Plop!
The giant palm moved with incredible speed, striking the Heavenly Pool in the blink of an eye.
However, to everyone's surprise, the Heavenly Pool remained undisturbed, showing no ripples. It was as if the giant palm had not struck it at all.
"Strange..."
Witnessing this, everyone found it very peculiar.
But then.
Hum hum hum!
As soon as the thought arose, a colossal surge of spiritual energy erupted from within the Heavenly Pool, permeating the dense space of the Demon Court. It lingered, complementing the outer spirit gathering array. This further intensified the spiritual energy contained within the air.
"What… what is happening!"
"How is this possible? How can it be more concentrated than the previous spiritual spring?"
"The Heavenly Pool was just an ordinary lake, how could such a major anomaly occur?"
...
Feeling the spiritual energy in the air, Karl and his companions were utterly shocked. This was something they could never have imagined.
In contrast, the many demon beasts within the Demon Court appeared unfazed, as if accustomed to such sights.
Just then, Ao Yuan's calm voice echoed, "Bai Ling, well done."
"Heh heh." Bai Ling chuckled and picked up another skewer of fried food, eating it with gusto.
"This… Dragon God Lord, what exactly is going on?" Karl shuddered. Although he knew Ao Yuan's status was far superior to his, he couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked.
Ao Yuan glanced at Karl, smiled without answering, then pointed at Bai Ling and said, "Bai Ling, you explain."
"Oh."
Bai Ling turned to Karl and his group, still eating fried skewers, and said calmly, "It's actually quite simple."
"Dragon God Lord transferred the spiritual spring into the Heavenly Pool."
"Although the spiritual spring would be diluted, if it's continuously under the spirit gathering array, the spiritual spring hidden beneath the Heavenly Pool would surely be stimulated."
"Turning the entire Heavenly Pool into a spiritual spring was merely a matter of time."
Saying this, Bai Ling tilted her head back, ate a skewer, and grinned, "But you don't know, I'm skilled in formations!"
"I can use formations to gather the spiritual energy from the spirit gathering array into one place."
"Then, with another strike, I further stimulated the Heavenly Pool, which would have needed slow precipitation."
"The rest is what you see now."
After Bai Ling's explanation, Karl and the others remained bewildered. They completely failed to grasp the underlying principles.
However, even without understanding, they learned one thing. That in the Demon Court, it wasn't just Ao Yuan who was an anomaly; the core disciples of the Demon Court were all anomalies. The only difference was that these anomalies had been guided by Ao Yuan himself.
"Dragon God Lord!"
With this thought, Karl and the others took a deep breath and looked at Ao Yuan with renewed solemnity.
"Hm?" Ao Yuan looked at them curiously.
Splash.
With a plop, Karl and his companions knelt on the ground. They kowtowed three times to Ao Yuan and, in unison, shouted, "Dragon God Lord, please accept us."
"Dragon God Lord, we are willing to join the Demon Court."
"Dragon God Lord, as long as we can join the Demon Court, we will do anything you ask!"
...
They spoke one after another, their expressions sincere. If their previous gifting of the spiritual spring was merely out of fear of Ao Yuan's retaliation and a desire to build a relationship with him, then after arriving at the Demon Court, Ao Yuan's actions had deeply impressed them. To be able to join the Demon Court would be overwhelmingly beneficial for them!
Ao Yuan looked at them strangely, "You… wish to join the Demon Court?"
"Do you know this is the realm of demon beasts?"
"We know," Karl and the others replied without hesitation, their voices firm. "But we are willing!"
Ao Yuan pondered for a moment and didn't refuse them. "You should know our rules in the Demon Court."
"Once you join, it's not so easy to leave."
"And although your strength is great, you will have to start from the outer reaches of the Demon Court at first."
"What you can achieve later will depend on your own abilities."
"If you agree to these terms, then I have no objections."
"We thank Dragon God Lord!"
As soon as Ao Yuan finished speaking, Karl and his group responded immediately, without any hesitation. They had come to understand how powerful Ao Yuan was and how alluring the Demon Court was. Before, they hadn't understood why these demon kings stayed so peacefully within the Demon Court. But now they understood. The Demon Court was truly exceptional, and its potential was far greater than the outside world. They wondered when they could possibly cultivate to the level of Bai Ling or Hei Xi if they were to cultivate on their own. Previously, their strength was nowhere near comparable to theirs, and they couldn't even defeat ordinary Heaven Ranking experts!
With their joining, the Demon Court fell into a period of quiet dedication over the next few days. It seemed every demon beast knew what was to come and was doing their utmost to cultivate. This included the various demon kings within the Demon Court.
During this time, Ao Yuan found himself with little to do. He had accumulated a significant number of evolution points from Blood Ancestor and the God of Ice Seal, which he had been holding back. During this period, Ao Yuan, apart from his daily affairs, would chat with Dai Xiaomei, Mozi, and Elder Long about the rift.
Up to this point, the news had not spread. As the rift widened, various nations had dispatched their strongest warriors to station themselves there to prevent any unforeseen events. The past few days had been relatively calm, with the rift only widening bit by bit. Although the general public was unaware of the situation, they could sense the palpable tension in the air. Consequently, countless netizens began quietly inquiring online about what was happening. Unfortunately, no one online could provide a definitive explanation. Instead, there were numerous bizarre speculations. Some guessed that the spiritual energy revival on Blue Star would lead to a significant surge. Others wondered if aliens were about to descend upon Blue Star. Still others speculated if a war was imminent between humans and demons. In short, there were all sorts of wild and unbelievable theories. Some of the more imaginative ones made Ao Yuan admire their creativity when he saw them online.
As things progressed, a full week passed.
On this day! Within the rift area!
The leaders of dozens of nations gathered. Their brows were furrowed, and they gazed intently towards the direction of the rift. After such a prolonged period, the terrifying aura emanating from within had become even more potent, as if something was on the verge of bursting forth.
"How are the preparations coming along?" one national leader asked, looking at the rift with a somber tone.
"All preparations are complete."
"We have the nuclear warheads ready to seal off this area."
"As soon as the target appears, we can launch them immediately!"