Demon Lord Xuanyue stared intently at Mo Tiange. Every time she waved her array flag, a thunderous roar echoed from within the formation. This made him incredibly nervous. Having traveled among human cultivators, he knew just how advanced human array techniques could be. For the forces he had brought to directly breach this great formation, the cost would inevitably be heavy. He just didn't know how heavy.
Suddenly, the Tenth-Rank demon cultivator who looked like a girl in yellow frowned and muttered, "Not good."
"Elder Die," Demon Lord Xuanyue asked with concern, "what's wrong?"
The girl in yellow didn't answer immediately, but glanced at the other Tenth-Rank demon cultivator instead.
This demon cultivator had a middle-aged appearance, with a pale, beardless face and a rather scholarly demeanor. His expression grave, he said, "The situation isn't looking good. We need to go in and assist."
The girl in yellow nodded and said to Demon Lord Xuanyue, "Second Prince, you stay here and provide support. We will enter and break the formation."
"Elders," Demon Lord Xuanyue grew anxious, "isn't it too risky for you to go in?"
Among the demon cultivators he had brought, some were his followers, while others were those who held grievances against him and were brought along as cannon fodder. Even if they all perished, it wouldn't be a great loss—Eighth-Rank demon cultivators were plentiful in the Xumi Sea. But these two elders beside him were his greatest assets. If they fell here, any hope for the Ruler's throne would vanish.
The girl in yellow shot him a sharp, electric gaze, her voice cold and indifferent. "Second Prince, how can you hope to rule the Xumi Sea if you are so timid? Since you wish to achieve this great merit, you must bear the risks. We are willing to risk our lives. What are you afraid of?"
Demon Lord Xuanyue obediently accepted the rebuke, bowing his head. "Then I must trouble you two elders."
The girl in yellow said no more. With a flick of her sleeve, she transformed into a giant yellow butterfly and fluttered gracefully into the great formation.
The middle-aged demon cultivator gave him a faint smile. "Die Yi's nature is like that, Second Prince. Please don't take it to heart."
Demon Lord Xuanyue's tone was solemn. "Elder Die's words are reasonable. It is only natural that I, a mere prince, should heed them."
The middle-aged demon cultivator nodded slowly, quite satisfied with his acceptance. "Second Prince, alone here, you must be cautious. If things turn against us, flee far away."
Demon Lord Xuanyue shook his head. "I brought you here. Naturally, I should return with you. If you two elders perish here, I will certainly accompany you."
"Second Prince, you must not say such things," the middle-aged demon cultivator said seriously, his expression stern. "As one destined to be a ruler, you must have the bearing of a ruler. No matter how high our cultivation, we are still subordinates. A ruler can sacrifice himself for his kingdom, for his position, but never for a single subordinate. No single demon, no matter how important, is worth the entire Xumi Sea."
Demon Lord Xuanyue bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Jing. I will certainly remember it."
The middle-aged demon cultivator nodded with a smile. "Then I shall go."
With a shake of his body, the middle-aged demon cultivator transformed into a giant orca and swam through the breached opening into the formation.
Demon Lord Xuanyue frowned deeply, staring at the opening.
Although what the two elders said was correct, if they truly perished within, not only would his future be ruined, but his very life might be in danger.
The Xumi Sea was vast, but Tenth-Rank demon cultivators were few. Apart from those in seclusion, only a handful had clear allegiances. As the Second Prince, Demon Lord Xuanyue was not the designated successor. It was only because of his outstanding talent, intelligence, and resourcefulness that he had elders supporting his bid for the throne. Die Yi and Jing Hu were Tenth-Rank elders who held significant weight before the Ruler. If these two demons fell here, not only would his power be greatly diminished, but the Ruler would also blame him. More critically, he had long been at odds with the First Prince. Without the protection of these two elders, his elder brother would certainly root him out completely.
He raised his head and looked up at Mo Tiange presiding over the formation. When he had first encountered Mo Tiange, he had only sensed that she harbored secrets and had a suspicious origin. He never imagined that their next meeting would be under such circumstances.
Back then, she was only… at Core Formation mid-stage? And he was already at Seventh Rank. Over a hundred years had passed. He had only just advanced from Seventh to Eighth Rank, while she had progressed from Core Formation mid-stage to early-Nascent Soul. Although it was true that demon beasts had a harder time advancing, he was a descendant of the qilin, of noble bloodline, able to assume human form shortly after birth—different from ordinary demon cultivators…
After a long moment, he shook his head, casting these thoughts aside. His subordinates were fighting life-and-death battles for him. How could he boost the enemy's morale while dampening his own?
She was merely a human female cultivator, while he was a qilin descendant, the Second Prince of the Xumi Sea. This was just a hurdle on his path to the Ruler's throne. What was there to fear? The elders were right. As one destined to be a ruler, one must have the bearing of a ruler. Being so timid, how could he accomplish great deeds?
His gaze gradually grew resolute as he looked up at Mo Tiange and laughed. "Lady Qin, as far as I know, your Immortal Alliance probably can't spare any reinforcements. With just the two of you, how do you plan to withstand the might of my Southern Sea army? Wouldn't it be better to surrender early? Considering our past acquaintance, I will let you two leave."
Before Mo Tiange could say anything, a voice came from behind her. "Who said there are only two of them?"
Demon Lord Xuanyue was startled and looked behind Mo Tiange. Feng Ning, dressed in white, approached as if stepping on lotuses, her robes fluttering.
She declared loudly, "There's no need for you to try and sow discord, sir. We cultivators of Tianji are of one breath and interconnected. How could we be swayed by a few words from you?"
Demon Lord Xuanyue looked at her, his eyes lighting up. "This lady…"
He loved beauty—beautiful scenery, beautiful people, anything beautiful. Compared to Mo Tiange, Feng Ning was even more graceful and possessed a face like a flower, a complexion like the moon.
Feng Ning glanced at him with a half-smile. "Sir, your subordinates are still fighting for their lives within the formation!"
It felt like a blunt blow to the head for Demon Lord Xuanyue. He thought, human female cultivators really are much more troublesome than demon cultivators. He hadn't even finished his sentence before being shut down. All thoughts of appreciating beauty vanished instantly.
Feng Ning gave him a sidelong glance and whispered to Mo Tiange, "You two are really bold. With just two people, you dare to rely on a mountain-protecting formation and fight these demons to the death."
Mo Tiange smiled, glancing sideways at her. "Lady Feng's arrival is truly timel-y!"
She emphasized the word "timely," clearly a sarcastic jab.
Feng Ning's face showed anger. "Don't be ungrateful. With disaster looming, the fact that I didn't abandon you and run is already quite good of me."
Mo Tiange continued to smile. "I didn't say anything."
Although she said nothing, the implication was clear to everyone! Feng Ning felt like arguing with her, but upon reflection, decided she probably couldn't win. She simply ignored the remark and grumbled, "Are we just going to wait here like this?"
Mo Tiange said, "Lady Feng could enter the formation and join the fray. They've sent in two more Tenth-Rank demon cultivators. I'm afraid my Senior Brother will be outnumbered and isolated."
Feng Ning rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm only at Eighth Rank… uh, early-Nascent Soul. How can I compare to Tenth-Rank demon cultivators?" She had almost slipped and referred to herself as a demon cultivator.
Mo Tiange said, "Who said you have to fight them head-on? Within the great formation, you are unaffected, while they have to endure the formation's power. As long as you're not stupid enough to reveal your true form and go on a rampage, it would be very hard for you to die before the formation breaks!"
Feng Ning looked at her suspiciously. "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you? My Senior Brother is still inside. Would I disregard his life?"
Feng Ning thought about it and agreed, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She twisted her silk sash and muttered, "It's just that you don't have much credibility…"
Mo Tiange shot her a glance, took out a jade talisman, and asked, "Going in or not?"
"In!" Feng Ning glanced sideways at her. "I can't let you two return to Kunwu boasting that you repelled dozens of Southern Sea demon cultivators all by yourselves!"
Mo Tiange couldn't help but laugh at her words. Repelling dozens of demon cultivators above Eighth Rank with just the two of them? Even with Feng Ning added, and with the mountain-protecting formation to defend… she was still clear-headed!
Feng Ning waved her silk sash and, without another word, jumped into the formation. Mo Tiange let out an "Ah!" instinctively reaching out to grab her, but missed. Feng Ning had already jumped in.
Mo Tiange stamped her foot in frustration, clutching the jade talisman. "Why jump in just like that? If you enter like that, how will the formation recognize you?"
Her words couldn't be heard by Feng Ning, who was now inside the great formation. At that moment, Feng Ning parted the dark clouds and looked at the world where heaven and earth were inverted and the Five Elements were deadly, feeling exhilarated.
"This Mo Qingwei does have some skill!" she muttered to herself. To preside over such a great formation without any knowledge of arrays was impossible. The chaos of the Five Elements, the interchange of Yin and Yang, the inversion of heaven and earth—this already involved the rules of Spiritual Qi. It required not only considerable array mastery but also substantial cultivation—understanding the rules of Spiritual Qi required at least Nascent Soul stage.
"Lady Feng!" A voice sounded in her ear. Mo Tiange was using her spiritual sense to communicate.
Feng Ning drifted with the wind while casually replying, "What?"
"Why did you run in so fast? Entering like that, how are you any different from those demon cultivators?"
Feng Ning was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Mo Tiange's spiritual sense transmitted into the formation: "Only with a token will the great formation not regard you as an enemy. You went in with nothing. If you get eliminated, don't blame me!"
Feng Ning finally understood and grew frantic. "What do you mean 'don't blame me'? Wasn't it you who told me to come in?"
"You said 'in' and jumped. I had just taken out the token to give you!"
"Then why didn't you give it earlier?!"
"You didn't wait for me!"
Both grew angry, each blaming the other, and fumed in silence.
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion sounded in the distance. Feng Ning looked over and saw ice shards and fiery sparks flying chaotically in the air, thunderbolts and wind-blown sand dancing wildly, sweeping toward her.
"Mo Qingwei!" she couldn't help but shout.
Mo Tiange had already noticed. She quickly waved her array flag, and a dark cloud transformed into a giant hand, blocking the onslaught.
Once the surroundings calmed, she said, "I'll make the formation avoid you, but you still need to be careful. Just pick off isolated ones. Don't you dare rush to the front."
"Understood!" Having been reduced to such a sorry state, Feng Ning answered irritably.
Just as she finished speaking, an Eighth-Rank demon cultivator was swept by the wind and sand toward her. Feng Ning's eyes lit up, and she advanced to meet it.
* * *
Qin Xi revealed his form. The red sword light before him spread out vast and mighty, forming a sea of crimson that swept toward the demon cultivator caught in the gale.
Just as these sword lights were about to touch the demon cultivator, a yellow figure suddenly appeared opposite him. Flashes of light connected in the air as yellow powder drifted down like wine, meeting the sword light.
Finding his sword light blocked, Qin Xi uttered a surprised "Hmm?" and focused his gaze. He saw a giant yellow butterfly in the air transform into a girl in yellow, standing proudly in mid-air with a cold, aloof expression.
On the other side, a giant orca slowly swam over, stopping beside the girl in yellow. Its enormous eyes looked at Qin Xi. "Die Yi, you hold him off."
The girl in yellow nodded, waved her silk sash, transformed back into her true form, and flew toward Qin Xi.