Chapter 1255: After the Thick Fog The East and the West

Qiao Heng, the elf, was the one speaking now. He had just fought alongside Princess Changning, but when it came to the honor of his race, he couldn't pretend not to hear.

From a distance, Zu An's expression was a mix of emotions. Could "Princess Xue," the one mentioned, be Xue'er?

Qiao Heng's words made the smiles of those who had just been flattering Princess Changning freeze. They secretly regretted their oversight, realizing that if Princess Xue rose to power in the future, they would have offended her. However, in front of Princess Changning, they couldn't speak up, and each of them stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do.

Princess Changning's expression was also displeased. She actually had many things she could retort with, but personally engaging in such a debate would be beneath her dignity. If word got out, it would significantly harm her reputation.

Fortunately, another voice spoke up, coming to her rescue: "Heh, Princess Xue? I heard she used to be a maid for humans. How could someone with such a background become a Crown Princess? Wouldn't that make the entire demon race a laughingstock throughout the world?"

Zu An listened, wide-eyed and stunned. It really was Xue'er.

Qiao Heng's face immediately flushed crimson. "Preposterous! Princess Xue endured hardships in human society for years, eventually succeeding in rescuing many of our people. That is true dedication to the demon race! If someone like that is ridiculed, who would dare to work for the demon race?"

"One thing is one thing, and another is another," Duan Tiande said, suddenly pausing and chuckling. "She successfully saved her people and brought them back to the demon race, and the Demon Emperor rewarded her accordingly, granting her countless resources and even elevating her to princess status. But what we are discussing now is the matter of the Crown Princess. To become the Demon Crown Princess, one must naturally be flawless in every aspect." He continued, "Given that she served as a maid in human society for so many years, to put it bluntly, she might not even be a virgin. How can the Demon Emperor's bloodline tolerate even the slightest blemish?"

Qiao Heng erupted in fury. "How dare you insult Princess Xue! Prepare to die!" Earlier, he had endured a sneak attack in the swamp that nearly killed him, all for the greater good. But this time, he could no longer hold back. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot it directly at Duan Tiande.

Duan Tiande was already prepared and deflected the arrow with a single sword stroke. Just as he was about to retaliate, he was stopped by several others. Jin Shi said, "Everyone, please calm down. This is a critical moment. If we fight among ourselves instead of uniting, we might all die here."

Others also chimed in with words of persuasion, and even Princess Changning spoke up: "This is all my fault for causing such a misunderstanding. I don't want anyone to get hurt. If any of you suffer harm, I don't think I could ever forgive myself. The top priority now is for us to work together to leave this place. Any issues can be resolved later..."

She was quite beautiful and presented a delicate, pitiful demeanor, quickly earning the approval of the others.

From a distance, Yun Jianyue watched with a half-smile. "This woman is quite cunning, Xiao Anzi. Don't let her beauty cloud your judgment."

Yan Xuehen frowned. Having cultivated the Grand Pure Dao of Forgetting Emotions, she was sensitive to such things and instinctively disliked Princess Changning, though her nature made it difficult for her to show it.

Yu Yanluo, on the other hand, smiled, confident in her own judgment.

As expected, Zu An chuckled. "I can certainly distinguish such manipulative tactics."

"Tea-like?" Although it was the first time the women had heard this term, they inexplicably felt it was fitting.

At this moment, Qiao Heng, on the other side, put away his bow and arrow. "Once we leave this place, I'll settle the score with you!"

Duan Tiande, holding his sword, sneered, "As if I'm afraid of you."

At that moment, Xiong Da and Xiong Er stepped forward to mediate. They each placed a fan-sized hand on the shoulders of the two men. "Alright, alright, it's rare for our various tribes to cooperate. I refuse to believe we can't break this broken formation. Let's gather the primeval stones first."

"It's a shame that Hu Xin isn't here; he's the richest," Xiong Er grumbled, painfully pulling out a small bag of primeval stones.

Shi Ling's expression was a little sour. "That fellow probably avoided me on purpose, afraid to run into me."

Just as dark elves and elves are ancient enemies, the lion and tiger tribes are no different; they almost always clash whenever they meet.

Hu Xin, the youngest son of Tiger King Hu Qianxiao, had always been hailed as a cultivation genius. He and Shi Ling were similar in age, so people often compared them.

This time, Shi Ling had been eager to make a name for himself by defeating Hu Xin, but who would have thought the other party would avoid him?

Jin Shi, standing nearby, chuckled. "To my knowledge, he was originally planning to come, but he had an urgent matter and went to Qingqiu Nation."

"Oh, he went to see his 'little mother'."

"Wonder if he went to nurse."

Many people burst into laughter, as it was clear that in the minds of many among the demon race, Tu Shan Yu was considered Hu Qianxiao's mistress.

"I've long heard that Tu Shan Yu, the Lord of Qingqiu Nation, is a peerless beauty. I must go and see her once we get out of here."

"Do you really think a nation's ruler would grant you an audience?"

"I can sneak into the palace, can't I? If Hu Qianxiao can touch her, why can't I?"

Yan Xuehen, on the other side, wore a frosty expression. "These guys' foul language is truly disgusting."

Yun Jianyue sneered, "Don't worry, this place is so dangerous, few of these people will likely make it out alive."

Zu An's face was impassive. Just as he was about to teach those few individuals a lesson, a series of screams suddenly echoed.

Several grey-green figures flashed past. The very individuals who had just been laughing the most unrestrainedly and loudly were seized one by one. Despite their not-low cultivation levels, they showed no signs of resistance after being caught and quickly vanished into the thick fog. Immediately after, several shrill screams followed, and then silence returned.

"What exactly were those things?" Xiong Da and Xiong Er scratched their heads.

"I couldn't get a clear look; their features seemed very blurry." Jin Shi's face was grim; the incident had happened too suddenly for anyone to react.

Zu An and the others also frowned. They were some distance away and further hampered by the thick fog, making it even harder to see clearly.

"Let's get out of here first," someone suggested. The recent attack prompted many to agree.

"Rushing into the thick fog now would make us more vulnerable to ambush," Princess Suo Lun said, looking at the chubby man beside her. "Do you have enough primeval stones now?"

Before he could answer, others who had initially been reluctant generously contributed, and soon a large pile of primeval stones was amassed in front of the chubby man.

"Enough, more than enough," the chubby man said, wiping sweat from his forehead. He then took out forty-nine banners from his pouch, symbolizing the cosmic principles of the universe.

The others had initially contributed primeval stones only out of respect for Princess Suo Lun of the demon race, having no faith that the chubby man had a solution. However, seeing this, they grew solemn, realizing he did possess some skill.

Seeing the banners, which looked familiar but were smaller in scale, Zu An couldn't help but chuckle. "So it's that charlatan."

Yu Yanluo frowned. "That chubby fortune-teller? He's disguised and acting suspiciously; he clearly has ill intentions."

"He's wearing a disguise mask. This guy brought so many people here, and now he's setting up a formation. He's not trying to refine them, is he?" Yun Jianyue, coming from the Demonic Sect, naturally thought of the worst possibility first.

Yan Xuehen shook her head. "Probably not. There's no bloody murderous aura on these banners."

Despite saying this, she kept her eyes fixed on his actions, ensuring he wouldn't set up some horrifying killing formation.

The chubby man quickly drew various complex formation patterns on the ground. Then, with a wave of his hand, the forty-nine banners instantly vanished into the thick fog in all directions. Next, he pressed all the primeval stones into the formation's focal points on the ground, and the previously drawn patterns gradually lit up. Suddenly, golden lights appeared within the thick fog—the glow from the forty-nine banners!

At the same time, the surrounding thick fog dispersed at a visible rate. Immediately after, everyone finally saw what had been lurking within, ambushing them.