Chapter 1254: Demon Tribe Crown Princess?

"These tails are truly annoying." Yun Jianyue also noticed quite a few people following them, feeling rather displeased. She looked eager, as if contemplating getting rid of some to shake them off.

Zuan found it amusing. He hadn't expected the few of them to become a literal guiding light.

"Never mind, let them follow. They pose no threat to us. This mist-shrouded forest, however, is far too strange; let's not create any new problems."

Hearing him, Yun Jianyue grunted softly but didn't argue further.

Yan Xuehen was somewhat surprised. This demoness, who usually acted on impulse, was actually listening to someone else's words?

However, she had no time to be distracted. She was busy observing her surroundings and calculating the relevant formations.

The others seemed afraid to disturb her, keeping their mouths shut. The group walked silently through the mist, like a long, single-file serpent formation.

This oppressive atmosphere, combined with the unknown monsters lurking in the dense fog that could disembowel people, filled almost everyone with a mix of fear, irritation, and confusion.

After an unknown duration of walking, Yan Xuehen suddenly stopped. "Hmm?"

"What's wrong?" Zuan asked.

"Something's not right," Yan Xuehen said, her brows slightly furrowed as if something was puzzling her.

The demon race members nearby were startled. Who was this woman? Not only could she recognize this strange grand formation, but even her furrowed brow looked incredibly beautiful?

Just as Zuan was about to ask, his peripheral vision caught a dark shape. "Huh, what's that?"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw a dark, crouching object on the ground not far away. Their hair immediately stood on end. Could it be the monster that had ambushed them from the shadows?

Everyone gripped their weapons tightly, on high alert.

Someone couldn't resist making a move, throwing a hidden weapon at the object.

Another expert nearby grew anxious, thinking, 'If you provoke an unknown creature like this, who knows what kind of retaliation it will bring upon us all?'

However, before the curses could be uttered, they were astonished to find that the hidden weapons had no effect whatsoever on the dark shape.

"Hmm?" Everyone was filled with doubt and suspicion. Was the object deliberately luring them closer?

The others dared not approach, but Zuan, bold due to his skill, walked straight over and finally saw clearly what the dark shape on the ground was.

It was the same lion tribe subordinate whose internal organs had been gouged out earlier!

Seeing that he was unharmed, the others followed suit. Upon seeing the corpse, everyone's expressions turned grim.

"How did we walk for half a day only to end up back where we started!" Lion Spirit grumbled discontentedly.

The others, who had initially admired Yan Xuehen, also couldn't help but complain now. Fortunately, she was beautiful enough that people subconsciously refrained from cursing her, instead severely scolding the chubby man who had initially suggested going southwest.

"How can this be?" Zuan naturally knew that Yan Xuehen had her reasons for heading in this direction; it wasn't possible she was aimlessly leading them in circles.

"The formation here is even more complex than I imagined. The problem must lie with these mists," Yan Xuehen said, frowning as she looked at the surrounding dense fog. "Earlier, I only calculated the forest's formation, but these mists are connected to the earth's ley lines and can even distort space and time, which is why we've been circling like headless flies."

Distort space and time?

Zuan was startled. What a formidable ability!

It meant that while they thought they were moving forward, they might actually be moving backward;

They might think they had walked for a long time, but only a moment had passed;

Or they might think only a moment had passed, but days might have gone by.

"So what now?" Yun Jianyue sneered from the side. "Don't tell me you can't figure this out?"

"If not for these mists, I could naturally unravel it, or if I weren't injured, I should also have a solution, but now..." Yan Xuehen looked troubled. "Let me think a bit more."

Yun Jianyue instinctively wanted to taunt her, but she understood the gravity of the situation and ultimately didn't disturb her at that moment.

The other demon race members argued incessantly, throwing out various suggestions, but these were quickly dismissed by others.

For a while, no one dared to move haphazardly, fearing they would sink deeper.

But staying put wasn't an option either; unknown monsters that disemboweled people were still hiding in the mist.

At this moment, the chubby young man in the crowd showed hesitation, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "How about I give it a try?"

"Try again? Your direction earlier led us into this mess!"

"Yeah, what nerve do you have?"

The group, full of pent-up frustration, found an immediate outlet for their anger.

The chubby man didn't get angry; he just smiled and said, "Anyway, there are no other options right now. We might as well try a long shot."

Many rolled their eyes. 'Why did this guy have to speak so inauspiciously?'

At this point, Princess Solun spoke up. "Let him try."

She was one of the most distinguished individuals among the demon race members present and had always commanded respect. Since she had spoken, the others found it difficult to object and allowed the chubby man to try.

The chubby man rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Well, what I'm about to do will consume a lot of primeval stones. I'm a bit short on funds, so I'll have to trouble everyone."

Princess Solun: "..."

The rest: "..."

Many clenched their fists, ready to hit him, but Princess Solun ultimately stopped them. She threw a pouch into his arms. "Is this enough?"

The chubby man opened the pouch and peeked inside; a rich spiritual energy immediately dispersed. Those around them stretched their necks to look, seeing translucent primeval stones, each quite large, clearly of Heavenly Rank quality.

Primeval stones were also divided into five grades: Mortal, Earth, Heaven, Immortal, and Divine. Unlike Heavenly Rank weapons, Heavenly Rank primeval stones were not as rare; major powers still possessed quite a few. However, Immortal and Divine Rank stones were much harder to come by.

Everyone was full of admiration. As expected of Princess Solun, she produced a pouch full of Heavenly Rank primeval stones with a single gesture.

At this, the chubby man looked distressed. "It's still not enough."

Someone nearby cursed, "You dead fatty, a hundred Heavenly Rank primeval stones aren't enough? How many more do you want?"

Everyone present was an expert; a quick glance had allowed them to roughly estimate the number.

"It's still quite a bit short; this is at most only a tenth of what's needed," the chubby man said, looking wronged.

"I happen to have one hundred and fifty here; take them," Princess Changning said, handing over a delicate pouch from the side.

Hearing that her amount was just a bit more than her own, Princess Solun raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

The others gasped in astonishment. This amount of primeval stones might not be much to large clans like theirs, but with such high quality, it was a considerable fortune for rogue cultivators.

Many quickly offered compliments:

"As expected of Princess Changning of the Peacock Clan, her generosity is truly remarkable."

"Needless to say, I heard that at this Demon Emperor Assembly, the Demon Emperor will choose an outstanding woman from the Peacock Clan to be the Crown Prince's Consort, and Princess Changning is one of the top candidates."

"What do you mean 'one of the top candidates'? Isn't she definitely the future Crown Prince's Consort? Don't you have any sense?"

Hearing their discussions, Princess Changning lifted her chin, like a proud little peacock.

She knew very well that for the position of Crown Prince's Consort, her clan sister Kong Nanwu had far greater chances than her. Whether it was lineage, beauty, or talent, she couldn't compare to her.

But Kong Nanwu seemed to have no interest in being the Crown Prince's Consort and had deliberately avoided it by going to the human world.

This turn of events made her mind become active.

Ever since childhood, she had never been able to surpass Kong Nanwu and was always suppressed by her. She felt quite frustrated and had always wanted to outdo her.

How could she miss this heaven-sent opportunity?

Therefore, she had been frequently appearing in various places during this period, aiming to win people's favor and increase her reputation.

Once she became the Crown Prince's Consort, she would become the Demon Empress in the future, and then Kong Nanwu would have no choice but to respectfully kneel before her.

Her lips curved slightly upward at the thought of that scene.

Kong Nanwu might have won her entire life, but what good would that do if she lost the most crucial battle?

This time, she had heard that Crown Prince Golden Crow was visiting various clans, so she secretly followed him. Her original plan was to orchestrate some "chance encounters" to establish a relationship with him in advance and increase her chances of being chosen. However, she hadn't expected that Crown Prince Golden Crow seemed to have encountered some trouble a few days ago and had hastily returned to the royal court, leaving her efforts in vain.

That damned human!

Anger value from Kong Nanqing: 444,444,444...

From a distance, Zuan was speechless. No wonder she hated him; so, she was a future Crown Prince's Consort.

Thinking of the bet he made with Crown Prince Golden Crow last time, he suddenly felt a bit at a loss.

Although this woman had some charm, she still fell short compared to the confidantes by his side.

*Sigh*, the demon race truly lacked ambition. A dignified Crown Prince's Consort was only considered 'barely satisfactory'.

At this moment, another cold voice from the side rang out: "Who said the Crown Prince's Consort must come from the Peacock Clan? Our Elf Clan's Snow Princess is the most likely candidate for Crown Prince's Consort!"