When my wife and I arrived, accompanied by Yu Jing, both my mother and stepmother were visibly startled, their gazes locking onto the girl in my arms.
The moment Yu Jing appeared, the oppressive demonic energy vanished. As she came into contact with the dark aura, a brilliant, holy light radiated from her body, purifying everything in the vicinity.
As we reached my mother and stepmother, Yang Ye, the Crown Prince, and the others also arrived at the mausoleum.
"Duke Wu, Your Highness—stay here. Coordinate with the garrison stationed in the capital to prevent any opportunistic unrest, and do your best to keep the situation under control. We are going in."
My mother said, her expression grave as she addressed Yang Ye and the Crown Prince. Emperor Shengzong had lost his capacity for calm judgment; he was no longer in any state to oversee the situation.
"Dragon King, please be careful. The conditions inside are complex—if things go wrong, pull out immediately."
Yang Ye said, his voice filled with concern for my mother.
After offering Yang Ye a gentle smile, my mother, my other mother, myself, my wife, Yujing, Shaoqing, Mr. Zhuge, and the others stepped into the imperial mausoleum one by one.
As we vanished into the dark entrance of the mausoleum, Yang Ye and my second brother wore expressions of deep anxiety.
Nevertheless, they remained steadfast in their duties, working to maintain order and calm the agitated officials, palace maids, and eunuchs.
Meanwhile, as Emperor Shengzong slowly regained his composure, a complex look flickered in his eyes as he watched my second brother tending to the crowd.
To our surprise, we encountered no significant resistance upon entering the mausoleum.
The ambush we had anticipated from the Demon Palace never materialized—even though this was the perfect moment and location for them to strike.
Everyone's cultivation base was suppressed, and the abundance of demonic energy within the tomb would have bolstered the strength of the Demon Palace's forces; yet, they inexplicably let this golden opportunity slip by—a fact that left us completely baffled.
We moved cautiously through the grand, imposing imperial mausoleum. We had no interest in admiring its magnificent scale, as our entire focus was fixed on the increasingly dense demonic energy gathering ahead of us.
I retrieved the immortal elixirs I had prepared from my soul space and gave one to each person, ensuring they would be protected from the effects of the demonic energy during the impending battle.
As we ventured deeper into the mausoleum, the atmosphere grew ever more sinister and terrifying. After moving forward cautiously for about an hour, we finally reached the heart of the imperial mausoleum.
At the same time, we caught sight of the demonic faction—whom we hadn't encountered for quite a while.
Led by Pang Tianlong, with Pang Xing and Dong Yuxin flanking him as guards, the group was gathered around a stone that radiated a potent, demonic aura.
Pang Tianlong was absorbing the demonic energy emanating from the stone while simultaneously drawing upon its power.
Beneath the stone, the demonic energy was continuously gathering and condensing, gradually forming a black hole that exuded a terrifying presence.
When we appeared in the core of the mausoleum, the members of the demonic faction looked startled, but they reacted with lightning speed, immediately positioning themselves between us and Pang Tianlong.
"I never imagined you'd actually make it past the demonic barrier outside. It seems the Celestial Realm has provided you with quite a few useful tools!"
Seeing us, Pang Xing remarked, his expression tightening with tension.
"Right back at you. The Demon Realm has clearly been generous with its supplies, too—otherwise, wouldn't we have wiped you lot—you pack of stray curs—off the face of the earth by now?"
I retorted, my tone dripping with mockery.
"Well, well—if it isn't 'Young Master' Long. Why have you shown up with your bare backside exposed? With those shameless, heavy breasts and that cunt of yours all on display... are you hoping I'll fuck you again and leave you with a belly full of my seed?"
Pang Xing said, his eyes fixed on my naked body. "Huh? How did you figure out my plan? I hadn't told a soul about my intention to capture you, keep you at home as a male concubine, and enjoy your cock a few times every single day! Could it be that we're so in sync that we actually had the exact same idea?"
I said, feigning 'surprise.'
Pang Xing and I were trading verbal barbs, but in reality, we were both just stalling for time.
Pang Xing was buying time for the Gate to the Demon Realm to open, while I was stalling so that Yu Jing could gradually accumulate enough Qilin power to destroy the Demon Realm Stone.
Among the demonic faction, Pang Tianlong—the strongest of them all—was pouring his energy into the Demon Realm Stone to force the gate open. If he weren't occupied with that, his strength—now restored to the pinnacle of the Xiantian realm—would be enough for him to take on the majority of our forces single-handedly.
However, while maintaining the stability of the gate, he sensed the power within Yu Jing—a force that posed a grave threat to the Demon Realm Stone. He shouted out, "Quick! Kill that girl—at any cost!"
The demonic forces were momentarily stunned by Pang Tianlong's command, but they quickly snapped to attention and lunged toward us.
Over a dozen experts from the Demon Palace, all at the peak of the Xiantian realm, charged straight at us.
Had we not consumed the immortal elixir beforehand, we would have been as good as dead.
Four experts from the Long clan took up positions to guard Yu Jing, while the warriors from the Martial Arts Alliance and the Imperial Court surged forward to clash with the members of the Demon Palace.
The sheer force of our confrontation battered the imperial mausoleum, leaving it on the verge of total collapse.
Faced with this, both sides immediately pulled back—neither of us wanted all our efforts to go to waste at the final moment. All we can do now is race against time—to see whether Yu Jing can harness the power of the Stone of the Demon Realm to destroy it, or if Pang Tianlong succeeds in opening the gateway to the Demon Realm first.
Though Yu Jing is but a child, born only a short while ago, she has become the one upon whom the future of the world rests. We, despite our immense power, can do nothing but pray that she reaches her goal in time.
Although only a few minutes have passed since we entered the heart of the imperial mausoleum, it feels as though an entire century has gone by.
When a pure, holy white light began to radiate from Yu Jing—emanating an energy that brought a profound sense of serenity—our tension instantly eased.
This sacred, peerless power surged toward the Stone of the Demon Realm. Following a violent clash, the relentless, overwhelming demonic energy pouring from the Stone was severed, and the black-hole-like gateway that had been taking shape beneath it began to fade away.
Seeing the gateway vanish, our faces lit up with excitement; even better, we felt our own powers returning.
The invincible, consummate innate strength possessed by my mother and my other mother—my "Niang" and "Mama"—manifested once more.
For the followers of the Demonic Path, however, the situation was the exact opposite; gripped by despair, they lost all courage to continue the fight.