https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-500-On-the-Eve-of-the-Seven-Princes-Assembly/12554837/
Chapter 501: I Am the Hunter, and You Are the Prey
Chapter 501: I Am the Hunter, and You Are the Prey
The Nan Hong waters stretch far and wide, encompassing a vaster area than the land it borders.
Under the leadership of the Southern Dragon Palace, with its six dragon sons and thirteen dragon grandsons, there are hundreds of powerful generals comparable to Bai Yu Jing, and countless demon soldiers under their command. They rule over various water tribes, forming an intricate web of influence.
Add to that the arrays they have meticulously constructed over the years.
Attempting to infiltrate the Dragon Palace's territory undetected is akin to climbing heaven.
"Huo! Rest for a moment!"
A colossal crab demon loomed on the stone surface, its thick and coarse carapace making even the mere act of lowering its massive, terrifying pincers enough to shake the underwater world.
It took on a human form, its dark red face contorted in frustration.
As a powerful demon general under the Dragon Palace, following the orders of the Fifth Prince, it had guarded this place for tens of thousands of years, its prestige immeasurable. Yet, it had just suffered a humiliating setback without even getting a chance to fight.
Deploying its troops had resulted in nothing but a retreat, leaving behind several casualties.
While the number might seem insignificant, it is important to note that these were elite warriors gathered from various water tribes, including powerful demons comparable to the late Return to Void stage or even the Consummate stage.
Even with the combined efforts of the Fifth Prince and Xiao Siyye, they could only muster a mere three thousand.
Such a disgraceful failure was uncharacteristic of the Dragon Palace.
"If it were up to me, I'd suggest reporting this to the other princes and using this opportunity to strike back!" The dark red crab demon general took out a flask and took a hefty swig.
"Be careful with your words, General!"
The vice general scanned their surroundings warily, noticing how the hundreds of soldiers quickly dispersed to patrol the area. He retracted his gaze and offered a bitter smile, "The young master is already in a tight spot, and the Fifth Prince values our lives, not wanting to sacrifice us to fix the young master's mess."
"..."
The crab demon general glanced at him silently and replied indifferently, "You know how to sweet-talk."
With that, he threw the flask to the vice general and led him away from the soldiers, toward a submerged canyon.
"However, if you ask me, this situation is looking grim. The Nan Yang Sect's past catastrophe was what turned the tables in Nan Hong, giving the Dragon Palace the upper hand. Now, it seems they've been quietly rebuilding, showing signs of a resurgence."
"While the dragon sons and grandsons are undoubtedly noble, years of comfort have made them forget the past hardships."
"It's about time we teach them a real lesson, crush the Nan Yang Sect, and put the Nan Hong Seven in their place, reminding them of the consequences of defying the Dragon Palace."
Hearing the general's words, the vice general could only force a smile.
This matter was beyond their control, and even the Fifth Prince couldn't make such a decision.
Leading an attack on the Nan Yang treasure grounds might be feasible if the Nan Hong Seven backed down, but if they dug in their heels, the conflict could escalate and affect the entire Dragon Palace.
What would they gain from that? The Nan Hong Seven had always kept to themselves, causing no issues for the Dragon Palace.
Was it worth it just for those treasure grounds? Those places might not even be useful to the water tribes. Take the princes, for example; their bloodline and bodies alone were comparable to Harmonious Spirit Realm cultivators, so why bother with such pursuits?
It was like biting off more than they could chew, a hard bone with no meat on it. Why would the Dragon Palace want to stir up trouble with them?
"Tsk!"
The crab demon general could read his vice general's thoughts, and he was merely venting his frustration at losing face in front of his troops. He continued, "It's only because of the protection of the Nan Hong Seven that those subordinates dare to stand before me, boldly declaring themselves the Nan Yang Immortal Sect.
And now they want to hold a conference of the Seven? Those old fools are getting more muddle-headed by the day... They're truly laughable, not caring about losing face."
Finally, the topic shifted from the previous embarrassing one.
The vice general's smile became more genuine, as they, being elite warriors under the Fifth Prince, had every right to look down on a sect that was all talk, "Those Daoists can protect them for a while, but not forever. Moreover, the Seven Sects themselves are not impenetrable. Don't worry, General, you might even get the chance to take a sect master's head yourself."
"Rest assured, I won't hold back." The crab demon general coldly smiled, taking the flask and draining it before casually smashing it on the reef.
Being able to crush a sect master's head would be a great honor.
"But it's just talk. Under the protection of those Daoists, he doesn't even dare show his face, let alone now. He's probably hiding in the Nan Yang treasure grounds, too scared to come out."
The crab demon general gazed at the underwater canyon with a hint of regret.
Just then, his eyes narrowed.
"..."
On the peak of the canyon, a tall figure stood with his back to them, his black shirt rippling in the azure waves. He gazed down at the canyon floor with a calm demeanor.
"Audacious!"
The vice general took a heavy step forward, his weapon clenched tightly as he roared, "May you be struck blind for daring to set foot here!"
A deep roar reverberated, but the youth in ink-black robes remained unfazed.
The crab demon general's expression was indifferent, his eyes narrowing slightly. At such close proximity, he easily saw through the concealment technique the cultivator was using.
However, upon sensing the late Return to Void stage aura...
He didn't show any signs of contempt but instead stood firmly in place.
As a renowned demon general guarding this territory, he had held this position for countless years without incident. His composure in handling matters was impeccable.
Sarcasm and ridicule could come after crushing their skulls.
"I'll give you a chance to explain yourself," the crab demon general said gravely, his right arm glowing as it transformed into a large, uneven, scarlet pair of scissors.
At the same time, his demonic power surged into his eyes as he focused intently, trying to see through the concealment technique and further discern his opponent's true strength.
However, no matter how he looked at it, the youth seemed to be playing a foolish and suicidal game.
With his strength, killing his opponent would be as easy as breathing.
The crab demon couldn't understand what had given this fool courage, daring him to be so reckless as to turn his back on him!
"..."
Shen Yi finally turned to look at him, his pale face expressionless.
He simply stared quietly at the crab demon general, then nodded slightly, as if signaling something.
In an instant, a pair of sturdy arms quietly extended from under the crab demon's armpits, abruptly locking onto his shoulders. Simultaneously, another hand forcefully covered his head, enveloping him in dense golden threads.
"Who dares?!"
The crab demon general instinctively tried to lift his scarlet scissors, but a third arm forcefully pressed it down!
"Ambush!" The vice general reacted swiftly, shouting a warning. But before he could finish his sentence, a fourth figure punched through his skull, reducing it to fragments.
Just before his death, he finally caught a faint whiff of blood through the restrictions.
Boom—
As the vice general's skull exploded, the crab demon general maintained his composure. Without hesitation, he invoked his lifeblood, causing his skin to harden and his body to swell with power!
It was evident that this group of cultivators had come prepared.
Instead of underestimating them, the crab demon's first thought was to create enough noise to intimidate his opponents and then look for an opportunity to escape.
"Have you forgotten that I am a mighty demon?" he roared, his demonic energy intensifying as he spoke.
A group of cultivators dared to get this close to a demon comparable to the White Jade Capital—a foolish strategy that would leave them with eternal regret.
However, what startled the crab demon was that even with his full power, he couldn't transform into his original form or wield his scarlet scissors, refined from his crab pincers and comparable to a Daoist artifact. Instead, he found himself forcibly restrained.
As a well-known demon general...
He was horrified to realize that he was truly trapped.
"You traitors..."
The crab demon turned instinctively, only to come face-to-face with four grinning faces, each one more familiar than the last.
"What a coincidence, so am I," Wu Jun said, baring his white teeth as he tightened the golden threads, nearly crushing the crab demon's hard shell.
"So are we," the remaining three figures chimed in, their lips curling into exaggerated smiles as they let out low, terrifying chuckles. Their laughter, like that of evil spirits, was enveloped by the azure waves, as if they intended to drown the crab demon in their midst.
They were not just demons, but water demons.
More importantly, each of them possessed strength no less formidable than the crab demon's, and their stealth techniques were bizarre, allowing them to approach silently like motionless stones.
"You... How dare you betray us..."
The crab demon's voice trembled as he stared at something unbelievable.
But with so many factors stacked against him, there was only one possible outcome.
Crack! Crack!
Shuie raised his foot and stomped on the crab demon's chest, while Wu Jun's fists rained blows on his spine. The fish demon and the meat-winged silkworm demon pinned him to the ground, unleashing the mighty power within their demonic bodies without restraint, pounding the crab demon's hard shell relentlessly.
The golden threads tightened with each passing moment, causing the crab demon's eyes to bulge as he struggled to breathe. He let out a desperate cry for help, "...!"
But even the right to cry for help was taken away as Wu Jun's punch crushed his neck.
The crab demon couldn't fathom any chance of survival.
What baffled it even more was when it had ever offended such ruthless people, who meticulously plotted this assassination, specifically intercepting it on its way back to guard its territory.
However, no one was willing to offer any explanations.
The crab demon could only stare helplessly at the solitary young man, wanting to curse and beg for mercy, but it couldn't utter a sound. Its opponent seemed too indifferent to spare it another glance, his coldness sending a chill to the demon's heart.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even as its entire shell-covered body was pummeled to pieces, its eyes remained wide open, as if about to pop out of their sockets, filled with resentment and unwillingness to accept its fate.
A grand water demon general, guarding the waters, met its end in such a stifled manner.
Even until its last breath, it didn't know the identity of its assailants.
"... "
From start to finish, Shen Yi stood quietly at the edge of the cliff, his fingers flickering with golden threads, coldly observing this silent farce.
The murky blood mist drifted in the water, and just before it touched the black-robed youth, it was sucked into the finger ring.
As he retracted the golden threads from his fingers, the disguise array was removed. The once clear water had turned into a dark red dead zone, like a huge mouth ready to devour, emitting a strong stench.
Regardless of the outcome, Shen Yi indeed had the qualifications to fight such a powerful demon comparable to the White Jade Capital.
But whenever he entered the hunting state, it was as if he became a different person. He no longer cared about the damage to the town stones, nor would he put himself in any danger.
His mind was solely focused on calculating gains and losses.
He became like a true hunter.
And the Dragon Palace was merely his prey.
[Kill the Green Fin Carp Demon at the Return to Void stage, with a total lifespan of 170,000 years. Remaining lifespan: 38,000 years. Absorption complete.]
These elite warriors were highly valued by the Dragon Palace for their rich experience. However, the cost of this experience was a shorter remaining lifespan.
It might seem insignificant, but when there were over a hundred similar prompts, it became extremely terrifying.
[Remaining lifespan of demon: 323,0000 years]
Shen Yi collected all the floating corpses into his finger ring and then turned the four town stones into spiritual light, retracting them into his brow.
He performed the Concealment Technique again, and his long robe rippled like ink, causing him to vanish from his original spot.
Only the clear ripples in the water remained.
...
In the dark depths of the water, Shen Yi sat with his legs crossed, not wasting any time. He condensed the demon essence, reshaped the crab demon's soul, and immersed his spiritual soul into the finger ring, beginning to categorize the corpses of the hundreds of aquatic elite warriors.
With the information provided by Ke Shisan, he had a general understanding of the Dragon Palace's power structure.
These elite warriors were actually supported and assembled by several aquatic tribes to gain status in the water.
This situation happened to provide Shen Yi with convenience.
After all, he could truly 'unite the power of the entire tribe' in a physical sense.
These hundred or so demon soldiers were composed of powerful individuals from three major aquatic tribes.
After a simple classification,
excluding the fish demons, who were scarce in number and relatively weak, unlikely to be promoted to the level of an exquisite Dao Pillar,
Shen Yi quickly created four town stones.
In theory, it was a huge loss to forcefully elevate a town stone like Wu Jun from the Return to Void stage to the White Jade Capital level, as it would undoubtedly consume more demon essence to enhance the demon soul's grade.
But that wasn't how Shen Yi calculated his gains.
What he needed most at the moment was time and manpower. He had to seize as much demon lifespan as possible before the Dragon Palace could react.
A total of 117 demon essences were exhausted.
[Remaining lifespan of demon: 1,790,000 years]
Such a huge cost yielded an impressive result.
Four town stones, including the crab demon general and the three-headed snake demon from the Immortal Cave, stood quietly behind Shen Yi.
The two newly condensed demons, though also at the White Jade Capital stage, had slightly weaker auras, indicating that they had only reached the first tier.
However, that was normal. After all, not every aquatic tribe could match the Golden-Patterned Turtle Demon's ability to independently support a dragon grandson.
But it didn't matter.
They would only be used this once, and after leaving, they would be treated as fillers.
With that in mind, Shen Yi retracted them into his brow.
He then took out the jade slip given to him by Yan Xianqing.
An appetizer wouldn't satisfy his appetite.
Shen Yi's purpose for coming here was simple.
He wanted to take this hard-earned opportunity to complete the entire journey of the Return to Void stage in one go.
(End of Chapter)
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