With every step, the Blood Demon Fiend left behind a dark footprint.
The fiendish energy permeated all living beings around.
Qi Yu and Si Qing returned everyone to the Nine Heavens, instructing them not to linger and to head directly to the South Sea, before turning to face the Blood Demon Fiend's attack.
The Blood Demon Fiend's powerful evil energy continuously eroded the surrounding spiritual herbs and qi.
Qi Yu erected a barrier around herself and Si Qing to prevent further erosion, then, with their other hands, they combined their Yan Zhen Mirrors, their forms vanished, and they easily hid themselves.
The Blood Demon Fiend let out a cold laugh, retracted the fiendish energy from his hands, and surveyed the surroundings.
Qi Yu and Si Qing casually entered a room belonging to a celestial attendant and, through the mirror, instantly returned to the South Sea.
To prevent the Blood Demon Fiend from tracking them by scent, Qi Yu shattered the South Sea Mirror they had just used to travel, then she and Si Qing donned their battle armor and rushed to the sky above the South Sea.
At this very moment, the sky above the South Sea was already shrouded in dark clouds.
Qi Yu stood at the rear of the battle formation and, with a single wave of her spiritual power, unleashed it.
Instantly, all mirrors in the mortal realm were drawn to the windows. In mid-air, the mirror surfaces faced the sun, refracting Qi Yu's spiritual power.
In an instant, it was as if a rift had opened between heaven and earth, with a powerful spiritual barrier separating the South Sea from the territories of all races.
It divided the celestial realm from the mortal realm.
Si Qing, who had initially thought Qi Yu had used her own spiritual power to erect this formidable barrier, was astonished and immediately turned to look at her.
Just as he was about to ask Qi Yu when she had acquired such potent spiritual power, he saw her calmly wave her hand: "Don't overthink it. Although this heaven and earth barrier was set up by me, it primarily relies on the spiritual qi within the mortal realm and the territories of each race, spread out using mirrors to establish it."
"This kind of barrier can utilize the circulation of spiritual qi, becoming increasingly sturdy and difficult for the Blood Demon Fiend to break, and it does not deplete my own spiritual power."
Si Qing had been afraid that Qi Yu would use all her spiritual power to erect this heaven and earth barrier. Hearing this explanation, his heart finally settled.
Qi Yu pulled Si Qing and flew to the very front of the battle formation.
Yue Zhi Yin, Sui You, and Qi Nian led the charge. The second row was comprised of the couples of the other three Sea Dragon Kings.
Standing on the left and right flanks were Yan Hua, the Ancestral Dragon of the South Sea, and Chen Xi, the Ancestral Dragon of the East Sea.
In the center of the formation stood Chi Shang Ming and Wang Lan Qing, along with the current acting clan leader of the Qilin tribe, the High God Huai An.
Chu Xian, Wu Jin, and Sang Yun Ji remained in the South Sea, responsible for liauding with the vice-clan leaders of various races.
Jin Yan and Yu Yuan, the Ancestral Dragons of the west and north respectively, were stationed at the rear of the formation to guard the territories.
Feng Ming Qi, Feng Yun Zui, and Feng Si Qian unfolded a magic barrier in the middle.
Chi Ming, Qi Yan, and Ming Lou were tasked with guarding the strongholds of various races' territories.
Everyone was assigned their respective duties.
The remaining soldiers from various races formed a dense mass, standing behind the clan leaders and the four Ancestral Dragons, alongside the heavenly soldiers and generals of the Nine Heavens.
An Nuo, who had been anxiously worried about Qi Yu and Si Qing's situation, saw them returning from the rear and immediately guessed that they had escaped using the Yan Zhen Mirror. She hurried over and clasped the siblings' hands: "You two are finally back. How is everything? I saw many heavenly soldiers and celestial attendants descending from the Thirteenth Heaven to the Nine Heavens, but you weren't among them. I thought you two hadn't escaped."
Shao Feng also approached. Seeing the siblings safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Qi Yu gently shook her head at the two of them and briefly explained how she and Si Qing had made their way back. After speaking, she looked up at the sky and asked, "When we left the Thirteenth Heaven, the Blood Demon Fiend saw us and even attempted to attack. It's illogical that he hasn't appeared now that the army has been advancing for so long."
"Speaking of which," Si Qing interjected, "is that Blood Demon Fiend male or female?"
Looking at his physique earlier, he seemed like a man, but upon closer observation, his demeanor had a feminine quality, and his voice also had a slightly effeminate tone.
"He is merely a mass of fiendish energy, born from all the resentment in the world," Qi Yu frowned. "Strictly speaking, he has no gender. All his appearances are just manifestations."
Si Qing suddenly understood: "So he's a monster without even a human body. No wonder when I faced him earlier, his voice sounded gentle, and his physique was neither male nor female. I couldn't tell if he was handsome or not."
Yan Hua glanced over from the side: "I had that feeling last time, I just never said it."
Chen Xi quickly nodded, indicating he had the same thought.
Just then, the sky in the distance suddenly darkened, and a biting cold wind swept through the surroundings.
Shao Feng looked up.
The Blood Demon Fiend's form finally appeared in everyone's sight.
"This, this is indeed the great demon who controls the Heavenly Dao," exclaimed one of the Winged Tiger tribe soldiers, pointing at the Blood Demon Fiend and shouting to others.
The crowd looked at the Blood Demon Fiend, their faces displaying a mixture of anger, fear, and other emotions.
The Blood Demon Fiend completely disregarded the rabble, his gaze meeting the eyes of Yue Zhi Yin, An Nuo, Shao Feng, Yan Hua, Chen Xi, and others. He sneered:
"Yan Hua, last time I didn't want to reveal myself, and my cultivation was not yet complete, which is why I was hesitant and didn't engage you, allowing you to escape."
"This time, you won't be so lucky."
"The battle hasn't even started. Save your boasts for later, lest you accidentally bite your own tongue."
Yan Hua's expression was calm. He stepped on auspicious clouds, his form growing larger, standing at the same height as the Blood Demon Fiend. He held a pure gold spear and met the Blood Demon Fiend's gaze:
"Oh, I forgot. A demon like you even needs to borrow others' bodies. Now that you've lost the shell of the Heavenly Dao, you're just a mass of fiendish energy. I doubt you can even bite your tongue."
Hearing this, the Blood Demon Fiend's eyes suddenly turned cold. He raised his hand and struck fiercely towards Yan Hua's chest.