"What benefit would I get from lying to you? You're about to die anyway," Yang Kai said flatly, gazing at the Demon King.
The Demon King snorted: "You humans… hmph…" The implication was clear—humans were rife with deceit and utterly untrustworthy.
Without another word, Yang Kai turned and began to walk away. "Fine, then. Forget it."
"Wait—"
Just as expected, Yang Kai had barely taken a few steps before the Demon King's voice came from behind.
After all, when one's life hung in the balance, even the faintest glimmer of hope had to be grasped.
Yang Kai turned sideways, casting a sidelong glance at him.
The Demon King muttered something—whether it was a curse or not, who could tell—and after a moment said: "Get me out of here first, and I'll tell you anything you want to know."
"Get lost!" Yang Kai snorted coldly, too lazy to entertain him further.
Seeing that Yang Kai was genuinely leaving, the Demon King panicked. He abandoned all pretense of bargaining and croaked hoarsely: "Fine! Someone did leave this place earlier!"
Yang Kai halted once more and turned around, regarding the Demon King with an expressionless stare. "No more tricks, or I walk away right now."
The Demon King's face was grim, but he didn't dare say a word.
Yang Kai asked, "What did the person who left look like?"
The Demon King grumbled, "A woman—hair a mess, acting completely crazy. She even bashed me in the skull with a demon core! The nerve of her! If I hadn't been brought low by fate, how could she have treated me like that?!"
Yang Kai found it amusing, but that was exactly the sort of thing the Third Senior Sister would do. Keeping his expression neutral, he continued: "Which direction did she leave from?"
"That way!"
Hearing this, Yang Kai couldn't help but feel relieved. He hadn't been able to find any trace of the Third Senior Sister until now, and he'd genuinely feared she'd run into some disaster in this place. After all, this was an incredibly dangerous area, and those countless Beast Spirits were not to be trifled with. Stroking his chin, Yang Kai added: "If she managed to leave, why are you stuck here?"
The Demon King's face was a mask of anguish. "If I could leave, would I still be trapped? The Tomb of Ten Thousand Spirits suppresses the creatures of the Ancient Land immensely. The fact that I made it this far was already a stroke of fortune. Getting out is beyond my ability!"
"You don't look like you're near the end of your lifespan. How did you even end up here?" Yang Kai asked curiously, studying him.
At this, the Demon King's expression became one of blood and tears. He sighed: "Fortune and misfortune can strike in an instant. One moment I stepped into empty air, and the next I was in this wretched place."
How many demon beasts had met the same fate as this Demon King? Who could say—countless, throughout the entire Ancient Land. Not every creature that entered this place was nearing the end of its life, but once inside, they were truly facing their final days.
It was only because this Demon King possessed formidable strength that he had managed to make it this far, shaking off the pursuit of the Beast Spirits. Otherwise, he would have been reduced to nothing long ago.
Having finished his account, the Demon King urged: "If you have any more questions, ask them quickly. I can't hold on much longer."
"That's all." Yang Kai shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the Demon King's body.
Sensing the ill intent in his eyes, the Demon King's heart lurched. He realized Yang Kai was about to discard the bridge after crossing the river—all that talk about giving him a lift had been utter nonsense. In an instant, grief and rage surged through him. He had always known that human words were unreliable, yet he'd still clung to that sliver of hope and tried. In the end, he was still going to be driven to his death. The Demon King felt an overwhelming weariness in his heart…
But then Yang Kai, rather than striking the killing blow immediately, paused in thought and said: "Hand over your Soul Seal, and I'll spare your life."
He had tasted the benefits of the arrangement before. After subduing Yang Youwei and putting him to work, the Third Senior Sister's location had been discovered the moment she appeared. But Yang Youwei was only a Demon Commander with limited forces under his command. If he could control a Demon King, forget about finding the Third Senior Sister—even locating Little Little would be twice as effective.
Moreover, with a Demon King's protection, moving about and conducting affairs in the Ancient Land would be far more convenient.
The Demon King reacted as if someone had stepped on his tail, hissing: "In your wildest dreams!"
He was one of the thirty-two Demon Kings—a being of noble stature and immense power. How could he ever submit to being controlled by a human? This human didn't even look as strong as he was. In his prime, a single slap from him would have sent this man flying. To demand his Soul Seal—the very idea was laughable.
Yang Kai didn't press the issue. He merely said, with the easy calm of a man discussing the weather: "If a person dies, they lose everything. As long as you're alive, there's still hope."
The Demon King sneered repeatedly: "That's still better than living as someone's slave, clinging to a wretched existence!"
Yang Kai's gaze swept over him once more, his tone still measured: "You must have children, Demon King. If you die here, what becomes of them? The demon clans you've oppressed over the years certainly won't treat your offspring kindly. Oh, and you must have concubines as well, don't you? Given your status as a Demon King, they must all be stunningly beautiful—charming and alluring. After your death, those women will no doubt belong to someone else, to be enjoyed and ravaged as others see fit. That exquisite, soul-consuming pleasure, Demon King, you'll never experience again. What a pity, what a tragedy. A household of orphans and widows—their days ahead won't be easy."
Every word sank into the Demon King's ears, and his already somber face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He felt that this human's words struck at the very heart of him, making it impossible not to envision the wretched fates that awaited his children and his concubines after his death.
Especially those concubines—if some other man pressed them beneath him and had his way with them freely…
He couldn't bear to think any further. The Demon King's eyes had turned red, and hot breath was continuously snorting from his nostrils.