Chapter 311: Eight Hells Colluding!
In the Demon Continent, at the entrance to the Endless Netherworld, the Lion Duke chose only himself, Feng You, and the War Princess to set off.
"Hide around here and wait for orders," the Lion Duke commanded the rest of the devils.
"Yes." The devils dispersed and concealed themselves, all too aware of the grim news they had to report to the Inscription Cultivators.
The Inscription Cultivators were annihilated, and the devils had suffered minor losses. How could the other side not be suspicious?
So they couldn't leave just yet.
Shortly after, the trio led by the Lion Duke passed through the passage, leaping from the icy pool, returning to the Endless Netherworld.
The sky was black, streaked with blood, and heavy with the scent of blood, lending it a chilling, eerie atmosphere.
"We're finally back."
The familiar sensation stirred something in the War Princess's heart.
How could one not feel overwhelmed, returning with unparalleled talents of the Fate Ocean Realm, to a place of past sorrows?
"Little miss." From the shadows, a group of devils emerged, with a slightly emaciated man gently calling out. His eyes were like black vortexes, soul-stealing and mesmerizing, quite different from the 'robust' appearance of other devils.
"Second Uncle," the War Princess greeted without much expression.
"Good to have you back." Second Uncle scrutinized her, his pupils contracting slightly, a storm brewing deep in his gaze. He sighed softly, "Fate Ocean Realm... The Nine-Tiered Bloodline, truly as legendary as they say."
"Brother, let's talk about something else" the Lion Duke signaled with his eyes, hinting at more pressing matters.
They emerged to find Qingzan and her group of Inscription Cultivators watching the War Princess with cold expressions.
"Where are the Inscription Cultivators?" Second Uncle wondered, glancing at the icy pool.
Qingzan's gaze shifted from the War Princess to the Lion Duke.
"Something happened." The Lion Duke sighed.
At these words, whether it was the group of devils or the Inscription Cultivators, their expressions turned icy cold.
"Speak!" Second Uncle commanded.
The Lion Duke then began recounting the incident surrounding the ambush of Ling Chen.
"After barging into the cave, we indeed saw with our own eyes Ling Chen hurriedly trying to control the Calamity Seal Sword," the Lion Duke concluded, turning his gaze to Qingzan.
Qingzan's dark green eyes swirled with icy light.
"Madame, the folks from your family sure have wild ambitions," an elder bitterly remarked. The tragedy that befell Fu Longxiang had shattered the hearts of the Inscription Cultivators' upper echelons. Now, they brimmed with endless rage and hatred.
"Shut up," Qingzan said to the elder. Then, she stared coldly at the Lion Duke. "Since the Lion Duke saw it with his own eyes, then the real culprit must be Ling Chen."
"Yes!"
"Then, may I ask the Lion Duke, what about the other Inscription Cultivators who witnessed it with you? What about Gongyang Sheng?" Qingzan pressed.
This fold world was a peculiar place, akin to a sealed sewer. Sending people in meant those outside were in the dark, who knew what really happened in that sewer?
"Unfortunately, some accidents occurred during our attempt to besiege Ling Chen and the Ku Family Sword Cultivators."
The Lion Duke spoke heavily, starting from Ling Chen's escape to their killing of Qingzan's sister, Ku Qinglian, and the extermination of all the Sword Cultivators, and finally to Moon Fairy and the 70 million-strong demon army surrounding them.
"That fox demon is at least in the Fate Ocean Realm. He's even comparable to an Overseer! His demon army fought fearlessly, posing a great threat to our alliance. I had to protect these two kids and fight our way out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. As for the other Inscription Cultivators and devils, I waited for a long time with no sign of them, I fear they might have been killed by that fox demon." The Lion Duke's eyes were red, his acting quite impressive.
"Everyone's dead?" Second Uncle and the other devils exchanged looks, deeply furrowing their brows.
The loss of 60 Fate Ocean Realm combatants was a fatal blow to them. A gap in the ranks of the strong!
"How could that fold world harbor such a high-level fox demon?"
"What kind of heaven-defying bloodline is this?"
The expressions of everyone present, human and devil alike, were grave and cold, feeling like the monsters of the Nine Hells were multiplying. Little did they know that with the death of Ling Chen, the remaining monsters were all Yun Xiao.
"This matter is serious, we must report to the lord immediately." Second Uncle looked at the Lion Duke, speaking solemnly, "Take the little miss and Feng You back to the palace."
"Hold on!" Qingzan suddenly called out coldly.
Everyone turned to see this frost-like swordswoman emanating extreme cold. She stared intently at the Lion Duke, "You and the War Princess have been the only ones talking from the beginning. The Calamity Seal Purgatory suffered losses for nothing, and even the whereabouts of the Calamity Seal Sword are unknown, and you just want to leave?"
"Losses for nothing? Our losses are even greater! Besides, the Calamity Seal Sword is in Ling Chen's hands, and he might have already returned to the Sword Ruins. Why don't you go ask him for it?" The War Princess retorted angrily.
"Madame Qingzan." Second Uncle shook his head, "We have been in good relations with the Calamity Seal Purgatory for generations. There's no need for you to imagine that we are plotting against you. I know it's hard for you to accept the betrayal of a family member... Why don't you confront them in the Sword Ruins, and find out the truth?"
"If you don't believe it, you can continue to send people in for investigation. We're not stopping you," the War Princess said discontentedly.
"Madame..." another elderly Inscription Cultivator whispered into her ear, "What's done is done. With slim chances of good outcomes, we should take preemptive action. After all, there are only a few factions on this land. If we eliminate the two Exiled Sword Immortals, at least we won't make a mistake."
He meant that, in such a situation, squabbling with the devils was pointless.
Hearing this, Qingzan suppressed her raging fury and said to Second Uncle, "What you've just said is true. I sincerely hope we remain close allies. But if one day we find ourselves deceived, when all bridges are burned, someone will suffer."
"Suffer my foot..." the War Princess muttered.
"Adults are talking, kids shouldn't interrupt. That's basic manners," Qingzan shot her a look.
"Respecting the elderly and cherishing the young, that's what true manners are," the War Princess retorted.
"Let's say less," the Lion Duke pulled her behind him, then turned to Qingzan, "Madame, may we leave now?"
"The Lion Duke has a sense of humor. This is the devil's territory, how could I stop the prodigious princess with the awakened Nine-Tiered Bloodline from leaving?" Qingzan said somberly.
"It's good that you understand. With the way you've been acting, others might think you own the place," the War Princess quipped.
Hearing this, Qingzan's face grew even colder, but this time, she remained silent.
Just then, an Inscription Cultivator came over with a message. He whispered a few words in Qingzan's ear. Her icy demeanor thawed slightly, and she let out a cold laugh.
Second Uncle also seemed to have received the same information. Frowning, he said to Qingzan, "You actually spread the news of the Heavenly Land throughout the Nine Hells?"
Qingzan shook her head. "Your exploration of Heavenly Land till now has yielded nothing, showing that this so-called Heavenly Land is but a fanciful and impractical illusion... Compared to the Heavenly Land, what the other eight hells really want to know now is the whereabouts of the two Exiled Sword Immortals!"
"So, you easily break the promise of silence?" Second Uncle shook his head.
"Things have changed. To rid the Nine Hells of a scourge, we Inscription Cultivators act with great historical righteousness. Abandoning the elusive dreams of the Heavenly Land, we focus on the practical task of eradicating the Exiled Sword Immortals. Snuffing out these two locusts in their infancy to restore peace and clarity to the Nine Hells, is there a problem with that?" Qingzan challenged.
"If this entrance was in your Calamity Seal Purgatory, you wouldn't be saying this," Second Uncle said darkly.
"You underestimate the spirit of self-sacrifice of us Inscription Cultivators," Qingzan replied with a smile.
"Your son was tortured like that, and you still manage to laugh?" the War Princess asked curiously, seizing the moment as Qingzan smirked.
It was as if Qingzan, in her moment of pride, was suddenly slapped across the face.
Her smile froze, then slowly faded, as she said coldly, "The joint ambush on the Exiled Sword Immortals is now a consensus among the eight hells, and your lord has agreed too. Currently, the eight hells are deploying a large number of powerful fighters to blockade the two entrances, waiting for the locusts to emerge. Once these two locusts are dead, you can continue exploring the Heavenly Land, and I believe no one will have any objections, right?"
At this, the devils fell silent. The Lion Duke and the Second Uncle exchanged glances.
The War Princess wanted to speak, but the Lion Duke held her back. They all knew that once the two Exiled Sword Immortals were dead, the War Princess's presence would also evoke envy.
Whether she would be targeted then depended on the mood of the other seven hells.
"Has the Nine Hells descended to the point where whoever produces a genius will die?" Second Uncle thought with a reluctant smile.
Qingzan's words sounded pleasant, but they were actually a severe warning.
"The eight hells' ambushers will soon be in position. At the Eternal Sword Prison, they will force their way in, and here in the Endless Netherworld, I trust you'll all welcome them with open arms?" After saying this, Qingzan intended to sneer again, but remembering the War Princess, she refrained, feeling even colder inside.
"The War Princess is truly beautiful. I wonder which young talent from which family will be fortunate enough to cultivate the path of heaven with such a beauty?" Qingzan suddenly said. Her choice of words was deliberate, as if she were provoking the Endless Netherworld.
"Feng You is the little miss' betrothed. In a few days, when she comes of age, they will have their wedding," Second Uncle said casually.
"Oh? Congratulations," Qingzan calculated the days, "So that's not far off. No wonder you're in a hurry to return. Is it to prepare for the wedding?"
"Heh," the War Princess now wanted to smash this woman's mouth.
"Did you hear that? Train hard, I want to tear her mouth apart!" she inwardly spoke to someone in her heart. Yet, she couldn't help but worry. With the powerful fighters from the eight hells coming to block the way, could he survive and return to the Sword Ruins?
Afterwards, Qingzan went to welcome the guests from the eight hells.
Despite the ambush, the Lion Duke didn't hurry to leave but instead had a secret conversation with Second Uncle in a corner.
"Brother, actually, our people didn't die," the Lion Duke began, stunning Second Uncle. He was still bleeding inside over their supposed deaths!
"They didn't die? And you said they did? Are you out of your mind?" Second Uncle frowned.
"No, I had thought this through. Just listen," the Lion Duke explained Moon Fairy's request and concluded, "I saw it with my own eyes, that fox is truly abnormal. If I hadn't agreed, at least half of our brothers would have died."
"Is it true that Exile Ling snatched the Calamity Seal Sword and killed Fu Longxiang?" the Second Uncle asked.
"That's absolutely true. Our niece saw it with her own eyes. The Calamity Seal Sword was indeed in Ling Chen's hands, no doubt about it," the Lion Duke affirmed.
Second Uncle fell silent for a moment.
"What do you think about this fox? It's a demon. Once it enters the Primeval Demon Hell, it will increase their strength. We and the demons are neighbors; there's no direct conflict, but having too strong a neighbor isn't good," Second Uncle said gravely.
"I think we should befriend it and send it to the Primeval Demon Hell," the Lion Duke stated firmly.
"Explain your reasoning," Second Uncle demanded.
"Brother, you saw Qingzan's attitude. They despise any out-of-the-ordinary genius, especially after the crippling of Fu Longxiang. Now they can't stand anyone's success. Once the two Exiled Sword Immortals are eliminated, our niece will become the next target!" the Lion Duke explained.
"Hmm" the Second Uncle turned his head.
"Besides, the Calamity Seal Purgatory's real allies among the devils aren't us. I used to suspect it, but now I'm certain they even plotted against our niece," the Lion Duke said with a cold face.
"So, when you made the deal with the fox, you took into account the nature of the other hells? Now, you're planning to send that demon genius to the Primeval Demon Hell to take some heat off our side?" Second Uncle raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly." The Lion Duke nodded.
"If that's the case, we can join forces with the Primeval Demon Hell. That way, others will be hesitant to act. After all, the little miss and that fox aren't at a level that terrifies them yet, so there's still room..." Second Uncle's eyes slowly ignited with fervor.
"Too cautious!" the War Princess, overhearing their conversation, scoffed, "If you ask me, why not just ally with the Sword Ruins? Form a three-hell alliance and take on the other five!"
"Nonsense," Second Uncle retorted.
"I just can't stand these cowards. They don't dare to compete fairly and plot to kill geniuses. What kind of skill is that?" the War Princess finished, spitting in disdain.
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