The crowd stared, but the figure falling at such speed was too blurry to discern.
However, Mu Chen and Bai Youran, who were protecting Zhang Ergou and Liu Yaxuan, had not let down their guard, worried the Demon Lord would capture the two as hostages.
*Swish!*
The rapidly descending figure in mid-air abruptly changed direction, heading straight for where Zhang Ergou and the others stood.
"Be careful."
Mu Chen uttered a soft warning, his demeanor one of facing a formidable enemy.
This Demon Lord, capable of exchanging several blows with Hua Xu without defeat, clearly possessed a cultivation realm not far from Hua Xu's.
Mu Chen, on the other hand, was separated from Hua Xu by an entire major realm.
Bai Youran, as a grandmaster of formations, inherently possessed a disadvantage in terms of direct magical power confrontation.
As the figure drew nearer, everyone finally got a clear look: it was the Demon Lord.
Hua Xu, however, had been absent for a long time.
Mu Chen and Bai Youran warily eyed the direction the Demon Lord was approaching from, while Bai Youran began sketching obscure runes that Zhang Ergou couldn't even comprehend.
As he moved, Zhang Ergou felt the place they were in shift.
The surrounding scenery gradually became illusory, and before long, it seemed they were in another location altogether.
It wasn't just Zhang Ergou and the others who felt this way.
The Demon Lord, who had been watching them and was rushing towards this very spot, was now utterly bewildered.
Suddenly, several living individuals had vanished into thin air.
Could there be a cultivator more profound than Hua Xu?
The usually arrogant Demon Lord, for the first time, doubted his own perception.
Those from the demon race who understood formations were exceedingly rare, and this Demon Lord had always worshipped strength and cultivation as paramount.
He had always disdained formations and other such arts.
Thus, despite having crossed the barrier between the demon realm and the cultivation realm over the years, his physical form was confined to the vicinity of this valley and abyss.
Upon leaving this area, his cultivation and strength plummeted.
And his life was in danger.
This was also why the Demon Lord had been unable to leave the abyss all these years and had reached an agreement with Jiang Feng.
Even though the barrier here had developed cracks due to the passage of time, it was still a formation barrier painstakingly crafted by dozens of formation grandmasters.
To the Demon Lord, utterly ignorant of formations, they were as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Decades ago, by chance, he had stumbled upon the location of the inter-realm barrier, drawn by rumors of hidden treasures.
Undeterred by danger, and in the presence of numerous demon tribe members, the Demon Lord single-handedly breached the barrier.
He had been inside for decades.
Upon entering, the Demon Lord discovered there were no such treasures to be found; he had clearly been deceived.
He only wished to return and tear apart the one who had given him this information, reducing him to ashes.
Even that would not suffice; he wanted the scoundrel's soul annihilated, never to find peace for all eternity.
Only then could his burning hatred be appeased.
Trapped within the barrier, the Demon Lord exhausted every means to break free, but fate was not on his side.
Through a series of coincidences, the Demon Lord inadvertently passed through the inter-realm barrier and arrived in the cultivation realm.
With this, he could no longer return to the demon realm.
Not only could he not return to the demon realm, but he couldn't even leave this abyss to venture into the cultivation realm.
The Demon Lord tried everything; with his knowledge and understanding, the formations that ensnared him were like natural barriers.
They were several times more difficult to overcome than advancing his cultivation.
Now, seeing Zhang Ergou and the others suddenly disappear, the Demon Lord felt that same sense of helplessness he experienced when facing the formations that trapped him.
Through his black robe, the Demon Lord's eyes darted about incessantly.
Finally, he spotted a person standing at the edge of the cliff: "Jiang Feng, where did those people go?"
The Demon Lord harbored no goodwill towards Jiang Feng, who was riddled with flaws.
Despite his severe injuries, he knew that this capricious Jiang Feng would not dare to be negligent in the slightest.
"Your Excellency Demon Lord, this humble one knows not. I was entirely focused on observing your battle with that individual and did not notice them. As for those few, I believe they are nearby and would not have gone far."
Jiang Feng truthfully replied, trembling.
Every word he spoke was heard by Zhang Ergou and the others, hidden within the formation.
"Hmph, this is the descendant of your Jiang family. You truly bring shame to the cultivation world."
Mu Chen glanced at Jiang Tai with displeasure, his meaning clear.
Bai Youran's gaze towards Jiang Tai was no better, clearly showing that everyone held a dim view of those who betrayed their allies.
Jiang Tai felt a burning sensation on his cheeks.
If not for the significant gap in power between himself and the Demon Lord, he would have charged forward and struck down his ungrateful descendant with a single palm.
"Nearby?" The Demon Lord swept his gaze around the vicinity again. This time, he even employed his divine sense.
But he still found nothing.
"Are you deceiving this venerable one?"
The Demon Lord's expression instantly darkened. Jiang Feng felt a chilling wind assail him, freezing the blood in his veins.
"Your Excellency Demon Lord, I speak only the truth. Among those individuals is a formation grandmaster; it is likely he used formations to conceal them."
To save his life, Jiang Feng spilled out everything he knew.
He recognized Bai Youran, a renowned formation grandmaster on the Yin Zhou continent. The head of the Jiang family clearly knew better than Zhang Ergou's ignorance.
Hearing Jiang Feng's words, Bai Youran once again looked at Jiang Tai, his displeasure deepening.
Jiang Tai wished he could disappear into the ground at this moment. He never imagined his family would produce such a spineless worm.
This time, Jiang Tai was resolute: as soon as the matters here concluded, the first thing he would do was strip Jiang Feng of his position as family head.
It was too embarrassing.
"A formation grandmaster?"
However, the Demon Lord's reaction was entirely different. Upon hearing that there was a formation grandmaster among them, the Demon Lord not only showed no anger but even a trace of joy.
"Yes, Your Excellency Demon Lord."
Jiang Feng nodded in affirmation.
"Good, hah, very good. This news of yours is excellent; this venerable one is most pleased."
The Demon Lord rejoiced immensely, immediately waving his hand to heal Jiang Feng's injuries and even draping a black robe over him.
This demonstrated his genuine delight.
Jiang Feng, however, looked bewildered. With a formation grandmaster present, shouldn't his situation be more perilous?
The demons were indeed capricious, their minds unfathomable.
Zhang Ergou and the others, hidden within the formation, shared the same sentiment. Bai Youran's brow furrowed.
"Vile demon, accept another strike from this venerable one."
Just then, the absent Hua Xu suddenly reappeared, heading directly for the Demon Lord.
"Fellow Daoist, please cease your attack. Is there perhaps some misunderstanding between us?"
The Demon Lord, abandoning his previous aggressive stance, called out to Hua Xu.