This astonishing discovery sent a shockwave of disbelief through the Jade-Faced Demon God's heart. For a moment, he could scarcely trust his own senses.
He probed carefully and found that the seal had indeed loosened ever so slightly. Though the degree of loosening was nowhere near enough for him to break free, it was undeniably a thread of hope.
In the dead of night, when all was silent, the Jade-Faced Demon God threw virtually everything he had at the seal, battering it with relentless force—putting in every ounce of strength he could muster.
All the while, he kept egging himself on in his mind: "That scoundrel Jiang Chen said he would take me to see the Evil Shadow Ancestor. Since he hasn't come to collect me, he clearly hasn't set off to deal with the Shadow Demon Ancestor yet. Hmph, that brat is shrewder than a ghost—surely he hasn't finished his preparations. He must be busy planning his campaign against the Shadow Demon Ancestor. Right now, he can't spare the manpower and certainly wouldn't dare take any reckless risks."
The Jade-Faced Demon God had his own deductions.
Jiang Chen's forces were limited. Having secured the three core formations, he couldn't possibly dispatch a large contingent to go after the Evil Shadow Ancestor as well.
With that thought, the Jade-Faced Demon God found his determination burning even stronger.
"I must get word to the Shadow Demon Ancestor before Jiang Chen does. Even if it means death, I will die beside the Ancestor. I, the Jade-Faced Demon God, am no traitor to the demon race!" He clenched his teeth in a silent snarl.
As he labored at the seal, his divine sense suddenly reached outward, catching the faint murmur of voices from beyond the chamber walls.
"Keep your guard up tonight. The Young Master has ordered us to escort this prisoner to the next formation core tomorrow. We can't afford any mishaps on the last night."
"Heh, the formation core here is already restored—I'm not keen on staying any longer. The Young Master and the others went ahead days ago. They only left us here for the guard rotation. Otherwise we'd have moved on already."
"Mm, I hear Divine Venerables Lan and Yu will be taking over this location."
"Right, the rotation is tomorrow, so tonight we hold the line. Word is that the Shadow Demon clan has been stirring—manipulating evil spirits. That's a nasty business."
"Damn it, I'd rather face a proper demon army head-on than tangle with those ghostly specters. Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl."
Their conversation came in fragments, but it was more than enough for the Jade-Faced Demon God to hear.
Understanding dawned on him in a flash: "So that's why the divine seal loosened—Jiang Chen has already left for another formation core, far enough away that his divine sense can't reach me from this distance. No wonder the seal has weakened! That brat wasn't thorough enough for once!"
The Jade-Faced Demon God was overjoyed at this revelation.
For Jiang Chen, restoring the formations and restarting the lock was always the top priority. As for the Jade-Faced Demon God, he was merely a prisoner—and it was only natural that Jiang Chen hadn't given him much thought.
"Jiang Chen, oh Jiang Chen—if I escape this time and greet the Evil Shadow Ancestor, the day will come when I repay the humiliation of today tenfold!"
He gnashed his teeth with barely contained fury. Never in his life had he suffered such a wretched defeat. Several of his fellow clansmen and brothers-in-arms had perished because of him—all his fault.
At the thought, rage surged through his mind until his blood boiled. He recalled how he had impersonated that Elder Yuan Chi, convinced his disguise was airtight—only to find that the brad had seen through him the entire time.
For a demon who prided himself on his mastery of deception and performance, this was the deepest possible insult. In this battle of acting, he had been utterly defeated by Jiang Chen.
Revenge—he would have his revenge!
Fueled by that conviction, the Jade-Faced Demon God hurled himself at the seal with renewed ferocity.
The next day, the guard rotation arrived as expected. The Jade-Faced Demon God was loaded into a prisoner cart, and the convoy set off. Among the escort detail were several cultivators of the half-god tier.