In front of the demonically-transformed Yang Kai, this beautiful woman commander of the Ancient Demon Race was just as powerless as everyone else, yet she remained composed and calm.
"I'm not an outsider?" Yang Kai pointed at himself, looking stunned.
Li Rong gave a gentle nod. "The specific reasons — I'll explain them to you later. This is no place for a conversation."
Yang Kai turned to look around. The volcanic eruption and the lightning tearing through the sky seemed far more violent than before. In a little while, even the spot where Li Rong and the others stood would likely be caught in the blast.
"You're a smart man. You should know that from the very beginning, I've never harbored any ill will toward you." Li Rong's voice was gentle. "Can you dispel the Demon God Transformation now so we can get out of here?"
With that, her beautiful eyes gazed at him expectantly.
The Ancient Demon clansmen behind Li Rong all stared at Yang Kai eagerly, waiting for his answer.
It could be said that their lives were entirely in Yang Kai's hands. If he uttered even a single word of refusal, they would all certainly die.
Studying the beautiful woman before him intently, Yang Kai hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I trust you."
Li Rong exhaled a heavy breath of relief, her face relaxing completely. She smiled warmly. "Someday you'll be glad you made this wise decision."
Yang Kai gave a noncommittal response and reined in his malevolent power. The demonic patterns crawling across his body rapidly receded, and the heaven-shaking aura of evil vanished just as quickly.
All the Ancient Demon clansmen regained control of their power and bodies.
"Hua Mo, protect him. Let's get out of here!" Li Rong ordered softly. Her delicate figure blurred as she dashed to Han Fei's unconscious body and scooped her up. Then she turned and barked at Chu Jian's subordinates: "Chu Jian is dead. If you want to follow him, I won't stop you, but choose that path and there'll be no place for you in the Small Mystic Realm ever again. Or you can choose to follow me. As long as your loyalty is genuine, I won't hold it against you."
Chu Jian's subordinates exchanged glances, then dropped to their knees one after another. In unison, they shouted: "We will follow Lady Li's command!"
Chu Jian was already dead — there was no point in following him any longer. At a time like this, staying alive came first.
Li Rong nodded with satisfaction. Cradling Han Fei, she swiftly sped off.
A massive group made their way away from the volcano in a grand procession.
Hua Mo's expression was complicated, traces of lingering fear still on his face. He guarded Yang Kai's side, never stepping more than a pace away.
Half a shichen later, the group had put a hundred li between themselves and the volcano.
Looking back, the sky in that direction had turned a fiery red. The aftershocks of the eruption reached them even here, and the ground shook violently.
Every face was etched with lingering fear.
After giving Han Fei's injuries a brief treatment, the group set off toward the Demon God Fortress.
Along the way, Yang Kai observed everyone carefully and noticed that each of the Ancient Demon clansmen unconsciously kept their distance from him, as though terrified of him. Li Rong was the sole exception — her face was all smiles, as if something wonderful had happened. With Han Fei cradled in her arms, she chatted warmly with Yang Kai the entire way, making small talk.
Most of what she said concerned the deeds of the Great Demon God as recorded in the ancient texts — things that even Hua Mo didn't fully know, let alone the ordinary clansmen.
Everyone listened as though hearing a story, thoroughly engrossed.
A day later, Han Fei regained consciousness. Though her injuries hadn't fully healed, they were no longer life-threatening.
While she had been unconscious, Yang Kai had entered his demonic transformation, so she had no idea what had happened afterward. Seeing Li Rong carrying her now, she assumed Li Rong had dealt with Chu Jian herself and didn't ask questions, focusing instead on recovering her strength.
Two days later, the group returned to the Demon God Fortress.
Yang Kai returned to the same stone chamber and quietly awaited Li Rong's arrival.
He had many unanswered questions and wanted this beautiful woman to provide explanations. She had promised that the volcano was no place for a conversation and that she would explain everything in detail later.
The Demon God Fortress was peaceful, and no one knew that one of the four great commanders had already fallen.
Yang Kai was fairly satisfied with the results of this trip. His dantian was now stocked with a substantial amount of Yang Liquid. As long as he didn't squander it, he wouldn't need to worry about Yang Liquid for the next decade or so.
On top of that, he had obtained an unimaginable number of crystal stones — a truly massive fortune.
But what satisfied Yang Kai most was knowing that his demonic transformation could suppress the Ancient Demon Race.
He had been here for over a year now. During that time, Li Rong had treated him well — she hadn't imprisoned him like the alchemists before him, kept his guard surprisingly lax, and even assigned a Transcendent Stage Three expert to protect him.
But Yang Kai had always felt like he was under soft house arrest, and that feeling made him uncomfortable.
Now, though, that feeling was completely gone. Yang Kai had the confidence to stand as an equal with the Ancient Demon Race — he could even make them dance to his tune.
With this shift in his heart, he became noticeably more relaxed.
In the days that followed, everything was uneventful. Li Rong didn't come, but Yang Kai wasn't anxious. He knew that with Chu Jian dead, Li Rong must have many matters to handle. He spent his time refining pills while waiting patiently.
The stone chamber's door was pushed open, and Wan'er rushed in with an excited look on her face. She bounded up to Yang Kai, her beautiful eyes shining with excitement, and asked eagerly: "Yang Kai, I heard you killed Chu Jian! Is it true?"
"Who told you that?"
"Lady Li told me! Is it true or not?"