"Though I dwell far overseas with scant knowledge about matters of the continent, I accepted the invitation simply because the stillness long felt has made me restless. I've not tread the lands of the continent for ages, hence my acceptance. But what exactly is the agenda of this Demon Gathering, could the venerable elder enlighten me?"

Aunt Nineteen feigned indifference, though she had, in fact, rehearsed this narrative with the genuine Maosun; those invitations were brought to the sea by an Outer Space Demon Beast, passed around numerous times, and so nobody knew the specific reason; even Maosun was unaware of the details.

When it received the invitation, it was merely tossed by an old friend, whom hadn't been seen for a while, just happening to pass by; whether to attend or not was up to it—typically unsophisticated among Demon Clan communities.

The Red-Crested Old Demon chuckled, "You asked the right person with that question, Daoist Hai. Should you ask others among the Winged Clan, they would mostly be clueless, simply muddling along for the spectacle, oblivious of its causes."

Suddenly colliding head-on with a human cultivator at a few miles away, who immediately evaded with swiftness upon realizing a group of Winged Demons swaggering ahead, proving rather perceptive; the Winged Demons had no inclination to meddle, being deep within Blue Sea by now, well inside human territory, still feeling the lingering awe from the last Blue Mountain human-demon battle; no Demon Clan dared to act wantonly here.

The Red-Crested Old Demon did not spare a glance, "Actually, this Demon Gathering was initiated by the Outer Space Demon Clan, as a review and reflection upon the last human-demon battle. The hasty onset last time led to unfavorable results, a considerable loss of face for these Outer Space demons, hence they ponder on how to redeem."

Aunt Nineteen rolled her eyes, "Again? I won't attend—a ragtag bunch. Those foreign demon clans have other motives, is this to underestimate us Jinxiu natives, unaware of depth and breadth?"

The Red-Crested Old Demon sneered, "Exactly! I know not about other clans, but my Winged Clan overseas won't dabble in this murky affair; Jinxiu Continent inherently harbors a coexistence stance between humans and demons, changing it lightly is folly. Because of their incitement the Lizhi Sea demon clan faced calamity, recovery taking perhaps a millennium or more. Do they take others for fools?"

Aunt Nineteen agreed, "Our Winged Clan does not fear battle, yet must comprehend the reasons for war? Should purposes remain concealed, ambiguous, eons of cultivation may be wiped out in an instant—why bother? But Red Elder, our Winged Clan overseas always stands isolated among continental demons; if Mountain Demons or Sand Demons unite and suppress us, how should we respond? At the very least, we ought to have a common agenda, should we not? With your worthy prestige, Red Elder, have you ever considered raising a voice for the overseas Winged Clan? Rest assured, even if others hesitate, my Qingkong Island shall certainly support you, Red Elder."

These words stirred the heart of the Red-Crested Old Demon, being a figure of authority in the Dark Bay region, part of the notable Dark Bay Six Friends alliance with five other Winged Demons, wielding considerable influence, yet in the entire deep Western Sea, it lacked enough prestige to represent the Winged Clan alone. The help from this Hai Dongqing was a major boon, for it saw that this Hai Dongqing, despite only being in the Golden Core Late Stage, boasted strength second only to itself among the Six Friends, stronger than its five brothers.

In the entire deep Western Sea, there were quite a few Nascent Soul old demons like it, many with comparable fame and power, requiring careful consideration.

"What you say resonates, Daoist Hai, yet we Winged Clan of the Western Sea have always been scattered, seldom communicating otherwise, how could such matters be discussed in advance? We'll simply proceed step by step and await the limelight till the Kneecap Desert."

With a shared topic, relationships among the group drew closer, the nature of the deep Western Sea's Winged Clan gradually unfolded before Aunt Nineteen and her companions, though in reality, these internal dynamics related little to them.

Winged Demons, by nature proud and reclusive, despite belonging to the Demon Clan, they imbibed the essence of human cultivators' superiority; they do not wholly identify as demons, preferring to acknowledge themselves as descendants of ancient Holy Beasts, such as Phoenix, Roc, Peacock, Wild Goose, etc.

This seemed an attempt to artificially elevate their status, yet the reason behind such sentiment remained unknown, but among the Demon Clan, Winged Demons appeared genuinely out of place, especially those Western Sea Winged Demons living remote from the continent, bearing exceptional arrogance.

During the last human-demon battle, many Winged Demons participated, yet those were mainly of the Ten Thousand Mountains, mixed with Mountain Demons, making it unfair to measure purely as Winged Demons.

On Jinxiu Continent, Winged Demons listed alone primarily referred to Western Sea Winged Demons, renowned for their unique personality as top-tier demon warriors.

Not joining the last battle, naturally, they do not wish to be swayed easily in this Demon Gathering—being of the Demon Clan makes refusal inappropriate, yet attending entails retaining independence, demanding strategic maneuvering to resist the Outer Space Demon Clan's pressure—one can't quite predict.

Upon the Outer Space Demon Clan's entry to Jinxiu, they dispersed seeking gathering places among continental Demon Clan; Demon Clan adhere not to Daoism but bloodlines, inherently unlearnable, hence these Outer Space demon beasts' method to control demon clans is through sheer strength—a hallmark of demon clan traits.

Outer Space demon beasts came to the Western Sea for Winged Demon liaison, but the characteristics of Western Sea Winged Demons rendered the attempts futile—too dispersed, prideful, indifferent—resulting in no outcome, left unfinished.

Thus the precedent of Western Sea Winged Demons disregarding summons during the last human-demon battle.

"All are of the Demon Clan, ignoring once is bad enough, but not forever—we ought to face this Demon Gathering with some degree of decorum, so many Western Sea Winged Demons came along, bearing a slight sense of recompense, feeling partially responsible for the fall of the Lizhi Sea Tribe."

Aunt Nineteen riding the tide, "Precisely, otherwise I wouldn't leave the island this time; if humans completely grasp the deep sea, they will abut our Western Sea, without the Sea Clan as a buffer, ultimately inconvenient."

The Red-Crested Old Demon sighed, "Maintaining the interests of the entire Demon Clan while balancing the independence of our Winged Clan makes this Demon Gathering tricky, a misstep might provoke a collective siege, when that comes to pass, solely our Winged Clan may struggle to withstand."

Aunt Nineteen began scheming, "Why not draw upon the Tienjin Ocean Sea Demons? Since the fall of the Lihai Demon Clan, they've harbored the discontent of a shared fate, besides, they despise those bone-frame Sand Demons, don't they?"

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