Chapter 2573: Xie Wuwei

The arrival of the three of them seemed to cause some disturbance. Not far away, a demon race creature rushed over to investigate. Before it even got close, the Demon King dangled in Yang Kai's grip let out a low roar and shot forward like lightning, lunging directly at the newcomer.

A scream rang out. The demon hadn't even seen who was attacking before he was slammed to the ground. The Demon King opened his jaws and bit into his neck, gulping down mouthfuls of blood. In an instant, wails filled the air. The creature pinned beneath struggled ceaselessly but could not break free, and gradually his movements stilled.

After a moment, the Demon King rose to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and trotted back.

The demon's blood seemed to be a great tonic for him. His originally skeletal appearance had improved somewhat—at the very least, his skin had gained a bit of luster, and a fair amount of flesh had regrown on his frame. His withered vitality had also picked up slightly.

He glanced at Yang Kai, his gaze complicated, but in the end he lowered his head and let out a heavy sigh.

"What should I call the Demon King?" Yang Kai asked.

"Xie Wuwei!" the Demon King replied curtly. However, seeing that Yang Kai hadn't treated him with the slightest contempt on account of his status as a soul slave, he felt somewhat relieved. He had genuinely feared Yang Kai would start bossing him around from the very start—if that had been the case, with his explosive temper, he certainly wouldn't have been able to endure it.

"Without fear, without hesitation—a fine name for a Demon King!" Yang Kai said with a slight smile.

Xie Wuwei waved his hand dismissively. "It was picked at random." After a brief pause, he asked, "How should this King address you?"

Yang Kai said, "Just call me Young Master Yang."

Xie Wuwei gave a slight nod and said, "Young Master Yang mentioned before that you wanted this King to do something for you. I wonder what exactly that might be."

He made no effort to hide his eagerness to finish whatever Yang Kai needed so he could break free of his control.

"No rush," Yang Kai chuckled. "Take me back to your territory first. What I need to do requires more hands than we have here."

Go back to his own territory? Xie Wuwei pulled a face. He was one of the thirty-two Demon Kings—his status and prestige were considerable. If anyone saw him running around with a human, being ordered about this way and that, where would he ever put his face again?

Seeming to read his thoughts, Yang Kai said, "Rest easy, Demon King. I won't make things difficult for you. If your subordinates ask, just say I'm a friend of yours visiting from outside. Surely it's no great matter for a demon of the ancient lands to have made a human friend or two out in the world?"

Xie Wuwei's mouth twitched, and he answered against his own convictions: "No great matter at all."

If it weren't for the fact that Yang Kai held his soul seal, would he ever obey such orders? But when you're under someone else's roof, you have no choice but to bow your head.

And so the three of them spread out and flew toward the depths of the ancient lands.

Xie Wuwei was intimately familiar with the Savage Ancient Lands. He led Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi in a headlong charge, with no need whatsoever to conceal themselves.

Along the way, the occasional foolhardy demon would come to investigate, and one after another they became food for Xie Wuwei to replenish his vitality.

Half a day later, a towering mountain appeared ahead. Some structures could be faintly seen on its slopes. Drawing closer, Yang Kai realized they were constructed entirely from large and small blocks of stone—hardly artistic, but rough and bold in a way that suited the temperament of the demon race.

From the mountainside upward, countless cave openings dotted the rock, each housing a fair number of demons.

The arrival of Yang Kai's group clearly startled them. One by one they emerged from their caves to peer, but before they could get a good look, the three had already charged into the sole great hall.

Inside, several beautiful servant girls hurried forward. They looked at Xie Wuwei with fear and bowed respectfully. "My Lord!"

Xie Wuwei was in a foul mood and couldn't be bothered with the servants, striding past them without a sideways glance. But Yang Kai and Zhang Ruoxi trailing behind him drew frequent sidelong stares from the maidens. After all, neither of them carried the slightest trace of demonic aura—they were plainly human. They had no idea what business Xie Wuwei had bringing two humans back, and from the look of it, these two didn't seem to be captives, either.

At the head of the great hall sat a throne of white bone, carved from the skeleton of some demon beast—rough and unadorned, as was the prevailing style. Xie Wuwei walked straight up to it, turned, swept his robes aside, and seated himself with imperial poise, his tiger eyes surveying the domain below with an air of authority.

However, he quickly looked sheepish.

Having returned to his own territory and felt at ease, he had momentarily forgotten his current circumstances. Seeing Yang Kai standing below with a smile on his face, Xie Wuwei hastily stood up again.

"Sit, Demon King. We're just friends of yours visiting from afar," Yang Kai transmitted through his spiritual sense. Having witnessed this Demon King's stubborn refusal to yield even in death, he didn't want to make things too embarrassing for him—there was still work to be done, and some surface pleasantries weren't worth fussing over.

Xie Wuwei felt a touch of gratitude, thinking that this human was at least reasonable. The resistance in his heart eased somewhat, and he sat back down with a gesture. "Please, Young Master Yang—take a seat!"