More than two-thirds of North Border City belonged to the Belli Family. After all, their contribution to founding the city was immense, their power was vast, and their branches had long since infiltrated every industry within.

Among their many industries, the most representative was a form of hybrid cultivation. It was equivalent to transplanting Demon Race bloodlines into the bodies of ordinary people, giving them a chance to achieve Foundation Establishment faster and reach the Spirit Body Realm at an early stage.

The price, however, was an unstable foundation and a superficial Realm. Their bodies would also warp to display demonic features, and they would be saturated with Demon Qi.

Rallied by the Belli Family’s Grandmaster, Belijie, large numbers of Independent Martial Artists bearing these traits gathered at the Inner City’s north gate. Over ten thousand Martial Artists stood in opposition to the Xia Country Martial Artists, their crushing pressure far surpassing that of a tidal wave.

"Belijie, are you trying to break our pact?!"

The defender, a Xia Country Dharma Realm Martial Artist named Wu Hua, roared furiously, spittle flying from his lips. "We paid a grievous price to establish North Border City! Xia Country was supposed to have administrative rights over a portion of the city. Designating this place as the Xia Country Management District was a written stipulation in our agreement! What is the meaning of bringing so many people here now?"

North Border City had been established for less than a century, but Xia Country had paid a very real price for it. It was no exaggeration to say that without Xia Country’s support, North Border City would never have been built!

Back when the Secret Realms first resurfaced, the entire world was under immense pressure. Yet, Xia Country took a risk, dispatching its early Martial Arts teams to brave the wilds for the refugees of the Northern Wilderness and the Belli Family.

After the construction of North Border City was finally complete, most of Xia Country’s powerful Martial Artists returned home to reinforce the major border provinces in the south, leaving Zhu Weiyi and others to guard the Xia Country Management District.

For nearly a century, the Northwest Province had used North Border City as a training ground, sending over a thousand Northwest Martial Arts University Students every year to participate in a newcomer’s tournament and purge the surrounding area of the calamities brought by the Demon Race.

’To ensure North Border City could stand tall, Xia Country has already given more than enough. And now, the Belli Family wants to turn around and seize Xia Country’s district, encroaching on its rightful territory?’

"You probably don’t understand the current situation, do you?" Belijie chuckled, his voice unhurried. "All the Martial Arts Grandmasters of the Belli Family have already conferred. We will fully accept aid from Sang Island to build a Human-Demon Co-Prosperity Sphere in the Northern Wilderness. This North Border City will cross a threshold and achieve unprecedented prosperity."

"The likes of you are not enough to change the outcome. As for that Grandmaster, Zhu Weiyi, he most certainly is not coming back. The Martial Artists fighting on the front lines have no say in the matter—they will be slaughtered to the last man by the Demon Race and Sang Island’s powerhouses."

"But you are all still here in the city, uninvolved in the battle at the front. We can still negotiate, as long as..."

"What fucking bullshit!" Wu Hua roared, his eyes blazing as he tightened his grip on his broadsword. "A co-prosperity sphere with demons? I’ve never seen a member of the Demon Race show a shred of pity for the weak! And those Demon Beasts that haven’t even gained sentience do nothing but kill and plunder, as if that’s the only way they can evolve their intelligence!"

"By coexisting with a race like that, how can you face the ancestors who pioneered this land? How can you live with your identity as part of the Human Race!"

"Heh, one must adapt to the times. Stubbornness only leads to extinction. Were the pioneers who tamed this land necessarily in the right?" Belijie shook his head, tilting his chin up arrogantly. "Losing my identity as a human? Only the living get to define what the Human Race is."

"The Sang Island Emperor advocated for harmony between humans and demons, ensuring the survival of the Human Race on Sang Island. We, the Belli Family, will follow this trend, achieving a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship with the Demon Race to save all of North Border City."

"Surely you’re not so ignorant. The Three Great Demon Clans of the North Wilderness each possess a Demon Emperor Secret Realm. They have complete and unbroken lines of inheritance! Even in your Xia Country’s Kunlun, the Demon Race is growing stronger. Give them enough time, and the world will belong to them. The age of the Human Race has come to an end!"

As he spoke, Belijie’s mouth stretched into a grin. He slowly rose into the air before the ten thousand Martial Artists, spreading his arms wide. His pupils turned red as thick, black fur sprouted from his face. "Once the Human Race reaches the Grandmaster Realm, there is essentially no path forward. Besides, in that mighty Great Xia of yours, how many Grandmasters do you even have?"

"Among them, only a handful can contend with those at the Demon King Level. Once they tire or fall in battle, the entirety of Xia Country will be overrun in an instant."

"And even if they remain alive, once those powerful members of the Demon Race, with their bloodline inheritances, reach the Demon Emperor Realm, no power in this world will be able to stand against them."

"Embracing this human-demon co-prosperity early is the only path to survival for the Human Race."

As he levitated, hundreds of Martial Artists rose into the air behind him, all of them in the Dharma Realm. The collective power of the ten thousand Martial Artists swelled like a raging flood, threatening to crash through the North City Gate.

One Grandmaster and ten thousand Martial Artists—they had come with the clear intent to annihilate every last Xia Country Martial Artist. There was no possibility of anyone surviving by a fluke!

Whether the gates were opened or not, death was the only outcome!

"If you want to be a mongrel, then go be one! But Xia Country’s Martial Artists will never surrender!"

With a furious roar, Wu Hua raised his right hand. On the Wall, hundreds of Martial Artists drew their longbows. Several Dharma Realm experts flew forth, weapons in hand, their condensed killing intent soaring to the heavens.

"Heh. Are all people from Xia Country like this?" Belijie shook his head and casually formed an ice crystal in his hand. The killing intent in his eyes was like a dagger aimed at Wu Hua on the Wall. "Then you can all die. Everyone, charge!"

The moment his voice fell, the vast army of Martial Artists charged the north gate of the Inner City. A hundred Dharma Aspects rose into view as thousands of techniques converged, unleashing a swirling Soul Ice Spirit Charm that looked like a flash-frozen tidal wave, intent on overwhelming the entire gate.

In response, Wu Hua and the others manipulated their own varied Spirit Charms, their attacks blooming like a small cluster of fireworks against the cold tide. Their few Dharma Aspects stood firm, holding their ground.

RUMBLE—

The exchange lasted only a moment before the Wall shattered. The Ancient Inscriptions that were meant to weaken the Soul Ice Spirit Charm disintegrated. Agonized screams rose and fell as flesh and blood were scattered like chaff in the wind.

Belijie, the Grandmaster leading the charge, struck down Wu Hua, who was at the forefront of the defense, with a single punch. His Ice Armor radiated a bone-chilling cold, its silhouette sharp and menacing.

CRACK! He vanished from his spot, only to reappear and send Wu Hua flying with another punch. He muttered, "The truth is, I inherited the bloodline of the Ice Armor Bear Clan long ago. Otherwise, how could someone like me, with my paltry Fifth Rank Jade Sinews, have possibly reached the Grandmaster Realm in such a short time?"

"I heard you have Sixth Rank Flame Jade Sinews. Your talent is exceptional, and you’re even considered a genius in Xia Country. But look at you now—still stuck at the threshold of the Grandmaster Realm, getting pummeled by me."

"Without the inheritance of a Demon Race bloodline, you could rely on your talent for a lifetime and still never break through to the Grandmaster Realm!"

"Whether or not someone can become a Grandmaster is basically decided in the first twenty or thirty years of their training. You’re half a century old now; have you even managed to comprehend a sliver of Sword Intent?"

"If you’re willing to lead them in surrender right now, I can recommend you to the king of the Ice Armor Bear Clan. It wouldn’t be impossible for you to step into the Grandmaster Realm through this new path."

"Otherwise, you die!"

Wu Hua blocked another fist with his broadsword and was sent flying like a cannonball. Shock and horror crashed over him.

’Belijie’s Grandmaster Realm isn’t superficial at all. It’s easily comparable to one of the Body Refining Martial Arts Grandmasters back home. He’s toying with me!’