After the heart-warming moment, Duan Ling Tian carried his sleeping daughter and led his wife, Ke'er, and her older twin sister, Gan Ru Yan, toward the direction of the Azure Cloud Mansion.
Although Duan Ling Tian was sent back to the Lower Province through the space barrier, it was not difficult for him to pinpoint the location of the mansion. He carried both Ke'er and Gan Ru Yan as he flew. With his current cultivation base at the Sixth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage, he cast the assist-type Divine Ability, the Elementary Devouring Tactic, and the movement Divine Ability, the Golden Crow Wings. With that, his speed became much faster than an ordinary cultivator at the Seventh Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. In terms of speed, anyone below the Eighth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage was no match for him. It did not take long before he arrived in the vicinity of the Azure Cloud Mansion. He remembered the Azure Cloud Mansion was located above a vast lake that was named the Crouching Dragon Lake.
However...
Duan Ling Tian's expression changed drastically when he saw the flatland that stretched endlessly. 'Where's the Crouching Dragon Lake?" He was certain of the location of the Crouching Dragon Lake, but why did it disappear?
Swoosh! Swoosh!
In the distant sky, the sound of wind howling broke the silence and attracted Duan Ling Tian's attention. He looked in the direction of the sound. From afar, he saw two figures traveling in the same direction. Based on their speed, it seemed that they were at the upper level of the Saint Celestial Stage.
At first glance, these two figures looked like humans — a young man and a middle-aged man. However, as Duan Ling Tian silently extended his Divine Consciousness to investigate them, he soon discovered an anomaly.
"Such a strong and powerful Devil Qi... They're from the Devil Clans!" In just a blink of an eye, Duan Ling Tian confirmed their identities. These figures did not belong to humans, they were Devils from the Land of Exile!
"Let's follow them and see what they're up to." Duan Ling Tian was eager to find out why the Crouching Dragon Lake of Azure Cloud Mansion had disappeared. He tailed the two figures as he carried his daughter, Ke'er, and Gan Ru Yan with him.
These Devils in their humanoid forms were also coincidentally traveling to where the Azure Cloud Mansion's Main Mansion was located.
"Brother Tian, is something wrong?" Ke'er asked softly, her voice filled with concern. She had noticed something was not right with Duan Ling Tian.
"He must be shocked that the Crouching Dragon Lake of Azure Cloud Mansion has disappeared..." Before Duan Ling Tian could speak, Gan Ru Yan had already responded to Ke'er.
"Back then, I passed the Azure Cloud Mansion twice when I was in the Lower Province... I remember this plot of land wasn't here back then. The Crouching Dragon Lake should be here." Gan Ru Yan furrowed her brows as she recalled the times when she was here. "It seems like the Devil Clans have filled up the lake..." Gan Ru Yan figured out why the Crouching Dragon Lake had disappeared.
"What about Azure Cloud Mansion's Main Mansion?" They followed the two figures in front for a while before they came to a halt. Duan Ling Tian looked around and discovered that the floating island that was suspended in this location had also disappeared. All that was left were blue sky and clouds.
Duan Ling Tian's expression turned grim. The Azure Cloud Mansion's Main Mansion did not only serve as the campground for the Azure Cloud Mansion, but it was also where his family and friends lived. However, now that he had returned, not only did he discover the Crouching Dragon Lake had disappeared, but the Main Mansion had disappeared as well!
"Father, Mother, Little Fei'er, Nian Tian... Uncle Feng, Senior Brother..." At this moment, Duan Ling Tian thought of his father, his mother, his wife, Li Fei, his son, Duan Nian Tian, Feng Wu Dao, Bai Li Hong, and the others.
Since the Main Mansion of Azure Cloud Mansion had disappeared, were they safe? These were the things that Duan Ling Tian was worried about.
"There's a city ahead!" Gan Ru Yan suddenly said, causing Duan Ling Tian to regain his senses.
Duan Ling Tian's eyes followed Gan Ru Yan's gaze and landed on a huge and obviously new city in the distance. It looked like a giant beast standing in the vast plain, mighty and domineering.
"From what I remember, there was no city like this near the Azure Cloud Mansion, right?" Gan Ru Yan asked as she looked at Duan Ling Tian skeptically. She did not wait for Duan Ling Tian to reply as she continued to say "The scale of this city... It's even bigger than Sin City and the cities in the central region of the Upper Province. Did the Devil Clans build this city?"
"It's possible," Duan Ling Tian said in a deep voice. His eyes burned with anger and vengeance as he looked at the city before him. "They built the city over our Saint Stone reserve land... It seems like they're planning to settle down here!" Duan Ling Tian said calmly. However, beneath the calm, a hint of iciness could be heard.
At this time, the two figures they were tailing finally entered the city. More and more figures entered Duan Ling Tian's sight. These figures could be seen leaving and entering the city from the outskirts. The city was like a beast, swallowing people into its body.
"These Devil powerhouses can even transform into humans?"
When they approached the city, Duan Ling Tian discovered that many of these figures did not match the description of a Devil. All of them looked human. However, with his Divine Consciousness, he could clearly sense the strong Devil Qi within their bodies.
Devil Cultivators did not have this level Devil Qi. Even if one were to cultivate orthodox Devil Cultivation, it would still be impossible for one to possess such a strong and pure Qi in just a few years.
"Are they humans or Devils?" Gan Ru Yan was stunned and confused. Since the Devils were in human form, she could not tell if they were humans or not. She did not dare to use her Divine Consciousness to investigate this matter.
"According to my Divine Consciousness, it’s unlikely that they’re humans…Even if they cultivated
Human-devil Cultivation, without a few decades of hard work, it's impossible for them to possess such a strong and
pure Devil Qi!" Duan Ling Tian said.
"You can sense the Devil Qi in each and every one of them?" Gan Ru Yan asked.
Yes." Duan Ling Tian nodded." I can clearly sense the Devil Qi in the body of everyone I probed..."
"Brother Tian, we don't have Devil Qi in our body... If we enter the city, won't they discover us?" Ke'er suddenly said. Duan Ling Tian's words had reminded her of this crucial fact
"If someone probes us, it's likely that we'll be discovered. Currently, among the Devils we see who are wearing human skin, the strongest among them is only at the Fourth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. With me around, they won't discover us. However, if we enter the city, there are definitely stronger Devils. If any of them have a higher cultivation base than me, they can easily discover us if they probe us with their Divine Consciousness," Duan Ling Tian said.
Gan Ru Yan frowned when she heard Duan Ling Tian's words. An anxious expression appeared on her delicate face. "What now? If there's a Devil stronger than you in the city, we're only seeking death if we decide to enter the city..."
"Indeed, this is a problem." Duan Ling Tian stopped moving and thought long and hard for a plan. After a while, an idea appeared in his mind. "I have a plan... We'll have to see if it works..."
"What kind of plan?" Gan Ru Yan's eyes brightened while Ke'er stared at Duan Ling Tian with adoration like how a fan would stare at his or her idol.
"You'll find out soon enough." Duan Ling Tian did not reveal his plan. He brought the two ladies in another direction instead of entering the city that was as big as Sin City.
"It's him!"
After flying for a while, the Devils in human form became scarcer until finally, there was only one Devil in human form left in front of Duan Ling Tian.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The Devil who looked like a young man discovered three figures following him when he heard the sound of wind whistling. His expression changed immediately.
In just a blink of an eye, Duan Ling Tian and the others had arrived in front of the Devil. They studied the Devil from head to toe.
"T-three Lords!" The Devil bowed respectfully when he saw Duan Ling Tian and the two women. A sense of unease began to rise in his heart when he saw how impressive their speed was. His cultivation base was only at the First Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. Based on these people's speed, it was obvious their cultivation base was at least at the Fourth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage!