Since they emerged from the forest, Xiao Li had been clinging to the Demon Lord's shoulder.
As they were about to descend underground to join the commotion of opening the spiritual脉 (líng mài) gate, Jian Lin, worried about Xiao Li being affected, intended to place her inside the Qian Kun Bag.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Jian Lin mentioned it, the Demon Lord disagreed, asking with a hint of confusion, "Why?"
"Uh..." Jian Lin explained earnestly, "I'm afraid it might be dangerous, so it's better to put Xiao Li in a safe place."
"What do you mean by that?" The Demon Lord stopped in his tracks, his face displeased. "If we're talking about safety, of course, being by my side is the safest. Are you questioning me?"
"Oh, I didn't mean that!" Jian Lin quickly defended herself, giving Xiao Li a meaningful look. "It's just that Xiao Li feels bad about bothering you. Come here, Xiao Li, come to me."
To her surprise, Xiao Li remained still, even wrapping her large tail around the Demon Lord's neck, her refusal evident.
This little traitor! Jian Lin was furious but helpless, looking to the left and right, hoping Tao Niang and Hong Qu would say something.
Tao Niang linked her arm with Jian Lin's, gently comforting her, "Why are you arguing with Xiao Li? The Demon Lord doesn't mind the trouble, so don't worry too much."
Hong Qu chuckled, commenting coldly, "Inviting trouble, you deserve it."
Fine, she deserved it, she admitted.
Jian Lin stopped talking, fixing Xiao Li with a fierce gaze, attempting to condemn her with her eyes.
The Bear Clan territory was located halfway up the mountain. They descended, and without needing to search, they simply headed towards the brightest light, where demons were gathered, the liveliest spot in the dark night.
Soon, they reached the outer perimeter. Standing on higher ground, they looked down to see many Lion Demons and Tiger Demons. Numerous Bird Demons perched on tree branches, all facing one direction: a deep, dark hole at the foot of the mountain.
The cave entrance was massive. Jian Lin estimated it to be at least three meters high. The cave sloped downwards, and from her angle, she could only see solid rock walls.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed from the cave entrance again, and the ground began to shake, just as it had in the Bear Clan's main hall.
The interval was less than fifteen minutes. Jian Lin wondered what attempts the demons below were making, as they seemed rather impatient.
"Let's go in and take a look," the Demon Lord turned and gestured. "Come on, I'll take you in."
The others immediately understood the Demon Lord's intention. With a flash of red light, Hong Qu returned to the jade pendant. Tao Niang transformed into a porcelain doll and landed in the Demon Lord's hand. Only Jian Lin stood awkwardly, smiling sheepishly. It was such a shame she couldn't transform into anything.
The Demon Lord extended his hand with disdain. Jian Lin, familiar with the routine, ducked into his embrace. In a blur of vision, they found themselves standing inside the cave again.
The cave was spacious and flat, with signs of later refinement. It seemed the demons of the Four Great Demon Clans had put considerable effort into the entrance of the spiritual脉.
They landed at a corner and peered inside. Ahead was a staircase, and at the bottom stood two guards, a lion and a tiger. Behind them, a large door was open, and the staircase inside led deeper.
The Demon Lord formed a hand seal with two fingers and, with a seemingly casual flick, shot out two projectiles. The guards' bodies suddenly stiffened, then silently collapsed to the ground.
After waiting for a few more seconds to ensure no other demons had noticed, the Demon Lord gave Jian Lin a look. The two of them moved forward lightly, passing the first checkpoint, and descended the stairs.
Following this pattern, after incapacitating about seven or eight groups of guards, and experiencing another tremor in between, they finally reached the deepest level underground.
Before they could see the scene ahead, Jian Lin heard a chaotic argument. Judging by the voices alone, there were at least five or six demons arguing fiercely.
The reason for the argument was obvious: the spiritual脉 gate wouldn't open, the Bear Clan Chief was dead, and the three factions were suspecting each other of not presenting the true key.
Hearing the content of their argument, Jian Lin couldn't help but laugh. Little did they know, the Bear Clan Chief had hidden the real key, and their inability to open it now was entirely their own fault!
The Demon Lord put his arm around Jian Lin's waist and leaped forward again. This time, they hid in an indentation on the mountainside, a spot untouched by the firelight, and from their vantage point, they could clearly see the scene in the hall.
In the center of the hall was a white stone altar, carved with intricate patterns. In the middle of the altar was an indentation, where an entire Dragon-Coiling Jade Pendant was placed.
The Dragon-Coiling Jade Pendant was fitted perfectly into the white stone altar. On the surface, it seemed fine, but the massive stone door remained unmoving.
Around the white stone altar stood about twenty demons, divided into roughly four factions. To Jian Lin's surprise, she saw demons from the Bear Clan.
One Bear Clan demon had a fierce look, half of his ear missing, and a scar on his forehead, making him appear very formidable.
Behind him stood a dark figure, its identity unknown, completely wrapped in black cloth from head to toe, like a mummy in black bandages.
Jian Lin stared at the dark figure, finding it increasingly familiar. Suddenly, a thought struck her. She tugged at the Demon Lord's sleeve and, with great excitement, mouthed, "It's him, the dark figure who gave me the Yin Yuan Pill!"
The ethereal feeling, the trembling frequency of the dark figure – Jian Lin was absolutely sure.
After wandering through the demon realm for so long, they had finally found their initial target.
The Demon Lord turned and met her gaze. Both understood each other's meaning. Was this dark figure Zhan San Dao?
Even if it wasn't Zhan San Dao, he was a significant figure, having played a role in two crucial missions.
The Demon Lord placed his index finger to his lips, signaling Jian Lin to be quiet, then pushed her back into the indentation. With a flash, he disappeared and reappeared at the entrance of the hall.
"Stop arguing," the Demon Lord's voice echoed. He slowly descended the steps, appearing in the sight of all the demons, holding the Dragon-Coiling Jade Pendant in his hand. With a provocative tone, he asked, "The real key is with me. Do you all want it?"
The hall fell silent. The demons were stunned, taking a step back and looking uniformly at the Demon Lord, utterly confused by this uninvited guest.
A bird demon, representing the others, questioned, "Who are you? Why is the key in your possession? What business do you have with the affairs of our demon race?"
"These questions are unimportant," the Demon Lord said, shaking the Dragon-Coiling Jade Pendant in his hand, arrogantly asking, "I only ask you, do you want it?"
Another tiger demon was the first to lose his patience, roaring and charging at the Demon Lord, shouting, "Who is this scoundrel who dares to cause trouble here! What are you, that you have the right to speak?!"
The tiger demon's cultivation was not low, his fists and kicks carried the force of a tiger, and he attacked the Demon Lord with a fierce aura.
The Demon Lord remained unfazed, subtly shifting his body to evade the tiger demon's attack, and said slowly, "If I want to speak, I will speak. There is no one in this world who can silence me."
The tiger demon, full of aggression, ended up not even touching a single strand of the Demon Lord's hair. Enraged, he was on the verge of losing control.
"Brother Bing, calm down, now is not the time to fight!" the bird demon shouted loudly. Clearly, this one was the most sensible. He stepped forward and said to the Demon Lord, "Esteemed sir, we have never met, and we have no past grievances or present enmity. May I ask what your purpose is in coming here, and how you came to possess the treasure of our Four Great Demon Clans?"
"The Bear Clan Chief gave it to me. His Golden Core was not the true key; you were all deceived by him," the Demon Lord revealed the truth, his gaze falling on the dark figure at the back. "If you want it, have that dark figure come and take it."
Upon hearing this, the scarred bear demon was startled. He quickly retrieved the Dragon-Coiling Jade Pendant from the altar. He examined it back and forth carefully but found no flaws. He then threw the jade pendant to the dark figure, gritting his teeth and accusing, "Didn't you say he integrated the key into his Golden Core? How dare you deceive me!"
The dark figure moved slowly, extending black fingers from its cloth. It turned out that its entire body was like a shadow, without real skin.
The dark figure, holding the jade pendant, uttered a suppressed, hoarse voice, "I was careless. I didn't expect him to have such cunning."
Using some unknown spell, the Dragon-Coiling Jade Pendant melted rapidly, transforming into a brown Golden Core.
The demons present were dumbfounded, then turned to look at the Demon Lord, realizing that the jade pendant in his hand was indeed the real one.
The dark figure floated forward. It stopped cautiously at a considerable distance from the Demon Lord, saying, "Esteemed sir, state your conditions. I don't believe you will simply give it to me if I go to retrieve it."
"Naturally. I need you to answer one question for me," the Demon Lord said, staring intently at the dark figure. "Where did you obtain the Yin Yuan Pill, and who in the demon realm are you connected to?"
The dark figure remained silent for a long moment, then suddenly spoke with certainty, "You are the Demon Lord."
"I am," the Demon Lord replied curtly.
"I heard you were in the demon city. I didn't expect to meet you here," the dark figure's hoarse voice was grating, and its laughter was even more so. "You are indeed a person of great importance. Of course, I am not insignificant either, worthy of you personally investigating."
Thinking it was flattering itself, the Demon Lord clearly had no patience for the dark figure's nonsense. With a flash, he suddenly attacked the dark figure.
The dark figure was ethereal and agile. As the Demon Lord lunged, he grabbed its neck with one hand, only to find he had grasped only the black cloth on the outside.
The cloth suddenly slipped off, and the dark figure revealed its true form. It was a pitch-black humanoid, like a shadow peeled away, which then transformed into a mass and merged into the darkness.
"Lord Demon Lord, don't get angry," the dark figure said triumphantly, moving and drifting rapidly in the darkness. "You can't catch me, so give up early!"
What a strange creature, what in the world was this thing?
Jian Lin frowned, watching the Demon Lord with concern, fearing he might be harmed by the monstrous entity.
The Demon Lord discarded the cloth, twirled his wrist, and a long sword appeared in his hand. He performed a sword flourish, then leaped towards the dark figure in the air.
One person and one shadow battled in the air. The demons below were bewildered, unsure what to say.
Jian Lin held Xiao Li tightly. Suddenly, her hands felt empty. Xiao Li had rushed out, its paws treading on the mountain wall, and bit onto the dark figure.
"Xiao Li, good girl," the Demon Lord praised, then flicked his sword, pinning the dark figure to the stone wall.
"A mere trifle, hardly worth mentioning!" The dark figure scattered, laughing defiantly, then reassembled. "I told you, no one can catch me."
The dark figure grew increasingly frantic, spinning rapidly in the air as if to show off. Suddenly, with a crackle, it collided with something. Sparks flew, and the mass of darkness writhed and twisted, then suddenly fell.
Jian Lin looked at the electric mosquito swatter in her hand. She was equally surprised. She had just wanted to try it, and she hadn't expected this thing to actually work!