Ahead of Schedule Once More

Demon King Yu was as imposing as ever. There was hardly any spiritual fluctuation around him, yet he radiated immense authority. In a place like this, one could not resort to investigative techniques. Even so, facing Demon King Yu, Qin Sang felt a faint, elusive pressure, and a sense of vigilance arose within him. Demon King Yu was rumored to be in the mid Transformation stage, and in the past, he had been slightly weaker than the Red-Haired Ancestor and Daoist Zhenyi. After so many years, Demon King Yu had rarely made a move, and no one could say for certain what his current strength was. The heritage left behind by successive generations of Demon Kings Yu constituted a staggering fortune. His true might was surely far from as simple as it appeared on the surface. Facing an overlord of an entire domain, Qin Sang did not dare show the slightest disrespect. "Greetings, King Yu." Red Tail Demon King stepped forward, cupping his hands in salute, and Qin Sang followed suit. "Fellow Daoists, please be seated." Demon King Yu gestured with a raised hand. His gaze settled upon Qin Sang, and with a smile, he asked, "This fellow Daoist looks quite unfamiliar. You must be Fellow Daoist Mingyue, whom Lihong mentioned?" "My Daoist name is Mingyue. I hope King Yu and all fellow Daoists will offer me much guidance in the future," Qin Sang said, nodding. He swept a cupped-hand bow around the room, acknowledging the other demon kings. The instant he entered, Qin Sang had felt probing and scrutinizing gazes fall upon him, but fortunately, he sensed no overt hostility. Evidently, Yunyouzi had maintained decent relations in the past. Those qualified to sit here were all great demons of the Transformation stage, and they cupped their hands in return. However, these great demons were not entirely in human form. Some were like Red Tail Demon King, retaining their proudest animal feature. Others, despite having reached the Transformation stage, could not meet the requirements for full transformation due to their bloodlines, and thus remained in beast form. In short, these demon kings displayed all manner of peculiar and grotesque appearances. Qin Sang had made detailed inquiries with Red Tail Demon King beforehand, so he was able to recognize most of their identities. Qianji Demon King was not present here. However, Qin Sang noticed a serpent demon, half-human and half-snake, sitting just below Demon King Yu. This demon's title was simple: Snake King. That alone spoke volumes. Snake King was second only to Demon King Yu in both prestige and strength, and he had recently broken through to the mid Transformation stage. Yet rumor had it that Snake King possessed an extremely smooth and tactful disposition, never openly opposing Demon King Yu. Furthermore, Snake King had another identity: father-in-law to Qianji Demon King. Qin Sang sat down beside Red Tail Demon King. His gaze inadvertently met Snake King's, only to see Snake King smile and nod at him, seemingly unaware that he was looking at the thief who had broken into his son-in-law's cave dwelling. Once they were seated, Demon King Yu gave a slight nod and said, "Nearly all the fellow Daoists attending this discussion have arrived. Let us get straight to business." The demon kings' expressions turned solemn. Demon King Yu paused briefly, then spoke plainly. "I have summoned everyone today primarily for a few matters. The first is the one you care about most—Ziwei Palace. Because the timing of Ziwei Palace's emergence has shown consecutive anomalies, we and the human race have been closely monitoring the changes deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield over these past years. Not long ago, we indeed discovered an anomaly." "What anomaly? There isn't a spirit tide in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield yet, is there?" A burly, broad-shouldered man asked impatiently in a booming, muffled voice. He styled himself Demon King Heifeng, a transformed black bear demon. His head and face were covered in short, coarse black fur, making him still look very much like a bear. Not offended by the interruption, Demon King Yu explained, "Although there is no spirit tide in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield yet, a human Nascent Soul cultivator and I recently made a trip in person, only to discover that the immortal formations of Ziwei Palace have begun displaying abnormal fluctuations." The demon kings instantly understood what he meant. Fluctuations in the immortal formations were likewise an omen of Ziwei Palace's emergence. Red Tail Demon King chimed in, "The intervals between the appearances of Ziwei Palace have grown shorter each time. Last time, it was barely over a century. Could it be even shorter this time, emerging within the next few years?" "I am sure all of you share the same premonition as Fellow Daoist Red Tail. However, it likely will not be quite that fast..." Demon King Yu shook his head. "After all, there is not the slightest sign of a spirit tide, so we still have to wait a while. Even so, it will definitely be ahead of schedule once more. I estimate that no matter how long the interval is this time, it will certainly not exceed a hundred years, and in all probability, it will be even shorter." Hearing this, the demon kings exchanged glances. A female demon sighed with emotion. "If it is even shorter, will it be fifty years, or seventy? It has been about forty years since the last emergence. Counting the time, not many years remain." "If this continues, Ziwei Palace will emerge with ever greater frequency. Could it be that in the future, Ziwei Palace will be completely exposed to the open, allowing us to enter and search for treasures at will?" A demon king spoke with a trace of excitement in his tone. At the thought of such a possibility, not only this demon king, but all of them felt their blood stir. Ziwei Palace was an unquestionable treasure trove, harboring countless secrets originating from antiquity. Over the millennia, countless experts had ventured inside. Yet the time they could spend within was severely limited on every occasion. Many immortal formations and ancient restrictions were not entirely beyond hope of unraveling, but time never permitted them to study them in depth. To this day, the areas they had explored accounted for merely the tip of the iceberg of Ziwei Palace as a whole. Especially the Inner Hall! The Palm Print, the ancient medicinal garden, Tianshan... Every single location was shrouded in profound mystery, captivating the imagination. All indications suggested that Ziwei Palace far exceeded the Nascent Soul realm. Even thoroughly comprehending one or two tenths of it was a luxury beyond the wildest dreams of any demon king present. Qin Sang had been listening quietly the entire time without uttering a single word. He was contemplating another matter. Ziwei Palace connected to the Canglang Sea, and even to the Demon Sea. If Ziwei Palace could indeed be entered and exited freely in the future, then the sole passage between them would be held firmly in his grasp. Anyone could see the immense benefits this harbored. How to monetize these benefits without turning himself into a target for all would require careful deliberation. "Let us not celebrate too early. When things deviate from the norm, it may not necessarily be a good thing. What if this abnormal change is occurring simply because the immortal formations of Ziwei Palace can no longer hold and are teetering on the brink of collapse?" The female demon spoke calmly, pouring cold water over everyone's excitement. "When that time comes, if it is merely the self-destruction of Ziwei Palace, that is fine—at worst, we lose a secret realm for hunting treasures. After all, after so many excursions, the easily obtained treasures have long since been cleaned out. However, Ziwei Palace is intimately intertwined with the spirit tides. If the shockwave impacts the entire Ancient Immortal Battlefield, or even the barrier outside the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, consider what the consequences would be!" Silence fell over the hall. They understood that the possibility of Ziwei Palace self-destructing was by no means nonexistent. The fissure that had appeared in the immortal formations of Ziwei Palace's Inner Hall was clear proof of that. That barrier protected the hundreds of millions of living beings in the Beichen Realm. If the barrier were torn apart, who knew how much pure land would remain in the Beichen Realm? They might be able to migrate secretly to the other three realms, but other living beings would find it exceedingly difficult to survive here. "Heh, Fellow Daoist, isn't that being a bit alarmist? If the barrier were so easily destroyed, it could never have stood here for countless years, remaining completely intact." Red Tail Demon King broke the silence, turning slightly toward Qin Sang. "What does Fellow Daoist Mingyue think?" Qin Sang nodded in agreement. He cautioned himself inwardly not to let his head be turned by excitement. Only by strengthening himself would he possess the power to keep what belonged to him securely within his grasp!