The three old ancestors readily agreed to Rakshasa's proposal.
Although they could see that Rakshasa might be using the subordinates of the three demon race descendants for something bigger and more daring this time, something that could lead to countless casualties.
What truly enticed the three old ancestors was the prospect of becoming Tang Taizong, Song Taizu, and Ming Taizu, if their plan succeeded. The rewards in terms of fortune and merit would be comparable to what they would gain by infiltrating the two cycles of the Journey to the West tribulation.
Furthermore, their status as emperors in the mortal realm would allow them to achieve more than they could as rulers in the immortal realm.
The reason for this was simple: in the Three Realms of Honghuang, the Heavenly Realm was the most strictly monitored by the Heavenly Dao, followed by the Immortal Realm, and the Mortal Realm the least. This was due to the abundance of turbid energy and scarcity of spiritual energy in the Mortal Realm, which even the Heavenly Dao and Patriarch Hongjun disdained.
However, it was precisely this environment that was favored by the Demonic Path and the Demon race. They cultivated using turbid energy, death energy, demonic energy, and Yin energy, and wished nothing more than to transform the Mortal Realm into a demonic realm overnight.
Thus, after the secret meeting between Rakshasa and the three old ancestors, Patriarch Minghe handed over all his subordinates from the Asura religion, along with his four most powerful demon gods. These were four high-ranking demons, not quite Quasi-Saints, but formidable figures among the Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortals. This force, entrusted to Rakshasa, was comparable to Sun Wukong's absorption of the Buddhist disciples from Spirit Mountain. It posed a significant threat.
Among the three old ancestors, while Patriarch Minghe obediently surrendered his subordinates, the other two, Patriarch Youming and Patriarch Huangquan, in their pursuit of self-improvement, were also willing to offer all their subordinates to appease Rakshasa.
"Senior Brother, I, Youming, may not have great abilities, but these ninety million Youming disciples and grand-disciples can serve as cannon fodder," Patriarch Youming said, his eyes glinting as Rakshasa promised him the role of Song Taizu in this timeline, allowing him to rapidly develop the Youming Sect, advance his Youming Sutra, and achieve further breakthroughs. He readily presented his ninety million followers.
"Senior Brother, I, Huangquan, have nothing more to say. Since my second and third brothers have agreed, my thirty million Huangquan disciples and grand-disciples can also join the fray. In short, for the revival of the Demonic Path and the rise of the Demon race, we will fight even if we are annihilated!" Patriarch Huangquan declared, seeing the generosity of Patriarch Minghe and Patriarch Youming, who together had provided hundreds of millions of subordinates. He dared not fall behind. While his words were grand, everyone knew that as the lowest-ranking ancestor, the vast majority of his thirty million subordinates were mere cannon fodder, with few even reaching the Golden Immortal realm.
Nevertheless, faced with the generous contributions of his three "juniors," Rakshasa's mood was excellent. He bowed in thanks, accepting the tokens representing their authority. He dispatched his own subordinates to summon and gather the followers of the three old ancestors, who were to converge at the location where the mortal Tang Dynasty and the demon armies were in confrontation. This was Mount Doutoufan, the highest mountain separating the demons from the Tang Dynasty.
"Thank you, three junior brothers, for your assistance. With hundreds of millions of elite demon soldiers, I, your senior brother, can ensure that Mo Zang and Mo Bailong have a smoother journey. Never mind the six Sages and the Heavenly Dao; Patriarch Hongjun doesn't even know we're launching an unprecedented attack on the mortal realm. Even if he did, given their long-standing disdain for the mortal realm, they wouldn't offer much help. I believe the useless Earth Immortals and Heavenly Immortals of the mortal realm will be no match for our advance. Once this matter is settled, I, your senior brother, will immediately initiate the second cycle of the Journey to the West in the mortal realm. Finally, I will fulfill my promise and allow my three junior brothers to bask in the fortune and merit of the mortal realm!" With these words, seeing the three old ancestors smiling and nodding with complete trust in him, Rakshasa wasted no further time and departed, returning to the Eternal River.
Upon landing, he was greeted by the adoring Mo Zang, Mo Bailong, and others, leading a million demon soldiers, who cheered enthusiastically. Meanwhile, his three trusted confidantes had also gathered hundreds of millions of demon soldiers. At the forefront were the four most powerful demon gods, the eight guardians of the Youming Sect, the twelve elders of the Huangquan Sect, and so on. While these individuals were not Quasi-Saints, they were more than sufficient to cause trouble in the mortal realm, provided they did not directly confront the eight Quasi-Saints of the Immortal Realm.
"By the command of your Senior Brother, the four armies will rest for three days. After three days, as planned, they will divide and attack various regions of the mortal Tang Dynasty. We must achieve victory in one battle, breaking through all defenses until we reach the Tang capital, Chang'an!" As Rakshasa spoke, hundreds of millions of beings erupted in excitement.
In contrast, within the mortal Tang Dynasty, the Western Regions, the northern Xiongnu, Turkic, and Khitan tribes, the Annam to the south, and other nations to the east, despite a total population exceeding ten billion, and the presence of forces like the Eight Immortals of the Upper Realm, descendants of the Chan Sect, various demon tribes, and descendants of the Wu clan, were all paralyzed with fear under the overwhelming demonic aura. It was only at this moment that they understood that the recent conflict between the Dao and the Demon paths was not unrelated to them, but rather because any single force could overthrow the entire mortal realm!
"Your Majesty, against such demonic energy, all the cultivators and mortal soldiers in our mortal realm are no match. Perhaps we should beg for help from the Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Realm?" In the mortal Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, bearing the same name but a different fate, listened to his chief minister, Changsun Wuji, with a bitter smile, finding it difficult to make a decision.
Outside Chang'an City, the disciples of the Eight Immortals of the Upper Realm and other forces paled. Only one person, Li Bai, the reincarnation of Mingyue, stood undaunted. He was the first to head towards the Tang Dynasty's most significant western pass, Jiayuguan!
Almost simultaneously, at New Flower Fruit Mountain, Sun Wukong activated his Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze, observing the surge of the demon armies and Li Bai's fearless advance. He sighed faintly. "As expected, loyalty often comes from the common folk, while betrayal is common among gods and buddhas. This is forcing me, Old Sun, to act again, isn't it? Very well, I shall act. It's truly uncomfortable not to act! I cannot let this young man Li Bai truly fall into danger!" Seeing the mortal realm, from the Eight Immortals of the Upper Realm to emperors and generals, and down to officials, nobles, merchants, and commoners, all terrified by Rakshasa's might, Sun Wukong felt even more compelled to act. Without further ado, he plucked three monkey hairs and threw them down, targeting the three passes where the Tang Dynasty and the demon armies would first clash.
The first monkey hair clone landed at Jiayuguan, both to deal with the Asura sect followers and to support Li Bai. The second monkey hair clone landed in the Qilian Mountains area, about 24,000 li away, responsible for dealing with the Youming Sect followers. The third monkey hair clone was sent to the southwest of the Tang Dynasty, at the pass known as Shen Du, responsible for dealing with the Huangquan Sect followers. In the current precarious situation of the Three Realms of Honghuang, this was the greatest assistance Sun Wukong could muster.