The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Void Nether Crystals are an essential material for constructing Teleportation Arrays and crafting Teleportation Talismans, and large-scale Arrays require them in even greater quantities.

Back then, the three great sects had not anticipated the sudden attack from the Yao and Demon Races, so they hadn’t stockpiled much of this material. With the largest Void Nether Crystal vein now in Demon Race territory, the sects cherished every crystal they had, refusing to use them unless it was a last resort.

Perhaps if the Guardian Array were to fail one day, this would be their only way out.

After the Guardian Array was activated, the only Teleportation Arrays they built were the ones connecting the Realm Passages to their respective sects.

Chen Dong understood the current situation in the Floating Shadow Realm, so he didn’t ask any more questions after hearing this.

At that moment, Murong Qing said, ”Senior Yu An, I think we should rest for a bit! We’ve already used up over a third of our Spiritual Power. If something unexpected happens, we’ll be at a disadvantage. Besides, I keep getting a bad feeling!”

Chen Dong’s brow furrowed at her words. It seemed he wasn’t the only one; Murong Qing had the same premonition.

But Yu An replied, ”Let’s push on a little longer. We can rest at sunset!”

Chen Dong glanced at the sky. Sunset was still about two hours away, but the sense of unease in his heart was growing overwhelmingly strong.

’Something’s wrong with this Yu An!’

The gentle Yu An he remembered would never refuse such a request. She might not like Chen Dong, but she always treated Murong Qing differently. In their previous encounters, she’d made it clear she thought Murong Qing had been duped by his slick talk and always went out of her way to be considerate of her.

Besides, Yu An would have likely agreed even if Chen Dong himself had made the request, yet now she was indirectly refusing. Murong Qing’s reasoning was perfectly sound, and a Cultivator’s intuition for danger should never be ignored.

Chen Dong grabbed Murong Qing’s arm, pulling her to a stop.

When Yu An saw that they hadn’t followed, she frowned. ”I already said we’ll rest at sunset. Can you two stop being so childish?”

Chen Dong’s brow hardened as he demanded coldly, ”Who exactly are you?”

Yu An replied, looking confused, ”I’m Yu An! Who else could I be?”

Chen Dong didn’t believe her for a second. He asked bluntly, ”Then let me ask you, what is Zisang Jin’s favorite thing?”

Yu An answered immediately, ”The Ancestral Master’s ceremonial wine!”

Chen Dong’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. ”Is that so~?”

Yu An replied with complete confidence, ”Yes!”

A slight smile touched the corners of Chen Dong’s lips. ”You don’t even know that, and you still dare to claim you’re Yu An!”

His voice then turned thunderous as he roared, ”Who the hell are you?”

”Impossible,” Yu An shrieked, her face a mask of disbelief. ”This King’s Dream-Stealing Skill could never have failed!”

Chen Dong’s eyes narrowed. ”’This King?’ And which king would that be?”

Only then did the imposter realize they had slipped up. Dropping the pretense, their body instantly began to transform. Horns sprouted from their head, and dark, black scales materialized across their skin. Their once-delicate arms twisted, long nails shooting from their fingertips. Their expression warped into a savage, terrifying visage as barbed spikes erupted from their joints. A long tail whipped out from beneath their dress, and their entire being began to radiate an overwhelming Demonic Qi.

”The Demon Race!”

Chen Dong and Murong Qing exchanged a look, seeing the shared shock in each other’s eyes. They had thought it was a trap set by the Yao Race, but it turned out to be the Demon Race.

”This King is the Sakun Celestial King!”

”Yu An’s” voice had become incredibly shrill, making it impossible to distinguish whether it was male or female.

Chen Dong’s heart sank again. ’One of the thirty-six Celestial Kings of the Demon Race... How could a being of that rank be inside the Guardian Array?’

He secretly used the Walking Token in his ring to send a message while stalling for time. ”As a Celestial King of the Demon Race, why are you targeting me? And what have you done with Yu An?”

The Sakun Celestial King bared its long fangs. ”You really want to know? Fine, I’ll tell you... My Demon Race is forming a marriage alliance with the Yao Race, and the price they demanded was your life! As for Yu An... you can figure that part out for yourself!”

Chen Dong’s brow tightened as he racked his brain for an escape plan. The thirty-six Celestial Kings of the Demon Race were all powerhouses equivalent to the Nascent Soul Perfection stage. He and Murong Qing stood no chance against such an enemy in a direct confrontation.

The Sakun Celestial King seemed in no hurry to kill them, continuing, ”The Yao Race warned us not to underestimate you, but from what this King can see, you’re not all that impressive. You walked right into my trap and only just now figured it out. Oh, and by the way! You seem to be stalling for time. Funnily enough, so am I!”

The moment its voice fell, the world for miles around plunged into darkness as the sky was sealed shut. Simultaneously, four streaks of light shot back from the path ahead. They were all Demons radiating powerful Demonic Qi, each one comparable to a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator.

”This Array was originally set up further ahead, but you insisted on stopping here, so this King had to waste my breath on you! Still, you’re fools for not running the moment you sensed trouble. Now that you’re trapped in the Heaven-locking Array, you won’t be able to escape, even with that peculiar Teleportation Talisman you possess.”

Chen Dong’s brow furrowed deeply. ”So you were waiting for this Array? And for those four pathetic subordinates of yours?”

The four Demons, who had been sneering, immediately flushed with anger. But the Sakun Celestial King only laughed arrogantly. ”HAHAHA~! Still talking big at a time like this? The two of you should just kill yourselves. It’ll save this King the trouble!”

Chen Dong couldn’t figure out what this Demon King was waiting for, but for him, the more time he could stall, the better.

Returning the contemptuous sneer, he shot back, ”Heh, you’re the ones who should detonate your Magic Crystals. Save me the trouble of dirtying my hands!”

At the same time, Chen Dong was screaming internally, ’Qingzhu! Qingzhu! We’re about to die! Quick, use the Grand Divine Calculation!’

But the only response Chen Dong received was a cold snort. ”Hmph~!”

’My dear Qingzhu, this is no time for a tantrum.’

Mu Qingzhu’s cold voice echoed in his mind. ”I couldn’t care less about you. It’d be better if you just died! I told you to cut back on the dual cultivation, to do it less, but no! You do it every single day! Who can possibly put up with that!”