Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 1402: Chapter 1026: Qu Luming the Persuader (2)

The two sides agreed to meet in Carefree City in a quarter of an hour.

There weren’t many Demon Cultivators who dared to stand up and clearly declare their loyalty; Du Li already had his judgment—those left, even if they hadn’t defected, all had their own little schemes. Entrusting these utterly loyal Demon Cultivators to Mr. Jiang would at least give them a stable shelter, so that he and Lan Shanying could fight with no worries hanging over their heads.

The Iron-faced Young Master Gao Yi of the Law Enforcement Hall was impressively among them.

Seeing Mr. Jiang again—the man who had once pried into a few of his hidden secrets—Gao Yi’s heart was a tangle of mixed feelings. Who could’ve imagined that the glorious Demon Realm Alliance would, in just over a month, crumble apart and completely disband?

His proud ambitions had instantly turned to dust; the future was bleak, collective Ascension hopeless, and his Daoxin had nearly collapsed.

"We greet Mr. Jiang!" The group of Demon Cultivators saluted in unison.

Jiang Yuan returned the salute, and at his ear came Old Dog’s sneaky Secret Communication, "Master, I was ordered to secretly follow Du Li, and I discovered that he and Lan Shanying opened up the Alliance’s final private storerooms.

The fifty-nine Demon Cultivators in front of you are armed to the teeth! They’ve also received a bunch of practical Magical Artifacts and Magical Treasures—judging from what Du Li said, he really doesn’t plan on living anymore.

But most likely he wants to go all out against the traitors, go on a killing spree, and never even considered doing something stupid like voluntarily slamming into the Power of the Celestial Dao and dying for nothing."

Listening to Du Li introduce the parties, Jiang Yuan was multitasking—while checking detailed analysis to confirm their character was fine, he was also replying to Ling Di on a private channel.

"It all happened too suddenly. The Demon Realm Alliance headquarters and its branches were looted to varying degrees, causing heavy losses, and not much material remains." Du Li offered a finely crafted Storage Ring with an apologetic look, explaining, "I heard Qu Luming say that to activate a courtyard in the Aerial Pavilion takes a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

What I can do for these loyal and righteous folk is limited. All the Spirit Stones, Refining Materials, Spirit Plants, and so on in the Storage Ring I offer to you, sir. I’ll have to trouble you to settle them down. Being able to quietly cultivate in the small courtyard is a blessing they’ve earned through their Cultivation, and in the future..."

He paused, took a deep breath, then smiled and said, "I wish everyone success in Cultivation and early Ascension!"

"Tsk tsk, Master, listen to how he’s talking—that’s some tragic resolve, woof!" Ling Di was still hiding and quietly throwing shade.

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment, took the Storage Ring, and smiled. "As it happens, I also have a list to give Daoist Du. Why don’t we head to the courtyard together? After I settle everyone down, we can talk in detail?"

The best way to handle this kind of calm bomb that’s constantly on the verge of exploding is to quietly calm him down without making a fuss.

Du Li cares about these loyal Demon Cultivators, so let him watch them being settled with his own eyes, then find a chance to sit down and talk properly. A High Level Cultivator, with just a moment’s impulse, is a devastating blow to all living beings.

This shit is basically a walking nuclear weapon—no, something even scarier than a nuclear weapon—so better use a gentle approach to talk him out of any bad ideas.

"A list?" Du Li’s eyes lit up. "Is it the list of those who betrayed the Demon Realm Alliance?"

Receiving a positive answer, his heart surged! He had originally planned to borrow the Heart Mirror again, go city by city to review the past, and kill all the traitors!

He’d kill until the other Demon Cultivators were terrified, willing to voluntarily go to the Otherworld; then, coordinated with Mr. Jiang’s Demon Beast migration plan, the two-pronged approach would clean up the Wilderness World as quickly as possible, return it to the control of the Ancient Ten Great Sects, and count as saving the Wilderness World on the brink of doom.

He hadn’t expected Mr. Jiang to actually get the list—this was basically divine support!

He gladly agreed, and they transmitted together to the courtyard.

By the pavilion beside the Spirit Pool in the small courtyard, Mist Dragon was rolling dice in his fingers, looking curiously at the ghost-cultivator social butterfly who’d taken the initiative to come over.

Daoist You Jiang hadn’t been bragging—Humans, Demons, and Ghost Cultivators coexisted peacefully in this courtyard, which was... downright bizarre!

"I’ve long admired Lord Miling’s great name. I am the current Leopard Tail Qu Luming of Netherworld Fengdu; I trust sir has already introduced me to you." Qu Luming, over two meters tall, bowed and hunched over as he saluted so the other wouldn’t seem too short.

"Likewise, likewise!" Mist Dragon hurriedly returned the salute, then waved with a laugh. "That’s all stuff from a past life. I’ve mistakenly taken on a Demon body now. Though I miss the Netherworld, I can’t go back. How does Daoist Qu cultivate in this courtyard where the Spiritual Energy is so dense?"

When Qu Luming heard that, he thought, no need to pretend to casually drop hints now.

Lord Miling had basically written "wants to become a Ghost Cultivator" all over his face!

"Having such confusion is perfectly normal. Why not trouble you, Lord, to move over and take a look at my courtyard?" He took the initiative to invite him, wanting to broaden the other’s horizons.

Mist Dragon accepted the invitation gladly.

Then he saw a scene that looked perfectly ordinary on the outside, yet the moment he stepped into the courtyard, his whole body was instantly shrouded in dense Yin Energy.

Stepping back out, the Spiritual Energy in the Immortal Mountain Palace was ethereal and drifting; stepping back in, Yin Energy coiled around him, as if swarmed by countless ghostly shadows.

"H-how is this done?" Mist Dragon was utterly baffled; no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t imagine how you could make dense Spiritual Energy and dense Yin Energy stay sharply separated, not interfering with each other at all!

You have to know, Energy needs to circulate, or it becomes stagnant and dead. No matter how exquisite an Array is, it can’t completely stop tiny leaks. Over time, the two completely different Energies inside and outside would inevitably start to fuse, repel, and eventually disrupt the flows.

But this courtyard actually managed to keep them sharply divided, completely uninvolved with each other!

"If you figure out how it’s done, you could take Arrays as your Dao and ascend to Immortality in broad daylight." The Array Master Hao Daqiang sat sloppily beside his own courtyard, eyes bloodshot, and said in a low voice, "From the moment I stepped into the courtyard I’ve been trying to figure it out, and to this day I haven’t understood even a shred. That’s how wondrous this Immortal Technique is."

Finished speaking, he stopped paying attention to the stunned Mist Dragon, lowered his head to scribble on his palm, and once again sank into deep thought, standing there like a motionless stone.