"Flame Wolf King, the situation has evolved to this point because the Human Clan was well-prepared. Even Daoist Mu was dispatched; the failure is not entirely Her Majesty the Empress's fault," declared the Electric Roc King.

Though her words seemed to scold the Flame Wolf King, she was implying that Wu Yu should bear some responsibility.

"Shut up! For the future of the Ten Thousand Demon Country, Her Majesty the Empress has endured for many years, painstakingly planning. Now that circumstances have rendered our efforts impossible, instead of reflecting on your own faults, you blame Her Majesty. What kind of intention is this?" Xuan Ye stood up, his face pale with anger.

"I certainly understand Her Majesty's hard work, but the plan to seize the Heavenly Crane Array was quite hasty. The largest oversight was not informing us of the plan's entirety beforehand, leading to so many loopholes. It seems Her Majesty is overly fatigued and can no longer oversee the entire situation." The Flame Wolf King altered his usual respectful stance and attacked directly.

"Flame Wolf King, Her Majesty the Empress is the sovereign of the Ten Thousand Demon Country. How dare you speak such disrespectful words?" said the Giant Tree King in a deep voice.

"There's some truth in the Flame Wolf King's words. Her Majesty oversees many affairs and indeed should lighten her burden. Although the Demon Emperor Army is strong, the return of the various clans' armies could also ease Her Majesty's load somewhat," the Electric Roc King remarked.

"This simply cannot be done! The reason our Ten Thousand Demon Country can compete with the Human Clan is because of our unity. The Demon Emperor Army is the core of our power. If disbanded, our clan will lose the cornerstone in countering the Human Clan!" Xuan Ye heard and his face changed abruptly, saying urgently.

Wu Yu sat on the grand hall, a solemn expression appearing across her brow.

The greatest reliance she has to maintain her position as the Ten Thousand Demon Empress is her command over the Demon Emperor Army composed of elite warriors from various clans. Once she loses this, the Five Royal Families will no longer have any concerns.

"Protector Xuan Ye is worrying too much. In this great battle, the various clans suffered heavy losses and should recuperate. The Human Clan is also heavily damaged and won't initiate conflict anytime soon. When the war begins again, we'll just regroup the Demon Emperor Army then," the Electric Roc King replied nonchalantly with a slight smile.

"The morale and soul of the Demon Emperor Army cannot be gathered overnight. If disbanded, re-gathering it will be exceedingly difficult!" Xuan Ye replied.

The grand hall quickly erupted into disorder, with various demon kings arguing and sharing differing opinions.

One faction, led by the Flame Wolf King and the Electric Roc King, advocated punishing Wu Yu and undermining her military authority.

Another faction, headed by Xuan Ye and the Giant Tree King, resolutely defended the Demon Emperor Army and Wu Yu's position.

The third faction, the neutral party, was led by the Black Bear King and the Green Snake King, maintaining neutrality and observing the situation.

"No need for further discussion. As of today, the Demon Emperor Army is disbanded, and the various clans will return to rest and recuperate. You may all leave." Wu Yu suddenly spoke, leaving one sentence behind before standing up and gracefully departing.

The grand hall was immediately silenced, with the varied expressions of all the demon kings.

The Flame Wolf King and the Electric Roc King showed joy on their faces, while Xuan Ye and the Giant Tree King looked solemn. The Black Bear King and the Green Snake King exchanged a glance and silently left the hall.

Meanwhile, in the distant forest of the grand hall, a figure quietly emerged.

It was Wei Ling, sent by Yuan Ming to monitor the Ten Thousand Demon Country.

His body flickered with yellow light, instantly transforming into a common stone, lying quietly in the grass, silently.

As they say, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.

Since Yuan Ming intends to command the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, it is natural to send someone to monitor the Ten Thousand Demon Country. Wei Ling was sent under his orders to infiltrate.

This person was previously refined by Yuan Ming into an Undying Tree Puppet. After the Undying Tree advanced to the World Tree, its puppet body's capabilities greatly improved, especially its increasingly exquisite Wood Shield Technique, even the existence of the dharma manifestation was hard to detect.

As for Wei Ling's recent Transformation Technique, it is indeed the Transformation Stone Talisman.

Wei Ling is not only Yuan Ming's puppet but also a Nether Moon God believer, the Stealing Heaven Tripod has restored the Desire Power anchor's Investigation Divine Power. With this person stationed near the Ten Thousand Demon Country, Yuan Ming can grasp its every move.

In addition, Yuan Ming has another important objective: to seek intelligence on Wu Yu's unique clone secret technique.

...

Wu Yu stepped into her bedchamber, lightly closing the door.

As she turned, layers of golden light appeared beside her in the void.

In the golden light, an elegant figure gradually emerged, precisely the Great Sun Glaze Flame.

"Her Majesty the Empress, are you truly set on abandoning the Demon Emperor Army? Losing this crucial power, your position as the sovereign of the Ten Thousand Demons will likely become precarious," Great Sun Glaze Flame asked with furrowed eyebrows, puzzled.

Wu Yu gently shook her head, slowly walking to the bed to sit down, her voice carrying traces of fatigue: "The Flame Wolf King and the Electric Roc King are ambitious. If I don't abandon the Demon Emperor Army, how could they possibly cease? Besides, I indeed need to reduce some pressure now and prepare for the upcoming Mahayana Realm. I still need your assistance in this matter."

Upon hearing this, Great Sun Glaze Flame's eyes slightly focused: "Your Majesty, you've only comprehended the true intent of gold, water, fire, and earth, yet you haven't touched the Wood True Intent. Advancing to Mahayana now is fraught with risk."

Wu Yu sighed softly, her eyes showing a hint of resolve: "I know the risks, but there is no time to hesitate. News has spread that the Ten Thousand Demon Country has allied with the Three Realms Sect, my clan is heavily damaged, and the Human Clan's army may invade at any time. If I don't quickly advance to Mahayana, the Ten Thousand Demon Country may face total annihilation. As for the Wood True Intent, I plan to compensate using the Ju Mang Taoist Pearl."

Great Sun Glaze Flame was silent for a moment, seemingly wanting to advise further, but ultimately let out a soft sigh, not saying more.

Wu Yu gently spun her wrist, revealing a fist-sized white jade in her hand.

The jade was round at the top and bottom with sharp corners on the sides, the bottom engraved with faded text like a part of a grand seal.

The gaze of the Great Sun Glaze Flame was instantly drawn to this jade, moving closer to inspect it carefully, only to find that although the jade appeared extraordinary, it possessed no energy fluctuations.

"What is this?" the Great Sun Glaze Flame asked curiously.

A hint of a smile flashed in Wu Yu's eyes: "This is the Demon Seal passed down from the time of the Sky Demon Royal Court. It was the reward I obtained when I reached the nine hundredth step during the staircase trial of the Three Realms Immortal Boat."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Great Sun Glaze Flame lit up: "The Demon Seal? It is said that this seal was a treasure used by the Sky Demon Royal Court to suppress the nation's fate and that it could collect the Demon Clan's fortune. I didn't expect to see its remnants here."

"On that day, when the Heavenly Crane Array was broken, part of the Demon Clan's fortune scattered. I used the remnant of this seal to gather it together. Although the fortune still seems insufficient, for me, it is a worthwhile opportunity to take a risk." Wu Yu nodded gently.

"If that's the case, I will lend a hand to Her Majesty. Do not worry about external matters while you enter seclusion; leave them to me to handle," the Great Sun Glaze Flame said solemnly, taking a deep breath.

After receiving the firm support of the Great Sun Glaze Flame, the next day, Wu Yu once again gathered the Demon Kings and announced her decision to go into seclusion to reach the Mahayana Realm.

The news had different reactions among the Demon Kings.

Xuan Ye and the Giant Tree King wore solemn expressions, clearly opposing the idea, believing it too risky and warning that the consequences could be unimaginable should it fail.

Electric Roc King's eyes glimmered with insight, thinking that in these perilous times, without Mahayana cultivators to hold the fort, the Demon Clan would be in grave danger.

The Flame Wolf King remained silent; neither opposing nor supporting, he sat quietly on one side, seemingly pondering something.

The Green Snake King and the Black Bear King, after carefully inquiring about the details, cautiously expressed their support after much deliberation.

Only half a day later, the rampaging Demon Soldiers throughout the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range received orders and began retreating together.

They swiftly assembled around the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, sealing it off as if protecting something significant.

Though the outside world remained unaware of this information, Yuan Ming quickly learned through Wei Ling's informants of Wu Yu's seclusion in preparing to reach the Mahayana Realm.

"Aiming for the Mahayana Realm, this is indeed a great opportunity to observe Wu Yu's True Meaning of Dao," thought Yuan Ming, whose main soul then entered the space of the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

He borrowed the White Jade Lotus Platform from Senior Kong and sat cross-legged atop it.

The Desire Power within the lotus platform slowly fused with Yuan Ming's Divine Soul, elevating his Soul Power to the Late Stage of the Word Witch.

"Even with the Soul Power of the Late Stage of the Word Witch, it should still be inferior to Wu Yu's. I wonder if I can avoid Wu Yu's perception with the assist of the Stealing Heaven Tripod?" Yuan Ming pondered secretly.

Without any hesitation, he closed his eyes, focusing his Divine Sense downward, centered on the Desire Power anchor of Wei Ling.

His Divine Sense discreetly and meticulously enveloped nearly the entire Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, slowly covering the position where Wu Yu was currently located.

At this moment, Wu Yu sat calmly within a massive sacrificial forbidden ground.

At the center of this forbidden ground stood a circular altar nine zhang high, surrounded by five octagonal stone pillars.

Intricate runes carved on these stone pillars seemed to contain some mysterious power.

The tops of the pillars were carved with symbols representing Wood, Fire, Earth, Gold, and Water.

These symbols shimmered under the sunlight, emitting a faint glow.

On the ground of the altar, spiritual talisman array patterns had long been inscribed.

These array patterns formed a five-pointed star shape overall, with a circular core at the center, atop which lay a black-and-white mat.

Wu Yu sat cross-legged on this mat, hands forming incantations in front of her body.

A faint golden halo surrounded her, gently fluctuating with her breath.

When she slowly opened her eyes, the golden halo suddenly radiated dazzling light, splitting into multicolored rays that entered the five stone pillars.

The runes on the pillars lit up, rushing upward toward the stone carving seal at the top.

As the mana within Wu Yu continuously surged, the great array beneath her began to glow.

A Yin Yang Dual Fish mark expanded from the mat, transforming into a colossal Yin Yang Diagram, which began to rotate slowly.

The spiritual energy from the surrounding void poured in like a tide, continuously channeling into Wu Yu's body.

Her aura continuously climbed, seemingly reaching the threshold of the Mahayana Realm.

"A level six auxiliary array, its spirit-gathering effect is average. It seems to support comprehension," Yuan Ming observed secretly at this sight.

He cautiously maneuvered his Divine Sense closer to Wu Yu, but just then, Wu Yu suddenly opened her eyes, her sharp gaze scanning the surrounding void.

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