I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

The pressure is quite high. After all, my current strength is not the real world. When the luck is returned to Bai Xiaoya, her strength will be greatly weakened.

She couldn't help either Dongqing or Changsheng, but she had to help Xiaoya.

Volume Two: Journey Through the Demon Book: Chapter Thirty-Eight - The Calamity Begins

When a great calamity occurs, chaos will inevitably ensue.

At that point, it won't just be a matter for cultivators alone; both cultivators and ordinary people will be affected.

Therefore, as the queen of the Great Spirit, Bai Xiaoya really has something to worry about in the future.

With so many people, we can't just stand by and watch them die. Even if we try to manage them, there's nothing we can do. No matter how high her status is, she's still just a mortal and can't compare to cultivators. Normally, cultivators give us face and don't cause large-scale trouble, but when a great calamity strikes and we can't even protect ourselves, no one will care about any rules.

Compared to natural disasters, the calamities brought by cultivators are only greater and more widespread.

Back home, watching Bai Xiaoya playing happily in the yard, Bai Qingyu wondered whether he should teach her cultivation.

In mortal dynasties, no one, from top to bottom, is allowed to have even the slightest cultivation. This is a rule of heaven and earth, and even the emperor must abide by it.

If it weren't for the timing, she wouldn't have wanted to do this, because doing so might actually harm Bai Xiaoya. The problem is, if Bai Xiaoya doesn't have the strength, she could easily get into trouble when the great calamity strikes.

Many people see this great calamity as an opportunity, and it's not impossible that they might target Bai Xiaoya.

It's highly likely.

Just then, Bai Xiaoya jogged over, holding a freshly picked spider lily in her hand.

"Mommy, look! This flower is so big!"

For a fleeting moment, Bai Qingyu seemed to have made a decision, her face beaming with a happy smile. She reached out and took the flowers from Xiaoya's hand, then patted the little girl's head. "Hmm, they're really pretty, but don't pick them randomly, or your sister, the Spider Lily, will be angry."

"I know, Mother. I've already told Sister Red Spider Lily that she told me to pick it."

"Oh, I see."

Bai Qingyu handed the vegetable basket to Hua Niao Juan, picked up Bai Xiaoya, and walked into the courtyard. There, she found Shu Tun sitting at the stone table, pouring the wine he had just rummaged through into a cup.

"Aunt." Noticing Bai Qingyu's return, Shuten quickly stood up, looked at the wine jar on the table and then at Bai Qingyu, then awkwardly scratched his head.

"I'm home."

"Well, there are some things I want to talk to you about, and we can grab a meal together while we're at it."

Nanshan is developing quite well, and almost no human cultivators come to cause trouble. It is even better than the treatment in the Ten Thousand Mountains. During this time, Shuten has been paying attention to the affairs of the Sea Kingdom and has not gone to challenge other demon races.

It's not that he doesn't want to look for them, but rather that with his current strength, he can hardly find any opponents. Even if he could find one, the other party wouldn't be alone; they would definitely have powerful backers. If he acted rashly, it would only lead to war.

With no fights to fight, Shuten-dōji was quite bored during this time. There wasn't much good food in Nanzan either, though there was some good sake.

The main reason is that Bai Qingyu has spoiled his taste, making him feel that the food in Nanshan is only good enough to satisfy his hunger.

He had never considered eating to be an enjoyable experience before, until he met Bai Qingyu and realized that food could be so delicious. So now, when he eats the food made by the female demons of Nanshan, he finds it tasteless.

"Auntie, do you know what's going on in the Sea Kingdom?"

"I don't know much about it. I always ask the Heavenly Sect directly. Oh, by the way, I also asked the Heavenly Sun Palace a while ago, and their answers were completely different."

She said that Changsheng was the host of the Demonic Sect and that nothing unexpected would happen to him, so there was no need to worry. But in reality, she would inquire about the movements of the Sea Kingdom every few days. She would also ask about the Heavenly Sect and the Heavenly Sun Palace, not afraid that her attitude would allow them to analyze something.

It's perfectly normal behavior. If I really didn't care, they would be the ones worried.

What she learned was that the Sea Kingdom had already gathered more than three thousand cultivators.

Three thousand cultivators may not seem like a lot, but if you think about it carefully, these are not cannon fodder at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stage. The weakest among them are at least at the Golden Core stage. Without a Golden Core, they are not worthy of appearing on that battlefield.

Let alone how many of these three thousand people are top experts, even if we consider only their minimum combat strength, if they are all Golden Core cultivators, that is still quite terrifying.

With over three thousand Golden Core cultivators, without any external interference, they could easily defeat a Great Spirit in a one-on-one fight.

If these top experts were to be stationed here, the Sea Kingdom alone would not be enough to defeat them.

It's not that the Sea Kingdom is weak, but rather that these cultivators are too monstrous; such a large number of cultivators is simply terrifying.

Shuten told Bai Qingyu what he knew.

The situation in the Sea Kingdom has not improved; on the contrary, it is getting worse. According to intelligence, the Sea Kingdom really cannot hold on for much longer.

This group of cultivators was so crazy that they wanted to isolate all the seawater near the Sea Kingdom, as if they were building an incredibly huge and sturdy dome all the way to the seabed, completely emptying out this area.

Without seawater, what good is a sea kingdom if it's just an eye in the ocean? It will still be exposed.

It seems impossible to isolate an area of ​​seawater by human effort. It is very difficult for an ordinary person to lift a bucket of water from a river. How much more difficult would it be to lift a sea that is several kilometers or even tens of kilometers in radius?

In Shuten's opinion, sending so many cultivators was useless. To create such a barrier, let alone whether to drain or pump out the seawater, just the materials themselves were questionable. Who would provide them?

Expecting them to pluck feathers before even seeing any benefits is somewhat wishful thinking.

The problem remains the same old saying: it's not the possibility of something going wrong, but the possibility of something unexpected.

Whether we can do it, or whether we dare to do it, is something no one can be sure of.

"Auntie, what should we do? Should we go help?"

As soon as Shuten finished speaking, Bai Qingyu shook her head firmly, just like the previous times.

“You are the master of Nanshan, and in principle I should not interfere with your decision, but this matter is indeed very different.”

"This is a big deal, and also an opportunity. Listen to me, Shuten. The world is in chaos right now, and everyone is being drained. Your situation is rather special. As long as you don't make any moves, no one will bother you. When the great calamity begins, there will be no winners, do you understand? Steady development is the greatest improvement and gain."

"If everyone else is falling behind, and you stay where you are, or move very slowly, you are still catching up."

Shuten-dōji wanted to go and support his good brother Chōsei, and he had mentioned this idea to her more than once.

In Shuten's view, if his good brother is in trouble, he must help him if he has the ability.

Bai Qingyu certainly wanted her to go, as Changsheng was her son, but considering the bigger picture, she decided against it. Sending such a small group of demons from Nanshan would only be suicide missions, and there was absolutely no need for them.

Shuten remained silent for a long while, then said, "I understand, Aunt."

He wasn't unaware of these principles; what he needed was someone who could persuade him. Ibaraki-doji wouldn't do, Onikiri wouldn't do, even Momiji wouldn't do; only Bai Qingyu could.

Shuten stayed, had lunch, and then left. Before leaving, he told Bai Qingyu to be careful lately and not to go out if possible. He said he would send someone to deliver the groceries.

As night fell, Bai Qingyu found it difficult to fall asleep.

It wasn't because of Shuten-dōji or the Sea Kingdom, but because of that little girl, Bai Xiaoya.

Whether it's Shuten-dōji or Chōsei, they've both grown up and can make their own decisions. As their aunt, she doesn't need to say much unless it's a crucial moment. Bai Xiaoya is different; she's like an innocent little lamb with many forks in the road ahead. She doesn't know which way to go and has to be lured forward with a carrot.

That way, when she grows up, her future will be bright and easy, without so many hardships, dangers, and thorns along the way.

She liked to talk to Zhen Tian about everything, but she didn't talk about this; she kept it to herself.

After much deliberation, she finally decided that she still had to teach the girl to cultivate, albeit slowly, step by step, to see how Heaven would react. If there was no reaction, she would take it as tacit approval; if there was, she would stop immediately.

As for Tianyang Palace, Bai Qingyu didn't care. Bai Xiaoya was the empress appointed by Heaven, and Tianyang Palace had to keep its opinions to itself.

So, on the second day, Bai Xiaoya wanted to go out and play, but Bai Qingyu pulled her back and made her study and memorize.

Xiaoya was young and didn't know many words, so Bai Qingyu drew comic books by hand. All the information about cultivation, spiritual power, how to absorb and utilize it, and how to open one's meridians was in her comic books.

There's no rush. We'll take it one step at a time. Once Xiaoya has grasped the basics, she'll have grown up quite a bit and will at least be able to recognize characters.

So, in addition to cultivating, Bai Qingyu also had to teach her to read.

The sudden change made everyone feel a little strange. Bai Qingyu had always let Xiaoya grow up freely before, and they had never seen Bai Qingyu be so strict.

Bai Xiaoya's hard times officially began, and Xiao Yao and Yu Zhuan Jin didn't have much of an easy time either. They were either pulled over by Bai Qingyu to cultivate or taken out by Bai Qingyu to practice in real-world situations.

Bai Xiaoya's future is basically locked in, and the same goes for these two girls.

They will grow up in the future, and when they grow up, they will leave home.

If Miketsu is the Inari Goddess, then Xiaoyao can be her assistant.

It's worth mentioning that during this period of field training, Xiao Yao unexpectedly made a good friend in a cherry blossom forest, the same cherry blossom forest where Bai Qingyu would take everyone on a picnic every year.

The demon she knew was called the Cherry Blossom Demon.

Xiao Yao is a peach blossom fairy, and this fairy named Xiao Ying is a cherry blossom fairy.

Even Bai Qingyu remarked that it was truly fate that these two could become such good sisters.

After getting to know Sakura Fairy, it was obvious that Xiao Yao's personality had become much gentler, probably because she was growing up and shedding her former childishness.

However, there seems to be a problem with Sakura Fairy. As a fairy, she seems to have fallen in love with a human.

It was precisely because of this that Bai Qin deliberately did not adopt her as a child.

It's not that she's unwilling, but rather that the cherry blossom fairy is unwilling.

·

Inside the main hall of the Heavenly Sect.

"Master, everyone is getting impatient. We've been dragging this out for too long. When are we finally going to make our move?"

A Mahayana Vice Master appeared. His attire was not mysterious or strange; he looked like an old farmer working in the fields, wearing simple coarse cloth clothes. He appeared to be around fifty years old, with a weathered face. If it weren't for his demeanor, no one would believe that this old farmer was actually a Mahayana stage expert standing proudly at the pinnacle of the world.

People of the Heavenly Cult are like this: the higher their status, the less they care about details, and their attitude towards life can even be described as indifferent to fame and fortune.

Aside from their crazy actions, they looked more like normal people than any other monk.

They have no excessive desires; neither money, status, nor women can sway them. As a powerful figure once said, the strong members of the Heavenly Cult are a bunch of daydreaming fools, driven by a spirit that doesn't exist in this world and is impossible to achieve.

On the contrary, the lower-level followers of the Heavenly Cult are very similar to other demonic cults, committing all kinds of evil deeds such as burning, killing, looting, and taking pride in their karmic burdens and killing for pleasure.

"We'll make our move in three days. I've already informed the Merfolk," Ji Canghai said calmly.

"Finally, I can get some exercise."

Another figure appeared, a little girl who looked only twelve or thirteen years old. She had white hair, bloodshot eyes, and a pretty face. She was also an elder of the Heavenly Sect, with a Mahayana cultivation level. This appearance was one of the differences between the demonic sects and the righteous sects. People often said that an old immortal had white hair and a youthful face, but in the righteous sects, "white hair and a youthful face" usually referred to the old immortal's snow-white hair like crane feathers and a rosy complexion like a child's, meaning they had good health.

On the other hand, the white-haired, youthful-looking people on the Demonic Sect's side, especially the female cultivators, probably looked just like this elder, appearing as a cute little girl with white hair.

The main reason for this difference is the difference in concepts. Orthodox sects emphasize the immortal aura, while demonic sects value the practicality of the body. A young and energetic body is definitely better than an old and sluggish one.

"Master, how is the Holy Maiden doing? I heard she's with the Divine Phoenix?"

"It's with the Divine Phoenix. The Divine Phoenix is ​​more thoughtful than us, and the Divine Phoenix Residence is safer than ours. There are no traitors there."

As he spoke, Ji Canghai placed one hand on the stone statue in front of him.

With a click, a jet-black bone sword flew out.

This bone sword has a remarkable origin; it was forged from the bones of the previous owner of the demonic sword.