Xu Yi was in a standoff with an unknown entity within the Demon King's palace, while on the other side, the Eight-Tailed White Fox's fur could not conceal its bruised and discolored face.
"Say that again?"
The Eight-Tailed White Fox glared at the little demon reporting the news below, its words laced with venom. Its stark white fangs glinted with sharp, cold light.
"Lord Zhiduo, all the demon beasts ambushing near the Demon King's palace… they're all dead."
The little demon stammered, repeating what it had just said. Its neck and body contorted, shrinking into itself as it dared not look up at the Eight-Tailed White Fox's expression.
"Trash! All of you are trash!"
A violent aura erupted. The little demon screamed as its body was sent flying backward. By the time it hit the ground, it was already devoid of life.
The demon beasts guarding the cave shivered, quickly lowering their heads. They suppressed the gasps that were about to escape their lips, their hearts filled with dread.
The reporting little demon, making its first delivery of news, had been reckless and had not lowered its voice at all.
Therefore, they had heard everything that had transpired at the Demon King's palace.
Another batch of demon beasts had perished.
Even for these cold-blooded creatures, the news was unsettling.
Their motivation for following the Eight-Tailed White Fox was simple: they wanted to see the lands beyond Shenzhou.
They knew that war with the human race would result in many demon beasts' deaths, but that was the price for freedom, a price they were willing to pay.
Yet, they hadn't even left Shenzhou, and so many demon beasts had already fallen, including a Great Ascension stage great demon.
They were forced to question whether this plan was right or wrong.
However, remembering the Eight-Tailed White Fox's wise yet chilling eyes, the demon beasts dared not discuss amongst themselves or voice their thoughts, remaining silent.
Inside the cave.
The Eight-Tailed White Fox's chest heaved violently. Its eight long tails left countless deep gouges on the mountain wall behind it.
The current situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for it.
Even though the demon beasts outside remained silent, it could guess their thoughts.
The Eight-Tailed White Fox felt an overwhelming sense of absurdity.
In just a month, the situation had changed drastically. Its allies were either dead or had left, leaving it to persevere alone.
Though the Eight-Tailed White Fox possessed a tenacious spirit, it could not help but feel dejected at this moment.
Was it truly going to abandon the plan it had painstakingly crafted for a hundred years?
Resentment flickered in the Eight-Tailed White Fox's narrow, beastly eyes.
It hated the powerful Monkey King, it hated the Demon King who had not appeared for so long, and it even resented the two human cultivators who had ventured into the demon realm.
If not for them, its plans would never have encountered so many setbacks.
The Eight-Tailed White Fox thought of those two human cultivators and wished it could flay them alive and devour them.
This time, it had dispatched trusted subordinates to ambush near the Demon King's palace, intending for the pair to never return.
But it had never expected the outcome to be total annihilation.
Were those two so formidable?
A flicker of suspicion crossed the Eight-Tailed White Fox's eyes, but it was immediately dismissed.
Although it had not personally clashed with the duo, the information it had received indicated that their strength was unparalleled among cultivators of their generation. However, even the strongest could not fight off an overwhelming force; so many demon beasts should have been enough to capture them.
So, where had things gone wrong?
The Eight-Tailed White Fox suppressed its restlessness and began to meticulously retrace its steps, looking for any potential oversights.
As long as it found this loophole, next time, it would surely succeed!
The Eight-Tailed White Fox narrowed its eyes, conjuring scenarios in its mind of how the two human cultivators might have reacted upon discovering the ambush and the ensuing battle.
But no matter how it thought, it could not fathom how the opponents had managed to defeat its many subordinates and break through the encirclement.
The Eight-Tailed White Fox's recently calmed emotions began to churn again, until…
"The Demon King's palace! It's the Demon King's palace!"
The Eight-Tailed White Fox's eyes snapped open, and it exclaimed.
That was right, it had overlooked a crucial detail: the ambush had taken place near the Demon King's palace.
The ones who had killed its subordinates might not have been those two human cultivators.
"The Demon King isn't dead?" the Eight-Tailed White Fox murmured, lightly flicking its long tail. "But if the Demon King isn't dead, why has he refused to appear for nearly a thousand years? That defies logic.
No, it's not the Demon King, it definitely isn't the Demon King. Perhaps it was other generals of the Demon King who intervened. That makes more sense…"
The Eight-Tailed White Fox, believing it had figured everything out, its gaze regained its former sharpness.
The Demon King had been absent for nearly a thousand years, and most of the demon beasts who had been willing to follow him had lost heart and returned to their own territories to live.
The Eight-Tailed White Fox couldn't immediately recall which great demon might be stationed at the Demon King's palace.
"Enter!"
The demon beasts outside looked at each other, then pushed their leader forward.
The two demons, who walked in with trepidation, immediately knelt respectfully upon seeing the Eight-Tailed White Fox. "Lord Zhiduo."
The Eight-Tailed White Fox's gaze swept over the two of them, and it said coldly, "Each of you choose ten demon beasts and accompany you to the Demon King's palace to investigate the situation."
"Lord Zhiduo!"
The two demons were startled by the Eight-Tailed White Fox's command. Disregarding everything else, they looked up, their faces pleading.
In their minds, investigating the palace was tantamount to seeking death.
How could the Eight-Tailed White Fox not see their thoughts? It chuckled coldly. "If you obey my orders, I guarantee your safe return. If you refuse, I will personally end you right here."
The two demons' legs trembled. Under the Eight-Tailed White Fox's menacing gaze, they finally had no choice but to nod in agreement to the task.
…
Silence.
A silence so profound that a needle drop could be heard.
Xu Yi felt both confused and anxious.
The opponent's prolonged absence prevented Xu Yi from discerning their intentions and made it impossible to act.
Moreover, Ji Buwang's current condition was unknown, which made Xu Yi concerned.
After much deliberation, Xu Yi decided to take a risk.
He gently flicked his finger against the Soul Unbinding Bell.
"Ouch!"
The spirit of the Soul Unbinding Bell, covering its head, emerged from the bell, looking at Xu Yi with a wronged expression, appearing to be angry but afraid to speak.
Seeing Xu Yi's displeased face, the spirit immediately suppressed its expression, forcing a fawning smile. "Do you have any instructions, esteemed elder? I will certainly obey."
"Does this Soul Unbinding Bell of yours have a sealed demon beast soul?"
Xu Yi asked, while also paying close attention to the movements around him.
A flicker of panic flashed in the spirit's eyes, and then it chuckled dryly. "I was trapped in that secret realm for hundreds of years and consumed countless demon beast souls. I'm not sure which one you're referring to?"
Xu Yi snorted, "I'm naturally referring to the demon beast soul you sealed before entering that secret realm. Don't tell me you don't know."
Xu Yi saw through the spirit's petty scheming and, at the same time, a doubt arose in his heart.
The spirit seemed unwilling to expose the existence of the Demon King's soul.
It seemed the Demon King's soul must have some unknown significance to it.
"This… I…"
As expected, upon hearing Xu Yi's words, the spirit found itself in a difficult position.
However, after this period, it had developed a somewhat deep understanding of Xu Yi.
This person was someone who would not be swayed by softness or hardness, and who was impervious to all persuasion.
Its petty tactics would only make the other party act more ruthlessly.
After a moment of hesitation, the spirit finally gritted its teeth and said helplessly, "There is indeed a demon beast soul sealed within my本体."
"Spit it out," Xu Yi said.
"Adult, no, it's truly impossible," the spirit cried out, as if its tail had been stepped on, jumping and shaking its head incessantly, its voice even carrying a hint of sorrow.
If not for Xu Yi's determined expression and resolute gaze, the spirit would never have admitted to the existence of the Demon King's soul.
"Why?"
Xu Yi did not waver at its demeanor, but coldly pressed on.
"Because if I expel this soul, then I too cannot survive!"
The spirit yelled out its greatest secret at the top of its lungs.