Demon Lord (27): The Demon Lord…he is a love-brain person!

Zhou Qinghao’s team was moving very slowly because Gu Juntian’s body couldn’t withstand the rapid pace of travel.

Initially, Gu Juntian had considered abandoning this body, as keeping it would prevent him from returning to his original form.

However, after discussing with Zhou Qinghao, he suddenly realized that this body could still be saved.

There were many formations around his original body, and it was difficult for him to open them on his own. But with Zhou Qinghao’s current strength, it was possible to open the formations and enter!

Once inside and in contact with his original body, he could completely repair this body using Phoenix blood.

Then, he would have two bodies.

In the future, when his cultivation level improved, he could follow the original plan of the body’s owner, using the lifetime cultivation of this body to complete the Heavenly Ladder, and then return to his original body to successfully ascend.

If the Heavenly Ladder wasn’t completed, this world would gradually decline over time. Completing the Heavenly Ladder would also be a good deed.

Of course, there were other reasons for their travels and sightseeing.

Gu Juntian encouraged Zhou Qinghao to do this to reassure the righteous cultivators of the cultivation world.

If the Demon Lord didn’t act this way, even if they moved slowly, the people of the cultivation world would be terrified.

As for having a proper discussion with the people of the cultivation world… the original body’s master and other top experts in the cultivation world would most likely not believe Zhou Qinghao’s words, and they might not even believe his own words.

The demonic cultivators from the Demon Abyss truly have many methods of controlling people, especially since he had now become a cripple.

If his master were to see him, they would likely harbor deep hatred for Zhou Qinghao.

Gu Juntian lay on top of Zhou Qinghao, kissing him for a while, and then did to Zhou Qinghao what Zhou Qinghao had previously done to him, before falling into a deep sleep.

Zhou Qinghao had the team move forward slowly while he lay beside Gu Juntian, quietly savoring everything about him.

The person he loved was in his arms, and he felt extremely happy at this moment.

Since childhood, no one had loved him. He was abandoned at birth and faced countless dangers while navigating the Demon Abyss alone.

At one point, he believed he was unworthy of love.

But now, he had a Taoist partner!

Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhou Qinghao looked at Gu Juntian lying beside him and couldn’t resist leaning over to kiss him.

While Zhou Qinghao was in high spirits, the four dragon-pulling carts at the front of his procession, led by dragons at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, wished they could just die.

They had always been proud creatures. In the cultivation world, they used to look down on everyone with their chins held high.

The might of Dragon Island and their Tribulation Transcendence stage strength indeed allowed them to stride through the cultivation world without fear of anyone.

But now, they were pulling a cart!

Back in the Demon Abyss, pulling the cart had already been a source of deep humiliation for them. Now, in the cultivation world, sensing their old acquaintances constantly lurking around, they wished they could vanish into thin air.

But they couldn’t hide.

They had entered a soul contract with Zhou Qinghao and had no choice but to obey him.

Driven by the contract, these four Tribulation Transcendence stage experts were forced to be used as spirit beasts.

As if that weren’t enough, Zhou Qinghao also forbade them from communicating with others—they couldn’t make a sound, nor could they use their spiritual senses to converse.

They could only pull the cart, moving forward like mute puppets.

If not for their utmost self-control, tears would have already fallen from the Dragon King’s eyes!

But the only thing he could control was his tears.

While the Dragon King was filled with sorrow, Ao Hong and the others were quite content.

Signing too many soul contracts was detrimental to one’s spiritual soul.

Thus, Zhou Qinghao did not enter into a soul contract with Ao Hong and the others; he merely prohibited them from communicating with anyone outside their group.

With a total of thirty-one dragons in their group, internal communication among themselves was more than sufficient, and they had no need to interact with outsiders. Therefore, they had no complaints.

As for having to serve as guards for Zhou Qinghao, that was of little consequence to them.

Zhou Qinghao was a five-clawed dragon, the undisputed Dragon King. Serving as his guard wasn’t that bad, was it?

You should know, the former Dragon King and the Grand Elder, they could only pull carts!

“That waterfall we saw during the day was quite beautiful. Next time I come here, I want to take a bath in it.”

“You better not do such a thing, lest you accidentally crush an entire mountain.”

“I’ll use my human form to bathe!”

“That’s acceptable. Now that you mention it, I feel like taking a bath too, and maybe having some barbecue…”

“The roasted meat made by the chefs on the carriage is really delicious…”

“I heard the recipe was provided by Demon Lord Haotian. He knows so much.”

“He is a five-clawed golden dragon, after all. The inherited memories he has received are much more than ours, so naturally, he knows more than we do.”

“He’s really impressive. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a powerful dragon!”

…

Ao Hong and the others really liked Zhou Qinghao.

Not only was Zhou Qinghao incredibly powerful, but he also treated them well, giving them the leftover food from the carriage.

Moreover, this leisurely journey, taking in the scenery along the way, was quite relaxing and enjoyable for them.

The only thing that made them uncomfortable was the fact that the Dragon King and the three elders kept glaring at them.

However, the Dragon King and the elders could do nothing more than glare, which didn’t really affect them, and they had learned to ignore it by now.

Upon hearing the conversations of the surrounding dragons, the Dragon King and the three elders cursed inwardly: “A bunch of fools!”

These dragons actually regard Zhou Qinghao as their leader. They had no idea what Zhou Qinghao was planning, did they?

Zhou Qinghao was heading towards the far south!

The further south you go on this continent, the hotter it gets. At the very southern end of the continent lay an endless desert and a continuous range of fiery mountains—that was the far south.

And the dragons’ arch-nemesis, the phoenix, resided in the far south.

Gu Juntian was severely injured and in urgent need of treatment. Was Zhou Qinghao going to the far south to use phoenix blood to heal Gu Juntian?

Phoenix blood was not so easily obtained; Zhou Qinghao might very well trade them for it!

You should know, that phoenix loved to eat dragons!

Thinking that they might end up as the phoenix’s meal, the Dragon King and the three elders were overwhelmed with sorrow.

They truly regretted their actions.

They should not have abandoned Zhou Qinghao, and even if they had to, they should not have left him in the Demon Abyss.

They could have easily found a few snake demon cultivators with a trace of dragon bloodline to take care of that little black snake.

If they had done so, Zhou Qinghao wouldn’t have become so powerful, and they could have easily taken his inner core whenever they wanted.

Thinking of Zhou Qinghao’s inner core reminded them of Ao Jin.

Ao Jin was almost an adult. Would he become a five-clawed golden dragon?

They hoped Ao Jin could become a five-clawed golden dragon and rescue them from Zhou Qinghao!

In fact, after seeing Zhou Qinghao transform into a five-clawed dragon, the Dragon King and the others had already harbored a terrifying suspicion.

Could the five-clawed golden dragon from the prophecy not be Ao Jin, but Zhou Qinghao?

But they refused to believe this suspicion.

If they believed it, it would mean they had been wrong for the past thousand years, and that they were now getting their just deserts.

They had also already offended the five-clawed golden dragon!

This was something they could not  accept.

They could only repeatedly tell themselves that Zhou Qinghao was a black dragon, not a golden dragon.

Ao Jin was the five-clawed golden dragon; they could not be wrong!

Coincidentally, at this very moment, they sensed that Ao Jin had reached adulthood.

The Dragon King and the others began to pray, hoping that Ao Jin could elevate his bloodline level.

The Dragon King and his companions sensed the news of Ao Jin’s coming of age, and naturally, Ao Hong and the others sensed it too.

Ao Jin was coming of age on Dragon Island, where there was no danger, so they didn’t make a big deal out of it and continued their chat and conversation.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qinghao opened his eyes.

He frowned slightly, blocked his perception of Ao Jin, and kissed Gu Juntian once more.

On Dragon Island, Ao Jin indeed began his transition to adulthood.

The news of the Dragon King and others being captured had already been communicated to Dragon Island by the cultivation world.

The Dragon Queen and the remaining elder of the dragon clan were greatly alarmed upon hearing this.

With the Dragon King and others being controlled and forced to pull carts for Demon Lord Haotian, even if they went to seek them out, they would only be walking into a trap. Moreover, Ao Jin was about to come of age…

After discussing, the two decided to conceal this matter from the other dragons on Dragon Island, including Ao Jin, to allow him to come of age peacefully.

Although the other dragons on Dragon Island were curious about why the Dragon King and the others had not returned, they were not worried.

All the life tablets of the dragons who had left Dragon Island were intact and unbroken, indicating that they were all alive. Therefore, what was there to worry about?

They continued their lives as usual, but Ao Jin was different.

His delayed adulthood was approaching, yet the Dragon King and the others had not brought him the inner core of that black dragon!

How was he supposed to come of age?

For the past thousand years, he had not put much effort into cultivation, his skills were poor, and as he approached adulthood, his inner core was injured.

While others might not know, he was well aware that he could not advance during his coming of age.

Ao Jin repeatedly asked the Dragon Queen and the Fourth Elder, wanting to know when the Dragon King and the others would return.

But he could not get a definite answer; the Dragon Queen and the Fourth Elder only knew how to treat him like a child!

Ao Jin sensed that something was wrong and grew increasingly fearful. It was at this time that he faced his coming of age.

Ao Jin was placed by the Dragon Queen and the Fourth Elder in a room specially designed for the coming of age of dragon offspring. They also prepared various items beneficial for adulthood and took care of him together.

They placed all their hopes on Ao Jin.

If Ao Jin became a five-clawed golden dragon, he might be able to rescue the Dragon King and the others from the hands of the Demon Lord!

Ao Jin had always been well cared for. Although his inner core was slightly injured as he neared adulthood, it did not significantly affect his coming of age.

His entire process of coming of age went smoothly without any mishaps.

He successfully shed his skin and became an adult four-clawed silver dragon.

For the dragon clan, a four-clawed dragon was already quite good, as the vast majority of dragons only had three claws.

But the Dragon Queen and the others had placed too much hope on Ao Jin!

Thus, when the newly adult Ao Jin opened his eyes, he was met with the Dragon Queen’s look of disappointment.

The anger that had been building up before his coming of age made Ao Jin speak without thinking: “How dare you look at me like that? If it weren’t for your incompetence, failing to bring back the black dragon’s inner core, would I be in this state?”

Ao Jin had always been pampered on Dragon Island, which made him quite ill-tempered.

Facing the Dragon Queen’s incredulous gaze, he felt a bit better, but his words became even harsher: “You’re all just a bunch of useless fools, good for nothing, only knowing how to treat me like a child! It’s just a black dragon’s inner core, and you couldn’t even bring it back after so long…”

The dragon clan valued and was very tolerant towards their young; even if a young dragon made a mistake, they wouldn’t do anything to them.

But Ao Jin was already an adult!

The emotions that had been building up in the Dragon Queen’s heart suddenly erupted: “You blame me? If it weren’t for you, your father, the Dragon King, and the Grand Elder wouldn’t have been captured…”

On Dragon Island, mother and son accused each other, their anger reaching the heavens.

Meanwhile, in the cultivation world, countless cultivators followed behind the Demon Lord’s convoy, enjoying the landscapes and waters.

It truly was a journey of leisure and sightseeing.

Initially, they had resolved to face certain death, intending to block the Demon Abyss’s assault on the cultivation world. However, they later discovered that the Demon Lord had brought such a large group to the cultivation world not to conquer it, but to admire its landscapes and savor its delicacies.

Jiang City was a very ordinary city in the cultivation world, where the vast majority of residents were ordinary people, and only one-tenth were cultivators.

The city’s lord was a Golden Core stage rogue cultivator.

Early one morning, as the common folk of Jiang City stepped out of their homes to start their day, they noticed a cultivator hovering above them.

In their city, it was forbidden for cultivators below the Golden Core stage to linger in the air, which meant this person was at least at the Golden Core stage, as powerful as their city lord.

Everyone looked up, and then they heard the cultivator say, “Later, a celestial carriage will arrive here. You can go about your normal lives; there’s no need for alarm.”

His voice could be heard by everyone in the city.

After speaking, he dived into the city lord’s residence, and soon after, the city lord also came out to reassure the common folk not to panic.

The common folk of Jiang City thought this was unnecessary.

They were worldly-wise and wouldn’t panic over nothing!

However, after being cautioned several times, they couldn’t help but become curious, so they occasionally looked up at the sky, waiting for the arrival of the “celestial being.”

While the common folk were calm, the city lord was already terrified.

What was coming was not a celestial being, but the Demon Lord!

The Demon Lord was so powerful that with just a wave of his hand, he could destroy the entire city. How could he not be afraid?

“You don’t need to worry. The leader of the Qingyun Sect and others will arrive first and will never allow the Demon Lord to kill innocents at will!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a large crowd of righteous cultivators flew in on their swords and entered Jiang City.

Among them were several Tribulation Transcendence stage experts from the cultivation world.

After entering Jiang City, they either landed on the streets, on rooftops, or found places to sit, scattering throughout the city.

The citizens of Jiang City were dumbfounded.

No wonder they were told not to panic; so many cultivators were coming at once!

This wave of cultivators must have numbered several thousand. Now, walking just a few steps on the street, one could encounter a cultivator!

If they hadn’t been informed in advance, they would surely have panicked and might have even offended them.

Fortunately, someone had warned them beforehand.

The common folk quickly calmed down, as these cultivators didn’t seem to be looking for trouble.

One of the vendors, an elderly woman selling pancakes, saw a cultivator land in front of her stall and asked, “Little girl, would you like a pancake? I’ll give you one.”

The several-hundred-year-old Nascent Soul stage “little girl” was silent for a moment before replying, “No need, I’ve already reached the stage of fasting.”

Upon hearing this, the old woman smiled and said no more, continuing to make pancakes for the ordinary people who came to buy them.

The people of Jiang City thought that the “celestial beings” they were told about, who were coming to Jiang City, referred to these suddenly arrived cultivators. But to their surprise, at that moment, a massive procession, large enough to blot out the sky and sun, slowly approached from the distance!

At the forefront of the procession was a carriage pulled by four giant dragons, larger than the city lord’s residence in Jiang City. Around the carriage were dozens of giant dragons, followed by some slightly smaller flying magical artifacts.

The common folk of Jiang City were stunned.

What were those cultivators who landed earlier compared to this! This before their eyes must be the real celestial beings, right?

They wondered who could be riding in that palace-like carriage pulled by giant dragons.

Just as the people of Jiang City were brimming with curiosity, they saw a young man emerge from the enormous carriage.

Dressed in a black robe that shimmered with golden light, he descended from the carriage and landed in front of the old woman selling pancakes.

The old woman had thought the young girl standing in front of her stall was the most handsome person she had ever seen, but now she knew she was wrong.

The man in the black robe before her was even more handsome than the young girl!

“Madam, make me a pancake with three parts fat and seven parts lean meat. My Taoist partner wants to eat it,” said the handsome man, his expression initially cold but softening at the mention of “Taoist partner.”

“Alright, alright,” the old woman quickly responded, taking dough and wrapping it around preserved mustard greens, meat, and scallions, then rolling it into a thin pancake and baking it in the oven.

This scene was sensed by the newly arrived cultivators in Jiang City, who were at least at the Nascent Soul stage, using their spiritual senses. Those nearby even witnessed the scene firsthand.

They had seen the Demon Lord several times before, but they were still shocked.

This young man did not resemble the Demon Lord at all; instead, he seemed like a young lad who had just found his love, his heart and eyes full of his partner, eager to offer all the good things in the world to his beloved.

Indeed, once the pancake was ready, he used a formation to keep it warm and then hurried back to the carriage, rushing to feed his Dao companion!

And this was just the beginning.

The Nascent Soul stage female cultivator who had earlier refused the pancake from the old woman came to the stall and ordered a pancake identical to the Demon Lord’s. After taking a few bites, she saw the Demon Lord eating a pancake while emerging from the carriage.

No matter what the Demon Lord bought, his Taoist partner would only eat a small portion, and the rest was eaten by the Demon Lord.

Then, the Demon Lord would buy other delicious foods for his Taoist partner.

Well, not just delicious foods, the Demon Lord also bought various toys.

The preferences of the Demon Lord’s Taoist partner were quite unique, and as for the Demon Lord… he was simply love-struck!