Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

But Chuyuan, who had already experienced the warmth and coldness of the world, how could he willingly resign himself to becoming a mere beast again, as Song Wu suggested?

When exactly had he started wanting to become human...

Chuyuan didn’t remember very clearly.

Was it after he left his father and received gratitude from a little girl; or was it when he continuously interacted with humans, trying to integrate into their society, only to have his true identity exposed and be hunted down by adventurers; or perhaps, it began with the desire to be recognized by his father.

If he were human, perhaps he would not have to endure so much pain.

As a human, he could become Song Wu’s true child and repay his foster father’s kindness.

As his wounds slowly healed while on the move, Chuyuan looked at his blood-stained palms, clenched them tightly, and gazed forward with an unprecedented determination in his eyes.

To become human, for a demon, was nearly impossible.

Without having met that person and seen it with his own eyes, he would never believe in the existence of such a being in this world.

Chuyuan felt a different kind of fear from that being; his instincts told him that the person who appeared before him could kill him with just a casual flick of the fingers.

Death or loyalty, Chuyuan had no real choice.

Even if he did, after witnessing the kind of power that could potentially change his fate, there was only one answer for Chuyuan.

— Swearing loyalty.

After undergoing transformation, Chuyuan did indeed become more human-like.

Originally created to be a warrior, he now possessed poison as an advantageous weapon.

But because of the transformation, he was forced to take on many dirty and tiring tasks, using his toxin to hunt one human after another, breaking the promise with his father time and time again.

Yet Chuyuan had no regrets.

If this was the price to become human, he was willing to pay it.

”I can’t die yet. I absolutely must survive to complete this task.”

Rapid thoughts churned in his mind, as Chuyuan pondered how he could thoroughly strangle Yang Yu in this forest and complete his mission.

Only by overcoming this obstacle could he reach the future.

”Norma, I know you’re nearby, give me a hand. I can’t lose, and you certainly don’t want to see me lose.”

Emanating from the dull space, Norma revealed a slight smile:

”I have never seen you so distressed before.

They sent you here because the opposition is strong.

If even you can’t harm him in the slightest, adding me to the mix would surely be in vain.

For now, should we retreat?”

Chuyuan glared fiercely at Norma, ”In a word, are you helping or not?”

Norma helplessly spread his hands,

”Fine, what do you need help with?

But let me make it clear in advance that if things look bad, I’ll abandon you and run. Don’t expect me to rescue you.

Our importance is not on the same level.”

There was not a hint of hesitation in Chuyuan’s eyes, ”It doesn’t matter, just do your best.”

With a reluctant flutter of his wings, Norma asked, ”What do you need me to do?”

”Activate the traps I’ve set along the way, and then cover me while I attack.”

...

...

Seated on the back of Lotcar, Yang Yu carefully distinguished the potential traps around him, directing Lotcar to either bypass or leap over them as they continued to track the lingering scent of blood in the air.

As time passed, the bloody scent that Lotcar could pick up in the air grew weaker and weaker.

This likely indicated that the wounds of the golden ape were slowly healing.

To this, Yang Yu could only think, indeed, a worthy Magic Beast from the Luo Ze Research Institute.

But... with such clever brains, can you Luoze Empire really control him?

Lotcar and Yang Yu encountered more and more traps on their way.

The golden ape not only kept running toward the traps it had set but also kept luring Yang Yu and his group into areas with even more traps.

Judging by the number of traps, they could not have been made within just a few hours; it would take at least ten days to half a month.

What’s more terrifying is that these traps were interconnected, triggering a chain reaction - one false step and they could all be caught.

The toxins from the Chuyuan cannot be neutralized by ordinary antidotes.

If one were hit by it, they would completely become fish on the chopping board.

This time, the margin for error was extremely low; full concentration was a must.

Just as Yang Yu had this thought, within Iyas’s sensing range, several patches of darkness that she could perceive appeared.

Looking around, Iyas saw countless black bats flapping their wings relentlessly beneath the mottled tree shadows.

All the bats responsible for surveillance around Qinghe Volcano, under Norma’s command, had gathered in this region.

These bats actively approached the traps set by Chuyuan, either using their bodies or their teeth to trigger one mechanism after another.

In an instant, countless stones flew haphazardly through the forest; the Nailuo collapsed, and the sand laid above it poured down with a ’whoosh’ - the sounds of various traps being set off were incessant.

”What in the world is going on?”

Iyas raised her bow and arrows with nowhere to aim.

Those black bats she could sense were hiding among the branches, and Iyas, seated on Lotcar, couldn’t adjust her position at will to easily pick them off.

Besides, Iyas’s order from Yang Yu was to prioritize dealing with the Golden Ape.

What if she just shot her arrows and the golden ape suddenly burst out?

Yang Yu gently patted Lotcar’s back and asked,

”Can Lotcar still distinguish the scent of that guy in the air? Or, should that guy suddenly attack, can you accurately discern his position?”

Before Lotcar could answer, a golden arrow, amid the chaotic sounds, was shot towards Yang Yu.

Catching the trajectory of the arrow, Yang Yu quickly raised his shield to defend against the attack.

However, this arrow was merely a feint.

Tearing open his own wounds, spreading fresh blood around, Chuyuan swung amongst the trees, continuously changing positions, entrusting the magic-crafted bow and arrows to Norma’s bats.

”You like dodging so much, right? This time, let’s see you dodge to your heart’s content.”

At Chuyuan’s command, arrows set up in advance were shot at Yang Yu from all directions; Bai Jin once again raised her Magic Wand, raising a Defense Shield for her team.

At that moment, Norma, flapping her black bat wings, suddenly appeared above them and slowly launched a ball of black-electricity-laden magic.

The Shield that Bai Jin had just raised, upon contact with that ball of black magic, crumbled instantly, vanishing without a trace.