Chapter 140: Ransacking the Demon King's Mansion

Song Yue first headed to the vast lake located at the border of the United States and the Maple Leaf Country. According to the fox, the demon king dwelling in this massive lake was a serpent king. Song Yue immediately knew who it was. It was precisely the one that had earlier relentlessly pursued him while piloting an ancient model of a flying saucer. Later, when facing the heavenly tribulation and revealing its true form, Song Yue had seen it with a single horn growing on its head and two legs on its abdomen, clearly having evolved from a serpent into a creature resembling a jiao dragon. Such a formidable demon king must have been extremely wealthy at home, right? When he arrived above the lake, however, he suddenly discovered that someone had already beaten him to it! To be precise, someone had already set their sights on this place before him. Judging by their appearance, there were several human-like figures, but each emanated towering demonic qi. The previously calm and tranquil surface of the lake was churned into turbulent waves due to the arrival of these demonic entities. "Are you all certain that the Silver Serpent King is definitely not coming back?" "Of course it's not coming back. We all witnessed it pass the heavenly tribulation and enter the realm of cultivation with our own eyes; how could there be any chance of it returning?" "Exactly, don't be afraid, just go for it! When have you ever seen a demon that left the mortal world manage to come back? Do you take them for disciples of those powerful ancient sects and grand monasteries?" "Heh, the demon race... if they can just manage to save their lives once they enter the cultivation realm, they'll be doing well! Still want to come back? Keep dreaming!" The several great demons who had transformed into human shapes chatted amongst themselves as they prepared to enter the vast lake. At that moment, the lake water suddenly began to churn violently, as if the entire body of water was being boiled. The next instant, a behemoth abruptly surged out from beneath the lake's surface. It was a massive silver snake with a triangular head, and the portion exposed above the water alone was fully a hundred meters long. The giant serpent possessed a pair of scarlet eyes like a pair of lanterns, glaring fiercely at the great demons on the lake surface as it emitted an ice-cold spiritual consciousness: "Those who trespass upon the Silver Serpent King's estate shall die!" At this, one of the four great demons, a man transformed into a youth in green robes, laughed heartily and said, "Just a puny snake demon in the early stage of Pill Gathering, and you dare step up to block our path? Let me advise you to get out of the way right now! We only wish to pay our respects to the former residence of the Silver Serpent King and harbor no other malicious intent, but if you dare to obstruct us—" A black-robed man beside him, whose body surged with monstrous demonic qi, cut in and finished, "We'll smash you to death!" An alluring woman clad in gaudy, multicolored clothing with similarly vibrant, rainbow-colored hair extended her tongue to lick her lips and purred, "I want to eat it." The silver serpent suddenly launched an attack. A towering wave rose from the lake, and countless bright red threads coiled toward the four great demons. "Courting death!" A burst of cyan-green light erupted from the youth in green robes, blocking those crimson threads as he casually struck out with a palm toward the giant silver snake. The black-robed man with towering demonic qi wore an extremely chilling gaze; spreading his arms, countless strands of black vapor rapidly spewed forth from his hands, forming two massive black swords that he swung to hack at the silver serpent. Meanwhile, the alluring woman in multicolored garments instantly transformed into a gigantic five-colored pheasant, spreading her sharp, formidable talons to claw directly at the silver serpent's eyes. Only one old man, dressed in a tattered padded jacket and similarly reeking of demonic qi, remained idle without making a move. He appeared extremely cautious, and from the very beginning, it was he who had questioned the other great demons about whether the Silver Serpent King was truly gone for good. Now, he was also the most prudent of them all. While his three companions attacked the triangular-headed silver serpent, he maintained a cautious, watchful expression, observing the surroundings closely to guard against any potential sneak attacks. His three companions seemed accustomed to this spectacle and focused wholeheartedly on battling the giant silver snake. This was the silver serpent's home turf, but its realm was simply too low! Let alone three opponents, it would have struggled immensely to fight even a single one. In the blink of an eye, its body was covered in horrifying wounds, and the blood pouring from its body dyed vast swathes of the lake red. Although the red threads pervading the void also caused the great demons some trouble and inflicted minor injuries upon them, compared to the silver serpent's grievous wounds, those were utterly insignificant. Seated within his cloaked flying saucer, Song Yue looked down quietly and calmly, marveling at how intense the internal competition within the demon race had become. It seemed he needed to step up his pace. Otherwise, the lairs of the remaining demon kings would likely be carved up completely from within the demon race before he even arrived. By this point, the giant silver snake had completely fallen into a disadvantageous position. If things continued this way, it would probably be utterly slain by the three terrifying great demons before much longer. The green-robed youth sneered as he projected his spiritual consciousness: "Not bad, not bad! Aside from the Silver Serpent King's treasure trove, there's even a giant snake to eat!" The black-robed man remarked, "An early-stage Pill Gathering one... good enough. The meat is bound to be extremely tender and delicious; just thinking about it makes my mouth water." The woman chuckled and said, "I claim the demon pill!" "That won't do!" protested the green-robed youth. "We must be fair. We'll draw lots when the time comes! No cheating allowed!" The black-robed man agreed, "Right, whoever cheats is a dog!" The woman retorted angrily, "Aren't you a dog yourself?" The silver serpent let out a sorrowful and indignant hiss. It wasn't even dead yet, and these creatures of the same demon race were already discussing how to cook and eat it. Back when the Great King was still around, who among these scum would have dared to act so presumptuously here? Unfortunately, times had changed; the moment the Great King left the mortal world, this pack of damned beasts had arrived. At this moment, the silver serpent was eager to fight to the death, yet lacked the strength to turn the tide. However, the loyalty deeply engraved in its bones drove it to fight until its very last breath. The moment the five-colored pheasant blinded one of its eyes with its talons, it saw a flash of light... and then, the head of the five-colored pheasant was severed! Was this a flash of lucidity before death? The attacks of the green-robed youth and the black-robed man landed viciously upon its body at the same time, hacking its massive form into several pieces. Its blinded head smashed heavily into the lake water. It knew its time was running out. Yet its remaining eye still gazed up at the sky, brimming with hope! It hoped that what had just happened... was not an illusion! In times like this, no matter who appeared, as long as they could destroy these great demons, it was willing to offer everything! Even if its physical body were to be consumed, it would do so willingly! When the head of the five-colored pheasant was lopped off, the green-robed and black-robed men failed to react in time. They were still grinning hideously as they carved the silver serpent into sections! By the time they finally snapped out of it, they abruptly saw a youth in white robes, wielding a terrifying long saber and radiating towering demonic qi, coldly slashing down toward them! "Oh my goodness!" The souls of those two great demons were nearly frightened out of their bodies on the spot. What was going on here? The Silver Serpent King... had actually returned? Having clearly reached the end of its life, the giant silver snake, upon seeing the youth in white appear, mustered almost all its remaining strength to emit a spiritual cry of grief: "Great King! Avenge us!" Without a word, Song Yue swung his saber down toward the absent-minded green-robed youth. The monstrous demonic qi enveloping him carried a pressure rooted in bloodline supremacy, actually causing his opponent's movements to sluggishly slow down. Crack! The green-robed youth was cleaved cleanly in two by Song Yue on the spot. Shortly after, it revealed its true form—it turned out to be... a giant frog! Once split in two, each half resembled a small mountain as they crashed heavily into the lake below. At the same time, a demon pill abruptly shot out, attempting to flee. Song Yue knocked it down into the lake with a single stroke of his saber. Summoning the Yuxu Tongtian Stele, he sucked it straight inside. The black-robed man was nearly frightened to the point of pissing himself, frantically broadcasting spiritual fluctuations to plead for mercy: "Spare my life, Great Silver Serpent King..." Without a word, Song Yue brandished his saber and slashed toward the black-robed man. Clang! A deafening crash rang out. The Dragon-Patterned Saber-Slaying Blade actually failed to cleave this black-robed man, who had instantly revealed his true form, in two! This was a gigantic black beetle measuring several hundred meters long. Its appearance was exceptionally hideous. Right now, however, it was paralyzed by extreme terror, with a deep trench carved into its body from which green blood sprayed. Yet it was not dead! Madly, it attempted to burrow down into the lake below. Song Yue casually struck out with another blow. The terrifying blade radiance erupted with peerless energy, finally cleaving it in twain. Another demon pill tried to escape, but Song Yue collected it as well. The next instant, Song Yue reverted to his true appearance. He swiftly cleared the battlefield. The interior of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele, having unsealed its fourth layer of runes, had become exceptionally vast, spanning at least several hundred miles in circumference. An uninformed outsider entering it would mistake it for a secluded micro-world. Song Yue had previously carved out a massive designated area specifically for storing these great demons and seafood. They were all top-tier mortal ingredients, premier in both vital essence and flavor. Unfortunately, the moment he swooped down to strike, the old man in the tattered padded jacket sensed that the situation was dire and slipped away at the very first opportunity. Without a shred of hesitation, he abandoned his companions. He had successfully saved his life. But what he had witnessed was the Silver Serpent King returning from afar! His soul, too, had been scared out of his wits. He bolted like a wisp of smoke back to his own lair, hiding away and trembling in terror, vowing never to come out again for the rest of his life unless the Silver Serpent King ascended. At this moment, Song Yue had already followed the lake down to the Silver Serpent King's cavern dwelling. It was a massive underwater palace. Along the way, he transformed back into the appearance of the white-robed youth. Upon seeing him, several shivering aquatic demonic entities were overwhelmed with pleasant surprise, swarming around him and shouting "Great King" repeatedly. These were mostly demons at the realm of sentient awakening or bone-shattering. More than half a year ago, any one of these demons would have been considered a terrifying entity to Song Yue. The mere appearance of just one would have thrown him into a frantic, perilous struggle. Now, even without resorting to transformation arts, he was fully capable of looking down upon them calmly; transforming was merely to spare himself some trouble. "All of you, dismiss yourselves." Ignoring the demonic creatures, Song Yue walked straight toward the palace before him. As he approached, while searching out the vibrational frequencies of the place, he projected an ice-cold spiritual consciousness to the aquatic clan: "I am about to leave, all of you should disperse and go your separate ways!" His inventory of great demon ingredients was already far too plentiful; he no longer cared for these aquatic demonic creatures before him. Shortly after, he successfully broke the barrier surrounding the underwater palace and flashed inside. Outside, the crowd of aquatic beings remained utterly bewildered, wondering what had happened. General Silver Serpent had died in battle, and their master's temperament had undergone a drastic change upon his return, even ordering their disbandment... Could the master truly be leaving the mortal world for good? However, none of these aquatic demons dared to follow him inside, nor did they dare to ask the Great King what had happened. With heavy reluctance, they could only disperse, following the interconnected lake system to claim their own territories and seek out fortunes of their own. Ever since that day, however, this former faction of the Silver Serpent King's subordinates would stubbornly insist at any time and in any place that their Great King had not been forced into tribulation and departure by that human, but had instead returned—and they had seen it with their own eyes! Entering the palace, Song Yue quickly discovered numerous treasures. Among these treasures, a surprising number originated from the mortal world! This was easy to understand; a demon king like the Silver Serpent King, whose realm broke through the ceiling of the mortal world, had lived for untold years. It would be stranger if it didn't possess a few fine things. Subsequently, Song Yue unearthed several aquatic supreme herbs. Although their tiers were not exceptionally high, reaching only the Pill Gathering level, he did not disdain them and directly transplanted them into the interior of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele. When it came to medicinal herbs, higher tiers were naturally better, but sometimes, as long as the remedy suited the condition, low-grade herbs could equally be used to concoct high-grade pills. Aside from these, Song Yue also discovered a vast array of scriptures of all kinds. Not only were there texts belonging to the demon race, but there were also many scriptures left behind by human cultivators. Furthermore, there were massive quantities of antiques from various eras, along with golden calligraphy, paintings, and other artifacts. "Quite a tasteful snake, after all!" Song Yue couldn't help praising, before packing up and taking every last item away. All in all, the harvest at the Silver Serpent King's domain was far from shabby. Especially among the ancient magical artifacts, a few even triggered a reaction from the Yuxu Tongtian Stele, making them quite impressive treasures indeed. Even so, Song Yue felt a lingering sense of disappointment; he had failed to find what he truly desired here. Yet he wasn't too let down—at this stage, there were likely very few treasures left in the entire mortal world that could truly move his heart. Leaving the vast lake, Song Yue headed straight for the North Sea. This time, he did not transform into the giant octopus; instead, he piloted the flying saucer directly into the depths of the ocean. He quickly located that unfathomably deep oceanic trench, but the outcome made Song Yue want to curse out loud. He thought to himself that the giant octopus really was utterly destitute! This entire region... contained not a single good thing! It seemed that this bottomless oceanic trench was merely a place for it to crash. Piloting the flying saucer to scout around the area yielded zero results, leaving him with no choice but to depart. His next stop was the great desert of Africa! Activating his spiritual eyes, he quickly located the lair of the giant scorpion deep beneath the sands. That was a network of caves located several kilometers underground! The expanse of the caves was astonishingly vast. Upon entering, Song Yue soon discovered that this cavern actually concealed an extremely rare vein of mystic silver! Song Yue was overjoyed, thinking to himself: *Giant octopus, look at how much better the giant scorpion is at picking a spot! Its lair is built right inside a mystic silver vein, and look at you... not a single hair in that trench of yours, you're dirt poor and utterly useless!* Deep within the cavern, Song Yue uncovered a massive hoard of top-grade mystic silver, which must have been accumulated by the giant scorpion over countless ages; every single piece possessed exceptionally high quality. Having left to seize a beast king's scripture and never returning, the scorpion had now left everything behind for Song Yue. The sheer volume of top-grade mystic silver piled up a small mountain standing a hundred meters tall inside the Yuxu Tongtian Stele! It shone with dazzling silver light, looking very much like a silver mountain. Song Yue and his companions might not have an immediate use for this material, but once they entered the realm of cultivation or the Nine Passes World, it would instantly become valuable, constituting a true hard currency! The giant scorpion must have been quite solitary, as there were no other demonic creatures residing within its entire lair. Here, too, Song Yue discovered numerous cultivation scriptures from various eras, as well as texts belonging to various demon clans. Most of them were of low tiers, and the finest demon scripture among them barely reached the transformation realm. For a creature of the demon race seeking to cultivate, it was truly an arduous path without a powerful backing. Following that, Song Yue successively visited the lairs of other mortal demon kings such as the giant eagle and the giant crocodile, acquiring a new wave of harvests. At the very least, all of them were many times wealthier than the giant octopus's lair. Translated into mortal wealth, Song Yue's family would likely never be able to spend it all across tens of thousands of years. Bringing these resources into the cultivation realm would also make him immensely wealthy, freeing him from any worries regarding cultivation resources for the foreseeable future. Finally, his gaze locked onto the towering snow-capped mountain in the western region of Huaxia. According to the data he retrieved from the Management Bureau, that white-browed old ape should be the most powerful and wealthiest entity among the mortal demon kings. Song Yue remembered the reaction of the white-browed old ape when it was forced to undergo the heavenly tribulation; it was indeed formidable! Such a creature, if encountered in the realm of cultivation, would prove rather troublesome to deal with given his current realm. He estimated that the white-browed old ape's realm must be at least the mid-stage of the transformation realm, and potentially even the late stage! Consequently, he held high expectations for this old ape king's cave dwelling. Piloting the flying saucer near the snowy mountain, he discovered that the place was exceptionally lively. At least several dozen great demons—flying in the sky, running on the ground, and swimming in the water—were locked in a fierce battle upon this snowy mountain! When Song Yue arrived, this group of great demons had already descended into a full-scale brawl. Clearly, he wasn't the only one who had set his sights on the white-browed old ape's treasure trove. Now that the mortal demon kings had been swept away in a single wave by Song Yue, it was precisely the moment when "there are no tigers in the mountains, so the monkeys claim kingship." Which of the countless Pill Gathering-tier great demons didn't want to advance further? Previously, suppressed by the various great demons, they had neither the guts nor the capability to rebel. Now that they had become the strongest entities among the demon race, what was there to be afraid of? Screw everything else, plunder the white-browed old ape's treasure trove first! Too many great demons harbored this exact idea, resulting in a swarm of them rushing to this location. The moment they laid eyes on one another, their intentions were instantly exposed. A peaceful resolution was out of the question; the only way to decide who would become the new demon king of the mortal world was through a brutal slaughter! Indeed, this battle was not merely for the white-browed old ape's treasure, but also a clash to establish a new demon king in the mortal realm. Song Yue had no intention of disturbing this pack of blood-crazed great demons. Although he wasn't afraid of them, it would still prove somewhat headache-inducing if this mob of creatures swarmed him all at once. Silently concealing the flying saucer high up in the firmament, he used the fluctuations of the Yuxu Tongtian Stele to pinpoint the location of the white-browed old ape's lair bit by bit. Then, he quietly relocated toward the rear of the mountain. This area wasn't peaceful either. The snowy mountain was currently in a state of chaotic frenzy among the myriad demons. Ordinary wildlife had long since fled in all directions out of sheer terror. Song Yue quietly located the frequency of the place and soundlessly piloted the flying saucer inside. Instantly, the sounds of battle outside came to an abrupt halt. Before his eyes... lay a massive Daoist practice ground! Various majestic and ancient structures emerged within Song Yue's field of vision. In the distance, mountains coiled about and giant trees scraped the sky. Herbs belonging to the Qi-Nourishing and Foundation-Establishment tiers grew everywhere. This was a secluded realm! Song Yue was somewhat shaken. He had never expected that the white-browed old ape's cave dwelling would be such a blessed realm. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a sudden surge of vigilance arose within him, and a piercing sword qi shot abruptly toward him from a mountain dozens of miles away. Song Yue was momentarily stunned—were there still people in this place? With a single flash, he sidestepped the incoming sword qi ahead of time. The next instant, a white-browed old ape wielding a rustic, time-worn sword transformed into a streak of white light and lunged straight toward him to kill!