444: Chapter 444 Internal Strife

Star Academy.

Starlight shone brilliantly overhead, and a palace completely outlined by starlight sat high in the sky, a thousand feet up, hence its name: the Star Palace.

The Star Palace was created by the Peach Blossom Demon Lord with the help of the Star Array, ostensibly to serve as the meeting place for the Star Academy.

Due to the rush, the exterior of the Star Palace looked complex, but the interior actually only had one spacious meeting hall, while the rest was a chaotic mess of starlight power.

"Everyone!" Standing above the hall, the Peach Blossom Demon Lord's serious voice drifted down. "The Demon Court is coming in force. Do you have any countermeasures?"

Silence! No one spoke for ten breaths. The Peach Blossom Demon Lord spread her hands and slowly sat back down.

"Since that's the case, while there's still some time, everyone should flee for their lives!"

The Demon Court's movements were too massive. According to the news received by the Peach Blossom Demon Lord, at least dozens of Nascent Soul Demon Lords had been mobilized, and Demon Saint Xuanyu's Dharma Idol would certainly be deployed.

The Pioneering War had only just begun, yet the Demon Court was using its ultimate move right away, treating it like a final battle. Relying solely on her and the few Nascent Soul True Lords of the Star Academy, it was impossible to stop them.

As the saying goes, a wise man submits to fate; if there wasn't even a sliver of a chance to win, no one was willing to die for nothing.

The Peach Blossom Demon Lord had only recently joined the Beast Taming Sect and felt little sense of belonging. Her direct superior, Daoist Lord Lihuo, hadn't given her any death orders either, so running away held no psychological pressure for her.

To her, the most important part of the entire Star Academy was the Star Array. When the time came, she would just roll up the Formation Plate and flee directly to the Azure Profound Sect. Surely, the Azure Profound Sect wouldn't let the Yao Race chase her into their own territory?

With Liu Xuan around, even if the Peach Blossom Sect's territory was lost, it wouldn't be a big deal.

An Haoran, Ye Gu, and the others frowned upon hearing this, their expressions turning extremely ugly.

Running away didn't affect the Peach Blossom Demon Lord much, but it affected them significantly!

Back then, their South Courtyard had set out as the vanguard for the Pioneering War, having accepted military missions from the Main Mountain.

To retreat without a fight after already achieving phased victories would surely result in a harsh reprimand, and everything they had sacrificed over the years would go down the drain.

Even if they escaped with their lives, they wouldn't be able to return in the future. When the main force of the Beast Taming Sect arrived later, it would be difficult for them to maintain their current status and interests.

The members of the South Courtyard had fought as the vanguard for the sake of opportunism; the loss from fleeing directly was too great for them to accept at the moment.

"Grand Elder, the Demon Court's massive mobilization is, in the end, all because of you." The former Grand Elder Ye Gu's cold voice rang out. "Running away is fine, but you must take the blame!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into an eerie silence. An Haoran opened his mouth to speak but held back.

"Oh?" The Peach Blossom Demon Lord raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying this is all my fault?"

Ye Gu did not back down, his robes billowing as he spoke up against the pressure. "Demon Saint Xuanyu's madness is to seek revenge against you, Peach Blossom. The talk of fleeing was also first mentioned by you. I am merely telling the truth!"

Seeing the atmosphere grow increasingly oppressive, An Haoran stood up and scolded, "Fellow Daoist Ye, what nonsense are you talking?!"

"At a time like this, do you still want internal strife?!"

An Haoran's voice was loud, echoing through the hall. He suddenly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture toward the Peach Blossom Demon Lord above and changed his tone:

"Fellow Daoist Peach Blossom, you haven't been with the Beast Taming Sect for long, and your Foundation is still lacking. It wouldn't matter if you took the blame. We will compensate you for your losses afterward and ensure you won't lose out. How about it?"

The South Courtyard had a large Foundation, and An Haoran and the others were backed by a massive power. He felt it was most cost-effective for such a blame to be borne by the Peach Blossom Demon Lord, a newly arrived member of the Yao Race.

Without a Foundation, there were no conflicting interests. Afterward, the Dao Lord would at most give the Peach Blossom Demon Lord a few reprimands, with no substantial loss.

Ye Gu's sudden words were intended to pin the crime of avoiding battle on the Peach Blossom Demon Lord.

As long as everyone spoke with one voice, it would be useless for the Peach Blossom Demon Lord to argue, because Ye Gu wasn't wrong—Demon Saint Xuanyu was indeed coming for revenge against her.

"Grand Elder Peach Blossom, since you've joined my Beast Taming Sect but think of fleeing at the first sign of danger, it's hard for me not to doubt the sincerity of your allegiance. Perhaps this was all a scheme between you and the Demon Court?"

Ye Gu wanted to provoke the Peach Blossom Demon Lord. If she made a move, not only would the blame be solidified, but he would also have more of a say in the South Courtyard in the future.

He didn't acknowledge this damn Star Academy at all. Ye Gu had had enough of being marginalized during this time, and Demon Saint Xuanyu's revenge was actually a chance for him to turn the tables!

"Are you trying to provoke me?" The Peach Blossom Demon Lord slowly stood up, her majestic expression vanishing as she smiled sweetly and said, "Congratulations, you've succeeded!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she pointed downward. The starlight in the hall converged into a cage, instantly trapping Ye Gu inside.

"Buzz!"

The ceiling of the hall opened up, revealing the starlit sky, and strands of shimmering white starlight power were drawn down.

"How dare you!"

Ye Gu shouted angrily as a Black Wind Banner appeared in his hand. With a violent wave, a tornado of Nirvana Wind formed, clashing against the cage of starlight power.

"You have some skill; no wonder you're so arrogant!" A hint of mockery appeared on the Peach Blossom Demon Lord's beautiful face. "Unfortunately, that's not enough!"

"Buzz!"

A blood-red light emerged, passing through the cage and piercing the tornado as it lunged toward Ye Gu.

"Boom!"

A golden light shield resembling a tortoise shell flew out from within Ye Gu, blocking the strike.

"Crack!" Under Ye Gu's terrified gaze, the tortoise shell shattered, and the remaining blood-red glimmer struck his body. His face instantly flushed red, showing an expression of extreme agony.

The pain was secondary; what terrified Ye Gu was the Peach Blossom Demon Lord's strength. He prided himself on being far superior to those of the same rank in combat, even An Haoran feared him a little, yet he couldn't even block a single strike from the Peach Blossom Demon Lord.

Moreover, this starlight cage actually neutralized his Evasion Techniques, making even his Evasion Talismans useless.

The Peach Blossom Demon Lord really could kill him, and by the looks of it, she really dared to!

"An Haoran!" Ye Gu pushed his magic power to the limit, his roar piercing through the starlight cage. "If you dare to join forces with this demoness to kill me, the Main Mountain will not let you off!"

Ye Gu had not lost his reason to fear. In this situation, rather than begging the Peach Blossom Demon Lord for mercy, it was better to drag An Haoran down with him.

Since the Peach Blossom Demon Lord was using lethal force in front of everyone, An Haoran and all the Nascent Soul True Lords present would have to bear the consequences.

"Fellow Daoist Peach Blossom, there's no need for this, no need for this at all! Can you stop for a moment? Let's talk things over properly, shall we?"

An Haoran spoke up to persuade her, but he had no intention of stepping in to stop her, nor did he even move his body.

The expressions of the other Nascent Soul True Lords shifted constantly, but none of them were in a hurry to step forward and help.

Ultimately, whether it was the former South Courtyard or the current Star Academy, they were all just an Alliance, and everyone looked out for their own interests. The Peach Blossom Demon Lord was powerful and temperamental; no one wanted to provoke her.

Furthermore, with the Demon Court's crisis approaching, if Ye Gu were really killed by the Peach Blossom Demon Lord now, it might not necessarily be a bad thing for everyone else.