Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

Although his appearance had changed greatly, with ferocious demonic horns piercing his forehead, red eyes like blood, silver dancing wildly, and demonic power around him as deep as the sea, Lu Wensheng still recognized at a glance the essence of Shi Yubai beneath the body of the Demon Lord.

It was an intuition that transcended form, stemming from countless encounters and observations in the past.

Shi Yubai stretched his muscles and bones, and his joints made a creepy crackling sound like popping beans, as if the body of a demon god that had been silent for eternity was completely awakening.

He calmly raised his head and looked towards the sky where the Immortal Sect coalition was shining brightly and hanging like a galaxy. His eyes swept over the faces that were either shocked, angry, or terrified. He actually sighed with emotion: "They are all familiar faces... But I'm afraid things are different now." There was a sense of playfulness and control in his tone, like a cat and mouse game.

Lu Wensheng chuckled upon hearing this. His clear voice was particularly distinct in the solemn atmosphere, and it carried a thinly veiled sarcasm: "You're still being reminded of something, aren't you? Recalling something, you only have the first and third words."

"What do you mean?" Shi Yubai's face turned cold instantly, and the demonic energy surging around him stagnated. It was obvious that he was angered by this insinuation that hit him so hard.

But a little devil next to him, who didn't know the seriousness of the matter and was eager to show off, retorted in a self-righteous manner: "Your Majesty, he said you are a beast!" His voice was sharp and flattering.

How could he not hear that this was a scolding? Do you need to say anything more?! Shi Yubai glanced at the little demon coldly, his gaze as sharp as an icy blade, frightening the little demon so much that it instantly became silent and retreated back into the group of demons.

Then, he turned his gaze back to Lu Wensheng, looking him up and down as if evaluating an interesting toy, and sneered, "Lu Wensheng, your cultivation may be outstanding among the younger generation, but compared to me now, it's like a mayfly seeing the blue sky, or a firefly seeing the bright moon!"

Between the words, there is the resentment and complacency that has been accumulated for a long time and finally gets to be vented.

Lu Wensheng has always been superior to him, both in reputation within the sect and in progress in cultivation. Even though he joined the demon clan to gain power, he has never really gained much advantage from the other party.

Thinking of all the humiliation and unwillingness in the past, and now that his strength has surged, he is about to get rid of the inner demons and avenge the previous shame, and he can even break Lu Wensheng's proud bones that are always straight and seem to never bend with his own hands. Shi Yubai felt an unprecedented sense of pleasure sweeping through his body, and he almost roared to the sky.

After saying this, he once again swept his gaze over the faces in the room, all of which had different expressions due to his appearance. Sensing the fear and panic that permeated them, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, his voice shaking the whole area. "No! In my eyes now, you are all nothing but ants! I can destroy you with a snap of my fingers!"

What was Lu Wensheng? Those people he used to look up to were now nothing more than insignificant obstacles on his way forward, easily crushed by him!

These words hit the hearts of many monks like a heavy hammer.

The faces of the sect leaders, elders and other powerful people were extremely ugly, because of the pressure from the appearance of the Demon Lord and the extremely arrogant humiliation from Shi Yubai.

As for those young and energetic geniuses, their eyes were filled with resentment, and they tightly grasped their magic weapons with their knuckles turning white. They wished they could rush forward and fight to the death. As a result, the front line became more united in their hatred of the enemy and their fighting spirit was more concentrated.

However, the minds of those cultivators in the rear who were already hoping for a lucky break, who felt they were just there to make up the numbers, or who were forced to come because of the power of the big sects, began to fluctuate violently.

Seeing that the legendary Demon Lord had actually appeared in the world, and his appearance and majesty were exactly the same as those recorded in ancient books, while on the side of the Immortal Sect, except for a few top masters with solemn expressions, they did not seem to immediately come up with any earth-shattering means to compete, some people suddenly felt timid and their legs felt weak.

This kind of disaster, which only existed in ancient forbidden books, appeared before his eyes vividly, bringing unparalleled shock and fear. The fighting spirit that was forcibly condensed quickly melted like ice and snow encountering sunlight.

The world of cultivation is a place where the strong prey on the weak and people try to protect themselves. If it weren't for the fear of being retaliated by the top sects, many small and medium-sized sects and independent cultivators would not want to wade into this muddy water.

They thought that if the sky fell, there would be tall people to hold it up. They were just here to show off their strength, go through the motions, and get the "merit of participation" so that they could share some of the resources and benefits in the future.

But now, with the arrival of the legendary World-Destroying Demon Lord, the Immortal Sect is clearly at a disadvantage. This is clearly a deadly situation with no chance of survival! What sect justice, what disaster for the people, suddenly seems insignificant in the face of one's own life.

With so many people here, if immortals and demons start fighting, the scene will definitely be in chaos. If we don’t leave now, when will we leave?

For a moment, all kinds of whispers and eye contact spread in the rear camp.

Some people were pale, their eyes were erratic, and they kept shrinking back, trying to hide themselves in the crowd; some had already quietly crushed the escape talisman, and their figures began to become blurred; even worse, some were already talking without thinking, looking for extremely clumsy excuses:

"Suddenly... I suddenly remembered that my grandfather... is about to give birth... I have to go back to take care of him..." A pale monk spoke tremblingly, his voice as thin as a mosquito. This ridiculous excuse could not even convince himself, but it reflected his extreme panic.

"Oh no! It's bad! The stove in my cave... I seem to have forgotten to put it out when I went out. I'm afraid, I'm afraid it will cause a fire and burn the spiritual field..." The other person's eyes were vague. He didn't dare to look at the eyes of his companions around him, and subconsciously shrank back.

"Dao, fellow Daoist, I just practiced my internal energy and I seem to have lost my breath. My dantian hurts terribly and I'm afraid I won't be able to defend myself against the enemy. Let me regulate my breathing for a while..." Some people even covered their abdomens directly with painful expressions on their faces. Their acting was poor but their intentions were obvious.

There are all kinds of weird excuses, such as "my fellow Taoist partner is about to give birth", "I have reached a critical juncture in my retreat", "The master has sent me an urgent message"... These excuses fully demonstrate the selfishness and cowardice in human nature.

For a moment, all kinds of bizarre and incredible excuses were whispered in the rear camp. Along with flickering eyes and hesitant footsteps, a panic and retreat spread quietly like a plague.

The originally neat formation had become disorganized at the edges due to the commotion of this group of people.

They pondered in their hearts, the war between immortals and demons was so massive, one more or one less wouldn't make a difference, so why waste their lives in vain? A reckoning with the sect? That would have to wait until they could survive this calamity! If the immortal sect was defeated, how could there be a reckoning?

Lu Wensheng saw all of this, but his expression showed no surprise or anger, and he remained calm as water.

He never thought that people were born to bear some kind of grand responsibility when they existed in this world. It was just a shackle that the strong imposed on themselves, or a rope that the weak used to bind others.

The world of cultivation is an environment that pursues the great way and prioritizes self-interest. Seeking profit and avoiding harm is instinctive. These people feel timid in the face of battle and want to find a way to retreat. In his view, this is just the normal state of the world and human nature.

He just has certain requirements for himself, certain things to do and certain things not to do.

If no one is willing to do or dare to take on some things that he thinks are of vital importance, related to morality and conscience, he will stand up and take the responsibility.

The truth is so simple. There is no need to blame others, but just be at peace with yourself.

However, he also clearly saw that in this world, there will always be people who, after enjoying the blessings brought by long-term stability and peace, will turn away from the barriers that once protected them when storms come, just to save themselves.

There are always people who, after absorbing the spiritual energy and resources bestowed by the sect, the clan, and even the heaven and earth, only want to retreat and protect themselves when they are needed to stand up and share the danger. They regard the heavy responsibility as a burden, are eager to throw it away, and are reluctant to pay a penny.

This is true both in ancient and modern times, and there is no difference between immortals and mortals.