The Fiend Emperor’s hair was stuck together by an unknown substance; it was hard to tell whether it was blood or sweat. Some areas of his scalp were even exposed, making him look like a balding middle-aged man. There was a huge hole in his chest, and Zu An could see the wall behind him through it.

Any normal person would have already kicked the bucket if they suffered such an injury. However, the Fiend Emperor’s aura was still stable. Golden flames flickered around his entire body; he was clearly using the Golden Crow Sacred Fire to quickly recover from his injuries.

The Fiend Emperor sensed that something was strange. He opened his eyes and looked around. When he saw that it was Zu An’s group, he was stunned. He had never expected it to be them.

The Golden Crow Crown Prince stood in front of the Fiend Emperor protectively, calling out, “You can forget about taking advantage of us. With me here, you won’t be able to hurt a single hair on father emperor’s body.”

Wu Liang’s eyes darted around. When the Fiend Emperor had fought against the Qiongqi, because his and the Golden Crow Crown Prince’s cultivation ranks were too low, neither of them had gone over to help. Thus, they were still in good shape.

He wondered whether it was time to change sides and work together with the other side to eliminate the Fiend Emperor. Otherwise, if he continued to remain under the Fiend Emperor’s control until the end, he wouldn’t necessarily be able to survive.

The Fiend Emperor cursed his son as a fool upon seeing him put on a filial act. Wasn’t his son basically telling the enemy that he was weak right now? He pushed the crown prince away and stared at Zu An’s group with a burning gaze, remarking, “I did not expect you to actually still have the courage to come here.”

Zu An smiled and replied, “Fortune favors the bold, no? If it weren’t for my guts, how could I have stumbled upon such an excellent opportunity?”

The three women quietly spread out and prepared to fight.

Wu Liang also secretly stood up, preparing to make his move. However, he felt a bit depressed. Look at how everyone else has already found a group! I’m the only one who’s all by myself. Even if I help one side, I’m still no match for them alone!

The Golden Crow Crown Prince gulped nervously as he looked at Zu An’s group. He was still a bit traumatized from what Zu An had done to him. Even though he constantly reminded himself that his cultivation was higher than the other person’s, he had already suffered two defeats. Moreover, he didn’t even have his divine weapon anymore, so his confidence in winning had only grown weaker. Furthermore, there were still the three women, who didn’t seem easy to deal with at all!

“Do you think there is an opportunity for you here? It’s a pity that you have arrived a bit too late,” the Fiend Emperor said as he stood up, the hole in his chest already having closed. Waves of earth immortal power spread outward. Apart from looking a bit haggard, it was as if he hadn’t even been injured at all.

Zu An’s group was shocked when they saw that the Fiend Emperor’s injuries had completely healed. All of them felt dispirited. It would have been great if they arrived a bit earlier. Now, he had already recovered, so the situation had already been reversed… THat thought made them feel a complicated mix of negative emotions.

Zu An suddenly thought of something. He put away his weapon with a smile and replied, “What is the Fiend Emperor saying? We’re all trapped in this Unknown Region together. Shouldn’t we be old friends in a foreign land? We don’t even have enough time to feel happy, so why would we take advantage of you?”

The Fiend Emperor was a bit startled. It was hard to know what he was thinking, but he didn’t immediately turn hostile.

Wu Liang almost choked on his own saliva. This guy’s shamelessness is almost on my level! He quickly relaxed and gave up on the thought of attacking.

The Golden Crow Crown Prince panicked, exclaiming, “Father emperor, do not listen to what he is saying. That guy is only acting pretentious because he saw that you recovered. We should use this chance to get rid of him together!”

Yan Xuehen and the other women grew vigilant when they heard that, preparing to fight at any moment.

The Golden Crown Crown Prince frowned. How did these women almost completely recover from their previous injuries even though barely any time has passed?

How is this possible?! Could it be that they encountered some kind of miracle?

He looked away from them and toward Zu An, asking, “Just how did you undo the Puppet Curse?”

Zu An said with a smile, “I have my ways.” There was a ‘do you really think I’ll tell you’ look on his face.

Sure enough, the Fiend Emperor didn’t bother asking him about the curse, remarking, “Brat, to be honest, I admire you quite a bit, especially with what you said just now about being old friends in a foreign land. This world is indeed a bit strange. As we come from the same place, there is no need for internal strife. Why don’t we work together to solve the riddles of this world?”

The Golden Crow Crown Prince began to panic. He was about to say something when he was stopped by his father’s gesture.

“That’s exactly what I had in mind,” Zu An said without hesitation. At the same time, he gave the three women a look.

They had already fought through dangerous situations together so many times that they could roughly guess what Zu An’s look meant. He was agreeing to work together, but also reminding them to be careful.

Cooperating with the Fiend Emperor was the same as playing with fire. Unfortunately, he had already recovered, so fighting would only result in both sides suffering.

The only thing they were confused about was why the Fiend Emperor would agree. After all, his cultivation was higher than all of theirs, and he even had the Golden Crow Crown Prince to help him.

However, they were also sharp individuals, quickly realizing that the Fiend Emperor had definitely seen them coming and used some secret technique to recover quickly. Even though such secret methods could heal quickly, they definitely weren’t as reliable as recovering properly. They could even have serious side-effects. Furthermore, the dungeon was full of dangers. The Fiend Emperor clearly didn’t want to put himself in a worse situation by fighting them, risking his own death in the process.

Zu An’s choice to agree was also understandable. For one thing, they needed the Fiend Emperor’s information. Furthermore, the Fiend Emperor had just rushed his recovery, so he was at his strongest at the moment. Defeating him in his current state would definitely come at a severe price. The more time passed, the more his strength would fall.

When they thought through all of those things, Zu An’s party felt more relieved.

Zu An took the chance to ask, “Your majesty, just what kind of place is this?”

Before the Fiend Emperor could even reply, a voice suddenly exclaimed with great emotion. “Haha, the Qiongqi is about to die, so the four great seals are about to be opened! I can almost sense my father’s aura already.”

Zu An looked in its direction with a frown. He saw that a bluish-white spirit of some sort had emerged from the Fiend Emperor’s body. He was surprised; it seemed that the Fiend Emperor had really benefited from the trip as well. What was that spirit-like thing?

Was the monster on the floor the Qiongqi? No wonder it was so extraordinary. Unfortunately, it had still been defeated by the Fiend Emperor.

Apart from that, what were the so-called four great seals the voice had spoken of? And who was his father?

Zu An had too many questions at the moment. However, he quickly noticed that even though the spirit was acting very excited, there was a faint golden light restricting it. It was clearly under the Fiend Emperor’s restrictions.

“Growl…” The Qionqi lying in the chamber released a long sigh. Then, its limbs slumped as its last breath dissipated. Then, its body began to dissipate in a blast of yellow light.

The Fiend Emperor reached out, and a golden gemstone flew out of the light and entered his hand.

Those present all had high cultivation. With their sight, they could clearly see certain strange patterns on the gemstone's surface. The shape was very similar to a miniature Qiongqi.

Zu An thought, That spirit mentioned four seals, so has the Fiend Emperor already obtained four of these gemstones?

Why do I feel as if I was working my butt off for a sidequest, while the Fiend Emperor was doing the main questline?

“This is where the Four Perils’ Qiongqi resided. Previously, we dealt with the Taowu, Taotie, and Hundun’s seals. According to what this person says, there is an ancient emperor named Yao sealed here,” the Fiend Emperor said. He casually fiddled with Dan Zhu’s soul while looking at Zu An, continuing, “I have already told you so much. As we are working together, you should share a bit about what you have obtained in all this time, no?”

There were many powerful auras on the other side, and he even sensed a power that made him feel fear. It seemed to have something to do with Zu An. Even though he didn’t think that Zu An’s party could participate in a battle of that level, as long as he had been watching what was happening, Zu An no doubt had some information the Fiend Emperor didn’t.

Zu An was about to reply when the ground suddenly began to crack audibly. Then, it quickly split apart. The floor beneath both parties gave out, and they began to fall.

They were all caught off guard. Despite how powerful the previous battle’s effects had been, the entire mountain had still remained intact. And yet, it was only now that the battle had ended that the ground broke apart?!