Chapter 2483: Unable to Escape

Novel:

“Heavenly Court?” The Demon Lord’s face lit up with joy. “Congratulations, Master, my deepest congratulations! You have finally found the legendary Heavenly Court!”

The Lord of Slaughter laughed heartily. “There’s no need to be so formal with me. I want to share this joy with you. The Heavenly Court is rumored to be extremely powerful and mysterious, so I urgently need your help.”

“Thank you, Master. I will come over as soon as I’ve arranged affairs here,” the Demon Lord said delightedly.

“Yes, make sure everything is arranged properly. The power of the Demon and Sea races still remains; we mustn’t be complacent and give them a chance to rise again. Arrange things as quickly as possible and try to set off within the next few days,” the Lord of Slaughter instructed.

“Understood!” The Demon Lord bowed respectfully.

After the communication mirror was turned off, Manager Pi, standing nearby, said with a beaming smile, “Congratulations, Master, my deepest congratulations.”

“What is there to be joyful about?” The Demon Lord’s previous smile had already vanished from his face.

Seeing the swift change in his expression, Manager Pi was startled and instinctively replied, “Naturally, it’s because our Lord of Slaughter still trusts you, even sharing the secret of the Heavenly Court with you after discovering it.”

The Demon Lord sneered, “You are mistaken. He intends to kill me.”

Manager Pi and the War Priest instantly looked bewildered.

The Demon Lord then said, “That old man has been holed up in the Demon Imperial Mausoleum for so many years without making any significant discoveries. Why did he find the Heavenly Court just as soon as something happened with Mogaard?”

“Master, are you saying the old man did it on purpose?” The War Priest’s expression changed.

“Of course, he did it on purpose,” the Demon Lord said, his expression equally solemn. “If not, he wouldn’t have just called me to the Mausoleum earlier without even mentioning Mogaard. Given his relationship with Mogaard, even though there was some past friction, would he not call him for such an important matter?”

“Clearly, the Lord of Slaughter already knows about Mogaard’s army being wiped out. He then investigated the changes in military power over recent years and became wary of me. That’s why he summoned me, to draw me away from my army and loyal subordinates, and then seize the opportunity to strike at me.”

After hearing this, the War Priest couldn’t help but feel a chill. “That old fox is truly cunning. One slight oversight and we would have fallen right into his trap.”

Manager Pi, at the side, immediately flattered him, “But no matter how cunning that old fox is, Master saw right through him. Indeed, your wisdom has proven superior to his cunning.”

The few of them burst into hearty laughter. The Demon Lord’s eyes gleamed. “Since that’s the case, then at the right time, we shall give him a grand surprise.”

Meanwhile, Zuan spent a long time moving through the military camp, subduing nearly a hundred demons of various ranks. Yet, he couldn’t get any information about Big Manman from any of them.

It’s important to note that Big Manman’s personal characteristics were too distinctive; if anyone had recently interacted with demons, it was impossible that no one would know about her.

Could she have found a way to bypass this area and go directly to the Demon Imperial Mausoleum?

Zuan fell into contemplation, or perhaps… there was another possibility?

Unfortunately, there was too little information at present, so he could only go to the Demon Imperial Mausoleum first to assess the situation.

Traveling day and night, Zuan arrived near the Demon Imperial Mausoleum. Revisiting the familiar place, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

Last time, he had been accompanied by Yan Xuehen, Yun Jianyue, and Yu Yanluo. Now, he was alone, and still searching for Big Manman’s whereabouts.

The Demon Imperial Mausoleum looked quite different from how it appeared in later generations. The exterior buildings were much grander and denser; clearly, many had decayed and vanished over time.

Seeing demons stationed everywhere around the mausoleum, Zuan remained silent.

If Big Manman came here, what would she do?

With her intelligence, she was definitely not one to act recklessly. Seeing so many demons gathered here, and even the Lord of Slaughter present, how could she risk searching for the Glazed Hairpin? She would surely find a way to inform him, and then they would come to search together.

Could it be that she was currently on her way to the Sea Race territory, and they had just missed each other?

If she met the Mermaid Queen, she should be able to find out what happened.

Zuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. To be safe, he still infiltrated the demon encampment below. After circling around, he entered a demon leader’s room and, catching him off guard, subdued him. “Have you captured a woman…”

He then roughly described Big Manman’s appearance, though there wasn’t much to describe; her features were simply too distinctive, unforgettable to anyone who had seen her.

“No… no,” the demon leader quickly added, seemingly afraid the other wouldn’t believe him. “With the Master here now, who would dare trespass here…”

He froze mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that this very person dared to trespass.

Zuan fell silent in thought; the other party did have a point.

At this point, the demon leader continued, “I advise you to release me. The Master is invincible. If he discovers you, you won’t survive even with nine lives. If you leave now, I’ll pretend this never happened.”

He was terrified. Although the opponent had launched a surprise attack, his strength was unfathomable. He hadn't been able to react at all. Even in the demon world, this person was at least as strong as the War Priest.

He thought to himself that once he got rid of this person, he would immediately raise the alarm. Then, by teaming up with other colleagues to capture such a powerful individual, he could atone for his misdeeds by rendering meritorious service.

Seeing his eyes darting around, Zuan naturally guessed his thoughts. Without exposing him, he continued to ask, “Where is the Lord of Slaughter now?”

“How dare you call the Master by his name!” The demon leader’s face turned pale.

“Answer my question.” Zuan pressed his hand on the demon leader’s shoulder, a terrifying suction force gathering.

The demon leader was utterly terrified. He could feel that with a mere thought from his captor, he would be sucked dry into a withered corpse. He had no choice but to answer, “The Master is currently inside the Imperial Mausoleum.”

“What secret is he investigating in the Mausoleum?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I do know that a few days ago, he seemed to have found a treasure and was exceptionally happy. He hasn’t been this happy in years. From what I’ve seen, it seems the Master has made significant progress in finding what he’s looking for.”

Zuan’s heart stirred. Had the Lord of Slaughter already found a way to enter the Land of the Unknown?

Just then, he suddenly looked up. Footsteps of a group of people could be heard outside, followed by a shouted announcement: “Lord Agou, the Master is summoning all leaders above the commander rank to the Imperial Mausoleum.”

The demon leader was overjoyed and was about to call for help, but to his horror, he found that his voice couldn’t escape at all. Furthermore, the air around him seemed to twist, blocking both sound and light.

Immediately after, he felt all his vital energy gushing out, and his entire body grew weaker and weaker.

“No… don’t…” He opened his mouth but ultimately made no sound, sinking completely into darkness.

Zuan lowered the body and then, using the other’s voice, replied, “Wait a moment, I’ll be right out.”

The leader named Agou had an aura of bloodlust about him, clearly having stained himself with the blood of many living beings. His death was well-deserved.

Now he had another headache: the entire demon encampment seemed to be in an uproar for some reason. If he tried to force his way out now, he would quickly be discovered.

Left with no choice, he transformed into the appearance of Commander Agou, put on his clothes, and decided to go to the Imperial Mausoleum first to assess the situation.