Chapter Three Hundred Eighty-Eight: The Original Immortal Talisman of the Demon Clan
An hour later.
Inside the Myriad Thunder Abyss Palace, in the mountain hot spring.
At this moment, the place was tightly controlled by the guards of the Demon Clan, with demon creatures nervously coming and going.
Beside the hot spring, Long Xiao, dressed in a purple-gold robe, stared grimly at the surface of the water, silent as a stone.
After a long while, a guard handed a Communication Device to Long Xiao.
“Master, this was found by the lakeside.”
Long Xiao took the Communication Device and finally spoke, “…What is this?”
“It’s been confirmed by Lord Ying Huan that this is a Human Clan’s Communication Device, and a directed one at that. It can communicate with the specified device without the need for array nodes or signals.”
Long Xiao fell silent for a moment and suddenly sneered.
“So, this is a message left for me by the kidnappers?”
“Good. I’ll see what’s up.”
“Who dares to move against my precious daughter?” He slowly activated the Communication Device.
Soon, the screen displayed a dimly-lit room resembling a dungeon.
A few flickering lights illuminated a vague figure sitting in a chair, propping up their head with one hand, casually crossing their legs. Beside them, there seemed to be the muffled cries of a girl being silenced.
“Oh, you got back to me pretty quickly.”
The man on the screen spoke cheerfully, laced with amusement: “Hello, Dragon Lord.”
“Do I still need to introduce myself?”
Long Xiao fixed his gaze on the man in the screen, his voice heavy, “Who are you?”
“If the Dragon Lord doesn’t remember, I can give you a hint.”
The man’s smile had an icy edge: “A while back, two unruly individuals from your Demon Clan ventured into Human Clan territory.”
“They ambushed my wife and nanny, nearly costing them their lives.”
“Dragon Lord… you haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Long Xiao’s eyes narrowed slowly.
“Just as I thought… it’s you…”
“Sang, Zhe.” He grit his teeth.
“Oh ho, those eyes are scary,” Sang Zhe teased, patting his chest. “What’s wrong? Can’t jump out of the screen to hit me?”
Long Xiao simply kept staring at him in silence, but there was a terrifying pressure building in his gaze.
“I guess you’re really worried about your precious daughter’s safety right now, huh?”
Sang Zhe, seemingly unaffected, continued casually: “So, what do you say? Want to see how your precious daughter is doing right now?”
At that moment, a fierce, bloodthirsty look flashed in Long Xiao’s eyes.
“Sang Zhe, if you dare touch a hair on Huan’er, I will make you wish you were never born!”
“Hey now, getting flustered, are we?”
Sang Zhe chuckled even more merrily, “Now you’re worried? I thought you’d be prepared for revenge after you attacked my wife.”
“Whatever grudges you have, come at me—why target a little girl? Huan’er is innocent!”
“She’s innocent, but my wife isn’t, right?” Sang Zhe’s tone grew cold, “You Demon Clans sure know how to play the double standard.”
“If you ask me, just don’t be a coward. Since you started the war, whatever retaliations we Demon Cultivators make, you’ll just have to take it.”
“Want revenge? Let’s have an honest fight!” Long Xiao slammed the table in anger. “Ambushing behind the scenes is nothing!”
“Don’t forget, it was you who struck first.”
Sang Zhe scoffed, “Since you like playing dirty, don’t blame us. After all, we in the Demon Cult love playing dirty.”
“Still ambushing? Ha, in that regard, we could teach your ancestors a lesson.”
“I won’t beat around the bush anymore.” Sang Zhe slowly stood up. “Your daughter is in my hands; her life and death depend not only on my mood.”
“But also on your Demon Clan’s attitude.”
“…What do you want?” Long Xiao spoke coldly.
“Let me think~”
Sang Zhe paced in front of the screen theatrically: “Hmm… how about we start with a ransom of five hundred million?”
“When the five hundred million is ready, out of the kindness of my heart, I’ll let you see how your daughter is doing.”
Money?
Long Xiao’s expression flickered slightly, and his mind began to whirl.
…After all, Sang Zhe is a great being of the Human Clan from that notoriously ruthless sect, the Demon Cult.
If provoked, Huan’er might really be in danger.
Better to stabilize him first, to prevent any rash actions that could harm her.
“Fine.”
Long Xiao replied slowly, “Since it was our Demon Clan that offended first, that five hundred million ransom will be prepared right away.”
“Hmm, then let’s have the Snake Demon that ambushed my wife commit seppuku and brew a drink with its snake gall.”
“Let’s throw in a Ten Thousand Year Blood Demon Dan as a side dish, and maybe call your wife to pour drinks and dance, to liven up the mood while I drink.”
“And then…”
As Sang Zhe went on more absurdly, Long Xiao’s suppressed rage became clearer and clearer.
But the next moment, he suddenly reigned in all his emotions and began to laugh heartily.
“Hahaha, Sang little friend sure loves a good joke.”
“Honestly, our Demon Clan has no deep-seated hatred with your Demon Cult. The previous attack was just a misunderstanding.”
“Let’s calm down, why not come to my Demon Clan for a visit? How about a cup of tea, and we sit down for a proper chat?”
“Chat? Spare me. Playing the nice guy won’t work,” Sang Zhe scoffed, “Let’s cut to the chase. I know why you ambushed my Demon Cult.”
“You want the Original Immortal Talisman, right?”
Long Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“It seems… you know more than I expected, Sang little friend.”
“You guys just love treating people like fools.”
Sang Zhe sneered derisively: “Now you want to calm my emotions, hoping to lure me to Myriad Thunder Abyss so your Demon Clan can pounce on me and take what’s mine.”
“Then my Original Immortal Talisman would belong to you, right?”
“Dream on. Let’s be real, you and I both know what the Original Immortal Talisman means for the future.”
“No one is going to let go of that.” He smiled confidently, “If you want it, compete for it!”
Long Xiao’s emotions cooled a bit.
He looked deeply at Sang Zhe, and after a while, he slowly closed his eyes: “Previously, in my eyes…”
“There was only one opponent qualified to compete with me for the Original Immortal Talisman, and that was that old fossil from the Human Clan.”
“Now it seems… my perspective was limited.” His gaze burned fiercely on Sang Zhe.
Sang Zhe chuckled noncommittally.
“Since we’re being direct, your real goal is to use Huan’er to exchange for my Demon Clan’s Original Immortal Talisman, right?”
“Dragon Lord, you truly are a straightforward person.” Sang Zhe smiled, “I knew you had been secretly searching for the Original Immortal Talisman for all these years; there’s no way you found nothing.”
“Well, I won’t hide it any longer.”
“Let me see your Demon Clan’s Original Immortal Talisman, and I’ll let you see your daughter.”
Long Xiao’s expression twitched slightly.
All the demons nearby went silent, lowering their heads until they finally heard a low voice.
“Go to the Thunder Gathering Pool.”
“Bring the Original Immortal Talisman.”
