Jian Lin never expected that behind the spiritual脉 gate was an abyss. After entering, she fell straight down after taking less than two steps.
At this moment, she was incredibly grateful that she had shamelessly clung to the Demon Lord. Otherwise, she would have been scared to death. Nestled in the Demon Lord's embrace, she felt completely safe.
The wind howled in her ears, and she could see nothing in the darkness. Having lost all sense of time, it felt like a very, very long time before they saw the bottom of the abyss, where a bioluminescent creature faintly emitted a blue light.
Using that faint light, the Demon Lord shifted his body, using his feet to push off the cliff face. He moved back and forth several times, rotating his body as he descended leisurely.
When her feet touched solid ground, Jian Lin was slightly relieved. She bent down to get a closer look at the glowing little creatures. They looked like coral and, despite the absence of wind, swayed rhythmically.
Looking up, the bioluminescent creatures covered the entire cave, resembling a small stream flowing towards the dark and quiet underground.
The monsters that had entered earlier had all disappeared, presumably eager to search for the dragon bone.
Jian Lin looked up, her gaze fixed on the pitch-black expanse above, which seemed like an infinite space. She had to ponder a serious question, "Your Majesty Demon Lord, how do we get out?"
"We've finally managed to get in, don't worry about unimportant things for now," the Demon Lord said, his hands clasped behind his back as he stepped forward. "Let's go."
Jian Lin followed, muttering softly, "Why isn't getting out important? Sigh, thankfully I don't have claustrophobia..."
Following the blue bioluminescent creatures, they walked for more than half a day when they suddenly heard a terrifying wail from the cave ahead. The Demon Lord stopped, leaning against a stone wall on the side. Jian Lin followed his movements closely, not daring to breathe, unsure of what had happened ahead.
Xiao Li, who had been squatting on the Demon Lord's shoulder, stood up upon hearing the commotion and said enthusiastically, "I'll go take a look."
With that, she landed lightly and ran off with incredible speed, disappearing into the cave.
Jian Lin had wanted to grab her, but she couldn't even catch a single strand of her fur. Damn it, this little creature was becoming more and more unruly. She should have locked her in the treasure box. All of this was because the Demon Lord had stopped her!
She glared resentfully at the Demon Lord. He turned his head sharply, meeting her gaze, and said mockingly, "What? Are you jealous?"
"Jealous of what?" Jian Lin asked.
"Jealous that Xiao Li is smarter and more useful than you," the Demon Lord said coolly.
"I..." Jian Lin choked, almost suffocating. After a long moment, she gritted her teeth and said, "I wonder who it was that, back then, disliked me for meddling and saving Xiao Li. Now, Your Majesty Demon Lord, don't you owe me an apology?"
"What's the connection between these two matters?" the Demon Lord refused to admit. "Don't be unreasonable."
Jian Lin was about to argue who was being unreasonable when Xiao Li quickly ran back from ahead, interrupting their conversation.
Xiao Li nimbly jumped onto the Demon Lord's shoulder and whispered, "It seems like the monsters were fighting amongst themselves. One lion demon died, and I didn't detect any other danger."
"Fighting amongst themselves right after entering," the Demon Lord scoffed, commenting, "Truly foolish."
Jian Lin also found it incredible. They hadn't even found the dragon bone yet, and with the human Demon Lord present, the monsters couldn't even unite. They were truly beyond saving.
They continued forward, and soon a huge blue light cluster appeared in their sight. As they approached, they saw that the blue bioluminescent creatures had surrounded the lion demon's corpse, seemingly devouring its flesh. The pillar of light erupted brightly due to their feeding.
Well, if one stared closely, the process was quite disgusting.
The Demon Lord glanced at it but paid it no further attention and continued forward. Ahead, a massive cave appeared, where the blue fluorescence gathered into a large pool, then split into five streams flowing into five caves on the opposite side.
No wonder the monsters were fighting amongst themselves; there was actually some reason for it.
With five caves, if only one path was correct, and the monsters split up to choose, it was highly likely that a certain demon race would obtain the dragon bone.
Some demons wanted to try their luck with such a chance-based matter, while others wouldn't allow it. Only through internal conflict and battle could they reach a consensus.
The Demon Lord turned back and asked Jian Lin with interest, "What do you guess they chose, and which path did they take?"
Huh? Was he testing her? Fortunately, although her combat ability was poor, she understood schemes and intrigues.
"I don't know which path, but they must have gone together. The bird demon is domineering and the strongest. It must have been the lion demon who wanted to go separately, resulting in its death as a warning. Therefore, they wouldn't split up," Jian Lin analyzed logically.
The Demon Lord gave a soft hum and then raised his chin, "Then you choose a path."
Her to choose? Jian Lin hesitated, looking seriously at the five caves. She couldn't discern any clues. "If I choose, it would be a blind guess, and I've always had bad luck, so it's better not to."
"It doesn't matter. If you have bad luck, when we encounter the monsters, it will at least be lively," the Demon Lord said indifferently.
Jian Lin looked up at him and suddenly asked cheekily, "Your Majesty Demon Lord, isn't it because you can't see any clues that you're letting me guess blindly? So, you have times when you don't know things too."
"Of course," the Demon Lord replied calmly and righteously, "I don't understand any demon arts at all. I only learned them after arriving in the demon realm. So what?"
Jian Lin was momentarily speechless. It was true, there was nothing wrong with that. She had wanted to get revenge and mock the Demon Lord once, but now she seemed petty.
Xiao Li stood on the Demon Lord's shoulder, casting a look of disdain. Jian Lin noticed this and immediately turned her attention to Xiao Li, implying, "Why don't we let Xiao Li choose? Xiao Li definitely understands."
Xiao Li narrowed her golden eyes, licked her nose with her tongue, and said in a childish voice, "Sister A'pei is so bad."
"Don't mind her," the Demon Lord said, scratching Xiao Li's chin. "Xiao Li, you choose. Any path is fine."
"The second one from the left, that cave entrance is the most round," Xiao Li replied, giving a seemingly childish reason.
Jian Lin couldn't tell if Xiao Li was choosing seriously or randomly. She had been clinging to the Demon Lord's shoulder, so Jian Lin hadn't had a chance to talk to her privately.
The Demon Lord was unaware of these matters and didn't understand the undercurrents between Jian Lin and Xiao Li. He stepped forward and walked directly towards the second path from the left.
Jian Lin followed, deliberately moving to the Demon Lord's right side, next to Xiao Li.
Xiao Li glanced at her, then nimbly moved her paws and shifted to the Demon Lord's left shoulder. This detestable little thing! She was doing it on purpose!
After walking a short distance into the cave, the surrounding scenery began to change. Not only were there bioluminescent blue creatures underfoot, but vines also began to appear on the rock walls. They were silver and yellow, exuding an ethereal aura, and were very beautiful. The further they went, the more luxuriant they became.
Jian Lin observed carefully as she walked and suddenly noticed a flower bud. She exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of plant is this? It's actually blooming! It's so beautiful!"
"Whatever it is, nurtured by the dragon bone, it's certainly not ordinary," the Demon Lord suddenly stopped, paused for a second or two, and said softly, "Do you feel it? There's wind."
Jian Lin stood still and felt quietly. Indeed, she felt a hint of coolness. "There's wind, and it smells so good."
It was like the scent of a hundred flowers blooming, full of spring vitality.
"Dragon bone, spiritual脉," the Demon Lord said, walking with his hands behind his back, deep in thought. "To nurture so much in an underground abyss, it must be a colossal entity. Finding it is one thing, but how do we take it away?"
Jian Lin also frowned in thought. "Such powerful energy should belong to all things in the world. No demon or human has the right to possess it privately."
"Whether one has the right or not depends entirely on whether one has the ability to do so," the Demon Lord chuckled softly, saying confidently, "If I can take it, I will possess it privately."
Jian Lin was stunned. She wasn't surprised that the Demon Lord would say such a thing. He had promised the monsters not to touch the dragon bone, and it turned out he was lying. However, thinking that he was deceiving monsters, and moreover, monsters who had slaughtered their own kind, she felt that the Demon Lord was doing the right thing.
It was truly perplexing, and she didn't know how to evaluate the Demon Lord's choice.
Before she could come up with an answer, a light spot suddenly appeared ahead, the airflow surged, and the floral fragrance became more pronounced. The Demon Lord urged Jian Lin to hurry, and the two of them rushed towards the front.
Upon reaching the exit of the light spot, the scene before them suddenly opened up. They saw silver-yellow flower vines covering the entire space, blooming with giant flowers.
Even more astonishingly, there was a cliff ahead, and the flower vines spread down along the cliff. They stood at the edge of the cliff and looked down. They saw a dark blue river quietly flowing, mixed with silver-white light, darting rapidly like shooting stars. Upon closer inspection, they realized they were small silver fish.
"Is this the spiritual脉?" Jian Lin asked doubtfully. "And the dragon bone as well? If the dragon bone is water, how can it be taken away?"
"Regarding this, we might get more answers by asking the monsters," the Demon Lord said. He took out a porcelain doll from his embrace and simultaneously formed a hand seal to summon Hong Qu.
As Tao Niang and Hong Qu landed, their eyes widened in shock. However, after recovering, they immediately fell into a state of enchantment.
"I've never felt so exhilarated," Tao Niang said, hugging a silver-yellow flower and caressing it obsessively. "I want to stay here forever."
Hong Qu was a little better, possibly due to her becoming the Demon Lord's contracted beast, allowing her to control her desires. "Your Majesty Demon Lord, so much spiritual energy. If I cultivate here, within a hundred years, I will surely ascend to godhood."
Listening to them speak, Jian Lin suddenly looked at Xiao Li. Xiao Li sat on the edge of the cliff, staring intently at the dark river without a word.
"Xiao Li, don't you have anything to say?" Jian Lin leaned closer and asked.
Xiao Li raised her face, licked her nose with her tongue, her golden eyes like two searchlights, and firmly uttered four words, "I want to eat fish."
Jian Lin couldn't control herself and almost fell. She leaned close to Xiao Li's ear and said, "As expected, you've returned to your homeland. You're indeed the most composed."
At this moment, the Demon Lord suddenly raised his voice and said, "Stop fooling around, everyone. Listen to me."
Jian Lin turned back, looking at him inexplicably.
The Demon Lord stood amidst the silver-yellow flower vines, pointed behind him, and said, "The exit has disappeared."
Jian Lin jolted and got up. Disbelieving, she pushed aside the flower vines and felt her way inch by inch. The cave entrance, which had been so round, had indeed vanished without a sound. Now, it was a solid rock face.
"No way!" Jian Lin shouted in distress.
"It's actually normal for it to disappear," the Demon Lord said calmly. "If, as Hong Qu said, she could cultivate here for a hundred years to become a god, and entering and exiting were so easy, the demon realm would already be filled with gods. The reason it isn't is that any demon who sees the spiritual脉 can no longer leave."