Li Xian heard the commotion behind her. Although she felt reluctant in her heart, she quickly swished her tail and left the area.
The fish also swam away one after another, heading for safer places.
With something going wrong in the Merman Palace, all the sea beasts and fish in the entire seabed were on edge. When Shen Qing and the others were swimming towards the shore, they constantly met sea beasts and fish fleeing for safety along the way.
Since Yu Xuzi had held his breath for too long, Shen Qing took him into the space so that he could recuperate properly.
Due to excessive depletion, Yu Xuzi changed from his young - looking appearance back to his old self, becoming that little old man again.
On the way, because they were engaged in battles with sea beasts, they were delayed in the sea for three days and three nights before finally reaching the shore.
Everyone collapsed exhausted on the beach. Shen Qing's hands were trembling. She didn't even have the energy to crawl further onto the shore, and half of her body was still immersed in the sea water.
For her at this moment, transforming into a dragon form still took a great deal of effort.
By the end of the swim, she even felt that her hands and feet were no longer her own. Fortunately, Yan Long gave her a hand.
One of the Heavenly Pillars had been awakened, and Yan Long's cultivation had returned to him. Shen Qing finally didn't feel as worried as before.
If she were to face Han Ze again, she would have many more cards up her sleeve.
----
Inside the Main God's Hall.
Han Ze held the now dim - looking stone heart of Yan Long in his hand. His eyebrows were lowered, and his whole body was hidden in the darkness.
Li Ji stood beside him, not daring to look directly at Han Ze. She nervously fidgeted with the sleeves of her clothes.
I don't know how much time had passed before Han Ze's voice slowly rang out, "You're saying... there's a traitor in the Demon Realm, and the entire Ghostly White Wolf Clan has disappeared."
Hearing Han Ze's voice, Li Ji's heart tightened. She quickly knelt down and replied in a trembling voice, "The seal of the Demon Abyss was broken. Most of the demons and demon soldiers have come to the Nine Wastelands Continent. Due to the lack of supervision, that's why... they managed to escape."
After forcing herself to finish speaking, she tightly closed her eyes, fearing that Han Ze would kill her on the spot in a fit of anger.
Han Ze played with Yan Long's stone heart for a while, and then casually threw it aside like it was trash.
The stone heart rolled a couple of times and then ended up in a corner, accompanying the dust.
The sound of the stone heart rolling wasn't loud, but Li Ji felt as if that sound had hit her head heavily.
Li Ji kowtowed heavily and quickly begged for mercy, "Your Majesty the Dragon King!! Please forgive Li Ji this time. Li Ji will surely capture the entire Ghostly White Wolf Clan within three days and let Your Majesty deal with them as you please. Please give Li Ji a chance to atone for her sins!!"
After saying that, Li Ji kowtowed a few more times.
Han Ze's previously wandering gaze landed on Li Ji, but there was no emotion in his eyes.
Since she hadn't heard Han Ze speak for a long time, Li Ji was almost driven crazy by the invisible pressure.
"Forget it. Let them go."
"Leave."
Li Ji suddenly opened her eyes and looked up in disbelief.
The Dragon King was just letting her go?
So easily... without even a single scolding, he was letting her go...
This wasn't like the Dragon King's style...
But Li Ji still felt as if she had received amnesty. She scrambled to her feet and stumbled out, fearing that if she was a second slower, Han Ze would change his mind and take her life.
"Your Majesty the Dragon King, what are your plans next? One of the Heavenly Pillars has been awakened, and Yan Long's illusory Dharma form can no longer be summoned. If your sister manages to awaken the other three Heavenly Pillars, all our trump cards will be useless."
"Your Majesty, don't hesitate any longer."
If Li Ji were still there, she would surely be surprised to find that there was actually another person in the dark corner.
Hearing this, Han Ze let out a cold laugh and looked thoughtfully at the person standing in the corner, "Nan Zhijin, you used to be my sister's senior brother. You were bewitched by Lin Yibai and hurt my sister. But later... didn't you desperately try to ask for my sister's forgiveness?"
"So? Since you failed to get her forgiveness, now you've turned to hatred?"
Nan Zhijin's expression was hidden in the darkness, and even Han Ze couldn't see his face clearly.
After a moment of silence, Nan Zhijin loosened his tightly - clenched fist and replied coldly, "You know Shen Qing. She's extremely stubborn. How could she easily change her mind once she's made a decision?"
"Since she doesn't accept my kindness, then so be it. I'm not the kind of person who will keep pestering someone."
Han Ze sized up Nan Zhijin, as if thinking about the truth behind his words.
He slowly approached Nan Zhijin. The distance between them gradually closed until there was only an arm's length left, then Han Ze stopped.
"In the Five - Element Dao Sect, you betrayed me once. How can I trust you again?"
Although Han Ze didn't show up immediately in the Five - Element Dao Sect, he knew exactly what had happened inside.
He hadn't forgotten how Nan Zhijin had pleaded with Shen Qing to follow him to a safe place and how he had hidden Hong Chaoyang and the others.
If it weren't for the deaths of Du Cang and Hui Yan, he wouldn't have even bothered looking at someone like Nan Zhijin.
Nan Zhijin quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty the Dragon King, you've seen my sincerity. If it weren't for me bringing Pei Xuanjing here, how could you have seen me again?"
"I brought him here to tell Your Majesty that Shen Qian is no longer worth my efforts to win back. And Pei Xuanjing hates Shen Qing just as much as I do. We're willing to follow Your Majesty!!"
Nan Zhijin closed his eyes and said something against his will.
But he didn't dare to show any emotion, fearing that Han Ze would detect that he had long since given up on the Main God's Hall.
He knew that he had done many wrong things in the Main God's Hall before, so now he had to try his best to make up for them.
Moreover, someone had to stay by Han Ze's side to keep an eye on his every move. So he left the Qingyun Sword Sect and resolutely returned to the Main God's Hall.
If he hadn't been injured by Shen Qing, he would have noticed that Pei Xuanjing had followed him to the Main God's Hall.
The existence of Pei Xuanjing was discovered by the people in the Main God's Hall, so Nan Zhijin had no choice but to say that the two of them had defected from the Qingyun Sword Sect.
Since it had already been discovered, then let the two of them lurk in the Main God's Hall and be prepared to make sacrifices to deal with Han Ze.
"Words are nothing. Even if you two are here, I still don't trust you."
Nan Zhijin was shocked. He forced himself to kowtow repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty the Dragon King, what do I need to do for you to trust me?"
Han Ze rotated his wrist, and immediately a shining pill appeared in his palm.
This pill was as shiny as a crystal and looked like a precious gemstone.
"Look up."
Hearing this, Nan Zhijin looked up. His eyes landed on the pill, and fear immediately flashed in his eyes.
Han Ze was amused by that trace of fear in Nan Zhijin's eyes. He curled his lips and said, "If you take this pill, I'll trust you. From now on, you'll take Hui Yan's place and be my protector."
Nan Zhijin's hand trembled as he slowly took the pill from Han Ze's hand.
He opened his mouth several times, trying to swallow the pill, but gave up at the last moment.
He really couldn't bring himself to take it!
This pill... would kill him!
"Your Majesty the Dragon King, let me take this pill."
A voice came. Nan Zhijin was stunned. He looked up at the door and said in surprise, "Senior Brother..."