Chapter 2029: Ten Deaths Without Life

Zu An was momentarily stunned, not understanding and feeling deeply shocked.

How could an ambitious schemer like the Second Prince suddenly possess such high ideals?

The Peacock King offered a wry smile. "Our initial reaction was the same as yours. However, subsequent investigations confirmed it. Ever since the Second Prince led his troops on a 'suicidal' charge into the Sealed Land, the demons have barely managed to escape. It's clear that the Second Prince's proactive attack had a significant effect."

He sighed. "Although the Second Prince made mistakes in the past, he is still a man of integrity and courage, earning the admiration of our generation."

Zu An was somewhat puzzled. "Can humans also enter the Sealed Land?"

He had always believed that the demons were sealed inside, in a place completely unsuitable for human survival. Now, it seemed that might not be the case.

Kong Nanwu gazed at the terrifying rift in the sky, an involuntary shiver running down her spine. "The space inside the Sealed Land is actually very vast. Originally, its scope was not so large; it's the result of gradual expansion over tens of thousands of years. Many areas inside are formations and strongholds left by ancient predecessors who sealed demons. But after ten millennia of back-and-forth struggle, we couldn't hold onto our former positions. The battle lines steadily receded until we eventually withdrew to Ironplain City here."

She paused, her expression exceptionally complex. "Historically, there have actually been many presences similar to Ironplain City within the Sealed Land."

Zu An's expression grew complex. In just a few words, she had seemingly revealed ten millennia of countless battles and bloodshed.

He composed himself and asked in a deep voice, "How did the Little Demon Queen get in there?"

The Peacock King replied, "When we arrived here and learned of the heroic actions of the Second Prince and his soldiers, everyone was stirred up. They all clamored to go and rescue the Second Prince, unwilling to let a hero like him sacrifice himself in vain."

"Though the Little Demon Queen is a woman and has a feud with the Second Prince, she set aside their past grievances at that time and voluntarily offered to lead a team to provide support. The Golden Crow Guards' morale was especially boosted." Kong Nanwu's tone was filled with admiration; clearly, as a woman herself, the Little Demon Queen's actions were particularly inspiring to her.

After all, Zu An had experienced all sorts of major events and challenges; his perspective now was incomparable to before.

He quickly analyzed the Little Demon Queen's mindset at the time. She certainly didn't want to save the Second Prince, but his almost martyr-like behavior was simply too impactful. If she dared to prevent the various tribes from going to rescue him, her prestige would likely suffer an unprecedented blow.

It must be noted that the demon race is different from the human empire. Here, the royal court's control over the various tribes is not as strong, and each tribe retains considerable independence. With the new Demon Emperor being young and them being an orphaned child and widowed mother, they could easily be overthrown.

Of course, the Little Demon Queen couldn't just casually agree to her armies going to rescue him. If the Second Prince were truly rescued, his prestige would become unprecedentedly high.

Coupled with their shared life-and-death experiences, it's possible that the elite Golden Crow Guards and the armies of various tribes would all side with the Second Prince. That would truly be the end.

Therefore, she proactively offered to lead the rescue mission herself, immediately neutralizing these threats in advance.

Regardless of whether he was rescued or not, her image as brave, fearless, and selfless would be firmly established.

The entire demon race would admire and worship her. No matter how excellent the Second Prince was, he would only ever be her subordinate.

Her actions were not problematic; after all, she herself was taking a great risk.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little worried. "Who went into the Sealed Land with the Little Demon Queen?"

"Her Majesty took the masters of the Golden Crow clan, as well as the royal court's most elite Golden Crow Guards," the Peacock King replied. "In addition, the Little Golden Roc King also went, leading masters from various tribes, with the Tiger and Lion clans at the forefront. They are all among the demon race's most outstanding warriors."

"Oh, and Queen Medusa also accompanied the Little Demon Queen, bringing masters from the Serpent clan," the Peacock King added, seemingly aware of their unusual relationship.

This boy is truly flirtatious. However, among the demon race, this is not a flaw; rather, it's a great advantage.

Which demon king isn't surrounded by wives and concubines? Only stronger beings can have more mates and produce more offspring, leading to a more prosperous tribe.

Thinking of this, he looked at Zu An with increasing satisfaction.

Hearing that Yu Yanluo had also entered the Sealed Land, Zu An grew even more worried. "What about the other major powers? For instance, the Demon Race, or the armies of the Scorpion King and the Flying Leopard King?"

He knew that the Great Elf King was guarding the young Demon Emperor in the royal court. However, he hadn't heard any news about the other influential powers.

"Princess Sauron arrived with some of her subordinates. According to her, reinforcements from the Demon Race's Yun, Sauron, Rong, and Wu clans would arrive soon." Kong Nanwu frowned slightly. "But so far, we haven't seen a single soldier from these families."

Zu An was startled. Could it be that the Demon Race had no intention of participating at all, and Princess Sauron was merely used as a pawn?

Or had something happened to the Demon Race?

Kong Nanwu continued, "Also, the Scorpion King and Flying Leopard King should have arrived by now, but so far, we haven't seen any trace of them."

Zu An said coldly, "Are these fellows trying to hoard their troops and assert their own importance?"

The Peacock King fell silent. It did seem possible now.

Neither the human race nor the demon race has ever been a single unified entity; everyone has their own demands and interests, making it difficult for them to work together wholeheartedly on a single matter.

Zu An suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Peacock King, the human reinforcements will soon be heading north. Please send someone to coordinate and meet them then, to prevent any incidents."

The Scorpion King and Flying Leopard King have been at war with the human race for years, and their territories are also near the human reinforcements' northward route. It would be bad enough if these fellows didn't help, but if they decided to target the human army, Tu Shan Yu would absolutely not be able to stop them.

The Peacock King clearly realized the risks involved and quickly ordered, "Kong Qing, go there yourself, and take my token to request assistance from the Great Elf King."

He needed to stay here to support the Little Demon Queen and could not leave easily, while Kong Qing, as his right-hand man, was most suitable for this task.

"Yes!" Kong Qing, understanding the gravity of the situation, cupped his hands to the others and quickly departed.

Zu An looked at the rift in the distant sky. "I'm going to the Sealed Land now to see if I can find any news of the Little Demon Queen and her party."

"Absolutely not!" Kong Nanwu quickly warned. "We've already sent several groups in to assist, but unfortunately, none of them have returned. The best strategy now is to stay here and defend, and then, once all the reinforcements arrive, we can make a long-term plan."

Zu An shook his head. "It's uncertain when those reinforcements will arrive, and I can't wait that long. Nor can the people inside. You all stay here and be ready to provide support at any time; I'll go and see first."

Seeing that his mind was made up, Kong Nanwu quickly said, "Then I'll go with you."

"Nonsense!" the Peacock King immediately exclaimed, growing anxious. "Wouldn't your cultivation level just hinder the Regent? Just stay here obediently; Ironplain City is where you can best utilize your abilities."

Although he intended to matchmake his daughter with Zu An, the Sealed Land was too dangerous. So many masters had gone in and none had returned; how could he let his daughter take such a risk?

Zu An also smiled at Kong Nanwu. "The Peacock King is absolutely right. It's more suitable for the princess to stay here and strategize. The situation inside is unclear, and it's easier for me to go alone."

Hearing them both say this, Kong Nanwu found it difficult to insist and could only say worriedly, "You must be careful!"

Zu An nodded and then asked the Peacock King for any information about the Sealed Land, as he was currently completely in the dark.

The Peacock King said in a deep voice, "Around the Sealed Land, there are extremely terrifying spatial turbulences that can shatter anything entering or exiting. Even the Demon Emperor of old could not enter with his physical body alone."

"However, every day, at dawn and dusk when the sun and moon meet, the spatial turbulences inside briefly weaken. At that time, with the aid of certain runic formations, it's possible to enter and exit safely."

"And for thousands of years, at dawn and dusk when the sun and moon meet, the periphery of the Sealed Land has been drenched in blood, because the demons inside also attempt to emerge during these times. The defenders stationed here are responsible for driving those demons back."

As he spoke, he took out a jade tablet with intricate runic formations carved onto it and handed it to him. "Take this; it will help you avoid the disturbances of the spatial turbulences to a certain extent."

After tens of thousands of years of guarding, the demon race had long since discovered much related knowledge, and this kind of jade tablet was one such discovery.

Zu An took the jade tablet. The runic formations on it were related to space, and even with his current level of understanding, he couldn't grasp its mysteries in a short time. He couldn't help but marvel that talented individuals had indeed emerged throughout the demon race's history.

The Peacock King then shared some more information about the Sealed Land. Unfortunately, most of it concerned only the outermost areas, as the demon race didn't know about the deeper parts either.

"Thank you, Peacock King." Zu An bid farewell to the others and then quickly flew towards the Sealed Land.

It was now evening, the precise moment when the sun and moon met, which was the opportune time to enter.

Arriving before the massive spatial rift, even with Zu An's current world-shaking cultivation, he had a moment of absentmindedness.

It seemed megalophobia was inherent in humans. This spatial rift was simply too immense; not to mention him, even a colossal dragon would be no different from an ant before it.

Feeling the aura of destruction and death emanating from within at close range, Zu An's hair stood on end.

A thought stirred in his mind. He took out a Bagua hexagram disc and began to divine.

One of Immortal Monarch Baopu's Seven Cultivation Arts: Hexagram Divination!

Entering the Sealed Land this time, even he wasn't confident, so he decided to first use this art to calculate his fortune.

Soon, the hexagram lines on it began to shake and spin, and finally, a glittering star map appeared on the divination disc.

Among them, a star in the northeast was particularly dazzling, flickering incessantly.

Upon seeing it, Zu An's expression drastically changed, because this was the ominous "Star of Doom"!

Drawing such a hexagram basically meant a near-certain death.

Immediately afterwards, the star map turned dim, and black mist permeated everywhere. Then the stars turned incredibly dark red, appearing as if they formed a blood-red skeleton.

Zu An was speechless.

A highly ominous sign, indicating certain death.