emerged, the entire Endless Sea had become the domain of demonic beasts. Those colossal beasts that once submitted to the sea race now occupied every spiritual vein on the seabed, and even the ruins of the palaces built by the sea race had been taken over by demonic beasts. It took me a long time to confirm that the sea race had indeed been wiped out."

Li Hanshan stood rooted to the spot, a profound and intense shock surging within him. The Endless Sea was once the domain of the sea race, but thousands of years ago, they were wiped out by demonic beasts. Thousands of years ago—this point in time coincided with another point in time.

The destruction of the Yaoguang Sect, the destruction of the Northern Wilderness Sword Sect, and the destruction of the Endless Sea Clan.

A very clear thought arose in his mind: extraterrestrial demons.

Those celestial demons from beyond the realm possessed the power to drive all demonic beasts mad. Years ago, in the cemetery of the Yao Guang Sect, he had witnessed similar scenes in the fragments of the lingering memories of those celestial demons—countless dark figures surged forth from the ascension passage, staining the entire sky black and driving all living beings into a frenzy. Those celestial demons did not stop after destroying the Yao Guang Sect.

They traveled south along the endless sea, wiping out the sea creatures as well.

This is the truth. That insurmountable chasm between the Northern Wilderness and the Central Continent, that ancient sword energy that cleaved the sea in two, is very likely the last trace left by the battle between the sea race and the Heavenly Demons. And the destruction of the Northern Wilderness Sword Sect may also be an aftershock of the same catastrophe.

He suppressed these thoughts one by one, maintaining his calm and composed expression. He looked at Yinling and spoke in a steady voice, "So, you think I'm a good person?"

Yinling turned around, and the mist slowly dissipated as she turned, revealing a cool yet gentle face. Her features were exquisitely refined, each line as smooth and warm as a pebble washed by the sea for millions of years, yet possessing an unyielding sharpness, like an unpolished mother-of-pearl from the deep sea. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward, a faint smile that brightened her entire face.

"Yes," she said, her voice as clear as a stream. "I've seen cultivators from the Demonic Sect, and most of their souls are filled with plunder, scheming, and the pleasure derived from plunder. I've also seen cultivators from the Immortal Alliance, and the color of their souls isn't much cleaner either. But your soul is transparent, like jade that has been repeatedly washed. You've killed people, but each time you acted without malice. You've lied, but beneath those lies lies what you truly care about."

She paused for a moment, a certainty that seemed to have been confirmed surfacing in her silver-gray eyes. "So, I believe you."

She turned around, walked to the edge of the teleportation array, and bent down to place her hand on the surface of one of the array devices. Silvery-white spiritual energy seeped from her fingertips, slowly flowing along the runes on the device to confirm whether each node of the teleportation array met her expected standards.

A moment later, she withdrew her hand, straightened her body, and her voice regained the calm and composure befitting a Dao-merging cultivator.

"You will work with Yin Yue to finish this task. The teleportation array has been set up; all that remains is to persuade the higher-ups of the Immortal Alliance to send troops. Once the Heavenly Demon Sect is destroyed, you can live openly and legitimately within the Immortal Alliance. With your talent and strength, establishing yourself in the Immortal Alliance will not be difficult. If you wish, after you break through to the Void Refinement stage, I can personally recommend you to the Immortal Alliance headquarters to join the core elders' seat."

Li Hanshan stood still, his expression unchanged, but in his mind he had already analyzed Yinling's words several times over in the depths of his consciousness.

Destroying the Heavenly Demon Sect—this goal itself does not conflict with his interests. The Heavenly Demon Sect is the Joyful Union Sect's old rival in the Northern Wilderness, and also the strongest of the three major demonic sects in the Central Continent. If it can be destroyed, the Joyful Union Sect's status within the demonic sects will be greatly enhanced, and the sect leader's position after breaking through to the Dao Integration Realm will be more advantageous.

However, if the Immortal Alliance were to advance north after destroying the Heavenly Demon Sect and also take down the Joyful Union Sect, that would be a different story. The Joyful Union Sect holds his women, his foundation, and all the wealth he accumulated from his journey in the Northern Wilderness. He cannot allow the Immortal Alliance's flag to be planted atop the Joyful Union Sect's gates.

But at this moment, he showed no hesitation whatsoever. He simply nodded slightly: "Okay, I'll cooperate."

Yinling looked at him, a faint hint of satisfaction flashing in her silver-gray eyes. She turned around, her silver-white skirt brushing against the edge of the teleportation array, her figure becoming translucent, like frost melting in the moonlight slowly dissipating.

She paused after taking a few steps, leaving without turning back with the words: "The teleportation array needs regular maintenance. Check the alignment of the spiritual energy loops every three months, and adjust the loop nodes according to the fluctuation frequency of the earth's spiritual energy. When you're not here, remember to send reliable people to maintain it."

As soon as she finished speaking, the silver-white figure completely disappeared into the night wind, leaving not a trace of her presence. After she vanished, the light of the teleportation array resumed its steady flow, and the spiritual energy circulation between the twelve array artifacts continued to cycle at that stable rhythm, like a meticulously calibrated precision instrument.

Yin Yue stood at the edge of the platform, her silver-white veil fluttering gently in the night breeze. She gazed in the direction where the silver bell had disappeared, remaining silent for a long while before turning around and fixing her gaze on Li Hanshan's face: "Let's go. The teleportation array is set up; it's time to head to the Heavenly Demon Sect."

Li Hanshan stepped out of the teleportation array, his steps steady. He suppressed all the surging thoughts deep into his mind, his face still showing a calm and confident expression. He walked to Yin Yue's side, and the two stood side by side at the edge of the solitary peak platform, gazing at the lights of Wanxian City shrouded in the night in the distance.

"You just said that Silver Bell is a sea princess," he began. "And what about you? What is your relationship with her? How were you able to invite her here?"

Yin Yue tilted her head slightly, her calm eyes beneath the silver veil gleaming with a cool light in the moonlight. She remained silent for a moment before speaking: "I saved her life."

Did she save Yinling's life?

Yin Yue offered no further explanation, but instead summoned the silver-white flying boat and leaped onto its bow. The boat swelled against the wind, its silvery light illuminating the night sky like a blazing star. Standing at the bow, she glanced back at him: "Come on up. After we return from the Heavenly Demon Sect, you'll have plenty of time to ask."

Li Hanshan leaped onto the flying boat and stood on the side of the ship.

The airship accelerated through the night sky, hurtling towards the southeast. The light of the teleportation array on the solitary peak gradually shrank in the field of vision, like a pearl sinking into the deep sea, and was finally swallowed up completely by the boundary between the night and the clouds.

Li Hanshan stood at the ship's railing, his gaze fixed on the rapidly approaching dark horizon. He silently calculated the next move in his strategy.

Destroying the Heavenly Demon Sect—this was a shared short-term goal for him and Yin Yue, and also aligned with the interests of Yin Ling and the Immortal Alliance. However, the Joyful Union Sect could not be destroyed.

Not only the Hehuan Sect, but even the Yinming Sect must not be destroyed, so that the Demon Sect and the Immortal Sect can be in balance.

If the Heavenly Demon Sect is destroyed, there is only one way for the Joyful Union Sect and the Yinming Sect to withstand the attack from the Immortal Alliance: to help their sect leaders break through to the Dao Integration stage.

Once the Hehuan Sect has two Dao-Harmony Realm experts in charge, a new balance can be achieved.

But right now, the most important thing to do is to finish dealing with the Heavenly Demon Sect matter.