Zhang Fei - The Abandoned Son

Chapter 407: A Black Key

After he finished the daily quest, Feltia [2] did not immediately return to Ursulaʼs black castle but instead went to the Endless Death, especially since he still had a quest to find the missing relic.

Sometime ago, Ashreth told Feltia [2] that there were two missing relics in the Amaris Twinsʼ sub-realm. One is inside the black castle, which he believes is Ursulaʼs orb, but it does not complete the quest. Thatʼs why he decided to go to the Endless Death, especially since she told him that the second relic was there, and he believed that it was in Tharnonʼs hands.

After he met Tharnon once, Feltia [2] no longer felt afraid of the Endless Death, and he immediately flew down into the abyss. Even so, he didnʼt use his light element, especially since the ancient demon beast hated it so much, and he used his fire element to light up the place.

”Hmm?” Tharnon immediately looked up as soon as he saw that. ”Why did you come to my place, human?”

”Tharnon, I came here to ask about the relic, and I believe that it is in your hands now.” Tharnon scowled in response to Feltia [2]ʼs words. ”I have no intention of taking it from you, especially since itʼs not that useful to me. However, there is something I canʼt explain to you, so I hope you can show it to me.”

Tharnon nodded before spitting out something from his mouth, which was a black key, and two notifications immediately appeared in Feltia [2]ʼs mind.

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[Ding]

[Quest: Finding a missing relic.]

[Quest rank: Medium.]

[Status: Done.]

[Reward: Medium Gift Pack x1 is sent to the inventory.]

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[Ding]

[Quest: Finding one of the ten demon lord seeds.]

[Quest rank: Medium.]

[Reward: Medium Gift Pack x1.]

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ʼOne of the demon seeds?ʼ Feltia [2] muttered with a frown. ʼLillea found one of them by chance, and those demon rulers have repeatedly searched for the rest, but they couldnʼt find them, yet the system assigned me such a task.ʼ

[Master, Lillea managed to obtain one of the ten demon lord seeds, despite her lack of desire or effort to find them. Thatʼs why you donʼt need to think about it, and one of them might summon you by itself later.]

ʼYeah, youʼre right.ʼ Feltia [2] then took the key and questioned Tharnon. ”What exactly is this black key? Why is it considered a lost relic?”

Instead, Tharnon let out a heavy sigh. ”To tell you the truth, I myself do not know the use of this black key, and the first demon lord gave it to me before he disappeared, but he did not give me any explanation at all.

Since then, I have tried searching all over this realm for a place that only this key can open, but I couldnʼt find any such place, so I decided to give up and keep it inside my body.”

”The first demon lord?” Tharnon nodded to Feltia [2]. ”Have you ever tried checking the ancient castle? After all, that castle was his original residence, so I think this key is related to that place.”

”I have checked the entire area of the ancient castle, but I canʼt find anything there.” Tharnonʼs answer caused Feltia [2] to fall into deep thought, and she felt certain that the black key must be used to open one of the places in the Diyu Realm.

”Actually, I donʼt want to give this key to anyone, including Oz, but I think it would be useless if I kept it, and the mystery of this key would never be solved. I donʼt know how you can tell that I have it, but you are clearly not an ordinary living being with your three identities, and you might be able to solve the mystery, so you can take it with you.

However, after you solve it, I want you to tell me the result, and I want you to take me to that place.”

”All right, I will try to solve the mystery behind this key first, and I will take you to that place immediately after I solve it.” Feltia [2] then asked Tharnon again. ”Have you ever tried to find one of the ten demon lord seeds?”

”No.” Tharnon immediately shook his head at Feltia [2]. ”The ten demon lord seeds belonged to my master, and I am his mount, so I am not worthy of any of them. Furthermore, those seeds are not ordinary seeds; they have their own will. Even the first demon lord never looked for them, and they summoned him on their own, so I think it would be a waste if I tried looking for them.”

Feltia [2] nodded in understanding and stored the black key into the system inventory. ʼMei, try analyzing that key, and I want you to recheck the entire area of the Diyu realm.ʼ

[Yes, Master.]

”I will take my leave now, Old Demon.” After Tharnon nodded to him, Feltia[2] immediately flew out of the abyss.

The ancient demon continued to look at Feltia [2] until he disappeared from his sight, and Tharnon then curled up at the bottom of the abyss again. ʼMaster, only that human is worthy to replace you as the demon emperor of this realm, and I will pledge my loyalty to him if only he is willing to become the ruler of this realm.

Unfortunately, he doesnʼt have such an ambition to lead this realm, and his ambition lies in realms far beyond, so I will continue to wait here until someone else worthy appears.ʼ

After she left the Endless Death, Feltia [2] immediately left the Amaris Twinsʼ sub-realm and headed towards the Taurusʼs sub-realm, especially since Oz had told her that the berserk cockatrice demonʼs nest was in the eastern part of his sub-realm. Since the demon was only a marquis, and he had reached that rank, he wouldnʼt have much trouble dealing with it.

.

.

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Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaolong [3] was already in his fox form, but he was using his black fox form with one tail, especially since it would be strange if he used his white fox form with five tails in the Netherworld Realm. His eyes kept on the map, looking at the name Shang Guangming, who was already approaching the east region.

In addition, he continues to absorb the demon aura in that realm, according to Arbeolaʼs teachings. ʼMei, open the medium gift pack.ʼ

[Yes.]

{You got Hellfire Chains x1}

[Hellfire Chains: Chains that burn with the hottest flames of the underworld, capable of binding every living being and burning them to ashes. Grade: Earth Grade]

ʼHmm?ʼ Zhang Xiaolong [3] raised his eyebrows slightly. ʼBind every living creature and burn them to ashes, huh? The effect sounds terrifying, but I didnʼt believe that I could use it on a cultivator in the seven divine realms, like Shang Guangming.

However, I think I can use it on those who have cultivation in the ten mortal realms like mine, so I will try it later after I return to the Sky Jade Realm.ʼ

Zhang Xiaolong [3] then looked up at Arbeola. ”Old Demon, what is the current demon emperorʼs identity? Why canʼt I track him down?”

”Since the first demon lord, they have always used the name Azaroth, and the current demon lord originally used the name Azaroth the sixth.” Zhang Xiaolong [3] was a little surprised to hear the name from Arbeolaʼs mouth. ”However, he suddenly decided to change his name, and he told us that his current name was a sign of a new era for this realm. Anyway, his current name is Oz the first, and-”

”Are you serious about that?” Zhang Xiaolong [3] asked in a high voice as he looked at Arbeola with a look of shock, confusing the old tree demon. ”As you already know, Angela and the others came from the demon realm in the lower realms, and Oz the first was the demon emperor from the Diyu Realm. However, he disappeared from that realm thousands of years ago, and it was the work of one of his aides.

According to the white Amarisʼs memories, she used an artifact on him, which sent him randomly to another realm. Since then, none of them, including their current demon emperor, Oz the second, have been able to find his whereabouts.”

Arbeola fell silent after he listened to Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs explanation, which made him think that all the events were connected to each other. The old demon tree then looked towards the center of the realm, specifically towards the dead forest.

”To tell you the truth, that mysterious living being was sealed in that forest a few days after the current demon emperor announced his new name, and he then changed various orders and rules in this realm afterward. Back then, not a single demon questioned his decision, especially since his face and appearance were no different from usual.

However, his demon power and aura had become much stronger, and he demonstrated his supremacy by eliminating several old demons, such as Yhrerʼs ancestors and the three succubi duchesses. If your explanation just now is correct, I think that he is an impostor who was deliberately brought to this realm by those two human cultivators, and they sealed the real demon emperor in that forest.”

”Hmm?” Zhang Xiaolong [3] immediately observed the heart of the dead forest from his map, but the red dot still did not show any information. ʼDo you think Arbeolaʼs guess is correct, Mei?ʼ

[Master, this matter is too strange to be a coincidence, so the two may indeed be related to each other, and you can only investigate this matter by going to the demon emperor city. Anyway, you shouldnʼt go to that city now because the demons there are too strong for you, and Arbeola canʼt protect you.

Perhaps you can use another method to investigate this matter, which is to establish a relationship with Shang Guangming. However, he is too strong for you, so you have to be careful and alert, lest he suspect you and kill you instantly.]

Zhang Xiaolong [3] naturally already understands that. ”Old Demon, I want you to ask all the tree demons in the demon emperor city to dig deeper information about the current demon lord, and I will also think of other ways to investigate his true identity. However, I canʼt do it in a hurry, and it might take me a while to dig out the truth.”

”All right.” Arbeola nodded in agreement and immediately ordered all the tree demons in demon emperor city to carry out Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs idea, especially since it was the only solution they had for the time being.

Zhang Xiaolong [3] then asked Arbeola again. ”Old Demon, do you know anything about the blood demon tree?”

”Hmm?” Arbeola immediately looked at Zhang Xiaolong [3], who immediately explained to him about the five blood demon trees in the Sky Jade Realm. ”The blood demon tree doesnʼt have a consciousness like me or other tree demons, and the five trees you find in that realm are only a small part of the original.

The original demon tree lives under the demon emperor city, and only the current demon emperor can enter that place. However, he granted the high-ranking demons permission to absorb the demon miasma from that tree, leading to a significant increase in their demon power in recent years. In fact, the tree is not the tree demon of this realm, and the two human cultivators brought it from other realms.”

”So those high-ranking demons also use the demon miasma from the blood demon tree to increase their demon power and strength, huh?” Arbeola nodded to Zhang Xiaolong [3]. ”Actually, I have absorbed a lot of that demon miasma, but I didnʼt get any increase in my demon power, so I feel a little strange about that.”

”Thatʼs weird.” Arbeola was also perplexed by this, until he suddenly recalled something. ”Kid, you are indeed a full incubus, but you have two other identities. Moreover, your fox form has pure and strong light power, and it is the eternal enemy of the darkness, so I think it directly purified it so that you canʼt use the demon miasma to strengthen your demon power.”

Zhang Xiaolong [3] let out a heavy sigh upon hearing Arbeolaʼs answer, particularly since he and Mei had also made the same guess. ”If only I could use the demon miasma to strengthen my demon power, then I would be strong enough now.”

”Hahaha.” That made Arbeola laugh. ”Kid, you donʼt have to feel disappointed by that little thing, right? You canʼt use demon miasma to strengthen your demon power, but you have many extraordinary things in your possession that you can use to improve yourself.”

”Well, thatʼs true.” Then, Zhang Xiaolong [3] warned Arbeola. ”Old Demon, that guy has already arrived in this eastern region, and he seems to have sensed your powerful demon aura, so heʼs heading over here now.”

Arbeola nodded understandingly and alerted all the tree demons in the ghostveil forest, while Zhang Xiaolong [3] also prepared himself to face the worst possibility.

In a few minutes, Shang Guangming finally landed in front of them, but he didnʼt speak to them right away and scanned the entire forest with his senses. Unfortunately, he couldnʼt find anything there other than demons, but he was slightly surprised when he sensed Zhang Xiaolong [3]ʼs cultivation. ʼA soul realm fox demon?

Could it be that those heavenly foxes came here to chase this weak demon beast cultivator?ʼ ”Hey! Did you see some white foxes in this area a while ago?”

”No.” Arbeola replied to Shang Guangming with a head shake. ”I canʼt leave this forest; therefore, Iʼve never seen those white foxes, but I learned about their arrival from other tree demons. They came here specifically to chase this little black fox, and I gave him protection because he is a demon fox.”

”Hmm?” Shang Guangming frowned after hearing that; he immediately approached Zhang Xiaolong [3] and crouched down in front of him. ”Can you understand me? Where did you come from? What exactly is your relationship with those heavenly foxes? Why are they chasing a weak demon fox like you?

They even risk being exposed to the demon aura in this realm just to capture you, so I am sure that you are not an ordinary demon fox.”

ʼShould I answer this guy, Mei? What kind of answers should I give him? We donʼt have any information about the middle and upper realms, so Iʼm at a loss as to what to say to him.ʼ Zhang Xiaolong [3] asked the AI while glancing worriedly at Shang Guangming.

- To Be Continued -

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My other novels

1. Cultivator With Modern AI

2. Primordial ʼDual Cultivator ʼ Dragon With System

3. Otherworldly-Cultivator

4 . Tang Xiao: The Birth Of The Multiverse

If you guys havenʼt read all four, maybe you can take a peek at them, who knows you might like them.

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