His right hand gripping the saber, unable to harm his own right arm, there were no wounds on his right arm.
"Miss Bai, have you discovered something?" Jing Feng asked, looking at Bai Ran.
Bai Ran nodded slightly, reaching out to touch the shackles on Long Yu's wrist. As her fingertips made contact, a powerful surge of impact flooded her mind.
Her eyes widened, and she quickly withdrew her hand. The mental impact gradually subsided.
A spiritual attack? So, the shackles weren't meant to restrain people?
Bai Ran rested her chin on her hand, pondering. A divine artifact, perhaps one focused on mental offense.
The shackles contained immense spiritual power, capable of attacking the mind upon contact with the skin.
Could it be... Bai Ran slowly stood up, her expression complex. "Long Yu might never have betrayed the Demon Realm."
What! Jing Feng was shocked and quickly pressed, "Why? Miss Bai, have you sensed something?"
Bai Ran looked at Jing Feng. "Try touching the shackles. If you feel unwell, release it immediately."
Hearing this, Jing Feng complied, cautiously extending his hand.
In an instant, Jing Feng's face turned pale, his brows furrowed, and he hastily withdrew his hand.
"!" He clutched his head, his expression one of extreme pain. "My head feels like it's going to explode!"
Bai Ran gently tapped Jing Feng's forehead, sending wisps of cool spiritual energy into his mind, which made him feel much better.
"What exactly is this...?" He looked at Long Yu in disbelief. Could it be that the former Demon Lord had been enduring this torment all along?
Long Jin Han's expression also turned serious, a cold glint in his dark eyes. "These shackles contain vast spiritual power; they are a divine artifact for controlling the Sea of Consciousness."
Everything now made sense. Bai Ran pursed her lips and began to explain, "Long Yu's sudden disappearance means he was imprisoned in the Divine Realm."
"His strength was formidable, which aroused the covetousness of the Divine Realm. They placed these shackles on him to control his Sea of Consciousness."
While his Sea of Consciousness was controlled, his memories were not altered. This is why Long Yu could still recognize Jing Feng and the others, but his body refused to obey his will.
Furthermore, the process of spiritual invasion into the Sea of Consciousness was excruciating. When Long Yu still had consciousness, he would use a small knife to cut his own skin, forcing himself to remain lucid.
Year after year, the wounds on his body increased, leading to the numerous scars he bore today.
Bai Ran rested her chin on her hand, contemplating. Earlier, she had used a spiritual attack on Long Yu for self-defense.
Perhaps the sudden stimulus had interfered with the spiritual energy within the shackles, causing Long Yu to regain consciousness.
As Bai Ran finished speaking, Jing Feng gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his temples. "Damn the Divine Realm—!"
With the truth revealed, Jing Feng's rage was ignited.
They, the proud and unyielding rulers of the demon race, were treated like dogs, imprisoned and controlled. The Divine Realm was truly too arrogant!
Long Jin Han looked at the unconscious Long Yu, his gaze also containing suppressed, terrifying killing intent.
His biological father, who had been missing for hundreds of years, had not abandoned them after all.
He had simply been unable to control himself, manipulated like a puppet, and forced to commit irreparable mistakes.
"Take him back to the Demon Realm. Find a way to destroy these shackles before he wakes up."
Jing Feng nodded, while Bai Ran walked towards Lin Ze and the others.
"How is your injury?" she asked softly, crouching down to inquire about Bai Hu Lin Ze's condition.
Bai Hu sat to the side, sighed, and then slowly shook his head. "I cannot treat it."
Jiang Ye's head snapped up, his face filled with panic. "Why can't you treat it!"
Could it be... he was too severely injured to be treated?
Jiang Ye's heart sank to the bottom, his face contorted in unbearable pain.
"Thud—" A sudden fist sent Jiang Ye's thoughts crashing back.
"Why did you hit me..." he looked at Xiao Zi next to him. Xiao Zi pointed wordlessly towards Lin Ze.
Jiang Ye blinked in confusion and followed his gaze. He saw Lin Ze sitting up as if nothing had happened, stretching his shoulders.
The gaping wound on his abdomen had already healed, leaving not even a scar.
Bai Hu explained helplessly, "It's not that the injury is too severe to treat, but rather that the demon race has an incredibly strong self-healing ability. It healed before I could even begin to treat it."
Jiang Ye's face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot. "I thought he was going to die..."
Lin Ze slowly stood up, dusting himself off. "Fortunately, I'm a demon. Otherwise, with such a serious injury, I might not have survived."
Xiao Zi raised an eyebrow, a smile curving his lips. "Since you're awake, let's finish repairing the barrier before we go back."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ze slowly sat back down and held his abdomen. "Bai Hu, my wound still hurts a little..."
Bai Hu: "..."
"Stop pretending. Hurry up and go repair the barrier!"
Xiao Zi picked up Lin Ze, who was feigning illness, and headed towards the barrier. Lin Ze pouted, sighing helplessly.
...
After repairing the barrier, the group returned. As they approached the palace, they found a large crowd of demon race citizens completely surrounding it.
"What has happened? Are we going to war?"
"Can you tell us the current situation? Why was the protective barrier broken?"
"Guard, please show some leniency! Let us see the Demon Emperor!"
The guards at the palace entrance were frantically trying to placate the citizens and maintain order.
Bai Ran glanced at Xiao Zi, who immediately understood. He swallowed a disguise pill and changed his appearance.
Lin Ze steadied himself and slowly stepped forward. Someone shouted, "The Demon Emperor is there!"
This instantly drew everyone's attention, and they swarmed towards Lin Ze.
While everyone was focused on Lin Ze, Bai Ran and the others quietly entered the palace.
Jing Feng carried the unconscious Long Yu on his back, all the way into a room and gently placed him on the bed.
Long Yu's hands and feet were all bound by shackles. The shackles were circular, heavy, and could not be touched easily.
Bai Ran's brow furrowed. "Such immense spiritual power... who injected it?"
Another question lingered: who brought Long Yu to the Divine Realm? Who possessed such power to defeat Long Yu and abduct him?
A flash of inspiration crossed Bai Ran's mind. Could it be that the Divine Emperor had an even more powerful subordinate hidden, one who had never revealed themselves?
Jing Feng looked at the unconscious Long Yu, his face filled with melancholy. "This thing can't even be touched. How can it be destroyed?"
Bai Ran lowered her gaze and approached the bed, reaching out again to touch the shackles. A powerful jolt and searing pain exploded in her mind.
If one's spiritual power were weaker, even a light touch would likely result in idiocy, leaving them dazed and like a madman.
Bai Ran gritted her teeth. The longer she touched it, the more intense the stabbing pain in her mind became. It was no wonder that the powerful Long Yu couldn't control himself and resorted to self-harm.
She slowly released her hand. It was likely that only someone with even stronger spiritual power could destroy this divine artifact.