An eerie silence descended.
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi were secretly pleased. For them, the more chaotic the situation, the better. It would be even better if Demon Lord Xuari and Demon Lord Xuanyue started fighting.
The appearance of Demon Lord Xuanyue rekindled the hatred that had followed Demon Lord Xuari for over a thousand years. As the eldest prince of the Southern Sea, his status was respected. From birth, he was the heaven-favored prodigy under the gaze of all demons, naturally destined to be the master of the Xumi Sea and the next Southern Sea Ruler. The one who shattered all this was Xuanyue. He was older than Xuanyue, yet his studies were repeatedly surpassed by him. He was inferior in reading, inferior in spells, and even his bloodline awakening came later. Within the Xumi Sea, from the lowliest minor demons to the elders, every demon knew that Second Prince Xuanyue was exceptionally talented and intelligent, far surpassing the eldest prince.
In Xuanyue's shadow, his position as the eldest prince was awkward and seemingly worthless. He wasn't particularly obsessed with the Ruler's position, but with Xuanyue around, he absolutely would not allow him to smoothly become the next Southern Sea Ruler!
Xuanyue was more beloved by their father, more favored by their teachers, more admired by the minor demons, and now, he had won the Divine Monarch's favor!
Demon Lord Xuari's hands clenched, his gaze filled with hatred fixed on Demon Lord Xuanyue.
Amber, however, seemed oblivious, looking at Xuanyue and Xuari with gratification. "In my lifetime, to be able to see my descendants, my wish is fulfilled. Even if I can never go out to see the sky again, I have no regrets."
Hearing this, Jing Tao and Jing Hu spoke simultaneously, "Divine Monarch..." They paused, glaring at each other.
Seeing their behavior, Die Yi snorted lightly, stepped forward, and declared clearly, "Divine Monarch, in the past, we did not know you were trapped, leaving you isolated and helpless. Now that we are aware, how can we allow you to suffer here? The thousands of demon races of the Xumi Sea will surely spare no effort to rescue you from this cage!"
Die Yi's words were forceful and resolute, but unfortunately, Amber remained unmoved.
He swept a faint glance over Die Yi. "You are of the Butterfly Clan. Cultivating to the Tenth Rank is no small feat."
Die Yi was taken aback. She didn't understand what the Divine Monarch meant. Was he praising her?
Amber continued, "How long would it take to break through the Tenth Rank?"
Die Yi said blankly, "Throughout the years, aside from the Qilin Clan, demon cultivators of the Xumi Sea have rarely broken through the Tenth Rank."
Amber smiled, but there was sorrow in his eyes. "Even if all of you broke through the Tenth Rank, you still couldn't shake this restriction. How would you save me?"
"..." Die Yi lowered her head in silence. None of the demon cultivators present made a sound.
Amber said, "Back when heaven and earth were destroyed, I knew I would never get out. You needn't waste your efforts."
While the demon cultivators were feeling disheartened, Jin Jing suddenly thought of something and exclaimed in shock, "Divine Monarch, then... does that mean we can't get out either?"
Among so many demon cultivators present, it was this weakest little female demon who reacted first. Amber gave her an appreciative look. "Correct. That is precisely the issue."
"Ah!" The demon cultivators were greatly alarmed. They had come here, seen the still-living Divine Monarch, and thought a great opportunity had befallen them. They never expected to hear such news. If they couldn't get out, what kind of opportunity was it, even if they saw the Divine Monarch? Spending the rest of their lives confined to this place until old age—what difference was there from death?
"Great Ancestor," Xuanyue, still maintaining his composure, spoke with an extremely grave expression. "Who set the restriction here? Is there truly no possibility of getting out at all?"
Hearing this question, Amber's gaze fixed on the void. He remained silent for a long while. After a long time, he said, "Rather than a person, it was more like a will—a power we simply cannot resist."
Demon Lord Xuanyue hadn't expected such an answer and was stunned.
A power even the Divine Monarch said was irresistible—where could it come from? The Immortal Realm? The Demon Realm? The Spirit Realm? Or the Divine Realm?
Thinking to the end, Demon Lord Xuanyue felt a chill run down his spine. Regardless of which realm, it certainly couldn't be a power from this realm. After all, the Great Ancestor was a Divine Monarch, a Divine Monarch capable of ascending to the Spirit Realm!
"Divine Monarch," a clear voice rang out. Jin Jing looked solemnly at Amber. "There must be a direction for effort. Since we could enter, this restriction must have a flaw."
Amber said indifferently, "So what if it does? Even I couldn't find it, let alone you."
"Then that means there's still hope," Jin Jing said with a firm gaze. "As long as there's hope, we cannot lightly give up. We demons have long lifespans. Over thousands or tens of thousands of years, a miracle might happen."
Amber's gaze fell on her, gradually softening, but he said meaningfully, "You are promising talent. It would be even better if you could be a bit more pure."
Jin Jing was startled and immediately fell silent.
"Enough," Amber suddenly said. "I'll give you a direction for effort."
His gaze sharp as lightning, he looked directly at these demon cultivators, his descendants. "Opening this Immortal Palace might still hold a chance for survival."
The Immortal Palace! So there was indeed something mysterious about the Immortal Palace! Mo Tiange turned her head, about to say something to Qin Xi, when Amber's voice came again.
"You two, this Divine Monarch can also give you a sliver of hope." Amber swept his gaze over them, then looked at Xiaofeng. "Help them break open the Immortal Palace."
When it came to formations and restrictions, ten demon cultivators couldn't catch up to a human. Humans didn't have formidable bodies or supreme innate talents, but they were the race most suited to this world and the easiest to cultivate. Because they were clever, they knew how to maximize the use of heavenly treasures and earthly wonders, greatly accelerating their cultivation speed.
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi exchanged a glance. Mo Tiange said, "Will Senior keep his word?"
"Would this Divine Monarch speak falsely!"
Qin Xi, however, said, "We naturally trust Senior, but we don't know if these Fellow Daoists think the same way."
Amber's gaze shifted sideways, landing on Xuari and Xuanyue. "What do you say?"
Demon Lord Xuanyue spoke first. "Since the Great Ancestor has spoken, Xuanyue has no reason not to listen. As long as these Fellow Daoists sincerely cooperate with us, Xuanyue guarantees they will be able to leave the East Sea safely."
Demon Lord Xuari looked at Amber, then glared fiercely at Demon Lord Xuanyue before saying reluctantly, "Xuari is the same."
Amber revealed a smile, looking at Mo Tiange and Qin Xi. "Are you reassured now?"
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi both nodded. Although no contract was established, since Princes Xuari and Xuanyue were heirs to the Southern Sea Ruler's position, they wouldn't be so shameless as to go back on their word.
Amber said, "The surrounding formation restrictions are all set within the Immortal Palace. If you open the Immortal Palace, I can dismantle them. If you can't open it... heh..."
He didn't need to finish. They all knew the consequence of failure: being trapped here for life. Even if they advanced to God Transformation, what then? They would spare no effort.
"Wait!" Fairy Fengqing suddenly rushed out, speaking urgently to Amber. "Senior, I..."
Amber waved a hand. "If you contribute, you'll naturally be counted in."
Fairy Fengqing was overjoyed, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior!"
With a sliver of hope, she finally regained her senses. However, her earlier disgrace had been witnessed by Mo Tiange and Qin Xi, so she couldn't put on airs anymore. She just stood to the side without a word.
"Alright," Amber waved his sleeve, lay back down, and took out the nine-linked rings again. "Tell me when you've broken it."
"As you command," the demon cultivators said respectfully.
Demon Lord Xuanyue was the first to step forward, a smile on his face. "Fellow Daoists, we meet again."
Though he smiled, it sent a chill. The two of them had used formations to defend against enemies, killing over twenty demon cultivators. How could Demon Lord Xuanyue not hate them? Now that the Divine Monarch had spoken, he also knew they were skilled in formations and restrictions. Even if he hated them to the core, he could only suppress his emotions and cooperate with them.
"Second Prince, you're too kind," Mo Tiange said with a slight smile. "Let's just say we're fated."
Demon Lord Xuanyue's gaze darkened for a moment, but the next instant, he was still elegant and charming. "Let's discuss how to break open the Immortal Palace."
Mo Tiange and Qin Xi naturally had no objections and gladly complied.
Over there, Demon Lord Xuari looked at Xiaofeng with a complex gaze. "Miss Feng..."
Thinking of how Demon Lord Xuari had been extremely attentive to her these past few days, Xiaofeng felt somewhat ashamed. "I'm sorry, Demon Lord. Xiaofeng did not tell you the truth."
Demon Lord Xuari shook his head. "I don't blame you for that. I just truly don't understand. With your noble Divine Monarch bloodline, why would you become a human's spirit beast?"
Xiaofeng shook her head. "Second Prince, your status is noble and you don't know how ordinary demons like us survive. I was originally of the Chongming Bird Clan, living in the Kunwu Mountain Range. My clan was weak; though named descendants of Divine Beasts, we had no powerful elders for protection. Later, my clan suffered a catastrophic disaster. After being scattered, I met my master. Because of my master, I was able to survive, become a great demon, purify my bloodline, and become a true descendant of a Divine Beast. Everything I have today is because of my master. Demons and humans are natural enemies because of resource competition, but my master has shown me great kindness. How could I be ungrateful?"
In truth, she could have simply answered "spirit beast contract," and Demon Lord Xuari wouldn't have asked further. Yet Xiaofeng said all this.
Demon Lord Xuari fell silent, wanting to say something but unable to voice it.
"Eldest Prince," Jing Tao called softly.
Demon Lord Xuari sighed and turned away. "Let's go."
Since this Miss Feng was a human cultivator's spirit beast, it was impossible for her to return to the Southern Sea with him.
Before breaking open the Immortal Palace, the three parties first established a contract.
First, all three parties guaranteed they would not take action against each other. Only by pooling their wisdom and efforts could they unleash their greatest potential. Second, no matter what dangers or treasures were in the Immortal Palace, they would be divided equally.
Then, Mo Tiange, Qin Xi, and Fairy Fengqing made vows, while both Xuari and Xuanyue's sides established contracts. Only afterward did they begin working on breaking the Immortal Palace's restrictions.
Elders Jing Tao and Jing Hu temporarily set aside their enmity, both saying, "Human expertise in formations far surpasses that of demons. We'll have to rely on the three Fellow Daoists."
The three naturally agreed. They also knew that formations and restrictions were humanity's specialty, something demon cultivators couldn't hope to match. If they relied on demon cultivators to break the Immortal Palace, they'd exhaust their lifespans waiting.
"Fellow Daoist Fengqing, how much do you know about formations?" Mo Tiange asked.
Fairy Fengqing's face was pale. In this short day or two, she had experienced confusion, life-and-death situations, and the extinguishing of hope. Now she was listless. "I don't know much about this path, but I have an item for breaking restrictions in my possession."
"What is it?"
Fairy Fengqing extended her hand. A red lotus slowly materialized in her palm. "This is it."