"An ambush at the borders of the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom?" Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes. "Who are you planning to attack?"
The Red Whale stammered, "Word is, it's the Empress of the Northern Profound Heaven!"
"We received the Black Eagle War God's orders to converge on the borders of the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom from all directions."
"Our goal is to ambush the Empress of the Northern Profound Heaven under the Black Eagle War God's command!"
"I see." Lin Xuan's gaze turned slightly cold.
The situation was clear now.
The Demon Race lurking in various places had received the Black Eagle War God's orders and come out in full force.
They had merely passed through the Qingqiu Kingdom, happened to encounter resistance from its people, and killed them along the way.
"Do you know whose orders the Black Eagle War God is following?" Lin Xuan pressed.
The Red Whale hurriedly replied, "I really don't know, sir!"
Lin Xuan nodded silently. Now that the Red Whale had told him all he knew, there was no reason to let him live.
Feeling Lin Xuan's icy gaze, the Red Whale quickly begged for mercy:
"Great Immortal, please spare my life! I'm willing to serve you and do your bidding!"
"Not interested," Lin Xuan replied coldly.
He turned and walked toward Xuanzhu and the others, his expression gentle. "Sweethearts, want to watch Daddy perform a magic trick?"
"Yes!"
Xuanzhu and the others answered in unison, their four pairs of beautiful eyes full of anticipation.
Daddy's magic tricks were sure to be fun!
"All right. Close your eyes first," Lin Xuan said with a smile.
"Okay!"
The four little girls immediately closed their eyes.
Lin Xuan then sent a voice transmission to the Nine-Headed Heavenly Python: "Swallow the Red Whale."
The Nine-Headed Heavenly Python was thrilled. If it could devour a third-rank Red Whale, its strength would surely rise another level!
Without hesitation,
the Nine-Headed Heavenly Python opened all nine mouths wide, its sharp teeth sinking into the Red Whale's flesh.
Its terrifying venom and scorching flames spread through the Red Whale's body in an instant.
The Red Whale, which had originally stretched a full thousand zhang, quickly melted away without a sound and was swallowed whole by the Nine-Headed Heavenly Python.
Boom!
A streak of golden light burst forth.
A third red ring appeared in each of the Nine-Headed Heavenly Python's nine pairs of eyes.
Its originally dark scales had also taken on a faint golden sheen.
Even its appearance alone radiated a terrifying, savage aura.
Gongsun Ming and the others gulped in fear at the sight. After devouring the Red Whale, the Nine-Headed Heavenly Python was clearly even stronger than it had been.
Such a great demon could overturn the Qingqiu Kingdom without breaking a sweat!
At the thought, everyone looked toward Lin Xuan again.
Compared to the Nine-Headed Heavenly Python, the one who inspired even greater awe was the Emperor Consort of the Northern Profound Heaven.
His methods and abilities were the true terror!
Lin Xuan paid no heed to their reverent gazes. After making the Nine-Headed Heavenly Python shrink, he looked at his four daughters with boundless affection. "All right, you can open your eyes now!"
The four little girls lowered their hands at the same time.
"Can you spot what's changed?" Lin Xuan asked with a smile.
Xuanzhu and the others looked around. The most obvious change was that the giant Red Whale demon beast had disappeared.
"I know! Daddy made that huge demon beast disappear!"
"That's right! It was so big. How did Daddy do that?"
"That's amazing!"
"Daddy, I want to learn magic tricks too!"
The little girls threw themselves into Lin Xuan's arms.
Such a huge demon beast had vanished in an instant. They thought it was absolutely magical!
"Sure. When we get home, Daddy will teach you magic tricks!" Lin Xuan said, doting on them.
The Perfect Dad Tutorial contained plenty of fun little magic tricks, perfect for parent-child activities.
"Once we learn, can we make a demon beast that big disappear just like Daddy?"
The little girls' eyes widened with anticipation.
"Of course!" Lin Xuan replied with a smile, ruffling their hair.
Watching this, Gongsun Ming and the others couldn't help sighing inwardly.
The Empress of the Northern Profound Heaven was renowned throughout the Nine Heavens Immortal Domain as a cold goddess.
Countless young prodigies and heroes had confessed their love to her, only to be rejected without mercy.
Some had not even been worthy of a glance from Empress Profound Ice.
Before Lin Xuan had soothed the children, Gongsun Ming and the others had been wondering what special methods he'd used to win the Empress's heart.
Now they understood. When it came to taking care of children, Lin Xuan was second to none. No man would dare claim to be the best.
His magic trick had not only kept the children from seeing the bloody sight of a snake swallowing a whale, but had also delighted them.
He was a real pro!
With the upheaval in the Qingqiu Kingdom now settled, Lin Xuan took his daughters back to the Jade Carriage.
There was still plenty of time, so he planned to deal with the Demon Race's ambush first, then take the children home.
In this world, there were two things no one could touch.
His four daughters, and their mother.
If anyone dared lay a finger on them, they were sorry—but he would wipe them out to the last.
Three hundred thousand li beyond the borders of the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom.
At the point where it bordered the Northern Profound Heaven lay a vast valley.
Towering mountains lined both sides of the valley, and the terrain was rugged and strange.
Hidden high above the valley, one could avoid being spotted by those below while taking in everything within a hundred li.
The three Gous, the Black Eagle War Gods—Gou Zhan, Gou Xuan, and Gou Wu—
were currently leading ten thousand Demon Race warriors in an ambush above the valley.
The three Gous' true forms were all third-rank, two-headed black eagle great demons. They were valiant fighters, renowned among the Demon Race as "War Gods."
The Demon Race warriors under their command were all demon beasts of the ninth rank or higher.
Among them were more than three hundred great demons of the first rank or higher.
This force would be absolutely deadly in an ambush.
In the shadowy undergrowth of the valley,
the three Gous wore purple-black armor and black-feathered cloaks as they surveyed the land a hundred li ahead.
Gou Zhan then looked up at the sky. "By my estimate, the Empress Profound Ice's army will leave the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom and return to the Northern Profound Heaven within an hour at most."
"Have all our people arrived?"
Gou Wu thought for a moment. "I think only the Red Whale's group is still missing."
Gou Xuan glanced at him, his voice cold. "Third Brother, that Red Whale doesn't seem entirely loyal to you."
"Everyone else is here, yet he's late. Is he deliberately trying to make you look bad?"
Gou Wu's face darkened with anger. "Hmph! He's just a stupid whale. Even without him, we can still make sure the Empress Profound Ice never gets home!"
Gou Zhan nodded slightly.
He had already sent out scouts to investigate the situation in the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom.
Although Zheng Song, ruler of the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom, had suddenly been killed and the Bloodthirsty Devil Lord had vanished overnight,
many powerful forces of the Devil Race still remained in the kingdom.
The Empress Profound Ice had suffered considerable losses in her assault on the Ten Thousand Devil Kingdom.
Now she was leading her remaining troops home. The entire army would inevitably be exhausted.
With the force they had lying in wait here, they could catch the Empress Profound Ice completely off guard.
At the thought, a smug smile curled Gou Zhan's lips.
"Third Brother's right. Losing one Red Whale won't affect us at all."
"If we deal the Empress Profound Ice a heavy blow this time, the three of us will rise even higher in the Demon Race's esteem!"
"Then it'll be only a matter of time before our Black Eagle Clan rises to glory among the Demon Race!"
Gou Xuan and Gou Wu both wore smug smiles.
To avoid exposing themselves, they quickly lowered their voices.
Since they were lying in ambush, they had to be patient and keep their nerve. They couldn't let the Empress Profound Ice discover them.
What they had no idea of was that, high above the valley, in the clouds ten thousand li away,
the Jade Carriage carrying Lin Xuan was floating amid the mist.
His Rakshasa Divine Sense had spread out completely, taking in every detail of the entire valley.
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