On the churning sea of suffering, tens of thousands of soldiers from the righteous planes were meticulously searching. Some released their divine senses to probe beneath the surface, while others used life detectors, examining every inch.
This was the army from Base Sixteen, tasked with searching the sea of suffering for the missing Thunderstorm Squad and other righteous plane warriors.
A beautiful woman in a light azure gauze dress, her delicate brows furrowed, her eyes filled with unconcealed anxiety and disappointment. She looked so distraught that any man would want to pull her into his arms to comfort her, then pat his chest and declare that he would take care of all her troubles.
The squad had been missing for three days. Initially, everyone was enthusiastic in their search, spreading out widely, eager to turn over every stone.
But as time wore on, people gradually lost their fervor. Even Xi Sha herself knew that the chances of finding anyone who had been randomly teleported in the sea of suffering were incredibly slim.
After all, both the righteous and negative planes, though they boasted countless universes, were structured with the Origin Plane at the center and the chaotic planes at the edges.
Upon death in the chaotic planes, souls were expelled into the sea of suffering.
However, the universes had an end, but the sea of suffering was boundless.
Even traveling outward from the sea of suffering, past the chaotic planes above, and reaching the edge of the righteous planes, one still could not see the boundary of the sea of suffering.
In such a vast expanse, who knew where those dozens of people had been teleported?
If they had been in a righteous plane universe, a Celestial Venerable could have located them directly. At worst, they could have found a Five Elements Hall outpost in the relevant universe and used spatial jumps to return to the Immortal Realm.
But unfortunately, this was the sea of suffering.
Where could they possibly find anyone in this immense sea of suffering?
Xi Sha was so anxious her mouth felt like it was about to bubble. She was filled with deep regret, wishing she hadn't been so overconfident when coming to support, believing the reinforcements could handle the situation.
If only she had charged directly into the enemy ranks and brought them out then, how much better it would have been.
The thought of never having been to the sea of suffering battlefield before, and her very first mission upon arrival being a rescue, only to lose Wan Lei and the Celestial Venerable's children, made Xi Sha feel as though her reputation had been trampled into the depths of the sea of suffering.
Now, the only thing that offered her a sliver of peace was the Celestial Venerable's assurance that they were nearby, not teleported far away, nor to the negative planes.
As Xi Sha was in despair, higher waves suddenly rose on the turbulent sea of suffering.
"Is the spectral tide approaching?"
Xi Sha frowned slightly. She naturally didn't fear the spectral tide, but the soldiers of the righteous planes did.
Just as she was about to order her troops to regroup, a massive vortex suddenly appeared beneath her feet, with endless seawater rushing into it. The terrifying suction almost pulled her in as well.
"Everyone retreat! Stay away from this vortex, don't get sucked in."
Xi Sha shouted, warning the righteous plane soldiers.
However, before the righteous plane soldiers could retreat, a demon army suddenly appeared in the distance.
From afar, the demon army was not large, perhaps only a little over ten thousand strong.
But the one leading them immediately made Xi Sha become serious.
"Assemble! Prepare to defend!"
In fact, Xi Sha didn't need to give the order. The moment people saw the demon army appear, they instinctively began to gather in the direction from which the enemy came.
After tens of thousands of troops assembled, the demons also arrived nearby.
When humans and demons encountered each other in the sea of suffering, there were never any pleasantries; they simply fought.
Encounters like this were straightforward: if you had more numbers, you were powerful; if you had fewer, you were destined to be devoured.
There was no possibility of passing by each other peacefully; upon meeting, they aimed to splatter each other's brains.
The righteous plane army deployed their formations, drawing their weapons, and charged towards the demons.
The demon side, being outnumbered, did not attempt a strong assault, opting instead for defense.
Leading the demons was a female demon, slender and graceful, with a pleasant face. Her pale green skin only enhanced her allure.
This female demon wore exquisite makeup, a captivating smile on her lips, and possessed a strong aura, exuding a queenly demeanor.
Even from the perspective of the righteous plane beings, this female demon was exceptionally beautiful, despite being from a different species.
"Are you the Illusory Heart Demon Emperor?"
Xi Sha frowned, looking at the other party with grave seriousness. She knew that the female demon before her was not to be trifled with.
The Illusory Heart Demon Emperor, a subordinate of the Lustful Demon Venerable, was the demon emperor most skilled in illusions and seduction. Among the sages of the righteous plane, almost no one could resist her illusions, save for the Three Suns Sage and the Three Suns Main God.
Among the demon emperors, her combat power was only considered middle to low, but in terms of difficulty, she ranked within the top five.
"Oh? When did the righteous plane get a new sage I don't recognize?"
The Illusory Heart Demon Emperor scrutinized Xi Sha from head to toe, her seductive and playful smile deepening, her eyes filled with mockery.
"My, my, such a beautiful little sister, and your Celestial Venerable is willing to send her to the battlefield? Truly lacking in appreciation for beauty. Those men are such insensitive oafs. If such a beautiful sister were to fall into the hands of our brutish demons here in this hellish sea of suffering, they wouldn't be gentle with you."
Hearing this, the demon army below erupted in laughter and wild cries, clearly excited.
"Hmph, enough nonsense, fight if you want to fight!"
Xi Sha, being introverted, was not good with words.
The Illusory Heart Demon Emperor looked at the seemingly frail and exquisitely beautiful Xi Sha, sneering contemptuously in her heart. Such a sage, with a fragile mind and low power, could be easily toyed with by ten of her kind.
"Little sister, looking at you, you must still be a virgin, haven't you? Oh dear, this just shows how short-sighted the men of your righteous plane are, letting such a great beauty go unclaimed. How pitiful. If it were in our demon race, such a beautiful demoness would have already been enjoyed by countless male demons."
"Hmph, do you think our righteous plane is like your negative plane? Harlots available to anyone, shameless, with no sense of propriety or decency."
When women quarrel, their attacks seem to invariably focus on the same areas.
"You can't say that. Isn't the more barbaric, the stronger? My dear sister, I suggest you come to our negative plane. I promise to find you a suitable husband, at least a Demon Emperor to start, and perhaps even a Demon Venerable might take an interest in you. Let me tell you, our Envious Demon Venerable is incredibly handsome."
"But wasn't he from our righteous plane originally? What are you boasting about?"
"Sister, I'm giving you good advice. If you obediently return to the negative plane with me, you will naturally have endless good days. But if you refuse to see reason, and I capture you, it won't be as simple as arranging a marriage. You will be a military courtesan in our camp."