He gazed into Zhong Yichuan's eyes, his gaze filled with gloom and scrutiny, as if trying to discern whether the man before him was lying.
Zhong Yichuan met Mo Ze's gaze directly, neither subservient nor arrogant.
In his eyes, a terrifying hatred and immense resentment churned, as if he had unfinished business and an unavenged great wrong.
Mo Ze lowered his eyes, extending his well-defined hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.
A person's hatred could not be faked with such realism, and on top of that, Mo Ze had sent people to investigate Zhong Yichuan's background.
They discovered that he did indeed have a mother who had died long ago, murdered deliberately...
After a long pause, Mo Ze finally relented. After all, Zhong Yichuan was the only one who understood the Demon Realm so well.
He couldn't bear to kill Zhong Yichuan and ultimately chose to let him go.
"Very well, I will trust you this once, but what I detest most is for lowly individuals to possess their own means and thoughts. Do you understand?"
Zhong Yichuan bowed, his demeanor as calm as if he hadn't been on the brink of death moments before.
"This subordinate will not fail your trust, Your Highness." He bowed and calmly walked out of the palace.
Mo Ze narrowed his eyes, looking at the retreating figure with a complex expression that was difficult to fathom.
...
"How much longer until we reach the Demon Realm?" Bai Ran looked at Xiao Zi.
Even though Suzaku had slowed its speed and Xiao Zi's tail covered her, the cold wind still chilled her limbs.
Xiao Zi looked at the surrounding scenery, tightening the tail covering the little ghost.
"Little ghost, if you're not in a hurry to reach the Demon Realm, why not head to the Beast Realm first?"
Her body was not suited to prolonged exposure to cold winds, and there was still some distance to the Demon Realm. This place was quite close to the Beast Realm.
"The Beast Realm?" Suzaku's voice, tinged with laughter, sounded as it glanced teasingly at Xiao Zi.
"You fox spirit, you are supposed to be a dead person. Are you sure you want to return to the Beast Realm so ostentatiously?"
Xiao Zi was startled. If Suzaku hadn't reminded him, he would have forgotten about that.
As the former Demon Emperor, he was supposed to have contracted an incurable disease and already entered his tomb.
If he used a teleportation array to move directly into the Beast Realm palace, his aura would be exposed instantly.
He could only rely on Suzaku to carry them there... It was truly troublesome...
Her body felt cold, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Bai Ran frowned. Could she have caught a fever?
Zhong Zi noticed Bai Ran's pale face. "Your Majesty? Are you feeling unwell?"
She nodded slightly, placing the back of her hand on her forehead to test it. "Something is wrong."
Xiao Zi panicked. How could he have forgotten?
The Nine Heavens were rich in spiritual energy. If someone without spiritual energy arrived here, they would be squeezed to death by the spiritual energy in a short amount of time!
This was truly a twist of fate. "Quick! Head to the Beast Realm first!"
Xiao Zi's brow furrowed, his expression becoming solemn. He could only hope that Lin Ze was at the Beast Realm...
If so, they could still use the secret medicine in the palace...
Suzaku nodded and increased its speed towards the Beast Realm. But at that moment, a spiritual energy attack with killing intent shot directly at Bai Ran.
Zhong Zi's face darkened as if it could drip ink. He raised his large hand, and the spiritual energy attack instantly dissipated.
Looking back, several men who appeared to be from the God Realm were in hot pursuit, seemingly recognizing them.
"Quick! Catch up to the people ahead! The woman in the portrait is up ahead!"
"That! Is that? The former Demon Emperor! Isn't he dead???"
Xiao Zi gritted his teeth. These Heavenly Soldiers from the God Realm recognized him, so they couldn't be left alive...
But before he could make a move, Zhong Zi slowly stood up, his face displeased. "Take good care of Your Majesty. I'll be back soon."
Xiao Zi turned and saw Bai Ran's face growing paler. They had to hurry to the Beast Realm...
Zhong Zi moved quickly, as his strength was among the top in the entire Nine Heavens.
Unless he encountered a general or a guardian-level figure, it was impossible to stop him.
Knowing that Zhong Zi could find his way, Suzaku flew towards the Beast Realm at full speed.
Half an hour later, the group arrived above the territory of the Beast Realm.
By now, Bai Ran's mind was already hazy, and her entire body was in severe pain.
But fortunately, her tenacious will kept her from collapsing. She raised her hand and collected Xiao Zi into the Shitian Realm.
"Little chick! Attack the barrier above the Beast Realm!"
Although the Beast Realm had no guards, it was protected by a clan barrier. If the barrier received an attack, the Demon Emperor's Ring would issue a warning immediately.
The Demon Emperor's Ring was in Lin Ze's hand, so he would definitely sense Bai Ran's aura.
In her desperation, Suzaku, ignoring the insult of being called a "little chick," unleashed a stream of Vermilion Bird divine fire, which shot directly towards the barrier.
"Rumble—"
The barrier, which had seemed non-existent, vibrated a few times after Suzaku's attack, revealing a large ancient rune.
At the same time, the entire Beast Realm immediately felt an unusual spiritual energy fluctuation.
The Demon Emperor's Ring also erupted with a strong crimson light at this moment.
It seemed to be issuing a warning: someone was invading the Beast Realm and launching a powerful assault on the barrier.
Lin Ze was startled, his seated body abruptly standing up. He hurried to the courtyard and looked up at the sky.
It's her!
Lin Ze raised his hand and lowered the barrier above the Beast Realm, allowing Suzaku and the others to enter smoothly.
"Guards! Escort the person on the divine beast inside with the utmost respect!"
An hour later, Dong Ling supported the weakened Bai Ran as she stepped into the palace.
"Bai Ran! What happened to you? How did you become like this?"
Suzaku frowned and gave Lin Ze a look, signaling him to dismiss the surrounding guards.
Lin Ze immediately understood. "You may withdraw. Unless the Demon Emperor commands, no one is to enter."
"Yes—"
After all the guards in the palace had withdrawn, Bai Ran gritted her teeth and released Xiao Zi.
"Quick! Bring the secret medicine from the palace! This little ghost has lost all his spiritual energy!"
As soon as Xiao Zi appeared, he looked at Lin Ze urgently.
Suzaku and Zhong Zi helped Bai Ran to a chair to rest.
"Secret medicine! Do you mean the treasure in the garden?"
Xiao Zi nodded. When he created that garden, he had hidden the only Emperor-grade Three-Striped Xuanbird Pill in the Beast Realm within it.
With the Beast Realm soldiers guarding it layer by layer, no one could approach, and the treasure remained undiscovered.
The Three-Striped Xuanbird Pill could heal spiritual energy loss or damage to the dantian caused by unruly spiritual energy. It was perfect for the current Xiao Zi.
Lin Ze nodded. "I will instruct the guards not to enter this room."
With that, he immediately left and went to the magnificent courtyard with the garden.