The voice of the Hei Pi Yao Wang contained a hint of suppressed fury.
The temperature within the Thousand Silk Garden suddenly seemed to drop several degrees.
Though dozens of people stood in the courtyard, there was utter silence; not a single sound was made.
Lin Xue felt as if the air around her had grown much heavier, pressing down on her so intensely that she could hardly breathe.
The female demons beside her, such as Hong Yanzhi, were even less able to withstand this pressure.
Their legs shook violently, and they trembled uncontrollably.
No one in the courtyard spoke.
The Poison Mistress was responsible for teaching the female demons the Double Cultivation Art and had led them into the Secret Realm herself.
Seeing the Hei Pi Yao Wang’s rage, despite the terror in her heart, she could only steel herself to step forward.
She knelt on the ground and repeated the same explanation she had given to the Mountain Wind.
“Your Majesty… for some unknown reason, the Demon General suddenly went mad within the Secret Realm and launched an attack on those sixteen young men. This servant tried her best to stop him, but I was no match for him. Those sixteen men have all been killed by his hand.”
“Even after killing those men, he was not satisfied and wanted to attack your demon concubines as well. To protect these ladies, this servant was forced to neutralize the medicinal effects within them. We worked together, putting forth all our strength to resist, and only then did we barely manage to withstand the Demon General’s assault. However, during the struggle, our hands slipped, and we accidentally killed the Demon General.”
“The Secret Realm has always been opened by the Demon General, so we could only wait for the energy of the realm to exhaust itself before it opened on its own. That is why we have only just returned.”
“Because those men were killed by the Demon General as soon as they entered the Secret Realm, this trip to the Hehuan Valley Secret Realm failed to complete the double cultivation Mission as planned. This servant begs for Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
After speaking, the Poison Mistress waited for her sentence with a heart full of trepidation.
Zong Lie had also been desperate to know what happened in the Secret Realm and why his son had not emerged.
However, since the Hei Pi Yao Wang had already spoken, he could only suppress his emotions and wait patiently to the side to see what the Poison Mistress and the others had to say.
Now, hearing the Poison Mistress’s account — how she pinned all the responsibility for the accidents and the failure of the double cultivation plan on Zong Biao, and even admitted that Zong Biao was killed by her and those female demons working together — Zong Lie instantly flew into a towering rage.
He shouted angrily from the side, “Nonsense! My son, Zong Biao, has always shown nothing but filial piety toward His Majesty. For years, he has traveled everywhere to find demon concubines for His Majesty, working diligently and conscientiously. How could he possibly do the things you claim?”
“I see that you, you cursed spider demoness, must have been bribed by that old wolf Hei Feng! You conspired with him to frame my son, Zong Biao, wanting to bring about the death of this Chief and His Majesty just so you could help that old wolf ascend to the Treasure Throne!”
“Don’t you know, you fool? That old wolf’s rebellious intentions were discovered, and he has already been personally destroyed by His Majesty! Do you still intend to throw your life away for him?”
As he spoke, he also knelt before the Hei Pi Yao Wang and cried out,
“Elder Brother, Biao-er always knew what was important. You have seen with your own eyes how he performed while working for you all these years. You must not fall for the provocations of that old wolf and this spider demoness; they seek to drive a wedge between our brotherly bond.”
“Even if those men were truly killed by Biao-er in a fit of madness, it must have been because this wretched spider demoness drugged him! This spider demoness is an expert in all sorts of poisons. Harming my son would have been as easy as turning over her hand! Please, Elder Brother, allow me to properly interrogate this spider demoness and these other demons. I will surely drag the truth out of them!”
Lin Xue was startled to hear Zong Lie mention that Hei Feng had already been killed by the Hei Pi Yao Wang, and she felt a deep sense of disappointment.
She had originally hoped that Hei Feng’s rebellion would succeed so that the Hei Pi Yao Wang and Zong Lie could be eliminated, allowing them to leave this place and escape the danger of being used as Cultivation Vessels.
She hadn’t expected Hei Feng to be so useless, exiting the stage so quickly.
The Poison Mistress was also stunned.
‘Had Hei Feng’s matter already been exposed? Was the plan he discussed with me that night discovered?’
A strong sense of unease rose within her.
The Hei Pi Yao Wang turned his gaze toward the Poison Mistress, sizing her up. He let out a cold laugh and asked a question that left her speechless.
“Poison Mistress, since you claim those men were killed by a rampaging Zong Biao as soon as they entered the Secret Realm… why has their Yang Energy been absorbed into your belly? Could it be that you have the ability to suck the Yang Energy out of dead men?”
The Poison Mistress stood frozen like a wooden chicken, her mouth agape. Then, her entire body began to tremble, and she found herself unable to speak.
Lin Xue thought to herself, ‘This is bad.’
She hadn’t expected the Hei Pi Yao Wang to be able to tell whether a female demon had absorbed Yang Energy or how much she had taken in.
As soon as the Poison Mistress entered the Secret Realm, she had trapped the sixteen men with herself and toyed with them one by one, absorbing all their Yang Energy into her own body.
Now that the Hei Pi Yao Wang had seen through her, the credibility of her words regarding Zong Biao’s responsibility was naturally discounted heavily in the King’s eyes.
It seemed that she would not be able to protect this servant of hers.
The enraged Hei Pi Yao Wang would certainly not forgive her for interfering with his great plan for Life-Extension through dual cultivation.
Lin Xue cast a somewhat regretful glance at the Poison Mistress.
So be it. Although this spider demoness was her servant, she was ruthless, treacherous, and enjoyed eating humans and demons alike.
She had even tried to scheme against Lin Xue back in the Secret Realm, so Lin Xue felt little genuine affection for her.
If she died, she died.
Lin Xue’s current concern was the situation of Red Rouge, Hua Yinggying, and Xiao Mili — how to survive under the hands of the furious Hei Pi Yao Wang and Zong Lie.
Zong Lie grew excited and shouted, “Elder Brother is brilliant! Although this spider demoness is my subordinate, she is a traitor who conspired with that old wolf Hei Feng to frame my son and sow discord between us. I request to personally beat her to death as an example to others!”
He then looked toward Lin Xue and the other female demons, saying through gritted teeth, “And these female demons are also accomplices in the death of my son, Zong Biao. Since they haven’t absorbed any Yang Energy, they are of no use to you, Elder Brother. Jiaojiao has more than enough Yang Energy. With her, you have no need for these useless wastes. I ask for your permission to beat them all to death as well! To avenge your nephew, Biao-er!”
To the side, Jiaojiao puffed out her chest and drew closer to the Hei Pi Yao Wang, leaning against him while looking at him with eyes as alluring as silk.
The Poison Mistress had collapsed into a heap on the ground, shivering as she begged for mercy.
“Your Majesty, please spare my life! General Zong Biao really was going to attack those men. This servant had to use spider silk to protect them. It’s just that I have been lonely for so long, and under the influence of the Hehuan Array, I was momentarily muddled… Your Majesty, spare me!”
The Hei Pi Yao Wang did not speak, merely staring coldly at the Poison Mistress as if considering how to deal with her.
Seeing that the Hei Pi Yao Wang did not object, Zong Lie stood up and issued an order to the Mountain Wind.
“Mountain Wind, take your men and seize the Poison Mistress and these demons! Await my further instructions!”
However, the Mountain Wind did not move an inch, nor did the squad of Demon Troops under his command.
The Hei Pi Yao Wang turned his gaze toward Zong Lie and said coldly, “What is this? I’m not dead yet, but you, Great Chief Zong, are already acting like you’re the Demon King?”
Upon hearing this icy remark, the expression on Zong Lie’s face froze instantly, and sweat began to pour down his forehead like rain.
Only then did he realize he had become a bit too carried away.
He hurriedly knelt back down and kowtowed repeatedly. “I wouldn’t dare. I will always follow your lead, Elder Brother. I would never dare to overstep my bounds.”
Jiaojiao also held the Hei Pi Yao Wang’s thick arm and said in a sweet voice, “Your Majesty, the Chief’s loyalty to you is absolute; the heavens and earth are his witnesses.”
The Hei Pi Yao Wang sneered. “Loyalty? Heh. I’m afraid the loyalty of Great Chief Zong is not much different from that of the old wolf Hei Feng. Do you think I don’t know? In your heart, you’re hoping I die quickly so you can take my place.”
Hearing the King say this, Zong Lie felt as if he had been struck by five thunderbolts.
His face turned pale, and he scrambled to defend himself.
“Elder Brother, why would you say such things? Biao-er and I have contributed techniques to you over the years, worked hard running errands, and found demon concubines to extend your life. We have been entirely devoted. Even if there is no merit, there is certainly hard work! Please, Elder Brother, do not let others with hidden agendas sow discord between us!”
The Hei Pi Yao Wang let out a cold snort and suddenly grabbed Jiaojiao by the neck, lifting her up like a small chicken.
As he squeezed, the intense sensation of suffocation caused Jiaojiao’s eyes to roll back.
Her mouth hung open, but she couldn’t make a sound, struggling fruitlessly in his grip.
Zong Lie was filled with terror, unsure why the Hei Pi Yao Wang was doing this.
The Hei Pi Yao Wang sneered, “True, previously you went to great lengths because you didn’t want that old wolf Hei Feng to become a Demon King before you did. You needed me around to keep things in check, and you did indeed extend my life by a few years. Because of that, I turned a blind eye to the little tricks you and your son played.”
“But yesterday, I killed that old wolf. It seems you think there’s no one left in these mountains to threaten you anymore. You decided I was in your way, so you sent this little demoness to kill me? Did you really think I didn’t know the ‘Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation Life-Restoring Art’ you gave me was incomplete?”
“You taught the complete technique to this little demoness and used her as a trump card, wanting her to suck the life out of me during cultivation so you could sit on this Treasure Throne? Quite a clever plan you had!”
“Unfortunately, every move you made was already within my grasp!”
“You might as well give up on those ambitions and go down to join that old wolf.”
With that, the Hei Pi Yao Wang exerted force with his hand. There was a crack — Jiaojiao’s tongue lolled out, and her eyes bulged.
Her head went limp and dangled to the side; her neck had clearly been snapped.
Then, the body in the Hei Pi Yao Wang’s hand transformed back into its original form: a fiery Red Fox.
Lin Xue watched this scene with secret alarm.
A grand Demon Core Condensation demon was squeezed to death in the Hei Pi Yao Wang’s hand as easily as a small bug.
If she were the one caught in that grip, she would likely be no different from Jiaojiao.
Zong Lie’s face was a mask of sheer horror.
He never imagined that the Hei Pi Yao Wang would have full knowledge of his plan.
Now that the matter was exposed, he immediately transformed into a cloud of black wind and soared into the sky, fleeing in a desperate attempt to save his life.