The man pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on Yue Tianxia. Xiao Man could have killed Yue Tianxia, yet she hadn't. Could it be she wanted to capture Yue Tianxia alive? He then struck Yue Tianxia unconscious, coiling his iron whip around the man's neck: "Xiao Man, I know you're still here. I'll count to three. If you don't show yourself, I'll kill him!"
A moment later, Xiao Man emerged from her hiding place, looking indifferently at the man holding Yue Tianxia hostage.
"Yue Tianxia is the person I want to kill. Are you threatening the wrong person by using him?"
"If you wanted a corpse, you wouldn't have come out," the man said to Xiao Man, his voice echoing softly. "It's clear you don't want a corpse, but rather to obtain something you desire from him."
Xiao Man's expression remained calm as she looked at the man. "He killed my family, my kin. What do you think I want from him?"
"If you didn't want something from him, you wouldn't have relentlessly pursued him," the man stated with certainty. He knew Xiao Man was pursuing Yue Tianxia to obtain something, and he didn't care what it was. He only wanted one thing: what was inside the coffin.
Xiao Man slowly advanced. The iron whip in the man's hand transformed into a sword covered in barbs. With a slight press, a bloody line appeared on Yue Tianxia's neck, and blood gushed out. Xiao Man immediately halted her steps.
"Since you don't want him alive, keep moving forward," the man sneered. "If you want him alive, I'll give him to you. Open this coffin."
"You think too highly of me. If you can't open it, how could I possibly?"
"You can even open the Demon Lord's seal. This shouldn't be difficult for you. Open the coffin, and I'll give you Yue Tianxia. Otherwise, after I kill Yue Tianxia and capture you, I'll force you to open it. It's all the same."
"Are you sure you can capture me before your poison takes effect?" Xiao Man asked unhurriedly. "This is the Xuan clan's royal palace. Every wall and tile here is infused with Meteor Fire Stone, which restrains the Celestial Demon race. Even if you have a secret treasure that temporarily shields you from the Meteor Fire Stone's damage, it cannot isolate you from its effects. The longer we stay, the more disadvantageous it will be for you."
The man narrowed his eyes. Of course, he knew that the longer he stayed here, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. But it was the same for Xiao Man. As a direct descendant of the Qin clan, if she stayed here too long, the demonic poison within her would erupt, transforming her into a Hundred Corpse.
"The situation is disadvantageous for me, and equally for you," the man steadied his mind. "I can still move freely here, but what about you? If the demonic poison in your body is triggered, you will soon transform into a Hundred Corpse."
"Oh, really?" Xiao Man sneered repeatedly. "In that case, let's try it and see who can't hold on first."
The man looked at Xiao Man suspiciously. All cultivators in Cang Xuan were poisoned, and they couldn't withstand the energy of the Meteor Fire Stone, quickly turning into demons. Once Xiao Man transformed, she would be incapable of opening the coffin.
The man pondered for a moment and was about to bring his sword down to sever Yue Tianxia's head. In his opinion, if Xiao Man didn't care about Yue Tianxia's life, she wouldn't have emerged when he held the sword to Yue Tianxia's neck.
"Act!" Xiao Man let out a sharp cry. The man froze, not understanding what was happening. A sword suddenly emerged beside him, deflecting the sword he was about to strike with, and instantly snatched Yue Tianxia from his grasp.
The man reacted instantly, channeling his energy to pursue. However, Xiao Man had already caught up, forcing the man back. With their prize in hand, they vanished instantly.
"Invisibility artifact!" the man gritted his teeth. "Do you think you can escape using an invisibility artifact here?"
Xiao Man snorted coldly. It seemed Yue Tianxia wasn't entirely loyal to these people; they hadn't told them that she possessed a heaven-defying divine artifact like the Tongtian Pagoda.
"Xiao Man, Yue Tianxia has already transformed," the man said, seeing that Xiao Man wasn't emerging, a thought flashing through his mind. "What you want from him is probably unattainable. Perhaps if you cooperate with me, I can tell you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Man rushed to check Yue Tianxia. Indeed, white downy hair was starting to grow on Yue Tianxia's body, just like a Hundred Corpse. He had indeed transformed. She couldn't help but collapse onto the ground.
"Man'er, perhaps the Celestial Demon race..."
"We absolutely cannot let the Celestial Demon race know of Xiao Junyan's existence, otherwise, they will do anything to harm Xiao Junyan," Xiao Man refused without hesitation. Even if she could never return to the Yong'an Continent, she would never expose Xiao Junyan's existence.
"Man'er..." Nangong Yu wanted to comfort Xiao Man but didn't know how to begin. Yue Tianxia was dead, Tianze had been captured by the Celestial Demon race, and they were now in dire straits. Wait, there was still hope. "Man'er, there is one more person who should know how to return to the Yong'an Continent."
"One more person..." Xiao Man's expression was somewhat dazed. Who else?
"Tianze, he fell into the hands of the Celestial Demon race. We were going to rescue him anyway, so it's convenient."
Xiao Man instantly realized. That's right, Tianze had followed Yue Tianxia and seized the opportunity to bring Xuan Xin's primordial spirit to the Yong'an Continent. He should know how to return to the Yong'an Continent.
"Let's capture this person together and interrogate him about Tianze's whereabouts," Xiao Man calmed herself. Yue Tianxia was no longer reliable, and Tianze was likely to know the method to reach the Yong'an Continent. She had to find Tianze's whereabouts first.
"Alright."
"Xiao Man, opposing the Celestial Demon race will not end well. We have no real enmity between us. Why don't we sit down and talk?"
"Talk about what?"
"Cooperation," the man said, knowing Xiao Man was tempted. "I assume you are also very worried about the demonic bloodline within you. I can tell you how to remove the demonic bloodline."
"This is one of your demon race's core methods of controlling humans. How can you tell me so easily?"
"You open the coffin and let me take what's inside, and I'll tell you the method to remove the demonic bloodline. This deal isn't a loss, is it?" the man said steadily. "Even better, I can recommend you to the Divine Lord, and you can have a place among our divine race."
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Xiao Man's voice seemed to echo throughout the entire space. "I wonder if you could show some sincerity first."
"Sincerity?" the man frowned slightly. "What would be considered sincere?"
"You captured my person," Xiao Man said unhurriedly. "Why don't you release my person first?"
"You mean Lei Tianze, who trespassed into the Divine race's forbidden grounds?" the man reacted instantly, after all, Lei Tianze was the pride of the Tian Xuan Sect and someone the Divine Lord favored. "Don't worry, he is safe now. If you want to see him, I can take you."