Chapter 114 - 22: The Secret of a Hundred-year
Cave
Translator: 549690339
Zhao Huai had been in Blackwind Cave for a while now.
During this time, he had been trying to figure out the secrets within the cave but had found no leads. Even as a commander, he remained far from the core of power within the cave.
Thus, the clues stopped.
Zhao Huai stood in the armory, selecting his weapon, a privilege all commanders had.
Originally, he had chosen the identity of Boar Zhu Ganglie as an homage, but it turned out surprisingly smooth.
Since he was going to pay homage, he decided to go all the way. And so, Zhao Huai dug out a black Nine-pronged Rake from the armory.
“Good heavens, they actually have it.”
He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and smirk.
Honestly, he had an idea in his mind, but he wasn’t sure if it would work.
Since the cave had endless enemies, perhaps he could intimidate the demons by creating the image of a terrifying Demon King and ruling the cave.
First, it could scare away weaker demons, bringing peace to Jinzhou and allowing him to live comfortably.
Second, it could attract powerful demons who were unconvinced and wanted to test the waters – only to become his experience fodder and eliminate trouble for the people in the process.
It was truly a win-win strategy.
However, this was just a preliminary idea, there was still a long way to go before it could become feasible. The first step would be to deal with the Demon King currently residing in the mountain.
“Boar commander-”
At this moment, a bewitching voice came from outside.
Zhao Huai muttered to himself, who could it be? He looked up and saw that it was actually Hong Yuan, the chief steward of Blackwind Cave!
Hong Yuan was dressed in a thin, red gauze dress, her eyes sparkling, her beautiful eyes half-closed, her face adorned with charming blush, her lips curved into a delicate smile, looking extremely sweet.
She sneaked over quietly.
“Chief steward, what is this…” Zhao Huai was at a loss seeing her like this.
What did this Spider Demon want to do?
“Boar commander, how do you like your position?” Hong Yuan asked with a smile, her eyes squinting.
“Zhu Ganglie is content with his role, thanks to the cultivation opportunities provided by the chief steward,” Zhao Huai replied humbly, looking serious.
Hearing his words, Hong Yuan’s smile grew warmer, and she stepped closer, whispering, “Then do you want to take it a step further?”
Zhao Huai’s thoughts raced, realizing that Hong Yuan was trying to recruit him.
It seemed that there were indeed many secrets hidden within Blackwind Cave.
“You’re a clever demon, you should know what I’m talking about.” Hong Yuan’s gaze locked onto Zhu Ganglie, her eyes flickering with profound meaning.
Faced with such an opportunity, Zhao Huai would naturally not let it go, but before that, he had to maximize the profits.
“I understand what the chief steward is saying, but I have a few questions that have been bothering me.” Zhao Huai pretended to be confused.
Hong Yuan’s expression softened, and she said with a smile, ‘Go ahead and ask.
Since you’ve chosen to join me, I don’t mind answering your questions.”
Zhao Huai joyfully asked, “I came to Blackwind Cave because I admire the
Demon King’s figure, but why hasn’t the Demon King appeared?”
Hong Yuan’s expression remained unchanged, as if she had anticipated his question. She replied:
“The Demon King is very powerful, already at the Core Formation stage. If he were to reveal himself, the demonic qi in his every move could attract the attention of the sects, so he hides.”
“I see.” Zhao Huai nodded and continued to ask:
“Furthermore, what is the inheritance that the Demon King has obtained? I’ve heard many demons mention it, but there’s never a definite answer.”
Zhao Huai couldn’t help but be curious. What kind of inheritance could cause so many demons to fight to the death? This was too intriguing.
Hong Yuan pondered for a moment and said seriously:
“I’m not exactly sure either. The Demon King rarely allows anyone into his
cave, but from a distance, I saw a bloody pool.”
“Bloody pool?”
“Yes, a place with an extremely rich qi and blood.”
Zhao Huai secretly pondered.
Could this bloody pool serve as an assistant in cultivation?
It certainly seemed possible. Whoever controlled it could significantly speed up their cultivation progress, thus attracting the desires of many demons.
After this, Zhao Huai laughed and said, “Since I have now pledged allegiance to the chief steward, I must explain my intentions to Grandma Blackwind. But why hasn’t she been in the cave recently?”
Upon mentioning Blackwind Granny, Hong Yuan’s expression wasn’t as excited as expected but rather seemed somewhat resentful.
“Grandma has been in the human world all this time, rarely coming back. It seems she’s doing something and won’t even tell us.”
Always in the human world?
It seemed she had planned this all along.
Zhao Huai secretly thought.
“Have you finished asking questions? If you have, let’s talk about something happier. ”
Hong Yuan’s face leaned against Zhao Huai’s body, as she smiled seductively and whispered in his ear:
“Don’t worry, there’s no one else here…”
Hearing this, Zhao Huai felt extremely strange, with a chilling sensation creeping over him.
“Chief steward, this is not good…”
Becoming intimate with the Spider Demon was out of the question, as it would reveal his identity.
However, refusing seemed like it would offend her — it was such a troubling situation.
Just then, a voice came from outside the armory.
“Report! ”
“What’s the matter?” Zhao Huai seized the opportunity to respond.
“Commander, Grandma wants to see you.”
A little demon outside the door shouted.
“I apologize, chief steward. Grandma wants to see me.” Zhao Huai offered an apologetic smile.
Hong Yuan showed a disappointed expression, then stepped back and seductively smiled:
“I’ll wait for you to come back.”Zhao Huai shuddered and quickly left with the Nine-pronged Rake in hand.
Watching his figure, Hong Yuan seemed thoughtful and followed him.
Soon, Zhao Huai arrived at the entrance of the Blackwind Cave Mansion.
He found that many little demons were already gathered here, their faces showing panic.
Standing at the entrance of the high platform was a beautiful woman in black, mature and voluptuous. Her cold eyes stared at the little demons below, as if pondering something.
Zhao Huai stood among the demons, somewhat conspicuous.
Is she Blackwind Granny?
In an instant, Zhao Huai could determine her identity.
In the Demon-Viewing Eye’s world, the black smoke on this beautiful woman in black was even thicker than Hong Yuan’s. The phantom of a spider solidified as if real, much larger in size.
Definitely a powerful demon!
“I’ve just received news that many of our kind, who were hiding in various states and counties, have been targeted by sect purges.”
“So I suspect there’s a human spy among us in this cave.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the demons below were in an uproar.
“What! A human infiltrated us?”
“How is that possible? Human qi is so obvious we can see it at a glance!”
“Yeah, it’s unlikely. Did we get it wrong?”
“Don’t rule out the possibility that a human cultivator learned some secret technique. They have plenty of tricks up their sleeves.”
Upon hearing that a human cultivator had infiltrated them, all the demons had a strong reaction.
Zhao Huai frowned and thought that this situation was not good.
Could it be that he had been exposed?
Impossible, he hadn’t made any mistakes. After some thought, Zhao Huai decided to wait and see.
Blackwind Granny said indifferently: “I’ve gathered you all here to find the human race’s spy, especially those who have recently joined Blackwind Cave.”
Zhao Huai furrowed his brow even deeper, clearly being part of this group. Could it really be him?
Blackwind Granny commanded the surrounding little demons to bring out a water tank, but it was filled with writhing black, foul blood instead of water. She spoke coldly:
“On my command, everyone prick your finger and let a drop of blood into the tank. ”
Blackwind Granny’s sharp gaze stabbed at the gathered demons, trying to find the spy.
The blood in this tank was taken from the Demon King’s bloody pool, which would reveal whether one was human or demon upon contact.
Everyone was soon tested in an orderly fashion, from commanders to small demons.
A small demon with an orange cat’s appearance pricked their hand and dropped some blood into the pool, which caused no ripples and stayed calm.
“Pass.”
Blackwind Granny said expressionlessly.
The demons one by one passed, but the human spy had yet to reveal themselves, making the situation tense.
Zhao Huai was in the middle of the queue, and it would soon be his turn. His heart felt inexplicably nervous.
There were so many demons here that if a fight broke out, it would inevitably attract the Demon King’s attention.
In that case, even with his Thousand-Mile Lone Rider skill, the Killing Sword would be difficult to use.
He clutched the golden bronze coins tightly in his hand, examining the results.
But to Zhao Huai’s surprise, his result was still “fortune.”
There’s no change? Why not?
“Could it be…”
Zhao Huai suddenly realized something and activated his Demon-Viewing Eye, scanning the group of demons.
He then found an anomaly in an unremarkable position among the countless demonic auras.
It was an ox demon.
Despite appearing to be a demon, its body was incredibly pure, which was quite telling.
Zhao Huai saw that the demons in front of him had slowly cleared away.
It would soon be his turn. This “ox demon” clenched its fists tightly, as if holding something back.
Seeing this, Zhao Huai seemed to understand. This appeared to be a fellow human cultivator, although the situation didn’t look good currently.
The ‘ox demon’ reached out its hand, only for it to slow down and stop, its face darkening.
“Hurry up.”
Impatient, a demon in line behind him urged.
“Yeah, don’t waste time.”
“Hurry your granny! I’ve put up with you guys for long enough!” The ‘ox demon’ bellowed angrily, suddenly erupting with aggression.
Bam!
With a punch, the ‘ox demon’ sent a small demon flying into a stone wall, embedding it deeply into the wall.
“It’s the human spy!”
A crow-headed demon screamed.
One shout drew the gaze of hundreds of pairs of eyes. The surrounding demons swarmed over, some with swords, others with spears and forks.
A dense crowd had gathered.
The ‘ox demon’ ripped off its head-cover and horns in one go, leaping dozens of meters with a burst of True Vigor. Its muscles rippled with power and it slammed the ground, churning up the soil while knocking back the smaller demons that had surrounded it.
In just a few moments, the entire Blackwind Cave was thrown into chaos.