Chapter 716: You Can Scream Your Throat Raw

Inside the carriage, Kaelan glared at her brother.

Austin remained unmoved, eyes closed in meditation, a faint smile even playing at the corner of his mouth.

"What do you want me to go back for?" After a long silence, Kaelan could bear it no longer and spoke first.

"A marriage alliance." Austin opened his eyes and said.

"A marriage alliance?" Kaelan's eyes went wide.

As a hidden clan, a clan that hides from the world, the demon race — they simply did not have any situation of forming marriage alliances with any family.

Offspring born of demons and humans were inevitably demons.

The Sullivan family needed outside blood to maintain the family line; outsiders could only marry in or marry into the Sullivan family.

"Yes." Austin nodded.

"How is that possible? Aren't you afraid our secret will be discovered?" Kaelan let out a cold laugh.

"Not afraid." Austin said, "Because the marriage alliance partner is this generation's Demon King."

Kaelan's cold laugh froze on her face. Had she heard wrong? The marriage alliance partner was the Demon King?!

"This generation's Demon King..." Austin said, "According to Father, he is extremely steady, and it's said a Miracle King of the demon race has appeared; the demon race might make a major move this time."

"Hmph, won't he just be killed by the Hero when the time comes?" Kaelan snorted disdainfully, "You simply don't know how fast Ken's progress is."

"And, there's also Master helping him."

"That Anubis? Feels like a guy who suddenly popped out of nowhere." Austin said.

"He is the First Aide, the First Beast Tamer." Kaelan said, "The Demon King cannot possibly win; what you're doing is placing the entire family in danger."

She argued from the standpoint of interest, hoping to persuade Austin.

And then persuade their father together with Austin.

"Isn't it fine if we just continue living in seclusion like this?" Kaelan said.

"I say... if we stay like this, our secret will be discovered by that Hero too, won't it?" Austin glanced at his younger sister.

The Sullivan family's demon marks had always been in extremely hidden locations.

And the area was very small; among family members, the largest demon mark in history was only a third of a palm.

Unless it was an extremely intimate relationship — for instance, zero distance, or a harem of zero distance — it was fundamentally impossible to discover.

Last time when the demon side selected spies, they also followed this principle.

If the demon marks weren't hidden enough, the Sullivan family couldn't have lain low for this long.

A hint of red surfaced on Kaelan's face, then quickly faded.

She remembered last time; if Master hadn't acted in time, her secret might have been exposed.

She wasn't worried about Merlin and Ken.

But at that time, there was also another female party member from an adventurer group; what if she found out...

"When that time comes, actually there's no need to worry about Ken; he'll keep our secret, you know we've never done anything heinous." Kaelan said.

"Oh, you have that much confidence in him?" Austin said.

Kaelan nodded: "Of course. Ken has no prejudice against demons; he treats everyone equally. He said, what determines good and evil has never been race."

"That's a bit interesting." Austin said.

"The Demon King has no future. I don't understand why we have to die together with them." Kaelan said.

Their branch could live in seclusion, but the Demon King's side would definitely stir up trouble.

Once they stir up trouble, they'll definitely become public enemies, then be eliminated by the Hero.

This has almost become a basic law of nature.

"Because this Demon King might have a chance to succeed." Austin said.

"Just a chance, and you stake the family's entire future on it? Father must be crazy!" Kaelan said sharply.

Austin smiled: "Of course not. If the Demon King fails, you just stab him in the back."

"Ah?" Kaelan's eyes went wide.

"What, you thought a marriage alliance means wholeheartedly defecting to the Demon King?" Austin laughed, "We've always hedged our bets. When the time comes, if the Hero has the advantage, you stab the Demon King in the back."

"What if the Demon King has the advantage?" Kaelan said.

"Naturally defect to the Demon King, stab the Hero in the back." Austin said, "Following the strong's footsteps is only right and proper, isn't it?"

Kaelan's expression flickered between dark and pale, her gaze shifting.

Austin clapped twice to snap Kaelan back to attention: "Of course, none of us want to see you go against the tide and end up dragging the whole family down, understand?"

"Family?" Kaelan sneered.

"Everyone has their own place, and everyone must pay a price." Austin sighed, reaching out to ruffle his sister's hair, "Everything is for the continuation of the bloodline."

Kaelan did not shake off her brother's hand.

She closed her eyes, and after a moment opened them: "I understand."

"Understand my ass. Are they idiots? Holding a grand wedding half a year from now, simultaneously announcing the Demon King's arrival." Tang Luo cursed in the Gray Mist, "Sure enough, demon brains have all been kicked by donkeys?"

"Cough cough."

Ao Yulie coughed, "Actually it's not that stupid. Mainly they considered the Sullivans are fence-sitters and want to use this method to bind them completely to the warship."

"The Sullivan family didn't think of that?" Tang Luo countered.

"Definitely. A bunch of old foxes playing the game, all thinking of getting more benefits." Ao Yulie laughed twice, "Hehe, Master, feels like the Hero's gonna get cuckolded."

"No, under normal circumstances." Tang Luo analyzed, "You might only truly see the bride one minute before the wedding, then halfway through the ceremony the Hero descends from the heavens; longer process — makes a huge scene at the wedding, kills a few mobs, then runs off with the girl."

"Shorter process — one slash takes off your dog head, life goal achieved on the spot."

"... Seems like that kind of development." Ao Yulie nodded, "Then we just refuse?"

"No, let's go along with what those guys want. Hold a grand wedding half a year from now; that'll definitely be very interesting." Tang Luo smiled with extremely ill intentions.

"What about now?" Ao Yulie fell into deep thought.

Master, we are monks!

"Just like that, prepare the wedding properly." Tang Luo ended the communication and stood up.

On the other side, the heroes had just come out, and Fast Ken walked up to Tang Luo and said: "Master, we have decided, no matter what happens, we must save Kailan! Let's chase after them now!"

"No, no." Tang Luo stretched out his finger and shook it twice, "Now is not the time."

Continuous denial.

"Huh?"

"Ken, I ask you, are you prepared to face the Sullivan family's wrath and protect Kailan?" Tang Luo asked.

"Of course!"

The hero held his head high and chest out, I, Fast Ken, bear the sun and moon on my shoulders!

"Then, do you have this strength?" Tang Luo delivered a violent blow with one knife.

"..."

"Good, it seems you have realized this." Tang Luo said, "First, the enemy we face this time is not a simple foe, not something that can be easily resolved by chopping the opponent with one knife. Sullivan is Kailan's family, do you really want to slaughter her entire family?"

The hero shook his head repeatedly.

After years of adventuring, the hero is certainly not a greenhorn who has only killed magical beasts.

His hands are also stained with quite a bit of blood.

The hero is not a saint who would show mercy when action is needed, but it is also impossible for him to be so ruthless as to chop down Kailan's family.

"That's right." Tang Luo revealed an expression of being teachable, "The key, or rather the essence, of this problem is actually that you are not strong enough."

"As long as you are strong enough, you don't need to lift a hand; the Sullivan family will come to kneel and lick you, personally delivering Kailan to your bed."

"..."

The blunt words made Merlin's face turn crimson, and then she stared at Tang Luo.

Tang Luo completely ignored the gaze of this little girl: "Think about it, if you are now a legendary professional, how would Austin dare to openly take Kailan?"

"Right!"

The hero nodded firmly.

"Then it's settled, let us directly address the core of the problem and resolve it." Tang Luo continued to persuade, "Our primary goal is not to chase after Kailan, for that would solve nothing, but to become strong, to become strong at all costs! When you are strong enough, all problems will be readily solved."

Wait, this seems not like persuasion, but rather a great truth.

"But..." the hero thought of another key point, "What if Kailan encounters danger?"

He is not stupid either, what if it really is some kind of marriage alliance.

Before he has time to become strong, Kailan has already become someone else's bride, where would he go to reason?

No, this absolutely cannot happen.

"You must believe in Kailan, is your feeling for her really so unable to withstand trials?"

"I believe in Kailan, but I do not believe in her family!" The hero declared firmly.

Young man, you are indeed clever and cautious.

Think about Akmon this useless demon king, if all generations of demon kings and heroes were of this level...

No wonder your demon race, after initially rising a bit, has always been pressed to the ground and rubbed.

The difference between us and them is quite large.

"Like this, doggy, you go protect Kailan, if any scoundrel intends to do something improper, bite them all to death." Tang Luo said to the Heavenly Howling Dog.

The Heavenly Howling Dog ate the last piece of biscuit, nodded its head, and with a "swish" ran out of sight.

"Master, how can this be?"

The hero shouted urgently, as everyone knows, as the first support and beast tamer, Anubis Master's own combat power is very low.

Ninety percent of his combat power lies in his special magical beast, and the remaining ten percent in his support spells.

Without the magical beast, without support from spells, Anubis Master is just an ordinary person.

No, according to his "delayed development" physique, he is merely a child barely touching the threshold of youth.

"It's fine, I have support spells to protect myself." Tang Luo waved his hand, putting on an appearance of "I contribute for the juniors."

As an elder old man, shouldn't I pave the way for the hero protagonist?

Saving effort, no need to worry.

The hero tearfully accepted Tang Luo's kindness.

By the carriage, Austin watched the jumping Heavenly Howling Dog come up, looking bewildered, what is this situation?

"Perhaps, it is a parting gift for me." Kailan gave a dry laugh.

Austin frowned, originally wanting to throw the Heavenly Howling Dog off the carriage, but after thinking carefully, he decided against it.

There is no need to quarrel with Kailan over this matter.

We are not enemies after all, everything is for the continuation of the Sullivan family.

He has not told Kailan, but in fact the family is not as prosperous as it appears on the surface.

As a demon race, the Sullivan family cannot help but achieve "solitude," and long-term "solitude" inevitably leads to some impact.

Therefore, we must place bets to restore the family's former glory.

Once the plan succeeds, whether the hero or the demon king wins, the Sullivan family can profit from it.

Of course, there is also a possibility of being settled by the victor.

This is a risky move, but the Sullivan family has no choice but to take it.

In the following several months, the hero has been undergoing extremely arduous training, and his strength is increasing at a visible speed.

Already surpassing the initial Akmon, yet still not counting as the hero's sword in that situation.

This is no longer a simple case of "the Hero is weaker than the Demon King."

Who knows where Akmon is fooling around right now; it feels like this battle between the Demon King and the Hero really doesn't have much to do with him anymore.

I originally thought the wheels of fate would push the two to meet.

As it turns out, Akmon hasn't shown up even now.

While the Hero arduously increased his strength, the demon race led by the Demon King also successfully wrangled with the Sullivan family.

There was no situation where the bride arrived late at the very last second before the wedding.

Kaelan and a retinue of guards have already been taken away by the demon race, embarking on the journey to the Demon King's domain.

Kaelan secretly sent word out, hoping it would reach the Hero.

Unexpectedly, after three months of earnest instruction, Kaelan still failed to become a qualified fence-sitter as her family members hoped.

She stands very firmly on the Hero's side.

Betray the Hero? Doesn't exist. She'd only betray the Demon King.

Then, the message Kaelan sent out was intercepted midway by the Howling Celestial Dog.

In the message, Kaelan hoped the Hero would secretly follow them, and on the wedding day, with many people and chaotic eyes, everyone would take the opportunity to act and directly kill the Demon King.

Truly grasping the essence of a two-faced traitor.

Too bad, she was completely suppressed by Tang Luo, an even stronger two-faced traitor who had been lying in wait for a long time.

After reading Kaelan's message, Tang Luo leisurely tore it to pieces, not informing the Hero.

Time passed just like that, another month gone.

Since Tang Luo and the others arrived in this mission world, it has already been over a year.

The mission is mostly complete, but what comes next is the key to the mission.

Even though Tang Luo deliberately delayed a bit, the Hero's party still discovered that Kaelan had already left the Sullivan family territory.

Without a second word, the Heavenly Divine Soldiers Adventure Group immediately moved out.

Following the direction Kaelan left in.

By the way, during the time Kaelan was gone, the adventure group gained a new member.

The class "Chivalrous Thief" is actually just a nicer-sounding name for a thief.

Their own combat power is quite average, but in tracking, scouting, and exploration, they are top-tier strong.

They have always hidden inside a hooded robe, also wearing a black mask; usually having no presence at all, to the point where one can't even tell male from female.

But it was precisely this person who discovered Kaelan's departure, and led the Heavenly Divine Soldiers squad to successfully track the traces left by the party, advancing unceasingly toward the Demon King's territory.

"Shadow, how much longer until we catch up to Kaelan?"

Resting at night, the adventure group set up camp; the Hero looked at the mysterious person who had newly joined the squad and asked.

"The tracks aren't fresh." Shadow spoke in a deep voice, voice hoarse, neither male nor female.

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps the party has already reached the destination; we received the news relatively late." Shadow said.

"Damn it!" The Hero clenched his fists, "What on earth do they want to do!"

Shadow added a piece of firewood to the campfire before them, making the flames leap: "I suspect the Sullivan family is in cahoots with the demon race."

"What?" This statement made Arthur, Merlin, and the Hero all freeze for a moment.

Only Tang Luo remained calm and composed, utterly unperturbed.

Everyone was also used to the Master's composure even if Mount Tai collapsed before him; no one uttered the clever quip "You're not surprised at all, you must have known ages ago, you're the bad guy."

Shadow lowered the hood, took off the mask, revealing a handsome face full of heroism, a faint scar on the face.

"My older sister was once a maid at the Sullivan Manor..."

Shadow told a story; the story was relatively simple: a sister she relied on for life died violently in a noble's manor, the younger sister felt there was a hidden truth, steeled herself to become strong, and swore to avenge her sister.

During this period, she discovered the Sullivan family's abnormality, and encountered the Hero.

Thus, people with the same goal united together.

"Sorry for only telling you now; at first I didn't trust you, even if you are the Hero." Shadow said.

"It's fine!" The Hero shook his head very magnanimously, "Now we're partners!"

He reached out his hand, clasping it with Shadow's gloved hand.

At this time, inside the Demon King's castle.

"Heh heh heh, scream all you want, scream your throat raw and no one will come save you!" Ao Yulie looked at Kaelan before him, letting out an incomparably malicious laugh.

A monk? What monk?

I'm the Great Demon King right now!

"Bite him!"

Kaelan acted very determinedly, releasing the Howling Celestial Dog without the slightest hesitation.

The Howling Celestial Dog leaped up, swatting Ao Yulie to the ground with a single paw, spinning his helmet around several times.

"Hey, I'm one of you!" Ao Yulie had a bewildered look.

"Stop playing around." Zhu Bajie appeared and said.

"Oh." Ao Yulie stood up, twisted his helmet back around, "Don't be afraid, we're not bad people, we just want you to cooperate with us in acting out a play."

Just matching his Demon King appearance really had little persuasiveness.