Chapter 126: The Great Demon Feilian

After the group destroyed the sub-array where Zhang Kui and his wife were stationed, the surrounding environment shifted abruptly, just as it had several times before. All the puppets vanished instantly, and the barriers between the sub-arrays dissolved.

A small figure came into view, struggling fiercely against the remaining puppets. It was, of course, Nezha. Nezha was currently brimming with excitement; he felt that Jiang Yuan had not lied to him. True enough, there were endless fights to be had here! Nezha was overjoyed, feeling he had never fought so freely before. In the past, his opponents were few, and he often had to hold back to avoid killing them. This time, there were no such restraints—the puppets here were indestructible, and he could fight for as long as he pleased.

As he fought, Nezha shouted rhythmically:
"Dog-Beating Staff Technique!"
"Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms!"
"A-Wei's Eighteen Styles: Ice and Fire Dual Heavens!"
"A-Wei's Eighteen Styles: Poison Dragon Drill!"

Jiang Yuan felt a wave of speechlessness. How could this kid remember these things so clearly? It stirred a bit of guilt in him. Had he been a bad influence on the child?

"Nezha, have you had enough?" Jiang Yuan called out. Seeing how enthusiastic the boy was, he found it hard to interrupt, but there was no choice—the priority was to rescue Yang Jian's mother.

"Not yet! Are you coming to join the fun, Old Jiang?" Nezha’s tone was cheerful. He not only used his nickname for Jiang Yuan but even invited him to join in. Zhang Kui was astonished; he had no idea the Great King held Nezha in such high regard that he didn't even require the boy to address him formally. He was also puzzled by the term "Old Jiang."

"Nezha, you can't keep playing like this. We still need to save Yang Jian's mother," Jiang Yuan reminded him.

At this, Nezha's movements faltered. He seemed conflicted, but ultimately decided to save the mother first and deal with these puppets upon their return. He flew over to Jiang Yuan's side and said, "Let's go then. Let's go save Three-Eyes' mother."

"Are you sure you don't want to fight a bit longer?" Jiang Yuan asked, amused.

"Fight? Saving people is more important," Nezha replied impatiently.

"I should warn you," Jiang Yuan said with a smile, "to save Yang Jian's mother, we must break this formation. Once the formation is broken, these puppets will disappear."

Nezha paused, then said impatiently, "Let them disappear. I don't care anyway; these puppets are too weak to be worthy opponents."

"So, shall I break the formation?" Jiang Yuan asked for confirmation. Zhang Kui felt a pang of envy at Nezha's status in the Great King's heart; the King never referred to himself as "the lonely one" in front of the boy.

"Break it, break it." After saying this, Nezha looked at Jiang Yuan expectantly. "Old Jiang, can you build a similar formation when we get back?"

"So you are reluctant to let go, after all?" Jiang Yuan teased. Nezha fell silent. Of course, he was reluctant. Such a perfect place where he could fight as long as he wanted without anyone bothering him was, for Nezha, a paradise.

"Break the formation," Jiang Yuan said, turning his attention to Zhang Kui and his wife without teasing Nezha further. The couple nodded and, following Jiang Yuan's instructions, shattered the final sub-array.

The entire cavern suddenly opened up. Although no light entered the Peach Mountain cave, it did not appear dark inside. Having broken the formation, the group realized they were just a short distance from the entrance, with a straight path lying ahead. They had been trapped in a "ghost-beating wall" illusion right at the threshold.

As the group walked along the path, they felt a stifling pressure. On both sides were cells where the Celestial Clan imprisoned so-called sinners. Judging by the length of the path, there were quite a few captives, and it was unclear which cell held Yang Jian's mother.

"Let me out!!"

Without the sound-dampening effect of the formation, cries like this echoed throughout the cave. Among the prisoners were old men, youths, and even demonic beasts. In some cells, only bones remained, suggesting they had been imprisoned until death by the Celestial Clan. Jiang Yuan finally understood why a formation was needed inside despite the tight defenses outside. Among these prisoners were powerful beings at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level. If they were released without the Celestial Clan knowing, it would be a disaster. Setting up a grand formation prevented both rescue attempts from the outside and escape attempts from the inside. It was a clever move; the Celestial Emperor was indeed a cunning old fox. Only someone like him could have set up such a formation.

"Let me out! May that old dog, the Celestial Emperor, die a horrible death!"

Why were all these prisoners so pathetic? They kept repeating the same few phrases over and over. They lacked the ability but had large mouths; a mere Golden Immortal daring to curse the Celestial Emperor? Jiang Yuan knew his own strength and what was appropriate to say.

"Are you new here?" a voice full of vigor rang out.

Jiang Yuan looked toward the voice, and a string of data appeared before his eyes:
Role: Fei Lian
Title: One of the Ten Great Demon Sages
Realm: Mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal
Possessions: Eight-Treasure Fan, Eight-Treasure Jade Dragon Crown
Cultivation Method: Flying Fish Red Sun Spiritual Script
Mount: None
Loyalty: 00
Favorability: 60
Tyrant Points obtainable: 1200

Good heavens, no wonder the security was so tight—even a Demon Sage was imprisoned here. Jiang Yuan was curious; half of the Demon Race had already submitted to the Celestial Clan, so why was Fei Lian, a Demon Sage, locked up?

"We are here to save someone," Jiang Yuan replied with a smile.

"Save someone? I've been locked up for so long, and this is the first time I've heard of anyone daring to break into Peach Mountain to rescue a prisoner. How curious." Fei Lian asked, "So, you were the ones responsible for the commotion outside?"

"Indeed," Jiang Yuan replied calmly.

"You have some ability. And what about that grand formation set by the Celestial Emperor himself? It cannot be solved unless one is a master of formations. How did you get in?" Fei Lian was intrigued. Having been locked up for so long, he was happy to have some entertainment.

"I broke the formation," Jiang Yuan said.

"A Golden Immortal like you can break such a formation?" Fei Lian was skeptical.

"Yet, the fact remains that I broke it and entered," Jiang Yuan replied, unfazed.

"And who are you here to save?" Fei Lian asked with a smirk. Even if they had gotten in, they wouldn't be able to save anyone. In this Peach Mountain prison, the one holding the Spirit of the Peach Mountain was the strongest.

"Yunhua," Jiang Yuan said lightly.

"The Third Princess? She needs you to rescue her?" Fei Lian laughed as if he had heard a joke.

"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Yuan frowned.