225: Chapter 225 Ceasefire and Escape, the State of Jin Destroyed!

...

The Zhao family took root here, gradually settling into stability.

And the direction of the war over these past few years had progressed faster than anyone could have anticipated.

In the fourth year of the war, the Shangqing Sect's offensive suddenly intensified. Seven Nascent Soul True Monarchs took turns to strike, seeking not a quick victory, but attrition.

Reports from the front lines were sent back to the various provinces of the Qingcang Kingdom every few days: the demonic cultivators had lost another Golden Core, lost another city, and hundreds or thousands more demonic cultivators had surrendered or scattered.

The territory of the Jin State was being eaten away at a pace visible to the naked eye.

The Demonic Path territory that once spanned several provinces was now reduced to a mere corner in the northwest. Three major cities and seven dock fortresses were all that remained of the Jin State's residual forces.

...

On Zixiao Peak, Elder Rat brought the latest news.

"Old Ancestor, the latest news from the front."

"As of now, the Demonic Path's Blood Bone Demon Sect has fewer than ten thousand Core Disciples left. Only twenty-three Golden Core Cultivators remain; it is already a situation of certain defeat..."

"Recently, news came from the front that the demonic cultivators are already in contact with the Shangqing Sect. It seems the Demonic Path has no intention of continuing the fight."

Hearing this, Shi Jian's figure slowly emerged from the lightning pool. The liquid lightning rolled down his fur as thousands of lightning bolts continuously roared!

"The Demonic Path is going to run?"

"Your wisdom is great, Old Ancestor. It should indeed be so."

"Although the Demonic Path is weak, they still have six Nascent Soul Demonic Lords after all. If they are determined to leave, the Shangqing Sect might not be able to stop them."

"Besides, the Shangqing Sect has no intention of fighting to the death with the Demonic Path either."

"Shi Yin, who has been lurking in Shangqing all these years, has already sent back accurate information. The Shangqing Sect has confirmed an armistice with the Demonic Path."

"After all, driving them away is more cost-effective than killing them. If a war of Nascent Souls breaks out, both sides will suffer, and neither will gain any advantage."

"It's better to do the favor to the end and just let them get lost."

After listening, Shi Jian nodded silently. Since Shi Yin had sent word, this matter was ninety percent certain. It was merely a question of when the news would be announced.

The Shangqing Sect's goal had never been to completely eradicate the demonic cultivators.

Instead, it was to annex the Jin State's territory and resources.

As long as the territory was in their hands, the demonic cultivator Nascent Souls could go wherever they pleased. Whether they rolled off to the Boundless Sea or to the ends of the earth, it was none of the Shangqing Sect's business.

"By the way, Old Ancestor, there is one more matter to report."

Elder Rat chuckled, his laugh carrying a trace of coldness:

"With the Demonic Path fleeing far away this time, there is a high probability they will leave behind some Golden Core demonic Sects as abandoned pawns. Should we take the Opportunity to grab a bite?"

Shi Jian nodded slightly. This proposal was indeed not bad...

However, they could not be too conspicuous.

"I will not go. With so many Golden Core Cultivators watching the front lines, it would be too conspicuous for me, a Golden Core Yao General, to show up."

"If I happen to be targeted by the Shangqing Sect's Nascent Souls again, I will have to deal with those old Nascent Soul monsters, which would only bring trouble."

When Shi Jian put it this way, Elder Rat understood the underlying meaning.

The greater the limelight, the faster one dies.

But for the great Yao under them, they didn't need to worry too much. They could eat as much as they could and take as much as they could...

However, they must not be too reckless or try to show off.

And Shi Jian naturally had his own considerations. Now that he had reached the Mid-stage Golden Core, life on Zixiao Peak was stable, and the various Yao tribes were also thriving day by day.

To join in the excitement of the war at this time would be far too eye-catching.

Elder Rat naturally understood this level as well. The Old Ancestor wanted to keep a low profile and accumulate strength silently, in order to establish a foothold in this chaotic world.

"What about White Cloud Temple's side?"

"That old fellow Daoist Yun Du, hasn't he always been seeking benefits for his Sect? Don't worry, once the news is out, he will go on his own."

"With his shrewdness, we don't need to worry about him."

"Once the war is over, he will surely lead people to the west to pick up cheap gains. At that time, your various tribes can go along to get a share of the leftovers."

"Your subordinate understands."

Elder Rat complied and withdrew, escaping into the ground.

Shi Jian lay alone in the lightning pool. Purple-gold lightning arcs danced on the water's surface, and his aura grew increasingly profound, with purple light soaring into the sky.

The Jin State was about to fall.

This matter did not evoke much sentiment in him.

Whether it was demonic cultivators or the Righteous Path, it was all the business of the Human Race. As a Yao, he, Shi Jian, had no need to join in the excitement.

What he needed was simply time.

To Cultivate quietly, accumulate foundation, and await the Opportunity to break through to the Late Stage Golden Core.

As for the Nascent Soul...

That was an even more distant matter.

But at least the direction was correct. With over two hundred years of accumulation, he had gone from an ordinary second-rank Black Bear to today's Mid-stage Golden Core Yao General Realm.

Among the Yao Race of the entire Xuanling Continent, he was already considered a rare rarity.

There was no rushing it.

Taking it step by step and walking steadily was better than anything else.

...

In the autumn of the sixth year of the war.

The Jin State and the Qingcang Kingdom officially held peace talks. The six Nascent Soul Demonic Lords of the Blood Bone Demon Sect, leading tens of thousands of demonic cultivators, fled far into the Boundless Sea after seizing a vast amount of resources.

Subsequently, the Shangqing Sect's army bore down on the border, and in just one week, the residual forces of the Jin State were swept completely clean.

Dozens of Golden Core demonic cultivators fell one after another, dyeing the sky with blood!

Tens of thousands of low-level demonic cultivators were either killed or surrendered, and a large number of them were reduced to Immortal Slaves for others to choose from...

With this, the Jin State was destroyed!

Counting from the national war decades ago, this great demonic nation that once stood on equal footing with the Wei State now had not even dregs remaining.

The Nascent Souls had fled, the Golden Cores had died, and the low-level cultivators had scattered...

A ten-thousand-year Demonic Path Legacy shattered in a single day.

With this, the territory of the Qingcang Kingdom expanded dramatically once again by nearly several tens of percent.

To the west, it reached the Boundless Sea of the Xuanling Continent; its eastern and northern borders adjoined the Wei State, and it bordered the Liang Kingdom to the south. The entire western half of the continent was now under the governance of the Shangqing Sect.

Eleven Nascent Soul True Monarchs guarded the four directions.

Furthermore, with the addition of Mo Prefecture and Hua Prefecture, the territory of the Qingcang Kingdom expanded to eight provinces, leaving a vast amount of land vacant...

Countless resources fed back into all the forces across the nation!

Their foundation surged!

One must know that this was a Demonic Path territory cultivated for thousands of years, with Spiritual Veins, Immortal Caves, Secret Realms, and mineral deposits everywhere.

It was impossible for those demonic cultivators to take everything with them. A vast amount of resources was left in place, waiting for people to claim them. This was the Opportunity brought by the era!

This was a gluttonous feast!

The Shangqing Sect took the lion's share, without a doubt.

But the remaining leftovers were still enough to stuff the small and medium-sized forces of each province to bursting, allowing them to rise to a new level!