460: Demon race, Eastern Region

Ma Dun stared at Arthur's reply, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Beside him, the cold wind of the Northern Lands blew past, and the frost-covered grass lay dormant, while the Demon Race Outside the Wall awaited his reply.

Ma Dun looked toward the Bird Demon he was coordinating with, forced a bitter smile, and shook his head. "He is unwilling."

The Bird Demon nodded, not disappointed, and merely said, "We only wish to migrate south. This matter has already been discussed with Immortal Master Long Wind and the True Monarch of the state-stabilizing seal. When the time comes, we will borrow a path through the Qingling Sect and simply find a fertile piece of land within the Immortal Dynasty. As for Heshui Prefecture, the State of Chu, and the Demon Race Players... they will no longer be considered."

Ma Dun opened his mouth but could not speak, his face filled with sorrow. In the end, he could only say bitterly, "Thank you for your trouble, fellow kin. It is I, Ma Dun, who is incompetent."

According to Ma Dun's original plan, the Demon Race Players would join forces with the Demon Race Outside the Wall to conquer North Mountain together and forge a new North Mountain Yao Kingdom.

After the battle of the Qingling Sect ended, he adjusted his plan. He no longer plotted for North Mountain but instead plotted for the State of Chu. However, this required the help of Arthur and the others; otherwise, it would be difficult to intervene in the war in Heshui Prefecture.

But Arthur had flatly refused him, so there was no need to ask other Human Race players; it was impossible that they would help them.

In this way, the plot for the Demon Race Players to establish an independent kingdom could be said to have completely failed.

Ma Dun's expression was sorrowful as he walked on the barren grassland of the Northern Lands outside the wall. Feeling the biting cold wind and gazing at the looming, desolate mountains, he thought of the current situation where the Demon Race Outside the Wall was trapped in the Northern Lands and growing increasingly weak. He couldn't help but recall the boldness of the North Mountain Yao Race in years past, when they dared to confront the Immortal Dynasty.

For no reason, two tears squeezed out.

Even if Demon Race Players did not cultivate the problematic Dao Lineages intentionally released by the Yuyao Kingdom, they would still cultivate similar Demon Body Dao Lineages, which were not the same path as the Immortal Foundation Golden Core Path.

This meant that the spiritual resources and cultivation environments required by the Demon Race Players were different from those of the Human Race players. Perhaps there were areas of overlap, but ultimately, they had to separate to cultivate better.

Nowadays, the Immortal Dynasty of the state-stabilizing seal was almost entirely controlled by Human Race players, Dragon Seeking City in the Li Kingdom was also established by Human Race players, and all of the more than one hundred Sects in Yanwang Prefecture were of the Human Race.

Seeing that the State of Chu, where Heshui Prefecture was located, was also about to be carved up by Human Race players, Ma Dun was extremely anxious.

He was a player with decent vision and clearly knew that the Demon Race Players must have their own territory, their own Immortal Peaks, and even Grotto-heavens in order to grow strong and contend with the Human Race.

Otherwise, they would end up like the Da Quan Knight, forever reduced to being mounts and subordinates for Human Race players, never able to get ahead.

More importantly, the Immortal Foundation Golden Core Dao Lineage had already found the Nascent Soul Method, and many Human Race players had begun closed-door cultivation to seek a Breakthrough.

Yet, to this day, they, the Demon Race Players, had not found a Fourth-Rank Method, and the Yuyao Kingdom, the only entity potentially possessing a Fourth-Rank Method, was a behemoth they dared not provoke.

In other words, this was the last opportunity to carve out territory and establish a kingdom. Once missed, the Demon Race Players would never have another chance to turn things around.

But... "I can't do anything..."

Ma Dun let out a long howl toward the sky. Countless thoughts intertwined in his heart, ultimately turning into a helpless grief and indignation. He could only silently gaze toward the south.

After an unknown amount of time, he stood up and moved forward. He had already made a decision, and his steps grew increasingly firm. Suddenly, he flew up and traveled by riding the wind.

The direction he was heading was none other than toward the Yuyao Kingdom.

...

Yanwang Prefecture.

The player Jiang Vengeance was a player addicted to role-playing. After fully grasping his identity as a native of the Great Jiang Imperial Dynasty, he spent time fully grasping his identity as a native of Yanwang Prefecture.

His words and actions were already indistinguishable from those of the natives. Even if he encountered detailed questioning, he could accurately distinguish what things he should know and what things he should not.

Furthermore, he was extremely careful and cautious. Within Yanwang Prefecture, he never used the trading system to purchase or sell physical goods, and he did not even meet with other players.

Therefore, he successfully integrated into the local social system, to the point where he was recruited into a Sect named [Nine Swords Dao]. Step by step, he climbed upward, actually managing to use his "talent" to reach the status of an Inner Sect Disciple, and now he had become the direct Disciple of an Inner Sect Elder.

This was a noble status that other players could only dream of.

Most players were still lingering outside the Outer Sect, not even counting as Named Disciples, all of them waiting for the Ascension Assembly.

They all thought they had to pass the Ascension Assembly to join these Sects, unaware that true top-tier players had already squeezed their way in, and were even going to be in charge of the Ascension Assembly to decide their fate.

Indeed, because of his outstanding talent, Jiang Vengeance was highly valued by his Elder Master, who specifically entrusted him with the task of the Ascension Assembly, wanting him to pad his resume so that even if he couldn't go to a Grotto-heaven in the future, he could at least secure an Elder position elsewhere.

The Ascension Assembly was a major task, and naturally, it was not Jiang Vengeance's responsibility alone. However, since he was personally appointed by the Elder and was acting on the Elder's behalf, he possessed a clear quota for recruiting Disciples—a full ten spots.

Jiang Vengeance knew that if he were to make these spots public to the players, he could definitely cash in directly; he didn't know how many players would crazily bribe him for a spot.

Even if he didn't accept bribes, just relying on the spots to prove his status would be enough to make him an opinion leader for players in Yanwang Prefecture, and subsequently, step by step, rank him among the top-tier players.

But he did not do so.

Like his other colleagues, he conducted a pre-screening of the players before the Ascension Assembly began.

This screening was conducted secretly, mainly to determine which players had a huge recognition of the unified identity of "player," and which players had pursuits for their individual identities.

It sounds complicated, but it was actually simple: it was just a matter of selecting players who possessed the following characteristic: when the Sect came into conflict with the entire player group, they would stand on the side of the Sect.

The Nine Swords Dao and other Sects were long-established Sects that knew clearly that although players were a whole, they could be infinitely subdivided and were completely exploitable.

They coveted the various privileges of the players.

Jiang Vengeance saw everything, but he had absolutely no intention of telling the players about these things.

Besides this, he even knew that after the Ascension Assembly, many Sects of the Eastern Domain would join forces to head east, wanting to connect the Eastern Region East into one piece and incorporate it under the governance of the various Sects.

At that time, the good days the players currently enjoyed would come to an end.

And players like him, Jiang Vengeance, who had infiltrated the Eastern Domain Sects early on, would become the trendsetters of the new era.

Thinking of this, Jiang Vengeance couldn't help but reveal a smile.

A colleague who was setting up the formation platform for the Ascension Assembly saw him smiling and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you smile? Is it because our arrangements are not perfect?"

Jiang Vengeance shook his head and said, "What I smile at has nothing to do with the Ascension Assembly. I am laughing at those players who are currently trapped in infighting, still slaughtering their peers, completely unaware that we are about to ride the clouds eastward and open up a new world."

Hearing this, all the Nine Swords Dao Disciples also laughed.

Someone else added, "Once the assembly is over, we will head east. Let the mortal world overturn; in the end, they will have to bow their heads to the vast ocean."