Jiang Chen let out a chuckle and rolled his eyes. "Since you already know, why bother asking?"
Xia Tianze pouted. "You might not be in a hurry, but I am. That Old Ancestor Xieying — I know of him from the ancient era. The fellow may not count as a top-tier Demon Ancestor, but he's at least second-rank among them. If we don't strike first while he's still sealed, once he breaks free, dealing with him becomes a whole different beast. And if he decides to lie low and never show himself, hunting him down would be next to impossible."
The Shadow Demon lineage was not necessarily the strongest in open combat, but their uncanny ability to lurk like a shadow and strike from the unseen made them a headache for countless cultivators in ancient times.
On the battlefield proper, the Shadow Demon lineage rarely distinguished themselves. Yet in the great war against the demons, no one could ever erase the contributions they made.
Their value lay in assassination, in surprise raids, in carrying out all manner of covert missions. These tasks were no less critical than clashing on the front lines.
During the ancient Demon Sealing War, the number of human Dao cultivators who fell victim to the Shadow Demon lineage was beyond counting. Some were simply assassinated outright, dying without ever knowing what hit them.
"In plain terms, in the ancient era, the number of human Divine Dao cultivators who perished at that Old Ancestor Xieying's hands was at least six or seven, if not a full ten. That old monster rarely acts, but when he does, someone always pays the price. Our Liuli Palace once had a senior figure who, during an excursion, was targeted by this Xieying. He was ambushed along the way and fell, full of bitterness. It was precisely because of incidents like this that the major sects organized a joint hunt and finally succeeded in sealing the old fiend away."
"Where is the seal?" Jiang Chen asked.
Xia Tianze spread his hands with perfect honesty. "I have no idea."
"You don't know? Then what's the point of all that talk?" Jiang Chen said, exasperated.
"Weren't you planning to use that Jade-Faced Demon God to track down leads on Xieying?" Xia Tianze replied.
"If you already know that's what I'm planning, then what are you rushing for? You're hundreds of thousands of years old — surely you can hold your patience a little longer!" Jiang Chen said with a grin.
Xia Tianze was rendered speechless and raised both hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine, I can't win a verbal sparring match with you. But you really do need to pick up the pace. Once that old monster Xieying breaks out, he's going to be a serious problem. Having the Grand Liuli Luminance Lamp is all well and good, but you haven't fully refined it yet — you can't bring out its full power."
This time, Jiang Chen didn't engage in further banter. He simply nodded. "Relax, I know what I'm doing. Right now, that Jade-Faced Demon God still wouldn't dare return to Old Ancestor Xieying's side. He's afraid of making things worse with his good intentions."
"When do you plan to make your move?" Xia Tianze asked.
"If possible, after the formation is restarted," Jiang Chen said evenly.
"Can we afford to wait that long? Do you think the demons will just let you restart the formation without a fight?" Xia Tianze grew anxious.
"Of course they won't let me restart it peacefully — that's exactly why they sent Piercing Wind Demon God and the rest to throw their lives away," Jiang Chen said with a smile. "At the current rate, the formation can be fully restarted in three months at most. Will they be able to break free of the seal within three months?"
"But isn't that just gambling? What if they do break free?" Xia Tianze said, still worried.
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing. The moment I can sense that Old Ancestor Xieying's location, I'll make sure to send him a nice surprise. The issue is that our numbers here are still thin. Those three formation cores absolutely cannot fall into enemy hands."
Xia Tianze thumped his chest. "Don't worry — leave the sealed Old Ancestor Xieying to me. Dealing with a weakened old demon trapped in a seal is something I can handle."
Beating a drowning dog was exactly the sort of thing Xia Tianze relished.
"Old Xia, having the will to fight is a good thing. Rest assured, when the opportunity comes, I won't leave you out. A combat powerhouse like you would be wasted if we didn't put you to good use."