Of the Twelve Demon Saints of the Demon Domain, every single one was an ancient monster who had Cultivated for tens of thousands of years or longer. Their mental fortitude was such that they could face the collapse of a continent without so much as blinking. Yet today, the Lord of the Flame Demons—Saint Venerable Scarlet Flame—uttered the words "not good" twice in rapid succession.
The first time had been a mistake. The second time was anything but.
He spotted the Realm Gate not far away, and the scene of Yang Kai's escape after the Battle of Zhou Tian immediately flooded back to memory.
Back then, Yang Kai had seized a Great Emperor's opportunity and fled in a panic, with numerous Demon Saints in hot pursuit. Had that Realm Gate not vanished without a trace, how could a human whose Cultivation was merely comparable to a Mid-Rank Demon King have possibly escaped the Demon Saints' pursuit?
A Realm Gate wouldn't disappear without reason. Even if it could, the process would have been a lengthy one. That the human could repair and maintain the Realm Gate meant he had almost certainly already mastered the art of sealing it as well—that had been the consensus among the Demon Saints after witnessing the gate's disappearance that day!
This continent had already become nothing but a void. If even the Realm Gate used to enter and exit was sealed, then this place would truly become a dead end.
What Chi Yan could figure out, Zu Liao could as well. His expression shifted slightly, and without hesitation, the two of them hurtled toward the Realm Gate, silently praying that things wouldn't turn out the way they imagined.
But the thing you fear most is precisely what comes to pass. When the two Demon Saints arrived side by side and caught sight of the Realm Gate from afar, Bei Li Mo and Chang Tian had already vanished. Only Yu Rumeng stood before the gate, gazing over with a beaming smile and an expression of pure mockery. Then her crimson lips parted, and a single sentence reached the two Demon Saints' ears with perfect clarity.
"Enjoy yourselves!"
Chi Yan and Zu Liao's faces changed again. Bursts of differently colored light erupted from their bodies as their speed surged, and they rushed desperately toward the Realm Gate.
It was truly agonizing.
The moment those words left her lips, Yu Rumeng turned and stepped through the Realm Gate, vanishing without a trace.
As they drew closer and closer to the gate, a look of fervent hope appeared on both Zu Liao's and Chi Yan's faces. Just three breaths more, and they would pass through the gate and leave this place.
Three breaths later, the two Demon Saints did indeed reach the gate—but at the very instant before they arrived, the Realm Gate abruptly vanished into nothing. The pair plunged into empty air, and they hurtled forward for thousands of li before they finally managed to steady themselves.
Looking back, the entire world was nothing but emptiness. Chaos was beginning to swirl into existence. The expressions on Chi Yan's and Zu Liao's faces were grim beyond words. By now, there was no need to be told that they had fallen for the little thief's scheme. He had clearly planned this all along—otherwise, in such a short time, how could the plan be this thorough?
Well, now it was done. Both Demon Saints had arrived together, and now both were trapped in the void. Getting out of here and returning to the Demon Domain would take considerable effort.
For any ordinary person stranded in such a circumstance, despair would have set in long ago. But Chi Yan and Zu Liao were no ordinary beings. As Demon Saints, they had their own brand of confidence.
Moreover, now that things had come to this, regret and complaints were of no use. Finding a way back to the Demon Domain as quickly as possible was what mattered. They exchanged a glance and, without needing a word of discussion, flew back shoulder to shoulder, heading off into the distance.
This continent surely had more than one Realm Gate. If one had been sealed, they would simply find another way out.
Yet three days later, they had flown back again, coming to a halt before a stretch of void.
Three days of searching had confirmed that every single Realm Gate on this continent had been sealed. There was no exit to be found. And as for where the other gates might be, they had no idea. All they could do was return.
After staring blankly for a long moment, Chi Yan pointed ahead and said, "It's here, right?"
Zu Liao shook his head. "It should be thirty zhang to the left."
"You sure?" Chi Yan turned back to look at him.
Zu Liao was silent for a beat, then said decisively, "Not sure."
Chi Yan didn't know what to say to that. After a moment's thought, he said, "Then let's both give it a try."
"Very well!" Zu Liao nodded.
The two Demon Saints took their positions, standing thirty zhang apart. With grave expressions, they stared into the void before them as though an archenemy stood there.
Demonic Essence suddenly began to churn and roll. As scorching heat filled the air, Chi Yan threw a punch straight into the void. White-hot flames coiled around his fist, looking as though they could melt the very fabric of emptiness itself.
On the other side, Zu Liao's movements were notably more delicate. His fingers flicked out in rapid succession, sending thread after thread of visible filaments probing into the space ahead. Strangely, the void seemed to transform into the surface of a lake—once the filaments touched it, they vanished without a trace. Then Zu Liao channeled his Demonic Essence forward, and...
Nothing happened.
Zu Liao withdrew his hands and walked over to stand beside Chi Yan. "You were right," he said.
Chi Yan ignored him, continuing to rain punch after punch into the void before him. Each blow was devastatingly powerful—force enough to shatter an entire continent—and cracks began to appear in the void, spreading like fractures across a pane of glass.
After more than a dozen consecutive strikes, the void truly did shatter, revealing a gaping hole. The chaotic, formless energy that churned within was even more intense than what surrounded them now. If they charged in blindly, they might very well be lost forever in the gaps between dimensions, never finding their way back.
But by now, what choice did the two Demon Saints have? They could only stake everything on a desperate gamble. Besides, it wasn't as though they had no options at all—they were simply taking a risk.