The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

It was just a bit of fun, hunting down Chen Dong. The older demon disdained to even lift a finger, watching with a cruel sneer. He never imagined a sudden bolt of lightning would come for him.

The lightning bolt erupted with profound power—it was unavoidable, inescapable. It was all too sudden; his Divine Sense hadn't given him any warning at all.

Even for a member of the Golden Roc clan, famed for their speed, there was no time to react.

Terror filled his eyes, the mocking sneer still frozen on his face.

The thunderclap halted the other demon's attack. When the flash of lightning faded, the older demon was gone—not even his Nascent Soul had escaped.

'What kind of technique was that???'

Without a second thought, the remaining demon shot into the air, unleashing its Innate Divine Techniques to flee like a flash of golden light. Neither of the two Nascent Soul Great Demons had detected the origin of that lightning, and it could instantly kill someone at the Nascent Soul Stage. He didn't dare to linger!

Chen Dong had carefully considered attacking the older demon. He was the stronger of the two, but also the more complacent. If a sneak attack could instantly kill or severely wound one of them, he was the obvious target.

Even Chen Dong hadn't expected the move to be so powerful. A Demon King, who appeared to be at the Mid-stage Nascent Soul, was annihilated just like that.

The older demon had reverted to its true form—a Golden-Winged Roc, its body the size of a house.

Chen Dong stood weakly before the massive corpse. The Asura Dao light pillar in his sea of consciousness had been completely depleted, but killing the Nascent Soul demon had instantly restored a small portion of it. Sensing the faint glow, he realized it wasn't enough to use 'Annihilation' again. Still, his Saint's Dao Light Pillar had also grown, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Chen Dong sent a voice transmission to Liu Ling, asking, "Where does the Demon Race usually hide their treasures?"

The humans who had just been rescued were about to thank Chen Dong when they saw another demon approaching, carrying two people.

"Sir, watch out!"

They instantly re-formed their battle array, facing Liu Ling with wary eyes.

Chen Dong waved his hand dismissively. "There are many Nascent Soul Great Demons in the area, and they seem to be searching for something. All of you need to hide yourselves well. Don't get discovered!"

With that said, he retrieved the Golden-Winged Roc's Demon Pill and flew off without another word.

Chen Dong had already done what he could. Besides, he still needed to get to Earth Sinking Mountain, and he didn't know these people anyway.

After a full day and night of evading patrols, Chen Dong and his group finally reached Earth Sinking Mountain, deep in the heart of the Demon Realm.

Despite Liu Ling's extensive inquiries, there was still no news of Murong Qing's team.

Chen Dong's heart sank. Nascent Soul Great Demons had been searching the area constantly. 'Could they have already been killed?'

Still, Chen Dong clung to a sliver of hope. Murong Qing's bloodline was unique; she was nearly impossible to catch as long as there was water nearby. 'Back when she was only at the Grandmaster Realm, she could already merge her form with water,' he thought. 'Now that her cultivation is higher, she must be fine.'

Chen Dong chose a hiding spot not far from where the Earth-Rising Flower grew. He didn't try to pick any Earth-Sinking Fruit, afraid of alerting the Nascent Soul Great Demon residing on the Spirit Vein above.

The days passed, and in the blink of an eye, twenty days had gone by. Chen Dong's anxiety grew with each passing day.

The group hid in a natural cave. Inside, a Bear Demon was being controlled by Liu Ling's demonic aura, forced to go out and gather intelligence for them each day.

During this time, Meng Yingluo's injuries had almost fully healed, but her other soul had yet to awaken and take her place. Every time Chen Dong inquired about it, he was met with Meng Yingluo's shameless advances, which annoyed him to no end.

Ao Jun had also regained consciousness. However, he remained bound and unable to move an inch. With no one to treat his severe injuries, the hatred for Chen Dong in his eyes grew deeper with each passing day.

Meanwhile, Liu Ling had used the ample Spirit Stones from Chen Dong to recover her cultivation to the Late-stage Golden Core. Without the Earth Mother Spirit Liquid, however, she could not regain her power at the Nascent Soul Stage.

After Liu Ling recovered, she and the Bear Demon went out scouting every day, while Chen Dong kept an eye on Ao Jun and Meng Yingluo. He felt there was something off about Meng Yingluo and didn't dare let her out of his sight. It seemed she and Liu Ling had reached some sort of agreement, as they were always exchanging meaningful glances.

Every time Chen Dong questioned Liu Ling, her answer was always the same: "Master, with the Beast Taming Contract in place, I will never betray you!"

And it was true; with the Beast Taming Contract, Liu Ling could be trusted. Chen Dong couldn't very well press the issue.

Chen Dong felt that his internal injuries had completely healed. He decided he would go out and search himself the next day, but just then, a graceful figure flew into the cave. Liu Ling was back.

Chen Dong immediately asked, "What did you find?"

Liu Ling shook her head. "Master, I saw no sign of the Human Race. We're getting close to the original borders of the Demon Race's territory; it's highly unlikely any humans would come here. If they had, we would have found them. Could they have gone to one of the other two locations? Master, should we switch to a different search area?"

Chen Dong thought for a moment. "Alright."

Of the three possible locations, this was supposed to be the easiest place to harvest the Earth Flower. Its defenses were the weakest, and it was the farthest from Earth Sinking Mountain's main Spirit Vein. For anyone wanting to gather the Earth Flower, this spot was the prime choice. That's why Chen Dong had been waiting at the foot of the mountain. But since his search had yielded nothing, switching locations was a good idea.

Just then, the Bear Demon rushed back into the cave, huffing and growling urgently.

Liu Ling's eyes lit up. "Master," she said, pleasantly surprised, "it says it found something!"

Chen Dong was overjoyed. "Have it lead the way!" With a wave of his hand, a crimson mist wrapped around Ao Jun and Meng Yingluo.

Meng Yingluo complained, "Senior Brother, I'm all better now. You don't need to carry me!"

Chen Dong pretended not to hear, sweeping both of them up and following the Bear Demon out of the cave.

The Bear Demon wasn't fast, and Chen Dong was tempted to carry it too, but since he couldn't communicate with it, he had to give up the idea.

After much twisting and turning, climbing over mountains and ridges, they finally arrived at a low-lying basin in another valley. A group from the Human Race was there, regulating their breathing to recover.

They were all clad in black cloaks that blocked Divine Sense. If not for the Bear Demon leading the way, even Chen Dong's Divine Sense wouldn't have spotted them. Chen Dong was no longer a rookie fresh to the Floating Shadow Realm; he knew that such cloaks were standard equipment for any experienced squad. Without them, entering the Demon Realm was suicide.