The Winged Demon squad grew larger and larger, with other Winged Demons joining from time to time. By the time they reached the continent's coastline, they had gathered dozens in number.

To avoid misunderstandings, the Winged Demons flew at high altitudes. Even though they are proud, they dared not make a show of themselves over human territory. At this moment, the innate abilities of the Winged Demons came to light; within the same realm level, they could withstand the high-altitude pressure better than human cultivators and other demon clans.

Even Hou Niao and Tan Xiao were caught under the claws of the Nineteenth Aunt, despite them being at the peak of human cultivation. However, such occasions were not suitable for displaying one's strengths.

Under high-speed flight at great altitudes, the Winged Demons took only a few days to enter the desert from the southwest. As the yellowish hues filled their vision, the Winged Demons lowered their altitude, and all sorts of complaints followed.

The Winged Demons from the West Sea were more accustomed to the oceanic climate characterized by currents. Although the dryness did not affect their strength, every demon bird felt uncomfortable.

The sense of rejection began with the environment.

Upon a meddlesome individual's reminder, Nineteenth Aunt began sowing discord, "I don't want to stay in this damn place, not even for a day longer. I'm afraid only the undead creatures can adapt to this environment."

The other Winged Demons felt the same, and one even questioned the categorization within the Demon Clan, "To be precise, our Demon Clan and undead creatures shouldn't be within the same system. We talk about bloodline heritage; do the undead have bloodlines? They should be classified with Soul Ghosts, utterly different from us."

Some looked at the issue from a historical standpoint, "Throughout the history of Jinxiu Continent's cultivation forces, it seems the undead and demon clans were never related? It was merely a forced combination when the outer-space demon clans entered, lacking a strong foundation from the start."

For a while, there was chattering, words from all directions, and before officially participating in the gathering, a thorn was already planted deep in their hearts. It had to be admitted that Nineteenth Aunt had foresight; she chose to impersonate the Winged Demon Clan wisely. With her constant incitement, the initially faint crack was slowly widening.

Through the journey, the Red-Crested Old Demon, with the help of Nineteenth Aunt, gradually became the leader of this group of Winged Demons. This was a challenge for him. Evolving from the Six Friends of Dark Bay to dozens of Winged Demons was a delightful breakthrough, and he enjoyed the feeling of being in the spotlight.

Thus, the more he looked at this Hai Dongqing, the more pleasing he found it, regretting why he hadn't gotten to know him earlier. However, for now, such dissatisfaction should not be amplified. After all, they were here to attend the gathering, to speak of unity, not to cause trouble and create difficulties.

"Dear Daoists, mind your words. It's enough to know some things in your heart; there's no need to show them outright. It's detrimental to the unity of the Demon Clan. After all, humans are our greatest opponents now."

Only then did the Winged Demons calm down a bit, though some were still discontent. Nineteenth Aunt interjected at the right moment,

"What Lord Red-Crest means is that everyone's thoughts are correct, but there's no need to show them. The Winged Clan has its own interests; we won't be easily manipulated by others. However, if everyone speaks carelessly, misunderstandings could arise. Don't worry, as long as Lord Red-Crest is here, we won't be wronged. There must be a unified voice to showcase the cohesion of our West Sea Winged Demons."

This rhetoric was well-received by the Winged Demons, pleasing the Red-Crested Old Demon. Unknowingly, his position was established, even if temporarily—a good start indeed.

However, these words were beyond Nineteenth Aunt's level of speech, originating from two cunning human laborers. Since they had arrived in the undead creatures' territory and were without taboos, Nineteenth Aunt could unabashedly sit in her sedan chair and parade around without worrying about anyone voicing injustice.

The Red-Crested Old Demon laughed heartily and waved his hand, "Gentlemen, display our West Sea's might, lest our peers from the continent underestimate our West Sea's prowess."

Though of the same Demon Clan, the West Sea Winged Demons had slight contact with the Sea Clan but very little with the Land Demons, mostly avoiding conflicts. Occasional encounters were mere coincidences, and it's the first large-scale gathering in a thousand years, making a grand entrance crucial.

When he spoke, the Winged Demons immediately cooperated, arranging a grand display, vying for attention.

Among the Demon Clan, each group had completely different preferences. Mountain Demons enjoyed muscular flight and disliked external elements, believing that it displayed their robust physique. The undead creatures favored staying close to the ground or sand for safety. Sea Demons preferred groupings, ideally forming clouds with steam, and their shadows seen within.

The Winged Demons had peculiar preferences; though they possessed wings, they were least likely to flaunt them before others. They preferred lavish carriages, accompanied by servants and pets.

The more proficient they flew, the less willing they were to fly themselves. It's a curious mindset, somewhat akin to humans?

Hence, when the Red-Crested Old Demon spoke, everyone immediately engaged in a display of wealth and extravagance. The ostensibly arrogant Hai Dongqing's carriage couldn't help but provoke them for a while.

Upon showcasing their treasures, the differences in ranks soon became apparent. Not just the grandeur of carriages, which has its limits, but the mounts used for the carriages fell into three levels.

The lowest rung utilized various demon beasts as mounts, whether immensely powerful, immensely swift, or peculiarly shaped. The primary objective was to stand out at a glance. In the West Sea, numerous bizarre creatures existed, some possessing divine skills yet little intelligence, making them suitable for riding. For the Demon Clan, there was no notion of not enslaving one's kind.

A level higher employed various Primordial Soul Essences, often related to the owner's divine skills. Take a crane, for instance, using the essence to materialize three smaller cranes pulling the carriage. This method was essentially like pulling oneself, a curious display-based project.

The most attention-seeking were those commanding humans. This was also a recognized symbol of strength within the Demon Clan, indicating an oppositional stance with human cultivators, often garnering special respect from other demon clans.

Just as humans' esteem grows with their mastery of demon control, commanding humans within the demon realm carried similar honor. Controlling Foundation Establishment cultivators was ordinary, but commanding Golden Core cultivators brought awe.

Among this group of Winged Demons, several commanded humans, each a formidable Winged Demon commanding a Golden Core human. However, these humans appeared vacant, their divine souls absent, their behavior mechanical, devoid of humans' unique spirituality.

This was the price of maritime adventures; countless human cultivators entered the sea, never to resurface, recklessly intruding, resulting in death or being transformed into controlled beasts — a great pity.

In terms of quantity, the number of demon beasts commanding humans was far less than humans commanding demons, just a nature of balance.

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