The hall was serene and profound.

Quite vast.

Giant pillars stood tall around, holding up fiery altars one by one.

The flames flickered, and instead of driving away the surrounding black mist, they made the surroundings feel even more gloomy.

What was most shocking was.

In the very center of the hall lay a terrifying monster. The monster was a gigantic black python, its entire body covered in black scales, as profound as ink. It was more than 20 zhang long, and even while lying still, it exuded a terrifying sense of oppression.

Yet at the snake's head was a disheveled, shirtless man.

It was clearly a half-human, half-snake being!

"Are you the Jiao Demon King?"

Ye Qingchen quietly looked at him.

"Indeed!" The Jiao Demon King nodded slightly, also sizing up Ye Qingchen, "I didn't expect that the young genius spoken of throughout the Celestial Peak Country would possess such strength and charisma!"

"Where's Mr. Zhou? What exactly are you monsters planning? Why target the Martial Arts Arena?" Ye Qingchen narrowed his eyes.

He initially intended to subdue this Jiao Demon King with a thunderous force, but considering Zhou Yuntian's safety, he could only suppress his murderous instinct.

Besides.

He had a feeling that this group of monsters seemed to be brewing some heaven-shocking plan.

"We weren't specifically targeting the Martial Arts Arena, you just happened to run into us. As for what plan we have, we're just acting on our master's orders..." The Jiao Demon King said flatly.

Mentioning 'master,' the Jiao Demon King's eyes were filled with awe.

"You have a master?" Ye Qingchen's eyes slightly drooped.

His guess was indeed correct.

It was impossible for this group of monsters to appear without warning and without someone orchestrating things from behind. This mysterious presence was likely the 'master' the Jiao Demon King spoke of. But what kind of being was this master the other spoke of?

Why target cultivators?

What plan was being brewed?

The Jiao Demon King gave a faint smile, didn't mention it, instead said with a smile: "My master is re-entering the world and lacks manpower. You are a brilliant genius of Celestial Peak Country; why not pledge allegiance to my master?"

"What if I refuse?"

Ye Qingchen stared directly at him.

"Hahaha!"

The words had just fallen when the Jiao Demon King burst into wild laughter, looking at him coldly, "Indeed, you're arrogant! But alas, you need the capital to be arrogant. Even someone as strong as Zhou Yuntian, who refused to be recruited, is still trapped by me here in the Netherworld Mountain?"

"I value talent, so I'm saying this much to you. Like those people down the mountain, I don't even have the patience to take a second look."

"If you anger me, I'll seize your essence blood and capture your soul. Let you live neither wanting to live nor die!"

Ye Qingchen's heart moved: "Mr. Zhou is not dead?"

The Jiao Demon King sneered, "He's indeed not dead, but not much better off. When the master enters the world and sweeps through the six directions and eight desolations, to kill him would be a breeze. By then, those who don't submit to the master will all die..."

He continued.

Looking at Ye Qingchen with piercing eyes, he tempted:

"Ye Qingchen, my master's power is beyond your imagination. If now you kneel and pledge with your soul to follow the master, I can spare your life, otherwise, not only you but everyone around you will die!"

The Jiao Demon King continued to coerce and entice.

Ye Qingchen believed.

If it were someone else here, they might have long since been unable to hold on. After all, behind the Jiao Demon King was a master who commanded these beings, and one can only imagine that opponent's power.

Even if associating with monsters means being spat upon by others. But if one can gain a sliver of hope for survival in front of these beings, what harm is there in that?

The Jiao Demon King looked proud.

The master had only recently broken free, but was still far from awakening. With just him and the monsters under him, it was far from enough. He believed that under such circumstances, Ye Qingchen could still refuse.

However.

As soon as he thought of this, he saw Ye Qingchen suddenly raise his head, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes:

"If you hand over Mr. Zhou, kneel and await death, I can still leave you a whole corpse!"

"Courting death!"

The Jiao Demon King suddenly withdrew the smile from his face, his eyes bursting with several inches of black light, coldly stating: "Ye Qingchen, since you refuse, then you can only die here!"

"Is that so?"

Ye Qingchen narrowed his eyes.

"From the moment you stepped into this hall, it represented that you cannot escape my grasp. I only offered because I saw your deep potential and wanted to recruit you, but since you refuse, so be it!"

As the Jiao Demon King spoke, his massive snake body began to slowly undulate, propping up his body. Even with most of his body still coiled, he was over ten meters tall. The billowing demonic Qi further spread around him, giving an unparalleled sense of oppression.

"Your physical body has thick essence blood, quite a rarity. If I were to consume it, it would undoubtedly benefit me greatly!"

As he spoke.

The scarlet snake head continuously flickered:

"Now, it's too late for regrets!"

"The same goes for you, even if you beg on your knees, I will grind your bones to dust!" Ye Qingchen said coldly.

"Ye Qingchen, you're too arrogant!"

The Jiao Demon King, hearing this, his eyes burst with black light, his long hair billowed mightily.

At the same time.

The aura around him rose sharply, to the point where even the dust around him was lifted into the air by the tremor. The entire palace seemed to transform into a Ghost Realm in an instant, as if a mountain peak were oppressively descending.

In front of this Jiao Demon King, Ye Qingchen seemed as insignificant as a tiny ant.

"Kid, die!"

Boom!

His massive tail lashed out, hitting the ground heavily, shattering it instantly. At the same time, he carried a rolling, foul wind, charging fiercely and reaching Ye Qingchen in almost an instant.

The Jiao Demon King's large hand stretched out, its claw descending from the sky, aimed directly at Ye Qingchen's head.

This claw was simply earth-shattering.

Impossible to block.

...

At this moment.

At the foot of the mountain.

Steward Guo and the others were anxiously waiting.

Ye Qingchen had been inside the hall for quite some time without any movement, making them increasingly uneasy.

"Young Master Ye won't be in trouble, will he?" the red-haired man asked worriedly. "Why has there been no movement for so long? Could he have died silently in there?"

The crowd trembled with fear at his words.

Indeed!

What kind of strength did this Jiao Demon King possess?

To rule over all the demons of Netherworld Mountain was not a trivial matter!

If Ye Qingchen were to die, they might also find it hard to escape death.

"Young Master Ye's strength is boundless, there's no way that damn Jiao Demon King is his match!" Steward Zhao shouted sternly.

Boom!

No sooner had he spoken than...

a powerful aura suddenly erupted in the hall.

The crowd's hearts skipped a beat as they all looked up.

A surge of immense Demonic Qi erupted from the hall, nearly covering the sky. The daunting aura was as overwhelming as demonic flames, incomparable!

Feeling this aura.

Everyone felt a tingling at the scalp, a rush of fear quickly rising from their hearts. It was fear rooted in the soul, like mortals beholding a deity! Under this aura, they didn't even have the courage to breathe.

"Is this the power of the Jiao Demon King?"

Steward Guo felt his entire body go cold, not daring to move.

"Oh oh oh oh!"

At this moment.

The demons on the mountain danced wildly, letting out loud cries.

Witnessing this scene, everyone's hearts sank deeper.

Could it be.

They were all going to die here?

The half-human, half-spider demon on the mountain felt the terrifying aura within the hall, shivering, but couldn't help but laugh coldly: "It seems that kid Ye Qingchen refused the lord's offer... Tsk tsk tsk, once the lord makes a move, where could he find a path to survival?"

"Boom!"

Just then.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash.

The walls of the hall abruptly burst open.

A figure, surrounded by rolling dust, smashed through the wall, tumbling down the mountain. Wherever it passed, ancient trees were broken in half, demons were caught unprepared and crushed on the spot.

This figure tumbled from the mountain top all the way down, carving out a trail several hundred meters long before finally stopping at the bottom of the mountain.

"This is..."

The crowd looked on in shock.

And saw.

The one who had been blasted out was a half-human, half-snake demon. His hair was disheveled, his body covered in dust, in utter embarrassment.

"Is this the Jiao Demon King?"

Everyone's pupils contracted.

If the one thrown out was the Jiao Demon King, then the one still in the hall must be...

In an instant.

Countless gazes turned toward the mountain top.

They saw.

A graceful young man slowly stepped out of the dust, shaking his head in the crowd's incredulous stare, sighing:

"Jiao Demon King, is this all the strength you have, and you think you can take me on?"

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