Sensing their silence, the Ruby Queen spoke calmly in their minds.
There are things you do not need to know yet. Do you think I wanted to save you? Sometimes, a gamble must be made. You should be grateful for the protection of your ancestors.
She did not explain further, but the moment she spoke, both Fa Hua and Lan Ge thought of the Peerless Pearl.
They could think of no other possibility. Something must have happened when the Peerless Pearl forced them to save her—something they still did not understand.
Have you always been able to sense our thoughts? Lan Ge asked cautiously. He felt as if he were standing completely exposed before her. During their battles in the Ancestral Court, he and Fa Hua had exchanged countless thoughts in her presence.
Within three meters, I can sense them, the Ruby Queen replied.
Three meters? Lan Ge blurted. Really?
The Ruby Queen lowered her gaze and looked at him as though he were a fool. Lan Ge immediately realized his mistake. She had no reason to deceive them.
If it was limited to three meters… then it was manageable.
At least, it wasn’t anything like the bond he shared with Fa Hua, Lan Ge thought.
Pah—like I’d have that kind of bond with him, he cursed inwardly.
Fa Hua remained silent, his expression thoughtful.
From everything they had seen, the Ruby Queen’s help was not without reason. Perhaps there was some goodwill, but far more likely, it was tied to benefit—and that benefit almost certainly came from the Peerless Pearl.
Suddenly, the Ruby Queen’s aura grew colder.
“Be careful.”
Fa Hua and Lan Ge were both startled. Before they could react, her already terrifying speed surged again.
A deafening roar exploded around them. In the next instant, she let out a sharp cry and shot forward.
They felt it immediately.
The air ruptured.
She had broken the sound barrier.
Even with her power protecting them, the sheer speed made their bodies tremble uncontrollably. A wave of dizziness washed over them.
They quickly gathered their elemental and holy powers to steady themselves. Only then did the strain ease slightly.
Ninth-Rank might stand at the peak of the human world, but compared to true God Level beings, the difference was still immense.
Is it the Devil Race or the Demons? Fa Hua asked.
The Devils, the Ruby Queen replied. The Ancestral Court chose not to pursue us immediately. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten away so easily.
The Devil Race.
Lan Ge’s eyes burned with fury.
They were the ones who had destroyed his family.
If not for his shared life with Fa Hua, he would have already turned back, even if it meant dying in battle.
Both Fa Hua and the Ruby Queen sensed the shift in his emotions.
The Ruby Queen spoke bluntly.
“Whether in the Demon Domain or the Devil Domain, humans are nothing more than weak insects. If you want revenge, you must become strong enough. Otherwise, you are only throwing your lives away. If you cannot endure, there will be no future. In the Green Sea of Life, how many years did my clan endure before gaining a chance? And you ruined it.”
Lan Ge fell silent.
He had no answer.
If not for him, neither Fa Hua nor even the Ruby Queen would have been dragged into this danger.
But defeating the Devil Race… that was impossible, at least for now.
The Demon Domain was already powerful beyond measure. There were surely multiple Great Heavenly God Level beings within it. And even so, it remained wary of the Devil Domain. That alone spoke volumes about the Devil Race’s strength.
That was why the Demon Domain aligned with humanity, treating the Three Human Domains as a buffer against the Devil Domain.
And now, the Devil Domain had sent an envoy.
That alone carried grave implications.
The Ruby Queen’s speed never faltered.
With her Eleventh-Rank cultivation, she flew across the Demon Domain without restraint. She did not stop once.
Behind them, the pursuit never ceased.
Day turned to night. Night gave way to dawn.
She carried them at that relentless pace for three full days.
At last, a line of blue appeared on the horizon.
The sea.
They were nearing the boundary of the Demon Domain.
Fa Hua and Lan Ge carried tokens of the Sea Giant Clan. If they could reach the Endless Blue Sea, their chances of escaping pursuit would increase significantly.
The Ruby Queen showed no sign of exhaustion.
But the strain could not be small.
It had taken Fa Hua and Lan Ge a long time to reach the Ancestral Court. She had crossed nearly the entire Demon Domain in less than three days.
Her speed was terrifying.
She did not maintain supersonic flight continuously. Instead, she burst forward at intervals, widening the distance again and again.
The pursuers had never given up.
Then—
As the shoreline drew near, the Ruby Queen suddenly slowed.
“Did they give up?” Lan Ge asked. Even being carried like this had worn him down.
The Ruby Queen shook her head.
“We can’t leave.”
The moment she spoke, the sky darkened.
Purple-black flooded in from all directions, swallowing the world.
The sea vanished.
The land vanished.
Only endless darkness remained.
It felt viscous, like countless unseen hands pulling at them from every direction. Within it, spiraling currents formed, as though ready to devour them whole.
Red threads of light burst forth around the Ruby Queen, slicing through the darkness.
But the purple-black energy was endless.
No matter how she cut through it, it continued to fill the space.
Figures began to emerge within it.
Each was wreathed in a faint purple glow, their forms visible against the void. Among them, two stood out—surrounded by deeper purple-gold radiance.
A voice rang out.
“Forcing us to use the Heavenly Devil Field is something you may take pride in. But this ends here. Moon God of the Demon Domain, hand them over, and you may leave unharmed. We came here with sincerity. We do not wish to create conflict over trivial matters.”
The speaker was a pale, middle-aged man cloaked in dark red.
His eyes shone with a faint purple-gold light.
All eight Heavenly Devils were present.
Not one was missing.
They had abandoned their mission at the Ancestral Court to pursue them.
Even when facing prey, the Devil Race held nothing back.
Fa Hua and Lan Ge were insignificant to them.
But the Peerless Pearl was not.
The Ruby Queen released the two of them, letting them float at her sides.
Lan Ge’s gaze locked onto Tianmo Yeming.
She returned it with a faint smile—cold, arrogant, dismissive.
To her, they were nothing.
Only the Pearl mattered.
“Go. I’ll hold them off,” the Ruby Queen said.
Six ruby blade hilts appeared behind her shoulders, radiant and sharp.
At once, the red threads around her surged outward like a rising tide, pressing against the Heavenly Devil Field.
But the field was too vast.
No opening formed.
“Do not waste your effort,” the purple-gold Heavenly Devil said calmly. “Using the Heavenly Devil Field is not without cost. If not for your speed, we would not have resorted to it. But once it is deployed, there is no escape. It was created to deal with God Level beings. Countless Demons have died within it. What makes you think you can break free?”
He did not even move.
His confidence was absolute.
The Ruby Queen narrowed her eyes.
“Then I will try.”
She raised her hands and gripped the hilts at her shoulders.
At the same time, her voice sounded in their minds.
This field is difficult to deal with. If I go all out, I can tear open a temporary passage. You must enter the sea immediately. That is your only chance.
What about you? Lan Ge asked. If we go, can you get out?
Fa Hua said nothing, but his thoughts aligned with Lan Ge’s.
The Ruby Queen fell silent for a moment.
The field is focused on me. I don’t know.
They exchanged a glance.
No further words were needed.
In the next instant, light flashed across Fa Hua’s body.
Lan Ge appeared beside him.
The Ruby Queen’s expression shifted slightly.
Their teleport anchor had originally been set within the Ancestral Court.
But in that instant, they reset it—to here.
They had cut off their own retreat.
“Maybe we’re not strong,” Lan Ge said, his voice steady. “But we’re men. Human men protect those who stand with them. We don’t run.”
Fa Hua nodded once.
“Yes.”