The small oasis within the camp of the Great Wu Demon King was far from an overgrown wilderness.
On the contrary, this modest plot of land was meticulously maintained.
Far from being choked with weeds, it was even adorned with strikingly vibrant flowers.
Carefully arranged bonfires and lanterns illuminated the surprisingly luxurious camp in a warm glow.
The Great Wu Demon King had no need for these fires to pierce the darkness of the night sky.
But who wouldn’t prefer a little comfort?
A large table and a woven basket by the pool overflowed with fresh, mouthwatering fruits.
Beside the pool stood an extravagant chair of unknown material, draped in smooth silk.
The moment Hu Qi stepped into the camp, his expression twisted into something odd.
Every so often, he shot a glance at the Old Fox beside him.
Why was it that even in the frontlines, the Great Wu Demon King lived more comfortably than they did in the rear?
Why did he get to sit on silk cushions while Hu Qi had to perch his fleshy backside on a crude, stone-carved excuse for a throne?
How had he, a banner-bearing Demon King, ended up worse off than an outcast?
The Old Fox remained silent, only flicking his gaze toward Li Yingling and her two companions as a silent reminder—business first.
By now, the irrelevant demons had been cleared away, leaving only the key players of this private meeting:
The two Demon Kings, the Old Fox, and Li Yingling’s group.
The Old Fox’s expression darkened slightly as he stole a discreet glance at Li Yingling.
At first, he had dismissed the owl’s report as mere delirium.
When the owl delivered the message, he had scrutinized Li Yingling carefully—yet all he saw was a snake demon.
Only when Li Yingling summoned her spiritual treasure, unleashing the unmistakable aura of a human Golden Core cultivator, did the truth dawn on him.
Instinctively, he studied the expressions of the Great Wu Demon King and Hu Qi, but all he found was shock and confusion.
Clearly, this human Golden Core cultivator’s disguise had fooled even the Demon Kings’ direct scrutiny.
A human Golden Core cultivator—a sword cultivator, no less—had concealed herself flawlessly from their senses with some unknown artifact.
Many things could be inferred from such details.
Either this Golden Core cultivator was extraordinary—perhaps even a Nascent Soul in disguise—
or her background was extraordinary, backed by a powerful Nascent Soul elder ready to intervene at any moment.
Neither scenario boded well for them in their current predicament.
Could they really count on their black-robed Demon Lord to step in and help?
Though the situation was sudden and tensions ran high, the Old Fox sensed an opportunity.
After all…
Their goals weren’t entirely at odds, were they?
He glanced sideways at Hu Qi before turning his attention to Li Yingling, who had yet to take a seat.
"Little Dragon Demon King…"
Li Yingling’s eyes turned icy as she let out a derisive chuckle.
"Spare me the act. We all know the truth—who exactly are you trying to fool with that title?"
The Old Fox stiffened in surprise.
He was accustomed to demons speaking bluntly, but humans were usually far more circumspect.
Unconsciously, he searched Li Yingling’s eyes, hoping to decipher her emotions—a tactic that never failed with demons.
This time, it yielded nothing.
A bitter laugh rose in his heart.
Humans truly were masters of masking their feelings.
All he could detect was irritation and displeasure in her gaze—the kind of look a petulant child might wear.
But the Old Fox wasn’t fooled. Beneath that illusion of a cold, serpentine face, this was no little girl.
"How should we address you, then?" he asked.
Li Yingling replied flatly, "No need for titles. I have no interest in befriending beasts. Since you claimed to have a proposal I’d accept, get to the point."
The Great Wu Demon King took a seat near Hu Qi, his gaze shifting between the Old Fox and Li Yingling.
Truthfully, he was beginning to piece things together.
This human Golden Core cultivator had likely come to assassinate him—and given the aura she’d revealed earlier, he stood little chance against her.
Humans were treacherous, their schemes impossible to guard against.
Thankfully, he had a habit of neglecting official matters, leaving reports unattended for long stretches.
And thank the heavens Hu Qi had arrived today—otherwise, he’d probably be dead by now.
He grabbed a wine jug from the table and downed it in one gulp. Today, he’d narrowly escaped death.
Hearing Li Yingling’s words, the Old Fox looked to Hu Qi and the Great Wu Demon King.
Though he knew they’d ultimately defer to him, it was a matter of basic respect.
Courtesy never went amiss—not just with humans, but with demons as well.
No matter how close he and Hu Qi were, he had never overstepped, even when their cultivation levels had once been comparable.
Hu Qi spoke with steady composure, "Speak freely. I trust your judgment."
The Great Wu Demon King nodded lightly. "If Brother Hu says so, then I’m with you. Just give the word."
The Old Fox’s expression softened with gratitude before he turned back to Li Yingling.
"You seek the downfall of the Demon Nation, while we merely seek survival."
"These goals don’t conflict. In fact, we can assist you—and in return, all we ask is a path to escape."
The one who reacted most strongly to these words wasn’t Li Yingling, but Lin Luoyu.
Without a word or a gesture, she simply walked away, retreating to the farthest corner to gaze at the stars alone.
Cui Hao glanced at his fourth senior sister before returning his attention to the Old Fox.
Perhaps this was the root of why demons remained inferior.
He wanted to say something to his senior sister, but seeing her back turned, he swallowed his words.
Li Yingling exhaled softly and took a seat in the chair before her.
The Old Fox finally relaxed—at least negotiations could begin.
He hurried to continue, "This so-called Demon Nation is already a house of cards. The slightest nudge, the gentlest breeze, and it will collapse."
"We can provide intelligence—including the true mastermind behind it all—and coordinate with your operations."
"In return, we ask only for your aid in ensuring our safe departure when the time comes."
Li Yingling’s gaze remained steady as she studied the Old Fox’s earnest expression.
Half an hour later, Hu Qi watched Li Yingling depart. Only after a long silence did he turn to the Old Fox.
"Is it really settled so easily? It feels… too straightforward."
The Old Fox chuckled and shook his head.
"Never trust the words of humans… We must prepare alternatives."
His eyes then shifted to the Great Wu Demon King.
"Given the circumstances…"
The Great Wu Demon King cut in hastily, "No need to explain! I see the situation clearly—I value my life. I’ll leave the rest to your wisdom."
The Old Fox smiled and gave a faint nod.
Without another word, it stood up and walked out of the camp. Stepping outside, its gaze quickly locked onto the owl still lying in the same spot.
The Old Fox scrutinized it carefully and noticed the faint rise and fall of the owl's breathing.
Under the night sky,
the three of them were now on their way back.
Lin Luoyu asked in a hushed voice, "Eldest Senior Sister, are you really going to..."
Before she could finish, Li Yingling cut in,
"Of course I'm going to personally chop off the heads of those demons from earlier to vent my anger."
Lin Luoyu's eyes brightened with delight. "Eldest Senior Sister, just now..."
Li Yingling paused in recollection before speaking, "Back at home, there was a guard dog I was quite close to. It understood human speech. Every time I left, I promised it that I'd bring it something tasty the next time I visited."
"But back then, I could barely even feed myself—how could I spare anything for it?"
"Whenever it saw me, it would wag its tail excitedly, but when it realized I hadn’t brought anything, its wagging would slow down."
"Still, it remained affectionate toward me. I really liked that dog."
"Those demons earlier weren’t even as sentimental as that dog of mine."
"Should I really be expected to keep my word with them?"
"If that dog found out about this, it’d surely be furious. So..."
Li Yingling turned to look at Lin Luoyu beside her and playfully blinked her eyes.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
