“You foolish fellow, how could you provoke such an enemy? Didn’t you check which sect your target belonged to when you were refining the Blood Demon?”

“Palace Master, this disciple truly did not know what sect the Zixia Cave Mansion belonged to. I was only acting out of loyalty, trying to collect the seventy-two Blood Demons with form for the Palace Master. I am guilty, but I beg the Palace Master to forgive my unintentional crime for the sake of my loyalty!” Logan Harris kowtowed repeatedly, begging the red-clad girl on the throne for mercy.

“Palace Master, things have come to this point—punishing him is useless. It’s better to consider how to deal with this enemy!” A young man beside the throne stepped forward and reported.

“But this foolish fellow has actually provoked a grandmaster-level figure.” The girl was still angry.

“Palace Master, I have another idea. You are cultivating the Heavenly Demon Grand Art, which requires thirty-six formless Divine Demons and seventy-two Blood Demons with form as companions for your ascension. This means you must refine at least one hundred and eight well-rooted Nascent Souls, which will inevitably bring you into conflict with those of the Daoist sects. Since conflict is unavoidable, why not strike first and defeat them one by one, lest they unite and become harder to deal with?” The young man spoke again.

“Oh, Olivia Harris, what you say makes sense.” Gavin Young seemed to value him highly, and with his advice, most of her anger dissipated.

She looked at the kneeling Logan Harris and sneered, “For Olivia Harris’s sake, I’ll spare your life this time. But though you escape death, you cannot escape punishment. Go to the Blood Pool and receive your punishment for seven days.”

Upon hearing he was to be punished in the Blood Pool, Logan Harris immediately turned pale, but he dared not disobey and replied, “Yes! This disciple accepts the punishment and thanks you for your mercy.”

After watching him slowly withdraw, Gavin Young turned to Olivia Harris and said seriously, “That person from Zixia Cave Mansion is not easy to deal with. I used magic to divine his fate, but I couldn’t see where his tribulation lies, so I can’t use it against him. Moreover, his will is unwavering, emulating the merciless heavens. Spells that manipulate emotions and desires have no effect on him—he’s the hardest kind of person to deal with.”

“Is that so? If we can’t confront him directly, then let’s try another approach. Does he have anyone he cares about, or any principles he insists on? All of these are things the Heavenly Demon Arts can exploit!”

“He has only one disciple outside, the very Nascent Soul that Logan Harris almost refined last time. As for the rest, I don’t think they’re important enough to affect his mind. I checked with the Heavenly Demon Mirror—when he was at the Liu family, he only cared about his disciple; the other Liu family members, he was almost indifferent to. It seems they hold no place in his heart, so they can’t be used.”

“What about his other disciples?”

“His residence is Zixia Cave Mansion, but there’s a protective barrier outside. Even my Heavenly Demon Divine Sense can’t penetrate it, so I can’t spy on its secrets.”

A look of worry appeared on the girl’s face. “It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered an enemy with no weaknesses to exploit.”

“Palace Master, why worry? If nothing else works, we’ll just face him head-on. Your magic is nearly perfected, surely you’re not inferior to him. Besides, you have me to assist you, and there are more than ten other experts in the palace. With such strength combined, we can destroy him. There’s no need to worry so much!”

“That’s true. It’s just that after hearing this news, even though I can’t calculate anything specific, my Heavenly Demon senses tell me there’s great danger.” Gavin Young said, “But with you here, I feel much more at ease.”

“We are both of the Heavenly Demon lineage, so of course we should help each other. Palace Master, you’re too polite.”

“However, although I couldn’t divine that person’s fate, I did unexpectedly discover something else, which is also very important.”

“What is it?”

“The underwater immortal mansion of the Azure Immortal in the South Sea seems about to open in the next few days. The exact day is unclear, but it will definitely be within seven days.”

“The Azure Immortal’s underwater mansion? I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s because you haven’t been cultivating long enough. The Azure Immortal ascended eight hundred years ago, so he has nothing to do with us. But his underwater mansion contains a great many rare treasures. Although a few are immortal artifacts useless to our demonic sect, the rest can be refined with Heavenly Demon magic into demonic treasures. Obtaining them would greatly strengthen us. Not to mention the large amount of immortal herbs and lingzhi, which would be of immense benefit to both our demonic sect disciples and those of the Daoist sects.”

“Oh, so we must get our hands on it?”

“Exactly. However, because I am at a critical stage in cultivating the Heavenly Demon Blood Scripture, I truly cannot leave. I hope you can go in my place.”

“Rest assured, Palace Master, I will keep an eye on it.”

“Just remember, the underwater mansion was left by an immortal and is naturally at odds with our demonic sect. You must not rush in. Wait until others have broken the restrictions before entering. If you can control the main formation, you can take the whole palace. If not, just obtaining a few treasures is enough—don’t be reckless out of greed.”

“I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.” Olivia Harris smiled confidently.

Chapter Three: The Day the Underwater Immortal Mansion Opens · Strife Over Rare Treasures Erupts