Chapter 1894 An Unprecedented Scene
January is like sand slipping through your fingers, gone in the blink of an eye.
As the last rays of dawn pierced the miasma of the Netherworld Mountains, the defensive fortifications of the Three Realms and Four Continents finally took solid shape.
On the mountaintop amidst the churning sea of clouds, human cultivators formed hand seals, constructing various arrays. Golden array patterns flowed across the rock walls like living things, constantly monitoring the movements of the Netherworld Qi Mountain Range.
Near the Demon Realm Mountains, the demon bear clan carried ten thousand catties of black iron stone steadily forward, followed by various demon cultivators, who, in accordance with the commands of the various demon kings, set up a demon guard.
Not to be outdone, the Ghost Realm sent a large number of high-level ghost cultivators, their bodies wreathed in pale blue netherfire, embedding layers of yin-attribute barriers into the earth's vein nodes. With the help of the Ghost Kings, they set up Ghost Watchtowers, ensuring that no movement could escape their ghostly eyes.
In order to establish a better and more comprehensive defense network, the three realms even went beyond their own territories to supplement manpower and exploration networks at the edges and intersections of each realm, making it inevitable that the various races would collide.
Strangely, the cultivators from the three races, who were mortal enemies in the past, chose to tacitly continue their busy work, with no one disturbing them or daring to break the deadlock. Some even joined hands to help each other.
Such a scene of cooperation among various ethnic groups was a dream that no one in the Eight Desolations dared to imagine just half a month ago.
There was a time when humans, ghosts, and demons would fight like roosters to the death whenever they met, and it was common for them to kill each other without hesitation. Even a chance encounter could trigger a bloody battle.
Today, as you walk through the fortified camp, you can see human cultivators in Taoist robes handing healing pills to demon beasts, ghost cultivators chatting and drinking with human cultivators, and even the most unruly demons will take the initiative to help the ghosts carry the Soul-Suppressing Stone, which weighs more than a thousand pounds.
At the intersection of the three realms, beneath the defensive fortifications of the three races, cultivators from the three races occasionally sit together, sharing anecdotes and stories from their respective territories, with bursts of laughter occasionally emanating from them.
Such harmony prompted the white-haired old cultivators to stroke their beards and exclaim repeatedly, "Unprecedented in history, truly unprecedented!"
They clearly remembered that the Eight Desolations of yesteryear were not a three-way division of power, but rather a four-way division.
When the Orcs were still around, the four races were irreconcilable enemies, like natural foe.
At that time, the dragon race dominated the eight wastelands, their scales and armor covered the sky and sun, and their whiskers stirred up the tides of the four seas, occupying all the best spiritual veins and blessed lands in the world.
All things and places imbued with spiritual energy are taken into the possession of the dragon race.
The other four races could only huddle in barren corners of the land. The human race built fortified villages on the plateau, the ghost race hid in the dark valleys where the sun never shone, and the demon race was trapped in the miasma-filled Ten Thousand Mountains.
In the struggle for a single century-old medicinal herb, cultivators from the three races often fought to the point of leaving corpses strewn across the battlefield, with even newly transformed demons and novice cultivators unable to escape their fate.
Later, Zhu Jiuyin, driven by his own selfish desires, attempted to ascend to the Immortal Realm, causing the Dragon Clan's fortune to dissipate, and the once invincible Dragon Clan ultimately withdrew from the stage of history.
The thousands of vacant blessed lands, like unclaimed treasures, instantly ignited the desires that had been suppressed for thousands of years by the three races.
Humans, with their innate advantages, drove the demon and ghost races to the frontier and replaced the dragon race in occupying large areas of spiritual veins in the heart of the Central Plains.
Fortunately, the human race is not as greedy as the dragon race. Although they occupy core resources, they also leave room for the other two races to breathe.
However, the ghost and demon races were never willing to accept this, so they drew a line between themselves and the human race, and from then on, they were mortal enemies whenever they met, with no room for reconciliation.
Who could have imagined that, after a thousand years, the three races would put aside their deep-seated hatred and stand hand in hand on the defensive line of the Nether Qi Mountains?
Even more remarkably, the order of the eight wastelands was quietly changed because of this unity.
The frequent occurrences of murder, robbery, and sectarian infighting in the past have now plummeted by 90%.
A few days ago, a reckless and arrogant little demon sect member attempted to plunder defensive supplies in the border area between the two states.
Before any legitimate cultivators could even make a move, the Black Wind Demon Sect leader, who was in charge of that area, personally led his men to wipe out their stronghold.
It is said that the sect leader, carrying the head of the leader of the Lesser Demon Sect, established rules in front of the other demon sect cultivators in front of the defense camp.
"Anyone who dares to ruin the great dragon-slaying mission at this crucial moment, or disrupt unity at this time, will be eliminated without Zhengzong's intervention!"
Such swift and decisive action terrified the other petty thieves, leaving them speechless with fear.
The eight directions are now in a delicate balance.
The major clans consciously restrained their members, while the smaller forces were trembling with fear and dared not act rashly. Even the most arrogant rogue cultivators concealed their arrogance and voluntarily joined the defense teams in exchange for resources.
After all, everyone knows that as long as Zhu Jiuyin is not eliminated, there will be no true peace in the Eight Desolations. At this moment, internal strife is tantamount to courting death.
Behind this rare peace, Lin Jichen, as the leader of the three clans alliance, was under pressure that was unimaginable to ordinary people.
He sat inside the Sword Sect Hall without ever leaving or resting for even a second.
The jade slips piled up like mountains, their transmissions countless. Each jade slip carried a state's defense report, resource requests, or ethnic disputes.
Inside the Sword Palace, the Spirit Gathering Lamp burned with millennia-old spiritual oil. Its bright light could not dispel the heavy atmosphere. Lin Jichen sat there in the palace for more than a month.
Ancient Chinese emperors, governing a territory of only a million square kilometers, would work tirelessly day and night, eventually exhausting their bodies.
The Eight Desolate Lands under Lin Jichen's control are more than a million times larger than that territory.
Fortunately, Lin Jichen had planned ahead and appointed commanders of the four prefectures half a month ago, distributing key tasks such as defense, resource allocation, and ethnic coordination.
Otherwise, even if he sat for a year without eating, drinking, sleeping, or resting, he might not be able to finish all the affairs.
"Phew! This job is inhuman. Whoever wants to be the leader of the Eight Desolations Alliance can do it from now on. I'm not doing it anymore. Forget about arduous cultivation, even if there were a lazy person's cultivation method like the Yin-Yang Holy Scripture, I wouldn't have time to use it..."
Lin Jichen stood up from his chair, shaking his head with a sigh.
However, so far, the task of deploying defenses in various locations has been almost completed.
He could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
No, I must treat myself properly by asking Yue'er and the others. The Yin-Yang Holy Scripture has been neglected for so long that it's almost rusted.
If he hadn't been so restrained and prioritized the bigger picture, he probably would have gone crazy long ago.
However, before Lin Jichen could even leave the main hall, a voice transmission came through, forcing him to abandon the idea.
The reason for this was that the person transmitting the message was Situ Haokong, the sect leader of Nine Dragons Valley.
Situ Haokong sent a telepathic message saying that there was a serious shortage of Dragon Blood Wood.
The Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Wood is the most crucial material for setting up the Dragon Locking Formation, but Situ Haokong's sect only has two left.
It will take seven more thousand-year-old dragon blood woods to form the Dragon Locking Formation.
Having no other choice, Situ Haokong could only dump this mess on Lin Jichen, since he was the alliance leader.
However, the old man was afraid that Lin Jichen would hold him accountable, so he came up with a solution, but it required Lin Jichen's cooperation.
Therefore, Lin Jichen had no choice but to set off immediately. Time was of the essence, as Zhu Jiuyin could emerge from the mountain at any moment, and he dared not delay for even a second.
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