The Feathered Demon King still carried the same imposing bearing as before. There were almost no fluctuations in his aura, yet he radiated considerable authority.

In a place like this, no probing techniques could be used. However, when Qin Sang faced the Feathered Demon King, he still sensed a faint, almost imperceptible pressure, which made him instinctively vigilant.

It was said that the Feathered Demon King was at the middle stage of the Transformation Realm. Back then, he had been slightly weaker than the red-haired grandmaster and Daoist Master Zhenyi.

So many years had passed, yet the Feathered Demon King had rarely taken action. No one could say what his true strength was now.

The legacy left behind by generations of Feathered Demon Kings was an immense fortune. The Feathered Demon King’s strength was certainly not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Facing an overlord who ruled an entire region, Qin Sang did not dare show the slightest negligence.

"Greetings, Feathered King." The Red-Tailed Demon King stepped forward and gave a fist-and-palm salute. Qin Sang did the same.

"Please, both of you, take a seat." The Feathered Demon King gestured lightly. His gaze then fell upon Qin Sang. With a faint smile, he asked, "This Daoist seems unfamiliar. You must be Daoist Ming Yue that Swan Goose mentioned?"

"My Dharma name is Ming Yue. I hope the Feathered King and the fellow Daoists here will offer much guidance in the future." Qin Sang nodded and gave a fist-and-palm salute toward the hall, greeting the other demon kings.

The moment he entered, Qin Sang felt numerous probing and scrutinizing gazes fall upon him. Fortunately, he sensed no obvious hostility.

It seemed that Wandering Man had enjoyed a decent reputation in the past.

Those qualified to sit here were all great demons of the Transformation Realm, and they returned the greeting.

However, not all of them had fully human forms.

Some were similar to the Red-Tailed Demon King, retaining the body parts they were most proud of. Others, though already at the Transformation Realm, could not fully transform due to the limitations of their bloodlines and still retained their demonic bodies.

In short, the appearances of these demon kings varied widely, each more bizarre than the next.

Qin Sang had previously questioned the Red-Tailed Demon King carefully and could roughly identify most of them.

Demon King Qianji was not present. However, Qin Sang noticed a half-man, half-snake demon seated beside the Feathered Demon King.

This demon’s title was very simple—Snake King. That alone said everything.

The Snake King’s prestige and strength were second only to the Feathered Demon King. Not long ago, he had even broken through to the middle stage of the Transformation Realm. However, rumors claimed that the Snake King had an extremely smooth and diplomatic personality and had never openly opposed the Feathered Demon King.

The Snake King also possessed another identity. He was the father-in-law of Demon King Qianji.

Qin Sang sat beside the Red-Tailed Demon King. His gaze happened to meet the Snake King’s, and he saw the Snake King smile and nod toward him, seemingly not recognizing the thief who had once infiltrated his son-in-law’s cave dwelling.

Once everyone had taken their seats, the Feathered Demon King nodded slightly. "Most of the Daoists attending this council have arrived. Let us proceed directly to the main matter."

The demon kings immediately grew serious.

After a brief pause, the Feathered Demon King spoke bluntly. "The reason I summoned everyone this time concerns several matters. The first is the issue everyone is most concerned about, Ziwei Palace. Because the time of Ziwei Palace’s appearances has repeatedly shown abnormalities, both we and the human race have been closely monitoring the changes deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield over the past years. Not long ago, we indeed discovered something unusual."

"What kind of anomaly? The Ancient Immortal Battlefield hasn’t experienced a Spirit Tide yet, has it?" a burly man with the build of a tiger-backed bear asked impatiently in a deep voice.

He called himself Black Wind Demon King. He was a black bear demon who had transformed, though his face and head were still covered in short, coarse black hair, making him look much like a bear.

The Feathered Demon King was interrupted but showed no displeasure. "Although the Ancient Immortal Battlefield has not yet experienced a Spirit Tide, not long ago several human Spiritual Infant cultivators and I personally went there. We discovered that the celestial array of Ziwei Palace had begun to show abnormal fluctuations."

The demon kings immediately understood. Fluctuations in the celestial array were also a sign that Ziwei Palace was about to emerge.

The Red-Tailed Demon King interjected, "The intervals between the appearances of Ziwei Palace have been getting shorter each time. Last time it was just over a hundred years. Could this time be even shorter? Could it appear within the next few years?"

"Many of you likely have the same premonition as Daoist Red-Tailed. However, it probably will not be that soon," the Feathered Demon King replied, shaking his head. "After all, there are still no signs whatsoever of a Spirit Tide, so we will likely need to wait a little longer. But it will certainly appear earlier again. Even if the interval this time is longer, I believe it will absolutely not exceed one hundred years, and most likely it will be even shorter."

Upon hearing this, the demon kings exchanged glances.

A female demon sighed. "If it becomes even shorter, will it be fifty years? Seventy years? It has been about forty years since the last appearance. If we calculate it carefully, there's not much time left."

"If this continues, the appearances of Ziwei Palace will become more and more frequent. Could it eventually become completely exposed, allowing us to enter freely in search of treasures?" One demon king spoke with a hint of excitement.

The mere thought of such a possibility stirred their blood. Ziwei Palace was unquestionably a treasure trove. Countless ancient secrets lay buried within. Over the years, who knew how many experts had entered it.

Yet each time, the duration they could remain inside was limited. Many celestial arrays and ancient barriers were not entirely impossible to break, but they simply lacked the time to study them carefully.

To this day, the areas they had explored were merely the tip of the iceberg of the entire Ziwei Palace. This was especially true for the inner palace!

The palm print, the ancient herb garden, the heavenly mountain... Each site was incomparably mysterious and deeply captivating.

All signs indicated that Ziwei Palace far surpassed the Spiritual Infant Realm. Even comprehending a tenth of its secrets was something none of the demon kings present dared to hope for.

Qin Sang listened silently from the side without speaking. He was thinking about another matter.

Ziwei Palace was connected to Canglang Sea, and even to the Demonic Sea. If one day it could truly be entered and exited freely, then that single passage would lie in his hands. Anyone could see the enormous benefits hidden within.

How to convert those benefits into something tangible, without becoming the target of everyone’s hostility, required careful consideration.

"Let's not celebrate too early. When something unusual occurs, it may not necessarily be a good thing. What if these changes appeared because the celestial array of Ziwei Palace can no longer hold on and is approaching collapse?" the female demon said calmly, pouring cold water over everyone’s excitement.

"If the worst that happens is the destruction of Ziwei Palace itself, that would not be so terrible. At most, we would lose a hidden realm for treasure hunting. After so many appearances, the easily obtainable treasures have already been taken. But Ziwei Palace is intricately connected with the Spirit Tide. If it impacts the entire Ancient Immortal Battlefield, or even the barrier outside the battlefield, have you considered what the consequences might be?"

Silence fell over the hall. They all understood that the possibility of Ziwei Palace destroying itself could not be ruled out.

The cracks that had appeared in the celestial array of the inner palace were proof enough. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

That barrier protected the countless living beings of Beichen Realm. If it were torn apart, no one knew how much pure land would remain. They themselves might migrate to the other three realms, but the countless ordinary beings would find it very difficult to survive here.

"Hehe, Daoist, your words sound a bit alarmist. If the barrier were so easy to destroy, it would not have stood here for countless years and remained intact." The Red-Tailed Demon King broke the silence and turned toward Qin Sang. "What do you think, Daoist Ming Yue?"

Qin Sang nodded in agreement. He reminded himself not to be carried away. Only by strengthening himself could he truly grasp what rightfully belonged to him!