On the outskirts of the thousand-mile Demon Domain.
Yu Sheng gazed at the vast sea of Demon Beasts in the distance, his brow slightly furrowed as he stood motionless atop a tree.
"A blockade...?"
After a moment's thought, he slipped away without a sound.
As though he had never been there.
Meanwhile, inside the Demon Domain's blockade, since the war had ended, Old White Ape had not returned to his throne. Instead, like the other Demon Beasts, he stood on a small hill, hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance.
"Master, we've found nothing so far."
Little Red Dragon flew down from the horizon and landed beside Old White Ape, prostrating himself on the ground with an exceptionally respectful expression.
"Mm."
Old White Ape thought little of this result and merely nodded lightly.
"Should we expand the search area?"
Little Red Dragon asked again.
Old White Ape shook his head slightly. "No need. Searching the Demon Domain for a force of fewer than ten thousand would take far too much effort and expense."
"If we knew their approximate route, as we did before, it would be relatively simple. Searching aimlessly would cost more than it was worth."
"But we must make our stance clear. Let them feel our determination to fight to the death and our readiness for a prolonged war, forcing them to take a detour."
As he spoke, Old White Ape glanced at Little Red Dragon, a smile appearing on his face. "No need to be so stiff. As long as you don't cross my bottom line, I'm quite easygoing."
"The two of us will have plenty of time to talk in the days ahead. Keeping this up all the time would be too tiring."
"Perhaps in the future..."
"Once you become the Red Dragon Clan's