Tan Yi'en went ahead to Cangheng Island. Qin Sang and the two birds entered Heavenly Demon Hill, then continued north until they arrived at Wanyao City.

Wanyao City was one of the seven strongholds, it served as the gateway through which the demon race entered and exited Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

After the demon race seized Heavenly Demon Hill, they took control of this stronghold and had held it ever since. The other strongholds had all, to varying degrees, been affected by the internal struggles of the human race.

Any demon race cultivator entering or leaving Ancient Immortal Battlefield had to pass through Wanyao City.

The current lord of Wanyao City was the renowned Feathered Demon King.

Wanyao City differed somewhat from Immortal Demon City. Qin Sang wanted to see what a true demon city looked like, so he entered alone. The fat chicken and the white crane waited outside for a while before following after him.

Upon entering Wanyao City, Qin Sang’s first impression was that the place was extremely lively. The majority of the city’s inhabitants were still mortals.

People filled the streets, coming and going in an orderly flow, presenting the appearance of a prosperous and peaceful age.

Since birth, these people had lived under the rule of a demon king. They had long grown accustomed to demonic beasts striding boldly through the streets.

The demonic beasts permitted to enter the city were all great demons who had been enlightened and awakened to intelligence.

The Feathered Demon King had set strict rules. After Qin Sang entered the city, he saw no cases of demonic beasts harming mortals.

However, the immortal cultivation world could never truly be gentle. Just as humans hunted demonic beasts, stripping their bones and skin to use as spiritual materials for alchemy and artifact refinement, the demon race certainly did not raise so many humans for nothing. Some matters were better left unexamined.

Not long after entering the city, Qin Sang was strolling through the streets when a sudden disturbance erupted ahead. The crowd quickly parted to both sides.

A dark mass rushed forward. It was a pack of armored demonic wolves galloping through the street. Their leader was massive in size, radiating a terrifying bloodthirsty qi.

Yet mounted upon its back was an exquisitely crafted saddle. Sitting on it was a strange demonic beast that somewhat resembled a fox but was even smaller in stature, with unusually short forelegs. He was a Bei demon.[1]

The aura he emitted was even stronger than that of the fat chicken and the white crane. He was clearly a great demon at the late stage of the Demonic Core Realm. Otherwise, the wolf leader would never have willingly served as his mount.

Qin Sang stopped walking, realizing he had been exposed. The fat chicken and the white crane flashed forward, positioning themselves in front of Qin Sang.

Rumble... The demonic wolves moved in perfect formation. Their target was clearly Qin Sang’s group. When they reached him, they halted simultaneously with a sharp motion, exuding overwhelming pressure.

Qin Sang stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm. The fat chicken and the white crane bristled, issuing a warning.

The Bei demon leapt down from the wolf’s back and walked upright toward them. He offered a fist-and-palm salute and said, "Senior, may I ask if you are the young lord of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea, Demon King Ming Yue? Our great king has already prepared a traveling palace. I have been sent on his command to receive and entertain the honored seniors."

The moment those words were spoken, gasps echoed throughout the street. The onlookers gazed at Qin Sang with both awe and fear.

"Young lord?" Qin Sang smiled faintly in amusement. It was not a bad title. He nodded slightly, signaling for the Bei demon to lead the way.

Under his guidance, they headed toward the demon king’s palace.

That place was essentially the demon race’s stronghold. Qin Sang estimated that among the human Spiritual Infant cultivators, there were very few who would dare stroll openly into such a place alone as he had.

"What other demon kings are attending the council?" Qin Sang asked.

The Bei demon replied, "Reporting to Senior, the Red-Tailed Demon King arrived the earliest, three days ago. After that came Senior Snake King..."

After listening to the full list, Qin Sang realized that nearly half of the demon kings of Heavenly Demon Hill had already arrived. The council was scheduled to begin three days later, and more demon kings would certainly arrive in the meantime.

Most likely, they had all been drawn here by the news regarding Ziwei Palace, just like him.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, several demon kings came to visit, including the Swan Goose Demon King. Qin Sang intentionally tried to make connections and became acquainted with a few of them.

One of them was the Red-Tailed Demon King mentioned by the Bei demon. He had attained the Dao as a red fox and had transformed into a handsome young man, though behind him trailed a striking crimson tail. His title, Red-Tailed Demon King, came from that very feature.

He claimed that he had long admired the bamboo demon senior and treated Qin Sang with great enthusiasm. Qin Sang could not determine whether the admiration was genuine, but he responded politely and managed to learn quite a few secrets about the demon race from him.

Qin Sang left the two birds behind in the palace and headed toward the Feathered King Palace alongside the Red-Tailed Demon King.

The Feathered King Palace had always been the cave dwelling of successive Feathered Demon Kings, and this council was also being held there.

The Red-Tailed Demon King dismissed the lesser demons leading the way and personally guided Qin Sang toward the palace, clearly familiar with the route.

"The Feathered King has been rather secretive," the Red-Tailed Demon King said while pointing out the surrounding buildings. "But according to precedent, since Ziwei Palace has been mentioned, there should already be some news. During the previous times Ziwei Palace appeared, Senior Bamboo never showed up. Yet this time he sent you, Daoist Ming Yue. Could it be that he intends to compete for the qualification to enter Ziwei Palace next time?"

Qin Sang slowly shook his head. "My master did not mention entering Ziwei Palace. He sent me here mainly to inquire about the situation on the front lines."

The Red-Tailed Demon King nodded in understanding and sighed. "If Small Cold Domain and Tianxing Alliance cannot resist Sin Abyss, then given Sin Abyss’ domineering conduct, the agreement between our demon race and the human race will likely be difficult to maintain. Peace may not last much longer. But if we fully assist them in resisting Sin Abyss and end up severely damaging our own forces, that would be the most foolish choice of all. The balance between the two is indeed difficult to grasp. Still, those are problems for the Feathered King..."

"Even so, we cannot remain completely indifferent," Qin Sang said with a shake of his head. "I would rather not end up hiding in the Demonic Sea, spending my days surrounded only by ice."

Over the past few days, Qin Sang had been quietly probing the attitudes of the demon kings.

As expected, the demon race had little interest in intervening in the internal conflicts of the human race. Their best option was to stay on the sidelines without offending either.

However, Small Cold Domain and Tianxing Alliance were not fools. They would not allow the demon race to stand by so easily.

At present, although Heavenly Demon Hill had dispatched demon troops as reinforcements, only a few demon kings had truly entered the battlefield.

Those demon kings were currently stationed with their forces at a stronghold known as Hukou Stronghold. It was said to be a crucial stronghold, though somewhat remote. The probability that Sin Abyss would launch a major attack there was quite low.

Outside Hukou Stronghold, one division of Sin Abyss confronted them. The two sides seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding. Their clashes were little more than minor skirmishes.

While they spoke, a vast forest of towering trees appeared ahead, its depths shadowy and indistinct.

"We’ve arrived! The Feathered King Palace lies within," the Red-Tailed Demon King said in a low voice.

Qin Sang focused his gaze and saw an ancient wooden hall floating in mid-air at the center of the forest. Flickers of azure spiritual light surrounded it, and countless powerful barriers filled the area.

"Daoists, you have finally arrived!" A figure swept out from the forest. It was the Swan Goose Demon King, personally coming to receive them.

He had long abandoned any thoughts of coveting Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea, and he greeted Qin Sang warmly. "Daoist Ming Yue, the Feathered King heard that you are the disciple of Senior Bamboo and has long wished to see what kind of outstanding talent could inherit Senior Bamboo’s teachings."

After exchanging a round of pleasantries, the three of them entered the forest together and arrived before the gates of the Feathered King Palace.

The Swan Goose Demon King pushed the door open.

With a single glance, Qin Sang saw a man seated in the central position, clad in feathered robes. It was none other than the Feathered Demon King who had once activated a strange treasure and opened the great array of Ziwei Palace!

1. Bei is a legendary, wolf-like creature in Chinese mythology characterized by having very short forelegs and long hind legs. According to folklore, it cannot walk on its own and must ride on the back of a normal wolf, a pairing that symbolizes conspiracy and collusion. ☜