Bai Sha still didn’t dare to relax. The Undersea Palace remained. The dishes on the two tables still emanated their enticing aroma.
“This is…” The other Demon Cultivators stared at Bai Sha with wide eyes, almost thinking they were seeing things.
The Star River Tortoise couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Bai Sha, what is that?”
Bai Sha’s expression was calm. “Don’t mind it too much. I simply possess an ancient Forbidden Artifact at the Demon Core level.”
An ancient Demon Core level Forbidden Artifact? The surrounding Demon Cultivators couldn’t help but gasp. The value of such a treasure was unimaginable. Generally, Foundation Establishment stage Demon Cultivators couldn’t possess something like it. Some demons privately grumbled, wondering why Bai Sha hadn’t brought it out sooner if she had such a thing. But these were thoughts they only dared to entertain in their hearts; no one dared voice them in front of her.
Bai Sha’s gaze swept over the group, guessing their inner thoughts, but she couldn’t be bothered to address them.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Bai Sha said seriously. “I’ve temporarily trapped Jian Hu with my Forbidden Artifact, but that doesn’t mean the trouble we face is over. Don’t forget, according to our guess, Jian Hu and even the whole Bloodthirsty Territory are aberrations caused by the Wailing Abyss’s influence. Jian Hu was just a part of the Eerie, not the Eerie itself.”
Hearing this, the Demon Cultivators’ hearts grew stern. She was right. Now wasn’t the time to let their guard down.
“Let’s try to leave this place first,” the Star River Tortoise said. He glanced at his subordinates and finally settled his gaze on the Diamond Turtle. Its shell looked like it was forged from diamonds, a true work of art. Seeing its leader’s look, the Diamond Turtle understood the meaning: the Star River Tortoise wanted it to try leaving the Undersea Palace. Because the risk was unknown, someone else had to test it first.
The Diamond Turtle hesitated. Earlier, the Sea-Swallowing Turtle had been the one testing things for the Star River Tortoise, and it had ended up as a dish on the table. That left a bit of a shadow in its heart.
Seeing the Diamond Turtle’s delay, a flash of displeasure appeared in the Star River Tortoise’s eyes. But before he could say anything, another Demon Cultivator lost patience and headed for the palace exit.
Since others were acting, the Star River Tortoise said no more, just watching them go. It was a Hedgehog Fish—a creature that looked like a cross between a hedgehog and a fish, its body covered in barbs. The Hedgehog Fish was fast, reaching the palace gates in the blink of an eye and leaving under the others’ watchful gazes.
“He got out?” a Demon Cultivator asked urgently, deeply invested in this matter of life and death.
“No, he didn’t leave,” Bai Sha denied it.
“How can you be sure he didn’t?” The Star River Tortoise looked over at her.
“Haven’t you noticed?” Bai Sha’s gaze was cool and clear. “There’s another dish on the table.”
Hearing this, the Demon Cultivators quickly looked toward the tables, and their faces turned ghastly pale. The first table held turtle soup. The second held braised shrimp. Now, a dish had finally appeared on the third table: it looked like poached Hedgehog Fish. Smelling the delicate fragrance wafting from it, none of the demons felt any appetite—only a creeping horror filled their hearts. They couldn’t leave. Leaving meant becoming a dish.
The Diamond Turtle, which hadn’t followed the Star River Tortoise’s order, felt a deep sense of relief at having escaped a calamity. If it had obeyed, what would’ve appeared wouldn’t be poached Hedgehog Fish—it would likely be a second pot of turtle soup, or some other dish. A seed of resentment toward its leader sprouted in the Diamond Turtle’s heart.
“So we can’t leave? What do we do? Just stay here and wait?” a Demon Cultivator asked. Clearly, none of them had an answer. Bai Sha had no solution either. It seemed they could only wait.
She picked up the Shattering Mirror and looked again. Inside, Jian Hu’s body had been utterly crushed. But as she had said, Jian Hu was just a part of the Eerie, not the source. Getting rid of him didn’t mean the Eerie influence was dispelled. What should they do?
Silence returned to the Undersea Palace. Every Demon Cultivator racked their brain, desperate for their lives. But all the knowledge they had accumulated over their lives was useless in this situation. This was the Eerie. And the Eerie could not be dealt with using common sense.
“Why is the smell getting stronger?” someone muttered.
Hearing this, the demons instinctively sniffed the air and realized that besides the aromas of the three existing dishes, a new scent had appeared. A hair-raising thought struck them, and they whipped their heads toward the tables.
On the fourth table, a dish had appeared at some unknown point.
“That’s the Crescent Moon Shark,” Bai Sha said, her expression shifting. Besides her and Yin Sha, the only other shark-type Demon Cultivator here had been the Crescent Moon Shark. But now it sat on the table in the form of a grilled shark. Every demon felt a chill invade their body, their hearts trembling. No one knew when the grilled shark had appeared. It was as if, in a blink, one of their group had become a course on the table.
“Even staying here is useless? Any of us could become a dish at any moment?” Bai Sha murmured. Her words drained the blood from the others’ faces, making them tremble all over. They were alive now, but that could change in a moment. No one knew if they’d be the next dish. A feeling of despair settled over the group. What could they do? It seemed there was nothing left to do. Perhaps their lives would end here.
At that moment, Bai Sha felt Yin Sha poke her with a pectoral fin. She turned to look. Yin Sha whispered, “Bai Sha, come with me for a moment. I have something to say to you.”
Bai Sha was speechless for a moment, but seeing Yin Sha head toward a corner of the Undersea Palace, she could only follow.
The scenery of the Undersea Palace was truly beautiful, its ornaments so aesthetically perfect, like a vision that could only appear in a dream. Yet within that beauty lurked ultimate danger.
Once they were in the corner, Yin Sha whispered, “Bai Sha, we might die here, right?”
