The one at the door was, of course, the old man among the Devil Cultivators. But the old man’s expression at this moment was not pleasant at all.
His gaze swept the room, then he asked in a grave voice, “Has any abnormal change occurred among you?”
The many Demon Cultivators all shook their heads.
Seeing the old man’s eyes fixed on him, the Star River Tortoise had no choice but to answer in more detail. “Everything here is stable. Moreover, we’ve discovered that the Eerie may have disappeared.”
The old man immediately pressed, “the Eerie disappeared? Explain.”
The Star River Tortoise replied, “Before, every hour, one Demon Cultivator would become food. And it’s now been an hour since the Hundred-Leaf Seahorse became food, yet we haven’t had another incident.”
Disappointment crept into the old man’s eyes. “That’s all?”
The Star River Tortoise could see the old man’s disappointment and felt somewhat puzzled.
Bai Sha chose this moment to speak. “Esteemed Devil Cultivator Senior, has something gone wrong outside?”
Hearing her voice, the old man looked over.
After sizing up Bai Sha, the old man said in a deep voice, “You’re a clever shark. Something has indeed gone wrong outside. The reason none of you have become food is because the one who became food was one of our Devil Cultivators.”
Upon these words, the expressions of the many Demon Cultivators shifted.
The old man did not hide the truth, continuing to explain the outside situation. He told them that an ordinary Devil Cultivator disciple had turned into a human barbecue.
This was undoubtedly a terrifying matter, throwing the remaining Devil Cultivators on this Heavenly Devil Ship into disarray.
It was precisely because this had happened that the old man had immediately come here to investigate.
“I understand the situation now.” Bai Sha looked at the old man. “The infection of the Eerie has spread. You’ve all been infected too.”
The old man’s expression darkened.
The Eerie spreading—this was not good news at all.
When they had captured Bai Sha and the other Demon Cultivators and placed them in this cabin, they had clearly employed all manner of isolation measures. Even when taking the seahorse soup out for study, they had not neglected those isolation procedures. And yet, they still couldn’t deal with the Eerie?
Why was this?
The old man felt an immense pressure settle upon him.
He said nothing more, turned, and left.
But not long after, the old man returned. This time, he was accompanied by a number of Devil Cultivators, all entering the cabin together.
What was this about?
The many Demon Cultivators grew tense at this display.
“We are about to begin studying you. I hope you will cooperate obediently.”
The old man spoke coldly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the ten Devil Cultivators who had followed him immediately brought out ten Array Plates and set them on the ground. A layer of hazy green light radiated outward, covering an area roughly three meters in diameter and enveloping them within.
Then the old man waved his hand, and ten Demon Cultivators were irresistibly pulled over and thrown into the different array zones.
As they entered the arrays, the Devil Cultivators inside promptly brought out even more Array Plates, setting up additional arrays.
Beyond that, they produced all manner of strange Magical Tools, prepared a variety of strange Pills, took out Talisman Papers, and cast mysterious spells… It was clear that a research session was unfolding before their very eyes.
Yin Sha whispered to Bai Sha, “The first array is a Disintegration Array, which can isolate all forces except designated ones. These Disintegration Arrays are at least at the Transformation Stage level. The arrays after that…”
When it came to arrays, Yin Sha was undoubtedly extremely knowledgeable, for she was a prodigiously talented Array Master.
Even if she couldn’t counter Transformation Stage arrays, she could at least recognize them without fail.
But what Yin Sha understood was limited to arrays. As for the other research tools the Devil Cultivators brought out, Yin Sha had no idea what they were.
The Demon Cultivators who had not been selected stayed in the corners of the cabin, watching as the Devil Cultivators’ research proceeded.
The various arrays were what the Devil Cultivators used to observe the Demon Cultivators’ physical conditions. They also had the Demon Cultivators swallow various Pills from time to time. The spells they cast were exquisitely refined, and when their own spell levels were insufficient, they would use Talisman Papers instead.
The research was not a short process. As it progressed in full swing, the leading old man remained at the side, watching.
An hour passed just like this.
Then, at a certain moment, everyone smelled a fragrance and instinctively turned toward its source.
Within one of the hazy green arrays, a Devil Cultivator who had been conducting research was frozen stiff. Before him, a pot of stir-fried turtle meat now sat there.
“It’s the Diamond Turtle!”
A commotion arose among the Demon Cultivators.
Under the Star River Tortoise’s command were the Diamond Turtle, the Sea-Swallowing Turtle, the Profound Mechanism Tortoise, and the Mountain-Coiling Turtle. Back in the Undersea Palace, the Sea-Swallowing Turtle had already been turned into a delicacy. The Diamond Turtle had nearly met the same fate but survived because it had disobeyed the Star River Tortoise’s order to scout ahead. Yet no one expected it had merely clung to life for a little while longer.
“What happened here?” The old man immediately demanded of the Devil Cultivator there. “What did you discover just now?”
The Devil Cultivator was a middle-aged man, and his face was rather pale. “Steward, I didn’t detect anything at all. It happened in an instant. The Diamond Turtle I was studying simply… turned into this.”
The middle-aged Devil Cultivator was deeply afraid.
Because the arrays they had set up were designed on the premise of being able to isolate the Eerie. Yet even so, the Diamond Turtle had still met with an accident inside the array. They now had reason to believe that the arrays were utterly useless against the Eerie.
The old man fell silent for a moment, then said, “Continue the research.”
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and another Demon Cultivator was moved over to take the Diamond Turtle’s original place.
As for the stir-fried turtle meat, the old man retrieved it remotely.
“Steward.” The middle-aged Devil Cultivator’s expression was grim. “May I use my monthly leave and leave this Heavenly Devil Ship first?”
“What did you say?” The old man’s gaze instantly turned icy. “Do you even understand what you’re saying? The Eerie has already spread. All of us have been infected by it. Do you want to transmit the Eerie to other locations?”
The middle-aged Devil Cultivator was at a loss for words.
The old man snorted coldly. “I know you’re afraid, but you will bear that fear whether you like it or not. Word of the Eerie’s spread has already been sent to Lord Di Tian. Lord Di Tian will take appropriate measures.”
Hearing this last sentence, the middle-aged Devil Cultivator finally felt a little more at ease.
To the Devil Cultivators of the Heavenly Devil Palace, the Devil Maiden and Devil Sons were synonymous with power. It seemed that no matter what the issue, as long as one of them was involved, it could certainly be resolved.
“Continue the research.”
After giving this order, the old man remotely controlled the stir-fried turtle meat, preparing to take it outside.
“Wait.”
At this moment, the Star River Tortoise suddenly spoke up, stopping the old man.
