Chapter 2495: Crossing the Gate

"What's happening?" The demon generals' expressions changed. Could it be a backup plan from the Lord of Slaughter? But they had just destroyed all the commanders and formations he had set up.

While they were still confused, blue light flashed around Zu'an, the Lord of Slaughter, Salame, and Mogard.

"No, it's a teleportation array!" the Lord of Demons immediately recognized, quickly striking the ground with his palm. A destructive force spread out, causing the blue array patterns to flicker erratically.

Seeing this, Mogard quickly pushed Salame towards the Lord of Slaughter. "My Lord, you must go! I'll cover your retreat!"

"Brother Mo!"

"Uncle Mo!"

Both the Lord of Slaughter and Salame were greatly alarmed.

Mogard turned back, a carefree smile on his face. "Otherwise, none of us will escape. To be able to help my Lord and the Young Lady in the end, I have no regrets in this life."

With that, he lunged forward, embracing the Lord of Demons. Whatever secret technique he used, his aura immediately intensified several times over, making it impossible for even the powerful Lord of Demons to shake him off for a moment.

"Let go!" the Lord of Demons roared, both startled and enraged. One hand turned completely green, the other black, as he continuously pummeled Mogard.

Where the green energy struck, only bloody bones remained, as if the flesh had been gnawed clean away. Where the black energy hit, the flesh dissolved into puddles of putrid blood. A normal enemy would have been obliterated, but Mogard, once the equal of the Lord of Demons, was now gravely wounded yet driven by a resolve to die. The potential unleashed by his life-preserving secret art was not to be underestimated.

Flashes of light appeared on his body, rapidly repairing the damaged areas. Unfortunately, the Lord of Demons attacked too quickly; the light gradually dimmed, showing that the repair speed couldn't match the rate of destruction. In just a few more blows, Mogard would be reduced to a mist of blood.

Watching this, Salame was already in tears, and the Lord of Slaughter's eyes were red. He was filled with regret, thinking that if only he had listened to Mogard years ago, they wouldn't have come to such a pass. Even Zu'an felt a touch of admiration. Mogard was truly devoted to the father and daughter, though it was unclear how much of that devotion stemmed from his unrequited love.

In the blink of an eye, they vanished from their spot, reappearing the next second beside the deep pool within the imperial tomb.

"Are you alright?" the Saintess asked, her face etched with anxiety. She only slightly relaxed after seeing Zu'an safe and sound.

"I'm fine. Did you teleport us here?" Zu'an looked around; there were no other pursuers for now.

"Yes. I realized that even if I went out, it wouldn't change the outcome with the Lord of Demons bringing so many subordinates, so I've been quietly setting up arrays here," the Saintess said, patting her chest. "Fortunately, you all held on during that time."

"You are the Saintess of the Demon Race?" the Lord of Slaughter asked, surprised, after recognizing Xie Daoyun.

Having been enemies for so many years, he had naturally seen the legendary Saintess's appearance, but he never expected to be rescued by her.

Seeing her nod, he quickly said, "This old man will forever remember the Saintess's assistance. If I can quell this rebellion, I will certainly establish peace with your esteemed race."

Zu'an and the Saintess were unimpressed, sensing the old man was making empty promises. His words subtly implied that for his promises to be fulfilled, they would first have to help him achieve victory.

At this point, the Saintess interjected, "It's still too early to say we're out of danger. We're still inside the imperial tomb, and it won't be long before the enemy catches up. We'll be at a dead end then."

The Lord of Slaughter knew she spoke the truth. He had been ambushed twice and was severely injured. He had fought the Lord of Demons on sheer willpower, and his wounds were now even worse. As for the mysterious man opposite him, while strong, he was only slightly stronger than the demon generals. He had gained an advantage earlier only through special techniques and magical artifacts, and the demon generals had been wary of being dragged down with him. In a true fight to the death, two or three demon generals together could likely kill him.

Just then, a tremendous roar echoed in the distance, shaking the entire imperial tomb.

Salame's tears immediately fell. "It's Uncle Mo. He must have self-detonated."

The Lord of Slaughter's expression also turned grim. As he was comforting her, his heart suddenly stirred. A white light flashed from her waist pouch, a pearl flew out, and then Mogard's figure dropped to the ground, his face deathly pale.

"A Flesh Puppet?" the Lord of Slaughter was startled, then quickly understood.

Mogard gave a wry smile. "My Lord is truly knowledgeable. This is my trump card for survival." He then bowed apologetically to Salame. "I hope you don't mind me entrusting my life pearl to the Young Lady."

Salame was both surprised and overjoyed, immediately helping him up. "I'm too happy to have you alive to possibly blame you."

They had been through life and death together for so many years. Even when she became isolated, he remained faithfully by her side. She was not a stone; how could she not have feelings? She had always been aware of Mogard's feelings for her but had pretended ignorance, using it to control and exploit him. However, seeing him sacrifice himself to buy time for her and her father to escape had touched the softest part of her heart. She realized she wasn't as heartless as she had imagined.

"You call her 'Young Lady'?" the Lord of Slaughter asked, astonished.

"She is Young Lady Salame, but of course, an adult version. We are actually from the future," Mogard explained quickly, realizing the urgency of the situation and choosing not to conceal anything.

"Hahaha, no wonder I felt a sense of familiarity about her, and no wonder she called me 'father' just now," the Lord of Slaughter exclaimed, both surprised and delighted, pulling Salame into a hug. "My dear daughter, you've grown so big!"

"Father!" Salame was equally thrilled. For thousands of years, she had been trying to rescue her father, and now they were finally reunited.

The Saintess cleared her throat. "While I don't want to interrupt your reunion, shouldn't our priority be to figure out how to escape? The Lord of Demons will search for us here very soon."

The imperial tomb was now surrounded by the Lord of Demons' subordinates, leaving them no obvious escape route.

The Lord of Slaughter chuckled. "I was a bit hesitant before, but now that Brother Mo has returned safely and my dear daughter is reunited with me, we can go together to see the legendary Heavenly Court!"

Zu'an was startled. "You really found a way to the Heavenly Court?"

"Of course," the Lord of Slaughter said proudly. "The reason I was taken advantage of by the Lord of Demons was because I've been investigating the secrets of this demon imperial tomb for the past few years. Heaven helps those who help themselves, after all."

He then looked at Zu'an and the Saintess. "While you two have just helped us, the matter of the Heavenly Court is of great importance. I hope you will agree to help me defeat the Lord of Demons in the future. Only then can I agree to take you both with me."

Zu'an and the Saintess exchanged glances. The Saintess secretly transmitted, "Big Brother, if the Glazed Hairpin cannot be found inside or outside the imperial tomb, it might be in that Heavenly Court."

Zu'an had already intended to revisit that mysterious realm. Seeing this, he nodded and said, "Alright!"

The Saintess also stated, "His intention is my intention."

The Lord of Slaughter gave Zu'an a surprised look, astonished that this human had such a good relationship with the Demon Saintess.

Salame's gaze at Zu'an held a mix of bitterness and disdain. This guy really did manage to charm girls wherever he went.

The roar of the Lord of Demons echoed from nearby, clearly indicating he was close.

The Lord of Slaughter no longer hesitated. He took out a translucent box. Zu'an and Salame's breathing quickened; they had seen this object before—it was indeed the Box of Creation.

As he opened the lid, an inexplicable ripple spread through the entire space. Immediately, the pool of water before them began to spin rapidly, eventually forming a shimmering gate of light.