The maid squad is too strong, what use is there for me, the Demon King?

The intense sense of spatial distortion and weightlessness vanished abruptly, and my feet were once again firmly planted on the ground.

Phoenix almost immediately suppressed the dizziness brought on by the teleportation, his sharp, hawk-like gaze rapidly sweeping across his surroundings, his powerful mental energy spreading outwards like a tide, probing for any potential dangers.

The sight that came into view made his aged pupils suddenly contract.

They were in an underground space far beyond imagination. The dome was high and deep, disappearing into the profound darkness, with no end in sight.

All around are magnificent and ancient architectural complexes, with huge stone pillars supporting the continuous palaces, and the walls are carved with long-lost patterns full of wildness and mystery.

The air was thick with the dull smell of millennia-old dust, and a kind of... indescribable, profound, and unfathomable magic lingered.

The architectural style here… Phoenix felt a strange sense of familiarity, his heart pounding uncontrollably. He was certain he had seen a similar style in some extremely ancient document or rubbing of relics! This was… the architectural style of the ancient demon race's heyday?! Could this be…

The thought sent a chill down his spine. But he didn't have time to think about it; his instinct as a strong person made him try to escape this strange place immediately.

His fingers moved rapidly, trying to construct a teleportation spell with the shortest possible distance, even if it was just to teleport to the other side of this space, to ensure a safe distance first.

However, just as the spatial fluctuations at his fingertips lit up—

hum!

An invisible yet incredibly powerful suppressive force suddenly descended, as if the rules of the entire space had been solidified and locked by some supreme power.

The spatial magic he unleashed was like hitting an invisible, indestructible wall; it was instantly shattered and vanished without a trace, not even causing a ripple.

"What?!" Phoenix's expression changed again. He refused to believe it and tried again, even using a more sophisticated short-range space folding technique.

Invalid! All invalid!

Any form of spatial fluctuation, the moment it arises, is instantly extinguished by that omnipresent, tyrannical, and precise suppressive force! Just as water cannot boil at absolute zero, spatial magic... is completely forbidden in this place.

“It’s over…” A cold thought flashed through Phoenix’s mind. His spatial mastery, which he had relied on all his life, was now useless here.

This is by no means a naturally formed restriction, but a cage of unimaginably high level deliberately set up by some being.

He forced himself to calm down and quickly looked at his companion beside him.

Taric knelt on the ground, coughing violently. His injuries seemed to have worsened due to the spatial teleportation and the strange pressure of the place, but he still held on to his giant axe, looking around warily, his face filled with shock and confusion.

Sofia remained unconscious, lying on the cold ground, her face frighteningly pale.

however……

"Where is Her Highness?!" Phoenix's heart sank to the bottom.

As far as he could see, there was no one else besides Tariq and Sofia.

The heroine Philippa has disappeared!

Right under his nose, the instant the teleportation was completed, it vanished!

Was there a problem with the teleportation? Or... did the being who forcibly brought them here deliberately take Philippa elsewhere?

A wave of panic and a sense of responsibility instantly gripped Phoenix. If anything were to happen to Her Highness the Princess…

Philippa is a crucial hero in the fight against the Demon King (although Phoenix thinks it doesn't really matter who the hero is), and she is also the little princess he watched grow up.

Phoenix, who had no children of his own and devoted all his time to spatial magic and human-demon research, treated Philippa almost like his own granddaughter.

We must find her immediately!

But when he glanced at the heavily injured Taric and the unconscious Sofia, he stopped in his tracks. Leaving these two nearly incapacitated juniors in this strange and unknown place was tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

Phoenix took a deep breath, and the wrinkles on his aged face seemed to deepen. He made a swift decision: They couldn't be separated! He had to take them with him!

"Tarik, can you still move?" Phoenix's voice was filled with an undeniable urgency.

Taric gritted his teeth, using his giant axe to support himself, and barely managed to stand up, though every step was excruciatingly painful: "I'm...I'm alright! Your Majesty Phoenix, where is this? Her Highness the Princess..."

"I don't know! But Philippa is missing! We must find her immediately!" Phoenix spoke succinctly. He walked to Sophia's side and carefully used a gentle magical force to lift her up, suspending her beside him. "Stay close to me, and remain highly vigilant! Something... is very wrong here!"

Taric nodded heavily, enduring the pain, gripping his giant axe tightly, and followed behind Phoenix.

Phoenix released his mental energy once again, this time not attempting spatial magic, but scanning the surrounding energy flow and environmental structure like the most sophisticated radar.

He hoped to find even a trace of Philippa's presence, or any clue that might lead to her whereabouts.

Despite the sharp pain in his ribs, Taric followed closely behind Phoenix, cautiously surveying the dark, magnificent, and unsettling unfamiliar surroundings. He couldn't help but lower his voice and ask, "Your Majesty Phoenix... where... where is this place? Can we still use teleportation to leave?"

Phoenix didn't turn around, carrying the unconscious Sophia, his steps unwavering, his voice low and heavy, carrying an undisguised sense of defeat: "The space is completely locked. Any teleportation spell, even one that is only a few feet away, is ineffective here."

"What?! Even you..." Upon hearing this, Taric's pupils contracted sharply, and all color drained from his face. He knew all too well how unparalleled Master Phoenix's mastery of spatial magic was; the fact that even he couldn't teleport meant they were trapped in some terrifying and perilous place.

Only now did he truly realize that the seriousness of the problem far exceeded his imagination—this was not just an accidental teleportation error, but a premeditated imprisonment in which he was completely overwhelmed by the power level.

A wave of overwhelming fear gripped his heart, but a warrior's instinct immediately brought another crucial question to mind. He recalled the terrifying magical surge that had sent shivers down his spine before the teleportation, and his voice trembled almost imperceptibly as he spoke urgently, "Your Majesty Phoenix! Just now… just now, that sudden burst of magic before the teleportation… though I can't be entirely certain, that feeling… cold, domineering, and brimming with destructive power…"

"Then...could it be...the Demon King?!"

The last two words were practically uttered through gritted teeth by Taric, filled with disbelief and horror. If it was truly the Demon King himself who had abducted them to this place, and specifically taken the princess away… the consequences were simply unimaginable.

Phoenix paused almost imperceptibly. He didn't answer immediately, but his taut jawline and more serious profile silently confirmed Taric's guess.

Silence permeated the ancient, deathly hall, making it almost impossible to breathe.