Once again, the Million Starlight Palace was the center of upheaval.

Were the demons from the Heavenly Demon Stellar River actually kidnapping Yun Lingchen from the Elysian Immortal Palace, forcing Yun Xiao to intervene?

This situation seemed quite peculiar to the denizens of the Heavenly Deity Stellar River.

Historically, the Elysian Immortal Palace had been closely aligned with the Southern Divine Dragon Realm, and considering the relationship between the Heavenly Deity Stellar River and the Southern Divine Dragon Realm… weren’t the demons and Yun Lingchen on the same side?

And wasn’t Yun Xiao, representing the Harmony Divine Palace, supposed to be their enemy?

Yet now, Yun Xiao and Feng Yao were rushing to save the young princess of the Elysian Immortal Palace.

Did this imply that the Elysian Immortal Palace was now leaning towards the Harmony Divine Palace?

The crowd was abuzz with speculation, all eyes on Yun Sheng, Wan Ji, and others. Their interactions seemed ordinary at a glance, but they couldn't help but fuel wild theories.

Nothing seemed to be making sense!

Given the power dynamics and backgrounds of the Southern Divine Dragon Realm and Harmony Divine Palace, even if the latter had gained immense power, it seemed unlikely for the Elysian Immortal Palace to switch sides so abruptly.

So, the kidnapping of Yun Lingchen felt particularly strange to the people of the Heavenly Deity Stellar River.

But Yun Xiao’s rescue mission was a fact.

In such times, people had to consider the broader implications for the Heavenly Deity Stellar River.

“These despicable demons!”

“The Southern Divine Dragon Realm has gotten too close to them, which isn’t good. I fear they might betray the interests of the Heavenly Deity Stellar River and become puppets of these demons!”

“It’s certainly possible…”

“Let’s hope Yun Xiao can handle this and teach these demons a harsh lesson! They’ve been troubling us on the borders, encroaching on our territory for years!”

“It’s tough! These demons gather too quickly, each of them very powerful, all at or above the Fifth Baptism Realm, and there are many of them. How can Yun Xiao and Feng Yao alone take them on?”

“Indeed, it’s like facing over 30 Young Dragon Lords at once.”

“And not just any! The Young Dragon Lords from the Dragon Devil Clans are in the Early Fifth Baptism Realm. But these demons are terrifyingly strong, many in the Mid, Late, or even the Perfect stage!”

“What’s more exaggerated is that there might be some in the Sixth Baptism Realm!”

“The Sixth Baptism Realm, that’s the level of my master’s master. I can't imagine it. Not even 50 years old and close to the status of a Heavenly Monarch, how terrifying…”

As the conflict escalated to a clash between Stellar Rivers, Yun Xiao, despite the slim odds, garnered significant support from the disciples and powerhouses of the Heavenly Deity Stellar River.

With the Stellar River as a boundary, even though Yun Xiao came from the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, he was considered one of their own!

In contrast, the demons, being outsiders of their Stellar River, only had the Dragon Devil Clan, who were known for forming alliances everywhere, possibly siding with them.

“Yun Xiao, take down those little beasts!”

Voices erupted within the Heavenly Deity Stellar River area of the Million Starlight Palace.

To prevent interstellar conflicts, the seating for the Heavenly Deity Stellar River area was positioned quite far from the center.

Yet, even from a distance, the sinister laughter of the group of demons could be faintly heard, their cruel and cold chuckles exerting immense pressure on the Heavenly Deity Stellar River side.

The cultivators could only withstand this pressure, gritting their teeth as they stared at the blurry starlight screen, anxiously awaiting the outcome.

▬ι══🪦✧⚰️✧🪦══ι▬

Back in the Ancestor Immortal Grotto, Yun Xiao’s cold gaze swept over the demons, his brow furrowing.

They numbered many, exactly 33!

Such gathering speed was indeed astonishing, likely unmatched elsewhere in the Ancestor Immortal Grotto.

This was a specialty of the demons, but the problem was there were only 33 demons.

“Where is Yun Lingchen?” Yun Xiao asked coolly.

“Want to see her?” a chilling voice replied.

Yun Xiao looked towards the group of demons.

The demons parted to create a path, revealing a young man dressed in blue with pale skin. He was tall and slender, his eyes sunken, giving him a somewhat unhealthy appearance, and his body radiated a cold aura.

His lower half consisted of white tentacles, five to six feet long, with dozens of them—half equipped with suction cups, the other half with sharp spikes.

The tentacles with suction cups exuded an aura of death, while those with spikes resembled rigid steel whips.

His pale lips, tongue, and lifeless eyes only added to the eerie impression he made.

Clearly, he was also a demon, but distinctly different from the others. Yun Xiao couldn’t immediately tell what set him apart.

Nonetheless, there was no denying the significant threat he posed.

Yun Xiao furrowed his brow and addressed the peculiar demon. “I'm here as promised. Let her go. If you have any grievances, direct them at me. There’s no need to harm the innocent.”

The blue-robed demon, bathed in a vortex of death, stared with vacant, zombie-like eyes, but its laughter was chilling as it said, "Cross here and move forward, and you'll see her. The problem is—"

"What's the problem?" Yun Xiao asked, almost amused.

"The problem is, you can’t get past here," the blue-robed demon replied with a cold laugh.

It was clear that this trap was indeed set for Yun Xiao, and the demon was cunning, keeping Yun Lingchen out of sight to maintain leverage over Yun Xiao.

Should anything unexpected occur, it could still use her to continue threatening him.

“Necrosquids!”

Just then, Zu Xi and four others caught up, spotting the assembled demons, including one from the Blue Necrosquid demon tribe. Their expressions turned grave, tinged with nervousness.

“What’s that?” Yun Xiao asked.

“Death demons capable of breeding and succession, common across many Stellar Rivers. They like to lurk behind the scenes, controlling everything. The Heavenly Demon Stellar River is now one of their strongholds... But they usually don’t attend the Grand Assembly of Myriad Sects,” said Zu Xi as he gritted his teeth.

The Necrosquid's actions, indeed different from other demons and devils, frustrated Yun Xiao with his trickery.

“Yun Xiao, don’t act yet. Let me negotiate with him to see if we can release Yun Lingchen first. If we can, then you can look for a chance to escape,” Zu Xi quickly said.

“No need,” Yun Xiao replied, his response short and decisive as he headed straight towards the group of demons.

Feng Yao, without a second thought, followed him, then quickened her pace to walk beside him. She felt it added to their imposing presence.

“No need?” Zu Xi was momentarily at a loss for words.

Were the two overly confident? Did they not realize how troublesome these 33 demons were?

“Should we help?” Mu Xihe asked in a low, tense voice.

“Let’s watch for a moment. If they can’t hold on…” Zu Xi started.

“If they can’t hold on, we retreat?” Mu Xihe interrupted.

Zu Xi gave her a look and said, “This is a conflict between two great Stellar Rivers; how can we retreat? If those two can’t hold on, we’ll have to step in!”

Mu Xihe, seeing that the other three showed no intention of leaving, relented. She knew their ability to distract the enemies was limited and wouldn’t change the overall tide of battle.

"Among the 33 demons, the one called Squidit from the Blue Necrosquid demon tribe, was suspected to be at the Sixth Baptism Realm. He's on par with an Ancestral Sage from our Ancestral Land," Mu Xihe said, her face paling slightly.

"Let's see," Zu Xi said, gripping her hand, his heart racing.

Across from Zu Xi and Mu Xihe, the other 32 demons gathered around Squidit. Although they mostly had human forms, they were bizarre and eerily grotesque.

"What is this human doing?" a demon asked. It had a gold bracelet around its neck, wrapped in a golden mist. Its body was very solid, and the voices of those driven to death by greed could be heard emanating from it.

"He wants to directly suppress us and force us to lead him to Yun Lingchen," Squidit said, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

"So arrogant," another demon beside Squidit commented.

This demon resembled a person surrounded by curtains, its interior empty except for countless pale flames.

Gold Bracelet, and Flame Curtain... These demons born from greed and lustful desires were among the strongest of the Heavenly Demon Stellar River.

Besides these two, Squidit was accompanied by Toxic Tears, a demon formed of countless teardrops, as well as Wood Grudge, Blood Tomb, Weeper, and many others with frightening and bizarre appearances.

Weeper, in particular, resembled a pitiful little girl in tattered clothes. With an innocent face and large, fearful eyes, she was constantly sobbing, causing great annoyance.

These 33 demons, each unique and menacing, frightened Feng Yao a bit, causing her to instinctively hide behind Yun Xiao again.

To her, Yun Xiao's shoulders might not have been the broadest, but they sincerely gave a sense of security.

Yun Xiao's current defiance was, in itself, a significant provocation to the 33 demons!

They had expected to see the young man bow his head, seek peace, or show some conciliatory behavior. Yet under such circumstances, he dared to confront 33 talented demons with just himself and one other?

The young demon from the Blue Necrosquid demon tribe narrowed his dark blue eyes and coldly pointed, saying, "Take this Supreme Yin Cauldron, but don't damage it. I'll have my fun with him."

"Yes!"

The 32 obedient demons transformed into their demonic forms—strange, bizarre, indescribable forms—and spread out, encircling Yun Xiao and Feng Yao in a hellish trap.

"I'll go grill up some squid, you handle the rest. Can you hold them off?" Yun Xiao turned to ask Feng Yao.

Feng Yao responded in shock, "Are you crazy? Of course, I can't hold them off!"

"Good, just hold them off slowly then," Yun Xiao said.

"What?" Feng Yao was flabbergasted.

Was he even human? There were 33 opponents and he assigned only one to himself?

Heroes usually saved the damsel in distress. But here he was, using the damsel as a shield!

Before Feng Yao could react, the audacious young man blinked and vanished from sight!