His demonic faction was merely a "mid-to-low" power in the Boundless Realm, far inferior to the five major sects in both overall strength and top-tier combat power.
The reason he dared to lead his army to invade the Xuanqiong Realm alone was because he was betting that these mid-level forces would not notice this low-level small world and wanted to take advantage of the situation to monopolize the resources of the Xuanqiong Realm.
But now, the simultaneous arrival of the five major mid-level forces has undoubtedly disrupted his plans. With the strength of the Demon Clan, let alone monopolizing the Xuanqiong Realm, even if they wanted to get a share, they would have to consider the attitude of the five major sects.
It's like a cake that you thought you could devour all by yourself, but suddenly five people stronger than you show up, and even your right to reach out becomes precarious.
"These damned bastards..." Xuan Yin gritted his teeth, but dared not make the slightest move.
He knew very well that if he dared to make the first move, the five major sects would definitely join forces to suppress the demon race. At that time, not only would he not be able to invade the Xuanqiong Realm, but he himself would probably perish there.
Lin Zhen, standing on the city wall, stared at the five figures in the air, his heart filled with shock.
Although he did not know the origins of these people, he could sense that their strength far exceeded his own, and they were clearly not from the Xuanqiong Realm.
He subconsciously looked at Xiao Chen and the other three, trying to get an answer from them, but he saw that Xiao Chen also looked blank, obviously he had never heard of the names of these five major sects.
Su She frowned slightly and whispered to Xiao Chen, "Senior brother, these people have a very special aura, unlike any force we know. Moreover, they carry a sense of superiority from a 'higher realm,' so they probably come from a world even higher than the Xuanqiong Realm."
Xiao Chen nodded, becoming increasingly vigilant. The sudden arrival of forces from higher realms was unlikely to be for simple purposes; they might be even more difficult to deal with than the demons.
The five powerful figures from the five major sects in the air finally spoke. It was the Daoist elder of the Dingtian Sect who spoke. His voice was calm but carried an undeniable authority: "Xuan Yin, the Demon Clan is quite swift in its actions, but this Xuanqiong Realm is not a place you can monopolize."
Xuan Yin took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the five people, his tone tinged with restraint.
"Fellow Daoists, the Demon Clan is merely conducting preliminary reconnaissance and has no intention of monopolizing the spoils. I wonder if you five have come here today to share in the spoils, or if you have other plans?"
He knew that at this moment, he could only back down; to confront the five major sects head-on would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.
The armored warrior from the War God Sect snorted coldly, his voice like thunder: "Sharing a share? The resources of the Xuanqiong Realm are not for your demon race to distribute. From today onwards, the affairs of the Xuanqiong Realm will be decided by our five sects."
Xuan Yin's face darkened completely, but he dared not refute. He knew very well that this was the difference in strength. In front of the five major mid-level forces, the demon race did not even have the right to fight for a voice.
Xuan Yin listened to the words of the War God Sect expert, his fingernails almost digging into his palms.
The demons painstakingly broke through the spatial barrier of the Xuanqiong Realm, suffering heavy losses to suppress Sunlight City. Just when they were about to flatten this world, the five major sects casually said "unworthy" and stole all their achievements.
But no matter how unwilling he was, he could only accept his defeat; there was no room for reason in the cultivation world.
The law of the jungle is the most fundamental principle.
The five major sects are stronger and therefore have absolute say, while the demon race, as the weaker party, doesn't even have the right to refute them.
"retreat."
Xuan Yin gritted his teeth and shouted at the demon leader behind him, his voice filled with suppressed anger.
Although the demons were unwilling, they dared not disobey and could only silently retreat several steps.
They ceded their original central battlefield position to the five major forces in the air.
Seeing this, Qi Lanzhi, the Grand Elder of Dingtian Sect, flashed a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, then his gaze slowly swept over Lin Zhen on the city wall.
Lin Jingxing and the others spoke in a calm yet authoritative tone: "Who is in charge of this world?"
Lin Zhen took a deep breath, suppressing his vigilance and unease, stepped forward, and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Lin Zhen, the current head of the Lin family in the Xuanqiong Realm, and I am temporarily in charge of defense matters on behalf of all forces."
He knew he couldn't back down now. Behind him were all his clansmen from the Xuanqiong Realm, and he had to hold the line, even if he was facing a powerhouse far stronger than himself.
Qi Lanzhi merely glanced at Lin Zhen indifferently, his gaze as if he were looking at an insignificant object, utterly devoid of any emotion.
"I am Qi Lanzhi, the Grand Elder of the Dingtian Sect. I have come here with fellow Daoists from the Poyuan Sect, the Zhanshen Sect, the Duanyue Sect, and the Wuwei Sect, not to take your lives."
These words brought a slight sense of relief to Lin Zhen, and even a hint of hope. Could it be that these forces from higher realms had come to uphold justice and help them fight against the demons?
But this stroke of luck didn't last long. Qi Lanzhi's next words were like ice water poured over his entire body, causing his heart to sink to the bottom instantly.
"Within three days, compile and present to us a map showing the geographical division of your world, a detailed list of the distribution of all forces, and the locations of all spiritual mines, spiritual veins, and rare treasures within your territory."
"Based on this information, the five major powers will redefine your spheres of influence. Rest assured, we will not leave you without a place to stand."
Qi Lanzhi paused, his tone still calm, but he uttered the most cruel condition.
“From now on, you will be required to hand over 95% of your resources every quarter, whether it is spirit crystals, spirit medicines, or cultivation gains. The remaining 0.5% can be allocated and used by you as you see fit.”
"Ninety-five percent?!"
Lin Zhen looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief, his voice trembling.
Ninety-five percent of the resources have almost completely drained the living space of all cultivators in the Xuanqiong Realm!
Half a percent of the resources are not even enough to maintain basic cultivation, let alone to train the next generation or repair defenses.
This is not "dividing power" at all; it is clearly treating them as black slaves to be slaughtered, and trying to squeeze every last bit of value out of the Xuanqiong Realm!
The cultivators on the city wall were instantly in an uproar upon hearing this!
"What? Ninety-five percent? Why don't they just rob it!"
"What's the difference between this and killing us? Half a resource, we can't even survive!"
"That's outrageous! They're even more ruthless than the demons!"
"At least the demons will leave survivors for food; they're going to squeeze every last drop of value out of us!"
An angry murmur arose like a tidal wave, everyone's face was filled with rage, and many young cultivators gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes filled with resentment.
They had just escaped the demons' slaughter, but now they were about to fall into even more cruel exploitation, which was worse than death!
But everyone knew that they couldn't defeat the powerful figures from the five major forces. No matter how angry they were, they could only suppress their anger and didn't even have the courage to charge forward.
Qi Lanzhi seemed oblivious to the anger below, continuing in his informing tone.
He continued, "If the materials are not submitted within three days, or if the subsequent resources are insufficient, the consequences will be borne by the individual."
His tone contained no threat, yet it was more chilling than any threat.
Behind the words "bear the consequences yourself" lies the potential destruction of the entire Xuanqiong Realm.
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