The Evil King's Successors

Seeing Xiao Chen's expression, Prince Wind and Liu Yue were greatly satisfied. The name of the Evil King truly inspired awe across the ages!

"The Evil King lives forever in this world?" Xiao Chen asked, his agitation genuine.

"Of course. The Ancestral Master has long possessed an indestructible form."

"And you?"

"We... are still far from the state of immortality. The World of Immortality is not as you imagine. In truth, those who have achieved true deathlessness are not many."

Liu Yue laughed charmingly. "Brother Xiao, I see you have only just entered the World of Immortality and know little of it. Why not let us recommend you to join our lineage?"

Had Xiao Chen not known they intended to kill him, he would have been overjoyed. But for now, he could only feign delight.

"If I may ask, what is so special about this island?" Xiao Chen knew nothing of the World of Immortality and had many questions, but for now he could only begin with this savage island.

"Special? Heh, special to the extreme—so much that a divine stele had to be sent down from heaven to suppress it!" Prince Wind gave a cold, somewhat rueful laugh, but offered no further explanation.

Liu Yue smiled bewitchingly. "It cannot be explained in a few words. You will come to understand slowly. This world is far stranger than you imagine. It is not even unusual to encounter winged humans of supreme power!"

At that moment, a flicker of life force came from the treetops in the distance. All three sensed it and glanced back casually.

There, half-hidden among the branches of an ancient tree, stood a small horse carved as if from finest jade, its body shimmering with a faint, ethereal light. It blinked its large, black-gem eyes and stared at them with timid curiosity.

Liu Yue gasped. "By the Evil King, it's a juvenile unicorn!" Her surprise was evident, her emotions clearly stirred as her chest rose and fell.

Prince Wind also looked astonished. "I knew this island was mysterious, but I never expected to find a unicorn so close to the coast. Try to approach it, Sister. I've heard only pure maidens can draw near such a sacred beast."

Liu Yue rose, her seductive demeanor fading into a guise of dignified purity. She walked gracefully toward the ancient tree.

With a start, the young unicorn fled like a startled rabbit, vanishing into the forest like a streak of silver lightning.

"So it's called a unicorn. I thought it might be the legendary celestial horse," Xiao Chen murmured to himself.

"Heh, it counts as a celestial horse. Even as a juvenile, it runs like the wind. When it matures, it will be able to soar through the skies. And when angered, it possesses terrifying offensive power." Prince Wind sounded regretful. "Pity—such a young unicorn would have been perfect to tame, but it's far too wary."

Liu Yue snorted, displeased, and returned sullenly.

Prince Wind had finished eating. He turned to Xiao Chen. "We'll take you away from here when the time comes. But not now. First, we need to venture deeper into the island. Second, we must wait for our ship to arrive with reinforcements. Are you willing to accompany us?"

What could Xiao Chen say but agree, and feign enthusiasm while doing so?

"Very well. Go collect more sea salt for our journey. The island is fraught with danger; we must steer clear of many primeval beasts. Who knows how many days it will take to reach the interior."

As Xiao Chen's figure receded into the distance, Liu Yue's expression turned cold. "Kill him now, before anything unexpected happens."

Prince Wind shook his head. "You saw—we still need him for these chores. Give it two more days. The island is treacherous; we might use him as bait to draw out the savage beasts."

Both of them laughed coldly.

From deep in the forest, Xiao Chen watched their lips move, then silently withdrew. If he had not known lip-reading, he would have died without knowing why.

Prince Wind and Liu Yue seemed impatient, unwilling to waste any time. Once Xiao Chen had gathered enough sea salt, they set off.

They had been walking for half an hour. The ancient trees grew denser, their evergreen crowns blotting out the sky. In the endless primeval forest, millennial trees were so thick that a dozen men could not encircle them; massive old vines stretched hundreds of meters. Ferocious birds and beasts appeared frequently, their roars constant.

They had already spotted dozens of rare, strange birds and savage beasts. To avoid unnecessary trouble, they did their best to avoid encounters.

As they walked deeper into the primeval forest, they often saw white bones, many of them eight or nine meters long—clearly the skeletons of primeval monsters. They lay half-hidden among the vegetation, a ghastly sight.

Along the path, Xiao Chen noticed traces left by the Eight-Armed Malignant Dragon: scattered silver scales it had shed. The huge claw prints on the ground were startling—each one longer than Xiao Chen's own body. Trees had been felled and flattened wherever it had passed.

Xiao Chen wondered what ancient beast had fought the Eight-Armed Malignant Dragon that night.

Prince Wind and Liu Yue knew nothing of the battle between the Eight-Armed Malignant Dragon and another ancient beast of terror. As they walked, their hearts gradually filled with dread.

Soon, Xiao Chen found the battlefield where the two monsters had clashed. It had once been an open woodland, but the entire area had been utterly leveled, leaving only scattered branches and withered leaves.

The ravaged ground was stained with great pools of blood. There were many shattered silver scales from the Eight-Armed Malignant Dragon, and also fragments of cyan scales that had belonged to another beast.

Seeing all this, Prince Wind and Liu Yue's faces turned pale.

Following the direction the other beast had taken, they traced its path for a while. It seemed to walk upright on two legs; huge, alternating claw prints marked its passage. They did not continue the pursuit. Instead, they turned in another direction, afraid of encountering that ferocious monster and dying without a burial place.

But after changing course several times, they found that signs of the beast were everywhere in this region. It appeared to be its territory.

This was not a good sign. They had stumbled into the lair of a terrifying ancient monster.