Chapter 115 - 114: The great underworld.

Chapter 115: Chapter 114: The great underworld.

The woman continued toward the distant city, maintaining a steady speed as she crossed the vast expanse of forests and rivers.

From her position in the sky, the settlement grew larger with every passing moment.

Its outer walls stretched across the landscape, eventually connecting with the foothills of the surrounding mountains.

Beyond them, on elevated ground overlooking the surrounding settlements, stood a magnificent castle.

Its pale stone towers rose above the cityscape, their pointed rooftops gleaming beneath the cavern world’s sunlight.

Enormous banners hung from the ramparts, while several layers of walls surrounded the main structure and its broad courtyards.

The woman adjusted her course, heading directly toward it.

As she drew closer, the sounds of the city gradually reached her ears.

Bells rang from the castle walls, followed by the distant rumble of countless voices.

The noise grew louder as she passed over the outer districts, where streets had become crowded with people moving in the same direction.

They were gathering before the castle.

Thousands of people filled the broad square outside its gates, their numbers extending into the surrounding streets.

Some stood on rooftops, while others climbed onto balconies and wooden platforms to get a better view.

Even the guards stationed along the walls seemed more interested in the gathering.

Then, a cheer erupted from the crowd.

"Long live His Majesty!"

"Long live the King!"

"May His Majesty reign for ten thousand years!"

The woman glanced down as she passed overhead.

On an expansive balcony overlooking the square stood a man dressed in magnificent ceremonial robes.

His clothing was predominantly white, embroidered with golden patterns that shimmered beneath the sunlight.

A long mantle rested over his shoulders, and a delicate crown adorned his neatly combed black hair.

He appeared to be in his early thirties, with handsome features and a kind look over his face.

A gentle smile rested on his expression as his dark eyes swept across the cheering crowd from the left to the right.

He raised one hand, and the response was immediate.

Thousands of people lifted their arms, waved banners, or bowed toward the balcony.

The king continued acknowledging their greetings, occasionally nodding toward different sections of the crowd.

When an elderly man near the front struggled to raise a small banner, the king even leaned slightly over the railing and returned his greeting with a broader smile.

The crowd erupted into another round of cheers.

From the sky, the woman watched with a strange taste in her mouth as her eyes glistened under the sunlight.

It was an almost amusing sight.

A ruler stood above his subjects, receiving their admiration beneath a bright sky, while an immeasurable distance above them lay a world crawling with demons.

These people cheered as though their lives were protected by the strength of their kingdom, completely unaware of what existed beyond the clouds concealing their world.

In truth, this place was a cage that was dedicated to grow human livestock. The demons knew they wouldn’t be able to completely dominate the surface world, and as such...

They developed their own way of farming for ’food’.

The woman soon looked away.

She had no interest in the celebration.

Adjusting her course, she descended toward the castle’s rear section.

She passed over several enclosed gardens before landing silently on a secluded terrace.

Two guards stood near the entrance, but neither noticed her arrival as their attention remained fixed on the distant celebration.

The woman walked past them and entered the castle.

Her footsteps echoed softly through a long corridor decorated with portraits of previous rulers.

Servants hurried through the adjoining passages, carrying trays of food and ceremonial objects, while several officials gathered near a staircase.

A few lowered their heads respectfully as she passed, apparently recognizing her.

She paid them no attention.

At the end of the corridor stood a pair of enormous doors guarded by two men in polished armour.

One straightened upon seeing her approach, but before he could speak, a faint pressure spread through the air.

He immediately fell silent.

The doors opened, allowing her to enter a spacious chamber connected to the balcony overlooking the square.

Inside, a long table was covered with documents, maps, and several untouched cups of tea.

Golden curtains framed the tall windows, through which the distant cheering could still be heard.

The king was still on the balcony.

He raised his hand one final time before turning away and stepping into the chamber. His smile remained until the doors closed behind him.

Then, it disappeared.

The warmth in his eyes gave way to a cold, impatient gaze. He loosened the collar of his ceremonial robes and let out a quiet breath.

"How long are they planning to keep shouting out there?"

His voice was entirely different from the one he had used before the crowd. There was no warmth in it, only irritation.

A middle-aged official standing beside the table immediately lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, the people are simply expressing their loyalty. They have been looking forward to seeing you for some time."

"Then they should be satisfied by now. I had been keeping the same smile with different faces for over two centuries already."

The king removed his crown and placed it beside the documents.

He loosened the collar of his ceremonial robes before sinking into his chair, letting out a tired breath.

"At least that’s over with."

His gaze wandered across the table before settling on the flower pot near the window. He stared there for a moment, then gave a faint, amused smile.

"Well, this is unexpected. I wasn’t told you were returning."

"The woman whom had ran from home... And now suddenly deciding to come back... "

"What? Do you wish to cause another trouble here?"

And slowly, the figure of the woman from before slowly stepped out from the invisible air, "I didn’t need to send a word for my return... "

"So I gathered." He leaned back in his chair. "You left without much explanation. I assumed you had found something more interesting to occupy your time."

"What interesting things could there be down here but to breed livestocks for the old ones?"

"And the pampered little one must’ve find it to be rather out of her taste to feast upon the mortal delicacy..."

The woman turned away from the window and walked slowly along its length.

"I suppose so... "

The king waited, his eyes narrowing as his fingers tapped over the chair’s armrest, "Was it enjoyable?"

She stopped beside one of the tall shelves, examining the ornaments displayed upon it.

She took one of the ornament with her hand.

A glassy transparent jar with strange glowing eyeballs inside. She jerked it around before casually taking one out and swallowed it down her throat...

"A human cultivator eyes?"

Her tone increased.

Then, seemingly to find it to be the right time to answer his question, she placed down the jar back down again, and turned her heels, "I wouldn’t say it was particularly pleasant."

"There were many things... that happened."

"Things that many had never accounted for... Even the old ones failed to realize that there were so many things that they may have overlooked."

He watched her for another moment before his smile faded, "Would you mind telling me what happened instead of making me guess?"

"I don’t like to walk around in a circle... "

The woman glanced at him.

"There have been several... major developments on the surface."

"Such as?"

She began counting them on her fingers.

"The Chen Family. The four fallen Demon High Lords. The western mountain range. The Zhao Family’s hidden ancestor. Thousand Wind Mountain. And finally, an ancient Golden Core tomb."

The king stared at her.

Then he gave a short laugh.

"That’s quite a collection of rumours. Have you been spending too much time among the humans? Perhaps your brain had been fiddled by with holes?"

"I thought you might say that."

"Four Demon High Lords? An ancient Golden Core tomb? And now some insignificant family has apparently worth mentioning?" He picked up his cup and took a sip. "You return after disappearing for so long, and this is what you bring me?"

"What... a failure you are."

His eyes narrowed at these words.

The woman showed no offence. She simply walked back toward the table and stopped beside his chair.

Out of the blue, her right hand reached out for the cup that he had just drank from, and gently took a sip from it as she slowly placed it back down, "But mockery is all that you have... "

"How pathetic... "

....

She turned around yet again, her eyes lingering over the window.

"I haven’t finished, so please listen properly. I’m afraid that with your level of understanding, you might not be able to comprehend it."

"Then... "

The man gestured with his right hand, "By all means, enlighten me with your puzzlement."

She pulled out the chair opposite him but remained standing behind it, resting one hand on its back.

"Let’s begin with the Chen Family where three human high lords apperaed out of nowhere from this little inconspicuous family... "

The king gave her a dismissive look.

"Three ancestors? Every prominent human family has a few old monsters hidden away. That hardly makes them special."

"One of them is called Chen Feng."

The woman paused.

"His cultivation was recorded as Peak Foundation Establishment by our spies. But in reality, however, his strength is no less than that of the old ones."

The king nearly choked on his tea.

He set the cup down and looked at her.

"Come again?"

"Why now... has your proud significance of a brain fried itself to understand what I just said?"

"But that’s absurd, " The man shook his head, almost amused by the suggestion to the point he find it impossible.

"Do you expect me to believe the human race have produced another being of that level without any of our records mentioning him?"

"We’ve documented every individual capable of threatening the old ones. Every single one. There is no room for someone like that to appear out of nowhere."

"Then perhaps our records are incomplete."

The king’s amusement disappeared.

The woman finally pulled out the chair and sat down.

"Besides, the Chen Family isn’t the only matter you should be concerned about. That kingdom’s royal family also has a hidden ancestor of comparable strength to the old ones."

"You have heard the report, no? Of what happened during the great attempt before."

His expression stiffened as he recalled the reports he had received...

"I know... "

"Three of our high lords were slaughtered and countless others were hunted down like ants. The destruction on the surface was considerable, and the surviving forces were unable to provide a complete account of what happened."

"And the three Chen Family’s hidden ancestor attacked through the opened portal that created a death zone in our kingdom’s territory."

"I personally witnessed the devastation with my own very eyes..."

"The left over horror... "

"Such a terrfying sword intent. I can’t imagine the full extent of the wielder’s strength."

She spoke in a fearful tone.