On the tattered official road, more than a dozen figures stood side by side.
Xie Yutang pressed her red lips together, her gaze drifting as she stared into the distance.
Even though there was no one left ahead—only a few toppled trees swaying in the mountain breeze—she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
"Senior Sister Xie, don’t be sad," Monkey comforted her gently.
"Oh? Want to trade?" She turned her head and held out the Storage Bag in her hand.
"Can’t do that."
Monkey chuckled sheepishly and hopped away. "The Lord needs me. Red Face and I have to go to Yongzhou and carry the banner for him."
Behind him, Elder Xu and Gu Nanzhi smiled wryly.
Lu Yun also hurriedly looked away.
Lord Lin was heading to Yongzhou under the guise of a Mountain Master Disciple from the Yu Family. In that capacity, he could only gather information on the Immortal Families and affairs within the city.
He would definitely need to bring a few attendants to scout the surrounding Demons and relay messages from Yongzhou Pass.
The specific people weren’t important, as they could be replaced at any time.
However, the first group had already been chosen.
Elder Xu was chosen to lead the team. As for Monkey, he’d shamelessly wheedled his way into a spot under the pretext of being the banner carrier.
Red Face came from a respectable family and had only arrived from Anren Prefecture four years ago. Compared to the other Little Demons, who had been isolated from the world for years, he had a much better understanding of Yongzhou.
As for Gu Nanzhi, Lord Moon-Devouring had promised to arrange a meeting between her and Chang Yi, if the opportunity arose.
With some leaving, others had to stay behind.
They would not only be responsible for managing the resources but would also need enough strength to protect the other Little Demons.
Clearly, Xie Yutang was the popular choice for this role.
The Storage Bag in her hand contained the corpses of dozens of Immortal Descendants from various families, including three adult Cyan Simurghs.
In addition, Lin Shu had left behind many Magical Artifacts for the Little Demons. He had also found a longsword—a Low Grade Magical Treasure—in Yu Duchuan’s Storage Bag and gifted it to Xie Yutang.
"I want to go too," the Profound Armor Maiden said, lowering her head in disappointment.
"You can lead the team next time," Elder Xu soothed.
There was a deeper purpose to the arrangements the Demons had made.
Although Lord Lin had no use for the resources obtained in exchange for so many Immortal Descendants, they couldn’t simply be divided equally among every Little Demon.
With their lord gone to Yongzhou, the Border Region urgently needed someone else to watch over the Demon Banner in his stead.
Xie Yutang had once been a Mountain Master Disciple, but her Realm had been stagnant for years ever since she fled her Immortal Sect.
With a sufficient supply of resources, she could quickly make up for lost time.
Only once she grew strong would the other Little Demons be able to safely improve their own Realms.
"I’ll be troubling you all. Please look after these children for me."
Elder Xu looked over the Little Demons who had followed him for so many years. He had always wondered how he could find a future for these children.
Now, it seemed they had found the best path forward.
"Don’t you worry," the Golden Bear said with a booming laugh. "Once this is all over and we plant the Moon-devouring Demon Banner, who would dare mess with them?"
"Safe travels," the Qingming Demon General said with a slight nod.
The Nine Prefectures of Yongzhou were nothing like this barren Border Region.
It was a gathering place for the Celestial Prides and powerhouses of the province, presided over by Half-Life Immortal Families.
Then there were the powerful Great Demons who dared to establish their own domains within the Nine Mansions; they too had to be handled with caution.
"I understand. Everyone, farewell!"
Elder Xu turned, mounted his Spirit Horse along with the other four, and yanked hard on the reins.
A moment later, the five powerful Spirit Horses stamped their hooves and galloped off, quickly disappearing from view.
The Golden Bear exhaled sharply and looked back toward the Border Region.
Things were finally settling down.
This meant that the Demons of Yongzhou finally had a home to call their own.
It was a mountain range that stretched for thousands of miles, a place where Great Demons could gather and the millions of demon people would no longer have to live in hiding—no longer be whipped into mining ore or filling rivers, but live like normal people.
’He just didn’t know how long this "home" would last.’
’No matter how much the Immortal Descendants valued their own lives, they would never tolerate the loss of the Border Region. Sooner or later, they would be back to reclaim it.’
"One step at a time."
The Qingming Demon General seemed to sense his unease.
The Demon King had given the order: take this land.
But whether this was a beginning or an end, who could say for sure.
"Let’s go back."
Xie Yutang composed herself, carefully fastening the longsword, a Magical Treasure gifted to her by Lord Lin, to her waist.
She gripped the sword scabbard tightly, as if drawing a calming strength from it.
The young woman raised her head and led the other Demons back into Yongzhou Pass.
...
[Consume 1,000 taels of Merit Coins, Saint Immortal reaches adulthood]
Lin Shu lay on Yu Sheng’s back, an equally massive Cyan Simurgh Illusion appearing in his vision.
As it gradually digested over eight thousand taels of Merit Coins, the Magical Power within it surged.
But the speed of this growth was far from what Lin Shu had expected.
He frowned slightly, having noticed a problem.
In their youth and adulthood, the Magical Power of Immortal Descendants grew far faster than that of Cultivators, as if they were the favored children of heaven and earth.
But upon reaching Late-stage Core Formation, it was as if they hit some kind of bottleneck. Their rate of improvement would plummet, and they would need to consume massive amounts of resources just to take a single step forward.
’Is this the price they pay for enjoying the benefits of an Immortal Descendant’s bloodline?’
’So that’s it.’
Lin Shu felt he finally understood why Mountain Master Disciples existed.
It wasn’t simply that Immortal Descendants cherished their lives. It was that after they hit this bloodline bottleneck, a Cultivator consuming the same resources would simply advance faster.
In order to have stronger enforcers to contend for territory, these so-called Immortal Families would give up the notion of devouring their Mountain Masters, instead parting with some of their resources for them.
’Aren’t they afraid of a backlash from their disciples?’
Lin Shu’s eyes narrowed as he suddenly recalled the Dao Essence, which had looked just like fresh blood.

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