Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 557: Chapter 541: Disastrous News

The arrival of the Fox Immortal King pushed the atmosphere in the hall to its peak. The other demons watched from a distance, all incredibly excited.

At this moment, the four Demon Kings stood together, greeting each other and starting to chat. The other demons didn’t dare approach.

They were simply not on the same level.

From behind her white silk veil, the Fox Immortal King’s red lips parted slightly, releasing a charming, melodious voice. ”Younger Brother Bai, before your auspicious hour arrives, there is an important matter I must discuss with the three of you.”

The three Deep Mountain Demon Kings fixed their gazes on the woman in the green robes and white silk veil. This was especially true for the Yellow Demon King, whose eyes burned with blatant desire.

Only he would dare to be so brazen; the other two, the Gray Demon King and the White Demon King, would never.

”I recently received some news. In the Human World, Ancient War Ruins have opened, unleashing Ancient Exotic Beasts. Several human cities have already fallen into chaos.”

”What? Ancient War Ruins?”

Upon hearing this, the three Deep Mountain Demon Kings were utterly shocked.

Thousands of years ago, Ancient War Ruins had opened, releasing many powerful Exotic Beasts that brought destruction and disaster in their wake.

Humans have their *Records of Strange Beasts in the Classic of Mountains and Seas*, which documents many ferocious Exotic Beasts from Ancient Times. Though it has been passed down to this day, most people have long considered it a work of fiction.

But in truth, it is a precious record of the events that followed the opening of the Ancient War Ruins.

The five great Demon Kings of the Yaoling Mountain Range had not been born from powerful stock; their original forms were just ordinary animals. So how did they become such peerless experts? Because they had lived through that turbulent, terrifying era. They had luckily survived and reaped certain benefits from the chaos.

”How could the Ancient War Ruins possibly open again? Is this information reliable?” A trace of terror crossed the White Demon King’s face. For a Demon King to show such an expression meant this matter was incredibly serious.

The Fox Immortal King spoke, her voice like a soft exhalation. ”For now, only small-scale War Relics have opened, and the Exotic Beasts that emerged aren’t overwhelmingly powerful. But if this trend continues, I fear large-scale ruins will soon follow.”

”This is a good thing! If we kill a few Ancient Exotic Beasts and take their Beast Pills, we might all have a chance to break through to the Rank Four Divine Spirit level!” the Yellow Demon King scoffed, completely unconcerned. He actually saw it as good news.

The Gray Demon King added, ”My cousin is right. Back then, we were just Little Demons. We got lucky and swallowed the Beast Pills of some Exotic Beasts, which caused our bloodlines to mutate. It was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, and that’s how we became the Deep Mountain Demon Kings we are today.”

A smile that wasn’t a smile played on the Fox Immortal King’s lips. ”You’ve all grown soft from your comfortable lives to be so optimistic. If a large-scale Ancient War Ruin opens, the things that emerge will be Rank Four Exotic Beasts. Do you think you can handle them? The first ones those Exotic Beasts will hunt are us—the Demons who have reached the pinnacle of cultivation.”

”The last time this happened thousands of years ago, how many Rank Four Exotic Beasts were there? Could you even count them on both hands?” the Fox Immortal King continued. ”This is a dire omen. A catastrophe is about to befall all of Earth, and you lot are still grinning like fools.”

Her magnificent, deep-purple eyes rolled. She looked at them as if they were idiots.

The Yellow Demon King sneered, ”What’s there to be afraid of? Back then, we hadn’t even reached the level of a proper Demon, yet we still survived and found our opportunities. Now, we’re all Deep Mountain Demon Kings. If we can’t beat them, we can always hide.”

”Exactly,” the Gray Demon King added. ”Besides, fortune favors the bold. If we can get our hands on some Beast Pills from these Exotic Beasts like before, our cultivation can improve even more. And we’re here in the Yaoling Mountain Range, a world unto itself. The first to face this disaster won’t be us; it’ll be the humans. We can just sit back, watch how things unfold, and take the opportunity to fish for some benefits.”

”Naive!” the Fox Immortal King snapped. ’A rat will always be a rat; its nature is impossible to change.’ ”The only reason we survived back then was precisely because our cultivation was too weak for the Exotic Beasts to even notice us! But now, we are Deep Mountain Demon Kings. We’re massive targets. Those Exotic Beasts need to eat, and to them, we are the finest meal.”

At her words, the other three fell silent, their bravado choked off.

It was said that Rank Four masters no longer appeared in the world. That was because the entire world had once endured a great catastrophe that had nearly wiped out all life.

In the wake of the War Relics, Exotic Beasts seemed to devour the very heavens, causing the world’s Spiritual Qi to wither and the entire global landscape to be drastically altered.

”Sister, what do you suggest we do?” the White Demon King asked. As the weakest among them, he knew self-preservation would not be easy.

When Ancient Exotic Beasts emerged, they feasted gluttonously, turning all living things into their food. Of course, one could try to prey on them in return, but the power of the Ancient Exotic Beasts was far too great. Even a random one was at the Demon King Level.

”We need to prepare for the worst. If the War Relics truly continue to open, we will have to join forces with the human Cultivators to protect our home.”

In times of crisis, humans and Demons became the best of allies. After all, they were both creatures of Earth. During the crisis thousands of years ago, it was the united front of humans and Demons that faced the enemy, closed the War Relics, and sealed the Exotic Beasts away.

The Yellow Demon King thought for a moment before speaking. ”Perhaps you’re being overly sensitive. It’s normal for a small ruin to open now and then. Over the past thousand years, one has opened every few hundred years, but nothing ever came of it.”

A single Exotic Beast breaking loose can’t cause that much trouble.

”I’m afraid this time is different. Several small ruins have opened in succession. This is a clear sign. The humans were caught completely off guard, and the death toll among the common people has been horrific.”

”And this is the best-case scenario. If a large-scale War Ruin were to open next, the things that emerge would be Rank Four Exotic Beasts at a minimum. If one were to open here in our Yaoling Mountain Range, ask yourselves: could you ensure your own survival?” The Fox Immortal King’s lips curved into that same enigmatic smile. ”The Spiritual Qi in our Yaoling Mountain Range is far more abundant than in the human lands. I even suspect a small War Ruin has already opened somewhere within our territory.”

”You’re saying an Exotic Beast has already gotten out?”

The Fox Demon King said, ”It’s only a guess. I came here today specifically to give you all a warning. Don’t let your comfortable lives blind you to the approaching danger.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere grew heavy. The expressions of the Deep Mountain Demon Kings turned grim. They couldn’t tell if this woman was deliberately trying to frighten them or if the situation was truly that dire.

Right now, they were considered the strongest beings in the world. As long as they didn’t go looking for trouble, their lives were in no danger. No one could pose a substantial threat to them.

But if Ancient Exotic Beasts appeared, that was a different story entirely.

Who was the predator and who was the prey—the answer was clear from the expressions on the faces of the Deep Mountain Demon Kings.

”Alright, let’s put this aside for now. Younger Brother Bai, today is your happy occasion. I hope my words haven’t spoiled your mood,” the Fox Immortal King said with a captivating, charming giggle.

The White Demon King’s expression twitched. ’Couldn’t you have waited until after my wedding to bring this up?’

Now, he didn’t have a shred of joy left, only a sense of impending doom.

”Oh, right. There’s one more thing.” The graceful Fox Immortal King, clad in green robes and a white silk veil, turned to the Gray Demon King and the White Demon King. ”Our five lineages are, at the end of the day, branches of the same tree. Though Brother Liu is no longer with us, the Snake Race is still a major power. That new Snake King... I believe his future accomplishments will be no less than Demon King Liu’s. If the Ancient War Ruins truly do open, he would be a powerful ally. It would be best if you two didn’t try to fight him to the death. I am willing to act as a mediator to help you resolve your grudges—to turn a big problem into a small one, and a small one into nothing at all.”

”Impossible!”

The Gray Demon King and the White Demon King retorted in unison.

Their desire to kill the Snake King was born of an irreconcilable hatred.