Ch. 269 - A Toad Wants To Eat Swan Meat?

“You must not get distracted, the old monster hasn’t been destroyed yet!” the Black Emperor reminded.

The “All” Character of the Nine Secrets revealed its might, making Ye Fan’s divine sense like a vast ocean. He transformed into a round cauldron with three legs and two ears, as if merging with heaven and earth, bearing the imprint of the Grand Dao.

“You can’t maintain this state forever. Seal him into my golden divine bell, and I guarantee he’ll be sealed for eternity!” the big black dog suggested.

Ye Fan and the Black Emperor joined forces, sealing the badly injured old monster inside the divine bell and suppressing him within.

“Just a divine bell alone might not be enough. Adding another weapon refined by a Supreme Giant might be necessary to keep him sealed securely.”

Ye Fan returned to his true form, grabbed the divine lotus in his hand, and his divine sense surged out like a golden river, repeatedly washing over this seemingly delicate weapon, completely erasing its former master’s imprint.

“This is a divine lotus refined by a Supreme Giant, the true body of a descendant of the demon race’s Grand Emperor. This is a peerless weapon.” The Black Emperor’s eyes gleamed.

“Do you dare take it out and use it? You’ll be hunted across the world by the demon race!” Ye Fan warned him, to prevent the big black dog from growing greedy.

“Swish.”

Ye Fan held the green lotus and gently brushed it against the golden bell. The divine bell trembled and emitted a deep, resonant hum.

Only then did Ye Fan breathe a long sigh of relief, saying, “Alright, with two weapons, it’s enough to suppress him. Once we rescue Pang Bo, we’ll decide how to deal with him.”

“Pang Bo, where are you?”

“Over here…” Pang Bo’s voice came from deep within the sea of consciousness.

After searching for a moment, a glowing cage appeared ahead, entirely forged from divine sense power. Pang Bo’s source spirit was locked by silver chains.

“Ye Fan…” Pang Bo laughed, tears streaming down his face.

Ye Fan felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. For these years, Pang Bo had been imprisoned, living in utter darkness.

“It’s all over now. I’ll get you out!” Ye Fan struck, cutting apart the cage and tearing apart the silver divine sense chains.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Ye Fan and the Black Emperor emerged from the body, and Pang Bo regained control of it.

Ancient trees stood tall here, though not densely packed. Several platforms stood among them, streams flowing and old vines hanging down, natural and full of life.

“These years have been absolute darkness. Most of the time, I was forced to cultivate. My only joy was cursing that old monster…”

Pang Bo was an optimistic person, rarely indulging in sadness, and he quickly adjusted his mood.

From talking with him, Ye Fan learned that the old monster had originally coexisted with Pang Bo, unable to do much to him. But after arriving here and discovering the Ageless Chamber, everything changed.

Especially with the help of two Supreme Giants, the Azure Flood Dragon Monarch and the Peacock Monarch, the old monster, whose lifespan was almost exhausted, found a chance at new life.

Half a year ago, the old monster seized full control of this body, and his divine sense and power grew stronger.

“We come from the other side of the starry sky. This secret is known by the old monster.”

Ye Fan was startled. “What…”

“It’s precisely because of this that I survived,” Pang Bo sighed.

The old monster valued the other side of the starry sky immensely, especially anything related to Ancient China.

For Pang Bo, these past years were both torment and training.

At first, he and the old monster coexisted, oppressed by a Supreme Giant, and his cultivation progress was astonishing. Later, when the old monster took control of the body, the progress could only be described as terrifying.

After all, as a demon race Supreme Giant, once he obtained a strong body and resumed cultivation, his progress was nothing short of explosive.

“Damn it, I don’t even know if I’m human or demon anymore. That old bastard has worn my body out beyond recognition.”

Jingle jingle.

The big black dog came running over, tail upright, as strong as a bull, with a small golden bell hanging from its neck, making a pleasant sound.

Ye Fan stared at the bell, wanting to laugh, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. This big dog seemed to have quite the background.

“This dog is really big!” Pang Bo exclaimed.

Seeing them both staring, the Black Emperor bared his teeth and said, “What are you looking at? Seeing your emperor so mighty and strong, are you jealous?”

“This dog is several times bigger than the Tibetan Mastiff you used to raise.”

“Damn it, I’m not his pet. I’m thinking of taking him as my pet instead.” The big black dog’s face darkened.

Ye Fan’s forehead twitched. “Go cool off somewhere else!”

“Kid, you’re burning the bridge after crossing it,” the Black Emperor grumbled. The battle with the old monster had cost him dearly, and it would take months of rest to recover.

“This isn’t the place to talk. Let’s leave quickly,” Ye Fan stood up.

“I can’t go with you,” Pang Bo shook his head.

“You’re worried?” Ye Fan asked.

“If I leave, the demon race will hunt you across the land. Your situation would be very dangerous,” Pang Bo explained.

For now, his life was no longer in danger, and he could leave on his own in the future, but now was not the right time.

“I know everything about the old monster. They won’t notice anything. From now on, I’ll be one of the demon race.” Pang Bo insisted on staying.

Ye Fan sent the Black Emperor away and began a private talk with him.

After a long time, the two laughed loudly from the forest.

“That’s fine too. One of us among the humans, one among the demons, we can support each other in the future. In a few months, I’ll be able to move around openly. I’ll help you take out one or two Saints. One day, we’ll find our way home.”

Not far away, the Black Emperor curled his lip. “Damn it, these two brats are nothing but trouble. They’ll be disasters in the future.”

Pang Bo indeed should not leave now, or chaos would erupt here. But from now on, he was free, armed with the Demon Emperor’s ancient scripture, and the world was open before him.

“Are you done scheming? If you don’t leave now, others might notice,” the Black Emperor urged impatiently.

“Leave the green lotus.” Ye Fan took the weapon and handed it to Pang Bo. The green light flashed and entered his body.

The Black Emperor reluctantly said, “A peerless treasure, my heart aches!”

Ye Fan said, “We should work together to eliminate the old monster, or he’ll cause trouble later.”

“No need to burn him to ashes. Just keeping him suppressed is enough,” the Black Emperor objected.

In the end, the three of them acted together to suppress the old monster in the golden divine bell.

In truth, even without the seal, the old monster could no longer cause trouble. One of the Demon Emperor’s Nine Slashes, had struck him, wounding him severely.

Ye Fan and the Black Emperor exited the Ageless Chamber, smoothly passing through the meteorite forest and erasing all traces and aura.

The Black Emperor’s origins were mysterious. He could break even the Dao runes laid by a Supreme Giant, so naturally, no trace was left behind.

The starstone, divine blood soil, and other materials were almost all used up, and half of the source stone was nearly gone, an extravagant waste.

Night fell silent, the world still.

On the mountain peak, ancient pines were verdant and graceful, streams flowing through the forest.

Ye Fan quietly returned to his room. That night, he slept deeply. With one worry resolved, his whole body relaxed.

In the morning, the sun rose, and the morning glow poured through the window. After washing, Ye Fan was full of energy and began considering leaving.

The big black dog came in listless and tired, cursing nonstop. He had spent the night in vain, unable to obtain the Demon Emperor’s scripture.

After breakfast, Ye Fan went to find Tu Fei to discuss leaving soon to attend the Jade Pool Festival.

“Little Ye, why are you in such a rush?” Tu Fei seemed reluctant, having grown close to a female demon and unwilling to leave.

“Do you want to miss the Jade Pool Festival? The Saints of all the great lineages will be there, and the Leviathan Monarch and other demon race elites will appear. We can’t miss it.”

“What’s the rush? Let’s go with Princess Yan later. There’s still time, since the Jade Pool Festival has been postponed for some reason,” Tu Fei didn’t want to leave.

Ye Fan felt uneasy. The old monster they had sealed last night was definitely related to Yan Ruyu’s clan, but he had no choice, he had to save Pang Bo.

“Black Emperor, don’t turn that old monster to ashes. When I’m strong enough, I’ll decide what to do with him,” Ye Fan sent a voice transmission.

“Damn it, I’d like to, but that damn old monster has fused with my divine bell!” the Black Emperor cursed.

“Little Ye, want to visit the Demon City together?” Tu Fei asked.

“You’re going on a date with a demon girl, why would I tag along as a third wheel?” Ye Fan shook his head with a laugh.

“Since you’re set on leaving, how about this, let’s go in two days. I want to find Blackwater, Liu Kou, and Jiang Huairen.”

“Alright, I’ll wait two more days,” Ye Fan didn’t want to leave abruptly and arouse suspicion among the demon race.

Before leaving, he followed the Black Emperor’s suggestion to go to the Demon City to collect materials for inscribing Dao runes, which might be useful later.

The Demon City, with weathered ancient structures, had stood for eight hundred years. Though not large, it was home to many old shops.

Ye Fan gathered many rare materials, though at a steep price. Tu Fei walked ahead with a female demon, openly intimate, not caring in the slightest.

“Hey, you two, tone it down. Don’t treat us like air,” the Black Emperor said.

The female demon laughed softly. “Such a bad-tempered dog. You can already talk, so why haven’t you taken human form?”

Ye Fan noticed some demons looking at him strangely, making him feel he really should leave.

Soon, Qin Yao appeared, graceful and soft-limbed, like a willow swaying in the wind.

“Why are you in the Demon City again? Many eyes are watching you,” Qin Yao glanced at Ye Fan, her gaze flowing, with a hint of charm.

“Qin Yao…” a young demon girl smiled sweetly as she approached, looking charming in a golden feathered robe, light and graceful.

“Don’t walk with Qin Yao!” Ye Fan heard this warning as the girl secretly transmitted it to him, her eyes flashing cold.

But when facing Qin Yao, she smiled sweetly, showing no hostility.

Ye Fan smiled and secretly transmitted back, “Why?”

“Have you heard the saying about a toad wanting to eat swan meat?” the girl said disdainfully in transmission, raising her head high.

Ye Fan was baffled, not knowing how he had offended her, and replied via transmission, “Little girl, you’re meddling too much.”

The young demon girl said coldly, “If you truly care for Qin Yao, then stay away from her. Don’t get too close. You’re a naturally useless body, stuck forever at the Dao Palace Realm, and will never become a true powerhouse. You don’t deserve Qin Yao.”

Ye Fan was speechless, rubbing his chin. “What’s your real reason?”

“Brother Jin Yu, Brother Ku Zhu, and Brother Bai Feng are all Dao Palace Fifth Stage geniuses. They’re the ones worthy of Qin Yao. In the Southern Region, it was one thing, but now that we’re in the Northern Region, you still dream of being a toad eating swan meat? Stop dreaming!” the young demon girl said bluntly.

“So you’re speaking up for those three toads. But little girl, you’re meddling too much!” Ye Fan said in a deep voice.

They hadn’t spoken aloud, this was all transmitted privately, so no one else knew.

“You’ll be stuck in the Dao Palace Realm for life. Even if you’re unrivaled at your level, to geniuses above the Four Pillars Realm, your useless body is worthless. So, if you truly care for Qin Yao, leave her alone and don’t drag her down.”

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