"Thank you, Master, for your grace! From now on, even if Black Crocodile is ground to dust, he will do everything in his power to help Master achieve this wish!" The black-armored giant's heart surged with joy upon hearing this, and he hastily pledged his loyalty.
"Very good. From now on, you need not ask about anything that happens — just do what I command. We've already delayed long enough. Follow those human cultivators immediately!" The palace-robed woman nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze toward the distant mountain range, a cold gleam flashing through her eyes.
"Yes, Master!" the black-armored giant replied respectfully.
With a flick of her jeweled sleeve, the phantom of the pink tree flashed forth once more, enveloping the two of them before transforming into a streak of rosy light that shot forward at great speed.
At the same time, tens of thousands of li away in the sky high above, Han Li, Patriarch Long, and the rest of their group were flying along in silence.
Although they had encountered a small mishap before entering the passage, the situation after emerging from it was exactly as Patriarch Long had originally scouted — identical in every respect.
Not only had they exited right in the middle of the Demon Realm's Bloodstone Mountains, but outside the passage, only a handful of ordinary demons were garrisoned there.
To avoid drawing attention, they refrained from laying waste to everything in their path. The moment they burst through the encirclement, they flew onward without the slightest hesitation.
The Bloodstone Mountains were one of the most demon-qi-deprived regions in the Demon Realm and spanned an enormous area, so along the way, they had not glimpsed a single other demon in sight.
This finally put most of the constant unease in Patriarch Long and the others' hearts to rest.
They flew onward for half a month straight, dispatching a flock of unidentified demon birds along the way, before Han Li and the others finally cleared the dark, foreboding mountains below and found themselves facing a vast expanse of exceptionally lush green grassland stretching out before them.
The grassland was blanketed with verdant grass in every direction, blooming in brilliant color as far as the eye could see, seemingly endless. But in the lower reaches of the air, a faint ashen-black haze drifted about — clearly, the demonic qi here was noticeably denser than in the mountains.
At Patriarch Long's signal, everyone halted their flying light and gathered together once more to discuss their specific itinerary going forward.
"The whereabouts of the Spirit Cleansing Pool and the Spirit Purifying Lotus, according to the last words of our previous Spirit Sovereign, lie on a mysterious island in the Demon Source Sea, at the far eastern reaches of the Demon Realm. Though I still possess some clues regarding the exact location, they can only be put to use once we arrive there. What we must do now is reach this demon sea as quickly and safely as possible. I imagine Fellow Daoist Long has already made arrangements for this." Sacred Lady Qianqiu addressed the human cultivators with a solemn expression.
"Indeed. Over these years, I have specifically gathered intelligence on demon-race territories, filtering out the vague and inaccurate reports, and have finally obtained some results. From our current position, there are three possible routes to the Demon Source Sea. However, each route has its advantages and drawbacks, and I alone cannot make the decision — I must discuss it with all you Fellow Daoists. We may even need to attempt all three routes before reaching a final judgment." Patriarch Long nodded and replied with a grave expression.
"What three routes? Tell us first, Brother Long." The Lin family man asked without hesitation.
Han Li, the feathered-robed young woman, and the others all wore expressions of keen attention.
"The first is to continue straight ahead across this grassland before us, which leads into the Chongyue Great Plains. From there, we cross through several prosperous territories controlled by various demon factions and, by making use of the teleportation arrays in some of the major demon cities, we could easily reach the Demon Source Sea. If everything goes smoothly, it would take only a year or two to reach our destination. The sole complication is that those demon cities with teleportation arrays will certainly have Demon Sovereigns or even Sacred Ancestor avatars stationed in them, along with numerous powerful restrictions. Even if we use the counterfeit demon pearls, we would have no more than a twenty percent chance of passing through these cities undetected — and that is assuming extraordinary luck on our part." Patriarch Long calmly laid out the first route.
"Twenty percent? That's far too low. We cannot take this route!" The feathered-robed young woman's delicate brows arched, and she opposed it without a moment's thought.
"Fellow Daoist Ye has a point. Though this route would take the least time, it is simply too risky. I don't favor it either." After a few flashes of her gaze, Sacred Lady Qianqiu slowly shook her head.
Han Li and the other spirit race cultivators did not speak, but the expressions they wore made it clear they held the same view.