Hei-Feng was dead, having reverted to his original form — a black wolf.
Zong-Lie let out a long breath, a hint of smugness flickering in his eyes.
There was no one left in the mountain who could compete with him for the Yao Wang’s throne.
He could finally rest easy.
His only lingering concern was his son. Zong Biao had entered the Secret Realm and had not emerged for a long time; Zong-Lie feared something had happened.
But soon, his worry was swept away by the ecstasy of becoming the Yao Wang.
‘He’s just one son,’ Zong-Lie mused. ‘If he’s gone, I still have others.’
As long as he could successfully become the Yao Wang, losing a few sons would not break his heart.
After all, once he rose to power, he would take many Demon Concubines and father even more children.
However, he first had to figure out how to solve a pressing issue.
Something had gone wrong with the Secret Realm, and Hei-Pi Yao Wang’s Yin-Yang Harvesting plan had failed.
This was considered Zong-Lie’s failure. He had to handle the old wild boar’s anger first to avoid becoming the target of his wrath.
Sure enough, after killing Hei-Feng, Hei-Pi turned his gaze toward Zong-Lie. “What’s the situation with the Secret Realm? Any news?” he asked coldly.
Zong-Lie turned around, bowing low to hide his excitement.
Putting on a worried expression, he said with feigned anxiety, “Elder Brother, the Secret Realm has yet to open. I’m afraid a major problem has occurred within! Since that beast Hei-Feng dared to collude with the Demon-Slaying Bureau against us, he surely tampered with the Secret Realm as well. Sigh, I fear Biao is also in grave danger.”
As he spoke, he squeezed out a few tears.
Hei-Pi’s eyes were cold. “This King already feels a lack of Yang Energy and must soon perform Yin-Yang Harvesting,” he said chillingly.
“Your family has always been responsible for this. You know my temper. If I don’t have a Demon Concubine available for harvesting by this time tomorrow, you know what the consequences for your family will be.”
Zong-Lie’s heart tightened. He lowered his head and replied, “This younger brother understands. I will surely resolve your worries as quickly as possible, Yao Wang.”
Hei-Pi waved his hand. “Leave.”
Zong-Lie bowed and led his Demon Generals out of the hall.
Once outside, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, a sneer appearing on his face.
‘Hei-Feng is gone,’ he thought. ‘There is no longer any need for that old thing, Hei-Pi Yao Wang, to keep living either.’
He would take this opportunity to play his trump card early and send that old wild boar to the afterlife.
‘Tomorrow will be the day the old boar breathes his last!’
……
On the summit of Xixia Mountain, the thunder gradually ceased, and the dark clouds slowly dispersed.
The platform in front of Luoyun Cave was struck by rolling Tribulation Lightning, creating a massive radiating crater.
Zhang Zongnian lay at the bottom of the pit, his body covered in wounds.
Over the past few days, he had relied on Wan Shu Chao Yuan to desperately increase his strength.
He had also swallowed several Serpent Cores, quickly ascending to the Condensed Core Realm. His foundation was not very stable.
He knew it would be much safer to stabilize for a while before breaking through, but he could not wait.
Lin Xue was in danger. Every day he delayed saving her was another day she might suffer.
At the thought that Lin Xue might be being tormented by that damned Yao Wang, his heart burned with anxiety.
He could not stop to rest; he could only rush to face the Lightning Tribulation.
The powerful bolts of Tribulation Lightning had caused him severe injuries.
Just as Zhang Zongnian thought he couldn’t withstand the tribulation and was about to be killed, the lightning finally stopped.
He lay at the bottom of the crater, his vision darkening as he neared a state of collapse.
Lang Buping’s head appeared above the pit. “Brother Zhang, are you still alive?” he asked.
Zhang Zongnian did not even have the strength to answer.
Receiving no response, Lang Buping’s face fell. “It’s over,” he wailed. “This kid’s been cooked through by the lightning.”
Zhang Zongnian struggled to speak. “I’m still alive…”
Lang Buping was overjoyed and quickly ordered his subordinate Lesser Beasts, “Quick, go get Elder Huai!”
The Lesser Beast scurried away.
Lang Buping and several subordinates carefully helped Zhang Zongnian up and carried him out.
Elder Huai hurried over and examined Zhang Zongnian’s body.
Lang Buping urged from the side, “Use the good medicine! The best medicine!”
Seeing that Zhang Zongnian had indeed risen from the Body Tempering Middle Stage to a Grand Demon within a single day, Lang Buping now fully believed that Zhang Zongnian could temporarily reach the Yao Wang level and save his beloved Miss Yan Zhi from that black pig.
Toward the man who held his future happiness in his hands, Lang Buping was now extremely attentive, fearing that any mishap might befall Zhang Zongnian.
Elder Huai was also very pleased to learn that this tall, handsome, transformed Rat Demon was actually Zhang Zongnian.
He already had a good impression of the boy.
When he heard the boy had died in the dungeon that day, he had felt quite a bit of regret.
Even without Lang Buping’s instructions, he would have done his best to treat him.
After a careful examination, Elder Huai breathed a sigh of relief.
He said Zhang Zongnian’s injuries were only external and had not damaged his internal organs or bones.
Zhang Zongnian was smeared with medicine and wrapped in bandages.
He lay in bed to recover, conserving his energy for the next step of his plan.
Despite his heavy injuries, Zhang Zongnian could still feel the incredibly powerful force within his body.
This was the power of a Grand Demon, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the human race.
He finally stood at the same height as the Yang Family’s Ancestor in Foundation Establishment.
Zhang Zongnian’s heart surged. Thinking of his late mother, the blame pinned on him, and the Yang Family’s usual arrogance, he almost could not control himself.
He wanted to fly to Xichuan immediately, charge into the Yang Family, and leave no survivors in a sea of blood.
But there was something more important than revenge in his heart.
Lin Xue was still in peril and desperately needed saving. Although she had become a Grand Demon, she was still powerless against a Yao Wang.
Only by becoming a Yao Wang himself could he rival Hei-Pi Yao Wang and rescue her.
As for how to become a Yao Wang, Zhang Zongnian planned to use Wan Shu Chao Yuan.
The ‘Beast Refinement Codex’ Lin Xue had taught him could only absorb Serpent Cores of the Body Tempering Stage.
Now that he was a Grand Demon, the ‘Beast Refinement Codex’ was no longer of much use to him.
Among the techniques and knowledge Shu Da had passed to him through Initiation, there was a method to rapidly increase his strength for a short period.
By using Wan Shu Chao Yuan, he could forcibly absorb Demon Power from as many Rat Demons as possible and temporarily add it to his own.
There were 700 or 800 large and small Rat Demons at the Body Tempering Stage on Xixia Mountain.
The bonus Demon Power from 800 Rat Demons was enough to give him the strength of a Yao Wang for a short time.
However, this method would cause an extremely severe backlash, inflicting serious damage on the user’s body.
When Shu Da was promoted to a Grand Demon, he had chosen to absorb an excessive amount of Heaven and Earth Essence to overpower Hong Lao San, forcibly raising his cultivation to the Core Condensation Middle Stage.
He suffered the backlash afterward and had been tormented by it until his death.
Zhang Zongnian’s jump from Early Core Condensation directly to a Yao Wang would result in a much more severe backlash, one that might even threaten his life.
But to save Lin Xue, he no longer cared about any of that.
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