When Prince Zhao brought out the Heaven-Revealing Talisman, everyone was overjoyed.
The powerhouses of the three third-tier sects, the representatives of the other fourth-tier sects, and even the royal family's delegates all hurriedly moved closer to Prince Zhao. Even the lone cultivators sought to crowd around him. Clearly, they all wanted to ride on Prince Zhao's coattails and use the Heaven-Revealing Talisman to break free from this formation in one stroke.
Prince Zhao's face was dark as he addressed Elder Zhang and the three sect leaders: "Every person who hesitated before — eliminate them all. This prince will absolutely not bring those fence-sitters out of here!"
The moment Prince Zhao gave the order, Elder Zhang and the third-tier sect powerhouses sprang into action, charging toward the group on the periphery like tigers pouncing on sheep.
That group was stunned. They had never imagined that Prince Zhao would actually turn on them.
The ones who had hesitated were, after all, a minority — mostly loose cultivators or outsiders with no ties to the Red Cauldron Central Domain. They held no advantage in numbers or strength.
Caught off guard by this ferocious onslaught of powerful cultivators, several of them fell before they could even react. As their numbers dwindled, the fight became more and more one-sided. Before long, it had devolved into five or six attackers against a single target. Within just a few breaths, every last person who had hesitated to side with Prince Zhao had been wiped clean off the map.
Sure enough, after mowing down those fence-sitters, Prince Zhao turned his fierce gaze toward Jiang Chen. The murderous intent in his eyes was unmistakable — he had clearly decided to kill this man who had opposed him at every turn.
Jiang Chen's expression remained indifferent. He could read the killing intent in Prince Zhao's eyes plain as day. He steadied his breathing and simply regarded the prince with calm detachment.
Seeing Jiang Chen's face still wearing that aloof expression, Prince Zhao grew even more furious and barked: "And that brat — kill him too!"
Elder Zhang hesitated and couldn't help but counsel: "Your Highness, time is precious. We should break the formation first. Once that Demon Emperor awakens, if we haven't already left, I'm afraid it will be too late."
Prince Zhao barked back: "Everyone attack at once — we can finish him in an instant. If this man doesn't die, this prince's anger will never be assuaged!"
Elder Zhang felt caught in a difficult position. He was old and shrewd, and his instincts told him this mysterious young cultivator would not be easy to deal with. Killing those fence-sitters had been simple enough, but killing this unconventional young man would be ten times harder.
Setting everything else aside, the young man's speed alone was something none of them could match.
Moreover, they were trapped inside a dangerous formation. The longer this dragged on, the greater the peril.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Prince Zhao, if you want to fight, then fight. But I can guarantee you this — the first one to die today will be you."
Prince Zhao was instantly provoked beyond reason. "Everyone, attack! Take him down! Whoever kills him, this prince will personally recommend you for rewards before His Majesty!"
On the outside of the formation, the Cuihua Pavilion Master had been observing the situation within. When Prince Zhao produced the Heaven-Revealing Talisman, a chill ran through him.
The mist-sea formation's corrosive power was not yet fully mature — it hadn't reached the point of eruption. If Prince Zhao used the Heaven-Revealing Talisman to shatter the formation, escape would indeed be possible.
There were still stronger formations sealing the outer perimeter, but once they left the mist sea, hunting down these blood sacrifices would become far more difficult for the Demon Emperor.
The outer region offered vast open space. For a recently awakened Demon Emperor, chasing down these blood sacrifices across such a wide area would be a hundred times harder than simply consuming them within the mist sea.
Most importantly, the Cuihua Pavilion Master could not afford to fail again and again in front of the Demon Emperor. Each disappointment would drive the Demon Emperor's opinion of him further into the ground.
Watching these fools start fighting amongst themselves right before breaking the formation — this was undoubtedly good news for the Cuihua Pavilion Master.
If they engaged in a vicious internal battle here, it would only accelerate the blood mist's corrosive effect.
Once that erosion erupted, everyone here would become food for the Demon Emperor. Even if they managed to shatter the formation and tried to flee, they would lack the strength to leave.
The Cuihua Pavilion Master had no intention of interfering in their internal strife. He felt a twinge of regret over the few cultivators who had been killed, but compared to the bulk of the Red Cauldron Central Domain's forces, those losses were negligible.
Now, the only thing that mattered was the people who remained.
Jiang Chen's thinking was actually much the same as the Cuihua Pavilion Master's. He, too, was waiting for the blood mist's eruption. From the moment Prince Zhao ordered his death, Jiang Chen had already pronounced a death sentence on every last one of them in his mind.
Against a group of people who were already dead, Jiang Chen had no interest in getting entangled. Instead, he deployed the Heavenly Kun Flowing Light Escape, circling and weaving among them.
In terms of speed, even Prince Zhao was utterly incomparable to Jiang Chen, let alone anyone else.
Despite their overwhelming advantage in numbers, they simply could not match Jiang Chen's speed. Trying to hunt him down inside the mist sea under those conditions — the difficulty went without saying.
The Cuihua Pavilion Master watched from outside the formation as Jiang Chen moved with ghost-like agility, and even he was secretly stunned.
"What kind of background does this kid have? A movement technique this heaven-defying?" The Cuihua Pavilion Master was no stranger to remarkable abilities, but this kind of escape art was simply unheard of.
"Thankfully, these fools are tearing each other apart. By the time they've exhausted themselves, the mist sea will clean up the rest. When the Demon Emperor arrives, he'll have a pleasant feast!"
The Cuihua Pavilion Master was now the calmest person of all. These people were slaughtering each other, and he could practically foresee the outcome.
Seeing no progress in the pursuit of Jiang Chen and watching his ghost-like speed, Elder Zhang wanted to try reasoning with Prince Zhao once more. But the words reached his lips only to be swallowed back down.