The battles between the Heavenly Demon Palace and the Violet Phoenix Palace finally concluded, but both factions had suffered immense losses due to years of attrition.
The casualty rate among their lower-tier disciples approached fifty percent, and their strategic reserves of supplies were depleted.
In the same world, while some rejoiced, others mourned. Where misfortune befell some, others seized the opportunity to prosper.
The Jade Void Palace and the Qiankun Palace capitalized on this situation, reaping substantial profits.
Furthermore, they weakened the strength of potential enemies, eliminating future threats.
However, unknown to all, a mysterious hidden force also profited immensely from this internal strife among the demon race.
Xiao Fei, currently within his spatial dimension, gazed at the numerous large wooden chests overflowing with immortal stones, his mouth splitting into a wide grin.
Taking advantage of the conflict between the two major powers, he had deployed his giant army as bandits, effectively severing the trade routes connecting to the Jun Tian Realm.
Xiao Youyi's merchant caravans had virtually monopolized this vast market.
In addition to this, many of his unsold treasures within the spatial dimension were cleared out during this period, converted into immortal stones.
In his entire life, he had never seen such a colossal amount of immortal stones.
He had counted them numerous times, confirming the total to be ten million immortal stones.
With such a substantial reserve of immortal stones, his confidence had grown significantly.
Xiao Fei estimated that this ten million immortal stones should be sufficient for him to advance from the Heavenly Immortal realm to the Immortal Lord realm in the future.
Ever since he entered the Heavenly Immortal realm, his cultivation progress had been agonizingly slow due to injuries to his divine soul.
After consuming three Qian Yuan Immortal Fruits consecutively last time, his divine soul had significantly repaired, and his cultivation speed had accelerated.
He had four avatars, with one specifically designated to cultivate diligently within the spatial dimension every day.
Before long, he would be able to cultivate to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm. Although his divine soul had not fully recovered, he should still have a chance to break through to the Immortal Lord realm.
Generally speaking, breaking through to the Immortal Lord realm was not an easy feat.
Otherwise, the number of Immortal Lords in the immortal realm would have long ago become as abundant as stray dogs.
First, it required a prolonged period of cultivation, at least several hundred thousand years to reach the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm.
Therefore, any Immortal Lord was at least five hundred thousand years old.
Even ordinary individuals who were fortunate enough to cultivate to the Earth Immortal realm, possessing infinite lifespans, might not necessarily live that long.
There were always various unforeseen accidents. How many could guarantee they would never encounter accidental injuries for five hundred thousand years?
Moreover, cultivation required vast amounts of resources, which immediately excluded rogue cultivators.
Rogue cultivators lacked cultivation resources and could not absorb immortal energy. Even after cultivating for five million years, they could not even break through to the True Immortal realm.
Even upon entering major factions, most individuals still did not receive sufficient resources to break through to the Heavenly Immortal realm or higher.
Those who managed to cultivate to the Earth Immortal realm generally possessed good aptitude.
Therefore, after the Earth Immortal realm, the primary factor influencing cultivation advancement was the amount of resources one could acquire.
Xiao Fei did not lack immortal pills or immortal herbs. In terms of cultivation time, the spatial dimension currently offered 180 times the normal speed, which was also ample.
What he lacked were immortal stones, the injuries to his divine soul, and certain treasures that aided in breakthroughs.
Now, he was steadily approaching his goal of becoming an Immortal Lord, with hope appearing on the horizon.
Next time, he would seek out his Palace Master master to see if he could obtain some treasures that assisted in breakthroughs.
In recent years, the Jade Void Palace Master had gone from perfunctory dismissiveness to increasingly greater satisfaction with him, his personal disciple.
Whenever the Jade Void Palace Master had free time, he would summon Xiao Fei to impart knowledge, benefiting Xiao Fei immensely.
One day, the Jade Void Palace Master issued an order, summoning Zhang Yi to see him again.
"Disciple Zhang Yi pays his respects to Master!"
"Zhang Yi, recently the Jade Void Palace and the Qiankun Palace have jointly undertaken a secret mission. I intend for you to participate in it, to gain some merit alongside several Immortal Lords."
The Jade Void Palace Master now regarded him as one of his own, speaking directly without beating around the bush, clearly intending for him to gain merit.
"Thank you for your kind intention, Master!"
Zhang Yi quickly cupped his fists in gratitude.
"May I ask, Master, what is this mission?"
Xiao Fei was somewhat curious. The Jade Void Palace had not undertaken any major actions for many years.
This time, the two major factions had jointly dispatched several Immortal Lords, and he was being asked to follow along to gain benefits, indicating it was definitely a significant event.
"Based on intelligence analysis, the alliance between the demon race and the demonic race has become a foregone conclusion. The objective of their joint efforts is naturally aimed at our human race. Our human race, standing between heaven and earth, has never been timid or fearful. At critical junctures, we will undoubtedly possess the courage to face adversity head-on. Since the demons and devils are preparing to join forces against us, we will take the initiative this time, striking first to gain the advantage. Your mission is to eradicate all demon and devil forces surrounding the Jun Tian Realm. The Heavenly Demon Palace and the Violet Phoenix Palace are currently in a weakened state. By severing their external support, we can then force these two factions to submit. If they refuse, we can also destroy them."
As the Jade Void Palace Master spoke, a hint of excitement appeared on his face, suggesting he was someone whose spirit remained youthful despite his age.
"Remember! This is a covert operation. You must not leak it to anyone else. If this operation proceeds smoothly and you earn merit, I will then focus on cultivating you, and others will have no grounds for gossip."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi quickly bowed in thanks. He was already at the Heavenly Immortal realm, and the Palace Master's mention of focused cultivation naturally meant assisting him in breaking through to the Immortal Lord realm.
The Jade Void Palace certainly possessed treasures that aided in breakthroughs to the Immortal Lord realm.
However, they were likely not abundant, and everyone coveted them. It would be inappropriate to privately bestow them upon anyone. If he could achieve great merit this time, coupled with the support of the Jade Void Palace Master, obtaining a share of these treasures should not be an issue.
A month later, a team quietly departed from the Jun Tian Realm.
The total number of individuals in this team was not large, only a little over two hundred, but they were all formidable experts.
Leading the group were Immortal Lord Bing Huo of the Jade Void Palace and Immortal Lord Hou De of the Qiankun Palace. In addition to these two, there were six other Immortal Lords.
Zhang Yi, the Peak Master of Morality Peak, also accompanied the team.
Behind him followed Jia Ren, the "rolling knife" of Morality Peak, along with ten True Immortal disciples from Morality Peak.
After exiting the Jun Tian Realm, this team concealed their aura and stealthily approached a demon cave-heaven.
Within these cave-heavens, the strongest individuals were only at the Heavenly Immortal realm. The fact that Immortal Lords personally intervened was already a significant show of force.
Immortal Lord Bing Huo personally took action, conjuring a flame as small as a bean, which appeared as if it might extinguish at any moment.
However, upon encountering immortal energy in the sky, this flame used the immortal energy as fuel, instantly transforming into a sea of fire that descended upon the demon cave-heaven.
"What kind of lowly creature dares to be so bold... Spare me, senior!"
A demon Heavenly Immortal flew out from the cave-heaven, shouting in anger. It was only then that he realized a large group of powerful individuals had surrounded the cave-heaven.
A mere glance revealed several Immortal Lords alone.
What sin had he committed? To attract so many Immortal Lords to attack a mere Heavenly Immortal like himself.
Even with his swift reaction and immediate plea for mercy, the flames in the sky had already transformed into a fiery ocean, engulfing him and the entire cave-heaven.
With his meager cultivation, he was utterly incapable of making any waves before an Immortal Lord.
The flames burned for only the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, and all living beings within this cave-heaven turned to ashes.
The vast sea of fire reconsolidated into tiny, bean-sized points, returning to Immortal Lord Bing Huo's hand.