Chapter 688 - My Doomsday Territory

**My Apocalyptic Territory, Chapter 688: The Mediating Sect (Long Chapter)** Cloud City, On the ethereal cloud-covered plateau. The atmosphere was tense. On one side stood the powerful BaiYu clan, with three divine realm experts and dozens of Unity realm warriors glaring furiously at the fox tribe. The fox tribe was smaller in number, but two other divine realm experts had arrived, making their presence no less imposing. The tension was palpable, and a violent confrontation seemed imminent. However, Compared to the aggressive stance of the two tribes, the individuals standing to the side—Nancy, Tang Yu, Yi Lian, and oh, Gray Blade—seemed somewhat out of place. They seemed like mere spectators, but in fact, they were mediators. The stifling tension threatened to freeze the space around them, and the volatile energies surged, making it clear that a more ferocious battle could erupt at any moment. Yet both the BaiYu and fox tribes restrained themselves, Setting aside anger, they both sensed something was amiss. The fox tribe wouldn’t have approached without reason, and their willingness to risk everything was evident—the fox tribe’s divine realm expert’s aura had noticeably waned, not due to Nancy’s crushing blows, but because in a brief encounter, she had burned over ten percent of her essence. Nonetheless, the death of a Unity realm expert from the BaiYu tribe before their eyes was undeniable. That expert was the seventh son of the old clan leader, dearly cherished! Similarly, the fox tribe had a promising young member, abducted and killed by a BaiYu Unity realm expert, witnessed firsthand. There might be a conspiracy at play, But the seeds of hatred between the two tribes had been sown. In the future, any spark could ignite war once more. Currently, both tribes were locked in a war of words, but the insults were repetitive and, to Tang Yu, almost sleep-inducing. "Ahem, may I have a word with everyone." Tang Yu had to interject; otherwise, these divine and Unity realm experts might have continued their quarrel for days without tiring. The BaiYu experts turned their attention, eyes landing on Nancy before shifting to Tang Yu. The fox tribe’s divine realm experts suppressed the older BaiYu divine realm expert. And Nancy had overpowered the fox divine realm expert. The chain of power was clear. Such formidable figures naturally garnered respect, and an invitation was extended to Nancy as a witness—if they could win over such a powerful ally, even slightly, it would be worthwhile. The elder divine realm expert of the BaiYu clan pondered. He shot a cautious glance towards Tang Yu. Even Nancy, possessing high-level divine realm strength, showed profound respect towards this human, undoubtedly indicating his superior strength. The pinnacle of the divine realm? The limit of the divine realm? Was he the sect master of "XianMen," rumored to be behind "Gathering Treasure Pavilion"? When did humanity produce such a formidable force?! The three divine realm experts from the fox tribe also held their peace—they did not want to make enemies of these powerful humans over such a small matter. Tang "Holmes" Yu pushed up his imaginary glasses. "There’s no doubt this is a conspiracy, devised to provoke war between your two tribes, weakening both sides." "We BaiYu need no outsiders meddling in our affairs. The fox that killed my seventh brother must die!" A sudden outburst echoed. Among the dozens of BaiYu Unity realm experts, one finally lost his reason—when there’s a large group, there’s bound to be a fool. Tang Yu's expression remained unchanged, still poised with his hand as if adjusting his glasses. "Nancy, silence him." “No… problem.” Barely had the word "No" left her lips when Nancy was already in front of the BaiYu Unity realm member, slamming his head into the pristine white ground with immense force. The BaiYu Unity realm expert’s entire head embedded into the ground, leaving only slight cracks around, showcasing the solid quality of the platform offered by the BaiYu tribe. The nearby BaiYu divine realm experts finally reacted; one strong enough, their mouth slightly agape. Whoosh~ Nancy had already "stepped" back beside Tang Yu, retreating half a step, with ‘problem’ timed to resound appropriately. The BaiYu divine realm expert’s open mouth seemed snagged, his expression shifting, ultimately heaving a sigh. Tang Yu naturally didn't expect to easily persuade the two tribes. His intervention wasn’t simply because of the value they placed on Nancy but because the shadow manipulations behind the scenes felt oddly familiar. He hadn't realized earlier, The sudden war between the Bluewater and Angered Marsh duchies. The fall of three of the Twelve Pirate Generals. The surge of conflicts in the Infinite Sea had notably increased over the past two years. At first glance, it seemed insignificant, but when magnified across the vast world of mountains and seas, there were indications of larger issues. "To urge you to lay down arms might be unrealistic, given your doubts about the behind-the-scenes manipulator, or perhaps, the blood on your hands isn’t easily dismissed, even if prompted by a shadowy hand." Tang Yu instructed Gray Blade with a few words. Gray Blade vanished in a flash and reappeared moments later with compiled intelligence. He projected a high-grade image crystal into the air. It was a map of the world of mountains and seas, primarily focused on the Xuanyun Plateau and the Infinite Sea regions. The BaiYu and fox tribes were puzzled by the map, many BaiYu experts looking cold. The projected map zoomed, showing the locales of White City and the fox tribe. These areas were marked with bright yellow light. Tang Yu dragged the map eastward. "Crystal Stone City-state," another top power, engaged in conflict with the neighboring top power "Ghost Fortress" a year and a half ago, for unexplained reasons, with divine realm casualties on both sides. "The Cliffheart Empire," invaded by eight kingdoms simultaneously nine months ago, losing a third of its territory, resulting in millions of casualties. Wentingu Valley… Danmen Port… Stan Lee Empire… These top and near-top powers have all erupted in varying scales of war, with numerous strong warriors falling. As a top power with a teleportation array, the BaiYu divine realm experts were aware of many top and near-top powers mentioned by the human strong. The fox tribe, less aware of the outside world, had heard of entities like “Crystal Stone City-state” and the age-old “Cliffheart Empire.” But wars breaking out? And in so many places. These aren’t minor skirmishes; each saw divine realm casualties, approaching the extent of annihilation-level wars where ultimate clan legacies are wielded. The BaiYu divine realm experts were startled. In short years, so many things unfolded. BaiYu’s Void and Unity realm members likely heard rumors while traveling, but they hadn't taken them to heart. Such widespread wars within top powers undoubtedly pointed to a manipulative hand! The warlike air between the two tribes subsided notably. Tang Yu wasn’t finished; he moved the map to the Infinite Sea. Numerous empires and specific sea areas were marked in bright red. "There are over a hundred maritime nations under the shadow of war, with considerable divine realm casualties. In broader terms, divine realm deaths in these two years are comparable to the past five hundred." Five hundred years! The divine realm nearly stands at the world’s peak; a top entity like BaiYu produced one divine realm expert within a millennium. Divine realm experts seem plentiful only due to their longevity. Even ordinary divine beings live over five thousand years, let alone long-lived species. Falling? It’s exceedingly rare. Even formidable Unity realm experts can survive against divine hands, and those already at the pinnacle of divine strength are hardly prone to demise. Except in blood-thirsty combat. Like today, with both BaiYu and fox experts burning their essence, fighting ferociously. A divine realm could very well fall. In retrospect, the BaiYu and fox experts felt uneasy. Especially the fox tribe, their numbers sparse, each fox child a symbol of hope. The initial divine realm expert who pursued to the White City was prepared for mutual destruction. With a cooler head, they naturally wouldn’t think thus. "The Infinite Sea erupting inexplicably into numerous battles..." They did not doubt Tang Yu’s words. The esteemed factions like "Crystal Stone City-state" and "Cliffheart Empire" have teleportation arrays that can connect directly to nearby regions. A simple check can verify the truth of these claims. In matters closer to home, things occurring on the Xuanyun Plateau might be within BaiYu's capacity to investigate. However, the happenings in the Infinite Sea are beyond their reach. Who would have thought an unknown faction like "XianMen" could possess such deep-rooted influence, with an intelligence network seemingly spanning the entire world? They must not be offended. The leading divine realm expert of the BaiYu clan mentally elevated Tang Yu and the XianMen by two more notches. While a war between the two tribes seemed unavoidable, there was no friendly regard between them either. At this moment, The remains of a fallen BaiYu Unity realm member, whose body had burst, were retrieved. Only a small portion of the skull and a segment of the arm bone remained intact. "Second evidence: Even a divine realm expert wouldn't be able to instantly kill a Unity realm expert, would they?" Tang Yu added silently in his mind, if they didn’t understand the laws. "But there are no spell traces detected on him, indicating he wasn't under control." "Then he was plotting something with malicious intent!" a fox tribe expert retorted. “Ah, I just remembered!” As the two tribes resumed their bickering, a voice suddenly overpowered everyone, drawing all eyes, including Tang Yu's, toward Nancy. Did she forget to bring something before leaving? The hairs on Nancy's forehead twitched, and she whispered, "Is it possible he was corrupted by the Heart Demon Clan?" Tang Yu was momentarily stunned, but the pieces quickly fell into place, "…Smart!" When corrupted by the Heart Demon Clan, the victim retains their strength, memories, and aura without the slightest alteration. Tang Yu, having studied a great deal of the Origin Star's history over the past two years, knew that during their battles against the demon clans, there were instances of allies and subordinate forces experiencing internal conflicts. These were broadly attributed to interference by the Heart Demon Clan. But only broadly. Historically, the Heart Demon Clan was rarely caught. Interestingly, within the Pale Prison, there were Heart Demon Clan entities detained, and Tang Yu, Yilian, and others had contributed to the research on them. Although Nancy didn't understand much, being the captain of the elite guards, she had witnessed enough to be quite familiar. Once corrupted, the aura remains unchanged, but the soul is entirely different. This BaiYu Unity realm expert no longer possessed a soul, yet the body hadn't completely cooled. Yilian employed an advanced spell called "Return to Spirit," gathering the remaining traces of true spirits from the BaiYu Unity realm member. The white light carried traces of purple-blackness, likened to feces mixed in food, its sight revolting. However, the true spirit's light was minuscule, leading Tang Yu to surmise the fallen Unity realm expert might have been merely a clone of a Heart Demon Clan expert. Clone and possession are basic maneuvers of the post-Unity realm Heart Demon Clan. Even Tang Yu found this headache-inducing. "Corruption by the Heart Demon Clan is far more insidious and bizarre than control magic, and once an individual is tainted, be it Unity or not, they are as good as slain by the Heart Demon Clan. The one who killed the young fox of your tribe is the Heart Demon Clan, and the one who killed the BaiYu Unity realm is also from the Heart Demon Clan. Your anger and hatred are misdirected." “But where is the Heart Demon Clan?” The fox divine realm expert asked, troubled. "Investigate the factions disrupted by the Heart Demon Clan, and you will find some clues. That’s your task." Tang Yu shrugged. These two top-tier factions should be able to create some trouble for the Heart Demon Clan. The planet of mountains and seas hasn't experienced any abyssal rifts, so things haven’t reached a dire state. Perhaps this world’s barrier is just as strong as the Origin Star’s. "With mediation concluded, we should discuss compensation now." BaiYu Clan: "???" Fox Clan: "[?_??]" Aren’t we the ones who got beaten up? The fox divine realm expert, stroking their fluffy tail, recalled the fear of being thrashed by the demon king Nancy. Weep, weep. "Our ‘Gathering Treasure Pavilion’ has only recently opened, committed to honest practices and customer-centric values, with substantial investments made. Yet, due to your unrestrained conflict, it was destroyed. So tell us, are you going to compensate?" Nancy glared fiercely too. The BaiYu and fox tribe experts, however, felt a bit relieved. Oh, that’s it? If it can be settled with monetary compensation, it’s not really a problem. Not to mention, the humans did help avert a bloodbath. Compensating with money is one thing; we could even marry off the clan leader's youngest daughter if needed—after all, the BaiYu and human aesthetics align well. Granted, the clan leader's youngest is only a little over six hundred, considered too young by human standards, possibly perceived as immature. "Well, in that case..." Tang Yu pondered for a moment, as if calculating the compensation amount. "Then we will settle for a compensation equivalent to the total revenue of ‘Gathering Treasure Pavilion’ for the past half-month since opening." What? The BaiYu divine realm experts froze. This compensation... seems too modest? It felt almost embarrassing to them. After all, they destroyed someone’s establishment, only to later rely on them to avoid warfare. And the outcome? They only asked for such a minimal compensation. The human strong were truly too kind. They felt guilty! The BaiYu experts decided to supplement the compensation with a few treasures as a gesture of apology. The fox divine realm expert rummaged through their storage ring, looking for exceptional items to thank the humans. At this moment, Gray Blade, the runner who had gone to retrieve the recent earnings report of "Gathering Treasure Pavilion," swiftly reappeared on the platform. Tang Yu took the hefty stack of reports, glanced over them, and handed them to the BaiYu divine realm experts. A duplicate was given to the fox experts—as compensation involved both tribes. The BaiYu experts took them with smiles, scanning the content. Oh, they sold divine weapons. Oh, they sold exotic fruits. Oh... ahem, they sold dozens of divine weapons on the first day? Oh, coughs— Upon reading the final line— the total revenue—the BaiYu divine realm expert could no longer contain the internal injury.