Xu Xian soon broke the surface of the water; his ascent was much faster than his dive had been.
The once calm surface of the Nether Pool was now a series of crashing waves, and the roar of explosions echoed in his ears.
It was far from peaceful.
The little book spirit took the lead, hovering in the sky to observe their surroundings.
The point where they surfaced had changed, they were now closer to the southern bank of the Nether Pool. The little book spirit could see towers looming through the mist.
Those were likely the castles of the ten great demon god palaces.
"Master, we're in luck. We're less than a hundred miles from the Nether Capital."
Looking back, the thunderous sounds continued to draw closer. The white light of the nether water illuminated the world, and within the churning thunderclouds, figures could be seen clashing.
Two giant dragons wove through the heavy clouds, their roars shaking the heavens!
Xu Xian and the little book spirit's guess had been correct.
The High Priest was leading the Small Priest and the golden giant dragon through the blockade, pushing toward the Nether Capital while the other demon gods used every means at their disposal to intercept them.
Ultimately, Jin Qing and Jin Yu were the High and Small Priests of the demon race. While the demon gods might hold them in contempt privately, in the eyes of ordinary demons, they were the supreme leaders of the Demon Abyss.
They were the ones the demon gods had personally installed.
Although things had reached a point of no return, the demon gods still hoped to minimize the impact if possible.
Ideally, they wanted to suppress the sisters outside the sight of the Nether Capital to avoid destabilizing the Demon Abyss.
Rumors might not be fatal, but they were often a nuisance.
Simply put, it wouldn't look good!
They also had concerns that the sisters might choose a mutual destruction if pushed too far. After all, they weren't alone.
The family members of the seven great families lived in the Nether Capital.
Jin Qing was one thing, but if the High Priest truly went mad and targeted their descendants' bloodlines, they might not be able to stop her.
No one doubted whether she would dare to do it, even if it meant being condemned by everyone.
Lest they forget, she had once slaughtered her own family just for Jin Yu's sake.
The seven families, with whom she had now openly broken, would be no exception.
Xu Xian didn't delay. Watching the chaotic battle draw nearer, he pulled out the Heaven-Burning Sparrow. Using its immunity to nether water, he used it as a propulsion tool to drag himself toward the Nether Capital.
He had to hurry and set the stage on the banks of the Nether Pool beforehand.
Behind him, the demon gods were in the thick of combat.
"Stop her!"
"You crazy woman, you can't win! Surrender..."
Jin Qing, already drenched in blood, had fallen into a frenzied state. "Even if I die at your hands today, I will take half of the Demon Abyss with me!"
Chi Ming, wielding his fire-infused spear, tried to persuade her while attacking. "Jin Qing, do you really want to destroy the Demon Abyss?"
"It is you! You are the one destroying it! Why did you have to interfere? You should never have gotten involved!"
"Stubborn and deluded... you're beyond saving!"
"Save your breath! You can't stop me!"
...
Thunder roared, dragons cried, winds howled, and fires blazed. Lightning flashed and astral qi churned in a chaotic display between heaven and earth.
Massive figures collided and darted through the air, their giant wings shedding iridescent feathers from time to time.
Time ticked by, and the distance closed inch by inch. What had started as distant sounds and a churning sea of clouds now revealed faint silhouettes within the colorful mists and storms.
The light breeze had turned into a mournful gale, and the small ripples on the shore had become surging waves.
The rain poured down, and the drizzle, whipped by the wind, now felt painful against the skin.
The Nether Capital fell into deeper chaos.
It wasn't just the Inner City; the Outer City was also in total turmoil.
At the city gates, countless demons swarmed together. People shoved, trampled, shouted, cried, and cursed in a chaotic mess.
The city guards were fully mobilized, armed and armored, blocking the gates. Bloodshed had already begun.
"Back up!"
"No one leaves the city!"
"Anyone who takes another step forward will be executed without mercy!"
Yet even with such a hardline stance, they couldn't stop the press of the crowd from behind pushing those in front toward the gates.
"Let me out!"
"I want to leave!"
...
Within the demon god palaces, the commanders realized the situation was worsening. They didn't dare delay and escorted the divine sons and goddesses out of the palaces, fleeing far from the city.
Countless carriages streaked across the sky like rainbows, fleeing from the Inner City toward the Outer City.
In this moment, the injustice was laid bare.
The carriages of the heavenly demon race came and went as they pleased. The city guards and the law enforcement squads turned a blind eye.
Yet the commoners, despite being right at the gates, were blocked by these very people.
It seemed that only death awaited them.
"Why can the heavenly demon race carriages leave while we are kept here?"
"This isn't fair!"
"Get out of the way! I have to get out! Move!"
In the rainy night, the Nether Capital was a scene of apocalyptic flight.
Chi Ji was also being escorted out of the Crimson Demon Palace by the Crimson Demon Guards, passing through without any obstacles toward the outskirts.
She looked back; the battlefield was drawing closer. She could even clearly see the Heaven-Burning Great Flames released by her father.
She looked down at the dense crowds packed into the long streets near the city gates.
She could hear their cries and screams clearly.
Watching the helpless people and the chaotic Demon Abyss, the young woman furrowed her brows tightly, her dark eyes clouded with a layer of gray.
Her face was expressionless, but her heart was a whirlwind of emotions.
She remembered what the High Priest had said and thought of many things.
The desolation of the Demon Abyss became even more tangible in this moment.
The heavenly demon race, who enjoyed the most resources in the Demon Abyss, were the first to run when chaos arrived.
How ironic!
She felt it shouldn't be this way.
The books said that four thousand years ago, when the Thunder Demon attacked, all the gods of the heavenly demon race stopped at nothing—even risking their lives—to intercept him.
The Nether Pool was right behind them; they could have crossed back at any time.
If they had just turned around, they could have lived.
Yet not one of the hundreds of demon gods retreated. Back then, the Demon Abyss had a demon sovereign and was even stronger than it was now.
Four thousand years later, the Demon Abyss had become this.
Even though she knew this was an internal conflict, it still shouldn't be like this.
Mortal demons were demons too. They couldn't control their own fates, whether they were poor or rich, noble or lowly... but they shouldn't be denied the right to decide their own life and death.
She looked away and closed the carriage curtain, choosing not to watch anymore, though her thoughts remained in disarray.
At the shore of the Nether Pool, Xu Xian had reached the bank, but he didn't go ashore. Instead, he stopped a few miles out and dove back into the water, leaving only the little book spirit on the surface.
He was waiting for the right moment.
What he was about to do required the element of surprise. He was afraid that if he climbed up now, those demon gods might sense him using that Thousand-Mile Demon Inquiry technique.
Even if they were busy fighting and had no time for anything else, it was better to be cautious.
He wasn't facing ordinary people, but a group of old monsters who had lived for thousands of years!
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