After carefully admonishing Zhang Yuhe, Lu Mingfang extended a finger and pointed toward the center of the jade plate.
On a mountain peak within the inner gate of the Dao Saint Sect, a young man wearing a golden crown and a grim expression sat cross-legged on a cultivation platform inside a cave mansion.
Suddenly, the young man's expression shifted. An identity jade plate appeared in his hand.
He pinched a magic seal and spoke to the jade plate.
"Elder Lu?"
"It's me, Li Tian. Just now, Zhang Yuhe, the town guard of Yunzhong Mansion, sent a message to the sect. He discovered a demon in Mirror Sky City and requested immediate support."
"Also, there's an altar in Mirror Sky City—likely the Tiangang Sky-Breaking Array established by the Demon God Sect. You must destroy the formation. We cannot allow the Demon God Sect to open an interplanar channel and summon more demons."
"Yes, understood."
After putting away the jade plate, the golden-crowned young man didn't waste time tidying up. He stood abruptly and flew swiftly toward the mountain gate.
After the communication ended, Lu Mingfang tapped his finger lightly on the tabletop, muttering to himself.
"What is Zhao Mingyue planning? Is she up to something again?"
Zhao Mingyue, the leader of the Demon God Sect, had been a persistent threat ever since she founded the sect. The Dao Saint Sect had been dealing with her treachery for years.
The elders had made many attempts to deal with Zhao Mingyue, but all had failed.
There seemed to be no way to deal with her effectively. No one knew what kind of supernatural power she had cultivated, but she could apparently manifest countless avatars.
She traveled through her incarnations, never revealing her true body.
Every time the Dao Saint Sect believed they had finally tracked her down, they would discover—often too late—that they had only eliminated one of her avatars.
Since then, the elders had ceased taking direct action. Most affairs were now handled by inner disciples.
As long as Zhao Mingyue's true body didn't appear, the inner disciples were more than capable of dealing with her schemes.
Thinking of Zhao Mingyue gave Lu Mingfang a headache.
"What is the Demon God Sect's aim with this operation? The Tiangang Boundary-Breaking Array can open a channel between realms, but its power is limited. The portal it creates has many restrictions, only allowing low-level demons to cross over, and it remains open for only a short time. It won't cause any lasting damage to Yu Fantian. So why go through all this trouble? Is Zhao Mingyue doing this just to annoy us?"
"Forget it. I'll let Li Tian handle it. No matter what she's planning, destroying her avatar and dismantling the Tiangang Array will be enough."
Lu Mingfang thought about it for a while but couldn't deduce the Demon God Sect's real motive.
However, he didn't dwell on it. The Dao Saint Sect was powerful.
Whatever the Demon God Sect had planned, they would counter accordingly. The sect feared no rebellion.
As for the black altar Zhang Yuhe described, Lu Mingfang was only mildly surprised.
Such occurrences had happened many times over the past hundred thousand years.
Initially, the sect had panicked, believing that the portal would allow the demon race to invade again, recreating the catastrophe of the past.
But over time, they realized that the formations set up by the Demon God Sect had inherent flaws. They couldn't sustain the descent of high-level demons.
Given that, Lu Mingfang saw no need to intervene personally and delegated the task to Li Tian.
After completing his interrogation, Zhang Yuhe concealed his presence and continued to observe the situation in Mirror Sky City through his surveillance talisman.
Before long, the middle-aged man referred to as Sixth Uncle arrived at a grand hall.
There, seated at the head of the room, was an elderly man with long white hair.
"He Daofan?" Zhang Yuhe murmured, surprised to see the man.
He Daofan was the He family's ancestor and had not been seen for centuries.
Zhang Yuhe had seen his portrait in the town guard's archives.
According to Ming Fuqian's earlier account, He Daofan had already reached the Yuanying stage several centuries ago. However, at the time, he had been nearing the end of his lifespan, and no one knew whether he was still alive.
Now, not only was He Daofan alive, but it was also clear he had made further breakthroughs in cultivation. Otherwise, he would have long since perished.
Seeing the middle-aged man enter, He Daofan's eyes lit up.
"Yaguang, you're here. Lord Black Horn is preparing to open the passage to welcome the arrival of the demon god army. Once they descend, our He family will rise. In time, we may all become true demon gods."
The middle-aged man was named He Yaguang. Zhang Yuhe didn't recognize him, nor was there any record of him in the town guard's files.
Despite his ancestor's excitement, He Yaguang felt uneasy.
Their defection to the Demon God Sect had been the ancestor's decision, one he had never been able to oppose.
Still, doubts lingered in his heart. Could they really succeed? Could anyone in the He family become a demon god?
If it were that easy, why had the Dao Saint Sect successfully repelled the demon invasion a hundred thousand years ago?
Wasn't the Demon God Sect just using them? Once they were no longer useful, wouldn't the He family be discarded?
With these concerns brewing, He Yaguang spoke hesitantly.
"Ancestor, shouldn't we prepare an escape route for the clan? In case things go wrong, we could at least ensure some of our people survive."
"Hmph. What do you know?" He Daofan snapped, displeased. "There is no way back. All we can do now is wait for the demon god's arrival and rise with them."
They had passed the point of no return. Failure meant total destruction.
All of Yu Fantian was controlled by the Dao Saint Sect. If they failed, there would be nowhere left to hide.
After a pause, perhaps sensing that his tone had been too harsh, He Daofan softened his voice.
"Don't worry. Everything is ready. We're just waiting for the demon god army."
"Are the preparations complete? Once the army arrives, our family members must lead them to strike first at Cloud City. From there, they'll use the teleportation array to reach Hezhou City and take over the entire province in one move."
"Everything is in place. Our family members are stationed throughout the city, ready to guide the demon god army the moment they arrive."
"Good."
Reinvigorated, He Daofan grew more animated. The two began to whisper, discussing the next phase of their plan.
He Daofan even envisioned how, with the demon army's support, the He family would rise to dominate Yu Fantian and replace the Dao Saint Sect.
Listening to their delusional schemes through the surveillance talisman, Zhang Yuhe couldn't help but shake his head.
What a laughable dream. How could these second-rate fools even imagine replacing the Dao Saint Sect?
Where did He Daofan get his confidence? Did he really think the demon race could conquer Yu Fantian?
If they were truly so unstoppable, the Dao Saint Sect wouldn't have defeated them a hundred thousand years ago.
Besides, with him stationed here, would the demons ever be allowed to come through?
When the time came, he would destroy the altar himself.
He could be patient when needed, but that didn't mean he lacked resolve.
It was all a matter of necessity.
And he had already sent word to the sect. Reinforcements from the Dao Saint Sect were likely on their way.
When they arrived, it would be the end for the He family.
"Enjoy your final moments," Zhang Yuhe muttered coldly. "Your dream is about to end."