Having said that, Hu laughed and gave Li Ang a glance. "Actually, I can also see the outside world from in here. Weren't you all outside just now, arguing about how to pollute the crown atop Shuiyun's head?"
Before Li Ang could keep a straight face and start lying, the Drought Demon waved her hand, signaling that she didn't care. "Those snobs at the Heterodox Academy had predicted what would happen and specifically hired me to stay here.
Besides, even without me, a mere ten thousand people's Ritual track wouldn't be able to affect Shuiyun at all—the demonic aura from the creatures above has mostly been consumed by me over the years, leaving little to no surplus.
Moreover, Shuiyun herself is quite adept at the Illusion Technique, so influencing her would require another hundred thousand people or so.
No matter what the Heterodox Academy or the Kuiyang Sect told you, they all lied.
Or perhaps those whose traditions have nearly died out don't even know the specifics themselves."
The Drought Demon thought for a moment, then answered carelessly, "What do you think the Demon Prison is? A stable and impenetrable jail? A high-tech animal laboratory?
This thing has its own consciousness, okay.
It was originally a living being that the Heterodox Academy somehow acquired and forcibly turned into a prison.
Over such a long period, it has developed its own consciousness. It is merely confined by the Heterodox Academy's Formation, unable to escape.
After the snobs from the Heterodox Academy died off, it has always been in a corner that neither I nor Shuiyun could see, and it has been secretly using those demons to do all sorts of mysterious deeds.
Rather than saying Shuiyun and I are the lowly prison guards,
it's more accurate to say that I, Shuiyun, and the Demon Prison itself, are all just prisoners."
Hu sneered mockingly and said slowly, "The time set by the Heterodox Academy for us is not just the moment when Shuiyun and I leave,
it is also the day when the Heterodox Academy's Formation will completely fail.
The self-aware Demon Prison, seen as a jail with legs, will inevitably sneak away from here sooner or later.
Oh, by the way, its way of thinking and being is totally different from an individual life-form, and it's not about being strong or weak—it is the embodiment of the rules of the Demon Tide.
Neither I nor Shuiyun can affect it in any way, let alone destroy it, just like you humans cannot permanently erase a hurricane.
It is a type of inevitable existence, an inevitable Natural Disaster of the Demon Tide."
Li Ang took a deep breath and asked, "... What exactly does the Demon Tide look like?"
"Myriads of demons will be set loose batch by batch, I suppose?"
Hu said uncertainly, "Based on the restrictions those snobs set and my understanding of this thing,
the weaker demons are more likely to break free from here, while the stronger ones have a harder time escaping—even the Demon Prison itself can't directly release the demons from the last few layers.
Heh, this is actually good news for you. You have enough time to prepare. Although there will be sacrifices, at least you don't have to worry about your entire civilization suddenly dying off."
Li Ang pursed his lips. "Is there no way to stop the Demon Tide?"
"It's impossible."
The Drought Demon revealed a mocking smile. "Do you think the Heterodox Academy never thought about eradicating the demons completely?
Heh, demons can't be completely eliminated. Like everything else, they are a cornerstone of the world.
And I've said it before, the Demon Prison is a living being with self-awareness, an embodiment of the Demon Tide. Over the years, who knows how many secret spaces it has developed within itself, how many demons it has bred and nurtured.
Some of these new generations of demons are not much weaker than those big demons from our era.
Oh, by the way, don't expect me and Shuiyun to help you eradicate all the demons here before we leave.
If we take action, we might directly destroy the restraints that the Heterodox Academy has set up for the Demon Prison,
and both Shuiyun and I were tricked into coming here, so we have no reason or obligation to help out beyond our contract.
Considering the age of dragons, Shuiyun was only eight when she was tricked into becoming a prison guard. Those big-nosed bastards truly are inhumane.
Moreover, if we really talk about kinship, we are actually closer to the demons here than to you—even though many of them are artificially bred low-level hybrids."
Li Ang was silent for a long while before he asked the powerful mythical being that seemed as ancient as history itself, "Where will the Demon Prison go after you leave?"
"Who knows? The sky? The sea?"
Hu said casually, "If you're lucky, maybe this thing will plunge directly into the underground magma, giving itself a thorough bath, inside and out.
In any case, notify everyone to get ready,
it won't be long before the Demon Tide arrives.
I hope this time, there will be less bloodshed..."
Having said that, Hu's figure floated up, flying toward the Mirage Dragon that lay sprawled atop the palace, placing the candle in her hand beneath the nose of the Mirage Dragon.
HUUFF— A deep, resonant exhalation, like the tolling of a distant bell, echoed through the entire space.
The Mirage Dragon slowly opened its eyes, its brass-colored vertical pupils reflecting the figure of the Drought Demon.
ROAR— The Mirage Dragon slowly lifted its head and opened its mouth, emitting a rumbling sound like rolling thunder. It appeared awe-inspiring and majestic, yet it looked very much like someone stretching after waking up,
while the Drought Demon affectionately patted the dragon's jaw, flipped over, and sat between the deer-shaped antlers on the dragon's head.
"Oh, right."
The Drought Demon seemed to remember something, casually plucked a handful of mane, red as blood, from the dragon's back and threw it to Li Ang. "Consider this a payment for your help with the door."
Li Ang subconsciously caught the fused, heavy, and fiery mane, realizing something, and quickly said, "Wait! Are you a player too? Where have all those players from the historical slaughter games gone?!"
"Some are alive, some are dead, some neither dead nor alive, and some half-dead, half-alive."
The Drought Demon girl, seated on the dragon's back, patted the Mirage Dragon's cheek. "I'm not a player, nor do I intend to become one.
Ha, for your short-lived species, the qualifications of a player are both an opportunity to touch the transcendent and a ticket to save your race,
yet they are also an inescapable death omen.
If you want to know more, wait for those former Transcendents to crawl out from the ground,
or go find the records of the Heterodox Academy, if they dared to document such a despairing truth..."
The sound of the Mirage Dragon rising from the buildings drowned out the Drought Demon's voice.
The incredibly vast Eastern Giant Dragon leisurely stretched its partially solid, partially misty long body, its dark golden claws carelessly scratching, causing palace after palace to collapse into ruin.
The wind howled to life, clouds and mist spreading far and wide, as the Mirage Dragon rose into the air with movements that seemed slow but were actually incredibly swift, emerging from the gate of mist and shooting straight up along the trench into the sky!
The Drought Demon girl on the dragon's back, along with her companion, broke through all barriers in the Demon Prison.
She laughed wildly, driving the power in her blood to its fullest, unleashing a brilliance and a scorching heat that spanned thousands of meters.
Within the Demon Prison, countless demons turned to ash under the scorching light and heat akin to the sun.
Only a very few naturally agile demons managed to hide in dark corners before the heat arrived, trembling at the grandeur of this mythical being's power.
BOOM—
The agents of the Special Affairs Bureau guarding Qianhua Road heard a cracking sound coming from the void.
All the fully-armed soldiers stared in astonishment as a Giant Dragon emerged from the depths of the mist, soaring into the sky with a whooshing sound!
That night, the people of Yin City, East Asia, and everyone in the Eastern Hemisphere, looked up at the moon amid the pressing chime of countless bells.
On the moon, there appeared a black dot.